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This document is a collection of papers and presentations from a symposium on the decolonial turn and the future of psychology education. The symposium discusses the problems with Western-centric psychology and the harm it causes to marginalized communities. It calls for the inclusion of locally grounded knowledge and the dismantling of colonial hegemony in psychology. The papers cover topics such as the criminalization of LGBTQ+ identities, the construction of knowledge in textbooks, teaching decolonially in India, and the impact of colonialism on psychology education in the Caribbean. The symposium emphasizes the importance of inclusivity, critical thinking, and pluralism in the future of psychology. Another paper explores the relationship between dietary choices, justice sensitivity, and aggression permissiveness. It suggests that individuals who follow a plant-based diet and have a high sensitivity to justice are less likely to tolerate aggression. The study highlights the need to consider both dietary choices and justice sensitivity in understanding aggression. Additionally, a study examines the decision-making process of forced Ukrainian migrants in choosing temporary asylum. It defines implicit competence as the ability to solve problems under uncertainty and sheds light on the factors influencing migrants' choices. Lastly, a study analyzes how the Philippine government communicates about the COVID-19 pandemic. It finds that the government uses anchoring, objectification, and metaphors to convey the seriousness of the situation and encourage compliance with protocols. The study emphasizes how those in power shape discourses to support their interests. [Extracted from the article]

This introduction provides an overview of the major constructs that are the focus of this Special Issue. Individualism and collectivism have been the cornerstones of theoretical work on cultural values in psychological science, and conformity is an important component of theories related to motivational values. Individualism, collectivism and conformity values are reviewed in relation to parenting (warmth, knowledge solicitation, rules/limit‐setting, parents' expectations regarding children's family obligations) and children's adjustment (internalising and externalising behaviours). Background on the Parenting Across Cultures project, a study of children, mothers and fathers, in nine countries (China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand and the United States) is provided as a prelude to the country‐specific papers from each of these countries that follow in the rest of the Special Issue before a final concluding paper that focuses on between‐country versus within‐country variation in cultural values, parenting and children's adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document provides a summary of various research papers and studies related to education and child development. The topics covered include psychology teaching and learning, social-emotional learning programs, beliefs about effort among Chinese students, metacognition instruction, storytelling competency development, the relationship between socioeconomic status and mental health, challenges faced by school counselors in Taiwan, and the development of scales to measure learning motivation, attitudes towards pets, and academic procrastination. The studies highlight the importance of effective teaching methods, support for students' well-being, and the role of various factors in child development. [Extracted from the article]

This document is a collection of abstracts from the International Journal of Psychology, covering a wide range of topics related to leadership, workplace well-being, and human resources. The studies and research papers explore various aspects of leadership, including identity leadership, emotional intelligence, and leadership qualities in different cultural contexts. They also examine the impact of workplace factors on employee well-being, such as supervisor incivility, mindfulness, and digital connectivity. Additionally, the document includes studies on gender equality, safety behavior in the construction industry, emotional labor, and the well-being of university staff after the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings provide valuable insights for understanding and improving leadership practices and promoting employee well-being in diverse workplace settings. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses a symposium on addressing stalking, which covers various topics related to psychosocial issues. The presentations at the symposium include the neurodiverse perspective of stalkers, building relationships with stalking clients, using psychological interventions to address stalking behaviors, stalking when children are involved, and promoting psychologically informed management of stalking perpetrators. The article also mentions other symposium papers that explore pathways to and from offending behavior, such as online terrorism risk in individuals with ADHD and the relationship between peer victimization and sexual offending. Another study discussed in the article examines the impact of psychological trauma, dissociation, and suggestibility on eyewitness testimony among Turkish individuals with a traumatic history. The findings suggest that trauma and dissociation can affect the accuracy of witness statements in forensic events. Lastly, the article mentions a research project that aims to explore the relationship between occupational stress, self-stigma, and attitudes toward seeking psychological help among law enforcement officers. The study will gather data from approximately 150 active-duty law enforcement officers in the United States and can provide insights for clinicians in better serving this population. [Extracted from the article]

