Article
Are informal caregivers more likely to believe in conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 pandemic? Findings of a representative study from Germany
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Authors
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Larissa Zwar
- Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Deutschland
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Hans-Helmut König
- Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Deutschland
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Andre Hajek
- Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Deutschland
| Published: | September 30, 2022 |
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Outline
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Background and status of (inter)national research: The COVID-19 pandemic may generate a greater need to find an explanation, more knowledge and security among informal caregivers than non-caregivers which could be expressed in differences in their conspiracy mentality and may differ based on their age. To date, no research has analyzed the susceptibility to conspiracy theories among informal caregivers of the older population.
Question and objective: This study analyzed the conspiracy mentality among informal caregivers for older adults (60+ years) compared to non-caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether this association was dependent on age.
Method: The sample was collected randomly from a population-based online panel (forsa.omninet) and is representative for individuals aged ≥40 years from Germany. In total, 3022 participants were questioned about conspiracy mentality (i.e. the tendency to believe in conspiracy theories; Conspiracy Mentality Questionnaire), informal care provision (N= 489 informal caregivers of older adults), and sociodemographic background. Data assessment took place between 4th and 19th March 2021 and the questions referred to the time between December 2020 and March 2021.
Results: No significant differences were found between informal caregivers and non-caregivers. A significant interaction effect was found, indicating a decrease of conspiracy mentality among non-caregivers and an increase among informal caregivers with higher age. After stratifying by gender, this effect was found only among female informal caregivers.
Discussion: This study provides first findings indicating that informal caregivers differ in their level of conspiracy mentality from non-caregivers as a function of their age, and this was primarily found among female caregivers. Thus, informal caregiving could be a protective factor among middle-aged adults, while it seems to be a risk factor which increases the susceptibility to conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 pandemic among older-aged adults.
Practical Implications: Encouraging informal care among middle-aged individuals is recommended in order to reduce conspiracy mentality. Older informal caregivers may instead benefit from interventions to reduce this susceptibility to conspiracy theories and the associated risks for health and wellbeing.
Appeal for practice (science and/or care) in one sentence: Health policy, care (support) facilities and science should pay more attention to informal caregivers during a pandemic and take the protective and risk potential of informal caregiving with respect to conspiracy beliefs into account.
Funding: Sonstige Förderung; UKE-Nachwuchsförderung
