Search Results (420)

Experiencing the forest landscape in its natural state is one of the factors that positively affect people, especially younger generations exposed to stress. The study assessed the impact of listening to nature sounds and observing forest landscapes on the mood and well-being of young adults exposed to a real forest environment. The experiment consisted of two sessions, allowing us to compare the regenerative effects of observing the forest with full engagement of the senses of sight and hearing, and by listening exclusively to the sounds of nature (birdsong, rustling leaves). The relaxation benefits were compared using psychological tests, including the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), Profile of Mood States (POMS), Restorative Outcome Scale (ROS), and Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS), administered before and after each exposure. The study involved 31 volunteers from Warsaw, the Polish capital (17 women and 14 men, with an average age of 25). A significant improvement in mood (as measured by the POMS) was observed, particularly through a reduction in Anger and Confusion. Both sessions (with and without a blindfold) significantly reduced negative affect (PANAS Negative) and increased restorative outcomes (ROS). However, no significant differences were found between full immersion (sight and hearing) and auditory-only exposure, suggesting that the acoustic layer of the forest environment plays a dominant role in the short-term psychological regeneration of young adults. In summary, these results suggest that both forms of exposure to nature have a relaxing effect on humans. However, full immersion, which involves being in the forest and viewing it, combined with listening to the sounds of nature, provides by far the most benefits for improving the well-being and mood of forest visitors. Full article

The present study investigated the stress-reducing effect of emotional management (EM) for teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adopting the conservation of resources (COR) theory perspective, we employed a stratified random sampling design to conduct a survey of elementary school teachers in Taiwan with 211 valid responses. Questionnaires were used to assess EM, psychological capital (PsyCap), and perceived work stress. The moderated regression analysis indicated that EM was negatively related to perceived work stress, suggesting that teachers with better emotional management competencies experienced lower levels of work stress during COVID-19. Furthermore, we found a significant interaction between EM and PsyCap on perceived work stress. The interaction was significant for the overall PsyCap and all four components, namely, self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience. Although the simple slope test was not significant for hope, the pattern of interaction was consistent. Specifically, teachers with higher EM perceived lower work stress when they had higher overall PsyCap, self-efficacy, optimism, and resilience. These findings offer evidence to support the COR proposition, showing that PsyCap amplifies the benefit of EM and works together in alleviating teaching stress during the height of the pandemic. The present study contributes to theoretical development by integrating the EM and PsyCap research under a unified theoretical framework of COR. Our finding that teachers with an abundance of resources fared the best under stress also informs the practical training programs to foster teachers’ EM and PsyCap as personal resources for adaptive coping and thriving. Full article

Teacher turnover and talent retention are dire issues for many education systems across the globe. Utilizing the Four-Capital Framework, this study explores how teachers’ four capitals (i.e., human, social, structural, and psychological) influence their turnover intentions. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design, involving 1010 in-service teachers from public and private schools in Qatar. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using SPSS software. The findings indicate that teachers in Qatar perceived high levels of human, social, and psychological capital, though structural capital is lowest, and turnover intentions are moderate. Higher turnover intentions were identified among female and Qatari national teachers, compared to their counterparts. The structural capital showed the strongest negative relationship to turnover intentions. However, a “competency paradox” was discovered, where teachers with stronger human capital reported higher turnover intentions. From a policymaking perspective, these findings suggest that institutional support structures may play a stronger role in retention than individual professional capacity alone. Future initiatives should focus on enhancing institutional frameworks to ensure that high human capital translates into long-term professional commitment rather than attrition. Full article

