Attitudes towards ethnic integration serve as a cornerstone for the interaction, exchange and unity among China's diverse ethnic groups and are essential for strengthening a unified Chinese national identity. Drawing on theories of nation-state building, imagined community and the common ingroup identity model, this study adopted experimental methods to examine the positive influence of Chinese cultural symbols on ethnic integration attitudes and its moderating mechanism at both explicit and implicit levels. In Study 1 with a multi-ethnic sample, experimental priming of Chinese cultural symbols significantly improved explicit attitudes towards ethnic integration. Study 2 targeted ethnic minority participants and adopted both the Ethnic Integration Attitude Scale and the Street Distance Projective Test. The results further verified the positive effect of Chinese cultural symbols on ethnic integration attitudes at explicit and implicit levels and confirmed the moderating role of ethnic identity: stronger ethnic identity amplifies the positive effect of Chinese cultural symbols on ethnic integration attitudes. These findings not only expand the theoretical boundary of the common ingroup identity model but also imply that shared cultural symbols can act as an effective pathway to cultivate positive ethnic integration attitudes.
Childbearing ambivalence-the coexistence of positive and negative evaluations regarding having children-has become an important focus in fertility research. Prior studies have primarily examined its role in contraceptive use and parenthood postponement, yet little is known about how ambivalence relates to the desire for children, particularly in the early, motivational stages of reproductive decision-making. This study investigates the association between subjective ambivalence towards childbearing and individuals' childbearing desires, with particular attention to gender differences. The analysis covers a sample of 831 childless individuals (520 women and 311 men) aged 20-35, who participated in a nationwide study on childbearing motivations in Poland, in December 2022. Respondents completed measures of subjective ambivalence and childbearing desire. Regression and moderation analyses were applied. Our findings indicate that higher ambivalence was associated with lower childbearing desire among men but with stronger desire among women. Although generally modest, these associations suggest that ambivalence may reflect distinct evaluative processes in women and men. Because the data are cross-sectional, it remains unclear whether ambivalence shapes desire differently by gender, whether stronger desire heightens ambivalence specifically among women, or whether reciprocal processes are involved. Longitudinal research is needed to clarify the direction and mechanisms of these associations.
Drawing on Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, this study examines how daily work role overload (WRO) contributes to ETT via two mechanisms: energy depletion (fatigue) and motivational erosion (intrinsic motivation). Using the daily diary method, data were collected from 107 employees over 5 consecutive days, yielding 460 usable daily observations across the education, healthcare, information technology and trade sectors. Path analyses showed that daily WRO was positively associated with ETT. Consistent with the energy depletion mechanism, WRO increased fatigue, predicting higher ETT. Meanwhile, in line with the motivational erosion mechanism, our findings indicate that WRO undermines intrinsic motivation, which was negatively associated with ETT. Both fatigue and intrinsic motivation mediated the daily association between WRO and ETT. These findings extend JD-R theory to CWB, demonstrating how excessive demands simultaneously deplete resources and erode motivation, thereby fostering ETT. Practically, the results highlight the importance of workload management and motivation-enhancing strategies in mitigating the hidden costs of ETT.
The purpose of the study was to identify the relationship between personality traits of student youth and the perception of social norms regulating adaptation to sustainable development principles. An empirical survey was conducted among 150 third- and fourth-year students of social and humanities specialities at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. The results showed that conscientiousness (M = 4.05; SD = 0.58), openness to experience (M = 3.95; SD = 0.63), and agreeableness (M = 3.87; SD = 0.65) were most strongly associated with the perception of sustainable development norms. Extraversion was moderate (M = 3.42; SD = 0.71), while negative emotionality was low (M = 2.76; SD = 0.74), indicating students' relative emotional stability. The highest support was observed for environmental responsibility (M = 4.12), reflecting students' participation in ecological initiatives and university programmes. Ethical consumption norms were also positively perceived (M = 3.88), although their practical implementation was limited by economic factors. The overall integral level of perception of social norms was M = 3.93 (SD = 0.57), indicating positive but incomplete assimilation of sustainable development values. The proposed model demonstrated the interaction between five-factor personality traits and cognitive, emotional-motivational, behavioural, and social-regulatory mechanisms. The findings may be used by university teachers and psychologists to develop programmes promoting sustainable development values and students' sociocultural competence.