Mental health problems amongst university students pose a major public health challenge, and this is particularly the case in Pakistan. Alongside broader societal and cultural pressures, cognitive factors likely also play a role in the development of and resilience to mental health problems and may provide a feasible target for interventions. The current study built on previous research in primarily European samples investigating the relationship between one cognitive factor, positive future‐oriented mental imagery, and mental health, extending this to a sample of university students in Pakistan (N = 1838). In a cross‐sectional design, higher vividness of positive future‐oriented mental imagery was associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms and higher levels of positive mental health amongst participants completing questionnaire measures on paper (N = 1430) or online (N = 408). In the sample completing the measures on paper, these relationships remained statistically significant even when controlling for socio‐demographic and mental health‐related variables. The results provide a foundation for further investigating positive mental imagery as a potential mechanism of mental health and intervention target amongst university students in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a collection of papers and presentations from a symposium on gender identity issues in Eastern Europe, specifically focusing on the Czech Republic and Serbia. The papers discuss various topics such as political debates, experiences of the trans and gender non-conforming community, the impact of language on gender discourse, and representation in popular culture. The document emphasizes the need for international and intersectional perspectives in the study of gender. Another research study conducted in India found that LGBT individuals face higher levels of discrimination and psychological distress compared to heterosexual individuals, but social support and acceptance are protective factors for their well-being. A study on transgender individuals from various countries revealed that higher levels of structural stigma and identity concealment are associated with lower life satisfaction. The experiences of self-silencing among female software engineers were explored in another study, highlighting the need to address gender inequality in the workplace. A study in the Philippines aims to destigmatize same-sex relationships by challenging societal prejudices and promoting acceptance and understanding. Lastly, a study on same-sex relationships found that intimate partner violence is not prevalent and highlighted the positive aspects and efforts made by couples to maintain loving and supportive environments. [Extracted from the article]

The present study of three generations' families living together during a period of marked economic dislocation investigates whether supportive grandparents can ameliorate the negative effects of economic stress on parenting and on teen outcomes. The study focuses on harsh parenting and adolescent depression, which has been shown to be especially responsive to economic stress. Three hypotheses were investigated: (1) in extended families there is a link between economic adversity and adolescent depression that is mediated by harsh parenting; (2) grandparent support diminishes the relationship between economic pressure and harsh parenting; and (3) grandparent support diminishes the relationship between harsh parenting and adolescent depression. Data were collected from a community sample of 62 extended families with an adolescent during a period of marked economic dislocation in Bulgaria. Mothers, fathers, and adolescents completed questionnaires about perceived economic pressure, parents' harsh parenting, and perceived support of grandparents. Adolescents also completed a measure of self-reported depression. Additional interviews were conducted with every eligible family member about family relations. Results showed that even though there was significant economic stress reported by parents, adolescents reported moderate levels of depression and low levels of harsh parenting by mothers and fathers. Correlation and regression analyses revealed that whenever respondents experienced support by grandparents, it made a difference for family members. More specifically, despite economic stress, mothers who experienced the support of grandparents tended to exercise less harsh parenting practices than mothers who lacked such support. Furthermore, when grandparents were supportive, harsh parenting was not associated with adolescent depression. These findings are discussed in the light of existing studies of families under economic pressure with a special focus on extended family relations and the role of cultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The State of Israel can be characterized as having two integration policies: an assimilationist one towards "valued" Jewish immigrants and a somewhat ethnist one towards its "devalued" national minority, namely Israeli Arabs. Using the Host Community Acculturation Scale (HCAS), this study explored Jewish undergraduate ( N =153) acculturation orientations towards "valued" Jewish immigrants of Russian and Ethiopian background and towards "devalued" Israeli Arabs. Results showed that Jewish undergraduates mainly endorsed the integrationism and individualism acculturation orientations towards Jewish immigrants. However, they were more segregationist and exclusionist towards Israeli Arabs than towards Jewish immigrants of Russian and Ethiopian background. Assimilation was weakly endorsed towards both Jewish immigrants and Israeli Arabs. Based on an extensive questionnaire, multiple regression analyses showed that each acculturation orientation had a distinct psychological profile. The integrationism and individualism orientations were endorsed by undergraduates who were tolerant towards ethnic diversity, felt secure personally, culturally, and militarily, and did not endorse the social dominance orientation (SDO). In addition to not feeling threatened by the presence of Israeli Arabs, integrationists and individualists were identified as secular Israelis and Labour Party sympathizers rather than as religious Jews. In contrast, the assimilationism, segregationism, and exclusionism orientations were endorsed by undergraduates who felt insecure personally, religiously, culturally, and militarily, who tended to be less tolerant towards ethnic diversity, and who were more prone to endorse the SDO. In addition to feeling threatened by Israeli Arabs, they avoided close relations with Russian and Ethiopian immigrants. Segregationists and exclusionists were identified mainly as Jewish nationals, Orthodox Jews, and as Likud Party sympathizers. Exclusionists were distinctive in also feeling threatened by the presence Jewish immigrants of Russian and Ethiopian background. While taking into consideration the context of intergroup relations in Israel, results are discussed using the Interactive Acculturation Model ( Bourhis, Moïse, Perreault, & Senecal, 1997 ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Health Belief Model (HBM; Rosenstock, 1966) is the most widely used psychological theory of health- related behaviours but its applicability to non-Western, especially Asian, populations has not been systematically studied. The main objective of the current study was to examine the effects of components of the HBM and dispositional optimism on preventive intention in two separate samples of 220 Hong Kong Chinese adults and 340 Hong Kong Chinese adolescents. Two HBM variables, benefits and barriers, were experimentally manipulated for an imaginary flu outbreak and a hypothetical vaccine. Optimism in the two samples was assessed using the Chinese revised Life Orientation Test (Lai et