As China’s urban renewal shifts comprehensively toward stock optimisation, everyday micro spaces in high-density old districts have emerged as critical yet underexplored carriers for rebuilding grassroots social capital. However, existing research remains largely confined to static assessments of physical form, lacking systematic insight into the process-based evolution of micro spaces and their governance implications. The aim of this study is to develop a process-based analytical framework that explains how everyday micro spaces emerge, evolve, and stabilise in high-density old urban districts, and to translate that explanation into stage- and type-differentiated governance pathways. Drawing on purposive sampling observation of over 170 micro spaces and snowball-sampled in-depth interviews with 45 residents in Xi’an’s walled historic district, this study employs thematic analysis to examine micro space formation, activation, and governance dynamics. A three-dimensional analytical framework of “Spatial Type–Perceived Need–Life Cycle” is constructed, classifying micro spaces into three categories, identifying a three-tier, nine-level perceived needs spectrum, and tracing a five-stage evolutionary process of Discovery–Activity–Renovation–Management–Identity. The findings reveal that residents’ spontaneous practices and psychological ownership formation are the core endogenous drivers of micro space evolution. The primary structural constraints are ambiguous property rights, institutional vacuums, and a structural rupture at the Renovation-to-Management transition, which we conceptualise as the “high-risk window period”. This study proposes a full life-cycle adaptive governance paradigm. Through phased, type-differentiated interventions, it matches governance supply to the evolving demands of each stage. The paradigm offers both theoretical and practical guidance for stimulating the endogenous vitality of everyday micro spaces in old urban districts. Full article

Background/Objectives: South Korea became a super-aged society in 2024, and this demographic shift is unfolding alongside the depopulation of rural municipalities across the country. How spatial inequality and community social capital jointly relate to elderly health—and whether those relationships look different for younger versus older elderly—remains an open question. We investigated associations between two dimensions of community social capital (sense of belonging and neighbor communication), subjective perception of capital–provincial inequality, and self-rated health among Korean elderly, with separate analyses for the Young-Old (aged 60–69) and Old-Old (aged 70+). Methods: We used the 2024 Social Integration Survey from the Korea Institute of Public Administration (full sample N = 2588; elderly subsample N = 1020). Random intercept hierarchical linear models accounted for the nesting of individuals within 17 metropolitan cities and provinces. Stepwise models examined social capital antecedents, a healthcare satisfaction indirect association pathway, and the direct association of spatial inequality perception with health. The elderly subsample was stratified into Young-Old (N = 289) and Old-Old (N = 731). A mixed-effects ordered logistic regression with Liang–Zeger cluster-robust standard errors was estimated as a robustness check. Results: Sense of belonging was positively associated with subjective health among the elderly (B = 0.065, p < 0.05) as a net of rurality and socioeconomic controls. Perceived spatial inequality showed a negative association (B = −0.070, p < 0.05). The indirect association pathway through healthcare satisfaction was not supported (Sobel Z = −1.458, p = 0.144). Age-stratified models revealed a striking split: belonging was the dominant predictor for the Young-Old (B = 0.149, p < 0.01), while neighbor communication (B = 0.078, p < 0.05) and spatial inequality perception (B = −0.092, p < 0.01) were significant only among the Old-Old. The ordered logistic robustness check confirmed the negative association of perceived spatial inequality across all specifications. Conclusions: What predicts health in the younger elderly is not what predicts health in the older elderly. Korea’s Integrated Community Care Act, set for nationwide rollout in 2026, should account for this divergence—prioritizing psychological community attachment for the Young-Old and face-to-face social contact combined with regional equity for the Old-Old. Full article

This study investigates the determinants of farmers’ intention to convert to organic farming, focusing on the role of perceived territorial capital in rural Paraguay. Despite increasing demand for sustainable agricultural systems, the adoption of organic farming remains uneven, particularly in developing countries. Existing literature has mainly examined economic, socio-demographic, and psychological factors, while the role of territorial context has received less attention. The analysis relies on primary data collected through a structured survey of 167 conventional farmers across four Paraguayan departments. A logistic regression model is used to evaluate the effect of different dimensions of territorial capital—environmental, institutional, economic, and infrastructural—together with socio-economic and organisational characteristics, on farmers’ intention to convert within the next five years. The results indicate that perceived environmental capital significantly increases the probability of conversion intention (AME = 0.097, p < 0.05), while social capital, proxied by cooperative membership, raises it by 17.5 percentage points (p < 0.05). In contrast, perceived institutional capital shows a negative association (AME = −0.059, p < 0.10), and market orientation toward local markets reduces the probability of conversion (AME = −0.314, p < 0.05). Economic and infrastructural factors are not statistically significant. Overall, the study contributes by incorporating a territorial perspective into the analysis of adoption intentions and underlines the importance of strengthening environmental resources and social networks to support agro-ecological transitions. Full article

