Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology最新文献

Antiabortionists are becoming a prominent conservative force, as illustrated by the recent rulings of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal and the USA Supreme Court. However, global resistance in favor of abortion rights persists, with an increasing number of men joining the protests. In three studies (total N = 937 men), we analysed ideological and motivational factors predicting men's support of abortion protests. Study 1 examined the role of anti-restrictions politicised identification and sexism in explaining men's support for pro-abortion protests in Poland longitudinally and cross-sectionally. Studies 2 and 3 investigated the influence of motivations (egalitarian and paternalistic) on men's intentions to participate in pro-abortion and feminist collective actions, in Poland (Study 2) and the USA (Study 3). Our findings indicate that politicised identities lead men to support collective action for women's rights, both directly and indirectly through egalitarian motives (in cross-sectional data). The role of benevolent sexism is more complex; while it discourages long-term support for abortion protests, it can indirectly lead men to support collective action for women's rights through paternalistic motivation. We reflect on whether mechanisms that perpetuate gender power imbalances can somehow be beneficial for social change, at least in the short run.

Despite considerable research on the impact of intergenerational contact on attitudes and behaviours towards the other generation, very few studies have qualitatively explored the psychological processes which occur, nor have they tested the effect of such programmes on more generalised outcomes. In this paper, we examine the effect of an intergenerational contact intervention, centred around discussions of social issues with intergenerational conversation partners. Firstly, we analyse focus group and interview data with younger (n = 24) and older (n = 10) participants conducted following the programme. Thematic analysis is used to explore the psychological processes that occur during intergenerational contact that could drive attitude and behaviour change. This is complemented by a quantitative study in which we examine the impact of the intergenerational contact programme on key intergroup outcomes (confidence in contact, perceived similarity) and more generalised outcomes (confidence in community social action). Primary and secondary school aged children (N = 114) completed survey measures prior to and following the intervention programme. Themes arising from the qualitative analysis showed a breakdown in stereotypes of older and younger generations. Additionally, further themes arising included intergroup felt understanding, self-disclosure, feeling heard and having voice, which we contend may drive intergenerational contact effects on intergenerational and more generalised outcomes. Analysis of survey responses revealed a significant boost in confidence in contact, perceived similarity, and confidence in social action (secondary school age pupils only) following the intergenerational contact programme. Methodological limitations are outlined and future directions for research discussed.

This study explores social and psychological factors influencing the intention to purchase sustainable fashion products. Integrating self-congruity theory, self-completion theory, and Theory of Planned Behaviour, this study proposed a dual-path model of socio-psychological variables essential for shaping consumer attitudes towards sustainable consumption and subsequent purchase intention. Additionally, the moderating role of sustainable brand awareness in the link between attitude and intention and the effect of affordability on purchase intentions were tested. Data were collected from 278 US fashion consumers through an online survey, and PLS-SEM was used for the analyses. Results show that self-identity drives self-expressive benefits, while environmental awareness positively influences environmental concern and consumer attitudes towards sustainable fashion consumption. Additionally, subjective norms and affordability are strong predictors of purchase intentions. Furthermore, the moderating effect of sustainable brand awareness in the attitude-intention relationship is statistically significant. These findings expand our understanding of fashion consumers' intention to purchase sustainable products and offer valuable guidance for businesses seeking to effectively communicate their sustainable efforts, strengthen branding and boost potential sales.

The Harry Potter saga has been—and still is—a worldwide phenomenon, attracting the interest of millions of people. Leveraging this success and the potential for the storyline to act as a moral guide, we developed and tested the SPELL, a scientifically-driven anti-bullying intervention based on the Harry Potter novels. The main goal of this intervention was to foster children and adolescents' willingness to intervene in response to bullying episodes. Participants were middle-school students (N = 343, M_age = 12.18 years), who engaged in four sessions designed to raise awareness about bullying, including its forms, roles of the different bullying actors, its consequences and ways to address it. The sessions also focused on psychological constructs identified in the literature as crucial in fostering bystander intervention, namely empathy, moral disengagement and defender self-efficacy. Results revealed that the intervention, when compared with a control condition, was successful in fostering intentions to counteract bullying, with greater empathy and lower moral disengagement being the psychological processes underlying this effect; evidence for self-efficacy was weaker. Our findings suggest that the powerful magic of Harry Potter can help to create a better world for children and adolescents, as future generations. Please refer to the Supporting Information section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

