Why do some people refuse vaccination? The current study contributes to answering this question by examining multiple predictors of COVID-19 vaccination refusal in Sweden. We further explore how these predictors are associated with anti-vaccination attitudes and to what extent anti-vaccination attitudes mediate the association with vaccination refusal. Using original survey data from 1293 Swedish citizens analyzed with structural equation modeling, we examined whether anti-vaccination attitudes accounted for associations between contrarian worldviews (e.g., conspiracy mentality, climate change denial), political orientations (e.g., right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation), psychological dispositions (e.g., need for cognitive closure, need to belong), and demographic factors with COVID-19 vaccination refusal in Sweden. Contrarian worldviews were strongly associated with higher anti-vaccination attitudes, which were in turn associated with higher likelihood of vaccination refusal. Political orientation variables contributed little unique explanatory value beyond contrarian worldviews. A small indirect effect emerged for social dominance orientation, though all direct associations between political orientation and vaccination outcomes were nonsignificant. Psychological dispositions demonstrated differentiated patterns, with need for cognitive closure and need to belong showing direct associations with vaccination refusal, and anxiety positively associated with anti-vaccination attitudes. These findings imply that contrarian worldviews may be more relevant than ideology in understanding anti-vaccination attitudes and vaccination refusal.
Most adolescents experience cyberhate primarily as bystanders. Understanding their behavior, particularly their defending behaviors, is crucial to mitigate the phenomenon and its negative effects. While prior studies have explored factors influencing these responses, further research is needed to understand how these factors interact within robust theoretical frameworks. To address this gap, this study examined adolescents' defending behaviors to cyberhate through three psychological theories: (1) the Theory of Normative Social Behavior (TNSB; social norms); (2) Social Learning Theory (SLT; social norms, self-efficacy, prior victimization and perpetration experiences, and motivators such as the need for online popularity); and (3) the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; attitude towards helping, perceived control, subjective norms and intention to help). A total of 2539 Spanish secondary school students (49.1% boys, 49.2% girls, and 1.7% others) aged 11-18 years (M = 14.07, SD = 1.39) participated filling a self-reported survey. Three structural equation models were estimated to test the specific variables of each theoretical framework while controlling for gender and age. Results revealed that all three models significantly explained defensive behaviors. Across the models, explained variance reached up to 50.8%. The most relevant factors were subjective norms, injunctive norms from friends, family, and teachers, and perceived self-efficacy. Girls and younger students were more likely to react defensively. This study represents a clear advance in the understanding of defensive behavior in the face of cyberhate, both in a theoretical and practical framework and thus contributes to optimizing the holistic approach to this emerging phenomenon in virtual contexts.
Childhood bullying victimization experiences contribute to higher levels of loneliness in adulthood, but the mechanism underlying this relation is unclear. Potentially, individual differences in emotion regulation may underlie the relation between childhood bullying victimization and adult loneliness. The present study examined whether tendencies towards emotion suppression and rumination mediated the relation between retrospective bullying experiences and current loneliness in young adults. Undergraduate participants (N = 289, Mage = 19.09 years, SDage = 2.89 years) completed self-reported questionnaires to assess retrospective bullying, tendencies towards the use of emotion suppression and rumination, and loneliness. We found significant direct effects of retrospective bullying victimization on the use of emotion suppression and rumination strategies, as well as direct effects of the tendency towards emotion suppression and rumination strategies on self-reported adult loneliness. We found significant indirect effects of retrospective bullying experiences in predicting increased current loneliness through greater emotion suppression and through greater rumination. These results suggest that bullying victimization may be related to individuals' use of rumination and emotion suppression and subsequent increased loneliness in young adulthood. Future research should investigate methods of promoting non-avoidance based emotion regulation strategies among individuals who experienced childhood bullying victimization to disrupt negative developmental trajectories leading to adverse psychosocial outcomes such as loneliness in adulthood.