This study examines the determinants of entrepreneurial intention among students from a Romanian economics faculty. Based on the empirical findings, the paper proposes a Filtered Entrepreneurial Intent Model. Although the traditional literature supports a linear relationship between creativity and intention, the regression analysis in this research identifies a series of psychological paradoxes and barriers. The methodology combines exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to build psychological dimensions with binomial logistic regression to test hypotheses on a sample of 237 students. The empirical results directly demonstrate that self-efficacy and resilience are positive predictors, while counterintuitive negative correlations are found for proactivity and innovation. A key statistical finding is that financial risk-taking acts as a significant moderator: innovation acts as a catalyst for intent only when a student’s risk tolerance threshold is exceeded. Data also show a significant impact of inherited windfall capital, which serves as a structural factor surpassing personality traits. Conceptually, the study interprets these findings by proposing that the intention-behaviour gap is governed by a filtration process. The study concludes by offering practical recommendations for academic decision-makers to recalibrate programmes beyond merely stimulating creativity, addressing the psychological and structural filters identified. Full article

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, fever clinic nurses under closed-loop management faced high occupational stress and strict isolation, which may impair sleep quality. However, evidence in this population remains limited. This study investigated the sleep quality of fever clinic nurses during closed-loop COVID-19 management and identified associated factors. Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design approach was employed. Quantitative data were collected using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Nurses’ Psychological Capital Scale from 33 front-line nurses, acknowledging the limited sample size. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with six nurses to provide qualitative insights. Results: The mean PSQI score was 8.16 ± 4.25, indicating moderate sleep disturbances among nurses. Factors associated with sleep quality included demographic and occupational factors (e.g., night shifts, work pressure) and psychological capital (self-efficacy, resilience, hope, and optimism). Qualitative analysis identified three themes: the impact of personal circumstances on sleep quality, psychological pressures during closed-loop management, and the role of self-regulation in coping. Conclusions: During the closed-loop management for COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control, the sleep quality of nurses in fever clinics was poor. This study identified personal circumstances, work pressure, and psychological capital as potential factors associated with sleep quality, suggesting that further research is needed to develop and test targeted interventions. These findings provide preliminary evidence that may inform future management strategies, but do not support definitive intervention recommendations. Full article

This study examined the mediating role of negative stress in the relationship between Psychological Capital (PsyCap) and psychological distress indicators among Ecuadorian university students. PsyCap was conceptualized as a higher-order construct composed of hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1732 university students (55% women; M = 20.44, SD = 2.29) from three Ecuadorian universities using validated self-report measures. Structural equation modeling supported the proposed mediational model and demonstrated an adequate fit to the data, χ²(367) = 1732, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.972, TLI = 0.969, RMSEA = 0.061 (90% CI [0.058, 0.063]), and SRMR = 0.041. PsyCap showed a significant negative association with negative stress (β = −0.311, p < 0.001). In turn, negative stress was positively associated with anxiety–depression symptoms (β = 0.785, p < 0.001) and psychological inflexibility (β = 0.774, p < 0.001). Mediation analyses revealed significant indirect effects of PsyCap on anxiety–depression (β = −0.244, p < 0.001) and psychological inflexibility (β = −0.241, p < 0.001) through negative stress. Direct effects remained significant but smaller in magnitude (β = −0.131 and β = −0.107, respectively), supporting a partial mediation model. The model explained 69.7% of the variance in anxiety–depression and 66.3% of the variance in psychological inflexibility. These findings suggest that PsyCap functions primarily as a protective psychological resource through its capacity to reduce maladaptive stress responses, which subsequently influence broader transdiagnostic indicators of psychological distress. The study highlights the relevance of integrating strengths-based approaches and stress-reduction strategies in university mental health interventions. Furthermore, it provides empirical evidence from a Latin American context, contributing to the understanding of mechanisms linking positive psychological resources and mental health among university students. Full article