Yahya Jammeh's 22-year rule of The Gambia was marked by gross human rights violations, including torture, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances. In 2008–09, Jammeh embarked on a “witch hunt” campaign, mostly targeting poor and elderly men and women. Among the physical and psychological consequences of this activity were significant levels of stigma. In the context of transitional justice, this paper examines the experiences and consequences of stigma associated with witchcraft accusations for victims, their families, and communities. This mixed-method study found evidence of social rejection, isolation, and negative effects on mental health. Families suffered social exclusion, bullying, and loss of educational opportunities. Whole communities also experienced social divisions and a loss of reputation. While some of these had improved over time, problems persisted 13 years later. Participants made a range of suggestions for reconciliation, including public declarations of innocence, making witchcraft accusations illegal, and both external and community-led interventions to tackle stigma. Please refer to the Supporting Information section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

The present research examines the role of different integration models on tolerance based on coexistence versus respect and the willingness of the majority group to engage in intergroup contact with French individuals of Maghrebi origin. We conducted two studies amongst French majority group members, one correlational (Study 1; N = 320) and one experimental (Study 2; N = 445). Results from Study 1 indicated that multiculturalism and interculturalism both positively predict respect-based and coexistence-based tolerance. By contrast, assimilation is negatively associated with the endorsement of both forms of tolerance. Study 2 did not find evidence of a causal impact of these integration models on different forms of tolerance, prompting us to discuss the nature of the context in which tolerance operates. However, both studies revealed that respect-based tolerance plays an important role in predicting the willingness to engage in intergroup contact with French individuals of Maghrebi origin.

Mirichlis, S., S. P. Lewis, M. Boyes, and P. Hasking. 2025. “Exploring Voluntary Disclosure of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: A Thematic Analysis.” Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology 35, no. 2: e70126. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.70126.

The following acknowledgement should be added:

The first author was the recipient of a Curtin School of Population Health Publication Award.

We apologize for this error.

This study investigates political (dis)engagement of low-status youth by analysing their social representations of the political. Through focus group discussions, we explore how low-status positions of young people shape their relationship with the political system and its actors. Seventeen focus group discussions involving 99 participants, aged 15–28 years, were conducted in vocational schools in Switzerland. Using a two-step analytical framework grounded in social representations theory, we examine both representational content and its negotiation in communication. Representations of societal power differentials played a central role in how participants made sense of their disengagement. Participants often depicted the political system as distant, abstract, and beyond their influence. This externalisation had two main implications: a sense of powerlessness, where participation seemed futile; and a moral antagonism between ‘us’, the hard-working, honest, ordinary people, and ‘them’, the self-interested, disconnected elite. These findings show that political disengagement is not only the result of apathy, but a socially embedded, identity-protective response to structural and symbolic exclusion. The study offers a critical account of youth political behaviour, showing how disengagement is shaped by power, identity, and group positioning – and how it can express critique rather than indifference.

Economic inequality is on the rise worldwide and represents one of the greatest challenges facing individuals and societies today. However, the relationship between the degree of economic inequality and citizens' support for actions aimed at reducing it appears to be close to negligible. Therefore, the aim of the present research was to shed light on a potential pathway for effectively mobilising citizens to address economic inequality and promote social change: perceived levels of economic inequality in individuals' everyday life. Across two pre-registered cross-sectional studies (N = 906) conducted in different countries (Italy and Spain), a link between perceptions of economic inequality in everyday life and willingness to engage in collective and political action emerged. Importantly, an experimental study (N = 583) allowed us to corroborate these correlational findings. Results showed that in the salience of economic inequality in everyday life condition participants were more likely to engage in collective action aimed at redressing economic inequality and to manifest intention to vote, compared to a control condition. Implications and avenues for future research are discussed.