ABSTRACT The Belief in a Just World (BJW) reflects assumptions about the predictability and congruence of events. Although extensively studied, little is known about its opposite: whether it is the Belief in an Unjust World (BUW), the Belief in a Random World (BRW), or whether these are independent constructs. This study adapted BJW scales to assess BUW and BRW in a Spanish sample ( N = 283). Exploratory graph analysis showed that BJW, BUW, and BRW form three distinct unipolar dimensions, rather than opposite poles of a single continuum. While all correlated with mental health variables, partial correlations revealed unique patterns: BJW related to well‐being, BUW negatively to optimism, and BRW showed negligible associations. These findings highlight the conceptual independence of the three beliefs, while offering plausible different roles that they could take within clinical practice. Furthermore, we also provide measuring tools for BUW and BRW.
Military populations are at elevated risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) is a self-report instrument that allows for the assessment of PTSD and presents opportunities for wider use as a screener for both clinical and epidemiological purposes. However, current scoring methods are limited, and no cumulative sum score cutoffs have been validated at this time. This study aimed to establish PTSD cutoff scores for the ITQ with a large sample of Norwegian military veterans (N = 5640), 182 of whom met criteria for probable PTSD based on recommended cutoffs for the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). By comparing the PTSD subscale of the ITQ to recommended cutoffs for the PCL-5, this study provides the field with a data-driven bridge and calibration between two of the most prominent self-report PTSD instruments available. Results of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis yielded two cutoff values. A score of 6 using the six PTSD symptom items of the ITQ identified probable PTSD cases with the highest sensitivity and minimal false positives and was thus the recommended cutoff for clinical screening purposes. Meanwhile, a score of 7 with these six symptom items yielded the highest confidence that positive results reflected probable PTSD cases and reduced false positives even further at the cost of losing some sensitivity, and it was therefore the recommended cutoff for research purposes. Findings indicate these cutoff values can be used to screen for probable cases of PTSD across both clinical and research contexts but, like those of the PCL-5, must be interpreted cautiously given the limitations of self-report screeners for psychiatric diagnosis.
The global burden of infertility and its associated psychological distress is substantial, yet many individuals face barriers to accessing psychological support. A scalable, low-cost online intervention presents a promising solution. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted (experimental vs. waitlist control group) to evaluate the efficacy of a fully automated cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program in reducing infertility-related stress among women attempting to conceive. Data were analyzed using linear mixed models on an intention-to-treat basis. The study enrolled 63 Icelandic women experiencing infertility-related stress. The intervention, Overcome Fertility Stress, is an online program designed to identify and modify maladaptive behaviors and thought patterns contributing to infertility-related distress. It delivers personalized treatment through prewritten text, audio, and video responses based on user input. Infertility-related stress was measured using the 46-item Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI), which assesses a global stress score and five domains of infertility-related stress. Participants in the experimental group demonstrated a significant reduction in infertility-related stress (mean reduction score = 22.85, p < 0.05), whereas the control group showed no significant changes (p > 0.05). The within-group effect was large, but controlled between-group effects and confidence intervals should be prioritized when interpreting treatment benefit. These findings provide preliminary controlled evidence that a fully automated CBT program may reduce infertility-related stress, although the underpowered sample and low adherence require cautious interpretation. This RCT, alongside prior feasibility studies, suggests that Overcome Fertility Stress may be a promising low-intensity intervention for infertility-related stress. No significant effects were observed on secondary outcomes measuring depression, anxiety, stress, or worry, suggesting the program is specific to infertility-related stress rather than a broader intervention for emotional disorder symptoms. Larger, adequately powered trials with stronger engagement strategies are needed. Future research should focus on expanding access and integrating digital psychological support into standard fertility care.
