Psychological Reports[JOURNAL]
Sun
200 papers
Understanding Love in Couple Relationships: A Scoping Review of Sternberg's Triangular Theory.
Durão A, Conde A
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42400208 · Publisher ↗
In recent decades, research on love has expanded considerably, underscoring its relevance for individual well-being and relationship functioning. Despite this growth, conceptualizing and empirically operationalizing love...
In recent decades, research on love has expanded considerably, underscoring its relevance for individual well-being and relationship functioning. Despite this growth, conceptualizing and empirically operationalizing love remain challenging. Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love, one of the most influential frameworks in the field, conceptualizes love as comprising three core components: intimacy, passion, and commitment. This scoping review aims to synthesize empirical studies that have applied Sternberg's theory to couple relationships, with the objectives of examining how the theory has been operationalized and of identifying relational variables associated with its components. Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, 27 studies were included. All employed cross-sectional designs, and most samples were drawn from non-European countries. Overall, findings indicate that Sternberg's theory remains theoretically coherent and empirically supported in the study of conjugal relationships. The three love components were consistently associated with key relational indicators, including relationship satisfaction, relationship seriousness, and sexual satisfaction. However, evidence regarding associations with relationship length and sexual orientation was mixed and inconclusive. This review highlights both the continued relevance of Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love and important gaps in the literature, pointing to directions for future research on love in diverse couple contexts.
Psychological Impacts of Instagram Use: The Interplay of Social Comparison, Self-Esteem, and Anxiety.
Fernandez-Robin C, Yañez D, Paredes MR … +1 more , Ludueña P
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42394583 · Publisher ↗
Excessive Instagram use has been linked to negative effects on psychological well-being, particularly through Social Comparison, Self-Esteem, and Anxiety. This study surveyed 424 Instagram users aged 18 to 40 in Chile. S...
Excessive Instagram use has been linked to negative effects on psychological well-being, particularly through Social Comparison, Self-Esteem, and Anxiety. This study surveyed 424 Instagram users aged 18 to 40 in Chile. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) showed that higher Instagram Use (IU) positively correlates with Social Comparison (SC), which strongly predicts Shared Content Anxiety (SCA) and Self-Evaluation Anxiety (SEA) and negatively affects Self-Esteem (SE). The direct effect of IU on SCA is significant but weaker, while IU does not significantly impact SEA or SE. An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) provided complementary predictive evidence regarding the relative importance of social comparison and Instagram use dimensions. By integrating SEM and ANN, this study provides a comprehensive view of how Instagram use shapes mental health. In line with previous research, these results highlight the necessity of digital literacy and mindful social media use to mitigate negative outcomes, especially among younger adults susceptible to self-perception issues. They are contextualized within existing literature, calling for further research on social media's long-term effects. Overall, the findings offer a nuanced perspective on how Instagram Use, Social Comparison, and Self-Esteem interrelate to influence anxiety and well-being, underscoring the platform's potential to exacerbate vulnerabilities in emotional health.
The Effect of Self-Compassion on Shame in Post-Event Processing.
Blackie RA, Pelley AB
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42389964 · Publisher ↗
Post-event processing (PEP) refers to negative and repetitive thinking following anxiety-inducing social situations and is a maintaining factor in social anxiety. Research has shown that state shame predicts PEP, beyond...
Post-event processing (PEP) refers to negative and repetitive thinking following anxiety-inducing social situations and is a maintaining factor in social anxiety. Research has shown that state shame predicts PEP, beyond trait and state social anxiety. Therefore, it may be important for interventions to target shame during the post-event period. Self-compassion interventions have shown promise for PEP, and therefore, the primary purpose of the present study was to examine whether a self-compassion intervention reduces state shame during the post-event period. Participants ( = 73) completed a variety of baseline trait measures: social anxiety, depression, post-event processing, self-compassion, self-esteem, and shame. They then recalled a difficult social situation (e.g., presentation, first date, etc.) and rated their state PEP and shame in relation to that situation. They were then randomly assigned to a self-compassion writing intervention ( = 36) or control condition ( = 37). Following this, they rated their shame about the recalled situation and willingness to communicate in future social situations. Those in the self-compassion intervention reported significantly less shame post-intervention than those in the control condition. However, the two groups did not significantly differ on willingness to communicate in future social settings. Unexpectedly, the effect of the self-compassion intervention on shame or willingness to communicate was not moderated by trait social anxiety (or other baseline variables). The findings from the present study provide further evidence of the importance of shame in post-event processing. Given these findings, it may be beneficial to target shame in therapeutic settings, and self-compassion represents one effective avenue for doing so.
