Search Results (152)

The mental health of children/adolescents is closely related to family functioning. However, there are factors that impair family functioning, such as parental psychopathology, parenting styles, and beliefs about physical punishment, which may require intervention by psychology and psychiatry. Given the lack of literature, the main objectives of this research are: to explore the association between parenting styles and the personality traits that constitute the Dark Triad, to analyze the association between beliefs about physical punishment and the personality traits that make up the Dark Triad, and to test the mediating effect of beliefs about physical punishment between the traits of the Dark Triad and parenting styles. The sample consisted of 290 parents of school-age children/adolescents between 7 and 16 years old, consisting of 231 female and 59 male participants. The main results suggest that Machiavellianism and narcissism are positively associated with authoritarian and permissive parenting styles and psychopathy with authoritarian; personality traits are associated with beliefs about physical punishment, and beliefs about physical punishment influence the relationship between the Dark Triad and parenting styles. In short, parental psychopathology seems to have an influence on the way parents educate their children and on their beliefs about physical punishment. Full article

Background: Personality traits, particularly those belonging to the Dark Triad (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy), may influence violent behavior and adaptation to the prison environment. Methods: The study included 250 male inmates from Bucharest-Jilava Penitentiary, aged between 20 and 67 years. The Emotional Stability Scale (IPIP), the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire, and the Short Dark Triad Scale (SD3) were administered. Statistical analyses included Pearson correlations, multiple linear regressions, and binary logistic regressions. Results: Emotional stability was negatively correlated with aggression (r = −0.48, p < 0.01). Psychopathy significantly predicted physical aggression (t = 11.96, p < 0.001) and anger (t = 9.53, p < 0.001), whereas Machiavellianism predicted verbal aggression (t = 3.14, p = 0.002) and hostility (t = 4.73, p < 0.001). Higher levels of physical aggression were associated with a lower likelihood of participation in educational activities (Exp(B) = 0.93, p = 0.032). Conclusions: The influence of Dark Triad traits on aggression is differentiated, with psychopathy exerting the strongest effect. Low emotional stability increases vulnerability to hostile behaviors. These findings support the need for multidimensional psychological assessments and tailored intervention programs designed to enhance violent offenders’ engagement in educational activities aimed at impulse control and empathy development within the prison environment. Full article

Purpose of Review—sleep disturbance is the main complaint associated with patients who suffer acute postoperative pain. Sleep disturbance may also increase the pain sensitivity and contribute to the development and maintenance of chronic pain. The pathophysiology of pain is complex; management of perioperative pain and preventing chronic pain are challenges in clinical. Use of opioids for pain management are still a therapeutic mainstay and generally safe when taken, in a short time, for severe postoperative pain relief. For long-term use tolerance may be developed, and for their euphoric property, addiction, overdose incidents, and even death may be the social problems. Therefore, the opioid-sparing multimodal analgesia (MMA) for pain management is recommended in current postoperative pain management. The successful MMA for pain management will enhance patient recovery after surgery with less chronic CPSP and long-term opioid use disorder (OUD). The present review discusses all currently used analgesics actions and interactions, and opioid-sparing or opioid-free analgesia in perioperative pain management. Acute pain following major trauma or surgery may originate from both nociceptive and neuropathic mechanisms. Approximately 10–50% of surgical patients develop chronic postoperative pain, which not only causes persistent discomfort but also leads to functional limitations and psychological distress. Growing evidence highlights a close and bidirectional relationship between sleep and pain: pain disrupts sleep architecture, while sleep deprivation intensifies pain sensitivity and impairs recovery. This reciprocal interaction forms a vicious cycle that poses challenges for effective pain management. Melatonin—a neurohormone secreted by the pineal gland—plays a crucial role in regulating circadian rhythm and sleep–wake cycles. Beyond its chronobiotic action, melatonin exhibits anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and opioid-sparing properties. Recent preclinical studies have demonstrated that exogenous melatonin can attenuate nociceptive responses to noxious stimuli and enhance morphine analgesia while attenuating morphine tolerance. Moreover, environmental light manipulation preserving the circadian rhythm has been shown to synergistically maintain melatonin secretion, improve sleep quality, and modulate neuroimmune responses involved in pain regulation. Together, these findings suggest that circadian alignment and melatonin supplementation may represent a promising integrative approach for improving both pain control and sleep health in perioperative and chronic pain conditions. Chronic pain patients frequently experience opioid tolerance during long-term therapy, resulting in diminished analgesic efficacy and a need for escalating doses. Our recent work revealed that constant light exposure suppresses endogenous melatonin, heightens pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β), reduces IL-10, and accelerates morphine tolerance in a neuropathic pain model. In contrast, maintaining circadian light–dark cycles or supplementing melatonin preserves melatonin rhythm, reduces glial activation, and sustains morphine antinociception. Melatonin’s co-administration not only attenuates morphine tolerance but also enhances morphine efficacy through the modulation of inflammatory and glial pathways. These findings underscore melatonin’s multifaceted role as both a chronotherapeutic and neuroprotective agent, integrating circadian regulation with pain modulation. Clinically, the application of melatonin or circadian-aligned strategies could guide personalized pain and sleep management, offering safer and more effective multimodal analgesic protocols with reduced opioid dependence and improved quality of life. Full article

