Romantic relationships play an important role in individuals' psychological well-being. However, with the widespread use of digital technologies, these relationships may face new challenges. Partner phubbing refers to an individual's preoccupation with their phone during face-to-face interactions with a romantic partner and may weaken relational bonds. In this context, it is important to examine how this form of digital disengagement in romantic relationships is associated with individuals' psychological well-being, as well as the mediating variables that may help explain this relationship. The study included 1627 heterosexual young adults (821 females, 806 males; age range = 18-35, M = 21.63) recruited through convenience sampling. The findings indicated that partner phubbing was associated with lower self-esteem and higher levels of romantic loneliness. In the serial mediation model, self-esteem and romantic loneliness fully mediated the relationship between partner phubbing and psychological well-being. Identifying the mediating roles of self-esteem and romantic loneliness may help clarify how partner phubbing is associated with individuals' internal evaluations and relationship experiences. These findings may contribute to the development of targeted interventions in clinical and counseling practice by illustrating how communication problems in romantic relationships affect psychological well-being as part of broader social interaction patterns.
Global majority youth face disproportionate psychosocial stressors and heightened exposure to community violence. Resilience is a key protective factor, and hyper-local sport programs may support its development through culturally responsive mentorship, family and community co-ownership, and psychologically safe spaces. This study explored how such programs in London, UK, may support resilience and perceived community safety among global majority youth. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis and a multi-stakeholder approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 38 respondents across five London-based organizations. All but two identified as global majority. Three interrelated themes emerged: (1) mentorship and identity formation; (2) family and community engagement; and (3) psychosocial processes of self-determination, social identity, and perceived social support. Resilience and perceived community safety were supported through an interdependent relational system, rather than sport alone. The study offers the Architecture of Resilience, a provisional model with implications for program design, policy, and future research.
Evidence demonstrates that individual and contextual factors are critical predictors of poor health outcomes at key life stages, including youth and young adulthood. Little is still known how the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic affected health outcomes like substance use and how this varied across key demographics and community characteristics. This analysis aims to examine how individual and community contexts interact to predict the risk of substance use outcomes among young people (ages 24 and younger) with additional consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic. We employ generalized logistic mixed models to examine the main and interactive effects of individual and community context in predicting substance use-related emergency department (ED) visits. We assess effect modification of this association by key individual variables (age, race, sex, income-using insurance as proxy), community variables (community economic deprivation-derived from principal component analysis), and the COVID-19 pandemic. Results show low-income youth are associated with higher risks of substance use compared to their higher income peers (ORUninsured:1.82, CI:1.81-1.83). Community context moderated risk, particularly for children in low-income communities (ORAlcohol:3.39, CI:1.94-5.93). Findings further demonstrate a higher risk of substance use ED visits during the pandemic among low-income youth (ORPublicInsurance:1.09, CI:1.07-1.10) and youth in low-income communities (OR:1.03, CI:1.01-1.05), those 18 and younger (ORAdolescents:1.25, CI:1.23-1.27), and Black (OR:1.32, CI:1.30-1.33), Indigenous (OR:1.17, CI:1.12-1.22), and Hispanic youth (OR:1.13, CI:1.11-1.15). Results emphasize the ongoing need for substance use resources targeted to young people in low-income and median-income communities, particularly younger youth and youth of color, who are associated with marked increases in substance use in recent years.
This study investigates the heterogeneity of perceived community resilience among adults with direct and indirect disaster exposure and explores the psychosocial determinants associated with each latent subgroup by employing a person-centered analytical framework. A nationally representative online survey was conducted in South Korea with 1,406 adult participants. The survey assessed five constructs: community resilience, personal resilience, depressive symptoms, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and post-traumatic growth. Latent profile analysis identified three distinct profiles of perceived community resilience: Active Resilience Type (ART, 28.8%), Moderate Resilience Type (MRT, 55.5%), and Vulnerable Resilience Type (VRT, 15.7%). Subsequent multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that individuals with higher personal resilience (OR = 1.71) and greater post-traumatic growth (OR = 1.07) were significantly more likely to belong to the ART group. In contrast, higher levels of depressive symptoms (OR = 0.32) were associated with decreased odds of ART membership. These findings highlight the multidimensional nature of perceived community resilience and underscore the importance of individual psychological strengths in shaping public perceptions of community recovery capacities. The study offers practical implications for the development of customized intervention strategies and policy initiatives tailored to the resilience profiles of specific community subgroups.
