With the rapid global aging of the population, understanding factors that promote well-being in later life has become increasingly important. Subjective age (SA)—the age people perceive themselves to be compared to their chronological age—has been widely studied as a psychological indicator of health and well-being. Although a younger SA is consistently associated with positive outcomes, little is known about the behavioral mechanisms through which older adults sustain a youthful self-perception. This research introduces the novel construct of Feeling Younger Behavior (FYB), defined as everyday actions and experiences that help older adults perceive themselves as younger than their chronological age. In Study 1, qualitative responses from Japanese older adults were used to generate items and develop a preliminary FYB scale. In Study 2, an online survey was administered to 216 Japanese adults (mean age = 70.50). Exploratory factor analysis identified two FYB factors—namely, “self-continuity” and “self-regulation.” Structural model analysis results indicated a positive association between smartphone use and both “self-continuity” (β = 0.35, p < .001) and “self-regulation” (β = 0.24, p < .001). However, only “self-continuity” was associated with better mental health outcomes; lower depressive symptoms (β = − 0.43, p < .001) and higher life satisfaction (β = 0.17, p < .01). These findings highlight the role of behavioral processes in maintaining a younger subjective age and suggest that digital engagement may support well-being through behaviors that sustain continuity in daily life.
Prevailing health behavior models explain sleep-related outcomes largely through proximal behaviors, yet remain theoretically underpowered in accounting for how upstream psychological capacities are translated into sustained regulatory patterns during emerging adulthood. Grounded in self-regulation theory, this study advances a sequential mediation framework that reconceptualizes Health Literacy as a capacity-level psychological resource associated with Sleep Quality through the proposed sequential roles of Self-Regulatory Capacity, Perceived Control over Health, and differentiated Lifestyle Behaviors. Survey data from 539 undergraduate students were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results showed that both Social-critical Health Literacy and Cognitive-navigational Health Literacy positively predicted Self-Regulatory Capacity, with the social-critical dimension exerting a significantly stronger effect. Self-Regulatory Capacity strongly predicted Perceived Control over Health, which in turn mediated its effects on both Proactive Lifestyle Behaviors and Maintenance-oriented Lifestyle Behaviors. Critically, Maintenance-oriented Lifestyle Behaviors demonstrated a substantially stronger association with Sleep Quality than Proactive Lifestyle Behaviors, underscoring the importance of behavioral consistency and habit formation for sleep outcomes. All hypothesized sequential mediation pathways were supported. By supporting a theoretically specified hierarchical capacity-cognition-behavior pathway, this study moves beyond information-based accounts of health literacy and highlights regulatory capacity and behavioral maintenance as important mechanisms underlying sustainable sleep regulation in emerging adulthood.
Anxiety is the most prevalent psychological condition in Lebanon, and is expected to rise in the future due to the humanitarian crises that Lebanon has been facing since 2019. Therefore, it is critical to understand the predictors of anxiety in Lebanon. We focused on the role of family because it is the most central institution in Lebanon. Family Systems Theory suggests that a well-functioning family is a protective factor from anxiety. Moreover, Attachment Theory and Social Learning Theory imply that high-functioning families foster psychological flexibility. Additionally, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy model implies that psychological flexibility protects from anxiety. Accordingly, our study had two goals: (1) reexamine the relation between family functioning and anxiety in the context of Lebanon, and (2) examine the mediating role of psychological flexibility in this relation. We collected data from two samples. The first sample included 220 adults recruited through social media. The second sample included 408 college students. Participants completed an online survey that included questions about their family functioning, psychological flexibility, anxiety, and demographics. Mediation analyses revealed that psychological flexibility partially and fully mediated the relation between family functioning and anxiety in samples 1 and 2, respectively. Our findings support the role of family functioning in predicting anxiety, and psychological flexibility as a possible mediator. Although correlational, the findings tentatively show mental health practitioners and policymakers that enhancing the functioning of families and the psychological flexibility of family members is associated with reductions in anxiety, especially in countries with similar cultural contexts to Lebanon.
