Abstract: The Arousal Appraisal Model (AAM) is proposed as a theoretical framework in which emotion is understood as one phase in a broader process of arousal regulation. In this account, low-load contemplation, matched-load action, excess-load emotion, and overload collapse/freeze all arise from the dynamic regulation of physiological arousal within the human nervous system. Drawing on affective neuroscience, cognitive appraisal theory, and contemplative research, the model reframes emotion as part of a regulatory process that emerges when amygdala-driven activation overshoots behavioral capacity, leaving surplus energy to be carried as tension and affect. Extending Schachter and Singer’s (1962) two-factor theory, the AAM situates arousal, appraisal, and integrative awareness along a single regulatory axis: when mobilization remains below the level needed to organize action, it is registered as low-load contemplation or passing wishes; when mobilization and capacity are well matched in a given task, matched-load action arises, with flow-like states as vivid exemplars; when activation exceeds available capacity, emotion is experienced as differentiated feeling; and when activation surpasses even this range, overload can result in collapse, freezing, or functional shutdown. Synthesizing empirical findings from misattribution studies, neuroimaging of arousal–appraisal coupling, and flow-state research, the Arousal Appraisal Model offers a testable account of how shifts in physiological activation are organized, through appraisal, into cognition, behavior, and subjective experience across the full range from contemplative low load to survival-driven shutdown. Unlike Yerkes–Dodson, circumplex, or “window of tolerance” frameworks, which remain largely descriptive, the Arousal Appraisal Model offers a mechanistic account of how changing mobilization–capacity ratios organize arousal into contemplation, action, emotion, and collapse along a single regulatory axis.

Abstract: Virtual agents powered by large language models are increasingly deployed in digital mental health services, yet the influence of avatar appearance on users’ emotional, cognitive, and physiological responses remains insufficiently understood. This study examined how three avatar designs—animal-like, human-like, and object-like—shape affective experience, user evaluation, autonomic activity, and attentional allocation during virtual doctor interactions. Forty-two participants completed a within-subjects experiment involving self-reported affect ratings, multidimensional user-experience assessments, heart rate variability (HRV) measures, and eye-tracking indicators. Avatar type did not significantly affect changes in positive or negative affect. However, physiological data revealed clear divergences. The animal-like avatar elicited the strongest parasympathetic activation, reflected by significant increases in RMSSD and HF power, whereas the object-like avatar produced a sympathetic-dominant response. Across six user-experience dimensions, the animal-like avatar consistently received the highest evaluations. Eye-tracking results showed faster first fixation and longer face-directed fixation duration for the animal-like avatar, indicating stronger social attention. The human-like avatar demonstrated slightly delayed initial fixation, consistent with subtle yet nonsignificant uncanny-valley tendencies. These findings underscore the critical role of avatar visual design in shaping emotional safety, engagement, and social processing in virtual mental health interactions.

Abstract: Background: During social foraging, individuals typically adopt one of two mutually exclusive strategies: (1) producing, which involves searching for, discovering, and acquiring resources, or (2) scrounging, which entails exploiting resources previously discovered by others. The distribution of these strategies within a group is referred to as the Producer–Scrounger (P–S) Game. Although the influence of personality on the Producer–Scrounger Game has been examined in non-human species through measures of individual differences such as behavioral flexibility and exploratory tendencies, few studies have yet explored this relationship in humans. Objective: The present study aimed to examine the association between social foraging strategies and personality traits in human participants, using the Big Five dimensions, their higher-order metatraits, and psychopathy traits from the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD). Methods: Forty-five participants completed the Guaymas Foraging Task (GFT), designed to simulate a social foraging scenario under two conditions lasting four minutes each: one in which the cost of producing was 0 seconds, and another in which it was 8 seconds. Participants also completed the Big Five Inventory and the APSD. Results: The openness, agreeableness, extraversion, stability, and plasticity traits were associated with higher producer indexes. However, these correlations emerged only under the low-cost condition. Similarly, participants above the APSD’s cutoff score scrounged more but only in the low-cost condition. Conclusions: Individual differences such as personality seem to be correlated with different foraging strategies, nonetheless, the behavioral expression of these traits seems to diminish when the environment isn’t favorable for their preferred strategy.