Crisis helplines are a core component of community-based mental health support, yet volunteers' experiences of emotional labour, ethical responsibility, and role identity remain underexplored. This study aimed to examine how crisis helpline volunteers experience and make sense of their roles within contemporary service contexts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine crisis helpline volunteers in Ireland. Data were analysed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis. The findings indicated that crisis helpline volunteering involves sustained emotional labour, ethical and risk-related uncertainty, and complex organisational ambiguity and demands. Volunteers described drawing on personal, relational, and supervisory coping strategies to manage emotional exposure, while developing a strong sense of purpose and helper identity. However, experiences of strain, vulnerability, and unrecognised professionalism were also evident, particularly in contexts characterised by inconsistent support and role ambiguity. Findings highlight the importance of supporting volunteer wellbeing across individual, relational, organisational, and systemic levels to sustain effective community-based crisis helpline services.
Toxicity is widely recognized as both harmful and pervasive in multiplayer online games. This study focused on main forms of toxicity in MOBA games and explored how these forms are sustained through community dynamics in Chinese gaming communities. This study used League of Legends as a case and employed 19-month online forum observations and semi-structured interviews with 21 players. This study found that players' collective evaluations on the severity of toxicity are shaped by the interplay of platform governance, moral reasoning, and digital affordances. Although players recognize that toxicity is harmful, they tend to develop acquiesced norms toward it under multiple constraints from culturally informed tendencies toward conflict avoidance, collective emotional strain under socioeconomic pressures, and high costs of confrontation in highly interdependent gaming environments. Furthermore, acquiesced norms can be paradoxically reinforced by social support within gaming communities through reframing victimhood and legitimizing retaliatory coping strategies. Based on these findings, this study offers broader implications for community-based platform governance.
This manuscript describes the (1) development of the "DiscoverU" afterschool mentoring program and (2) formative evaluation of its feasibility, acceptability, and initial impact on adolescents' physical activity (PA), interpersonal skills, and social connectedness. We used a convergent mixed-methods design with quantitative data from adolescents (n = 32) and qualitative data from adolescents (n = 14), mentors (n = 14), facilitators (n = 3), and school staff (n = 3). We assessed pre-post changes physical activity, mindful eating, and social-emotional skills with paired Wilcoxon tests and used content analysis to identify themes. DiscoverU was highly acceptable and demonstrated initial impacts on PA days/week, peer cooperation, and social connection. Qualitative data indicated adolescents' experience with mentors was important to these outcomes. However, feasibility was limited by inconsistent attendance with 44%-52% of adolescents receiving the intended dose. DiscoverU's novel use of mentoring to integrate physical and mental health promotion was well-liked by all involved parties. Strategies to enhance consistent adolescent attendance are needed to increase program feasibility.
This study investigates what motivates young Thai adults to volunteer using a multimethod approach across three studies. A survey of 781 undergraduate students in Thailand (Study 1) identified values, self-protection, and self-image as significant predictors of volunteering intention, with social motives relevant specifically for those lacking prior experience. A laboratory experiment (Study 2, n = 786) showed that social information increases volunteering behavior while higher opportunity costs reduce it, with self-image exerting no effect in the lab context. A randomized controlled field experiment (Study 3, n = 480) confirmed that social information and peer involvement each increased real-world volunteering by 22-25 percentage points. Together, the findings demonstrate that social motives are the critical mechanism linking intentions to action, particularly in a collectivist cultural context, offering practical guidance for nonprofit organizations designing volunteer recruitment strategies.
