OBJECTIVES:Empathic accuracy (EA) represents a person's ability to correctly infer the emotions of another person. One past study in men found lower EA for positive emotions after a moderate dose of hard liquor compared to after placebo, particularly among non-hazardous drinkers. The present study aimed to replicate this finding, using a moderate dose of beer and a mixed design. Moreover, we added a novel measure of behavioral empathy. METHODS:Participants (62% men) completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Empathy Quotient, and Revised Drinking Motives Questionnaire. Before and after drinking either beer (6.6% alcohol, n = 28) or its 0.0% equivalent (placebo, n = 38), they watched videoclips of targets talking about emotional autobiographical events and rated how targets felt while talking. Behavioral empathy was assessed by presenting participants with painful scenarios and asking whether they would help the people in pain. RESULTS:The previous finding of lower EA for positive emotions after alcohol was not replicated. Nonetheless, after alcohol non-hazardous drinkers were less willing to help people in pain. Trait affective empathy (i.e., a person's long-term disposition to experience emotional responses congruent to another's feelings) and the drinking to cope motive did not significantly moderate the findings. CONCLUSIONS:Although alcohol may alter empathy, its effects are not consistent and may depend on the dose and type of alcohol consumed. The moderating roles of trait empathy and trait aggressivity deserves further study.

Time spent in nature benefits human mental and physical well-being. However, much of the variance in outcomes of nature contact remains unexplained, suggesting that new mechanistic pathways need to be considered. Here, we tested a novel conceptual model linking nature contact with life satisfaction via pathways involving positive experiences of living in and experiencing the world through the physical self. Using data from the Body Image in Nature Survey (BINS; N = 50,363), representing respondents from 58 nations and speaking 36 different languages, we find that nature contact is associated with greater self-compassion and greater perceived restoration in nature, which in turn are associated with more positive body image. In addition, more positive body image is associated with greater life satisfaction. These associations were robust to sensitivity tests, generalised to all gender identities and age groups, and held individually in almost all national groups and languages. Although replications are needed, we propose that the materialities of natural environments help to link bodily experiences to the production and experience of well-being, a process that is largely stable across national groups.

Objective:The aim of the study was to show the differences in the dominant motivational function of physical activity (PA) between women and men from Poland (PL), China (CN), Iran (IR), Kazakhstan (KZ), Egypt (EG), Romania (RO), and Italy (IT). Methods:A total of 6,195 participants (females = 3,376 and males = 2,819) aged 18-88 years (M = 28.5, SD = 12.74), residing in the seven countries, were analyzed for the purpose of this study. Twelve goal types were distinguished by the Inventory of Physical Activity Objectives (IPAO) tool were used in the study. Results:The analysis results indicated the significant main effects of gender and country. The three-way interaction between gender, type of goal, and country was significant, indicative that the largest differences in the rating of the goals' importance between males and females occurred in evaluating objective 4 (fit, shapely body) in RO. Males in RO assessed this goal significantly lower than females. Among females, one of the largest differences occurred in the evaluation of the importance of objective 7 (boosting confidence, gaining appreciation from others) between PL and EG, as well as PL and IR. Conclusion:Understanding the motives behind PA and gender differences is crucial for developing effective health interventions and future cross-cultural research. The results of the study can be used in marketing by tailoring the content of the message to the audience. In schools, understanding the motives for physical activity will allow the curriculum to be adapted and thus increase student engagement in exercise. Understanding the profile of the exercise participant by the instructor will allow their needs to be effectively met and will positively correlate with persistence in activity.

Gaming activities have become one of the most used leisure time activities for scholars, providing both easy access and an entertaining coping mechanism for stressful experiences for adolescents. As gaming becomes more popular, the deep understanding of extended mechanisms of gaming addiction becomes pivotal in successful intervention and prevention programs. This study examined the mediating role of difficulties in emotion regulation variables in the relationship between the negative core beliefs about the self and negative core beliefs about others with Internet gaming disorder (IGD) symptoms. A sample of 1277 student participants (M age = 14.74, 56