Tracking Rumination as a Stable Habit (TRASH); Scale Modification and Convergent Validity in a Clinical Sample of Youth With a History of Depression.
Thompson MB, Thomas LR, Westlund Schreiner M … +12 more , Kingston NH, Ollech H, Kalotihos L, Escobar C, Wagh U, Pazdera M, Kaufman EA, Crowell SE, Roberts H, Bessette KL, Langenecker SA, Watkins ER
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42387276 · Publisher ↗
Rumination is a cognitive habit involving repetitive negative thinking (RNT). It is a risk factor for depression and develops during late childhood. Targeted interventions to reduce rumination are critical for reducing r...
Rumination is a cognitive habit involving repetitive negative thinking (RNT). It is a risk factor for depression and develops during late childhood. Targeted interventions to reduce rumination are critical for reducing risk for and impact of depression. Therefore, quick and sensitive scales are needed to capture concrete, quantifiable changes in rumination habit. We developed and evaluated the Tracking Rumination As a Stable Habit (TRASH) measure, to align with Rumination-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RF-CBT). The scale was derived, modified and expanded on from the Habit Index of Negative Thinking (HINT). TRASH assesses automaticity and consistency of the habit, quantifiable elements of the daily habit. As part of a larger trial of RF-CBT, 120 adolescents (age mean [sd]: 15.73 [1.11], 67.5% female) completed all scales. Internal reliability of the scale was high (overall = 0.86, Automaticity = 0.85, Consistency = 0.72). The scale demonstrated moderate to strong convergent validity with existing measures of RNT ( [118] = 0.43 to 0.46). Associations with anxiety, worry and depression measures were modest and variable ( [118] = 0.13 to 0.63). Divergent and/or nonrelated validity with scales, included null and negative relationships ( [118] = -0.23 to 0.39). Exploratory analyses identified a general RNT factor (including worry, rumination), a TRASH subfactor, and distinct affective RNT subfactors (e.g., angry, apathetic). Treatment by time interactions suggest similar changes over time in RNT scales, as well as the RNT main factor and the TRASH subfactor. Additional research is needed for the TRASH scale, if it may be sensitive to concrete changes in rumination. : NCT03859297.
Prompting to Practice: Daily Practice Mediates the Benefits of Supplement to a Mindfulness-Based Intervention.
Lucas-Thompson RG, Moran MJ, Krause JT … +5 more , Rzonca A, Rigsby BA, Grossklaus O, Najman JI, Prince MA
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jul · PMID 42387266 · Publisher ↗
Theoretically, home practice of mindfulness is a critical mechanism underlying the benefits of mindfulness-based intervention (MBI), but rates of adherence to home practice recommendations are low for youth participants...
Theoretically, home practice of mindfulness is a critical mechanism underlying the benefits of mindfulness-based intervention (MBI), but rates of adherence to home practice recommendations are low for youth participants in MBI. In the current study, we test the extent to which the first supplement delivered via cellphone to an MBI increases rates of home practice, and to what extent home practice mediates condition differences in key outcomes (mindful attention, psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and difficulties in emotion regulation). Participants were 59 university students who attended at least one session of a 6-week MBI and completed daily diaries assessing home practice and outcomes. Participants were randomly assigned to receive varying intervention support between sessions; we compared those who received no support to those who received support. Results indicated that those who received the MBI plus multi-modal adaptive supplement in daily life reported significantly higher rates of home practice, relative to those who received only the MBI. In addition, there were indirect effects of condition on mindful attention, psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and emotion regulation difficulties through home practice. This study provides preliminary evidence that incorporating supplements to MBI may increase intervention effectiveness by supporting and boosting home practice of mindfulness.