Drawing from the healing ethno-racial trauma framework we explore how Latinx mothers' understanding of sociopolitical issues and civic engagement potentially facilitates youth's own understanding and healing from the ethnic-racial trauma experienced by their community. In-depth interviews were conducted with six Latinx immigrant mothers and adolescents (12 individuals) involved in Cosecha, a grassroots immigrant rights organization. Thematic analysis resulted in two themes from interviews with mothers: (1) Familial activism and community organizing; and (2) Sociopolitical climate and socialization. Two additional themes emerged from adolescents' interviews: (1) Familial activism, fears and community support; and (2) Sociopolitical communication and awareness. Results suggest that mothers' participation in Cosecha promotes agency, empowerment, and healing among youth. Engagement in grassroots organizing may support healing and empowerment for mothers and youth. By engaging in efforts that affirm the human rights of immigrants, mothers model positive coping mechanisms. In turn, youth develop a greater sense of personal agency and belonging, and deeper knowledge of social justice issues in their communities through protesting.
This paper describes the development of a culturally relevant parenting intervention (ROOTS) using the Intervention Mapping (IM) framework. ROOTS was developed through IM's six-step process by integrating theory, empirical evidence, and community input. A needs assessment identified determinants of child health to guide the Logic Model of Child Health (Step 1), and change objectives were defined in the Logic Model of Change (Step 2). Intervention theory, methods, and practical strategies were selected based on these models and culturally adapted using the Ecological Validity Model (Steps 3-4). Implementation and evaluation plans were developed using a hybrid effectiveness-implementation approach (Steps 5-6). The final ROOTS intervention includes 6 weekly online sessions emphasizing positive parenting, ethnic-racial socialization, and healthy lifestyle behaviors. This study demonstrates how IM can be applied to create culturally responsive, dual-focused interventions that promote feasibility, scalability, and health equity for minoritized families.
This study aims to add to the research base on community psychology interventions through an exploration of youths' experiences. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with six young people (aged 16-25) who had taken up roles with a youth-led Young Advisors (YA) organisation operating according to a community psychology model. Interview transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Six superordinate themes were identified as occurring across the participant group: conceptualisation of the YA role, YA and the construct of self, personal growth through YA involvement, factors attributed to the effectiveness of the role, challenges in role, and factors contributing to continued involvement. Based on the research findings, community psychology interventions offer an attractive and effective model for engaging youths, including those from marginalised and disadvantaged communities, offering alternative solutions to the individually focused, professionally driven interventions for mental health and wellbeing that currently dominate in the United Kingdom.
This study investigated psychosocial profiles of potential renewable energy community (REC) participants in Italy, examining how individual-level, community-level, and societal-level factors combine to shape participation intentions. Latent Profile Analysis identified distinct profiles among Italian citizens (N = 580) using 11 indicators: Pro-environmental Values, Civic Engagement, Intrinsic/Extrinsic Motivation, RECs acceptability (individual level); Sense of Community, Institutional Trust, Common Good Orientation, Sense of Responsible Togetherness (community level); and communication clarity (societal level). Three distinct profiles emerged: Civic-minded Interested (35.5%), Uncommitted (56.4%), and Private-minded Uninterested (8.1%). Counterintuitively, the Private-minded profile showed the highest stated participation intention (72.3%), followed by Civic-minded (67.0%) and Uncommitted (60.2%), though this overall pattern was non-significant (p = 0.110). No significant differences emerged across profiles in preferred level of engagement. Findings reveal the multilevel, ecological nature of REC participation while highlighting the distinction between stated intentions and the psychosocial resources that typically sustain actual engagement. Results underscore the need for differentiated engagement strategies and community capacity building tailored to distinct psychosocial configurations.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ+) people face unique societal stressors while concerning trends in suicidality for communities of color necessitate further examination of how marginalization contributes to suicide risk. From a foundation of minority stress and intersectionality theory, we investigated suicide risk across multiple marginalized identities. The present study explored the associations between marginalized ethnic and cultural backgrounds, genders, and sexual orientations with suicide risk using a three-way interaction term to analyze data from the publicly available Transgender Population Health Study, while accounting for age, assigned sex at birth, household income, distress, and social support. Relative to White-cisgender-heterosexual people, people marginalized based on ethnic and cultural backgrounds, gender, and sexual orientation had the highest associated increase in suicide risk amongst any other group with single or multiple marginalized identities (β = 1.90, RSE = 0.38, t = 5.44, p < 0.001, 95% CI [1.16, 2.64]). However, relative to White-cisgender-heterosexual people, marginalization based on ethnic and cultural background alone and with sexual orientation had no significant association with suicide risk. Providers must be trained in culturally responsive and gender-affirming practices, particularly given multiple marginalization may be associated with higher suicide risk. Future research should continue to explore multiple marginalization and suicide risk, risk assessments, and prevention efforts.