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a set of symptoms related to hormonal changes occurring during the premenstrual period. Effective coping strategies for managing PMS have not been clearly established, and it remains unclear whether these strategies are modified by physical activity. Exercise may reduce PMS symptoms; however, the minimum effective exercise dose remains unknown. This study aimed to analyze the effects of an 8-week minimum-dose exercise protocol on psychological PMS symptoms and coping strategies. Thirty-three university students with PMS were assigned to two groups: the Resistance Training Group (RTG), which followed an 8-week minimum-dose training protocol, and the Control Group (CG), which underwent only physical testing. The Premenstrual Symptom Screening Tool (PSST) and the Brief COPE were used for assessments. A mixed linear model with Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML), ANOVA III table application, and Tukey's post hoc test was used for PMS analysis. For coping strategies, a mixed linear model was applied to each domain, with descriptive and exploratory analyses. These analyses were performed in R Studio. For the physical tests, the mean and standard deviation of the variables in each group at the three protocol time points were calculated, and differences between groups were analyzed using Student's t-test conducted in Jamovi. A reduction in both physical and psychological PMS symptoms (χ2 = 7.64, df = 2, p = 0.02) and functional impacts (χ2 = 6.37, df = 2, p = 0.04) was observed in the RTG compared to the CG during the second evaluation. Coping strategy patterns remained stable, showing no influence from the minimum-dose protocol. The minimum-dose exercise approach effectively reduced PMS symptom severity and functional impairments but did not affect coping strategies. Trial Registration: Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry (ReBEC) number: RBR-4pp65c6.
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is one of the most widely used instruments for assessing mental health in children. While Swedish norms for the SDQ have previously been published for children aged 3-5 years, percentile-based cutoffs for the broader internalizing and externalizing scales are still lacking. This study aimed to extend existing Swedish SDQ norms by providing population-based cutoffs for the composite internalizing and externalizing scales in preschool children. Data were derived from a large, population-based sample of children aged 3-5 years in Uppsala County, including ratings from both parents and preschool teachers. Internalizing and externalizing scores were computed by summing the relevant SDQ subscales, and percentile cutoffs were calculated by age, gender, and rater, with the 80th and 90th percentiles used to indicate borderline and abnormal levels of difficulties. Cutoff values were consistently lower in teacher ratings than in parent ratings, and across most age groups and scales girls had lower cutoff values than boys. Age variation was modest, with a general tendency towards slightly lower cutoff scores with increasing age. These new normative cutoffs extend the Swedish SDQ norms for preschoolers to include the widely used composite scales and support more comprehensive use of the SDQ in both clinical screening and research on young children's mental health.
The safety of the psychosocial work environment has a significant influence on employees' overall wellbeing. Research shows that positive and supportive work environments can enhance mental and physical health. Conversely, an excessive emphasis on forced positivity-toxic positivity-may harm employees' mental health. However, research on toxic positivity in the workplace remains limited. This study aimed to examine whether shame and emotional exhaustion, in serial, would mediate the relationship between toxic positivity and job withdrawal intentions. Employing a convergent mixed-methods approach, a sample of 301 Australian employees (Mage = 34.2 years, SD = 10.6; 76.4% female) completed an online survey. Findings revealed that toxic positivity was positively related to shame, emotional exhaustion, and job withdrawal intentions. Additionally, shame and emotional exhaustion, in serial mediated the relationship between toxic positivity and job withdrawal intentions. Reflexive thematic analysis indicated that participants identified and understood the concept of toxic positivity in the workplace. The implications of these findings suggest that toxic positivity can be detrimental to employee wellbeing and that organizations should be cautious of overgeneralizing positivity in the workplace. Additional research is necessary to enhance our understanding of the influence of toxic positivity on shame and emotional exhaustion in individual-specific behavioral responses.
The Nordic countries have a long tradition of using general mental ability (GMA) tests as part of their military conscription process, a practice that began in the mid-20th century. These Nordic tests were developed with a dual purpose-to filter out individuals unfit for military service and to rank individuals' GMA for military roles-and they share common features, including historical roots, administrative procedures, and interpretations. Initially designed exclusively for men, these tests are now taken by both men and women, reflecting shifts in societal norms. However, limited reporting on the current psychometric properties of these tests raises questions about their reliability and validity. Without up-to-date knowledge about the measurement characteristics of these assessments, findings derived from such tests should generally be interpreted with caution. The need for updated validation is further underscored by the extensive use of Nordic GMA test data in broader social and health research, including the Flynn effect. Such efforts will not only sustain the scientific credibility of these tests, but also ensure that data informing other research, and conclusions drawn there, are based on accurate interpretations of the GMA tests.