al., 1998). Participants indicated their intention to take the hypothetical vaccine after reading information for each of the treatment combinations defined by the two HBM variables. The order of the presentation of each of the six treatment conditions was counterbalanced. Results of ANOVA showed that the effects of the two HBM variables were similar in the two groups. Higher benefits and lower barriers were associated with stronger behavioural intention to take the vaccine. The two HBM variables interacted significantly in the adolescent but not the adult sample. Among the adolescents, the difference in intention scores between low and high barriers became larger when the benefits of taking the vaccine increased. In addition, optimism had significant effect on preventive intention only among the adolescents. These findings suggest that age may be an important factor moderating the effects of HBM components as well as optimism on preventive intention in Hong Kong Chinese. Implications of these findings to future research among Chinese were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a collection of abstracts from the International Journal of Psychology, covering a range of topics related to religion, spirituality, and psychological well-being. The articles explore various aspects such as the role of psychological mechanisms in religious rituals, the relationship between religiosity and smartphone use, spirituality in later life, the impact of spirituality on nurses' burnout, attitudes towards sexual diversity, religious belief and social cognitive ability in Japan, empathy and prejudice, different images of God and risky behaviors, and the impact of religious social identity on psychological well-being in Asian indigenous religious groups. The studies provide valuable insights into the complex relationship between religion, spirituality, and psychological processes. Another paper presents research on topics including the effects of meditation on brainwave patterns, religion and coping with cancer, beliefs in tempting fate, leaving destructive cults, religious coping and life satisfaction in Latinx individuals, religion and just world beliefs, and a comparison between Nirvana in Buddhism and self-actualization in psychology. These studies offer valuable insights into the intersection of religion and psychology and their potential implications for individuals and communities. [Extracted from the article]

This document is a symposium from the International Journal of Psychology that discusses supervision in psychology and psychotherapy training in India. It includes papers that explore the experiences of psychotherapy supervisors in various settings and highlight the challenges they face in adapting Western theories to Indian culture. The document also discusses the importance of cultural competence in therapy and includes presentations on topics such as acculturation gaps in immigrant families, culturally sensitive therapeutic approaches, and approaches to psychotherapy in different cultural contexts. Additionally, two studies are presented, one exploring the effectiveness of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and another examining clients' perceptions of therapy delivered via videoconference. Finally, a case study demonstrates the effectiveness of integrative play therapy in supporting children who have witnessed family violence, and a study compares different progress monitoring measures in psychotherapy. [Extracted from the article]

This document is a collection of articles and symposium papers discussing various topics related to parenting and family dynamics. The studies explore the social perception of non-heteronormative parenthood, the impact of gender roles on adoptive parents, and the experiences of different types of parents. The articles also cover topics such as the relationship between parenting style and children's creativity, the influence of childhood experiences on parenting stress, and the discrimination faced by single parents. Overall, these articles provide valuable insights into diverse perspectives on parenting and highlight the challenges and implications for individuals and society. [Extracted from the article]

This document provides summaries of various research studies on depression. The studies cover a range of topics, including the impact of trauma reporting on journalists, stigma and self-stigma of mental illness in Turkey, the relationship between depression severity and perceived cognitive impairment, the construct validity of a depression scale in Chinese adolescents, the interaction between a specific gene and peer rejection in predicting depression among Chinese adolescents, a clinical psychoinformatics approach to detect signs of depression recurrence, the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among Filipino university students, the influencing factors of depression among 11th grade students in China, the effectiveness of a Mindful Self-Compassion program on college students with depression, and the effectiveness of a self-help paper-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention in reducing the risk of depression. The studies provide valuable insights into the causes, effects, and treatment of depression, highlighting the need for intervention and mental health support. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information on the XXVI INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF PSYCHOLOGY as of June 1996. Topics discussed include the social construction of gender; subjectivity, religious identity, and tolerance among Israeli adolescent girls; and accuracy and distortion in memory: a cognitive neuroscience prospective.

The article offers information on the XXVI INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF PSYCHOLOGY as of June 1996. Topics discussed include consequences of individualism and collectivism; coping research in Great Britain and advance in coping with stress; and research on coping with chronic illness in the Netherland.

The article offers information on the XXVI INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF PSYCHOLOGY as of June 1996. Topics discussed include stereotyping the outgroup: effects of perceived ability on estimated task performance with similar and different others; examination of complex behaviors using genetic strategies; and analysis of circadian behavioral rhythms using genetically altered mice.

The article offers information on the XXVI INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF PSYCHOLOGY as of June 1996. Topics discussed include new directions in emotions research: brain, mind, and behavior; emotions while reading: an intersection between cognitive psychology and literary criticism; and the effects of psychological treatment on the processing of negative self-descriptive information in depression.