Continued Influence Effect: A Three-Dimensional Framework Shaping Practical and Theoretical Perspectives.
Laurent V, Rusinek S, Kosinski T
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jun · PMID 42374655 · Publisher ↗
The continued influence effect (CIE) refers to the persistent influence of False Information (FI), even after it has been corrected. This effect has been replicated in numerous experiments and carries significant societa...
The continued influence effect (CIE) refers to the persistent influence of False Information (FI), even after it has been corrected. This effect has been replicated in numerous experiments and carries significant societal implications. While the existing literature provides various explanations for the CIE, a comprehensive synthesis of these explanations remains lacking. This lack of synthesis hinders the ability to optimize recommendations for mitigating the effect and guiding future research. To address this, a conceptual reorganization of existing explanations is proposed within a heuristic framework encompassing three perspectives: cognitive, motivational, and rational. Drawing on this three-dimensional framework, recommendations are provided for mitigating this social issue and guiding future research.
ADHD Symptoms, Interpersonal Functioning, and Sexual Orientation in Undergraduate Adults.
Gourgues F, Neveu A, Durand G
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jun · PMID 42363636 · Publisher ↗
Several difficulties are commonly observed in individuals living with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), such as interpersonal and romantic relationship issues. Although multiple studies have investigated t...
Several difficulties are commonly observed in individuals living with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), such as interpersonal and romantic relationship issues. Although multiple studies have investigated the association between interpersonal relationships and ADHD, few have considered the role of sexual orientation. A total of 702 participants were recruited to complete an online self-report study; after data screening, 639 Canadian undergraduate psychology students (504 heterosexual, 135 non-heterosexual; 78% women) were retained and assessed on ADHD symptoms, attachment, gender role beliefs, intimacy, and social support. Controlling for sex and age, non-heterosexual participants reported significantly higher ADHD symptoms on both the inattention ( = 0.77) and hyperactivity-impulsivity ( = 0.69) subscales and more feminist gender role beliefs ( = 0.99) and were over four times as likely to score above the 90th percentile of the ADHD symptom distribution (OR = 4.46). In a multivariate model, attachment anxiety, gender role beliefs, and sexual orientation each independently predicted ADHD symptoms (R = .25). The associations between interpersonal variables and ADHD symptoms were largely similar across groups, and sexual orientation did not moderate them; an apparent difference in the social support association did not survive covariate control or a sensitivity analysis and is treated as exploratory. Given the cross-sectional design, these results suggest that factors beyond interpersonal functioning, such as minority stress, may contribute to the elevated ADHD symptoms observed among non-heterosexual individuals.
Emotion Regulation, Impulsivity, and Cluster B Personality Disorders.
Cohen FS, Baschnagel JS, Houston RJ
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jun · PMID 42360888 · Publisher ↗
Cluster B personality disorders, including Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic, and Antisocial personality disorders, collectively affect up to 5.5% of the population. These disorders are characterized by strong emotion...
Cluster B personality disorders, including Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic, and Antisocial personality disorders, collectively affect up to 5.5% of the population. These disorders are characterized by strong emotional responses; however, little research compares specific symptomatology with emotion regulation ability. The current study examines the relationship between subscales of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and symptomatology across Cluster B disorders in a mixed non-clinical sample. In Study 1 ( = 325), participants completed self-report measures assessing emotion regulation and personality disorder symptoms. Primary findings showed that difficulties with emotion-related impulse control significantly predicted symptoms of all four Cluster B disorders, highlighting its importance in understanding these conditions. Study 2 ( = 530) was conducted to examine more specifically the different facets of impulsivity that are associated with these disorders. This study had participants complete self-report measures on emotion regulation, impulsivity, and personality disorder symptoms and found differential associations between facets of impulse control and Cluster B personality disorder symptoms. Impulse control difficulties also explain a large amount of variance in these disorders. These results suggest the necessity for targeted interventions focusing on impulse control and emotion regulation strategies to enhance treatment outcomes for individuals affected by Cluster B personality disorders.