This study aimed to examine the effects of job stressors and social support on the mental health of frontline manufacturing workers in China, an understudied population facing high workloads, performance pressure and job insecurity. The dynamic relationships between emotional outcomes and support mechanisms were explored using the job demands-resources (JD-R) model and conservation of resources (COR) theory. Two waves of surveys were conducted between November 2024 and April 2025 among 1270 manufacturing workers in Jilin Province, China. A cross-lagged panel network model was applied to analyse the temporal and structural relationships among stressors, perceived support and emotional states. Anxiety significantly predicted subsequent depression. Perceived supervisor support negatively predicted subsequent anxiety, depression, hindrance stressors and pay and promotion insecurity and showed the highest bridge centrality in the network. Perceived coworker support negatively predicted subsequent challenge stressors. Hindrance stressors and pay and promotion insecurity showed small positive associations with anxiety and depression. The study extended the JD-R model and COR theory to a Chinese industrial context, emphasising supervisor support as a central protective factor. The findings offer theoretical and practical insights for mental health interventions in manufacturing workplaces.
Within secure attachment relationships, caregivers function as primary sources of self-regulation and foster empathy. Affective empathy refers to the direct sharing of others' emotional states, whereas cognitive empathy involves understanding the meaning of others' affective displays. Although robust evidence links secure attachment to empathy, research examining the mediating role of emotion regulation (ER) during middle childhood remains limited. Participants were 214 children (108 girls) aged 8-12 years (M = 9.28 ± 1.09) and their parents (86.3% mothers). Children completed the Security Scale (SS), assessing Safe Haven (SH) and Secure Base (SB), as well the Questionnaire to Assess Affective and Cognitive Empathy in Children (QACE). Primary caregivers completed the Emotion Regulation Checklist assessing children's ER and lability/negativity. Results indicated that global ER was positively associated with cognitive (rCEcog = 0.17, p < 0.05) but not affective empathy. Mediation analyses revealed that attachment was significantly associated with children's empathy (β = 0.40-0.53, p < 0.001); however, ER did not mediate this association. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that maternal SH and paternal SB were strongly associated with cognitive and global empathy, whereas only maternal SH was strongly associated with affective empathy. These results underscore the robustness of attachment theory as an organising framework for socioemotional development regarding the processes during middle childhood.
To spotlight women's and children's mental health needs and human rights issues around interparental violence in Caribbean families, this study examined the mediating function of maternal depressive symptoms on associations between interparental violence and children's anxiety/depression, antisocial behaviours, and peer problems. Participants included 152 mothers and their preschool-aged children residing in the Kingston area of Jamaica. Interparental violence had direct associations with children's antisocial behaviours and peer problems. Maternal depressive symptoms partially mediated the association between interparental violence and child anxiety/depression. Findings point to the importance of considering both interparental violence and maternal depression together in addressing children's mental health difficulties in the broader Caribbean region.
Understanding how one's actions affect others' emotions is an important aspect of prosocial development. Extending prior findings with adults, this study investigated whether predicting future emotional messages from the recipient could enhance preschoolers' altruistic sharing. In Experiment 1, 4- to 6-year-old Korean children played a dictator game in which they allocated stickers between themselves and a monkey puppet. The children in the experimental condition were informed that the monkey would draw a picture of how he felt about the number of stickers received, while those in the control condition received no such information. Children in the experimental condition shared more generously overall, particularly among 4- and 5-year-olds. Six-year-olds allocated resources about equally between two conditions, resembling Korean adults' preference for equality observed in a pilot study. Experiment 2 tested whether the effect was driven specifically by considering others' emotions rather than anticipating feedback in general. Children were told they would receive an unspecified 'message' from the recipient, but no differences in sharing emerged between conditions. Thus, just anticipating any message or feedback from the recipient did not promote children's altruistic resource allocation. The results suggest that considering others' emotions promotes altruistic behaviours in young children.
