Europe’s Journal of Psychology

Subjective Health and Personal Values in Immigrants and Nonimmigrants Across Europe: Evidence From the COVID-19 Era

2026-02-27T02:12:44+00:00

COVID-19 has profoundly impacted physical and mental health worldwide, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, including immigrants. While subjective health (SH) is widely used as a measure of well-being, little is known about how personal values influence SH differently between immigrants and nonimmigrants during crises. This study explores the relationship between personal values and SH, focusing on differences between immigrant and nonimmigrant groups. Using data from the European Social Survey (ESS), we analyzed responses from 32,963 individuals across 20 countries (Round 10: 2020–22). Multilevel modeling showed that Axis_open (Openness to change over Conservation) was positively associated with SH in both immigrant and nonimmigrant groups. However, Axis_self (Self-transcendence over Self-enhancement) was not significant among nonimmigrants, while in the immigrant group, higher Axis_self scores were significantly associated with poorer SH. These findings underscore the importance of considering cultural and migratory contexts when addressing the health implications of personal values.

The Modulating Effect of Cognitive Reserve on Dysfunctional Beliefs in Aging

2026-02-27T02:12:41+00:00

This study explores the role of cognitive reserve (CR) as a protective factor in late adulthood, focusing on its associations with cognitive performance, dysfunctional beliefs, and motivational orientation. A total of 100 older adults aged 65 to 93 completed standardized assessments: the Cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire (CRIq), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the Dysfunctional Beliefs Questionnaire (DBQ). Motivation was also assessed through qualitative responses categorized into thematic domains. Correlation analyses revealed that higher CR was significantly associated with better cognitive functioning (r = .62, p < .001) and fewer overall dysfunctional beliefs (r = -.26, p < .05), particularly self-criticism and frustration intolerance (both r = -.40, p < .01). No significant correlations were found with catastrophizing or absolute duty beliefs. Individuals with higher CR also showed a greater tendency toward positive motivational themes (χ2 = 7.98, p < .01), while those with lower CR more frequently reported negative motivations (χ2 = 5.55, p < .01). Structural equation modelling supported a model in which CR predicted cognitive performance, dysfunctional beliefs, and motivational orientation, with good overall fit (CFI = .97, TLI = .90, RMSEA = .08, SRMR = .03). Notably, CR had direct positive effects on MoCA scores (β = .62, p < .001) and positive motivation (β = .31, p < .01), and negative effects on dysfunctional beliefs (β = -.26, p < .05) and negative motivation (β = -.30, p < .05). These findings support the view that cognitive reserve contributes not only to cognitive resilience but also to more adaptive motivational and emotional patterns in aging. The results highlight the role of CR in enhancing cognitive performance and reducing maladaptive beliefs, suggesting a dynamic relationship between cognitive resources, emotional-motivational functioning, and individual differences in late adulthood.

Does Conflictual Dialogue Improve a Story?

2026-02-27T02:12:42+00:00

According to creative writing experts, adding conflict to dialogue improves story quality and audience reaction to that story. This idea draws from the widely held theory that conflict is vital for dramatic stories. Yet despite conflict’s seeming centrality, experimental research into its effects is limited. We take a small step in addressing this shortfall, by examining whether one type of conflict — adversarial dialogue — improves story quality, and audience response. In a pilot, and two similar studies, we manipulated stories to create different levels of conflictual dialogue, in repeated measures experiments. Forty-seven participants in the first study and 194 in the second, read stories with different levels of conflict, and then rated them on a series of measures (the Perceived Quality Index in the first experiment, the Audience Response Scale, with supplementary questions on boredom and story quality in the second). While the conflict manipulation was successful, it produced no significant difference in these outcome measures in the two experiments. These results do not support the study hypothesis that manipulating isolated adversarial dialogue has a positive effect on stories but would be compatible with alternative theories of conflict in stories.