Physical Activity and Social Anxiety in Highly Sensitive Individuals: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Reappraisal.
Li A, Nie Y, Liu C
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jun · PMID 42349021 · Publisher ↗
Social anxiety disorder is increasingly prevalent among college students, impairing academic and social functioning. This study examined how physical activity (PA) relates to social anxiety, with cognitive reappraisal as...
Social anxiety disorder is increasingly prevalent among college students, impairing academic and social functioning. This study examined how physical activity (PA) relates to social anxiety, with cognitive reappraisal as a mediator and sensory processing sensitivity (HSP) as a moderator. A cross-sectional survey of 465 undergraduate students from Guangdong Province, China assessed PA (PARS-3), social anxiety (IAS), cognitive reappraisal, and HSP. Moderated mediation analysis was conducted. PA was significantly negatively associated with social anxiety (β = -0.131, p < 0.01) and positively associated with cognitive reappraisal (β = 0.182, p < 0.01). Cognitive reappraisal partially mediated this relationship, accounting for 20.12% of the total effect. Furthermore, HSP moderated the direct effect, as PA was significantly negatively associated with social anxiety only in highly sensitive individuals (β = -0.216, p < 0.001). These findings suggest that PA is linked to lower social anxiety through cognitive reappraisal, with highly sensitive individuals deriving greater benefits. Interventions should incorporate HSP to personalize treatment approaches for college students.
Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Children's Prosocial Behaviors in a Preschool Setting (CPBPS).
Gungordu N, Hernandez-Reif M
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jun · PMID 42347855 · Publisher ↗
The current study aimed to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Children's Prosocial Behaviors in a Preschool Setting (CPBPS) scale. Preschool teachers ( = 16) completed the CPBPS and related measures f...
The current study aimed to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Children's Prosocial Behaviors in a Preschool Setting (CPBPS) scale. Preschool teachers ( = 16) completed the CPBPS and related measures for 255 children aged 3-5 years. Following item refinement procedures, the scale was reduced to 28 items representing five theoretically grounded dimensions: helping, comforting, cooperating, sharing, and defending. Principal Component Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis provided preliminary support for the five-factor structure, demonstrating acceptable model fit. Internal consistency coefficients ranged from .91 to .96 across subscales, indicating excellent reliability. Evidence of convergent validity was supported by significant correlations with established measures of empathy and prosocial behavior. Exploratory analyses also revealed age- and gender-related differences in prosocial behaviors, consistent with developmental literature. Overall, the findings suggest that the CPBPS is a valid and reliable teacher-report measure for assessing multidimensional prosocial behaviors in preschool settings.
"Advances in Public & Social Psychology" Special Session of WPMH2026.
Psychol Rep · 2026 Feb · PMID 42345273 · Publisher ↗
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
Psychological Predictors of Communication Skills in Information Technology Professionals.
Liu J, Chen C
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jun · PMID 42341347 · Publisher ↗
The Information Technology (IT) field is growing in the direction of the need to not only possess good technical skills but also good interpersonal skills to be able to cooperate and achieve success in a project. Emotion...
The Information Technology (IT) field is growing in the direction of the need to not only possess good technical skills but also good interpersonal skills to be able to cooperate and achieve success in a project. Emotional intelligence (EI) is a concept that has been identified as significant to the effectiveness of communications among IT professionals. This is a quantitative research on how EI and communication skills (CS), and other related psychological variables, including self-efficacy (SE), communication apprehension (CA), empathy, and social influence (SI), relate to each other. The participants were 535 IT professionals, comprising software developers, system analysts, project managers, and IT consultants. The study employed a purposive sampling method to administer the structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for preliminary analyses and SmartPLS 4 for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM). The results indicate that EI, SE, and empathy are positively associated with CS, CA shows a negative association, whereas SI is a significant predictor of CS in a group setting (all paths p < 0.05). The novelty of this study is its combined analysis of the EI and various communication and related psychological constructs in the specific context of IT professionals, which has not been studied extensively in the literature. The results also present practical recommendations for the IT organizations since they highlight the necessity of developing emotional competencies that can improve communication and teamwork, and consequently, improve individual and organizational performance.