In an increasingly globalized world challenged by multiple social problems, global social identifications (GSIs, e.g., with all humanity) are concepts of growing interest. Although such identifications can be affected by the cultural contexts in which they are manifested, research on them remains largely confined to Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic (WEIRD) societies. Using data collected in 45 countries (N = 9807, preregistered), we compared the strength of three types of GSIs between countries and cultural clusters, and explored the possible role of five cultural dimensions. The results revealed relatively small cross-national differences in GSIs overall, but African and South-East Asian cultural clusters reported significantly stronger identifications than those from other regions, with India, South Africa, and Ghana scoring the highest. Contrary to our hypotheses, GSIs were positively associated with in-group collectivism, survival values, and traditional values, while institutional collectivism was unrelated. As expected, humane orientation was positively related to most GSIs. Additional exploratory analyses showed higher GSIs in countries with a lower quality of life (broadly understood). GSIs were also more pronounced in less globalized, younger societies, with a higher proportion of men, fewer immigrants, and stronger diversity. Our study highlights the need to broaden research on GSIs beyond WEIRD contexts.

BACKGROUND:Around 140 million births occur worldwide annually. For some women, childbirth is traumatic and can lead to childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder (CB-PTSD), with adverse consequences for both women and their families. However, international evidence remains limited. AIMS:To estimate the international prevalence of traumatic birth and CB-PTSD. METHOD:The International Survey of Childbirth-Related Trauma (INTERSECT) is a cross-sectional survey conducted in 31 countries. Women were eligible if they were 6-12 weeks postpartum, legally adults and provided informed consent. Recruitment was through routine maternity services and data were collected from April 2021 to January 2024. Outcomes were assessed using the City Birth Trauma Scale. Traumatic birth was coded using DSM-5 criteria for a traumatic stressor, and CB-PTSD classified when all PTSD criteria were met. Dissociative subtype and differential diagnoses were also assessed. RESULTS:A total of 11 302 women from 31 countries took part. Most participants were married, aged 30-34 years, with average household income and higher education, and 9.7% identified as being from ethnic or racial minority groups. The prevalence of traumatic birth and CB-PTSD varied across countries: traumatic birth ranged from 7 to 69% (mean 23.3, 95% CI 22.4-24.0), and CB-PTSD ranged from 1 to 36% (mean 6.7, 95% CI 3.7-9.7). CB-PTSD subtypes also varied: the dissociative subtype ranged from 1 to 24% (mean 3.8, 95% CI 2.1-5.4) and acute CB-PTSD from 0 to 7% (mean 1.3, 95% CI 0.7-1.9). Removal of participants with potential differential diagnoses did not affect prevalence rates in most countries. Many participants reported distress and impairment from symptoms, even when they did not meet CB-PTSD diagnostic criteria. CONCLUSIONS:Results show that a notable proportion of women experience traumatic birth and CB-PTSD. The wide variation in prevalence suggests that cultural and healthcare factors unique to each country are important. Results emphasise the importance of routine trauma-informed assessment and culturally informed support in perinatal mental healthcare.

The 21-item Compensatory Eating and Behaviors in Response to Alcohol Consumption Scale (CEBRACS) is the most widely used instrument for the assessment of food and alcohol disturbance. In the present study, we examined the psychometric properties of a novel Romanian translation of the CEBRACS in two studies. In Study 1 with 1,022 Romanian university students, exploratory factor analysis and parallel analysis indicated that our data reduced to three latent factors reflecting Alcohol Effects, Bulimia, and Diet and Exercise motives. In Study 2 with 614 Romanian university students, we found that a 3-factor model based on exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) had better fit to the data than a model based on confirmatory factor analysis. In both studies, we found evidence of complete measurement invariance across gender identity and a lack of differential item functioning based on participant age and body mass index. The results of Study 2 also supported the convergent and concurrent validity of the Romanian CEBRACS, insofar as the three factors were significantly associated with symptoms of disordered eating, problematic alcohol use, body image, and life satisfaction. These results suggest that a 3-factor, ESEM-based model of the Romanian CEBRACS has adequate psychometric properties.

