Frontiers in Psychology最新文献

Background: Enrolled medical undergraduates face high exam competition and stress, reducing life quality, well-being, learning abilities and health; supporting their exam stress management is critical. This study used a 2-h forest bathing intervention to alleviate their exam-related stress.

Methods: One week prior to the intervention, 160 students were recruited via university bulletin boards; eligibility screening, defined by a State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State score >40, was administered 1 day before the 2-h sensory exposure. Ultimately, 60 final-examination-preparing medical undergraduates (male:female = 7:53) were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 30 per group). Analyses focused on oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), physiological functions, and psychological changes under specific tasks.

Results: Forest environments characterized by lower noise levels, and higher negative air ion concentrations-with a comfort index of 0.971-1.368 (vs. 2.221-3.647 in urban areas) and negative oxygen ion concentrations of 1,000-1,200 ions/cm³ (vs. 400-500 ions/cm³ in urban areas). For the PFC region, forest group had significantly greater oxy-Hb reduction during the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) [t(29) = 3.038, p = 0.005]. At the channel-specific level, forest group had decreased oxy-Hb in the left PFC and bilateral Frontopolar Area during the TSST, while the urban group exhibited increased oxy-Hb in the right PFC during the MT. No between-group oxy-Hb differences were observed in the Stroop task or rumination task. Forest group showed lower heart rate [F(1,57) = 4.227, p = 0.044], salivary cortisol [F(1,57) = 4.590, p = 0.036], higher Nature Connection Scale [F(1,57) = 4.822, p = 0.032], Digit Span Backward Test [F(1,57) = 6.164, p = 0.016], Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores [F(1,57) = 12.040, p < 0.001], lower Rumination-Reflection Questionnaire [F(1,57) = 11.318, p = 0.001]/Perceived Stress Scale scores [F(1,57) = 6.076, p = 0.017], 56.7% positive facial expressions (U = 263.000, n = 60, p = 0.002), and elevated positive affect [Profile of Mood States: F(1,57) = 17.063, p < 0.001].

Conclusion: Short-term forest bathing reduces physiological stress markers, enhances nature connectedness/positive emotions, alleviates stress via modified cerebral blood flow, and improves memory and reduce cognitive fatigue to a certain extent. As a low-cost, easy-to-implement strategy, it is may recommended for enrolled medical undergraduates' mental health curricula to build sustainable stress management.

This study examines the factors driving pro-environmental behavior by focusing on energy-saving, waste sorting, and reducing single-use plastics. Utilizing 380 participants' survey data from China and Pakistan, our study considers the Theory of Planned Behavior to examine attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and climate change concern in shaping environmental intentions. Employing a structural equation modeling, we find that intentions related to climate change were positive and significantly associated with all three targeted behaviors, i.e., energy saving, waste sorting, and single-use plastic behavior. Across both countries, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and climate change concern are significant predictors of pro-environmental intention. Country-specific analysis reveals that attitudes and climate change concern in China significantly predict environmental intention, whereas in Pakistan, environmental intentions significantly predict single-use plastic use behavior. Moderation analysis shows that climate change concern did not significantly moderate the relation between intention to take climate action and waste sorting behavior for China, whereas it substantially moderates for Pakistan. However, single-use plastic reduction and climate change concern significantly moderate the relationship between intention and climate change concern and single-use plastic reduction for both countries. The findings highlight the evolving adoption of eco-friendly practices and emphasize the need for environmental policies to enhance pro-environmental behavior.

Introduction: In clinical settings, adapted physical activity (APA) is increasingly prescribed to older adults with chronic conditions, yet adherence remains low and motivational readiness varies widely at the time of prescription. While the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) describes stages of change for health behaviors, less is known about how motivational stage relates to broader psychological dimensions relevant to healthy aging, such as self-care behaviors, engagement in healthy aging promotion, and psychological distress.

Methods: A cross-sectional study within the Age.it Project was conducted with 74 older adults (mean age ≈ 70.82 years) attending outpatient clinics at the University Hospital Federico II and prescribed APA. Motivational stage was assessed through the MAC2-R AF. Self-care behaviors were measured with the Self-Care Inventory; Engagement in healthy aging promotion with the EHAP-S; Psychological distress with the K10. Group differences across motivational stages were tested using Kruskal-Wallis analyses with Dunn-Bonferroni post-hoc comparisons and epsilon squared effect sizes.

Results: Most participants were classified in Contemplation (59.5%), followed by Determination (23%) and Precontemplation (17.6%). No participants were in Action or Maintenance stages. Motivational stage was significantly associated with self-care monitoring, engagement, and distress, with large effects. Contemplation showed higher self-care monitoring and higher distress, alongside lower engagement. Engagement was higher in Precontemplation and Determination compared to Contemplation, whereas distress increased progressively from Precontemplation to Determination.