Parental Autonomy Support and Psychological Resilience in College Students: The Longitudinal Sequential Mediating Roles of Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Autonomous Motivation.
Li S, Qiao H, Wang W … +1 more , Wang H
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jun · PMID 42335457 · Publisher ↗
The college years represent a critical period for the dynamic construction of psychological adaptation systems. To clarify the internal transformation mechanism from a supportive environment to the formation of psycholog...
The college years represent a critical period for the dynamic construction of psychological adaptation systems. To clarify the internal transformation mechanism from a supportive environment to the formation of psychological resilience, this study employed a questionnaire method to conduct three surveys at six-month intervals with 3090 Chinese college students. It examined the developmental trajectories and internal relationships among parental autonomy support, basic psychological need satisfaction, autonomous motivation, and psychological resilience. The results indicated that: (1) Parental autonomy support, basic psychological need satisfaction, autonomous motivation, and psychological resilience were all significantly positively correlated across the three measurements. (2) T1 parental autonomy support had a significant total effect on T3 psychological resilience. (3) Basic psychological need satisfaction and autonomous motivation played a longitudinal sequential mediating role between T1 parental autonomy support and T3 psychological resilience. Specifically, T1 parental autonomy support enhanced T2 basic psychological need satisfaction, which in turn strengthened T2 autonomous motivation, ultimately leading to higher T3 psychological resilience. The findings elucidate the dynamic process through which parental autonomy support fosters psychological resilience in Chinese college students by satisfying basic psychological needs and promoting autonomous motivation. This provides key longitudinal evidence for Self-Determination Theory and underscores the importance of constructing a collaborative family-school autonomy-supportive environment for cultivating college students' psychological resilience.
Personality (dys)Function and Psychological Readiness for Specialised Naval Utilisation: A Validation of the PID-5-BF+M.
Van Wijk CH
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jun · PMID 42335213 · Publisher ↗
Personality dysfunction is increasingly conceptualised dimensionally, yet evidence for the occupational validity of contemporary personality disorder models in military settings remains limited. This study examined psych...
Personality dysfunction is increasingly conceptualised dimensionally, yet evidence for the occupational validity of contemporary personality disorder models in military settings remains limited. This study examined psychometric validity and applied utility of the PID-5-BF+M in a naval sample (N = 1874) using archival occupational health data. Structural validity was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis and gender-based measurement invariance testing, while internal consistency, construct validity, and associations with resilience, borderline personality indicators, and real-world adjustment outcomes were also examined. The six-domain structure of the PID-5-BF+M was supported, with acceptable internal consistency for the total score and most domains. Negative affectivity and disinhibition showed expected associations with borderline personality indicators, while higher personality dysfunction was moderately associated with lower resilience. Notably, negative affectivity and detachment independently predicted probable ICD-11 Adjustment Disorder, explaining approximately 30% of variance. Algorithm-based identification of possible personality disorder yielded markedly different prevalence estimates depending on facet- versus domain-level thresholds, highlighting risks of false-positive classification in occupational samples. Elevated anankastia traits were common but largely unrelated to maladjustment, suggesting contextual adaptiveness in structured naval environments. Findings support the PID-5-BF+M total score as a pragmatic global index of personality dysfunction severity for use in occupational health screening, while underlining the necessity of context-sensitive, multi-method interpretation. Personality assessment in military settings should prioritise functional impairment over trait elevation per se.
Big Five Personality Traits and Insomnia Severity in Adults: The Conditional Role of Anxiety and Depression.
Kokkinos CM, Koutsospyros A
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jun · PMID 42334919 · Publisher ↗
Insomnia is common and associated with both personality traits and psychological distress, yet it remains unclear how stable dispositional characteristics relate to insomnia severity across levels of emotional distress....