The concepts of “climate change worry” and “climate change anxiety” are often used interchangeably in climate research, but they may reflect distinct emotional responses to climate change, which could potentially have different implications for public mental health. This research brief aims to empirically examine the differences between these two constructs by comparing their associations with key indicators of subjective wellbeing. Using survey data from 32 countries (N = 12,246), we compared how strongly climate change worry and state climate anxiety were each associated with subjective wellbeing, as measured by the WHO-5 Wellbeing Index and life satisfaction. State climate anxiety showed stronger associations with both WHO-5 Wellbeing Index and life satisfaction than climate change worry. This underscores the importance of treating the two as distinct emotional responses, each with different implications for public wellbeing. These insights are especially relevant for policymakers and climate communicators, who must carefully consider the emotional tone of climate messaging to foster constructive engagement while safeguarding the psychological wellbeing of the public.

This cross-sectional study examined the prevalence and predictors of traditional intimate partner violence (IPV) and cyber dating abuse (CDA) among gay and lesbian (GL) individuals and heterosexual individuals in Romania. A sample of N = 315 participants (62.5

Recent cross-sectional and experimental research has found measures of climate change related distress to be positively associated with measures of self-efficacy. Authors of some of these studies have interpreted this finding in terms of motivated control, that is, people who experience climate change related distress are motivated to believe that they can help mitigate climate change. We extend this notion of motivated control by assuming that efficacy beliefs flowing from climate change related distress play a role in encouraging climate action. In two cross-sectional studies, we investigate this assumption: Study 1 used data from a multi-country study and found that negative emotions regarding climate change were positively associated with climate action and both individual and collective self-efficacy. Furthermore, we found evidence for an indirect effect of negative emotions on climate action via self-efficacy (individual and collective). Study 2 conceptually replicated this mediation effect, using data from a sample of citizens in Germany and a different measure of distress, focusing on climate change worry. Additional exploratory analyses revealed that associations with self-efficacy and climate action were stronger for more adaptive forms of climate change worry, compared to less adaptive forms. We conclude that our findings provide correlational support for motivated control being one of the psychological processes – and self-efficacy being one of the person-level factors – that account for adaptive behavioral reactions to climate change related distress. Experimental and longitudinal studies are needed to further substantiate this conclusion.

ObjectivePandemics have been shown to affect both physical and mental health, with healthcare workers (HCWs) bearing a particularly heavy burden. During the COVID-19 pandemic, HCWs faced a high volume of cases, extended work hours, and heightened pandemic-related stressors, which placed them at increased risk for mental health issues. This study examines the effects of COVID-19-related anxiety on HCWs' mental health, specifically exploring the roles of compassion fatigue (comprising burnout and secondary traumatic stress) as potential mediators in this relationship.MethodA sample of 104 HCWs completed an online survey measuring their demographic characteristics (such as gender, age, length of service, marital status, and education), levels of COVID-19 anxiety, compassion fatigue, and mental health outcomes. Path analysis and bootstrapping procedures were used to analyze the data.ResultsResults indicated that COVID-19 anxiety was positively associated with compassion fatigue, defined as the emotional strain of caring for others, which includes both burnout (emotional exhaustion from work) and secondary traumatic stress (stress from exposure to others' trauma). Compassion fatigue, particularly secondary traumatic stress, mediated the relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and various mental health indicators, including symptoms of anxiety, depression, and psychological distress. Both COVID-19 anxiety and compassion fatigue were significant predictors of these mental health outcomes.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that COVID-19 anxiety alone does not fully explain mental health outcomes among HCWs, as compassion fatigue, specifically secondary traumatic stress, plays a substantial role. Recognizing the complex interplay of pandemic-related stressors and compassion fatigue may guide interventions to better support HCWs' mental health.

The 12-item Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form (SCS–SF) is a widely used instrument for the assessment of self-compassion. To date, there have been few examinations of this instrument’s psychometric properties, particularly across nations and languages. Therefore, we used data from the Body Image in Nature Survey (BINS) to assess measurement invariance of the SCS–SF across nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups. Participants (N = 56,968) from 65 nations completed the SCS–SF in 40 languages. Using these data, we tested various hypothesised models of the SCS–SF in the total sample and, using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, tested for invariance of the optimal model across national groups, languages, gender identities, and age groups. In the total dataset, we found that an 11-item, 2-factor model (i.e., SCS-11) provided best fit to the data, with the two factors tapping distinct constructs of compassionate and uncompassionate self-responding. The SCS-11 was found to be partially scalar invariant across national groups and languages, and fully scalar invariant across gender identities and age groups. There was wide variation in latent means for the two factors, particularly across national groups and languages. Further analyses showed negligible associations between the two factors and sociodemographic variables, including marital status, financial security, and urbanicity. Our results suggest that it may be possible to derive a stable 2-factor model of the SCS–SF for use in cross-cultural research, but also highlight the likelihood of cross-national and cross-linguistic variations in the way that self-compassion is understood.