Discussion: Findings suggest distinct, non-linear psychological configurations within the motivational stages at the time of APA prescription. Contemplation emerges as a vulnerable phase characterized by symptom surveillance and emotional burden without engagement in healthy aging promotion; Determination combines higher engagement with heightened distress; Precontemplation may reflect stable self-care routines and low distress but potential resistance to integrating exercise into self-care identity. Integrating motivational stage assessment with psychological-clinical indicators may support more personalized, motivated, and sustainable APA prescriptions for older adults.

Background: This study amid to explore the relationship between cyberbullying perpetration and depression among adolescents in a western city of China. And verify the mediating role of self-control and Internet gaming addiction and the moderating role of meaning in life.

Methods: A total of 8,209 adolescents were recruited through random sampling and cluster random sampling. Analyze the correlations among cyberbullying perpetration, self-control, Internet gaming addiction, meaning in life and depression. Mediation analyses were conducted to assess direct and indirect effects of cyberbullying perpetration on depression via self-control and Internet gaming addiction. Moderation analysis examined the direction of the moderating effect of meaning in life on the relationship between cyberbullying perpetration and self-control.

Results: (1) There was a significant correlation between cyberbullying perpetration, self-control, Internet gaming addiction, meaning in life and depression. (2) Self-control and Internet gaming addiction played a significant partial mediating role in the relationship between cyberbullying perpetration and depression. The mediating effect consists of three indirect effects: Cyberbullying perpetration → self-control → depression (the mediating effect value is 0.159, p < 0.001), Cyberbullying perpetration → Internet gaming addiction → depression (the mediating effect value is 0.18, p < 0.001), and Cyberbullying perpetration → self-control → Internet gaming addiction → depression (the mediating effect value is 0.029, p < 0.001). (3) The interaction between cyberbullying perpetration and self-control was significant (β = -0.023, 95%CI -0.03 to -0.015, p < 0.01). Meaning in life plays a moderating role between cyberbullying perpetration and self-control. The stronger the meaning in life, the more obvious the negative effect of cyberbullying perpetration on self-control.

Conclusion: (1) The research results indicate that cyberbullying perpetration is associated with higher symptoms of depression in adolescents. This association can occur directly or indirectly through reduced self-control and increased addiction to Internet gaming. (2) Adolescents with a stronger sense of meaning in life show a more pronounced decline in self-control after engaging in cyberbullying.

Introduction: This study integrates the "Stress and Coping" theory with the "Ordinary Magic" model to propose a sequential "challenge appraisal -resource gain -cognitive resilience" framework. The framework aims to elucidate the psychological adaptation processes contributing to athletes' cognitive resilience in high-temperature environments. The study specifically explores the mediating role of challenge appraisal in the relationship between psychological resources and cognitive resilience, as well as the moderating effect of team support on this relationship.

Methods: Data were collected from 240 professional athletes via a questionnaire-based survey, capturing multidimensional psychological and contextual variables. The analysis utilized structural equation modeling (SEM), latent profile analysis (LPA), and moderated effect testing to assess the proposed mediation, heterogeneity, and moderation pathways.

Results: Findings reveal that cognitive resilience in high-temperature environments is a dynamic process influenced by cognitive reappraisal and resource coupling. The study demonstrates that challenge appraisal mediates the relationship between psychological resources and cognitive resilience, with team support acting as a moderating factor.

Discussion: These results provide empirical support for targeted psychological interventions and the development of team-support systems in sports involving thermal stress. Additionally, the findings offer a theoretical advancement in sports psychology by transitioning from a static trait-oriented approach to a more dynamic "individual-context" interaction paradigm. This shift highlights the complex nature of psychological adaptation mechanisms in extreme environments.

The transition from higher education into employment has become more demanding for graduates as economic conditions increase uncertainty surrounding early career opportunities. To examine how psychological resources operate under such conditions, this study empirically tests the relationships among emotional resilience, well-being, labor market uncertainty, and employability using established multidimensional measures. The results indicate that emotional resilience is positively associated with employability, both through a direct pathway and through an indirect pathway operating via well-being. Specifically, higher levels of emotional resilience correspond to stronger well-being, which in turn relates to greater career adaptability, motivation, and confidence. The analysis further shows that labor market uncertainty conditions these relationships. When perceived uncertainty is higher, the positive association between emotional resilience and well-being is reduced, and the link between emotional resilience and employability is correspondingly weakened. This pattern suggests that the effectiveness of psychological resources is contingent on the stability of the external employment environment. Additional analyses using alternative model specifications yield consistent results, supporting the reliability of the observed relationships. Taken together, the findings indicate that employability is not solely determined by individual psychological strengths, but emerges from their interaction with labor market conditions. This underscores the importance of institutional efforts that simultaneously foster students' emotional resilience and well-being while reducing informational ambiguity during the school-to-work transition through clearer guidance and structured support mechanisms.