This study aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a multi-level violence prevention initiative codesigned with the community in Bessemer, Alabama. Guided by a community-based participatory research approach, we developed "Building a Better Bessemer," a holistic intervention targeting violent crime at the socio-ecological levels (individual, relational, community, and societal levels) through intervention mapping. The intervention included youth social-emotional learning, mentoring, parental support, police engagement, and community improvement projects. Evaluation included pre-post surveys and focus groups. Among youth self-reported outcomes, significant improvements were seen in social cohesion (p = 0.009) and decreases in conduct problems (p < 0.001) and total difficulties (p < 0.003). Focus group results reported strong support for the program's content and delivery. Community-driven, multi-level violence prevention interventions are feasible and effective in communities with high crime and show promising outcomes in youth behavior and community safety.
Research pertaining to transgender and nonbinary (TNB) populations has not always reflected the concerns of TNB people and some research has perpetuated harm. Research should be guided by TNB communities to identify areas of key importance to these populations. We asked TNB focus group participants to share their perspectives on important areas for future research with TNB populations. We coded responses across groups using reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes were developed: (1) Enhance the Quality and Inclusivity of TNB Research, (2) Understand the Diversity of TNB Communities, (3) Document and Support TNB Survival in a Cisnormative System, and (4) Explore TNB Thriving. These findings highlight important topics that future research can prioritize. This work adds to a growing body of literature that emphasizes the benefits of community-engaged research and can guide future studies to better address TNB people's needs.
AIMS:Historical oppression of Indigenous communities has led to high poverty, violence, and substance use. The pandemic amplified pre-existing health disparities for Indigenous families. In the face of these challenges, many Indigenous families find strength and healing through traditional ways, cultural practices, and extended relations within their culture. This study aims to examine whether a culturally integrated Strengthening Families Program (SFP) positively affects Native American family functioning and caregiver mental health. METHODS:The Kansas Serves Native American Families implemented culturally adapted SFP to Indigenous families in the Midwest state. We employed local Indigenous members to lead SFP in a space that honored and reflected Indigenous identities, values, and culture. RESULTS:This study used a t-test and multilevel mixed modeling to identify differences in the program outcomes. The results indicated participants reported a lower child's emotional problems and hyperactivity, an increased positive parenting style, and decreased caregiver depression after SFP. Also, parent satisfaction surveys demonstrated high satisfaction and reported improvements in family functioning, parenting skills, and children's social skills. CONCLUSIONS:Considering elevated mental health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, SFP results are promising. These findings indicated that culturally integrated evidence-based programs are helpful in promoting Indigenous family well-being and caregiver mental health.
The ongoing system of coloniality, sustained through dehumanisation, racialised violence, oppression, war, and genocidal acts of violence, has left many from the Global South socially divided, economically depleted, wounded, materially impoverished, socially precarious and politically vulnerable. As a result, individuals and communities continue to endure trauma from systemic abuse, oppression and violence. Dismantling these colonial systems requires a form of healing that transcends mainstream, Western biomedical and psychological interventions, which have little to say on enduring systems of violence. From the perspective of radical healing, healing is an embodied, collective, and action-oriented praxis that engages individual and collective trauma and resists both historical and ongoing structures of oppression. In this article, we explore the ways in which radical healing is enacted, embodied and sustained in three marginalised South African communities. Grounded in decolonial thought and a participatory approach, the study centred the lived experiences and knowledge practices that emerged from within these communities. Two focus group discussions were facilitated in each community. Using thematic analysis, we identified three interwoven themes: (1) Faith and Spirituality, which focuses on the role of churches, religious gatherings, and faith-based practices in fostering healing; (2) Collective and Action-Oriented Healing, which looks at activism, volunteering, community-led initiatives and political engagement as sites of psychosocial and collective recovery; and (3) Micro and Everyday Acts of Healing, which includes the significance of everyday communal support. These interconnected practices illustrate that healing in marginalised communities extends beyond individual recovery. It is a collective process tied to resistance and survival. Through these practices, communities challenge historical and ongoing harms while creating spaces of care, belonging, and possibility.