The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) is a widely used self-report measure of subjective well-being, but studies of its measurement invariance across a large number of nations remain limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset-with data collected between 2020 and 2022 -to assess measurement invariance of the SWLS across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups (N = 56,968). All participants completed the SWLS under largely uniform conditions. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that configural and metric invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional SWLS model has universal applicability. Full scalar invariance was achieved across gender identities and age groups. Based on alignment optimisation methods, partial scalar invariance was achieved across all but three national groups and across all languages represented in the BINS. There were large differences in latent SWLS means across nations and languages, but negligible-to-small differences across gender identities and age groups. Across nations, greater life satisfaction was significantly associated with greater financial security and being in a committed relationship or married. The results of this study suggest that the SWLS largely assesses a common unidimensional construct of life satisfaction irrespective of respondent characteristics (i.e., national group, gender identities, and age group) or survey presentation (i.e., survey language). This has important implications for the assessment of life satisfaction across nations and provides information that will be useful for practitioners aiming to promote subjective well-being internationally.

Empirical research investigated psycho-social factors associated with the development and maintenance of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in children and adolescents, but their potential role has not been highlighted in systematic reviews. The aims of the current systematic review were to (1) summarize and synthesize findings from empirical research on family factors related to children and adolescents' IGD; (2) identify familial protective and risk factors that are related to the development and maintenance of IGD in children and adolescents, and (3) provide suggestions for future research. A number of 64 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria in the review from the following databases: Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, Google Academic, and APA PsycNet. Family variables have been significantly connected to gaming addiction levels in children and adolescents. Results were divided into five main themes: parental mediation, positive parenting, poor parenting, familial disharmony, and familial socioeconomic status. Protective factors included parental knowledge and positive parenting, while poor parenting, familial disharmony and familial socioeconomic status with all their sub-themes represented risk factors. Restrictive mediation and affected parenting provided inconclusive results that deserve further research. Familial connection is imperative for gaming addiction prevention. A stressful familial environment (e.g., parental conflicts) could increase gaming addiction coping behavior. Longitudinal and cross-sectional results provided inconsistent results regarding the role of parental depression and parental mediation in children's gaming addiction development. Cross-cultural studies are needed on familial factors related to children's gaming addiction. Further longitudinal studies could provide answers for conflicting or underexplored areas.

Mother-infant bonding develops when the mother is emotionally and physically present in her infant's life, offering affection and manifesting nurturing behaviors. However, this process may be disrupted by factors such as postpartum depression symptoms or other dysfunctional parenting behaviors (e.g., emotional unavailability or excessive maternal smartphone use), both of which can reduce maternal availability. While researchers have widely explored mother-infant bonding disorders, there has been little research investigating its associations with parenting behavior, such as phubbing, particularly in the context of postpartum depression symptoms. The current study aimed to (1) explore associations between postpartum depression symptoms, parental phubbing, and mother-infant bonding disorder, and (2) explore the possible mediating role of parental phubbing on the link between postpartum depression symptomatology and maternal-infant bonding disorder. Using a cross-sectional web-based survey, we included 488 adult women (M age = 30 years, SD = 4.76) who had an infant aged between 0 weeks and 12 months of age (M age = 175.98 days, SD = 105.34). They completed self-report questionnaires assessing mother-infant bonding (the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire), parental phubbing (the Distraction in Social Relations and Use of Parent Technology), and postpartum depression symptoms (the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale). Current postpartum depression symptomatology was 56.1%, 12.1% scored above the bonding disorder cut-off, and 4.1% had severe bonding disorder. Higher levels of postpartum depression symptoms were correlated with higher parental phubbing and impaired bonding. Parental phubbing partially mediates the relationship between postpartum depression symptoms and maternal-infant bonding disorder. Our findings provide a new mediation model for the association between postpartum depression symptoms and mother-infant bonding disorder. Considering the growing prevalence of mobile device use and the potential risks underscored in this study, parenting, educational, and behavioral programs may benefit from incorporating specific strategies and information to enhance parental knowledge and interpersonal competency. These preventive intervention strategies may have the potential to be particularly beneficial for mothers at heightened risk for postpartum depression.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of death salience on perceived responsibility toward future generations and pro-environmental attitudes across generations. Using a sample of 1243 participants from Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers, and Silent Generation, an experimental manipulation of death salience resulted in lowered responsibility toward future generations among participants in the death salience condition compared with the control condition. Generation Z had a lower perceived responsibility toward future generations than Generation X and Baby Boomers. Silent Generation had lower pro-environmental attitudes than Generation Z, Millennials, and Generation X. Baby Boomers had lower pro-environmental attitudes than Generation Z and Millennials. The interaction between death salience and generation showed no significant effect on the dependent variables. These findings suggest that leveraging responsibility toward future generations for climate action is promising, but making death salient may undermine this approach.

