ROLE OF PERSONALITY, CONSPIRACY MENTALITY, REBT IRRATIONAL BELIEFS, AND ADULT ATTACHMENT IN COVID-19 RELATED HEALTH BEHAVIOURS

• Authors: Stanković Sanda , Lazarević Ljiljana , Knežević Goran
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

There is evidence that different types of irrational thinking and beliefs are significant predictors of questionable and maladaptive COVID-19 related health practices. In this study, we investigated the role of two under-researched types of irrational thinking, more typical for a clinical setting: irrational beliefs defined in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) and attachment anxiety and avoidance. We investigated whether REBT irrational beliefs, attachment dimensions, and conspiracy mentality mediated the relationship between personality traits, on the one side, and COVID-19 health behaviours, on the other. We proposed that HEXACO personality traits, and especially Disintegration (proneness to psychotic-like experiences) predicted irrational thinking and beliefs, which in turn predicted higher susceptibility to questionable health practices. Structural equation modelling on a sample of 287 participants from the general population showed that Disintegration was related to REBT irrational beliefs, attachment dimensions, and conspiracy mentality, highlighting the important effect of Disintegration on irrational thinking and beliefs. Conspiracy mentality mediated the effects of Disintegration to low adherence to recommended health behaviours – RHB, and greater use of pseudoscientific practices – PSP. Attachment anxiety mediated the relationship between high Disintegration, high Emotionality (E), and low Honesty (H), and lower adherence to RHB. REBT irrational beliefs and attachment avoidance did not mediate the relationship between personality traits and COVID-19 health behaviours.

Keywords

EN

HEXACO; CONSPIRACY; ADULT ATTACHMENT; REBT; COVID-19; HEALTH BEHAVIOR

• Publisher: Institute of Experimental Psychology, Slovak Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Studia Psychologica
• Year: 2022
• Volume: 64
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 26 – 44

Contributors

author

Stanković Sanda

• Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Cika Ljubina 18-20, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia

• https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3550-0430

author

Lazarević Ljiljana

• https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1629-3699

author

Knežević Goran

• https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8951-3774

Identifiers

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31577/sp.2022.01.837