Table 1.
Items in the Kampusch conspiracy scale and factor loadings following exploratory factor analysis.
| Items | Time Point 1 | Time Point 2 |
|---|---|---|
| (1) The mother of Natascha Kampusch—Mrs. Brigitta Sirny—and Wolfgang Priklopil knew each other even before the kidnapping. | 0.15 | 0.29 |
| (2) The fact that Natascha Kampusch was carrying her passport with her at the time of her kidnapping indicates that her mother knew about the planned kidnapping. | 0.33 | 0.30 |
| (3) It is implausible that Natascha Kampusch did not have an opportunity to flee during her 8-year kidnapping, as she was allowed to make phone calls and occasional outdoor trips with Priklopil. | −0.04 | −0.01 |
| (4) Herwig Haidinger—the former head of the Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation—was actively prevented from seeing witness reports by the state attorney's office in order to follow-up failures during the investigation. | 0.05 | 0.13 |
| (5) Natascha Kampusch became pregnant by Priklopil during her imprisonment, but hints about this were destroyed. | 0.21 | 0.16 |
| (6) Although the police refute the “multiple-perpetrator-theory” in their reports, the witness report of the 12-year-old friend of Natascha Kampusch, who witnessed the kidnapping, reinforces this hypothesis. | 0.60 | 0.56 |
| (7) The parents of Natascha Kampusch sold her to Wolfgang Priklopil for financial gain. | 0.42 | 0.31 |
| (8) The Federal Office of Justice knowingly protected a child pornography ring during the investigation. | 0.60 | 0.64 |
| (9) The only witness, who stated having seen a second perpetrator in the car used for the kidnapping, was later forced to revise her testimony. | 0.68 | 0.73 |
| (10) The police paid too little attention to some evidence (e.g., an anonymous phone call), which points to a cover-up. | 0.75 | 0.76 |
| (11) Franz Kröll, the former chief investigator, was hindered by the Federal Office of Justice from investigating the “multiple-perpetrator-theory” more closely. | 0.48 | 0.42 |
| (12) Franz Kröll, the former chief investigator, was placed under such heavy pressure as a result of his investigations that he committed suicide in 2010. | 0.65 | 0.78 |
Values in bold indicate that an item was retained.
Note: items were presented in a random order in the survey.