Research on sexual assault judgements has shown that extra-evidentiary cues influence perceptions of victims' credibility and responsibility. This study examined how physical attractiveness, rape myth acceptance (RMA), participant sex and cultural context shape victim blame judgements in samples from the United States, Hungary and Türkiye (N = 979). Participants evaluated sexual assault vignettes depicting different perpetrator-victim attractiveness pairings and completed the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale. Victim blame was highest when an unattractive victim was paired with an attractive perpetrator. Turkish participants attributed greater blame to victims than did participants from the United States and Hungary, whereas the participants' sex had no overall effect. Controlling for RMA eliminated the attractiveness effect, suggesting that appearance-based judgements are rooted in rape myth schemas rather than independent attractiveness biases. Mediation analyses showed that RMA explained the relationship between participant sex and victim blaming across nearly all conditions and accounted for the differences between the Hungarian and US samples. However, RMA did not explain the elevated victim blaming observed in the Turkish sample. These findings support a schema-based interpretation of rape myths and suggest that cultural differences in victim blaming reflect additional sociocultural influences beyond rape myth endorsement.
Research on the moral foreign language effect (MFLE) shows that using a foreign language can shift moral judgements, and sometimes this shift can reverse. The present study tested whether a reverse MFLE would appear in a self-driving-car dilemma that usually favours protecting the larger group (pedestrians). In Experiment 1 (N = 266; L1 Chinese vs. L2 English, between-subjects), a canonical sacrificial dilemma was used for benchmarking before introducing the self-driving-car dilemma; a reverse MFLE was observed in the latter (fewer utilitarian choices in L2 than in L1). Experiment 2 (N = 361) replicated the reverse MFLE in the self-driving-car dilemma and showed moderation by self-reported driving frequency: the reverse effect was clear among participants who drive less often and weaker or absent among those who drive more often. These findings extend MFLE research beyond the footbridge paradigm, reducing over-reliance on a single dilemma, and-together with prior work-strengthen the conclusion that using a foreign language can dampen fast, default processes (System 1) responses, which can lead to shifts, including reversals, in moral choice patterns.
Purpose: Child offence in Kenya poses a challenge, with rehabilitation schools using sports to improve emotional, psychological, and social skills, but limited research exists on sports' impact on social cohesion in these settings. This study examined the effect of participation in an organized recreational sports program on social cohesion among child offenders in Kenyan government rehabilitation schools. Methodology: Adopting a quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design, the research involved 188 purposively selected participants (boys and girls aged 11–18 years) from five schools (Getathuru, Wamumu, Kabete, Othaya, and Kirigiti/Dagoretti). The 8-week intervention consisted of structured soccer sessions for boys and netball for girls, delivered three times weekly for 60 minutes per session by trained coaches, with emphasis on teamwork, fair play, communication, inclusion, and interdependence. Social cohesion was measured using the Teamwork Scale for Youth, administered pre- and post-intervention to 129 participants. Findings: Descriptive statistics revealed a substantial increase in mean and standard deviation teamwork scores from 20.45 ± 7.99 pre-intervention to 34.36 ± 5.42 post-intervention. Categorical analysis showed a dramatic shift: low teamwork skills decreased from 68 to 3 participants, while high teamwork skills rose from 22 to 104. A Mann-Whitney U test confirmed a statistically significant difference (Z = -11.363, p < 0.001), rejecting the null hypothesis and indicating profound improvement in social cohesion following the program. Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: These findings align with Hirschi’s social control theory and positive youth development frameworks, demonstrating that structured team sports strengthen attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief in prosocial norms, thereby enhancing harmony, mutual support, and a sense of belonging. Organized recreational sports emerge as a low-cost, effective rehabilitative strategy to mitigate isolation, reduce deviant tendencies, and facilitate reintegration. The study recommends integrating gender-sensitive sports programs into weekly rehabilitation schedules, allocating dedicated resources, and conducting longitudinal research to assess sustained impacts on recidivism and community outcomes.