Insomnia is common and associated with both personality traits and psychological distress, yet it remains unclear how stable dispositional characteristics relate to insomnia severity across levels of emotional distress. Guided by hyperarousal and vulnerability-stress perspectives, this cross-sectional study examined Big Five traits, anxiety, depression, and insomnia severity in a community sample of Greek adults ( = 1,349). Participants completed validated measures of personality, psychological distress, and insomnia severity; sex and age were examined as covariates. Women, young adults aged 18-25, and older adults aged 66+ reported higher insomnia symptoms. At the domain level, insomnia severity was positively associated with Neuroticism and negatively associated with Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness, although Extraversion and Agreeableness did not remain independent predictors in multivariate models. Facet-level analyses showed that Neuroticism-related Anxiety and Depression, lower Organization, and lower Energy level uniquely contributed to insomnia severity. Moderation analyses indicated that anxiety, but not depression, attenuated the Neuroticism-insomnia association, which was strongest when anxiety symptoms were low and weaker, though still significant, at higher anxiety levels. Exploratory analyses suggested that this attenuation was unlikely to reflect a simple ceiling or variance-restriction effect. Findings support person-tailored approaches to insomnia assessment and intervention.
How Speaker Gender Shapes Emotion Perception: Prosodic Cues in Low-Pass Filtered Korean Speech.
Yoon D, Oh GE
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jun · PMID 42301152 · Publisher ↗
Speech conveys rich paralinguistic information, notably the speaker's emotional state. The acoustic expression of emotion, however, is subject to considerable variability shaped by factors such as speaker and listener ge...
Speech conveys rich paralinguistic information, notably the speaker's emotional state. The acoustic expression of emotion, however, is subject to considerable variability shaped by factors such as speaker and listener gender, as well as broader cultural and linguistic contexts. This study investigates how four emotions - and - are perceived by 33 native Korean listeners. The stimuli consisted of low-pass filtered emotional utterances from 'The Open AI Dataset Project (AI-Hub)', which allowed for a focus on prosodic cues while removing semantic content. Results showed that recognition accuracy varied by both emotion and speaker gender: was most consistently identified across all voices, while was more accurately recognized in male speech and in female speech. Perceived emotional intensity also differed by speaker gender: female speakers received higher intensity ratings for than male speakers. In particular, female speakers' and were perceived as more intense than their own . These results are discussed in light of perceptual weighting of acoustic cues in emotion recognition, suggesting that gendered voice characteristics modulate how listeners extract emotional meaning from prosody alone.
Conditional Impacts of Community Participation on Life Satisfaction.
Cheung CK, Hu J, Liao W … +1 more , Ng YH
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jun · PMID 42296480 · Publisher ↗
Given the ambiguous impact of community participation on life satisfaction, empirical investigation is required to identify the conditions under which it yields positive or negative effects. Grounded in resource conserva...
Given the ambiguous impact of community participation on life satisfaction, empirical investigation is required to identify the conditions under which it yields positive or negative effects. Grounded in resource conservation theory-which posits that resources mitigate the adverse effects of loss-this study analyzed survey data from a random sample of 1002 Hong Kong residents. Findings reveal that while community participation generally had a negative main effect on life satisfaction, this effect was moderated by specific factors. The negative impact was mitigated by female gender, longer residency, and higher social class, but exacerbated by co-residing children. Consequently, the relationship between community participation and life satisfaction is conditional on resource factors, suggesting that maximizing benefits requires strategies to consolidate resources and prevent loss.
Trait Boredom and Problematic Use of New Technologies: A Meta-Analysis.
Tagliaferri G, Hidalgo-Fuentes S, Frisari FV … +2 more , Cricenti C, Martí-Vilar M
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jun · PMID 42285161 · Publisher ↗
In recent years, numerous studies have investigated the association between trait boredom and the problematic use of digital technologies, producing a wide range of effect sizes. We conducted this meta-analysis following...