Little is known about response inhibition to affective-saturated stimuli in psychopathy and sadism. These two traits partially share their content, especially regarding a lack of empathy; hence, it is conceptually important to explore whether there are differences between them in emotional processing. In the present research, we analyzed the associations between psychopathy (and its facets), sadism, and the scores on the go/no-go task (utilized as commission and omission errors, and reaction time) that uses facially expressed emotions as stimuli (N = 663). Four emotions are explored: happiness, sadness, anger, and fear. Bivariate analysis showed positive associations between both types of errors and psychopathy and sadism, while demonstrating negative associations between reaction time and psychopathy. However, multivariate analyses (canonical correlation analysis and structural model) highlighted the differences between the two traits: psychopathy positively predicted commission errors (suggesting decreased response inhibition and lower emotional recognition) and negatively predicted reaction time; sadism positively predicted omission errors (indicating potential attentional deficits) and also (marginally) positively predicted reaction time. Research findings show differences in emotion processing and response inhibition to emotional stimuli in psychopathy and sadism, thus aiding a deeper understanding of the unique feature of both traits and implicitly, different motivations for causing harm to other individuals.
This study investigates the complex behavioral mechanisms linking family functioning sub-dimensions to social media addiction symptoms in adolescents, utilizing a psychometric network analysis approach to elucidate gender-specific pathways. The research was conducted in Türkiye with a sample of 966 adolescents aged 13–19 (n_girls = 537, n_boys = 429). Data were analyzed using the Gaussian Graphical Model (GGM), with network stability and accuracy rigorously tested via 1,000-replicate bootstrapping. Structural differences between genders were examined using the Network Comparison Test (NCT). The results indicated that “Affective Involvement” was the most central element of the global network, whereas “Problem Solving” skills emerged as the most critical “bridge”, acting as the primary gateway from family dysfunction to addiction symptoms. NCT results revealed significant differences in network structure between genders. Specifically, the connection between the family environment and addiction symptoms was most evident in “Problem Solving” and emotional processing deficits for girls, whereas it was more strongly associated with regulatory deficits in “Behavior Control” for boys.The network stability coefficient was excellent. These findings provide robust evidence that the impact of family functioning on addiction is not gender-neutral. Consequently, clinical and preventive interventions should be tailored specifically: emotion/solution-oriented for girls and structure/control-oriented for boys.
In recent years, a growing body of research has examined the association between peer victimization and adolescents’ subjective well-being (SWB). However, longitudinal patterns of SWB and their association with traditional victimization, cybervictimization, and their co-occurrence remain understudied. The present study examined adolescents’ SWB profiles over time and assessed whether school-related victimization exposure groups were associated with profile membership and longitudinal transitions using a person-centered approach. Participants were 742 students aged 10 to 17 years from eleven schools, all of whom participated in three measurement waves. Mean age ranged from 12.40 to 12.88 years across waves. Latent Profile Analysis identified three distinct SWB profiles at each time point, labelled low, moderate, and high SWB. Latent Profile Transition Analysis showed greater stability in the high SWB profile, whereas adolescents in the low and moderate profiles displayed more dynamic transitions over time. Victimization exposure groups were differentially associated with SWB profiles and transitions. Adolescents reporting co-occurring traditional victimization and cybervictimization were generally less likely to belong to higher SWB profiles and showed less favorable transition patterns than those reporting single-form victimization. Theoretical and practical implications for school-based monitoring and prevention are discussed.