This study investigates how fans with different levels of community engagement behave and use language in Sina Weibo's Super Topic Communities, integrating psycholinguistic analysis with machine learning. Analysing data from 9248 users, we compared high-level and low-level fans across behavioural indicators, simplified Chinese linguistic inquiry and word count categories, and fine-grained sentiment dimensions. Results show that highly engaged fans disclose more personal information, maintain substantially larger social networks, and produce richer content, suggesting stronger identification with their fan communities. Linguistically, they use more achievement-related words, motion verbs, quantifiers and first-person plural pronouns-patterns may reflecting collectivist orientations and enhanced group identity. Sentiment analysis reveals that high-level fans express more intense emotions, including both positive (joy, goodness) and negative (sadness, disgust) feelings, suggesting greater emotional involvement. Machine learning models trained on combined behavioural and linguistic features accurately predict users' community levels (support vector machine accuracy 83.8%, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.917), outperforming models using linguistic features alone. These findings advance understanding of how online language and digital footprints signal social identity and emotional investment in fandom. They also highlight fans' evolving role in idol cultivation within Eastern collectivist cultures, offering practical implications for community management and marketing strategies.
Intergroup conflict threatens human survival and social development, often triggered by environmental changes such as pandemics. Understanding individual behaviour in intergroup conflict during crises is critical for explaining shifts in intergroup relations. Using COVID-19 as a major environmental threat, the present study combined behavioural experiments and questionnaire measures with 1167 participants from 34 Chinese provinces across three stages: before the pandemic, after the reopening policy was announced and after the pandemic ended. We examined temporal changes in self-interest, ingroup cooperation and outgroup aggression, along with the moderating role of cultural values. Results showed that shortly after reopening, self-interest and ingroup cooperation first decreased and then increased, patterns moderated by interdependent self-construal. Conversely, outgroup aggression first increased and then decreased, jointly influenced by cultural tightness-looseness and infection status. Across the broader pandemic stages, self-interest remained higher and outgroup aggression remained lower than the pre-pandemic baseline, while cultural values exerted moderating effects only at specific stages. These findings suggest that pandemic-related environmental threats do not simply increase cooperation or conflict but reshape individuals' trade-offs among personal, ingroup and outgroup interests. This study provides psychological evidence for understanding intergroup conflict behaviour under environmental threat and offers implications for crisis governance.
The current study examined whether imagining a future secure relationship can increase state attachment security to a degree comparable to recalling a secure past or current relationship. In a within-subjects design, 88 participants completed three weekly tasks: future thinking, episodic recall, and a neutral shopping control. Each session involved a brief imagery-and-writing task followed immediately by state attachment measures. Compared with the neutral control, both relational priming tasks were associated with higher state attachment security, and the future and recall tasks did not differ. Effects on attachment anxiety and avoidance were small and did not reach conventional levels of statistical significance after correction. These findings provide preliminary evidence that episodic future thinking can prime felt security in the short term, while also indicating that stronger evidence is needed before drawing conclusions about functional or intervention-related significance.
