Skip to Content

Behavioral Sciences

Behavioral Sciences is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal on psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, behavioral biology and behavioral genetics, published monthly online by MDPI.

Indexed in PubMed | Quartile Ranking JCR - Q2 (Psychology, Multidisciplinary)

Get Alerted

Add your email address to receive forthcoming issues of this journal.

All Articles (5,824)

A Nation Veering off Course: Implications for Efficacy and Well-Being

  • Kristina G. Chamberlin,
  • J. Doris Dai and
  • Stephanie A. Fryberg
  • + 2 authors

The United States has undergone rapid and, at times, unprecedented political changes in 2025. Recent national polling indicates that many Americans—across political parties—believe that the country is heading in the wrong direction. In a preregistered study with more than 7000 adults residing in the United States, we explored the implications of these widespread concerns for individuals’ psychological functioning. As theorized, individuals who believed that the political climate was worsening and viewed the United States as failing to live up to its core national values experienced lower efficacy, both in terms of their personal ability to influence politics (i.e., individual efficacy) and their confidence in the government to uphold its obligations to the nation and its residents (i.e., government efficacy). In turn, these individuals reported worse overall well-being and less effective coping in response to stressors related to the political climate. These relationships persisted after accounting for the participants’ 2024 presidential vote choice and political party affiliation. Together, these findings suggest that the political turbulence Americans are experiencing exerts a measurable, bipartisan toll on Americans’ psychological and social health.

10 March 2026

Proposed conceptual model.
  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access

Suicidal behaviors constitute a major global public health problem, with sexual minority groups showing a higher risk of engaging in such behaviors. This study aimed to analyze the influence of hopelessness, life satisfaction, and spirituality on suicide risk according to self-reported sexual orientation. A total of 532 individuals participated (M = 31.15 years, SD = 12.002). Of these, 39.8% identified as heterosexual, 34.2% as gay or lesbian individuals, and 25.9% as bisexual. Participants were assessed using the Plutchik Suicide Risk Scale, Beck’s Hopelessness Scale, the Beliefs and Values Scale, and Diener’s Satisfaction with Life Scale. The results indicate that 52.9% of bisexual participants and 41.2% of gay and lesbian participants presented a high suicide risk, compared with 15.6% of heterosexual participants. Individuals with a high suicide risk reported higher levels of hopelessness (p < 0.001), lower levels of life satisfaction (p < 0.001), and similar levels of spirituality. The proportion of variance explained in suicide risk was 42.8% among bisexual participants, 34.2% among gay and lesbian participants, and 29.9% among heterosexual participants. Hopelessness predicted a similar proportion of across groups (β = 0.446 in heterosexuals, β = 0.447 in gays and lesbians, and β = 0.457 in bisexuals). Life satisfaction showed a protective predictive effect, with β = −0.241 in bisexual participants, followed by gay and lesbian participants (β = −0.186) and heterosexual participants (β = −0.137). Spirituality was significant only among gay and lesbian participants (β = 0.133) and bisexual participants (β = 0.214). Sexual minority groups exhibited a higher risk of suicide, with life satisfaction—but not spirituality—acting as a protective factor.

10 March 2026

The current study aimed to investigate sleep problems in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) within a framework highlighting emotion regulation (ER), emotional intensity (EI), oppositional defiant symptoms, and internalizing symptoms. A total of 100 children with ADHD and 50 controls aged 6–14 were recruited from University Hospital, and were assessed with semi-structured interviews. Parents completed the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire, Conners’ Parent Rating Scale–Revised-Short, Emotion Regulation Scale for Children–Adult Form, and the Revised Children Anxiety and Depression Scale-Parent. Group comparisons, correlations, multiple regressions, and serial mediation models were conducted, adjusting for age, gender, and other covariates. After correction for multiple comparisons, sleep parameters and internalizing symptoms did not differ between groups. In the ADHD group, total sleep problems were correlated with ADHD and oppositional symptoms, EI, ER, and internalizing symptoms. Regression models indicated that internalizing symptoms predicted total sleep problems, while EI predicted night wakings. Across mediation models, internalizing symptoms consistently mediated associations between ADHD/oppositional symptoms and total sleep problems, with EI/ER contributing indirectly via internalization. Findings suggest that sleep problems related to ADHD are related to pathways of emotional distress, emphasizing the importance of assessing internalizing symptoms concurrently with behavioral/emotional processes during the evaluation of sleep problems.

10 March 2026

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access

While the previous literature identifies the compromise option as a potential coordination device, it remains unclear how varying degrees of payoff asymmetry affect its adoption. This study experimentally examines coordination behavior in a repeated battle-of-the-sexes (BOS) game with a compromise option across three distinct levels of payoff asymmetry. We implement three between-subjects treatments that vary the degree of payoff asymmetry in the original BOS game while fixing the payoff for the compromise option. Under a hybrid matching protocol, we find that when the payoff asymmetry is higher, more groups coordinate on the compromise option. While payoff asymmetry initially reduces the coordination rate, repeated interaction mitigates this effect through learning. The alternation strategy is shown to be more efficient than the compromise one, though both enhance fairness. Our results reveal how the degree of payoff asymmetry influences subjects’ strategy adoption between compromise and alternation.

10 March 2026

News & Conferences

Issues

Open for Submission

Editor's Choice

Reprints of Collections

Suicidal Behaviors
Reprint

Suicidal Behaviors

Prevention, Intervention and Postvention
Editors: Irene Caro-Cañizares, María Cantero-García, Eva Izquierdo-Sotorrío
Understanding Other Intentions
Reprint

Understanding Other Intentions

Merging Evidence on Theory of Mind across Various Research Areas
Editors: Ester Navarro
XFacebookLinkedIn
Behav. Sci. - ISSN 2076-328X