The nature and strength of semantic effects in speech production, often studied using the picture-word interference (PWI) paradigm, are known to be influenced by object-level variables such as the type of semantic relationship. However, the role of subject-level cognitive factors, particularly working memory capacity (WMC), remains largely unexplored. This study investigated how WMC modulates semantic interference from category-related distractors and facilitation from associative-related distractors. Participants pre-screened into high (n = 29) or low (n = 29) WMC groups completed two PWI tasks (categorical and associative relations) in a single session. Naming latencies were recorded as the primary measure. For categorical relations, a robust semantic interference effect was observed. Crucially, this interference was significantly stronger in low-WMC individuals compared to high-WMC individuals. Conversely, for associative relations, a semantic facilitation effect was found, which was markedly more pronounced in the high-WMC group than in the low-WMC group. These findings demonstrate that working memory capacity dynamically regulates the strength of semantic effects without altering their fundamental direction: attenuating interference and enhancing facilitation. This study bridges a critical theoretical gap by incorporating individual differences into the architecture of speech production, demonstrating that WMC is a key moderator shaping the dynamics of lexical access.
Analogical reasoning involves mapping relational structure from a source domain to a target domain. Distant analogies, compared with near analogies, require reasoners to go beyond surface similarity and extract deeper relational structure. Because utilitarian judgments in sacrificial moral dilemmas also involve evaluating structural trade-offs between costs and benefits, the present study examined whether solving distant analogies increases approval of utilitarian actions. In Experiment 1, 175 Chinese university students were randomly assigned to solve either 40 distant or 40 near verbal analogies and then rated their approval of utilitarian actions across eight sacrificial moral dilemmas. In Experiment 2, 161 students completed the same procedure, except that the dilemmas were rewritten from a second-person to a third-person perspective. Across both experiments, participants in the distant-analogy condition reported significantly higher approval of utilitarian actions than those in the near-analogy condition. This effect remained significant after controlling for analogy accuracy in linear mixed-effects models, and the Condition × Accuracy interactions were not significant in either experiment. These findings suggest that solving distant analogies can increase subsequent utilitarian approval in sacrificial moral dilemmas, possibly by promoting a relational, structure-focused processing orientation.
This study examines the relationships of personal values and health beliefs with past and intended use of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine (CAIM) in Finland. It also investigates the extent to which CAIM users and non-users endorse holistic versus reductionistic health beliefs and whether experiencing benefits or harms from CAIM use is related to users' intention to continue using CAIM. Data were drawn from the survey responses of 3244 Finns who were randomly selected from a commercial, probability-based online panel. The results of logistic regression analyses indicated that scoring low on conservation (vs. openness to change) values, high on holistic health beliefs, and low on reductionistic health beliefs were associated with a higher likelihood of having used CAIM. High levels of holistic health beliefs and low levels of reductionistic health beliefs were associated with a higher likelihood of intending to use CAIM in the future or to continue CAIM use. Individuals who had used CAIM were more likely to intend to use it in the future than those who had not. CAIM users who had experienced benefits or had not experienced harms from CAIM use were more likely to intend to continue use. Both CAIM users and non-users scored higher on holistic than on reductionistic health beliefs. The results highlight the role of health beliefs in past and intended future CAIM use and the relevance of experienced everyday effectiveness of CAIM for use intentions. This study demonstrates that a holistic conception of health and illness treatment is widely shared and not only a feature of CAIM users.
This study explores how Danish upper secondary students, when positioned as bystanders, evaluate risk in situations involving or potentially escalating into sexual harassment or violence. Drawing on psychological risk perception literature, we focus on the cognitive, emotional, and contextual factors that shape young bystanders' recognition and interpretations of risk. Three semi-structured and mixed-gender focus group interviews (N = 15) were conducted with students in their first to third years of high school. A participatory card-based activity was used to elicit discussion of various scenarios involving sexually risky behaviors. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, guided by a hybrid approach combining deductive and inductive coding. The analysis identified three deductively derived themes: (1) Reading the room: interpreting risk through observable cues; (2) Emotions as signals to risk; and (3) Navigating risk between knowing and assuming. In addition, Alcohol as a cross-cutting influence was identified as an overarching inductive theme. Participants struggled to recognize sexual violence risk in the absence of clear contextual cues, often relying on heuristics, cultural norms, or emotional discomfort as interpretive tools. Ambiguous and alcohol-fueled settings further complicated risk appraisal. Overall, bystander risk perception appeared as a dynamic and situated process shaped by overlapping cognitive, emotional, and contextual dimensions. Supporting young people's bystander intervention in situations involving sexual violence risk may therefore require more than skills training alone, including fostering critical reflection on social norms, emotional cues, and intuitive judgments. Psychological risk perception frameworks may provide a useful lens for further understanding early-stage bystander decision-making in sexual violence prevention.