Short-form video addiction (SFVA) is increasingly prevalent among adolescents and closely related to time perspective, yet their associations at the symptom and dimensional levels, particularly gender differences, remain underexplored. This study applied network analysis to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between time perspective dimensions and SFVA symptoms in Chinese adolescents, with attention to gender-specific patterns. A total of 1, 580 Chinese adolescents (55.1% female; Mage = 15.86 ± 0.80 at T1) completed measures on two occasions at 6-month intervals. Cross-sectional network analysis showed that 'future' and 'sleep interference' were the central nodes in both male and female networks. In addition, 'present-fatalistic,' 'attentional disruption,' and 'social concern' were identified as bridge nodes linking time perspective and SFVA. Cross-lagged panel network analysis further highlighted the central roles of 'future'. Furthermore, gender-specific pathways also emerged. Among males, 'loss of control' functioned more as a driving symptom, whereas among females it was more strongly influenced by other symptoms. In girls, 'social impairment' and 'attentional disruption' were the main predictors of time-related dimensions, whereas in boys, 'sleep interference' and 'withdrawal' symptoms played a more prominent role. These findings clarify the complex mechanisms linking time perspective and SFVA and highlight potential gender-specific intervention targets.
The present study examined the relationship between naturalistic psychedelic use and two distinct forms of grandiose narcissism: admiration and rivalry. Using data from an online survey, we compared psychedelic users (N = 630), non-users (N = 100) and individuals planning to use psychedelics in the future (N = 141) on levels of admiration and rivalry. Additionally, we explored how these two forms of narcissism related to the intensity of past ego dissolution and mystical experiences. Psychedelic users reported higher admiration and lower rivalry than non-users who did not intend to use psychedelics. No significant differences emerged between users and those intending to use psychedelics. Among users, ego dissolution experiences were associated with lower rivalry, while mystical experiences were linked to higher admiration. Notably, effect sizes in all analyses were small, warranting caution when interpreting the relevance of the reported effects. By highlighting these opposing patterns in admiration and rivalry, our findings contribute to the understanding of how specific personality traits relate to psychedelic use. Future longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to clarify the direction of these relationships and to investigate contextual and individual factors shaping psychedelic experiences and their psychological outcomes.
Built upon the core tenets of Cybernetic Big Five Theory, the present research explores how Autistic Traits operate dynamically within a unified network encompassing personality meta-traits (Plasticity and Stability) and multiple facets of prospective cognition. Based on three-wave longitudinal data of 570 non-clinical young adults, temporal network analysis was implemented to model cross-domain temporal interplay. Results revealed an interconnected system: Social Camouflaging negatively predicted subsequent Social Autistic Traits and formed mutually reinforcing bidirectional pathways with Future Imagination. Far-Target Orientation buffered Cognitive Rigidity but induced a notable "paradox of planning", as it concurrently suppressed Future Action Agency and Purpose Consciousness. Future Action Agency exerted positive prospective effects on later Purpose Consciousness, and Future Imagination maintained reciprocal positive temporal associations with Purpose Consciousness. Stability exhibited dual concurrent outcomes: it boosted Future Imagination while simultaneously increasing Rigidity. These findings provide the first within-person evidence that Autistic Traits develop dynamically through interactive processes across personality and future cognition. Practically, supportive strategies should strengthen Future Action Agency and Purpose Consciousness, redirect Future Imagination toward functional planning, and apply Far-Target Orientation to alleviate Rigidity while safeguarding present agency.
This study aims to analyse trends in PTSD over time among combat veterans who participated in war or major military operations. This retrospective cohort study included 4376 veterans (4027 males; 97.9%) of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) who sought assistance from the army's Combat Stress Reactions Unit (CSRU) between January 1, 2000 and June 30, 2024. Background and service data were obtained from CSRU electronic records, along with PTSD self-report questionnaires (PTSD Checklist [PCL-5]). We found PTSD levels lowest during two specific periods of major warfare: 2014 (average score 38.9, SD = 20.15) and 2024 (average score 36.8, SD = 18.13). Conversely, between 2015 and October 2023, years with intermittent lower-intensity military operations, levels were higher, ranging from 43.0 (SD = 18.59) to 50.1 (SD = 17.72). Data analysis also highlights a significant increase in applications to the CSRU from 2014 onward. This continued in 2024, with 703 soldiers (16.1% of sample) applying to the unit-the highest number in a single year. PTSD levels were neither higher nor consistent in times of intense warfare. The relatively low levels of PTSD recorded during these times suggest complex factors influence PTSD development, beyond time since exposure to traumatic events.
