Aim
Conspiracy endorsement has gained much attention in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it constitutes a major public health challenge that is associated with reduced adherence to preventative measures. However, little is known about the developmental backdrops and personality characteristics that render an individual prone to conspiracy endorsement. There is a growing body of evidence implying a detrimental role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) – a highly prevalent burden – in the development of epistemic trust and personality functioning. This study aimed to investigate the association between ACEs and conspiracy endorsement as well as the mediating role of epistemic trust and personality functioning.
Methods
Analyses are based on cross-sectional representative data of the German population collected during the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 2501). Structural equation modelling (SEM) with personality functioning (OPD-SQS) and epistemic trust (ETMCQ) as mediators of the association between ACEs and conspiracy endorsement were conducted.
Results
In total, 20.4% (n = 508) of all participants endorsed conspiracies. There was a significant association between ACEs and conspiracy endorsement (β = 0.25, p < 0.001; explained variance 6%). The variance of conspiracy endorsement increased to 19% after adding epistemic trust and personality functioning as mediators (β = 0.12, p < 0.001), indicating a partial mediation and direct prediction from these mediators. Fit indices demonstrated a good model fit.
Conclusions
Evidence on the far-reaching and detrimental effects of early childhood adversities are further increased by demonstrating an association between ACEs and conspiracy endorsement. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms by including epistemic trust and personality functioning.