In emergency scenarios where visibility is compromised, rapid and accurate object detection becomes critical. This study addresses this challenge by proposing an IoT-enabled robotic solution capable of operating in low-visibility environments, with a focus on supporting search and rescue missions through autonomous sensing and real-time data communication. This research presents the development and implementation of an IoT-based sensorized system designed to detect objects in low-visibility environments. The system aims to enhance search and rescue operations by identifying potential human presence in areas with limited access due to smoke, darkness, or hazardous conditions. The platform integrates distance sensors, a thermal camera (AMG8833), a PIR motion sensor, and wireless communication through the Arduino MKR1000 and ESP32-CAM boards. The mobile robot is equipped with obstacle avoidance, person detection, and IoT communication modules, allowing data to be sent to the cloud via ThingSpeak and enabling remote commands through TalkBack. A structured methodology was followed, including technology selection, hardware/software design, and testing under various lighting and opacity conditions. Experimental results showed the effectiveness of the system in identifying obstacles and detecting heat signatures representing human body, with optimal performance observed at a 15 cm detection threshold. The system demonstrated robust operation in simulated rescue environments, providing real-time data transmission and remote-control capabilities. Full article

In the big data era, understanding and influencing consumer behavior in digital marketing increasingly relies on large-scale data and AI-driven analytics. This narrative, concept-driven review examines how big data technologies and machine learning reshape consumer behavior analysis across key decision-making areas. After outlining the theoretical foundations of consumer behavior in digital settings and the main data and AI capabilities available to marketers, this paper discusses five application domains: personalized marketing and recommender systems, dynamic pricing, customer relationship management, data-driven product development and fraud detection. For each domain, it highlights how algorithmic models affect targeting, prediction, consumer experience and perceived fairness. This review then turns to synthetic data as a privacy-oriented way to support model development, experimentation and scenario analysis, and to dark data as a largely underused source of behavioral insight in the form of logs, service interactions and other unstructured records. A discussion section integrates these strands, outlines implications for digital marketing practice and identifies research needs related to validation, governance and consumer trust. Finally, this paper sketches future directions, including deeper integration of AI in real-time decision systems, increased use of edge computing, stronger consumer participation in data use, clearer ethical frameworks and exploratory work on quantum methods. Full article

Objectives: This study investigates empathy levels among the public safety personnel and their relationship with current selection indicators (morphological, neuromuscular, and psychological characteristics), highlighting the importance of the topic and its potential for further research. Methods: The research was conducted on a sample of 136 police and national security students. The cross-sectional design was applied. Empathy was assessed with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Basic morphological characteristics were measured with a portable stadiometer and the InBody 720 device. Neuromuscular characteristics were measured using a handgrip strength test with a sliding device that measures isometric finger flexor force. Psychological characteristics were assessed using the Big Five Plus Two, the Mental Toughness Index, and the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen questionnaires. Results: Numerous significant differences between female and male participants, as well as gender-specific correlation patterns, were revealed. Female participants expressed more fantasy (3.23 ± 1.05), empathic concern (3.71 ± 0.75), and personal distress (1.76 ± 0.67) than males (2.84 ± 0.84; 3.37 ± 0.71; 1.5 ± 0.53). Among them, negative correlations of psychological distress with conscientiousness (ρ = −0.66) and mental toughness (ρ = −0.59) stand out. Conclusions: This study indicates the possible existence of correlations between empathy, neuromuscular, morphological, and psychological characteristics in public safety personnel of both genders, with gender-specific patterns. Results indicate opportunities for further research aimed at improving the efficiency of the existing selection system. Full article

Self-construal refers to how individuals perceive themselves relative to others and includes dimensions of independence and interdependence. To understand antagonistic personality traits of Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, and sadism, we investigate how these four traits (the Antagonistic or Dark Tetrad) are predicted by independent and interdependent self-construal using self-report measures from 861 Canadian university students. Direct entry linear regression found that after accounting for age and gender, each antagonistic trait was significantly predicted by independent and interdependent self-construal. As the pattern of regression weights differ for self-construal dimensions, we conclude that self-construal differentially predicts the Antagonistic Tetrad. These results add to work examining how self-construal is related to the Antagonistic Triad by the addition of sadism and investigating the predictive ability of self-construal. Full article

Shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes) are widely consumed as a key health food in the Republic of Korea. However, they face declining production value and consumption, necessitating a shift from production-focused research to an understanding of consumer demand. The aim of this study was to quantify Korean consumers’ trade-offs among key shiitake attributes and to derive actionable marketing strategies to expand domestic consumption. We conducted an online survey (n = 500) to quantify consumer utility for four key attributes: cap size (two levels), cap color (two levels), origin (two levels: domestic (Korean) and imported (Chinese)), and price (four levels per 500 g). The results identified price as the most important attribute (relative importance = 46.41%), followed by origin (19.85%), cap color (17.10%), and cap size (16.64%). Utility analysis (part-worths) revealed a distinct dual preference: consumers value both low-priced shiitake (KRW 4000 (USD 2.9)/500 g) for personal consumption and high-priced options (KRW 13,000 (USD 9.5)/500 g) for gifting. Consumers showed a clear preference for dark-colored caps, while the aggregate-level utility difference between origin levels was small. A Logit model simulation indicated the highest predicted shares for profiles priced at KRW 13,000 (15.9%) and KRW 4000 (15.7%), consistent with a polarized value–premium structure. These findings indicate that Korean producers should adopt a dual strategy: developing low-cost products to stimulate general consumption while simultaneously marketing high-quality, dark-colored, domestically produced shiitake as premium gift items, thereby establishing effective food choice strategies in a competitive market. Although the empirical setting is the Republic of Korea (with ‘Chinese’ included only as an imported-origin level representing the main foreign competitor), the findings speak to broader specialty-food contexts where import competition and dual-purpose purchasing (everyday use vs. gifting) shape attribute trade-offs. Full article

Young people in residential care settings tend to present a heightened risk of emotional and behavioral problems. This study intended to explore connections between Dark Triad personality traits and psychological adjustment and to investigate potential sex and age differences in psychological adjustment and the expression of Dark Triad traits. Primary data were collected from a sample of 511 youth (279 girls and 232 boys) aged between 12 and 24 years, living in 46 Portuguese residential care institutions. Self-report questionnaires (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Short Dark Triad) were used to collect the primary data. Statistical methods were used such as analysis of variance, multivariate analysis of variance, and hierarchical regression analysis. Results showed that boys scored higher in all Dark Triad traits and in behavioral problems. Younger participants scored higher in Machiavellianism and Psychopathy, in emotional and behavioral problems, and in hyperactivity/inattention difficulties. These results could help institutional professionals and social policies assess and delineate individual programs. Full article

With an emphasis on organizational outcomes and emerging leadership approaches, this review assessed the major contributions of leadership research over the past two decades and explored the evolution of theoretical developments in the field. Following more than twenty years of scholarly attention to leadership models and typologies, the aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the literature on leadership theories and their associated organizational variables. An exploratory and complementary research design was adopted to address the gaps left by previous systematic literature reviews. The findings indicate that, when organizational-level constructs are examined in relation to widely studied leadership theories, several dominant frameworks emerge, including transformational, transactional, laissez-faire, ethical, authentic, ambidextrous, and self-leadership. The results suggest that nearly all major organizational constructs have been investigated in connection with leadership development. Variables such as performance, job satisfaction, and personality appear most frequently, whereas terms such as life satisfaction, performance appraisal, and workplace bullying appear less often. Notably, a key finding of this review is the identification of several leadership theories present in the broader literature but absent from the ranking or co-occurrence analysis. These overlooked theories include instrumental leadership, dark leadership, hybrid, digital or e-leadership, and participative leadership. Full article

The dark triads are a set of personality traits (subclinical narcissism, subclinical psychopathy, and Machiavellianism) aggregated due to their primarily socially aversive associations. However, recent work has suggested that some dimensions of these traits (e.g., narcissistic extraversion) may be adaptive in coping with psychopathology. Lesser researched are the dimensions of psychopathy and Machiavellianism in association with mental health and coping. The current study, therefore, examined the dimensions of all dark triad traits in association with psychopathology. Participants (N = 350) completed questions on dark triad factors, psychopathology, and coping. Data were analyzed using lasso regularized network analysis. The findings demonstrated that narcissistic extraversion and neuroticism could act positively and negatively, respectively, on depression through Machiavellian agency. Machiavellian agency also connected strongly and negatively to depression; however, centrality indices showed that this connection was not influential. Machiavellian agency instead acted as a bridge node to facilitate the indirect, negative connection from narcissistic extraversion and the positive connection from narcissistic neuroticism to depression. Machiavellian agency is often overlooked in dark triad research. Further research should be undertaken to understand the mechanisms by which Machiavellian agency interacts with narcissistic extraversion to protect against depression. Full article

