The introduction of information and communication technologies (ICT) in elementary education has radically changed the way of teaching and learning in recent decades. In addition, the recent acceleration in the use of online learning due to the pandemic period has increased the reliance on these teaching methods. Online learning has become a popular teaching practice in recent years in parallel with traditional teaching, yet there are still few studies in the literature that delve into a comparison between the two learning situations and in particular studies focusing on these methods within the elementary education are scarce. The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics of student-to-student and student-to-teacher interactions that occur in online learning as compared to typical face-to-face classroom interactions, with a specific focus on the elementary school level. The quality of teacher-student interactions was measured using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS; Pianta et al., 2008). Elementary students were selected from 36 classes ranging from second to fifth grade. The total sample included 769 students (48% male). The majority of teachers were female (N = 31, 86%). The study shows that online teaching can have positive or negative effects on the quality of interaction between teachers and students, depending on the dimensions considered and the age of the participants. This study helps to highlight the differences and specificities of interaction and learning processes in the two situations (online and face-to-face): online teaching seems to improve positive climate, behavior management, and didactic learning formats, while face-to-face teaching seems to provide greater teacher sensitivity and better-quality feedback.

This study examined how peer victimization functions as a mediating mechanism and how perceived family support operates as a moderating condition in the association between teacher - student relationship quality and psychological difficulties in early adolescence. Drawing on a sample of Italian middle school students (N = 694; M age = 12.28 years, SD = 0.95), participants completed validated measures assessing teacher - student closeness and conflict, peer victimization, family support, and psychological symptoms. A moderated mediation model indicated that peer victimization explained part of the association between both teacher - student closeness and conflict and students' psychological difficulties (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, and hyperactivity). Furthermore, family support altered the strength of these indirect associations, buffering the negative impact of conflictual teacher - student relationships on psychological distress. These findings highlight the importance of integrated, multi-systemic interventions addressing teacher, peer, and family dynamics to promote adolescent psychological adjustment within school settings.

The possibility of physical interaction is often described as a supportive element for children's social-emotional development during the pre-school years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, distancing rules and extended periods of online instruction reduced opportunities for teachers and young children to engage in ordinary, everyday physical contact. In this study, we examined whether a decrease in such contact was associated with teachers' reports of children's psychological difficulties, and whether the quality of the teacher - child relationship played a moderating role. Eighty-one teachers (78 female; Mage = 48.89, SDage = 8.69) completed the Student - Teacher Relationship Scale, the Questionnaire of Reduced Physical Contact, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, providing information on 1,080 children (549 female; Mage = 6.3, SDage = 1.76). When teachers reported lower levels of closeness in their relationships with children, a greater reduction in physical contact was associated with higher overall psychological difficulties. A similar pattern was observed for specific domains, particularly conduct problems and hyperactivity, where closeness again moderated these associations. The findings provide a snapshot of how pandemic restrictions were reflected in early educational settings and highlight relational factors that may be relevant when planning future support strategies.

Investigations into the prevalence of careless responding (CR) in online student learning survey research are scarce, and little to no information is present about the impact on data quality. This study illustrates how an unobtrusive post hoc method of CR detection can be applied using four indices, which can be calculated in most student learning surveys. By applying latent profile analyses in an exemplary sample of 1,111 first-year university students, different responder profiles are identified, showing the presence of careful and careless responder profiles. The study further examines the impact of CR on data quality, raising concerns about reliability and validity. The study calls for more attention to the presence of CR when analysing data in online student learning survey research. CR detection is also valuable for practice, specifically when online survey-based feedback is provided to learners with more questionable responding behaviour.

The possible etiology of muscle dysmorphia (MD) is still poorly understood. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible association between parental rejection and MD in male adolescents and to explore the possible mediating role of disconnection and rejection (RD)-related early maladaptive schemas in this association. Data were collected in Northern and Central Italy. Participants were 704 male high school students (aged 13 to 20 years: M-age = 16.8, SD = 1.72) who completed an anonymous questionnaire that included measures of parental rejection, MD, and RD. It was found that parental rejection was positively associated with MD and that this association was mediated by three specific RD: abandonment, mistrust/abuse, and defectiveness/shame schemas. In particular, parental rejection was positively associated with three specific RDs, which in turn were positively associated with MD symptoms. MD may represent a strategy to compensate for negative cognitions about self and others, likely stemming from previous experiences of perceived rejecting relationships with parents.