In this paper, we present and reflect upon the process of evaluating two residential mental health facilities in Thessaloniki, Greece, through the WHO QualityRights tool kit. The QualityRights tool kit is a structured process for assessing quality of care and human rights in mental health and social care facilities, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), introduced by the World Health Organization in 2012. We have piloted the use of the Toolkit in two supported accommodation facilities, a hostel and a service supervising independent living in apartments, for individuals with long‐term severe mental health problems in the region of Thessaloniki. In this paper, we present the methodology and process of evaluating the facilities, including the challenges posed to the evaluation process by restrictions due to the Covid‐19 pandemic. We showcase the outcome of this evaluation through presenting a summary of the results and the ensuing recommendations for improvement. Finally, we reflect on the usefulness, appropriateness and relevance of the Toolkit for evaluating mental health care facilities in the particular context of contemporary Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personal freedom has known to be positively associated with well‐being. As socioeconomic conditions advanced in modern societies, the pursuit of personal freedom has also gradually increased. This trend further coincides with the decline in marriage and fertility rates. This implies that the pursuit of personal freedom could be related to lower involvement with the family. The current study examined how personal freedom would be related to family compositions and well‐being across different socioeconomic conditions using a large‐scale data set. The results indicated that personal freedom was the most consistent predictor of well‐being. Marriage‐like relationships were also positively related to well‐being. However, the relationship between the number of children and well‐being was mostly insignificant except for the most recent data showing a positive relationship. Results also indicated that personal freedom did not lead to singlehood but was negatively related to the number of children. Socioeconomic conditions of countries and different time periods moderated these relationships. The influences of different socioeconomic conditions and the time period were discussed further in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a symposium from the International Journal of Psychology that explores the theme of caring for individuals in psychology beyond the scope of individuality. The symposium includes five papers that discuss various aspects of caring, such as home-based palliative care, the sacrifice of the family of body donors, hometown experiences in rural areas, rural education, and transgenerational trauma in Taiwan. The papers highlight the cultural and social perspectives on caring and emphasize the importance of ethicality, relational understanding, and holistic development. The symposium aims to provide a diverse and inclusive perspective on caring practices in psychology. [Extracted from the article]

Perceptions of justice have been extensively researched within just world theory as both defensive coping mechanisms and as personal resources. This paper advocates for more programmatic efforts to be devoted to understanding perceptions of justice as rational reflections of individual access to justice. Justice Capital is conceptualised here as an individual difference based on status, microsystem authorities, effort–effect pipeline, voice, and society. These dimensions can overlap and operate on both personal and systemic levels. It is a form of capital to experience the effect of one's actions, to be treated fairly by authorities, to self‐advocate, and to live in a society that has a higher justice baseline. Currently, just‐world theory correlational research alternates between its positive and negative effects and between viewing belief in a just world as a predictor or as an outcome. For research to move forward productively in this field, researchers must articulate and investigate when self‐evaluations of justice are rational reflections of participants' individual access to justice and connect research to existing injustices. This paper points to existing evidence of a Justice Capital interpretation and suggests how this construct can advance the theory into new directions of empirical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There remains an obvious gap in the acculturation literature, which relates to cultural change associated with the majority/dominant group. This paper explores how majority members react to a perceived expectation from minority members that majority members should undergo cultural change. A study was conducted exploring how majority members' perceptions of a demand by minority members that the majority should adopt the minority culture affects the majority members' preferences for minority acculturation, and whether effects are mediated by perceptions of symbolic threat. Two hundred sixty‐six participants who self‐reported being white British completed an online survey. A model was hypothesized whereby a perception that minority members demand that the majority takes on the minority culture predicted perceived symbolic threat, which was in turn negatively associated with a desire that minority members should maintain the minority culture, and positively with a desire that minority members should adopt the majority culture. Results supported the hypothesized model, with all individual paths and indirect effects significant in the hypothesized directions. Symbolic threat mediated the effect of perceived demand for minority culture adoption on majority preferences for minority acculturation. Findings are discussed in relation to implications for intergroup relations in culturally plural societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a summary of a symposium on the development of humor in infants and children under 6 years of age. The symposium includes several studies that explore children's ability to understand and produce laughter, joking, and teasing in social interactions. The studies also examine the relationship between humor development and socio-cognitive milestones like Theory of Mind (ToM). The symposium concludes with a discussion and synthesis of the presentations. The document also includes summaries of individual papers that discuss topics such as humor perception and creation in infants, family practices of teasing and ToM development in young children, when children make others laugh, and a cross-cultural comparison of teasing practices in Japanese and French children. [Extracted from the article]