This study examined differences in parents’ views, behaviors, and concerns regarding climate change and environmental issues among parents of pre-school-aged children. Using a cross-sectional quantitative design, the study included 545 parents of children aged 3–6 years. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Parental Views and Behaviors Regarding Climate Change and the Environment Form, the Eco-Anxiety Scale, and the Parental Burnout Assessment. Latent class analysis was conducted using Mplus. A three-class solution was retained based on the overall pattern of model-selection evidence, classification accuracy, parsimony, and substantive interpretability. The classes were labelled as low climate change concern and information-seeking (13
This study presents a systematic literature review (SLR) of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) applications in the field of marketing, with a focus on uncovering unconscious consumer behavior. Following the PRISMA protocol, 70 peer-reviewed studies published between 2008 and 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science database. The analysis reveals a significant increase in the use of fMRI within neuromarketing, highlighting its unique capability to investigate consumers’ non-conscious responses—emotional, cognitive, and decision-related—to marketing stimuli. It has also been found that decision-making (e.g., purchase intention, impulsivity, delay discounting, and decision biases) emerged as the most studied domain, accounting for 52.85
To investigate the mediating role of depressive symptoms in the association between physical activity (PA) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, given that both PA and depressive symptoms are relevant to CVD prevention. We analyzed data from 23,729 adults in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2007–2018) and summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) among individuals of European ancestry. Logistic regression assessed observational associations between PA, depressive symptoms, and CVD. Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was used to estimate causal effects. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess pleiotropy, heterogeneity, and robustness. Weighted multivariable logistic regression based on NHANES data indicated that higher PA was significantly associated with lower odds of both depressive symptoms and CVD. Compared with participants with low PA, those with high PA had 23
Language control is central to bilingual research and is often assumed to interact with cognitive control. However, it remains unclear how language-internal lexical properties shape this relationship. Lexical imageability influences lexical access in both monolingual and bilingual processing and may therefore modulate language switching performance and its association with cognitive control, potentially through differences in lexical-access pathways. To examine this possibility, 56 Chinese–English bilinguals completed a cued bilingual picture-naming language-switching task and a Simon task. Linear mixed-effects modeling showed that relatively higher-imageability words exhibited more symmetrical switch costs across L1 and L2, whereas relatively lower-imageability words showed asymmetrical switch costs, with larger switch costs in L1 than in L2. In addition, switch costs were positively associated with Simon scores for relatively higher-imageability words but not for relatively lower-imageability words. These findings suggest that relative lexical imageability modulates language switching patterns and their relationship with cognitive control, highlighting the importance of considering language-internal lexical properties in understanding variability in bilingual language control.
Despite evidence that Generative AI (GenAI) tools are associated with learners’ emotional experiences in EFL learning, the role of basic psychological needs (BPNs) in these emotional experiences remains underexplored. Additionally, prior variable-centered research ignores individual differences in BPNs satisfaction. To address this gap, this study employs latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify distinct profiles of BPNs satisfaction based on data from 346 Chinese university EFL learners in GenAI-assisted environments. It further examines how achievement emotions vary across these profiles and identifies learner characteristics associated with profile membership. The analysis revealed three distinct BPNs satisfaction profiles: autonomy-deficient (6.9
Drawing on self-regulation theory and informed by the I-PACE framework, this cross-sectional self-report study examined latent joint profiles of short-form video addiction (SVA) and fear of missing out (FoMO) among 602 Chinese university students and tested their direct and indirect associations with negative affect (depression, anxiety, and stress) involving bedtime procrastination motivation and derailment. Latent profile analysis (LPA) and a serial indirect-effects model, with the low-risk engagement profile as the reference group, were applied. Four profiles emerged: high-risk engagement, moderate-to-high-risk engagement, escapism-situational FoMO, and low-risk engagement. Compared with the low-risk engagement profile, the high-risk engagement and moderate-to-high-risk engagement profiles showed significant direct associations with higher negative affect, as well as indirect associations through derailment alone and through the serial indirect association involving bedtime procrastination motivation and derailment. The escapism-situational FoMO profile showed no significant direct or total association with negative affect but showed significant indirect associations through derailment and through the serial pathway involving bedtime procrastination motivation and derailment. The independent indirect association through bedtime procrastination motivation alone was not significant, indicating that its statistical contribution was primarily evident when considered together with derailment in the serial pathway. These findings indicate that different configurations of SVA and FoMO are differentially associated with negative affect and that bedtime procrastination motivation and derailment show distinct roles in these indirect association patterns. From a self-regulation perspective, this study extends understanding of heterogeneity in problematic digital-media use and its associations with psychological adjustment and may inform risk identification and preventive support among university students.