Introduction: Managing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in older adults is challenging, particularly when complicated by fear of hypoglycemia and frailty, both of which can undermine self-efficacy, a key determinant of effective disease control.

Aim: To examine the influence of fear of hypoglycemia and frailty on self-efficacy in diabetes management among older adults with T2DM.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at diabetic clinics, with 300 adults aged ≥ 60 years using convenience sampling. Validated tools included the Fear of Hypoglycemia Screener, Chinese Frailty Screening Scale, and Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale.

Results: Mean scores for fear of hypoglycemia, frailty, and self-efficacy were 36.13 ± 7.70, 12.93 ± 2.28, and 19.95 ± 3.33, respectively. Fear of hypoglycemia correlated positively with frailty (r = 0.277, p < 0.01) and negatively with self-efficacy (r = -0.270, p < 0.01). Frailty also showed a moderate negative correlation with self-efficacy (r = -0.454, p < 0.01). Regression analysis identified higher fear of hypoglycemia and frailty scores predicted lower self-efficacy (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Interventions addressing fear of hypoglycemia and frailty are essential to enhance self-efficacy and improve diabetes self-management in older adults.

This study investigates how mathematical mindsets evolve in response to targeted pedagogical intervention, with a particular focus on disciplinary background. Drawing on data from a pre-post experimental design, we analyzed multiple dimensions of students' mathematical mindset and achievement across distinct academic majors, also considering gender. While overall group-level changes were limited, dimension-specific improvements-particularly in attitudes toward mistakes and foundational skills-were observed. Engineering and Technology students consistently outperformed peers in all mindset dimensions, with the most pronounced gains in growth orientation and problem-solving strategies. Gender effects were comparatively minor and often embedded within disciplinary trends. Correlational and regression analyses revealed only a weak and gender-dependent link between mindset and achievement. These findings challenge the assumption of uniform mindset malleability and highlight the need for context-aware, discipline-sensitive interventions. Mathematical mindsets are not monolithic but structured and mediated by educational background, suggesting that future efforts to foster productive mindsets should be differentiated by academic context and target specific belief dimensions.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the associations between parental academic achievement pressure, parental academic achievement support, school climate, and hikikomori tendency among high school students.

Methods: Employing a quantitative method with a predictive correlational design, the study was conducted with a sample of 404 high school students in Istanbul during the 2023-2024 academic year. Data were collected using the Socio-Demographic Information Form, the 25-item Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-25), the Parents' Academic Achievement Pressure and Support Scale, and the School Climate Questionnaire-High School Form. Correlation analyses and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships among the study variables.

Results: Correlation analyses indicated a significant positive association between hikikomori tendency and parental academic achievement pressure (r = 0.237, p < 0.01), as well as significant negative associations with parental academic achievement support (r = -0.345, p < 0.01) and school climate (r = -0.262, p < 0.01). Multiple regression analyses showed that parental academic achievement support and school climate were negatively associated with hikikomori tendency, whereas parental academic achievement pressure was positively associated. The model accounted for approximately 19% of the variance in students' hikikomori tendency (R ² = 0.189). In addition, students who perceived themselves as academically unsuccessful, had repeated a grade, or reported low socioeconomic status exhibited significantly higher levels of hikikomori tendency (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The findings indicate that family- and school-related contextual factors are meaningfully associated with adolescents' social withdrawal tendencies. While parental academic achievement pressure is linked to higher levels of hikikomori tendency, parental academic achievement support and a positive school climate are associated with lower levels of social withdrawal. Given the cross-sectional design of the study, these findings should be interpreted as correlational rather than causal. The results provide empirical support for the development of preventive and supportive practices within educational and mental health contexts.

Linguistic theories divide on whether children's early representation of language is based on hierarchical structural relations or on linear relations. To shed further light on this debate, the present study investigated Mandarin-speaking children's choices of classifiers for noun-noun compounds, where the first noun is a modifier noun, and the second noun is a head noun. In these noun-noun compounds, the classifier agrees with the head noun, rather than the linearly closer modifier noun. Two experiments were conducted. Experiment 1 explored whether 4- to 6-year-olds would choose the classifier for the compounds based on linear distance or structural relations. Experiment 2 examined whether children's choices were influenced by their lexical knowledge of specific classifiers. The results of Experiment 1 show that 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds all chose classifiers that were compatible with head nouns, favoring the structural relation, but the accuracy rate of the 4-year-olds was significantly lower than that of the 5- and 6-year-olds. The findings of Experiment 2 indicate that once the 4-year-olds' lexical knowledge of specific classifiers was improved, their accuracy rates also significantly improved. The findings provide new evidence for the proposal that children's early representation of language is based on hierarchical structural relations rather than linear relations.