The coronavirus pandemic posed a major challenge to mental health. Existing evidence shows that COVID-19 is related to poor emotional well-being, particularly among women. However, most work on the subject uses single-country samples, limiting the ability to generalize the disparity or explain it as a function of societal variables. The present study investigates the expression of positive and negative emotions during the pandemic as a function of gender and across 24 countries (N = 49,637). Strong gender differences emerged across countries, with women reporting more negative emotions (anxious, depressed, nervous, exhausted) and less positive emotions (calm, content, relaxed, energetic) than men. The gender gap in positive emotions was significantly wider in countries higher in individualism and narrower in countries higher in power distance. For instance, differences in emotions were larger in Western countries high in individualism, such as the USA, the UK, Italy, and France, and smaller in countries with higher collectivism and power distance, such as China, Malaysia, and South Korea, with a few exceptions like Japan and Brazil. These gender differences across countries were not explained by country-level gender inequalities indicators (GGGI and GII). Interestingly, the national severity of the pandemic, an epidemiological factor, reduced gender differences in positive emotions. These results underscore the importance of considering cultural and national factors when assessing gender differences in well-being.

BACKGROUND:Childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder (CB-PTSD) is an underrecognized condition with consequences for mothers and infants. This study aimed to determine risk factors for CB-PTSD symptoms across countries within a stress-diathesis framework, focusing on antenatal, birth-related, and postpartum predictors. METHODS:The INTERSECT cross-sectional survey (April 2021-January 2024) included 11,302 women at 6-12 weeks postpartum. The study was carried out across maternity services in 31 countries. Outcomes were CB-PTSD diagnosis, symptom severity, and perceived traumatic birth, assessed with the City Birth Trauma Scale. Multiple risk factors were assessed, including preexisting vulnerability, pregnancy, birth, and infant-related factors. All models were adjusted for country-level variation as a random effect. RESULTS:Models explained substantial variance across all outcomes (conditional R2 = 0.53-0.58). Negative birth experience was the strongest predictor (e.g. odds ratio [OR] = 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.80-0.84 for diagnosis). Ongoing maternal complications predicted both CB-PTSD diagnosis and symptoms (e.g. OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.41-1.84), and major infant complications were associated with CB-PTSD diagnosis (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.29-2.07). Reports of perceived danger to self or infant (criterion A) were linked to higher CB-PTSD symptoms and traumatic birth ratings (e.g., β =0.25, 95% CI = 0.21-0.29). Other predictors reached significance but showed small effects. CONCLUSIONS:Findings support a stress-diathesis framework, showing that while pre-existing vulnerabilities contribute, birth-related stressors exert the strongest influence. Trauma-informed maternity care should prioritize these factors, with attention to women's appraisals of birth.

Parental stress among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is well-documented in the literature. This study investigated the relationship between the phenomenon of affiliate stigma and parental stress among parents of children diagnosed with ASD using the mediation model. This cross-sectional study involved 196 parents aged between 22 and 65 years, with a child diagnosed with ASD, their ages being between 2 and 22 years. The correlations between affiliate stigma, shame, and parental stress were confirmed. Therefore, affiliate stigma was positively associated with shame and parental stress. The results also indicated that the relationship between the phenomenon of affiliate stigma and parental stress is mediated by shame. A practical implication of our findings is that parents of children with ASD participating in stress-reducing interventions should be trained on how to cope with feelings of shame.