Attachment insecurity plays a significant role in shaping emotion regulation processes and relational functioning throughout adulthood. Although the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) is a preeminent measure of adult attachment, verifying the psychometric adequacy of its short forms is essential for capturing developmental trajectories and attachment-related mechanisms under varying levels of relational stress, particularly in non-Western contexts. Addressing these gaps is critical for advancing the assessment of attachment-related mechanisms across diverse populations. The present study systematically evaluated five short forms of the Traditional Chinese version of the ECR-R (CECR-R-18, CECR-R-16, CECR-R-12, CECR-R-10, and CECR-R-8) across three independent Taiwanese samples representing distinct stages and contexts of adulthood: nonclinical college students (Sample 1), community adults (Sample 2), and trauma-exposed adults (Sample 3). Study 1 demonstrated that the original two-factor structure (attachment anxiety and avoidance) was superior for both the CECR-R-18 and CECR-R-10, showing structural stability across diverse developmental cohorts and satisfactory internal consistency. Study 2 established robust construct validity for both versions within nonclinical populations (Samples 1 and 2). Study 3 focused on adaptive processes by evaluating the CECR-R-10 in a trauma-exposed sample (Sample 3). Notably, the CECR-R-10 maintained a stable structure and revealed theoretically coherent associations with attachment-related vulnerabilities, with elevated attachment anxiety observed among individuals reporting interpersonal trauma and problematic alcohol use. These findings highlight attachment anxiety as a key underlying mechanism of maladaptive coping and emotional dysregulation under adversity. Overall, the CECR-R-10 is a brief, psychometrically sound instrument capable of tracking attachment processes and adaptive outcomes across different phases and conditions of adulthood in Taiwanese populations.
Hybrid working has become increasingly common globally; however, its impact on employees’ well-being is still debated. Research has shown mixed results, underscoring the need to delve into the relationships that link job characteristics and well-being in hybrid contexts and how remote work frequency may influence these dynamics. The objective of this study is to tackle these issues by testing a moderated mediation model of the relations between a job demand (i.e., workload), a job resource (i.e., role clarity), and well-being (anxiety and work engagement), focusing on the mediating effects of coping strategies and the moderating effects of remote work frequency. Data were collected from 1002 technical-administrative staff of a large Italian university during the final stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, when working remotely was no longer mandatory and a hybrid model prevailed. Findings showed that a higher workload led to higher anxiety and lower work engagement through an increase in avoidance strategies, while role clarity enhanced well-being by increasing approach coping and reducing avoidance strategies. Notably, the frequency of remote work did not moderate these effects. This study highlights that job design in hybrid contexts is related to well-being through coping strategies regardless of remote work frequency. These results suggest the importance of integrating individual coping interventions with job redesign for all employees to improve well-being in hybrid work environments.
The shift to online learning in higher education, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has become more prominent. However, disparities in access to essential resources—such as physical, human, and social support—have limited some students’ ability to fully engage in online education. This inequality has made the concept of equity in online learning a critical area of research. This study aims to explore how students’ perceptions of the learning environment—particularly instructor support, peer interaction, and equity—relate to their academic performance in an online undergraduate computer science course. A sample of 146 students participated in the study. Through moderated mediation analysis, the findings indicated that both instructor support and equity were positively related to final course grades through academic self-efficacy, with a stronger relation observed for students with more prior online learning experience. In addition, perceived equity was positively related to final course grades through a decrease in perceived costs. Peer interaction was not found to be related to final course grades. Among the various factors, perceived equity showed the strongest association with academic success. This research underscores the significance of perceived equity in online learning and discusses how online courses might be structured to foster inclusion and motivation among all students.
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is rapidly transforming higher education, making it crucial to understand the factors that influence student acceptance. However, existing measurement tools are often limited by classical validation methods, such as Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), which may fail to capture the complex, multidimensional nature of this phenomenon. The objective of this study was to rigorously validate the psychometric properties of the 10-factor, 46-item GenAI-TAM scale using a more advanced methodological framework. A systematic model-comparison approach was used to test seven competing models ranging from traditional confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) with data from 860 undergraduates. The final, best-fitting model was a bifactor ESEM (B-ESEM), and its measurement invariance was maintained across gender. The results demonstrated the better fit of the B-ESEM model, which fit the data excellently (CFI = .972, RMSEA = .046), unlike the inadequate CFA-based models. The analysis revealed a strong general ‘GenAI Acceptance’ factor (ωₕ = 0.87), which provides strong psychometric justification for using a single total score. Scalar invariance across gender supported the comparability of latent mean scores across male and female students. These findings provide robust evidence for the validity and reliability of the GenAI-TAM scale, conceptualizing GenAI acceptance as a hierarchical construct. In short, the study provides a methodologically sound basis for assessing undergraduate students’ self-reported acceptance of generative AI, while further criterion and predictive validity evidence is needed before the scale can be used for diagnostic profiling or institutional decision-making.
