Front Psychol [JOURNAL]
Sun
200 papers
Editorial: Ethical leadership and workplace equity: mediating and moderating mechanisms in emotional labor and well-being.
Edeh FO, Zayed NM
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382638 · Full text
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
How organizational support promotes teacher professional recognition: a perspective on teachers' autonomous learning and teaching abilities.
Guo J, Liu H, Wang J … +3 more , Shen L, Qin S, Tian W
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382637 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Teacher professional recognition is a key factor in promoting teacher professional development and improving educational quality. In reality, many teachers feel undervalued and lack the recognition and atte...
INTRODUCTION: Teacher professional recognition is a key factor in promoting teacher professional development and improving educational quality. In reality, many teachers feel undervalued and lack the recognition and attention they deserve, and organizational support often remains superficial. Existing research has mostly focused on either organizational support or teacher competence in isolation, lacking a systematic exploration of their synergistic effects. This theoretical blind spot has limited the academic understanding of the mechanisms of teacher professional recognition and has led to school support measures that are not targeted enough to meet the real needs of teachers, potentially further weakening their sense of recognition and hindering the continuous improvement of educational quality. METHODS: To fill this gap, this study conducted a questionnaire survey of 3,983 primary and secondary school teachers from different regions in China. Data analysis was performed using Mplus 8.0, SPSS 27.0, and Smart PLS 4.0 software. RESULTS: Organizational support not only directly influences teacher professional recognition but also indirectly affects it through the parallel mediating roles of autonomous learning ability and teaching ability. DISCUSSION: This mechanism integrates both organizational and individual levels, indicating that organizational support can directly impact professional recognition and revealing two specific mediating paths. The first is the autonomous learning ability path, where organizational support promotes teachers' active learning and reflection. The second is the teaching ability path, where organizational support enhances teachers' teaching design and enthusiasm. These multiple paths collectively drive the deepening of teacher professional recognition. Theoretically, this study clarifies the mechanism by which organizational support influences teacher professional recognition, expands the integrated framework of organizational support theory and self-determination theory, and enriches the existing theoretical knowledge system. Practically, the study suggests that schools should establish a comprehensive support system covering policies, leadership, and colleagues, implement differentiated support strategies, and innovate evaluation and incentive mechanisms to genuinely enhance the importance placed on teachers. Future research could adopt longitudinal or experimental designs, expand sample diversity and representativeness, and integrate qualitative evidence to enhance the validity and robustness of research results.
From "performance competition arena" to "psychological exemption zone": psychological safety mechanisms in reverse mobility.
Du P, Liu T, Xian X
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382636 · Full text
In contemporary China, increasing numbers of Ph.D.-holding corporate professionals and new-generation doctoral-stage participants (Ph.D. candidates or Ph.D. graduates within 1-2 years) prioritize university faculty or re...
In contemporary China, increasing numbers of Ph.D.-holding corporate professionals and new-generation doctoral-stage participants (Ph.D. candidates or Ph.D. graduates within 1-2 years) prioritize university faculty or research posts ("reverse mobility"). Prior accounts have focused mainly on economic and institutional push-pull forces; consequently, the psychological and meaning-making processes driving this shift remain under-specified. Accordingly, reverse mobility is conceptualized as a form of setting-seeking, whereby individuals pursue work settings perceived as more restorative, predictable, and boundary-controllable. Using constructivist grounded theory, 47 participants (25 transitioners and 22 new-generation doctoral-stage participants) were interviewed, and iterative open-axial-selective coding with constant comparison and triangulation was conducted until theoretical saturation. Participants depict marketized workplaces as a "performance competition arena" characterized by KPI-driven value alienation, chronic exhaustion, and anticipatory insecurity. When perceived risk crosses a subjective threshold, psychological safety needs become salient and shift decisions from escape toward shelter seeking. Universities are then symbolically constructed as a "psychological exemption zone," namely a perceived work setting that can reduce exposure to marketized performance risks and help restore recovery time, predictability, and control over work-life boundaries. This construction is supported by institutional shelter, time sovereignty, meaningful work, and community belonging. Participants then enact identity reconstruction, narrative management, and boundary work to turn this imagined safer setting into an actual career move and a subjective sense of relocation from one work world to another. Transitioners emphasize restoration after accumulated strain, whereas new-generation doctoral-stage participants foreground preventive risk avoidance. This study develops a dynamic process model integrating need-based mechanisms with risk perceptions, extending reverse-mobility research by foregrounding psychological safety and defensive career strategies.