Perceptions of social mobility vary across countries. However, past studies have mostly focused on populations in Western developed countries. Little is known about perceptions of social mobility in non‐Western developing countries. The current paper focuses on Chinese perceptions of social mobility using a large‐scale nationally representative sample. We found that, overall, Chinese believed in upward social mobility. Moreover, different patterns of perceptions of social mobility were identified, which suggest that respondents experienced either upward or downward social mobility in the past, but all of them thought that they can move up in the future. Perceptions of social mobility were also linked to important sociodemographic and economic factors. We discuss these findings in relation to the Chinese economic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing and maintaining relationships is one of the challenges facing young adults at the beginning of this stage in their lives. Emotional competences are related to relationship satisfaction and subjective well‐being. This paper aims to study the relationship between emotional competences and subjective well‐being in young adults, considering the mediating role of satisfaction with the partner. Two hundred and thirty‐three young Spanish people (60.1% women) between 18 and 35 years old (Mean = 22.93; SD = 3.72) participated in the study. All of them had a romantic partner. The Questionnaire of Emotional Skills and Competences (ESCQ‐21), the Scale of Evaluation of the Relationships (RAS), the Scale of Satisfaction with Life (SWLS) and the Scale of Positive and Negative Experiences (SPANE) were used to measure the variables. For analysis, the SPSS version 26 and Mplus version 7.0 were used. The results indicate a significant relationship between emotional competences, relationship satisfaction and subjective well‐being. The mediation model showed that satisfaction with the relationship plays a mediating role between the ability to regulate emotions and subjective well‐being. The importance of emotional education both inside and outside relationships is considered, in order to promote healthy and non‐violent relationships among young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although psychological researchers have long studied the implications of major crises, the outbreak and spread of the COVID‐19 pandemic have confronted the global community of psychologists and psychological researchers with new challenges. This special issue contributes to the growing empirical literature on the immediate psychological implications of the COVID‐19 pandemic. We present and discuss diverse work from authors that followed our call for papers in May 2020, shortly after the World Health Organisation declared COVID‐19 a global pandemic. The studies focus on the early phases of the pandemic by addressing (a) implications of the pandemic for psychological well‐being and mental health, (b) psychological effects of lockdown scenarios as well as (c) individual compliance with COVID‐19 prevention and intervention measures. We conclude by highlighting the need for new research efforts, with a special focus on low‐ and middle‐income regions, international research collaborations and cross‐cultural research designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How one approaches gender differences in general likely influences the way one handles mixed‐gender negotiations. In the present paper, we examine general beliefs on how women negotiators do—as opposed to how they "should"—handle gender in order to increase their chances of success. First, we hypothesised that people's general beliefs would support a sexblindness ideology according to which gender is, and indeed should be, ignored in order to succeed. Second, because negotiation comes across as a stereotypically masculine activity, we predicted that prescriptions regarding what women should do to succeed would commonly favour assimilationism (the belief that women need to assimilate to male norms) over sexawareness (the belief that gender differences should be acknowledged and celebrated). We nevertheless predicted a general belief that women might stay away from these prescriptions and rely more on their gender (i.e. endorse sexawareness over assimilationism) within feminine as compared to masculine and neutral‐topic negotiations. Together, our two experiments confirm these predictions. We discuss our results in terms of the consequences on women's gender ideology‐based strategies, a potentially relevant aspect to their actual negotiating outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examined the psychometric properties of cross‐cultural validation and replicability (i.e. measurement invariance) of the Belief in a Zero‐Sum Game (BZSG) scale, measuring antagonistic belief about interpersonal relations over scarce resources. The factorial structure of the BZSG scale was investigated in student samples from 36 countries (N = 9907), using separate confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) for each country. The cross‐cultural validation of the scale was based on multigroup confirmatory factor analyses (MGCFA). The results confirmed that the scale had a one‐factor structure in all countries, in which configural and metric invariance between countries was confirmed. As a zero‐sum belief about social relations perceived as antagonistic, BZSG is an important factor related to, for example, social and international relations, attitudes toward immigrants, or well‐being. The paper proposes different uses of the BZSG scale for cross‐cultural studies in different fields of psychology: social, political, or economic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the scholarship concerning African American culture is premised on the notion that it is a legacy of African origins but there has been essentially no attempt to document that relationship empirically. This paper briefly reviews existing evidence for cultural continuity in the Diaspora and then compares the responses of Black and Coloured South African and African Americans on measures of culture emic to African American populations. The observed patterns of psychometric performance, participants' responses, and the predictive utility of the measures employed were consistent with the thesis that despite inevitable variation, these three groups of the African Diaspora share similar orientations on the cultural themes assessed. This research hopes to initiate empirical work on the continuity thesis as it applies to connecting African American culture with a legacy of Africa and as related more broadly to the study of global Diasporas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross‐culturally measurement invariant instruments are useful for the assessment of mental symptoms across cultures. The current study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS‐21) (DASS) across Pakistan and Germany. German participants were recruited through an online survey (N = 1323), while Pakistani participants were recruited through online survey or paper‐and‐pencil survey (N = 1841). The DASS‐21 showed good reliability, construct and structure validity in both countries. The DASS‐21 indicated partial weak (stress subscale) and partial strong measurement invariance (depression and anxiety subscales) between both countries. Latent mean comparison of depression and anxiety symptoms between Pakistani and German students indicated that Pakistani university students experience more symptoms of depression and anxiety. Results suggest that the DASS‐21 could be used in Pakistan and Germany, but caution should be taken when making direct comparisons between the two countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration is not a new phenomenon. However, recent data indicate that unprecedented numbers of people have experienced forced migration around the world with 51% under the age