This study investigates how a 12-month economic mobility intervention, Mothers Mobility Program (MMP), in Charlotte, NC, fosters usable social capital among single mothers facing systemic, financial, and personal stressors often associated with complex trauma. Using Braun and Clarke's (2006) Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA), our interdisciplinary team conducted and analyzed interviews with a subgroup of 20 program mothers (ages 19-44) from six cohorts (N = 70) who completed MMP between 2021 and 2024. The analysis revealed the formation of bonding and bridging social capital among participants. These processes were sequenced and interdependent: bonding ties, fostered through program offerings and identity-affirming spaces, first created trust and safety, which then enabled bridging connections to external resources. Shared staff-client identities influenced engagement, but structural barriers limited the usability of newly formed networks. This study enhances social capital theory by detailing how single mothers experiencing chronic trauma develop, access, and utilize social resources within program settings, along with the program components that support these processes. When place-based programs intentionally sequence bonding before bridging, provide identity-affirming supports, and align external resources with community strengths, these processes become mutually reinforcing. Shared staff identity fosters trust and accelerates engagement, but structural barriers shape whether new connections translate into tangible benefits. Without this integrated strategy and attention to sequencing, efforts to build sustainable social capital and promote community resilience may be less effective in contexts of persistent inequities.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine transitioned from an "existential war" into a "war of attrition." The study assessed the impact of prolonged conflict on resilience and coping mechanisms through two cross-sectional assessments conducted with independent samples (Sample 1 - July 2022 [N = 1001]; Sample 2 - November 2023 [N = 2247]). The respondents completed a quantitative questionnaire during the war, which included individual, community, and societal resilience, hope, sense of danger, perceived threats, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A significant decrease in all variables was found between Sample 1 and Sample 2 measurements. Path analysis indicated that government support is the variable most strongly related to societal resilience. Community resilience is the variable most strongly related to individual resilience. Perceived threats are the variable most strongly associated with PTSD symptoms. The above-mentioned variables explain 68% (Sample 1) and 60% (Sample 2) of societal resilience, 19% (Sample 1 and Sample 2) of individual resilience, and 58% (Sample 1) and 12% (Sample 2) of PTSD symptoms. Findings suggest the "routinization" of an ongoing emergency, allowing the population to coexist with the adversity and accept war as the "new normalcy." Nonetheless, the future remains uncertain, leading to a decline in hope. Strategies that bolster individual and societal resilience during adversities should include social support mechanisms that enhance the population's hope and morale and build the government's trust and support.
While substantial efforts have been made to learn more about youth community violence exposure (CVE) and its wide-ranging impact, less is known about the effects of different types of CVE on mental health outcomes, particularly internalizing behavior, across contextual factors. The current study examines types of CVE (i.e., hearing/learning about, witnessing, and victimization) across gender, age, socioeconomic status (SES), and racial and ethnic group (White, African American/Black, and Latinx) in a diverse sample of youth seeking treatment at a university-based pediatric anxiety clinic. Older age (adolescence), male gender, and lower SES were associated with increased rates of CVE. Victimization was positively and significantly correlated with hearing reports of violence against familiars but negatively associated with hearing reports of violence against strangers, suggesting that youth who are victimized often have family or close friends who are also victims of violence, and those who hear about violence against strangers may be safe from victimization in some regards. Results from this study suggest that Black youth, in comparison to White youth, may experience more internalizing symptoms as the result of indirect CVE. For those who witnessed violence against people they know, Latinx youth reported lower levels of anxiety compared to both Black and White youth. In light of these results, potential risk and protective factors associated with CVE and presenting symptoms are discussed.