This study examined the pathways through which perceived teacher unfairness affects students' psychological adjustment, focusing on the mediating role of self-handicapping and the moderating role of perceived social support. The study investigated whether self-handicapping mediates the association between perceived teacher unfairness and students' psychological functioning, and whether perceived social support moderates this indirect relationship. The sample comprised 694 students aged 10–14 (M_age = 12.30, SD = 0.95; 52.2% female) attending public schools in Northern Italy. Participants completed validated self-report measures assessing perceived teacher unfairness, self-handicapping, perceived social support, and psychological functioning. Mediation and moderated mediation analyses were conducted. Self-handicapping significantly mediated the relationship between perceived teacher unfairness and psychological outcomes, including emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and prosocial behaviour. Moderated mediation analyses indicated that perceived social support buffered the negative effects of self-handicapping. Specifically, the indirect effects of teacher unfairness on emotional and behavioural difficulties via self-handicapping were weaker among students reporting higher levels of social support, while no significant effects were found for peer relationship problems. Teacher unfairness may contribute to maladjustment through increased self-handicapping, while social support serves as a protective factor. Conclusion: Interventions promoting teacher–student fairness and strengthening support networks may enhance adolescent well-being.

Objective This study investigated sharenting, social appearance anxiety, and internalizing symptoms among adolescents, examining the moderating role of social media use intensity.Background Sharenting, the practice of parents sharing detailed information about their children's lives on social media, has become increasingly common in contemporary parenting. Previous research suggests that this phenomenon might negatively impact adolescents' psychological well-being by heightening concerns related to social appearance and increasing vulnerability to internalizing problems.Methods A sample of 610 Italian adolescents (57.70% female; mean age = 14.28, SD = 2.29) completed measures assessing their perception of their parents' sharenting, social media use intensity, social appearance anxiety, and internalizing symptoms.Results Results from moderated mediation analyses revealed that sharenting was directly associated with both social appearance anxiety and internalizing symptoms. Notably, social media use intensity moderated these relationships, with stronger effects observed at lower levels of social media use. The relationship between sharenting and internalizing symptoms was partially mediated by social appearance anxiety, but this indirect effect was also contingent on social media use intensity, being significant only at low to moderate levels of use. Female gender emerged as a significant risk factor for both social appearance anxiety and internalizing symptoms.Conclusions These findings suggest that sharenting may have unintended negative consequences for adolescent psychological well-being, particularly among those less engaged with social media.Implications The results have important implications for parenting practices in the digital age and highlight the need for increased awareness of how parental social media behavior affects adolescent development.

Victimization through hate speech represents identity-based violence during adolescence and is negatively related to core beliefs about justice. However, there is limited information on how exposure to hate speech leads to changes in an adolescent's Personal Belief in a Just World (PBJW). This study used the frameworks of Trauma Theory and Just World Theory to examine a serial mediation model in which victimization through hate speech was expected to lead indirectly to lower PBJW through perceived unsafety at school and decreased school well-being. A sample of 1,108 adolescents (Mage = 15.59; 61% female) in Italy completed self-report measures of victimization through hate speech, perceived school unsafety, school well-being, and PBJW. Results obtained using PROCESS Model 6 with 5,000 bootstrap samples indicated a significant indirect relationship: exposure to hate speech was associated with greater perceptions of unsafety in the school environment, which in turn were associated with lower levels of school well-being and lower PBJW. The direct effect of hate speech on PBJW was not significant, suggesting that the psychological impact of hate speech is primarily a result of how adolescents experience changes in their school environment on a daily basis. These results illustrate the cognitive pathway through which exposure to hate speech may contribute to adolescents' internalization of personal justice beliefs. This study advances understanding of the associations among hate speech victimization, school climate perceptions, and adolescents' personal beliefs about justice by identifying a theoretically derived pathway linking these constructs.