of 18 years. How can educational policies and practices respond sensitively to increasing cultural and migration‐based diversity? The purpose of this special section that includes eight studies is to consider these issues more deeply. As a frame for the special section, we address the main question: What are promotive or protective factors for positive development of children and youth attending culturally diverse school contexts? In the collection of papers, these promotive and protective factors range from peers and families, to teachers, to organisational context and climate. With continued disruptions in children's lives due to a pandemic, climate change, war, conflict and poverty, migration will remain a pressing concern and will continue to transform the student populations in our classrooms and schools for the foreseeable future. The need to address how we can best provide students from diverse backgrounds equitable and supportive education, continues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines refugee students' experiences in the Austrian mainstream school system. It highlights four areas: school connectedness, social exclusion, support systems and friendships. In the study, 55 refugee students between 8 and 21 years old enrolled in primary and secondary education participated in a semi‐structured interview. Data were analysed with directed qualitative content analysis, whereby codes were created deductively and inductively. Students stressed the importance of schooling in order to prosper in the future, particularly through language acquisition. Peers and bilingual teachers played an important role in their efforts to learn German and develop feelings of belonging in the school system. While language acquisition was important for the students, they indicated that other support measures (i.e., remedial education) were largely absent. Further, half of the students reported bullying experiences (verbal, social and physical) associated with their refugee status, language proficiency and religious affiliation. This study has implications for school professionals. The scope of support refugee students receive at school must be broadened, forced migration should be addressed in school in order to counteract negative effects of bullying students receive due to their refugee status and school connectedness can be promoted by hiring staff from diverse cultural backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research based on conceptual metaphor theory has explored how metaphorical language subtly influences how people perceive social issues. For instance, rhetoric comparing a perceived problem to a disease has been used historically to generate support for a wide array of measures proposed to "treat" the problem, and recent experimental work demonstrates the efficacy of this approach. The current paper extends this literature by looking at the use of disease metaphor in a novel domain: student perceptions of plagiarism on campus. We found that participants (N = 365) exposed to a disease‐metaphoric description of plagiarism on campus perceived it to be a more severe problem and, as a result, were more supportive of a variety of anti‐plagiarism policies. This mediational analysis further demonstrates the far‐reaching practical significance of metaphor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of evidence of effective and appropriate drug and alcohol treatment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This paper contributes to addressing the evidence gap by examining the feasibility and acceptability and conducting a pre/post‐evaluation of the Aboriginal‐adapted Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA) delivered in New South Wales, Australia. Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal clients (n = 55) received tailored CRA delivery between March and November 2013. Compared to the original US version, tailored CRA had reduced technical language, reduced number of treatment sessions, and the addition of group delivery option. An Australian training manual with local case studies was developed. Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Test (ASSIST), Kessler‐5 (K‐5) and the Growth Empowerment Measure were used. 58% of participants were followed‐up at 3 months. Tailored CRA was feasible to deliver in a rural, community‐based health setting, and rated by clients as highly effective and acceptable. CRA was associated with statistically significant reductions in the use of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, amphetamine and over the counter medication, and levels of psychological distress, and an increase in levels of empowerment for Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal clients. This study provides evidence for the feasibility and acceptability of an Aboriginal‐adapted psychological intervention addressing drug, alcohol and mental health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem behaviour in schools may have detrimental effects both on students' well‐being and academic achievement. A large literature has consistently found that school‐wide positive behaviour support (SWPBS) successfully addresses social and behavioural problems. In this paper, we used population‐wide longitudinal register data for all Norwegian primary schools and a difference‐in‐difference (DiD) design to evaluate effects of SWPBS on a number of primary and secondary outcomes, including indicators of externalising behaviour, school well‐being, pull‐out instruction, and academic achievement. Indications of reduced classroom noise were found. No other effects were detected. Analyses revealed important differences in outcomes between the intervention and control schools, independent of the implementation of SWPBS, and that a credible design like DiD is essential to handle such school differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the special section 'Cultural differences in questionnaire responding' and discusses central topics in the research on response biases in cross-cultural survey research. Based on current conceptions of acquiescent, extreme, and socially desirable responding, the author considers current data on the correlated nature of response biases and the conditions under which different response styles they emerge. Based on evidence relating different response styles to the cultural dimension of individualism-collectivism, the paper explores how research presented as part of this special section might help resolves some tensions in this literature. The paper concludes by arguing that response styles should not be treated merely as measurement error, but as cultural behaviors in themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest in the well‐being of people exposed to long‐term violence and conflict has tended to focus on measurable effects of acute traumatic events, while attention to the pressures of their daily living context is relatively new. Using qualitative and quantitative data from a 2005 survey of all female family caretakers in 2 neighbouring Israeli‐occupied West Bank villages (n = 820), we explored the associations of demographic, health‐related and contextual factors with reported pressures and WHO‐5 well‐being index scores. The final model explained 17.8% of the variance with negative associations between health‐related factors ("back‐aches," "stomach aches" "psychological illness in the family") and family‐related factors ("male head of household aggressive", "male head of household physically violent") and the WHO‐5 well‐being index scores. We found positive associations between socio‐economic factors ("standard of living"; "number of rooms") and village‐related factors ("residency in village A/B") and the WHO‐5 well‐being index score. Exploring the daily living context of villages A and B illuminated how the impact of historical and political events differed, even in villages that are geographically close. The paper lends support to calls for including politics and history in research on well‐being in contexts of long‐term violence and conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention plays a key role in memory processes and has been widely studied in various memory tasks. The role of attention in sex differences in object location memory is not clearly understood. In the present study, two experiments involving 186 participants and using an object array presented on paper were conducted to examine two encoding conditions: incidental and intentional. In each experiment, the participants were randomly assigned to divided versus full attention conditions. In the first experiment, which involved incidental encoding, women outperformed men in memorising location‐exchanged objects in both the full and in the divided attention condition. In the second experiment, which involved intentional encoding, women outperformed men in memorising location‐exchanged objects in the full attention condition, but not the divided attention condition. These findings deepen our knowledge regarding the role of attention in object location memory, specifically in terms of the conditions under which females have an advantage for detecting changes in an array of objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marital commitment and satisfaction are known to be closely related, but only limited research has examined the asymmetric interaction patterns between spouses. In this paper, the authors study 400 Chinese couples and find that communication mediates the relationship between marital commitment and marital satisfaction. Using the actor–partner interdependence model, they find that wives and husbands show asymmetric associations for marital commitment, communication and satisfaction. Specifically, compared with husbands, wives are more attuned to the path from marital commitment to marital satisfaction via communication. Implications and limitations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implicit and explicit attitudes correlate under certain conditions and researchers are interested in the moderating factors of this relationship. This paper explored the role of socially desirable responding in this relationship by testing the hypothesis that impression management (IM; i.e., deliberate response modification) and self‐deceptive enhancement (SDE; i.e., positive self‐bias) play moderating roles in the relationship of implicit–explicit attitudes toward asylum seekers in Australia. Seventy‐four students responded to a battery of measures and the results revealed that IM (but not SDE) moderated this relationship to the extent that higher IM scores weakened the correspondence between implicit and explicit attitude scores. This suggests that attitudes toward asylum seekers might be susceptible to socially desirable response tendencies and in combination with the finding that IM was negatively related to explicit attitudes, it is argued that self‐presentation concerns result in the deliberate attenuation of reported negative explicit attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to identify several of the mismatches at play when social workers encounter families belonging to diverse groups and assess risk, well‐being and protection for children. Two minority groups in Israel were studied: the Ultra‐Orthodox Jewish community and Jewish immigrants from Ethiopia. A context‐informed approach was adopted to explore the subjective perceptions and constructions of "risk," "well‐being," and "protection" among parents of the two communities (N = 60) and the social workers who work with them (N = 50). The social workers included some who belong to the minority groups they serve and others who are from the majority group. The analysis of the interviews yielded two main themes: (a) an understanding of the discrepancies in parents' and professionals' perceptions and constructions of "risk" and "protection" for children as the product of differences in the values, norms and contexts of these two groups; and (b) the implications of these discrepancies for the relationship between professionals/social service agencies and parents who are potential service users. Our findings call upon professionals to re‐visit "universals" in the "risk" discourse while taking into account the realms of culture, ethnicity, religiosity, spirituality and community life when assessing risk and treating children and families of minority communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the circular structure of values in China. The circular structure is a central element of Schwartz value theory and visualises the idea that some values are similar while others conflict with one another. Whereas numerous studies addressed the question whether the circular structure of values can be generalised cross‐culturally, results for China are inconclusive. In this paper, we argue that taking a closer look at China provides a challenge to the circular structure and allows for drawing conclusions regarding the limits versus generalizability of Schwartz' theory. For this purpose, we first conduct a re‐analysis of Chinese data from a former meta‐analysis (Study 1) and second, present results from a large study of 10,652 Chinese college students (Study 2). Results of Study 1 revealed that graphical representation of the circular structure matched theoretical expectations but five out of six samples showed relatively bad fit to the theorised structure. By contrast, data in Study 2 showed a good model fit. As an overall conclusion, the circular structure is well supported in the Chinese context, and small sample sizes in previous studies might have caused the imperfect match to the prototypical circular structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prevention science as an interdisciplinary specialty is addressed in this introduction to the special section of the journal. The six papers that comprise the special section are briefly summarised, especially noting the global regions that are represented, that is, Europe, Middle East, New Zealand and South America. Attention to the importance of differential adaptations of prevention interventions developed in one region, country or locale but implemented in another is emphasised. The Guest Editors reflect on the importance of developing cross‐national collaborations to further the advance of prevention science globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies examine intercultural relations in emerging adulthood. Framed from the perspective of the Mutual Intercultural Relations in Plural Societies ( MIRIPS) project, the current paper examined the mediating role of tolerance and perceived consequences of immigration in the relationship between