Abstract: Peer action coordination in middle childhood is thought to benefit from socio-cognitive abilities such as emotion understanding and inhibitory control, but empirical evidence for their role is limited. This study replicates and extends a previous study by examining whether emotion understanding and inhibitory control correlate with children’s peer action coordination in a cooperative sensorimotor problem-solving task. To test this hypothesis, 6- to 10-year-old children (N = 108, Mage = 8 years, 8 months, 46.3% girls, 53.7% boys) completed the Test of Emotion Comprehension, and the Attention Network Task. To assess children’s performance in coordinating their actions with a peer, they were asked to complete the Labyrinth Ball Game—a sensorimotor task that they first performed individually and then together with a peer. Contrary to expectations, there was no direct association between emotion understanding or inhibitory control and children’s peer action coordination after controlling for age, gender, and individual sensorimotor skills. However, a significant interaction between age and gender revealed that older boys showed greater cooperative action coordination performance than younger boys, whereas girls’ performance remained stable across age. These findings challenge the view that individual socio-cognitive abilities straightforwardly support cooperative success, suggesting that peer action coordination in middle childhood may rely on more complex mechanisms, such as gender-specific communicative strategies or social play, rather than on emotion understanding and inhibitory control.

Abstract: Orgasm-focused sexual scripts are widely promoted as markers of successful intimacy and relationship quality, yet empirical findings on their links with couple satisfaction are mixed. This conceptual, narrative review proposes a multi-level framework to explain how orgasm-centered sexuality may support or undermine relational well-being depending on whether the partner is engaged as a co-constructing subject or used primarily as a masturbatory object. Drawing on psychodynamic theories of autoerotism, object use and selfobject functioning, and integrating them with empirical constructs such as sexual detachment, sexual narcissism, partner sexual objectification and orgasm goal-focus, we synthesize evidence from dyadic and individual studies on sexual and relationship satisfaction. On this basis, we articulate an autoerotic–relational continuum and a four-level model (intrapersonal, interpersonal, sociocultural, neurobiological) that links dispositional traits and sociocultural scripts to distinct orgasmic sexual patterns and couple outcomes. We conclude that orgasm-centered sexuality is relationally protective when embedded in mutual mentalization and shared meaning, but becomes a risk factor for dissatisfaction, instability and coercive dynamics when organized around partner instrumentalization. The model yields specific, testable hypotheses and clinically relevant guidelines for assessment, couple therapy and psychoeducation.

Abstract: Background: The relationship between the dimensions of selfie addiction and narcissism in students at the Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas (UAZ, Autonomous University of Zacatecas), Mexico, was analysed. The aim of this study was to identify the factors of narcissism associated with students' addictive behaviour towards selfies. Methods: To identify the relationship between narcissism and selfie addiction, the NPI-40 Narcissistic Personality Inventory and the Psychometric Selfie Addiction Scale (PSAS) were used. This was done using a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to carry out the structural validation process. EFA and CFA confirmed adequate fit and reliability indicators regarding the robust multidimensional structure of the Selfie Addiction Scale. Results: SEM indicated that narcissistic traits predict selfie addiction. It also indicated that there is body objectification and appearance comparison through social media. This research provides important findings on recent structural and psychometric evidence in the Mexican student population, as it integrates the NPI-40 and PSAS, as well as a parsimonious explanatory Structural Equation Modelling that demonstrates the relationship between narcissistic traits and social media practices. Conclusions: The results provide a basis for developing digital literacy interventions for young people and future cross-validations.

Abstract: This study, grounded in the hopelessness theory of depression (Abramson et al., 1989), explored how Confucian Pro-Setback Thinking (PST) mitigates depression through multiple pathways. A sample of 996 Chinese college students (Mage=18.22 years; SD=0.75) finished a package of validated measurements online, including the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, Confucian Coping Scale, Beck Hopelessness Scale, and Self-control Scale. Results demonstrated four significant effects: (1) a direct negative association between PST and depression; (2) mediation through enhanced self-control; (3) mediation through reduced hopelessness; and (4) a serial mediation pathway from self-control to hopelessness. These findings elucidate how Confucian Pro-Setback Thinking (PST) mitigates depression among Chinese college students through multiple pathways based on the causal chain proposed by the hopelessness theory of depression, while also offer actionable insights for designing PST-informed mental health programs and interventions.