The relationship between student–teacher interactions and mental health issues in elementary school children is well-documented in the literature. This study aimed to examine the relationships among student–teacher conflict, emotional awareness, somatic symptoms, and mental health problems, and to test a moderated mediation model in which emotional awareness attenuates the mediating effect of student–teacher conflict on mental health problems through elementary school children’s somatic symptoms. The sample consisted of 76 teachers (93

Recent literature has increasingly emphasized the role of classroom climate in influencing children's mental health, recognizing the classroom as a pivotal context that can either support or hinder students' psychological development, emotional well-being, and academic achievement. In this context, the teacher plays a central role. However, peer relationships are equally essential. This study examined the serial mediating role of social preference and academic performance in the relationship between student-teacher conflict and mental health. A total of 954 students (46.9% girls; Mage = 8.68, SD = 1.10) and 76 of their teachers (93% women; Mage = 47.81, SD = 9.16) from 12 Italian elementary schools participated in the study. The teachers completed the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and a demographic questionnaire about themselves and the students. Students were nominated by their classmates, and academic performance was assessed by grade point average (GPA). Correlation analysis showed that greater student-teacher conflict is associated with decreases in social preference and GPA. In addition, student-teacher conflict is positively related to mental health problems and lower levels of social preference, and GPA is associated with increased mental health problems. A serial mediation analysis revealed that social preference and academic achievement partially mediate the relationship between student-teacher conflict and mental health. These findings can be explained using Self-Determination Theory, which suggests that student-teacher conflict undermines students' basic psychological needs, leading to lower social preference and academic achievement, and consequently to increased mental health problems.

This study presents an Italian adaptation of the Teachers' Reporting Attitude Scale for Child Sexual Abuse (TRAS-CSA), aiming to assess teachers' attitudes towards reporting suspected cases of child sexual abuse (CSA) and to explore the scale's psychometric properties in the Italian context. Given the critical role schools play in identifying and addressing CSA, understanding teachers' attitudes is vital for improving reporting rates and protecting victims. A sample of 1318 Italian teachers (12.8% male; age: 25-65; M = 46.71; SD = 10.25) from various educational levels participated in the study. Exploratory factor analysis identified two primary factors: Awareness of Role and Commitment to Reporting (Factor 1) and Concern and Distrust Towards Reporting (Factor 2). Results indicated that male teachers demonstrated significantly higher scores on the concern factor, while teachers from secondary schools exhibited higher commitment to reporting compared to those from preschool and primary levels. The adapted TRAS-CSA demonstrates solid psychometric properties, providing a valuable tool for future research and intervention strategies in Italy to enhance awareness and action against child sexual abuse within educational settings. Implications for educational policies and teacher training frameworks are discussed to bolster the preventive efforts against CSA.

BACKGROUND:This study examined the pathways through which perceived teacher unfairness affects students' psychological adjustment, focusing on the mediating role of self-handicapping and the moderating role of perceived social support. AIMS:The study investigated whether self-handicapping mediates the association between perceived teacher unfairness and students' psychological functioning, and whether perceived social support moderates this indirect relationship. MATERIALS AND METHODS:The sample comprised 694 students aged 10-14 (M_age = 12.30, SD = 0.95; 52.2% female) attending public schools in Northern Italy. Participants completed validated self-report measures assessing perceived teacher unfairness, self-handicapping, perceived social support, and psychological functioning. Mediation and moderated mediation analyses were conducted. RESULTS:Self-handicapping significantly mediated the relationship between perceived teacher unfairness and psychological outcomes, including emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and prosocial behaviour. Moderated mediation analyses indicated that perceived social support buffered the negative effects of self-handicapping. Specifically, the indirect effects of teacher unfairness on emotional and behavioural difficulties via self-handicapping were weaker among students reporting higher levels of social support, while no significant effects were found for peer relationship problems. DISCUSSION:Teacher unfairness may contribute to maladjustment through increased self-handicapping, while social support serves as a protective factor. CONCLUSION:Interventions promoting teacher-student fairness and strengthening support networks may enhance adolescent well-being.