The aims of the present study were to (i) identify profiles of belief in conspiracy theories, and to (ii) test whether the obtained profiles differed in analytical (rational ability, rational engagement, Cognitive Reflection Test) and intuitive thinking (experiential ability, experiential engagement), and science denial (vaccine, climate science). In total, 451 participants (Mean age = 30.80, SD = 16.59, 61% female) were recruited from high-schools and social media groups. The participants completed questionnaires and performance tests of the study variables. The Latent Profile Analysis identified four distinct profiles that showed consistent and distinct response patterns over all five subscales of the Generic Conspiracy Belief Scale, with no overlap between the profiles, ranging from low (Profile 1) to strong conspiracy beliefs (Profile 4). Profile 1 was the largest class (38.14%), whilst Profile 4 was the smallest class (8.61%). The analyses further revealed that no differences were found between profiles in analytical thinking, measured by the performance-based cognitive reflection test. However, profile differences were found for self-reported analytical thinking, intuitive thinking, and science denial. Overall, less conspiracy beliefs were accompanied by less intuitive thinking and higher acceptance of climate and vaccine science. Somewhat unexpectedly, participants who held the strongest conspiracy beliefs (Profile 4) as well as those who had the lowest beliefs in conspiracy theories (Profile 1) reported higher levels of analytical thinking, compared with the other two profiles, suggesting that people who most strongly endorse conspiracy theories report high use of both analytical and intuitive thinking styles. A potential explanation may be that conspiracy beliefs initially originate through intuitive thinking, while analytical thinking can be used to maintain and justify these beliefs through, for instance, motivated reasoning.
Laughter-related dispositions, including gelotophobia (fear of being laughed at), gelotophilia (enjoyment of being laughed with), and katagelasticism (enjoyment of laughing at others), may explain patterns of humor use beyond broad personality traits and social anxiety. However, their incremental predictive value across distinct humor domains remains insufficiently examined. A sample of 788 Canadian university students completed self-report measures of laughter-related dispositions, HEXACO personality traits, social anxiety, and six humor domains. Hierarchical regression models assessed incremental validity beyond personality and social anxiety. Gradient boosting machine learning models were conducted to examine nonlinear effects and relative predictor importance. Gelotophilia consistently predicted greater humor use across domains. Gelotophobia predicted lower everyday humor, reduced laughing at oneself, and diminished humor under stress, even after controlling for personality and social anxiety. Katagelasticism showed minimal associations with adaptive humor domains. Machine learning analyses converged with regression findings, underscoring the robustness of these effects. Laughter-related dispositions demonstrate distinct and incremental contributions to humor use beyond personality and social anxiety. Gelotophilia and gelotophobia, in particular, represent meaningful predictors of adaptive humor engagement.
People with high emotional granularity (EG; the capacity to differentiate among discrete emotional states) tend to employ more effective emotion regulation strategies during negative affective states. Recent eye-tracking evidence suggests that EG is associated with the frequency of revisits to negative emotional stimuli. The current study aimed to replicate this finding, however, using more complex, dynamic distractors to test whether avoidance occurs when competing content is more engaging and if the link between EG and revisits could be replicated. Participants (n = 160) viewed emotional videos and subsequently described their affect. The affect-describing adjectives were used to calculate a performance-based EG index. Higher performance-based EG correlated with longer total fixation duration on affective videos. Higher self-reported EG was associated with a lower number of gaze revisits of affective videos. The present replication study highlights the importance of considering the complexity of the visual environment when interpreting attentional indicators of emotion regulation. In the more complex visual environment, performance-based EG may be linked to sustained engagement with emotional content while higher self-reported EG may reduce the subjective need to revisit affect elicitors.
