Catastrophizing life's problems: On the relationship between attachment anxiety and belief in conspiracy theories

Research has shown that attachment anxiety predicts higher agreement with conspiracy theories. In this research, we aimed to examine this relationship further. Specifically, we investigated the importance of catastrophizing-viewing situations as considerably worse than they are-in explaining the relationship between attachment anxiety and belief in conspiracy theories. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the literature on the psychology of conspiracy theories and adult attachment theory. Then, across six studies (Chapter 2), we found that catastrophizing (regarding pain, stress, and social situations) explained the relationship between attachment anxiety and conspiracy beliefs. In two further studies (Chapter 3), we found that attachment anxiety and conspiracy beliefs were associated with communal orientation (the desire that one's needs should be met by others versus the

desire to meet the needs of others), which was moderated by catastrophizing, across two studies. Finally, in two studies (Chapter 4), we found attachment anxiety to be partially associated with COVID-19 powerlessness and COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, whereas

attachment avoidance was shown to be consistently associated with them. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed (Chapter 5), including the need for more experimental or longitudinal designs, and interventions that reduce catastrophic thinking with the aim of reducing the appeal of conspiracy theories.