Digital Addiction Scale for Children (DASC): Age, Gender, Sleep and Emotional Correlates

2026-02-27T02:12:42+00:00

Nowadays, digital devices (DD) overuse is an increasing risk factor to develop anxiety, depression and sleep disturbances in young population. Objectives: This study aims to validate the Digital Addiction Scale for Children (DASC) in Spanish, the second most spoken language globally, and to examine its relationship with anxiety, depression, and sleep patterns in children and adolescents. Methods: A sample of 977 children aged 9 to 14 completed self-reported measures of sleep duration, the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) and the DASC. The statistical analyses, including confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega, and Pearson correlations, revealed that the DASC has a bifactorial structure and good reliability. Results: Higher problematic DD levels were associated with increased anxiety and depression symptoms and reduced sleep hours. Although the DASC-Spanish version shows only partial gender and age invariance, it demonstrates strong psychometric properties, supporting its use in psychological practice and research. Conclusions: The observed correlates of the Spanish-DASC with anxiety, depression, and sleep; emphasize its relevance in the presence of negative emotional symptoms and for the promotion of psychological well-being and health in late childhood and adolescence.

Implementation of the Evidence-Based Practice in Psychology in Ukraine: Prediction Model Development

2026-02-27T02:12:43+00:00

Objective: By 2021, researchers reported limited access to evidence-based mental health interventions in Ukraine, which became more crucial after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Evidence-based practice in psychology (EBPP) requires professionals to consider equal contributions of the best available research, practical experience, and the context of the unique client. This study aimed to reveal the possible predictors of EBPP implementation among Ukrainian psychologists (n = 366) by developing and testing multivariable prediction models. Methods: The research design followed the methodology of “Transparent reporting of a multivariable prediction model for individual prognosis or diagnosis” — TRIPOD checklist. The online survey included a questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics, educational and professional background, and a purposely developed part regarding the knowledge, attitudes, and utilization of the EBPP approach. Results: Regression analysis revealed different prediction models for the belief that the respondent implements EBPP and the intensity of EBPP elements implementation, explaining 24.4% and 18.5% of their variance with 3 and 5 predictors, respectively. Conclusion: Psychologists believed they were implementing EBPP when they used interventions/methods with proven efficacy, were members of psychological associations, and assessed their knowledge regarding EBPP higher. However, more intensive use of EBPP elements was predicted by a psychologist’s experience in personal therapy and supervision, a positive attitude toward EBPP elements, membership in a psychological association, and a perceived level of knowledge regarding EBPP. The belief that the psychologist’s practice aligns with the EBPP requirements and the intensity of using EBPP elements had a rather moderate correlation.

Predictors of Volunteering Rates in the Local Authority Districts (LADs) of England: Neuroticism, Socioeconomic Grade, Trust, and Racial/Ethnic Diversity

2026-02-27T02:12:45+00:00

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine relations of formal volunteering (FV) rates to neuroticism, socioeconomic grade (SEG), trust of neighbors, and racial/ethnic diversity (RED) in 316 local authority districts (LADs) in England to determine the replicability of earlier research on the US states. Method: A national indicator dataset provided the percentage of adults who engaged in FV in each LAD during 2008. LAD neuroticism scores were based on internet responses of 386,375 UK residents to the Big Five Inventory. SEG was based on four occupation grades from the 2011 UK census. RED was based on 2011 UK census data and the premise that maximum diversity occurs when each racial/ethnic group has equal proportions. Based on 2009 to 2015 data, the neighbor trust variable indicates the percent of persons in each LAD who believe they can trust their neighbors. The present research employed correlation and multiple regression strategies. It also evaluated the impacts of spatial autocorrelation. Results: LAD FV rates correlated negatively with neuroticism and RED, and positively with SEG and trust. The most important finding is that the significant negative relation between RED and FV was rendered nonsignificant or was greatly reduced when trust was controlled in sequential multiple regressions. Adjusting for spatial autocorrelation or not, the results were substantively the same. Conclusions: These results essentially replicate those of two earlier analyses using US states. Findings strongly suggest that trust is a mediator between RED and FV. Speculative interpretations focus on relations between homophily, RED, and trust.