This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of an online psychoeducation program added to routine care in a smoking cessation clinic. Adults seeking treatment at Ege University Smoking Cessation Clinic (n = 208) were systematically allocated to an intervention group (routine care plus online psychoeducation; n = 103) or control group (routine care alone; n = 105). Primary outcomes were daily cigarette consumption, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) score and smoking status at 1-month follow-up; secondary outcomes were stage of change within the Health Action Process Approach and mental well-being. Primary analyses used multiple imputation (MI) under a missing-at-random assumption; complete-case analyses were conducted as sensitivity analyses. In MI analyses, compared with controls, the intervention group showed lower FTND scores (B = − 1.18, 95
With the increasing adoption of AI-driven virtual streamers in e-commerce livestreaming, understanding how consumers form trust toward virtual versus human streamers has become an important research issue. Grounded in trust theory, this study employed a repeated anonymous Trust Game combined with event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine the effects of streamer type and streamer gender on consumer trust and its neurocognitive mechanisms. Behaviorally, trust rates did not differ significantly across streamer type or streamer gender. ERP results, however, revealed different patterns of neural processing. During the decision phase, male streamers elicited larger P2 amplitudes than female streamers. Virtual streamers elicited more negative N2 amplitudes and smaller P3 amplitudes than human streamers, especially in the male streamer condition. These results suggest that virtual male streamers evoke stronger conflict monitoring or uncertainty processing, together with reduced evaluative resource allocation. During outcome-evaluation, virtual streamers elicited more negative FRN amplitudes than human streamers. Gain feedback also elicited larger feedback P3 amplitudes than loss feedback, suggesting stronger late evaluation of positive outcomes. Overall, the findings indicate that comparable behavioral trust toward human and virtual streamers was accompanied by distinct neurocognitive processing patterns. By applying the Trust Game paradigm to streamer facial appearance and identity cues, this study provides neuroscientific evidence for early trust formation toward virtual agents in live streaming commerce and offers implications for the design and deployment of virtual streamers in trust contexts.
Assertion, self-control, and cooperation are three core subdomains of children’s social skills. When children’s social skills increase during their kindergarten years (normally 3–6 years in China), they may exhibit individual differences in these subdomains. Few studies have addressed the heterogeneous subtypes of children’s social skills using a person-centered method. This study aimed to identify the subtypes of social skills among preschool children. It examined whether the home-rearing environment at an early age predicts the subtyping of children’s social skills. We conducted a two-year follow-up survey in Chinese kindergartens from 2021 to 2023. Parents completed a set of self-report questionnaires regarding the demographic characteristics and home-rearing environments in 2021. The children’s social skills were assessed by kindergarten teachers in 2023. The subtypes of children’s social skills across assertion, self-control, and cooperation were explored using a latent class analysis (LCA). The relationship between the home-rearing environment and subtyping of the children’s social skills was analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression model. Data from 340 children (mean age = 4.1 years, 45.6
Unethical pro-organisational behaviour is unethical employee behaviour intended to benefit their organisation. This study draws on Role Theory to examine how Hofstede’s six cultural value dimensions, measured at the individual level, predict unethical pro-organisational behaviour and whether industry socialisation moderates these relationships. Survey data were collected from 216 employees of the Indian Information Technology (IT) industry through snowball sampling. The data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling, and a multi-group analysis was performed across three industry-tenure groups serving as a proxy for the degree of socialisation. Of the six dimensions studied, only power distance, masculinity, and indulgence significantly predicted UPB, together explaining 39