Objective: The aim of the study was to devise and validate a new questionnaire—Psycho-Vox—for diagnosis of muscle tension dysphonia and develop normative data for Polish-speaking adults. The tool was designed to measure 10 key psychological and social dimensions that have a bearing on functional voice disorders (FVDs), namely perseverance, coping with stress style (task-oriented or avoiding-oriented), mental well-being, resilience, burnout, family and social relationships, and tendency to project a positive self-image, tendency to exaggerate symptoms. Methods: The validation study involved 164 participants (46.3% were patients with muscle tension dysphonia and 53.7% were in good health; 92.7% were women). Their ages ranged from 18 to 76 years (M = 40.2; SD = 13.1). The Psycho-Vox questionnaire comprised 80 items, which participants rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Construct validity was tested using factor analysis with principal component rotation and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was determined using Cronbach’s α, and linguistic comprehension was assessed using the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES, Polish version) and the Jasnopis indicator. Sten norms were developed for the entire sample. Results: Factor analysis confirmed the 10-factor structure of the questionnaire, consistent with theoretical assumptions (KMO = 0.734; χ²(3160) = 8643.41; p < 0.001), with 89.2% classification agreement. Cronbach’s α for individual scales ranged from 0.705 to 0.837, confirming high internal reliability. The results of the FRES and Jasnopis tests indicate that the tool is understandable to adults with secondary or higher education. Significant differences were found between the patient group and the control group in terms of family relationships (p < 0.001), social capital (p = 0.003), mental well-being (p = 0.007), tendency to project a positive self-image (p = 0.004), and tendency to exaggerate symptoms (p = 0.005). A logistic regression model (χ²(10) = 62.27; p < 0.001; Hosmer–Lemeshow χ²(8) = 5.00; p = 0.757) showed that belonging to the patient group was positively associated with higher scores on the scales of family relationships, mental resilience, mental well-being, tendency to project a positive self-image, and symptom exaggeration, while negatively associated with perseverance and task-oriented coping with stress. The classification accuracy of the model was 73.2%. Sten norms were developed for all diagnostic scales. Conclusions: The Psycho-Vox questionnaire is characterised by good construct validity, high reliability, and practical clinical usefulness. The tool can be used in the differential diagnosis of muscle tension dysphonia and in monitoring the progress of treatment and rehabilitation. Full article

Building a sustainable workplace necessitates a fundamental commitment to employee safety and psychological well-being, particularly in high-risk sectors like construction. While individual unsafe behavior is a primary cause of accidents, the psychological mechanisms linking organizational practices to safety outcomes remain underexplored from an industrial-organizational psychology perspective. This study examines the relationship between safety ritual sense (a psychological outcome of socio-affective organizational practices) and the safety behavior of construction workers, with safety psychological capital (a positive psychological resource) tested as a mediator. Data were collected via questionnaire surveys from 444 construction employees in China and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results confirm a significant positive correlation between safety ritual sense and safety behavior. Furthermore, safety psychological capital significantly partially mediates this relationship, with its four dimensions—confidence, optimism, hope, and resilience—each playing distinct mediating roles. This research elucidates a critical psychological pathway through which ritualized organizational practices enhance safety performance. It provides empirical evidence that fostering safety rituals to cultivate employees’ psychological capital is an effective industrial-organizational psychology intervention, contributing directly to the development of safer, healthier, and more sustainable modern workplaces. Full article

