Psychol. Int., Volume 7, Issue 4 (December 2025) – 12 articles

The present study aimed to examine the role of character virtues in the quality of romantic relationships and friendships during emerging adulthood. The sample included 505 individuals, comprising 269 single and 236 partnered emerging adults. Participants completed three self-report instruments: the Values in Action-114GR (VIA-114GR), Sternberg’s Triangular Love Scale (STLS), and the Friendship Network Satisfaction scale (FNS). Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) applying ipsatization identified three distinct virtue profiles, which were not significantly associated with participants’ relationship status. Concerning friendships, analyses of variance revealed that emerging adults characterized by a balanced virtue profile reported significantly greater perceived closeness than those classified within profiles defined by lower levels of restraint and transcendence virtues. However, no significant differences were observed in the frequency of socializing. Regarding romantic relationships, it was found that different virtue profiles support different love dynamics. Specifically, the results showed that profiles differing in endorsing the knowledge virtue were overrepresented in love profiles characterized by low passion or low commitment. These findings offer significant theoretical contributions and practical implications for strengths-based interventions designed to enhance emerging adults’ social and emotional well-being. Full article

Fatal pediatric vehicular heatstroke occurs when a driver accidentally leaves a child in a vehicle, leading to death by overheating. Most such accidents are caused by simple cognitive errors. One aspect of these events, described anecdotally, is false memories: the driver has a conscious recollection of removing the child, despite knowing that, tragically, it did not happen. We systematically examined media reports of all cases in the USA over a five-year period, involving 164 separate incidents in which 166 children died. Although for many incidents insufficient information was available, with rigorous criteria, we identified cases that likely involved false memories. Tentatively, we suggest that these appear to be more common when a male child dies, and when more than one child dies, hinting that the severity of psychological trauma is a factor in their emergence. Possible explanations for these false memories are explored, with script/schema theory emerging as a reasonable explanation. This suggests that drivers fill in gaps in their memory for the journey, based on routine journey schemata. An example would be a memory gap filled with a default value of dropping the child at daycare, when in fact, they know they did not. In turn, this schema approach provides a framework for better understanding the reason that drivers sometimes experience cognitive slips, with fatal consequences for child passengers. Full article

Zero-sum beliefs about human–nature relations represent a relatively understudied psychological construct that can shape prosocial behaviours directed toward both the natural environment and humans. Yet, little is known about the individual difference factors that contribute to these beliefs. This study investigates whether Need for Cognition, Tolerance of Ambiguity, and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) predict zero-sum beliefs about the human–nature relationship (ZSB-NH). A cross-sectional, online survey (N = 355 Australians, M_Age = 52.77) assessed Need for Cognition, Tolerance of Ambiguity, SDO, and ZSB-NH, with hierarchical multiple regression revealing that together, Need for Cognition, Tolerance of Ambiguity, and SDO explained 29.9% of the variance in ZSB-NH. However, only SDO, and specifically SDO-Anti-Egalitarianism, significantly predicted ZSB-NH, with a positive and large effect. Need for Cognition and Tolerance of Ambiguity were not significant predictors of ZSB-NH, despite significant negative correlations with ZSB-NH, highlighting the importance of multivariate research to reveal the true effects of these predictors. The findings contribute to the limited research on ZSB-NH, suggesting that interventions should target hierarchical attitudes to influence zero-sum beliefs about the human relationship with nature. Full article

Construct-irrelevant variance (CIV), defined as excessive variance that is unrelated to the intended construct, poses a significant threat to the validity of test interpretations and applications. CIV can arise from two notable sources: construct-irrelevant items, which include items with content unrelated to the construct being measured, and redundant items, which repeat information already captured by other items, leading to individual fatigue and inflated reliability estimates. This study explores the detection of CIV using network psychometrics in comparison with traditional psychometrics methods. The study utilizes the HEXACO-PI dataset, focusing on six personality dimensions, and applies network psychometrics techniques such as Exploratory Graph Analysis and Unique Variable Analysis. These techniques are compared against traditional methods, such as reliability and factor analysis, to assess their effectiveness in identifying CIV items. Results highlight the potential of network psychometrics as a complementary approach for enhancing the structural integrity of psychological instruments, with 89% agreement in the number of identified CIV items. This comparison provides insights into alternative methods for improving psychological instruments, with implications for the future of psychometric evaluation. Full article