Background/Objectives: Deception engages both emotional and cognitive processes, yet individual variability in these responses remains insufficiently understood. This study aimed to investigate how personality traits, perceived stress, and empathic distress shape psychophysiological and neurobiological responses during deception and emotional processing. Methods: Thirty healthy young adults completed a protocol combining a deception task with emotional stimulus exposure, while heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and electroencephalographic (EEG) activity were continuously recorded. Participants were characterized using measures of Dark Triad traits, perceived stress (PSS-10), and empathic distress. Results: The results showed increased HR and reduced HRV during deceptive responses, reflecting heightened cognitive effort and autonomic arousal. In contrast, morally or socially evaluative stimuli were associated with right-frontal EEG asymmetry, suggesting engagement of emotional regulation processes. Cluster analysis revealed distinct reactivity profiles: individuals with high stress and empathic distress exhibited amplified autonomic activation and reduced cortical inhibition, whereas those with higher Machiavellianism and psychopathy displayed attenuated HR/HRV modulation and stable EEG patterns, suggestive of emotional detachment and adaptive inhibition. These findings suggest that deception is a dynamic, context-dependent process influenced by individual personality traits and stress-regulation capacities. Conclusions: The study offers valuable insights into the psychophysiological mechanisms underlying deceptive behavior, with meaningful implications for both forensic and affective neuroscience. Full article

A significant body of research has documented the aggressive and antisocial tendencies of individuals with dark triad personality traits. Although the prevalence of dark personalities in online environments is often criticized, there is a need to explore effective strategies to mitigate or stop such behaviors. This study aims to shed light on the intriguing phenomenon of “Giants on the Internet, cowards in real life” by examining the longitudinal relationship between dark triad traits, bullying victimization, and cyberbullying. Study 1 revealed that adolescents tend to display heightened tendencies towards cyberbullying after experiencing real-life victimization. Study 2, on the other hand, showed a reduction in cyberbullying behaviors among those with dark triad traits following experiences of bullying. These findings highlight the paradoxical mechanisms underlying the relationship between bullying victimization, dark triad traits, and cyberbullying. Consequently, this study introduces the new label, “From Online Aggression to Offline Silence,” to describe this dynamic. Full article

Given the continued existence, personal success, and organizational damage of ‘bad’ leadership (e.g., with Bankman-Fried, Lay, Welch, Stonecipher), how do we—in academia—do more good than harm in studying and informing others about it? We address that question to improve leadership research more generally. We do so through a dialectic inquiry approach where we join current conversations about teaching and research related to the private benefits and the public costs produced by ‘bad’ leadership. As part of the dialectic, we offer a new model of the phenomenon—where ‘bad’ behaviors can be used to win a contest for leadership where the leader can then act badly or not. Furthermore, we inquire as to the efficacy of how the literature diagnoses ‘bad’ leadership (at either stage), suggests treatments, and attempts to impact practice. We ground our inquiry in two foundational definitions of ‘bad’-ness—one based on psychology’s dark triad, and one based on economics’ self-interest-seeking with guile agent. We critique a relevant, representative set of recent examples to make our points about the significant issues involved in the three elements, across two stages and two definitions. This antithesis-like critique provides the grounds for a set of synthesizing recommendations to improve leadership studies, in light of practical (and often unnecessarily self-imposed) constraints. Full article

Background: Menopause is associated with metabolic, sensory, and psychosocial changes that may reshape eating behaviours and nutrition-related quality of life. This study explored how women experience nutrition and chemosensory changes during menopause and how these intersect with identity, control, and social practices. Methods: We conducted online focus groups (Microsoft Teams) with women living in Ireland (n = 40; mean age 58.3 years (±4.5 years)) between January and March 2025. Discussions followed a semi-structured guide focused on taste/smell, appetite, food choice, and coping. Sessions were recorded, transcribed, anonymised, and analysed following Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Results: Four themes captured patterned meanings in the dataset: (1) Chemosensory Changes—reports of diminished taste, contrasted with heightened smell and selective intensification (sweetness), prompting compensatory behaviours (more salt/spice/strong coffee) and new aversions (e.g., cucumber, spicy dishes) alongside unexpected likes (e.g., dark chocolate); (2) Behavioural and Emotional Consequences—increased snacking, sugar/salt cravings, and perceived loss of satiety co-occurred with weight gain and altered body shape, undermining food pleasure and self-confidence; (3) Interacting Influences—affecting vasomotor symptoms, sleep disturbance, joint pain, and “brain fog” compounded dietary disruptions and social withdrawal (e.g., embarrassment about appetite, reduced desire to dine out); (4) Strategies for Wellbeing—women described medical approaches (HRT, prescribed medications) alongside food modifications and the importance of diagnosis, information, and peer/professional support. Conclusions: Menopause reshapes sensory perception and eating behaviour in complex, individualised ways that extend beyond biology to identity and social life. Nutrition care should integrate symptom management with person-centred strategies and improved access to evidence-based information, diagnosis, and support networks. Full article