multicultural ideology and attitudes towards immigrants. Additionally, the moderating role of context was analysed. A two-group structural equation modelling was performed on data collected from 305 Italian emerging adults living both in northern and in southern Italy with different socio-political climates towards immigrants. In both groups, tolerance and perceived consequences of immigration mediated the relationship between multicultural ideology and attitudes towards immigrants. Also, this indirect relationship was significantly higher for the northern than southern Italians. These findings provide provisional evidence of mediating and moderating processes in the relationship between multicultural ideology and attitudes towards immigrants and suggest important implications for practitioners interested in promoting intercultural relations among emerging adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the ways in which globalisation influences social identity. Combining a psychological social-identity framework with sociological considerations regarding the contextual impact of globalisation, it tests whether global identification-that is, people's identification as global citizens-constitutes an inclusive category, negatively linked to xenophobic attitudes towards immigrants across countries and whether the actual country level of globalisation moderates the relationship between global identification and xenophobia. Unlike most psychological studies of globalisation, it draws its data from 124 national samples across 86 countries, with 154,760 respondents overall, using three different cross-national surveys. Study 1 (International Social Survey Program National Identity Module III 2013; N = 39,426, countries = 32) evinces that while global identification is in fact negatively linked to xenophobia, the correlation is moderated by the country level of globalisation, countries marked by higher levels of globalisation exhibiting a stronger negative relation between global identification and xenophobia than those characterised by a lower level of globalisation. Study 2 (European Values Study 2008; N = 53,083, countries = 44) and Study 3 (World Values Survey 6; N = 65,251, countries = 48) replicated these results across other countries employing dissimilar scales for global identification and xenophobia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a historical overview of the Interamerican Society of Psychology, which was founded on December 17, 1951, in Mexico City. Firstly, the historical circumstances of the foundation period are presented, as well as the people who made this organization possible, and the state of psychology on the American continent at that time. Secondly, the most important activities that the Interamerican Society of Psychology has developed during its 60 years are mentioned, such as the publication of books and scientific journals, the creation of several task forces and the Interamerican Congresses of Psychology. Basically, the purpose of this paper is to review the history of the Interamerican Society of Psychology through the recovery and use of various documentary sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effect of the Big Five personality traits on job satisfaction and subjective wellbeing (SWB). The paper also examines the mediating role of job satisfaction on the Big Five–SWB relationship. Data were collected from a sample of 818 urban employees from five Chinese cities: Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang, Dalian, and Fushun. All the study variables were measured with well-established multi-item scales that have been validated both in English-speaking populations and in China. The study found only extraversion to have an effect on job satisfaction, suggesting that there could be cultural difference in the relationships between the Big Five and job satisfaction in China and in the West. The study found that three factors in the Big Five—extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism—have an effect on SWB. This finding is similar to findings in the West, suggesting convergence in the relationship between the Big Five and SWB in different cultural contexts. The research found that only the relationship between extraversion and SWB is partially mediated by job satisfaction, implying that the effect of the Big Five on SWB is mainly direct, rather than indirect via job satisfaction. The study also found that extraversion was the strongest predictor of both job satisfaction and SWB. This finding implies that extraversion could be more important than other factors in the Big Five in predicting job satisfaction and SWB in a “high collectivism” and “high power distance” country such as China. The research findings are discussed in the Chinese cultural context. The study also offers suggestions on the directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the Special Section on Advances in Psychological Prevention and Treatment Interventions to Promote Children's Mental Health. The three articles in the Special Section provide perspectives on the adaptation, evaluation, and implementation of evidence-based psychological interventions for children in countries in Northern and Eastern Europe, and Latin America. The articles highlight disparate methodologies for the examination of intervention data, including addressing causal inference in the absence of availability of true experiment data (i.e., randomised controlled trial data), randomised trial data from a school-based prevention programme, and predictors of change in an evidence-based treatment programme. Together, the articles highlight the movement of evidence-based practices into routine care settings and emerging strategies for settings in which randomised trial data are not yet available. They demonstrate the contribution of psychological research to the advancement of practices for improving children's mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper examines university graduates' beliefs about how meritocratic socioeconomic status ( SES) attainment in U.S. society is for themselves (merit agency beliefs) and for most other people (merit societal beliefs), and how these distinct beliefs are differentially associated with labour market experiences and achievement-goal attitudes and expectations in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Data from a 10-month longitudinal study of 217 graduates from the 2013 class of a large public U.S. university were analysed using multilevel modelling. The results indicate that most participants optimistically expected to attain upward social mobility. Furthermore, participants' merit agency beliefs were reflective of their labour market prospects and experiences, and calibrated their achievement-goal attitudes and expectations. However, participants' merit societal beliefs were not associated with these labour market experiences and achievement-goal attitudes and expectations. The distinction between merit agency beliefs and merit societal beliefs may be motivationally beneficial by allowing individuals to continue striving toward the uncertain long-term goal pursuit of upward social mobility despite the short-term struggles and setbacks many young adults are likely to experience in the aftermath of the Great Recession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]