This study investigates the relationship between conscientiousness and conduct problems in primary school students, with a focus on the mediating roles of student-teacher closeness and self-control. Drawing on the Five-Factor Model of personality, the study explores how individual traits interact with relational and self-regulatory factors to influence behavioral outcomes. A sample of 1,427 students (Mage = 9.48, SD = 1.04) and 95 teachers (Mage = 50.90, SD = 7.87) from 22 schools in northwestern Italy participated. Data were collected using validated questionnaires assessing personality traits, teacher-student relationship quality, emotional intelligence, and behavioral difficulties. Structural equation modeling and bootstrapping procedures confirmed a serial mediation model: higher levels of conscientiousness predicted greater student-teacher closeness and self-control, which in turn were associated with fewer conduct problems. Both direct and indirect pathways were significant, highlighting the importance of personality and contextual factors in shaping student behavior. These findings underscore the need for educational strategies that promote self-regulation and nurturing relationships to support children's behavioral adjustment in school settings.

Previous research has demonstrated both direct and indirect relationships between parental attachment and gaming addiction in adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the role of parental attachment in adolescent gaming addiction, specifically examining how maladaptive daydreaming and perceived social support function as mediators in this relationship. A convenience sample of 898 Italian adolescents (550 female, Mage = 14.89 years, SD = 1.71) completed a questionnaire that included the Inventory of Parent and Peers Attachment, the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale, the Game Addiction Scale, and a demographic survey. Correlation analyses confirmed a negative relationship between parental attachment and gaming addiction. Mediation analyses also showed that perceived social support and maladaptive daydreaming serve as significant serial mediators in this relationship. These results emphasize the importance of both factors in understanding how parental attachment influences gaming addiction. Adolescents exhibiting gaming addiction is caused by low perceived social support and maladaptive daydreaming may benefit from psychological interventions targeting adaptive regulation strategies. Strengthening the sense of security and self-confidence through such interventions may help to reduce excessive gaming behaviors.

Although the theoretical basis suggests that portrayals of traditional beauty ideals in the media not only lead to dissatisfaction with one’s own body but can also distort an individual’s entire self-concept, as it is not only the body that is strongly influenced by perfect images, it is necessary to examine the enormous influence that media portrayals of idealized images have from a broader perspective. Accordingly, the main aim of the present study is to investigate the latent and realizable influence that body ideals portrayed in the media exert on women in general via self-objectification and body dissatisfaction, thus revealing the extent of widespread influences on self-concept. A total of 386 female participants ( M = 22.9, SD = 2.1) were selected from various government and private higher education institutions in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Path analysis using structural equation modeling was conducted with AMOS. The results showed that dissatisfaction with one’s own body had a significant indirect effect on the relationship between media pressure and the domains of self-concept (power, task mastery, and vulnerability). Dissatisfaction with one’s own body and self-objectification were found to be mediating variables in the self-concept domains of task mastery, power, and vulnerability, but not for aptitude, morality, or likability. The multiple mediation model showed complete mediation, as the direct effects of media pressure on self-concept (vulnerability and task accomplishment) were no longer significant.

This study examines the role of psychological factors on Greek K-12 teachers’ perceptions of the European Union (EU) and their readiness to integrate EU-related content into class-room practice. Grounded in self-determination theory and burnout literature, it focuses on the role of personality traits, psychological needs, self-efficacy, and mental health. A sample of 171 teachers (Mage = 47.67, SD = 8.61) completed validated instruments assessing EU perceptions, Big Five traits, psychological need satisfaction and frustration, well-being, self-efficacy, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the factorial validity of the instruments, along with proper indices for assessing their internal consistency. Cluster analysis identified three distinct teacher profiles: Skeptically Exhausted, Realistically Cautious, and Optimistically Engaged. These groups differed significantly in burnout, self-efficacy, and openness to EU programs. Teachers with high well-being and self-efficacy demonstrated stronger readiness to adopt EU-related pedagogy, while those experiencing elevated burnout reported low institutional trust and limited involvement. These findings highlight the psychological heterogeneity of the teaching workforce and suggest that differentiated, context-sensitive policy interventions are essential for fostering inclusive readiness for European initiatives. Enhancing teacher well-being and strengthening professional development pathways may serve as strategic entry points for promoting meaningful and sustainable EU integration in school curricula.