General and sport-specific mental toughness in university students: associations with personality traits and physical activity.
Di Mauro D, Mannucci C, Coronella A … +1 more , Fabio RA
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382635 · Full text
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine general and sport-specific mental toughness in university students and their associations with personality traits, sport participation, and academic performance, as well as competi...
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine general and sport-specific mental toughness in university students and their associations with personality traits, sport participation, and academic performance, as well as competitive anxiety in students engaged in sport. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 239 university students. Participants completed the Mental Toughness Questionnaire-18 (MTQ-18), the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ), and the Big Five Inventory (BFI). Demographic, academic, and behavioral variables were also collected, and students engaged in regular sport practice additionally completed the Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT). RESULTS: General and sport-specific mental toughness were strongly positively associated, indicating substantial overlap between the two constructs while preserving domain-specific features. Conscientiousness emerged as the main positive predictor of both forms of mental toughness. Academic performance was positively associated with general mental toughness. Training frequency was positively associated with both general and sport-specific mental toughness. Among students engaged in sport practice, higher sport-specific mental toughness was associated with lower competitive anxiety, while neuroticism was positively related to anxiety levels. Daily phone use and sedentary behavior were examined as additional behavioral correlates. CONCLUSIONS: Mental toughness in university students appears to be associated primarily with dispositional factors, particularly conscientiousness, and with sport participation variables such as training frequency. General mental toughness was also positively linked to academic functioning, whereas competitive anxiety emerged as a relevant correlate among students engaged in regular sport practice.
Linking growth mindset to engagement via ideal L2 self and enjoyment in AI-mediated EFL writing: a mixed-methods study.
Li H, Geng S
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382634 · Full text
This study investigates the psychological mechanisms underlying engagement in AI-mediated EFL writing from a social cognitive theory perspective. Specifically, it examines how growth mindset, ideal L2 self, and enjoyment...
This study investigates the psychological mechanisms underlying engagement in AI-mediated EFL writing from a social cognitive theory perspective. Specifically, it examines how growth mindset, ideal L2 self, and enjoyment relate to engagement. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. In the quantitative phase, survey data were collected from 519 university EFL learners from ethnic minority regions in China and analyzed using structural equation modeling. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants to elaborate on learners' experiences and explain the quantitative results. The quantitative findings revealed significant positive associations among growth mindset, ideal L2 self, enjoyment, and engagement in AI-mediated EFL writing. Mediation analyses further indicated that growth mindset was indirectly related to engagement through ideal L2 self and enjoyment, including both single-mediator pathways and a chained pathway via ideal L2 self followed by enjoyment. The qualitative findings further showed that learners maintained engagement by reframing challenges and feedback as learning opportunities, connecting writing to future self-guides, and experiencing enjoyment during iterative revision. This study advances understanding of engagement in AI-mediated EFL writing by highlighting the interplay between personal beliefs, motivational self-guides, and affective experiences, and it offers practical implications for designing AI-supported writing instruction that fosters sustained learner involvement.
Emotional violence by teachers toward students: the adultcentric bias hypothesis.
Santana DB
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382633 · Full text
Emotional violence (EV) from teachers toward students is a serious and underexplored issue in school settings. This study aims to review current research on EV, explore the concepts of Bleak Pedagogy (BP) and Adultcentri...
Emotional violence (EV) from teachers toward students is a serious and underexplored issue in school settings. This study aims to review current research on EV, explore the concepts of Bleak Pedagogy (BP) and Adultcentrism as conceptual frameworks, and explain the underlying causes of emotionally violent behaviors. Given the global prevalence of EV, we infer that it may be influenced by embedded structural biases in adult-child relationships, rather than from individual traits. Furthermore, it is proposed that these systemic biases and attitudes may act as key predictors of EV from teachers toward children. Finally, empirical investigations into teachers' pragmatic and paradigmatic beliefs in relation to students' self-reports of victimization are suggested to test this hypothesis. Further implications of this perspective and directions for future research are discussed.