Stability of Network Models Linking Personality to Conspiracy Mentality Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2026-02-27T02:12:44+00:00

Discussions about potential intervention targets, antecedents, and consequences of conspiracy beliefs often rely on comparing bivariate correlations, which can mask intricate patterns. Therefore, the present study adopts a multivariate network approach to gain nuanced insights into the relationships between personality variables and conspiracy mentality. Established and less-studied correlates of conspiracy mentality (i.e., bedtime procrastination, life satisfaction, locus of control, neuroticism, political cynicism, self-efficacy, and self-esteem) were examined together in network models at the aggregate score level and item level. Notably, network stability was examined across different samples before (N = 403) and during (N = 193) the COVID-19 pandemic. The main findings are: (a) the strength and sign of the relationships were often stable across bivariate and network analyses (e.g., positive relationships between political cynicism and conspiracy mentality), however, there were exceptions, such as an inconsistent link between life satisfaction and conspiracy mentality; (b) while many network relationships and centrality indices were similar before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, some noteworthy exceptions indicate that interventions targeting implausible conspiracy beliefs may benefit from tailoring to external circumstances; (c) certain influential network elements were identified that could inform future interventions (e.g., increasing politicians' transparency and accountability).

The Influence of Religious Commitment on Social Cognition: An Exploratory Study of Social Representations of Peace Among a Sample of Graduates Cameroonians

2026-02-27T02:12:45+00:00

The preservation of peace is a key concern of the Cameroonian people and the subject of debate within the political class. The public’s marked interest in this issue prompted us to look at social representations of peace in Cameroon through the prism of religious commitment. Adopting a structural approach to social representations, we conducted a study among respondents with different levels of religious commitment (N = 156). Data collected via free association and characterization questionnaires were submitted to hierarchical and Q-sort analyses. Results indicated that unity is the factor that best characterizes peace. A comparative analysis of the organization of representations between groups with different levels of religious commitment failed to reveal any major differences. Based on the elements identified by participants, we argue that proximity to the object is the main factor underlying the construction of social representations of peace in Cameroon.

Socrates’ Voluntary Death — An Essential Voice Against the Pathologisation of Suicide

2026-02-27T08:11:04+00:00

Objectives: The article focuses on the death of the Greek philosopher Socrates from the 5th century BCE as a significant inspiration for contemporary discourse on suicide (an essential voice against the pathologisation of suicide). It aims to highlight how an individual and their socio-cultural environment interact when dealing with the problem of death. Methods: The psychobiographical approach used a single-case analysis as the starting point for theoretical discussion on suicide. The essential feature of the presented study is an interpretive-descriptive approach. Results: An analysis reveals Socrates’ motivations in the context of ancient Greek culture, particularly regarding the concept of honour-shame, which played an important role in the organisation of social and mental life in the Mediterranean world. However, the honour-shame dimension is not limited to ancient Greek culture; it is closely related to the universal concept of ‘social status’. Honour-shame and social status can identify and explain the motivational processes behind the suicidal decision. Conclusions: The example of Socrates (who chooses death to avoid shame and preserve his honour) allows us to receive an alternative perspective on suicide, especially concerning the right to suicide and the problem of its medicalisation and pathologisation. In this light, we should also ask for an alternative design of preventive programs and legal assessments of suicide.

Does Patient Care Depend on Patients’ Health Behaviors? A Study Investigating the Impact of Empathy Among Future Healthcare Professionals on Their Willingness to Help

2025-11-28T02:28:57+00:00

Objectives: This study examines the impact of patients’ healthy and unhealthy behaviors on future healthcare professionals’ willingness to help. Additionally, it also investigates how empathy among future healthcare professionals shapes their willingness to help. Methods: Three hundred future healthcare professionals completed sociodemographic and empathy questionnaires and evaluated 12 clinical vignettes assessing their willingness to help. The vignettes depicted patients engaging in either healthy or unhealthy behaviors. Results: Participants reported a greater willingness to help patients displaying healthy behaviors compared to those exhibiting unhealthy behaviors (small effect). A moderate positive association was also observed between empathy and willingness to help. Notably, while affective empathy remained a significant correlate, cognitive empathy showed a stronger association with willingness to help in scenarios involving unhealthy behaviors. Although both gender and grade significantly predicted empathy (with moderate and small effects, respectively), neither variable significantly predicted willingness to help. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that patients’ health behaviors influence willingness to help and highlight the role of empathy in shaping these intentions. The study therefore supports integrating targeted empathy-focused training into academic curricula to strengthen empathic and related interpersonal skills among future healthcare professionals.