In the digital age, adolescents spend considerable time online, heightening their exposure to both cyberbullying and traditional bullying. However, few studies have investigated both forms of victimization simultaneously, particularly regarding their impact on adolescents in Middle Eastern countries such as Oman. This study used latent profile analysis to identify victimization profiles based on indicators of verbal, social, physical, and cyberbullying victimization. The participants included 1204 Omani students (604 girls, 50.2%; M = 14.04, SD = 0.20, aged 14–15). Three victimization profiles emerged: (1) non-victims (n = 989, 82.1%), (2) traditional victims (n = 156, 13.0%), and (3) dual victims (n = 59, 4.9%). The BCH approach revealed that adolescents in the non-victims profile, with the lowest levels of both traditional and cyberbullying victimization, reported the lowest levels of internalizing (M = 10.14, SD = 0.11) and externalizing symptoms (M = 10.36, SD = 0.10) and the highest academic performance (M = 4.59, SD = 0.02), whereas their prosocial behaviors were relatively low (M = 4.71, SD = 0.08). Adolescents in the traditional victims’ profile had moderate levels on nearly all outcomes. Adolescents in the dual victims’ profile, who experienced both traditional and cyberbullying, reported the highest levels of behavioral symptoms (Minternalizing = 11.94, SDinternalizing = 0.34; Mexternalizing = 12.81, SDexternalizing = 0.38) and prosocial behaviors (M = 5.63, SD = 0.36), along with the lowest academic performance (M = 4.37, SD = 0.11). These findings underscore the need for culturally sensitive, multi-level interventions to protect Omani adolescents from both traditional and cyberbullying and to support their academic and psychosocial well-being.

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is recognized as a condition for further study in DSM-5-TR and officially classified in ICD-11. Although gaming problems seem like an adolescent concern, growing evidence indicates that young adults are also vulnerable. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the global prevalence of IGD among young adults and identify sociodemographic and methodological moderators associated with its variability. Ninety-six analytical samples from 93 studies published (2015-2025) were included, comprising 149,601 participants aged 18-35 (Mage = 23.53 years, SDage = 6.28; 51.22 % female). Generalized linear mixed models were applied to compute pooled prevalence estimates. The pooled prevalence of IGD was 6.1 % (95 % CI: 5.03-7.40). Prevalence was significantly higher in gamer-only samples (8.1 %, 95 % CI: 5.91-11.01) compared to mixed samples, including gamers and non-gamers (5.47 %, 95 % CI: 4.33-6.90). Moderator analyses showed that IGD prevalence differed by diagnostic instrument (IGDS and DSM-V criteria > IGDT-10) and by sample size, and a trend also emerged suggesting lower prevalence with higher proportions of women. In gamer-only samples, prevalence increased over time and in studies with a higher risk of bias. In mixed samples, prevalence differed by instrument (IGDS > GAS) and was negatively associated with sample size. These findings indicate that IGD is more prevalent among young adults than in the general population, especially among gamers. The variability observed across studies highlights the need for methodological consistency and the use of validated diagnostic tools to improve comparability and inform prevention and intervention strategies.

The increasing prevalence of gaming and the problems associated with it have sparked interest in examining the differences between gamers and non-gamers. This study aims to investigate whether psychological variables, such as prosociality, emotional intelligence, social support, and mental health, differ among current gamers, non-current gamers, and non-gamers. A quantitative study was conducted using a convenience sample of Italian university students (N = 717, Meanage = 22.15, SDage = 3.49; 49.4% female). One-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) were employed to compare the three groups. In addition, two binomial logistic regressions were conducted using statistically significant variables to identify the most important predictors of gaming initiation and gaming maintenance. Results indicate that males, particularly older males, and those exhibiting lower levels of prosociality were more likely to initiate gaming. Furthermore, being male, older, and having greater ability to assess one's own emotions were associated with a higher likelihood of maintaining gaming behavior.