Level of concern: COVID-19 threat and music preferences in college students.
Pettijohn TF, Myers MH
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382632 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Music preferences can be influenced by a variety of factors, including feelings of environmental threat. The COVID-19 pandemic caused increased levels of stress and fear, which led to many behavioral change...
INTRODUCTION: Music preferences can be influenced by a variety of factors, including feelings of environmental threat. The COVID-19 pandemic caused increased levels of stress and fear, which led to many behavioral changes in people's everyday lives as they adjusted to the health crisis. For those more affected by the threat of the pandemic, music preferences may have changed, providing a unique opportunity to investigate musical preference influences. METHODS: From August 2021 to May 2022, a sample of 161 college students completed online surveys regarding the level of threat they felt because of COVID-19 and what music they had been listening to, using music categories from the Short Test of Music Preferences (STOMP-R). We predicted participants who felt more threatened by COVID-19 would prefer to listen to reflective and complex music more (classical, jazz, folk, opera, international/foreign and blues music), consistent with previous research related to the Environmental Security Hypothesis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Results followed these predictions and provided additional support for how the social environment can influence media preferences.
Development and validation of the College Students' Social Self-Efficacy Questionnaire.
Huang T, Chen J, Guo J … +1 more , Lian R
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382631 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Social self-efficacy (SSE) is a key cognitive-motivational construct predicting social adjustment and mental health. However, existing SSE scales were developed in Western individualistic cultures, neglecting...
BACKGROUND: Social self-efficacy (SSE) is a key cognitive-motivational construct predicting social adjustment and mental health. However, existing SSE scales were developed in Western individualistic cultures, neglecting collectivistic characteristics (e.g., relational harmony, emotional restraint) and online social contexts. This study developed and validated a culturally adapted multidimensional College Students 'Social Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (CSSEQ) for Chinese students. METHODS: A mixed-method, multi-phase design was used. Phase 1 involved semi-structured interviews ( = 13) and open-ended surveys ( = 266) to explore the indigenous structure. Phase 2 included item generation, expert review, content validity, item analysis, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA; = 572). Phase 3 performed confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; = 1,011), reliability, validity, and common method bias tests. RESULTS: The final 24-item CSSEQ exhibited a three-factor correlated model: Social Interaction Competence Confidence, Emotional Regulation Confidence, and Interpersonal Awareness Confidence. CFA showed excellent fit: = 2.59, RMSEA = 0.04, CFI = 0.96, TLI = 0.95, SRMR = 0.03. A higher-order model also fit acceptably. Reliability was excellent (Cronbach's = 0.96, composite reliability = 0.95, test-retest = 0.96). Convergent validity (AVE > 0.50), discriminant validity (HTMT < 0.85), criterion validity ( = 0.88 with PSSE; = 0.72 with social self-esteem), and incremental validity (Δ = 0.124) were all supported. Content validity was excellent (I-CVI > 0.78). Common method bias was not substantial (Harman's single-factor: 28.6%). Measurement invariance across gender, grade, and major was supported (ΔCFI ≤ 0.01, ΔRMSEA ≤ 0.015). CONCLUSION: The CSSEQ is a psychometrically rigorous, culturally grounded, and structurally robust instrument for assessing social self-efficacy among Chinese college students. Compared to the Western Perceived Social Self-Efficacy Scale (PSSE), the CSSEQ demonstrated significant incremental validity (Δ = 0.124) and a correlation of = 0.88 (below the redundancy threshold of 0.90), indicating that it captures culturally specific components not covered by existing Western measures. It captures culturally specific components missing from Western scales and integrates modern social contexts, making it suitable for cross-cultural research, mental health screening, intervention design, and educational assessment.
Dual protective pathways: parallel mediating roles of Tangping tendency and positive self-esteem between gratitude and mental health among Chinese college students.
