Abstract
Religiosity and spirituality (R/S) can help some people shape their worldview and in coping with difficult situations. As such, they can also play an important role in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in times of uncertainty and threat, R/S may in some aspects became also a factor related to the development of religious conspiracy theories (RCT). Given the negative consequences of RCT, it seems important to examine the nature of R/S itself and the type of religious coping used, which may be key to understanding the basis of the worldviews that underpin the emergence of RCT. This poster presents findings from two studies conducted in the Czech Republic in 2020 during the first wave of the pandemic and in 2021 during the COVID-19 vaccination period. We investigated R/S, religious coping, RCT about COVID-19, religious fundamentalism, their associations with worsened mental health and willingness to be vaccinated. Our results show that RCT beliefs are related to an individual’s R/S, maladaptive religious coping strategies and religious fundamentalism. The negative effect of RCT beliefs and of negative coping was revealed by significantly higher levels of worsened mental health in those who reported such beliefs or/and a way of coping. A negative effect of RCT beliefs was further revealed by significantly higher levels of COVID-19 vaccine refusal among those who were spiritual but not religiously affiliated. Our findings may help to understand the factors influencing the dynamics of RCT development and their associations with R/S domains of human life during a pandemic.
Presenters
Alice KosarkovaAssistant Professor, Faculty of Theology, Department of Christian Education, Palacky University in Olomouc, Olomoucký kraj, Czech Republic
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Religiosity, Spirituality, Religious Coping, Religious conspiracy theories, Health outcomes, Covid-19