Abstract: Teacher occupational health is a critical issue worldwide that COVID-19 has worsened. While previous research has highlighted the impact of chronic work-related stress and limited personal resources on burnout, much of this research relies on cross-sectional data that do not capture how these effects develop over time. Additionally, the role of positive organizational factors remains underexplored. Our study examined burnout trajectories among 101 Portuguese elementary teachers (94.1% women, M = 46.03 years, 85.6% enrollment rate) over five data collection points spanning the 1st and 2nd COVID-19 waves (2019–2021) and investigated the impact of organizational climate on teacher burnout. Main work-related stressors were identified through an open-ended question. Trajectories of burnout indicators were analyzed using independent ANOVAs, and moderation analyses tested the relationship between organizational climate, occupational stress, and burnout. Results showed a significant drop in perceived personal accomplishment during the first lockdown. Key stressors included greater job demands and more strained interpersonal relationships. Organizational climate significantly moderated the effect of work-related stress on overall burnout and emotional exhaustion and positively predicted personal accomplishment. This research contributes to a strengthened theoretical understanding of burnout as a dynamic, context-sensitive process, offering new empirical evidence, especially in underrepresented educational systems like Portugal. It emphasizes the importance of ad-dressing contextual factors when working to reduce teacher burnout. Rethinking professional development and workplace relationships is essential for supporting teachers’ occupational health in today’s uncertain educational environments.

Abstract: Background/Objectives: Emotional and behavioral difficulties are common during adolescence and have lasting implications for well-being. Although several psychological resources—such as self-efficacy, mindfulness, and reflective functioning—have been individually linked to better adjustment, less is known about how these strengths jointly relate to perceived stress, difficulties, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to develop and test an integrative structural model capturing the interplay of these factors during early and mid-adolescence. Methods: A sample of 10–16-year-old participants completed validated measures of HRQoL (KIDSCREEN-10), emotional–behavioral difficulties (SDQ), perceived stress (PSS), self-efficacy (GSE), mindfulness (CAMM), and reflective functioning (RFQY-5). After descriptive analyses and correlation testing, we estimated a structural equation model (SEM) to examine indirect pathways from psychological resources to HRQoL via perceived stress and difficulties. Multi-group analyses assessed whether structural pathways were invariant across gender and age groups. Results: Mindfulness, self-efficacy, and reflective functioning were each linked to HRQoL indirectly through perceived stress and emotional–behavioral difficulties. Perceived stress showed a strong positive association with difficulties, and both constructs uniquely predicted lower HRQoL. The final SEM demonstrated excellent fit (χ²(4) = 6.85, p = .144; CFI = .997; TLI = .990; RMSEA = .042). Multi-group analyses indicated structural invariance across boys and girls, and broad similarity across younger and older adolescents. Conclusions: Findings highlight that distinct psychological resources contribute to adolescent HRQoL primarily through reducing stress and emotional–behavioral difficulties. The robustness of these pathways across gender and age underscores their developmental relevance and suggests that interventions promoting socio-emotional competences may support well-being already from early adolescence.

Abstract: Emotional intelligence (EI) has been increasingly recognised as a psychological resource that supports adaptability, interpersonal functioning, and work-related outcomes in high-demand environments such as healthcare. Recent literature highlights EI as a potential predictor of job performance, professional behaviour, and engagement (Andrei et al., 2020; Kim & Lee, 2021). However, empirical findings remain inconsistent, particularly in regulated healthcare systems where performance appraisals may be shaped by structural or administrative factors. This study examined the relationship between EI and annual work performance (LNPT) among Assistant Medical Officers (AMOs) in Malaysia who faced challenges in renewing their Annual Renewal Certificate (ARC).A cross-sectional design was used involving 172 AMOs selected through stratified sampling. Emotional intelligence was measured using a validated 45-item instrument aligned with Goleman’s five-domain model, while work performance was assessed using official LNPT scores for 2024. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Pearson correlations and simple regression.Findings revealed that AMOs demonstrated high EI (M = 3.91, SD = 0.45) and high LNPT scores (M = 88.43, SD = 14.46). ANOVA showed significant performance differences by grade level but no differences by gender, ethnicity, marital status, or length of service. Contrary to dominant claims in recent EI research (e.g., Prentice et al., 2020; Wu et al., 2022), EI and its subcomponents showed no significant correlations with LNPT. Regression analysis confirmed that EI was not a significant predictor of performance.These results suggest that structural and procedural factors—rather than emotional competencies may play a greater role in determining performance outcomes among AMOs undergoing ARC renewal scrutiny. The study contributes to ongoing debates regarding the conditional predictive value of EI in public healthcare settings and highlights the need for future research integrating organisational, contextual, and behavioural predictors of performance.