Wu Y, Pan J
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382630 · Full text
This study investigated the relationship between trait gratitude and mental health among Chinese college students, with a specific focus on the potential mediating mechanisms of the Tangping (lying flat) tendency and pos...
This study investigated the relationship between trait gratitude and mental health among Chinese college students, with a specific focus on the potential mediating mechanisms of the Tangping (lying flat) tendency and positive self-esteem. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 828 undergraduate students in China, utilizing the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6), the Tangping Questionnaire, the Positive Self-Esteem subscale of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Correlation analyses revealed significant associations among trait gratitude, the Tangping tendency, positive self-esteem, and mental health. Path analysis supported a parallel mediation model rather than a sequential one. Specifically, trait gratitude was associated with mental health not only directly, but also through two distinct and independent pathways: one involving lower Tangping tendencies, and another involving higher positive self-esteem. These findings suggest that gratitude is linked to college students' mental well-being through dual, non-interfering mechanisms-lower passive coping behaviors alongside higher proactive self-evaluations. The results may inform targeted psychological interventions in higher education aimed at supporting resilience within competitive academic environments.
Human-animal interaction: understanding the role of dog and cat interactions in emotional wellbeing.
Peeters S, Jacobs N, Hediger K … +2 more , Eshuis J, Janssens M
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382629 · Full text
Companion animals are often assumed to benefit human emotional wellbeing, yet empirical evidence for this effect and the proposed stress-buffering mechanism underlying this effect is heterogeneous. This study examined wh...
Companion animals are often assumed to benefit human emotional wellbeing, yet empirical evidence for this effect and the proposed stress-buffering mechanism underlying this effect is heterogeneous. This study examined whether momentary interaction with a companion animal is associated with pet owners' positive and negative affect in daily life, and whether these interactions buffer the affective impact of stress. We further tested whether these associations differ between interacting with dogs versus cats. Using ecological momentary assessment (EMA), 188 dog and cat owners reported their affect, stress, and interactions with their companion animals at random moments up to 10 times per day over five consecutive days. Multilevel regression analyses accounting for repeated measurements nested within individuals, including random intercepts and slopes, and controlling for age, gender, and social context, showed that pet interaction was associated with higher positive and lower negative affect, independent of species. No evidence for a stress-buffering effect was found, instead a species-specific pattern emerged for negative affect in response to event-related stress: interactions with cats amplified, rather than attenuated, the association between stress and negative affect. Overall, findings support robust momentary emotional benefits of interacting with companion animals, but do not support stress-buffering as the mechanism underlying this association. These results emphasize the importance of considering both species and situational context when examining the psychological impact of human-animal interaction.
Perceived stress related to the Russia-Ukraine war in nine Latin American countries.
Mejia CR, Requena-Pastorelli T, Serna-Alarcón V … +3 more , Cedillo-Balcázar J, Vega-Perez L, Vega-Useche C
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382628 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Large-scale geopolitical crises may generate psychological distress beyond populations directly exposed to violence, particularly through uncertainty, perceived lack of control, and indirect exposure to thr...
INTRODUCTION: Large-scale geopolitical crises may generate psychological distress beyond populations directly exposed to violence, particularly through uncertainty, perceived lack of control, and indirect exposure to threatening information. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between country of residence and perceived stress related to the Russia-Ukraine war among adults from nine Latin American countries. METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted during March and April 2022. Perceived war-related stress was assessed using the validated nine-item War-Stress scale. Three binary outcomes were defined using the empirical upper tercile of the overall score and its two prespecified subcomponents: conflict-specific stress and external-factor stress. Adjusted prevalence ratios were estimated using Poisson regression models with robust variance, controlling for sex, age, and educational level. RESULTS: The final analytical sample included 2,463 participants. The most frequently endorsed stress-related item was concern that the conflict could escalate into a larger war, with 29.72% agreeing and 19.57% strongly agreeing. In adjusted analyses, Argentina showed a higher prevalence of overall high war-related stress compared with Colombia (aPR: 1.73; 95% CI: 1.33-2.25; < 0.001) and also higher prevalence of high conflict-specific stress (aPR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.13-2.21; = 0.008). For high external-factor stress, Argentina again showed the strongest association (aPR: 3.03; 95% CI: 2.30-3.99; < 0.001), whereas Peru (aPR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.38-0.73; < 0.001) and Brazil (aPR: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.28-0.90; = 0.020) showed lower prevalence. Men consistently exhibited lower prevalence of high perceived stress across the three outcomes. CONCLUSION: Perceived stress related to the Russia-Ukraine war varied across Latin American countries and was especially associated with external and anticipatory dimensions of the conflict. The findings support the relevance of studying indirect psychological responses to distant geopolitical crises in populations already exposed to broader social and post-pandemic vulnerabilities.