This study examines the relationships among paradoxical leadership, positive psychological capital, promotive voice, and job crafting. This study proposes and tests a mediation framework in which positive psychological capital and promotive voice link paradoxical leadership to job crafting. Higher levels of positive psychological capital, comprising hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism, in turn stimulate promotive voice, which encourages employees to proactively reshape their jobs. Paradoxical leadership and job crafting are conceptually connected through their shared emphasis on navigating complexity, flexibility, and proactive adaptation in contemporary organizations. Empirical evidence indicates that paradoxical leadership is positively associated with positive psychological capital and job crafting, and that both positive psychological capital and promotive voice independently mediate the relationship between paradoxical leadership and job crafting. These findings reveal that paradoxical leadership is linked to job crafting not only by strengthening employees’ internal psychological resources but also by encouraging proactive voice behavior. Therefore, investigating the relationship between paradoxical leadership and job crafting not only advances leadership, but also offers actionable insights for organizations seeking to enhance flexibility, innovation, and sustainable performance through leadership practices that empower employees to actively craft their jobs. Full article

The transition to a low-carbon economy is the cornerstone of global sustainability, requiring high-emission enterprises to shift from carbon-intensive production to genuine green innovation. However, this study uncovers a significant structural impediment to this transition: the “defensive greenwashing” response to climate stress. Focusing on listed companies in China’s high-emission industries (2009–2024), we employ a Debiased Machine Learning (DML) framework and Causal Forest analysis to capture the non-linear impacts of multi-dimensional climate risks. Our findings reveal a robust “threshold-trigger” mechanism: once climate pressures—whether physical shocks or policy-induced transition risks—exceed corporate endurance levels, firms aggressively pivot toward strategic “information arbitrage” rather than substantive decarbonization. We identify a profound “capability paradox” in sustainability governance, where firms with higher digital maturity and resource slack leverage their technical prowess to “calibrate” sophisticated narratives, thereby widening the monitoring gap and distorting green asset pricing. Furthermore, CEO risk preference acts as a psychological accelerator, amplifying strategic decoupling, particularly under transition-risk-induced uncertainty. By demonstrating how climate stress inadvertently incentivizes symbolic compliance over sustainable transformation, this research offers critical micro-level insights for policymakers. These findings are vital for refining sustainability oversight and ensuring that capital allocation fosters a resilient, equitable transition toward true ecological and economic decoupling. Full article

This study investigates the relationship between employees’ task-oriented and social-oriented use of enterprise social media (ESM) and their innovation performance through the accumulation of employees’ social, human, and psychological capital. Integrating Self-Determination Theory and Social Learning Theory, we propose a multiple-mediation framework in which ESM serves as a resource-building infrastructure that supports innovation indirectly by strengthening employee capital. We test the model using survey data from 613 employees in Chinese knowledge-intensive enterprises. Results show that both ESM use orientations are positively associated with all three forms of capital; however, neither orientation has a significant direct effect on innovative performance once the capitals are included. Instead, the ESM–innovation link is transmitted through these capitals, indicating an indirect-only mediation pattern. We further find that empowering leadership amplifies the extent to which human and psychological capital translate into innovative performance, whereas its moderation on the social capital–innovation relationship is comparatively weak. Overall, the findings position ESM as a digital infrastructure that enables a multi-capital pathway to employee innovation in contemporary work settings. Full article

Psychological capital (PsyCap), encompassing hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism, has established itself as a key psychological resource for individuals. However, research in this field remains fragmented, which limits a comprehensive understanding of its role in the psychological mechanisms underlying entrepreneurial behavior, particularly in terms of motivation, coping with stress, and resilience in the face of uncertainty. This study aims to examine and organize the intellectual landscape of PsyCap. A scoping review of 215 articles indexed in Scopus and Web of Science over nearly two decades was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR, using a co-thematic analysis based on text mining techniques. The results reveal a three-phase evolution of the field (emergence, growth, and maturity), built around individual functioning, entrepreneurial cognitions and attitudes, and psychosocial resources. The analysis also highlights unequal access to and use of PsyCap across contexts, as well as differences related to the specific characteristics of the populations studied, shedding light on underexplored groups such as women, refugees, rural and social entrepreneurs, migrants, and entrepreneurs with disabilities. These findings contribute to advancing knowledge in entrepreneurial psychology and offer a detailed analysis of future research avenues, including emerging research questions, methodological approaches, and theoretical interdisciplinary perspectives. Full article