Table 2 Indirect effects of individual difference variables on testing positive for COVID-19 via COVID-specific variables.

From: Contracting COVID-19: a longitudinal investigation of the impact of beliefs and knowledge

 

COVID knowledge

Threat (not) exaggerated

Perceived COVID risk

Standardized beta (A1)

Indirect effect (A1*B1)

Standardized beta (A2)

Indirect effect (A2*B2)

Standardized beta (A3)

Indirect effect (A3*B3)

Beliefs about the source

Trust in scientists

0.581***

− 0.379†

0.552***

− 0.116

0.059

0.058

Trust President Trump re COVID-19 crisis

− 0.486***

0.413†

− 0.538***

0.173

− 0.117**

− 0.112†

Confidence in federal gov’t effectiveness

− 0.367***

0.236†

− 0.340***

0.061

− 0.059

− 0.058

General confidence in President Trump

− 0.460***

0.410†

− 0.536***

0.206

− 0.128**

− 0.126†

Other receptivity-related characteristics

General interpersonal compassion

0.196***

− 0.163†

0.219***

− 0.015

0.074

0.013

Disgust sensitivity

− 0.320***

0.306†

0.082

0.001

0.271***

0.321†

Perceived vulnerability to disease

0.030

− 0.028

0.196***

0.002

0.419***

0.464†

Preexisting conditions

− 0.203***

0.165†

0.051*

− 0.010

0.364***

0.287†

Political ideology (higher, more conservative)

− 0.263***

0.224†

− 0.413***

0.087

− 0.135***

− 0.106†

Belief in conspiracy theories

− 0.509***

0.353†

0.265***

0.127

0.102*

0.102†

Science literacya

0.434***

− 0.310

− 0.159**

− 0.073

− 0.121*

− 0.212

Fox Newsb

− 0.273***

0.284†

− 0.364***

0.114

− 0.030

− 0.028

NPRb

0.352***

− 0.348†

0.350***

− 0.106

0.138**

0.134†

Papers, magazinesb

0.213***

− 0.218†

0.210***

− 0.061

0.089*

0.083†

Other target characteristics

Age

0.073***

− 0.051†

− 0.006

0.002

− 0.025

− 0.022

Gender (1 = male/0 = female)

− 0.246***

0.198†

− 0.207***

0.036

− 0.125**

− 0.102†

Race (1 = Black/0 = white)

− 1.052***

0.916†

0.069

0.010

0.355***

0.247†

  1. a Statistics for this variable should be interpreted cautiously as the bootstrapped mediational model failed to converge, presumably due to the small number of positive test cases (5 out of 304).
  2. b Coded 0 = neither watch last week, nor primary news source, 1 = watched last week or primary, 2 = both.
  3. *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.
  4. † Denotes a 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence interval (using 10,000 bootstrap samples) that does not include zero.
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