The impact of mindfulness training and physical exercise on student academic burnout and academic achievement: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Wang W, Zhang P
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382627 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Although the benefits of physical exercise for students' physical and mental health have been widely recognized, studies that systematically investigate the overall effects of physical exercise on students' a...
BACKGROUND: Although the benefits of physical exercise for students' physical and mental health have been widely recognized, studies that systematically investigate the overall effects of physical exercise on students' academic burnout and academic achievement remain insufficient. Most existing research focuses on a single dimension, lacking systematic integration and quantitative synthesis. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO registration: CRD420261292068) aims to comprehensively evaluate the effects of physical exercise on various indicators of students' academic burnout and academic achievement. METHODS: We searched three databases: PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI. Peer-reviewed Chinese and English randomized controlled trials published up to January 29, 2026 were included. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. RESULTS: Of the initially identified 12,086 studies, 35 met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis showed that Physical exercise significantly reduced students' overall academic burnout (SMD = -0.45, 95% CI [-0.83, -0.07], = 0.02) and was associated with a statistically significant but very small (trivial) improvement in overall academic achievement (SMD = 0.17, 95% CI [0.01, 0.34], = 0.04). Physical exercise also showed statistically significant but very small beneficial effects on students' spelling performance (SMD = 0.13, 95% CI [0.02, 0.24], = 0.02), while descriptive analysis indicated favorable effects on mathematics performance, but had no significant effects on emotional burnout, cynicism, exhaustion, professional efficacy, reading, language skills, or cognitive inhibition. Further subgroup analysis revealed that physical exercise mainly promoted overall academic achievement and mathematics performance in primary school students. CONCLUSION: Physical exercise may significantly alleviate academic burnout and yield small but statistically significant improvements in academic achievement among students, especially overall academic achievement, mathematics performance and spelling performance in primary school students. These findings provide important evidence for promoting physical exercise among students to support their academic development and mental health. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: Identifier: CRD420261292068.
The need to be seen: social approval and evaluative fears as psychological pathways to FOMO.
Akbay SE, Kurt AA, Bakir Aygar B … +1 more , Yaman Ş
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382626 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Fear of missing out (FOMO) has been increasingly linked to social-evaluative concerns and approval-seeking motivations, yet the psychological mechanisms underlying these associations remain insufficiently m...
INTRODUCTION: Fear of missing out (FOMO) has been increasingly linked to social-evaluative concerns and approval-seeking motivations, yet the psychological mechanisms underlying these associations remain insufficiently modeled. The present study examined the mediating role of need for social approval in the relationships between fear of negative evaluation (FNE), perceived social competence, and FOMO among emerging adults. METHODS: Data were collected from 365 university students (aged 18-23) in Türkiye using a cross-sectional design. Two bootstrapped mediation models were tested. RESULTS: In Model 1, need for social approval fully mediated the statistical association between FNE and FOMO, with no significant direct effect remaining. In Model 2, perceived social competence showed a positive direct association with FOMO alongside a small indirect effect in the opposite direction through reduced approval needs. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that FOMO among emerging adults is statistically accounted for largely by approval-based motivational processes rather than evaluative fears alone. Interventions targeting approval-seeking tendencies may be more effective than approaches focused solely on reducing digital exposure. Implications for social-cognitive conceptualizations of FOMO are discussed.
Research on the relationship between parents' media literacy and preschoolers' learning quality: the mediating role of preschoolers' electronic device use.