In a world increasingly characterized by rises in anxiety, depression, mood disorders and cognitive decline, our mental well-being often depends not only on our environment, but also on our food. In this systematic review, 25 clinical nutritional trials analyzed the relationship between dietary patterns and mental health across the lifespan. The PubMed-Medline, Web of Science, Scopus and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant articles from 2013 published up to June 2025 and included studies with a minimum 3-month follow-up and a minimum of 50 participants. The results showed that, in most studies, the Mediterranean diet reduces depressive symptoms by 32–45%. It works because it is rich in polyphenols, omega-3 fatty acids and fiber; lowers systemic inflammation; promotes gut diversity; and improves dopamine and serotonin modulation. On the other hand, five studies have shown that the MIND Diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) (with daily leafy greens, berries at least twice a week, whole grains, legumes, olive oil and nuts) and a whole-food plant-based diet lower C-reactive protein and improve mood in patients with chronic stress and fatigue. Plants provide antioxidants and phytochemicals that neutralize oxidative stress in neurons. This report emphasizes the need to promote well-being and increase public demand for food that also improves quality of life and mental health. Full article

This study examines job performance among judo referees through the lens of personality traits during World Judo Tour events from 2018 to 2022. Sixty-three referees completed an online questionnaire including the Big Five Inventory (BFI) and the Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire (CWEQ-II). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM). The measurement model showed acceptable validity and reliability, confirming the structural model. Support and resources emerged as the most influential factors affecting job satisfaction (JAS) and organizational role satisfaction (ORS). Incorporating refereeing experience at major events into the model indicated only partial model fit. Findings highlight the role of structural empowerment in mitigating job dissatisfaction among referees. Future research with larger samples should further strengthen the understanding of the relationship between personality traits, empowerment, and job performance. Full article

The aim of this study was to fill in the gap in the existing literature when it comes to investigating stigma towards naturism and the individuals who engage in it by creating a psychometric instrument that considers both the experiences of naturists and the beliefs of non-naturists. This quantitative study was cross-sectional in its nature. For the first part of the study, a total of 151 participants participated. After data cleaning, the final sample size was 126. The participants were aged between 18 and 69. The participants were asked to report their gender, sexual orientation, and previous engagement in naturist activities. For the second part of the study, 347 participants completed the survey. The participants in this section were aged between 20 and 76 years old. An explorative principal axis factor analysis was conducted on the 34 items of the developed beliefs about naturists scale (BANS). The analysis indicated that the items loaded onto three factors, with a total of 46.686% of the variance explained, which broadly related to the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour components of stigma. The first validation indicated that the BANS should be reduced to 29 items. The attitudes factor consisted of 13 items; the beliefs factor consisted of 10 items; and the behaviours factor consisted of six items. A further quantitative study was then carried out to re-evaluate the construct validity of the improved scale and to explore its concurrent validity. The revalidation of the BANS aimed to evaluate the concurrent validity, construct validity, and reliability of the scale. The correlation analysis indicated that the BANS has a high concurrent validity, as it was highly correlated with similar theoretical concepts and empirical predictors of stigma. Although more research is necessary to further evaluate the predictive validity, as well as the validity and reliability across different populations, this preliminary validation suggests a good concurrent and convergent validity, making this the most valid scale in existence to date when it comes to exploring the relationship between stigma and naturism. Full article

Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) allows items to cross-load on nontarget factors and provides flexibility in modeling multidimensional survey data. However, this flexibility comes at the cost of increased model complexity due to the estimation of a significantly greater number of parameters than conventional SEM. This study systematically evaluated the model fit indices in ESEM through a Monte Carlo simulation. Design factors included model complexity,atent factor correlations, magnitudes and percentages of major cross-loadings, and sample sizes. Results showed that both the number ofatent factors m and the item–factor ratio p/m had distinct impacts on rejection rates, particularly in underspecified models. Among the fit measures, ${\chi }^2$ tests and Mc demonstrated high power for detecting misspecification while, in general, elevating false positives. CFI and TLI provided a more balanced trade-off between false- and true-positive rates. When evaluating ESEM, it is important to consider multiple fit indices and justify the cutoff criteria across models with different factor structures. Full article