Purpose: This study examines the psychological implications of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into judicial decision-making in criminal justice, including algorithmically supported risk assessment and sentencing decisions. It analyzes how AI-based decision-support systems influence perceptions of fairness, trust in judicial decisions, and decision confidence, as well as the emotional responses of judges, jurors, defendants, and victims. Methodology: The study employs a theory-driven and interdisciplinary conceptual framework grounded in psychological theories of decision-making, procedural justice, and affective processes. Through a critical integrative synthesis of legal, psychological, and ethical scholarship on algorithmic decision-making, predictive modeling, and risk assessment systems in criminal justice, the study examines their implications for human judgment, responsibility attribution, and judicial experience. Findings: The analysis demonstrates that AI-assisted decision-making can substantially shape psychological perceptions of justice and the legitimacy of judicial processes. Although algorithmic tools are often perceived as consistent and objective, their reliance on historical data may reproduce existing biases, thereby negatively affecting perceived fairness, trust in judicial outcomes, and decision confidence among legal professionals and trial participants. These findings indicate that the psychological impact of artificial intelligence extends beyond technical accuracy and plays a significant role in shaping perceptions of the legitimacy of judicial processes. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice, and Policy: This study contributes to psychological theory by offering a systematic examination of the cognitive, affective, and evaluative processes associated with algorithmically supported judicial decision-making in criminal justice. In the context of judicial practice, the analysis demonstrates how uncritical reliance on AI systems may diminish judicial autonomy and obscure responsibility attribution in decision-making processes. From a public policy perspective, the findings contribute to the conceptualization of regulatory approaches oriented toward transparency, fairness, and trust in the use of AI in judicial decision-making.
Purpose: This study investigated the lived experiences of homelessness and insecurity among displaced university students in Nigeria. These students face significant challenges, including limited access to basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter, which adversely affect their academic performance as well as their physical and mental well-being. Experiences of stigma, anxiety, and uncertainty further hinder their ability to concentrate on studies and achieve academic goals. The study addressed two research questions and tested two null hypotheses. Methodology: The study employed a mixed-methods design, integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research problem. The population included all displaced university students in Nigeria, with a sample size of 1,000 participants. A simple random technique was used to select 3 universities and stratified sampling technique was used to select participants. Data were collected using a self-structured instrument, the Lived Experiences of Homelessness and Insecurity among Displaced University Students Questionnaire (LEHIDUSQ), which consists of two sections: Part A (personal information) and Part B (research questions). Items were rated on a four-point Likert scale: Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D), and Strongly Disagree (SD). Additionally, 15 participants were interviewed. The instrument was administered by the researcher and two research assistants, all of whom were familiar with the study area and adhered to ethical standards. Data collection utilized online platforms such as Google Forms and Microsoft Forms. Simple percentages, mean scores, and standard deviations were used to address the research questions. The Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Statistic tested the hypotheses at the 0.05 significance level, and thematic analysis was conducted using Nvivo. Findings: The findings indicate that homelessness and insecurity among displaced university students in Nigeria present significant challenges that undermine academic achievement, physical and mental health, and overall well-being. These results highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions and support systems to address these issues and promote students’ academic success and well-being. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study highlights the struggles students face as a result insecurities, displacement forces many university students to abandon or interrupt studies, leading to dropout risks, delayed graduation, loss of academic progress, and long-term barriers to completing higher education. Insecurity closes campuses or makes commuting unsafe, while homelessness compounds this by removing stable environments for studying. Displaced students face ongoing physical threats, psychological trauma and existential insecurity. This extends beyond physical homelessness to include lack of shelter, food, or basic needs, heightening risks of exploitation, gender-based violence (especially for female students), or mental health deterioration.