An association between hearing loss and cognitive decline has been found in many epidemiological and clinical studies but few studies have investigated if objectively measured hearing loss is associated with subjective cognitive complaints. Both factors increase with age and are linked to future cognitive decline/dementia. The aim was to investigate if the degree of subjective cognitive complaints was significantly associated with the level of hearing in older adults. Moreover, to what extent this relationship would persist if factors such as age, cognitive dysfunction, and depression were accounted for. Cognitive Function Instrument (CFI) and Cognitive Change Index (CCI) were applied in 60 community-dwelling adults and 83 audiology clinic patients. Participants were 55 years or older and were assessed with Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA), Geriatric Depression Scale, the Logical Memory Test, and Symbol Digit Modalities Test. Persons with moderate-to-severe hearing loss had significantly higher scores than persons with normal hearing on CFI and CCI. Significant group differences were also found for tests of episodic memory and processing speed. PTA results were significantly correlated to both CCI (rho = 0.21) and CFI (rho = 0.25). Regression-based models did not show an independent and significant effect of hearing on subjective cognitive complaints when age, sex, depressive symptoms, and cognitive test scores were also included in the analysis. In conclusion, subjective cognitive complaints increase with decreased hearing (as measured by tone detection) but the association seems to be moderated by other factors such as depressive symptoms and neuropsychological test performances.
Cognitive screening is essential for assessing mental health and identifying early cognitive vulnerability. This preliminary phase of a preregistered umbrella project (OSF: https://osf.io/8jz6k) implemented a structured cognitive assessment interview with federal public managers, representing an unprecedented initiative in Brazil. The main objective was to characterize the cognitive status of federal public leaders using a multimodal screening protocol and to examine the contributions of intellectual functioning and age to global cognitive performance. Seventy-eight leaders (Mage = 48.44, SD = 8.04) completed a standardized remote cognitive screening session including the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Brazilian version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and a dyadic short form of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III to estimate intellectual functioning. Brazilian normative data were applied for classification. Associations among age, intellectual functioning, and cognitive performance were examined using bivariate correlations, hierarchical regression, and bootstrap procedures with 5000 resamples. Mini-Mental State Examination scores were uniformly high (28.12 ± 1.74), reflecting ceiling effects typical of highly educated adults. Although most participants performed within the healthy range on the global Montreal Cognitive Assessment score (25.56 ± 2.70), the Memory Index Score identified a comparatively larger proportion of individuals within normative ranges associated with mild or more pronounced cognitive vulnerability, indicating heightened sensitivity to subtle episodic-memory changes. Intellectual functioning was a strong positive predictor of cognitive performance, whereas age emerged as a significant negative predictor only after controlling for intellectual functioning, consistent with cognitive-reserve models. Bootstrap confidence intervals supported the robustness of both predictors. The findings indicate preserved global cognition alongside meaningful heterogeneity in episodic-memory performance, underscoring the value of memory-sensitive indices for early cognitive monitoring in high-responsibility leadership contexts. Subsequent executive-function assessments from the umbrella project will further refine the identification of domain-specific cognitive profiles.
This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Norwegian 200-item version of the HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised (HEXACO-PI-R). The sample consisted of 460 adults (51.3% women) aged 18-75 years (M = 41.5, SD = 15.3) who completed the instrument online. The average internal consistency was α = 0.89 for domains (range: 0.88-0.92) and α = 0.79 for facets (range: 0.60-0.87). Women had higher Emotionality (d = 1.08) and Honesty-Humility (d = 0.39) scores than men. Honesty-Humility scores increased with age. One month test-retest correlations ranged from 0.90 to 0.95 for domains. Exploratory structural equation modeling provided superior fit compared to confirmatory factor analysis (CFI = 0.928 vs. 0.647). Configural and metric invariance were supported across gender and age, with partial scalar invariance. Convergent validity with the Mini-International Personality Item Pool (Mini-IPIP) was strong for Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Openness (r = 0.69-0.79). Honesty-Humility showed weak to modest associations attesting to the discriminative validity for this dimension. The Norwegian HEXACO-200 had strong psychometric properties demonstrating its suitability for personality assessment in Norwegian populations.