Gu Z, Zhang S, Wang Y … +1 more , Du H
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382625 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: In the digital era, electronic products have become deeply embedded in the daily life and learning of young children. Parents' own media literacy is related to the appropriateness of children's exposure to...
INTRODUCTION: In the digital era, electronic products have become deeply embedded in the daily life and learning of young children. Parents' own media literacy is related to the appropriateness of children's exposure to electronic devices. Fostering young children's learning quality requires parents to cultivate a healthy family media education environment. This study attempts to construct a mediation model to examine how parents' media literacy is linked to young children's electronic product usage and learning quality, and aims to explore the interaction mechanisms and influence paths among these three variables. METHODS: A total of 331 questionnaires were collected through online surveys. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were employed to examine the relationship between parents' media literacy and young children's learning quality, and the mediating role of young children's electronic product usage between the two was also analyzed. RESULTS: The results revealed that parental media literacy was significantly positively correlated with young children's digital device use. Meanwhile, parental media literacy was also significantly positively associated with young children's learning quality. When digital device use was introduced as a mediating variable, both parental media literacy and young children's digital device use showed significant correlations with children's learning quality. Digital device use exerted a partial mediating effect between parental media literacy and young children's learning quality, with an indirect effect of 0.080. DISCUSSION: Based on the above findings, the researchers propose targeted educational suggestions: enhancing parents' media literacy to foster a positive family media environment; cultivating appropriate electronic product usage habits in young children to exert the positive effects of such products; and attaching great importance to the cultivation of learning quality to lay a solid foundation for young children's lifelong development.
Chinese vocational college students pursuing a baccalaureate: academic motivation and career adaptability.
Wang ZX, Liu Y
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382624 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to explore how academic motivation (AM) and career adaptability (CA) affect baccalaureate attainment among Chinese higher vocational students. METHODS: An explanatory sequential mixe...
INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to explore how academic motivation (AM) and career adaptability (CA) affect baccalaureate attainment among Chinese higher vocational students. METHODS: An explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach was applied to the research design. A sample of 1,563 participants was surveyed with a questionnaire, and in-depth interviews were conducted with 33 participants. RESULTS: The results indicated that more than half of the participants (59.2%) decided to apply for a baccalaureate, whereas the rest decided to work (23.5%) or remained undecided (17.3%). The main findings are as follows: female students, Grade Point Average (GPA) at an average level, and students from low-income families intended to apply for a baccalaureate. Quantitative analyses revealed that extrinsic motivation was the primary predictor of baccalaureate intention, while the concern dimension of career adaptability showed a significant but negative association with this choice. Extrinsic-oriented utility motivation exceeds intrinsic motivation as the main source of academic transfer. Remedial support is essential for students to pass the transfer examination. DISCUSSION: These results have important policy implications for Chinese universities receiving transfers from higher vocational colleges regarding student retention and academic success.
Development and psychometric validation of the short-form mandarin Chinese demoralization scale for cancer patients.
Wang Y, Fu C, Liu X … +2 more , Yao M, Zhao G
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382623 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Demoralization is a common psychological distress in Chinese cancer patients, affecting treatment adherence and quality of life. NCCN Guidelines recommend routine monitoring of distress. The original 24-item...
BACKGROUND: Demoralization is a common psychological distress in Chinese cancer patients, affecting treatment adherence and quality of life. NCCN Guidelines recommend routine monitoring of distress. The original 24-item Mandarin Demoralization Scale (DS-MV) is comprehensive but less suited for rapid, repeated screening in busy oncology clinics. We therefore refined and validated a short-form Mandarin Demoralization Scale (s-DS-MV) for efficient demoralization assessment. METHODS: This psychometric validation study initially enrolled 1,050 Chinese cancer patients between June 14, 2022 and June 13, 2023. Of these participants, 971 completed the original 24-item DS-MV through face-to-face questionnaire administration. Exploratory factor analysis and Rasch modeling were used to evaluate, refine, and revalidate the scale, including examinations of dimensionality, response scale appropriateness, item fit, item bias, and item difficulty. Test-retest reliability was assessed in a subgroup of 50 patients with relatively stable clinical symptoms. RESULTS: The revised 14-item s-DS-MV (3-point Likert format) showed a 2-subscale structure supported by exploratory factor analysis. Rasch modeling confirmed acceptable model fit, unidimensionality and compliance with core criteria for each subscale. The scale exhibited satisfactory internal consistency and test-retest reliability (Existential Emptiness and Affective Distress subscale: 9 items, = 0.855, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.934; Self-Worth and Life Valuation subscale: 5 items, = 0.708, ICC = 0.881; full scale: α = 0.864, ICC = 0.933). CONCLUSION: The s-DS-MV is a 3-point two-factor self-report scale with robust psychometric properties and favorable screening utility, making it well-suited for rapid clinical screening, dynamic monitoring, and related research on demoralization among cancer patients with similar demographic and clinical characteristics in Hunan and adjacent regions of China.