In recent years, numerous studies have investigated the association between trait boredom and the problematic use of digital technologies, producing a wide range of effect sizes. We conducted this meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines. A systematic literature search was performed in four databases: PsychINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. A total of 25 studies ( = 15,152) met our inclusion criteria. We used a random-effects meta-analysis of Pearson's r coefficients with Fisher's Z-transformation. The results showed a moderate positive association between trait boredom and problematic digital technology use (r = .38, 95% CI [.32, .43]), with no evidence of publication bias. The relationship was not moderated by participants' sex or age, nor by the type of digital behavior assessed. However, the year of publication, sample size, and methodological quality significantly moderated the strength of the association. The high level of heterogeneity observed suggests that additional moderators may influence this association. These findings highlight the relevance of trait boredom as a likely psychological vulnerability factor in problematic digital behavior. Future interventions should consider boredom proneness when developing prevention and treatment strategies for digital overuse.
Adverse Childhood Experiences as a Moderator of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Risky and Distracted Driving.
Haag AC, Garner AA, Weaver TL … +2 more , Ruppert PD, Schmank CJ
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jun · PMID 42268290 · Publisher ↗
Motor vehicle crashes are among the leading causes of death of young drivers. Vulnerable drivers, such as young drivers with ADHD, are at high risk of crashes. However, not all young drivers with ADHD are at equal risk f...
Motor vehicle crashes are among the leading causes of death of young drivers. Vulnerable drivers, such as young drivers with ADHD, are at high risk of crashes. However, not all young drivers with ADHD are at equal risk for experiencing these negative outcomes, indicating a need to identify factors that increase risk within this population. Compared with individuals without ADHD, individuals with ADHD also experience more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which have been independently identified as predictors of unsafe driving. The unique impact of ADHD, ACEs, and their interaction has not been evaluated within a single, demographically at-risk sample. A total of 263 licensed young drivers between the ages of 18 and 29 years old completed a survey measuring self-reported symptoms of ADHD, a subset of adverse childhood experiences, as well as risky and distracted driving behaviors. Total symptoms of ADHD and its dimensions and number of ACEs significantly predicted greater engagement in risky driving. Only total symptoms of ADHD and hyperactivity/impulsivity uniquely predicted engagement in distracted driving. The interaction between ADHD symptoms and ACEs was not significant for any analysis. Findings indicated that ADHD symptoms and ACEs each contribute to risk for unsafe driving behaviors, but that ACEs do not exacerbate the risk of ADHD on driving outcomes. This study highlights the need for interventions aimed at helping individuals who present with symptoms of ADHD or who have experienced childhood adversity prevent negative driving behaviors.
An Exploratory Study of Socioeconomic Status, Air Pollution, and 13 Other Variables as Predictors of U.S. State Autism Spectrum Disorder Rates.
McCann SJH
Psychol Rep · 2026 Jun · PMID 42263151 · Publisher ↗
This exploratory study determined which of 14 selected predictors of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) found in individual-level research are predictive of ASD prevalence rates in the 50 U.S. states without and with statist...
This exploratory study determined which of 14 selected predictors of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) found in individual-level research are predictive of ASD prevalence rates in the 50 U.S. states without and with statistical control for socioeconomic status (SES). Analyses used 2017 state ASD rates and SES, race, Big Five personality, IQ, urban population percent, air pollution, health care providers per population, physician shortage, per pupil spending, PN-3 policy and strategy, percent without health insurance, Medicaid-CHIP enrollment, maternal age, prepregnant obesity, and low birth weight variables based on various samples largely from 2017. ASD rates correlated significantly with each of the 15 potential predictors except for percent uninsured, Medicaid-CHIP enrollment, and air pollution ( = .051). However, when each of the 14 potential predictors entered alone on the second step of a regression equation with SES controlled, only race, personality, urbanization, air pollution, PN-3 policy and strategy, and maternal age were significant predictors. Additionally, an equation with these six predictors entered simultaneously on a second step showed that only SES and air pollution were significant. In another equation with only SES and air pollution entered as predictors, they jointly accounted for 55.7% of the variance in state ASD prevalence rates. Both higher SES and greater air pollution were associated with higher ASD prevalence. There was no evidence of multicollinearity or spatial autocorrelation in the 15 regression equations. These results suggest that considering SES and air pollution could prove beneficial in aggregate-level or individual-level analysis of factors associated with an autism diagnosis.
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