Conspiracy theories pose a variety of social and psychological consequences for individuals and society, and research suggests that around half of the U.S. population believes at least one. A two-phase inoculation experiment was conducted. Inoculated participants reported more negative general attitudes toward conspiracy theories and lower Phase II generic conspiracist beliefs, which are both indicators of harm-reduction and the beneficial healing impacts of therapeutic inoculation. The addition of therapeutic inoculation as a harm-reduction or healing technique in practitioners’ stakeholder response toolkit is a valuable contribution to both theory and practice.

Mason, A. M., Compton, J., Tice, E., Peterson, B., Lewis, I., Glenn, T., & Combs, T. (2023). Analyzing the prophylactic and therapeutic role of inoculation to facilitate resistance to conspiracy theory beliefs. Communication Reports. https://doi.org/10.1080/08934215.2023.2256803