Behavioral Sciences最新文献

The present study explores the role of food as a symbolic, material, and relational device in identity construction and community processes. This study draws on a qualitative case study of a community-based social restaurant located in a mid-sized city in central-northern Italy. The initiative's objective is to promote the social and labor inclusion of migrant women through training and experiential programs. The research, conducted over a period of nine months from October 2024 to June 2025, was based on a participatory qualitative design, which integrated semi-structured interviews, ecological maps, photointervention, world café, and affective cartography, involving 35 participants including operators, trainees, local community members, and politicians. The results demonstrate the multifaceted role of food practices at the restaurant, which serve to strengthen internal relationships, regulate community life, construct intercultural narratives, and establish spaces of recognition and agency for the women involved. Moreover, the restaurant has been shown to have the capacity to influence the broader social representations of migration in the urban context, thereby promoting processes of cohesion and belonging. It is evident that food-related activities manifest as quotidian micro-political practices, which have the capacity to subvert stereotypes, recognize frequently unseen abilities, and generate new forms of inclusive citizenship. The present study underscores the transformative capacity of initiatives that employ food practices as innovative instruments for fostering empowerment; well-being; and social participation; through the third element of food. The limitations and future prospects of the present situation are discussed; with particular reference to the need to ensure continuity and institutional sustainability for similar experiences.

Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth (VPTG) is a critical yet underexplored phenomenon among trauma-focused helping professionals. While secondary trauma (ST), compassion fatigue, and burnout are widely recognized negative aspects of working with trauma survivors, less is known about the potential benefits of this work and its contributions to well-being. This qualitative study explored peer-support specialists' perceptions of growth arising from indirect exposure to trauma and examined how these experiences relate to well-being. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 participants, independently coded transcripts, and developed themes through consensus. Findings suggest VPTG may follow a similar path to Posttraumatic Growth (PTG), with participants reporting challenges to core beliefs, emotional distress, and transformative cognitive-emotional shifts that facilitated growth across domains that appear to mirror the five PTG domains. Outcomes of working with trauma survivors extended beyond the PTG domains to include compassion satisfaction, hope, expanded coping skills, and improved mental health. Taken together, these findings illustrate the participants' subjective experiences of both challenge and transformation through their work with trauma survivors, offering preliminary insight into how indirect trauma exposure may contribute to VPTG and well-being.

Introduction: Fancy rope-skipping is an emerging physical activity with numerous psychosocial benefits. However, its specific advantages for cognitive functions like attention, compared to traditional physical education, remain underexplored.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of a 12-week fancy rope-skipping intervention on various domains of attention in fifth-grade students, compared to a standard physical education program. We hypothesized that the fancy rope-skipping intervention would yield significant improvements in one or more domains of attention (allocation, span, stability, and shifting).

Methods: Two classes were randomly assigned as an experimental group (n = 28), which underwent a fancy rope-skipping program, and a control group (n = 31), which followed the regular syllabus. Attention was assessed using the Attention Quality Test before and after the intervention.

Results: After controlling for pre-test scores, analysis of covariance revealed that the experimental group performed significantly better on the Graphic Discrimination Test, which measures attention allocation (F_(1,46) = 9.184, p = 0.004). No significant between-group differences were found in attention span, stability, or shifting.

Conclusions: Fancy rope-skipping can specifically improve the ability to allocate attention in primary school students, highlighting its potential as a targeted intervention within physical education.

Compass-Behavioral is a novel, structured coaching program designed to enhance executive functioning and wellbeing in autistic youth and adults. This mixed-methods study examined outcomes from program participation across multiple clinical sites within a nonprofit organization. Quantitative analyses used de-identified archival data from participants completing the Youth and Adult Wellbeing Scales, along with self-assessments associated with the program. Results demonstrated trends toward improvement in wellbeing following program participation. Results of the self-assessment improved significantly from baseline to completion. Complementary qualitative data were gathered from participant feedback surveys, providing insights into perceived benefits and areas for program improvement. Themes included increased self-awareness, improved organization and planning, and greater confidence in everyday functioning. Taken together, the findings suggest Compass-Behavioral is a promising program for supporting executive functioning and quality of life outcomes among autistic individuals, while also pointing to opportunities for strengthening measurement and long-term impact. Further research is warranted to refine outcome measures, expand sample sizes, and evaluate program effects in more diverse clinical and community contexts.

Understanding how expert characteristics shape verdicts is critical. This study identified message (e.g., explanation satisfaction) and source characteristics (e.g., education) that predict perceived expertise and verdicts. We hypothesized an expert with more (versus less) satisfying explanations, education, and hands-on contact with the evidence would be perceived as higher in expertise, and that female experts would be perceived as lower in expertise than male experts. Further, higher expertise would predict more verdicts in line with the expert's testimony. In three mock jury studies (N = 1853), we measured (Studies 1-3) and manipulated (Study 3) explanation satisfaction. We also manipulated source characteristics (i.e., education, Studies 1-3; evidence contact, Studies 1-2; expert gender, Studies 2-3). Mock jurors reported their verdicts and perceptions of the expert. Satisfaction with the expert's explanation was the only consistent predictor of perceived expertise, and in turn, verdicts. This effect operated independently from source characteristics; expert gender, education, and more hands-on contact with the evidence did not have consistent influence on satisfaction. We found evidence that expertise cues (education, Studies 1-3; evidence contact, Studies 1-2) impacted explanation satisfaction but did not consistently influence verdicts. Our findings suggest that explanation satisfaction-not source characteristics-reliably predicted expertise and verdicts. Thus, attorneys should ensure the experts they retain can effectively communicate to jurors.