Identity centrality as a double-edged sword: mental health mechanisms among lesbian/gay and bisexual university students in China.
Zhang S, Yao X, Tan K … +1 more , Wei C
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382622 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: This study investigated the mechanisms underlying mental health risks among lesbian/gay (LG) and bisexual university students in China, focusing on the roles of sexual identity centrality, identity uncertai...
INTRODUCTION: This study investigated the mechanisms underlying mental health risks among lesbian/gay (LG) and bisexual university students in China, focusing on the roles of sexual identity centrality, identity uncertainty, and interpersonal discrimination in depressive symptoms. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 363 university students (142 LG students and 221 bisexual). Group differences were examined, and structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and indirect associations among sexual orientation, sexual identity centrality, identity uncertainty, interpersonal discrimination, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Compared with LG participants, bisexual participants reported lower identity centrality, higher identity uncertainty, and fewer experiences of interpersonal discrimination, whereas no significant group difference was found in depressive symptoms. Structural equation modeling indicated that identity uncertainty and interpersonal discrimination jointly mediated the association between bisexuality and depressive symptoms, with the two indirect effects operating in opposite directions and forming a competing mediation effect. Sexual identity centrality showed a double-edged role: it was associated with lower identity uncertainty but greater interpersonal discrimination, which in turn were differentially associated with depressive symptoms. DISCUSSION: These findings reveal complex and divergent mechanisms linking sexual orientation and mental health among Chinese sexual minority university students. They also suggest that clinical interventions and future research should attend to both intrapersonal identity-related processes and interpersonal minority stress experiences when addressing depressive symptoms among LGB young adults.
Mathematical metacognition and computational thinking in adolescents: the roles of cognitive flexibility and grade level.
Bars M
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382621 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Computational thinking is a key higher-order cognitive skill in adolescence, extending beyond computer science to mathematical problem solving and complex reasoning. Although mathematical metacognition has be...
BACKGROUND: Computational thinking is a key higher-order cognitive skill in adolescence, extending beyond computer science to mathematical problem solving and complex reasoning. Although mathematical metacognition has been associated with computational thinking, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. Grounded in Flavell's metacognitive theory and Wing's framework, this study examines the mediating role of cognitive flexibility and the moderating role of grade level in this association among high school students. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 467 high school students (M = 16.05, = 1.20, 57.2% female) from grades 9-12 in Diyarbakır, Türkiye. Participants completed validated self-report measures of mathematical metacognition, cognitive flexibility, and computational thinking. The proposed moderated mediation model was tested using Hayes' PROCESS macro (Model 14). RESULTS: Mathematical metacognition was positively associated with computational thinking. Mediation analyses showed that cognitive flexibility partially mediated this relationship, indicating both direct and indirect associations between metacognitive regulation and computational thinking. In addition, the interaction between cognitive flexibility and grade level was significant, indicating that this association varied across grade levels. Simple slope analyses showed that the positive association between cognitive flexibility and computational thinking strengthened at higher grade levels. The index of moderated mediation was significant (IMM = 0.065, 95% CI [0.012, 0.141]), indicating that the indirect association varied systematically across grade levels. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that cognitive flexibility may represent an important mechanism underlying the association between mathematical metacognition and computational thinking within a developmental framework. By demonstrating that this association becomes stronger across grade levels, the findings support the value of integrating metacognitive and flexibility-oriented practices in secondary education to promote computational thinking.
