Abstract

Objectives

This study analyzed the conspiracy mentality of informal caregivers for older persons compared to non-caregivers and whether this association was dependent on age.

Methods

The sample was collected randomly from a population-based online panel (forsa.omninet) and represents individuals aged ≥40 years from Germany. In total, 3022 participants were questioned about conspiracy mentality (Conspiracy Mentality Questionnaire), informal care provision (N = 489 informal caregivers of older adults), and sociodemographic background. Data assessment took place between 4^th and 19^th 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.

Conclusion

Middle-aged informal caregivers had a lower, and older-aged a higher, susceptibility to conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to non-caregivers. The results indicate that providing care could be protective among middle-aged individuals, whereas older informal caregivers may benefit from interventions to reduce susceptibility to conspiracy theories and the associated risks for health and wellbeing.

中文翻译：

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在 COVID-19 大流行期间，非正式护理人员是否更有可能相信阴谋论？：来自德国的一项代表性研究的结果

摘要

目标

本研究分析了与非照料者相比，老年人的非正式照料者的阴谋心态，以及这种关联是否取决于年龄。

方法

样本是从基于人群的在线小组 (forsa.omninet) 中随机收集的，代表来自德国的年龄≥40 岁的个体。总共有 3022 名参与者被问及阴谋心态（阴谋心态问卷）、非正式护理提供（N  = 489 位老年人的非正式护理人员）和社会人口背景。数据评估发生在 2021 年 3 月 4^日至 19^日之间，问题涉及 2020 年 12 月至 2021 年 3 月之间的时间。

结果

非正式照顾者和非照顾者之间没有发现显着差异。发现了显着的交互作用，表明非看护者的阴谋心态减少，非正式看护者的阴谋心态随着年龄的增长而增加。按性别分层后，仅在女性非正式看护者中发现了这种影响。

结论

与非护理人员相比，中年非正式护理人员在 COVID-19 大流行期间对阴谋论的敏感性较低，而老年人较高。结果表明，提供护理可以保护中年人，而年长的非正式护理人员可能会受益于干预措施，以减少对阴谋论的敏感性以及相关的健康和福祉风险。