The rapid emergence of generative AI is transforming how employees engage with technology to perform tasks, make decisions, and create value. Despite its transformative potential, empirical findings on AI adoption remain inconsistent, particularly regarding how job characteristics shape employees' confidence and readiness to use generative AI. Grounded in the Task-Technology Fit framework and self-efficacy theory, this research examines the curvilinear relationship between job complexity and AI self-efficacy and its subsequent effects on AI adoption readiness and behavior. We conducted two survey studies to test the proposed hypotheses using structural equation modeling. Results reveal that employees in both low- and high-complexity roles exhibit a low level of AI self-efficacy and a subsequent lower level of AI adoption behaviors compared to those in moderately complex roles. These findings challenge the assumption that highly skilled roles typically lead AI integration and instead highlight the importance of aligning task structure with AI capabilities. This study advances theory by introducing a non-linear boundary condition to technology adoption and offers practical guidance for organizations to design jobs and training programs that cultivate confidence and foster sustainable human-AI collaboration.

Bullying is increasingly understood as a group-based phenomenon in which bystanders play a critical role, yet little is known about how witnessing bullying affects bystanders' self-esteem and academic motivation. The aim of this study was to explore adolescents' perspectives on how witnessing bullying in school may be linked to their self-esteem and academic motivation. This qualitative study explored these experiences among 35 Swedish adolescents (22 girls and 13 boys, aged 14-16) using focus group interviews analyzed through constructivist grounded theory. The analysis generated a core category, Authenticity in witnessing bullying, reflecting how adolescents balanced empathic responses, self-image, and academic motivation when confronted with bullying. In addition, six interrelated categories emerged: (1) sympathetic wounding, (2) relationship buffering, (3) fear-driven avoidance, (4) academic shielding, (5) academic draining, and (6) normalization of bullying. Witnessing bullying affected participants' feelings of authenticity, self-esteem, coping strategies, and academic focus. Academic motivation was shaped divergently: some students withdrew and lost motivation, while others increased focus on grades to secure transfer to a safer school environment. The theory offers a framework that is grounded in participants' accounts that helps the understanding of how authenticity shapes the social context, emotional experience, and academic engagement. Interventions that address the emotional and motivational consequences of witnessing bullying and foster supportive school climates, empowering students to act constructively, are needed.

Individuals with high autistic traits typically face a higher risk of depression, making it necessary to explore the relationship between autistic traits and depression in depth. Building on previous research, this study further investigates the roles of interpersonal competence, social avoidance and distress in the relationship between autistic traits and depression. A total of 674 college students were surveyed online using the Chinese version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire (ICQ), the Chinese version of the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SAD), and the Chinese version of the 13-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Correlation analysis results indicate that autistic traits exhibit a significant negative correlation with interpersonal skills, while showing a significant positive correlation with social distress, social avoidance, and depression levels. Conversely, interpersonal skills demonstrate a significant negative correlation with social avoidance, distress, and depression. Social avoidance and distress showed a significant positive correlation with depression. Chain mediation analysis revealed that interpersonal skills exerted a chain mediating effect between autistic traits and depression via social avoidance and distress. These findings provide insights for further exploration of the relationship and mechanisms underlying autistic traits and depression in individuals.

Participation in organized sports may have a positive effect on mental health, but documentation is based on methodological limitations. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of dropout from organized youth sport on change in mental health and subjective well-being. A total of 1046 young persons (13-18 years old), all participating in organized sport at baseline, were included. Data on mental health and subjective well-being were collected at baseline and again after two years. Participants who were into organized sports and participants who reported other types of informal movement activity two years later reported less increase in negative affect over time compared to participants who had dropped out of sports and did not get involved in other types of movement activity. For positive affect, there was a credible difference in change between those who dropped out of organized sport but did not get involved in an alternative physical activity and those who were still active in organized sports. The results indicate that dropout from traditional youth sports might have a negative influence on well-being, but involvement in other types of informal and negotiable movement contexts might buffer the potential negative effects.

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) offers an alternative understanding of trauma response, contrasting with traditional perspectives focused solely on symptom development and resilience. In the PTG model, individuals and groups report positive changes in life philosophy, self-understanding, and interpersonal relationships because of successfully navigating the struggles involved with experiencing adversity. This narrative review includes the evolution of PTG theory, highlighting the disruption of core beliefs, the role of rumination, and the reconstruction of a life narrative as central mechanisms of the PTG process. The authors describe the five empirically validated domains of PTG and outline the naturally occurring PTG process. Methods are discussed for facilitating PTG through "expert companions," who may be peers or professionals providing nonjudgmental, supportive relationships that encourage emotional regulation, constructive disclosure, and meaning making. The article explores how these methods can be applied to individuals, communities, and organizations, all of which may experience comparable domains of growth following collective adversity. The article concludes by highlighting how a focus on posttraumatic growth shifts perspectives from viewing trauma survivors as broken to recognizing their potential for transformation and underscores the role of both professional and community support in fostering PTG and healthier organizational climates.