Empowered listening: Self-selected music's role in uplifting emotions during stress.
Fountain C, Klibert JJ, Stambaugh LA … +3 more , Bountress K, Bansal S, Locker L
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382620 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Music listening is increasingly recognized not only as a form of entertainment but a complementary intervention for well-being. Its ability to promote relaxation and reduce arousal, particularly following s...
INTRODUCTION: Music listening is increasingly recognized not only as a form of entertainment but a complementary intervention for well-being. Its ability to promote relaxation and reduce arousal, particularly following stress, highlights its therapeutic potential. However, the differential effects of various types of music on emotional regulation in response to stress remain underexplored, limiting the development of musically derived interventions. The present study examined the effects of self-selected music listening (high valence/high tempo [empowering], high valence/low tempo [calming]) on emotion regulation processes (upregulation of positive emotions, downregulation of negative emotions) following a social rejection stress task. METHODS: A multi-phase research design was employed. In Phase 1 (musical preferences screener), 795 undergraduate students in the United States completed the Short Test of Music Preferences (STOMP) and Music Rating Form. These data were used to create individualized playlists consisting of self-selected empowering (high valence/high tempo) and calming (high valence/low tempo) songs. In the experimental phase (Phase 2), 61 participants from Phase 1 were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (empowering music, calming music, control group) following a stress induction task. Measures of positive and negative emotions (PANAS) were administered at three time points during the experiment. RESULTS: The stress induction task was effective in increasing participants' stress levels. Results from the primary analyses revealed a significant interaction between time and music listening intervention group for positive emotions. Specifically, participants in the empowering music listening group reported significantly higher positive emotion scores at post-intervention (Time 3) compared to those in the control group. This effect was not observed for participants in the calming music group. In contrast, the time by intervention condition interaction was not significant for negative emotions. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest listening to empowering music may serve as an effective and accessible practice for uplifting positive emotions in response to stressors. Notably, this study contributes to the field by demonstrating how specific features of musical interventions (self-selected playlists, distinct musical qualities) can optimize positive emotional outcomes, especially in the context of stress. Overall, these results support the integration of music-based interventions into holistic, strength-based therapeutic practices aimed at improving emotional health.
Does project-based STEAM curriculum benefit 3-4-year-old preschoolers' creative potential? A pilot comparison with theme-based curriculum.
Peng D
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42382619 · Full text
Despite the increasing attention given to project-based STEAM education in early childhood settings, empirical evidence regarding its effects on the creative potential of very young children remains limited, particularly...
Despite the increasing attention given to project-based STEAM education in early childhood settings, empirical evidence regarding its effects on the creative potential of very young children remains limited, particularly in comparison with traditional theme-based curricula. This pilot study employed a 1-year quasi-experimental design to examine the differential impacts of these two curricular approaches on the creative potential of 3-4-year-old preschool children. Sixty-nine children from three first-year preschool classes participated in the study, with individual assessments conducted before and after the intervention. The results indicated that, although the experimental group initially scored lower than the control group, it demonstrated greater improvement in overall creative potential over time. Within-group analyses revealed significant or marginally significant increases in the experimental group across multiple dimensions, including flexibility, fluency, and originality. In contrast, the control group exhibited no significant improvement and even exhibited a slight declining trend. Repeated-measures analyses further showed a significant Group × Time interaction for overall creative potential, indicating greater developmental gains in the experimental group. After controlling for baseline differences, the experimental group consistently demonstrated higher adjusted post-test means across all dimensions. Although these between-group differences did not reach statistical significance, moderate effect sizes suggested meaningful practical advantages. In addition, both groups exhibited increasing individual differences over time, with greater variability observed in the experimental group. Overall, the findings suggest that project-based STEAM curricula may offer advantages in promoting and sustaining early creative development compared with traditional theme-based approaches. This study provides preliminary empirical support for the implementation of project-based STEAM learning in early childhood education and highlights its potential role in fostering the development of creative potential during the early years.
About
- Frequency
- Sun
- Papers found
- 200
- RSS feed
- Subscribe