Prior work established the presence of six crosscutting patterns of clinically significant family maltreatment (FM) and psychological health (PH) problems among active-duty service members. Here, we develop a brief screener for these patterns via Classification and Regression Trees (CART) analyses using a sample of active-duty members of the United States Air Force. CART is a predictive algorithm used in machine learning. It balances prediction accuracy and model parsimony to identify an optimal set of predictors and identifies the thresholds on those predictors in relation to a discrete condition of interest (e.g., diagnosis of pathology). A 22-item screener predicted membership in five of the six classes (sensitivities and specificities > 0.96; positive and negative predictive values > 0.90). However, for service members at extremely high risk of clinically significant externalizing behavior, sensitivity and positive predictive values were much lower. The resulting 22-item brief screener can facilitate feasible, cost-effective detection of five of the six identified FM and PH problem patterns with a small number of items. The sixth pattern can be predicted far better than chance. Researchers and policymakers can use this tool to guide prevention efforts for FM and PH problems in service members. Full article

In recent years, the science of sustainability has evolved in alignment with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aims to achieve a more just and sustainable world across various domains, including the environment, economy, society, and health and well-being. The International Olympic Committee has also established sustainability guidelines related to Olympic sports and athletes’ mental health. Additionally, the sustainability of sports training has already been explored, and the psychology of sustainability has generated a significant body of literature. This cultural and scientific movement has led to the emergence of the concept of psychological sustainability in elite sport, which can be defined as athletes’ capacity to maintain mental well-being, cognitive functioning, emotional resilience, and adaptive performance over time, particularly in response to environmental, social, training, and competitive stressors. This article revisits the existing literature to explore the connections between sustainability and elite sport psychology, resulting in the development of a model of psychological sustainability in sports training. This model aims to balance training procedures in a way that enhances athletic performance while safeguarding athletes’ mental health. Within this framework, an approach to psychological preparation for the Olympic Games is discussed, taking into account its various preparatory phases. Full article

This study is guided by the pivotal yet underexplored question, “How does the resilience developed through the motherhood experience, particularly within the mother/child relationship, translate into a mother’s approach to her relationships with followers in a professional context?” This study delves into the impact of resilience fostered through motherhood on leadership styles, especially in professional interactions with subordinates. Adopting the grounded theory methodology, we collected qualitative data through in-depth interviews with 28 female leaders, each a mother of at least one child. We followed a grounded theory analytic procedure to systematically organize data and examine the intricacies of maternal leadership and its process-oriented resilience development. Our research uncovers a three-stage resilience-strengthening process among maternal leaders. The three stages involve the emergence of challenges, followed by the development of transformative resilience, culminating in the significant impact on inclusive leadership styles and the evolution of leader–follower relationships. This study contributes to the academic discourse in three key ways. First, it offers unique insights into how the challenges and adversities inherent in motherhood can be transformative for leadership development. Second, by identifying and detailing a three-stage process of resilience development in maternal leaders, the research provides a nuanced understanding of how personal experiences influence professional leadership capabilities. Third, the study broadens the current discourse on inclusive leadership by incorporating the maternal perspective, a relatively underexplored area, particularly in the context of transformed leader/follower relationships. Full article

This research compared the cognitive effects of two interventions postulated to induce well-being, concentration, and relaxation: vibroacoustic stimulation and guided mindfulness meditation. Electroencephalogram (EEG) biosignals were used to quantify results and were collated together with subjective first-person verbal accounts. Participants were divided into three groups: guided mindfulness meditation (Group1), vibroacoustic stimulation (Group2), and a no-stimuli control (Group3). EEG results show that vibroacoustic stimulation and guided mindfulness meditation have different cognitive effects. Vibroacoustic stimulation increased concentration and well-being during exposure, with increased relaxation found to be the main effect of meditation. Verbal accounts reinforce these findings. Effects were short-term; practical future implications for vibroacoustic stimulation are discussed. Full article