Re-evaluation of the relationship between paranormal belief and perceived stress using statistical modelling
Kenneth Drinkwater, Andrew Denovan, Neil Dagnall
PLoS One November 13, 2024 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312511 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 3,084 |
| Population | Adults aged 18–91 (mean age 50.31) |
| Keywords | Paranormal Parapsychology Confirmatory factor analysis Coping psychology Structural equation modeling Perceived stress scale Distress Context archaeology Developmental psychology Clinical psychology Stress linguistics |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Traditional Paranormal Belief was significantly predictive of higher distress and lower coping, while New Age Philosophy was not predictive of either. |
Abstract
Recent research indicates that paranormal belief, in the absence of allied cognitive-perceptual and psychopathology-related factors, is not associated with negative wellbeing outcomes. However, investigators have historically reported relationships between specific facets of belief (e.g., superstition) and stress vulnerability. These typically derive from the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale (RPBS), which has questionable psychometric integrity. The main issue being that several RPBS items perform poorly. Noting this, the present paper re-examined the relationship between paranormal belief and stress using the Rasch purified version of the RPBS. This comprises two dimensions, called Traditional Paranormal Belief (TPB) and New Age Philosophy (NAP). These are operationalised in terms of function. Specifically, whether belief provides a sense of control at the social (TPB) or individual level (NAP). Accordingly, this study examined whether TPB and NAP were differentially predictive of levels of perceived stress. In this context, stress served as an indicator of well-being. A sample of 3084 participants (Mage = 50.31, SD = 15.20, range 18-91) completed the RPBS alongside the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling revealed that TPB was significantly predictive of higher Distress, and lower Coping. NAP was neither predictive of Distress nor Coping. These findings support the notion that TPB is attendant with external control, particularly the notion that unknown supernatural forces/powers influence existence.