Abstract: Emodiversity, or diversity of emotional experience, has received mixed support in the literature as an indicator of health and wellness. The current investigation seeks to contribute to this literature by addressing how the concepts of positive emodiversity and negative emodiversity are related to several wellness indicators (physical, mental, social) within the U.S. emerging adult population using cross-sectional methods. First, in Study 1, positive and negative emodiversity constructs were examined for concurrent relationships with health and wellness indicators among more than 1,400 emerging adults. Second, in Study 2, using a Time 1/Time 2 study design, Time 2 health variables were regressed on Time 1 positive and negative emodiversity constructs to examine predictive validity. Results demonstrated support for positive emodiversity as a concurrent indicator of health and wellness, but was not associated with future health and wellness. Negative emodiversity, however, was a poor concurrent indicator, but was associated with future health and wellness.

Abstract: Deviance poses a fundamental challenge for groups: while it can threaten cohesion and invite moral condemnation, it can also express deep commitment to shared principles. The present research examines how loyalty shapes perceptions of constructive deviance through the case of Republicans for Harris (RHs) during the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Across three time points, we compared how deviants (RHs, N = 89) perceived themselves to how they were viewed by mainstream ingroup members (Republicans for Trump; RTs, N = 340) and outgroup members (Democrats; N = 294). Results revealed marked asymmetries: RTs viewed RHs as less loyal, less prototypical, and more likely to defect than RHs saw themselves. All groups, including mainstream ingroup members, outgroup members, and deviants themselves, felt warmer toward deviants they perceived as more loyal and prototypical. These findings suggest that constructive deviants maintain positive self-views by construing their actions as expressions of fidelity to, rather than rejection of, the group.

Abstract: Background: Adolescence is a developmental period marked by heightened vulnerability to depressive symptoms. Although prior research highlights the significance of father presence in adolescent mental health, longitudinal evidence clarifying both its direct and indirect effects remains scarce. Methods: The present study used a two-wave longitudinal design to examine whether emotion beliefs and emotion regulation processes explain the link between father presence and depressive symptoms. Participants included 1075 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 16.06, SD = 0.43, girls = 52.9%). Results: Path models showed that higher perceived father presence predicted lower depressive symptoms over time. Emotion beliefs and cognitive reappraisal each served as significant mediators in this association. Moreover, a sequential pathway emerged that father presence predicted fewer maladaptive emotion beliefs, which in turn promoted the use of cognitive reappraisal, ultimately reducing depressive symptoms. Conclusions: These findings shed light on the cognitive and regulatory processes through which paternal presence contributes to adolescent emotional adjustment and provide support for incorporating paternal emotional engagement and emotion socialization strategies into family-based prevention and intervention programs targeting adolescent depression.

Abstract: Interpersonal emotion regulation (iER) is the process of managing others’ emotions and is critical during early adolescence, when social awareness and peer dependence increase. Little is known about how sex and gender role orientation shape adolescents’ iER. This study examined whether early adolescents differ in their use of person-focused (acceptance) versus problem-focused (positive engagement) strategies and whether these differences depend on context and measurement method. Data were collected from 322 adolescents (141 girls, 181 boys; aged 10–14 years, M = 12.47, SD = 1.55). The cross-sectional online study used a multi-method design comprising open-ended visual vignettes, a standardised questionnaire, and a serious game task. Participants also completed a validated gender-role self-concept measure assessing femininity and masculinity. Analyses were conducted using Poisson and logistic regressions with sex, femininity, and masculinity as predictors. Across tasks, adolescents preferred problem-focused over person-focused strategies. Girls and those higher in femininity reported or generated more acceptance-based strategies, whereas boys and those higher in masculinity favoured positive engagement. These effects were evident in reflective measures (vignettes and questionnaire) but not in the interactive game, where sex and gender differences were absent. Findings suggest that gendered socialisation processes shape how adolescents regulate others’ emotions, particularly when behaviour is consciously reported. However, in ecologically valid contexts, these differences diminish, indicating shared capacities for adaptive interpersonal regulation across genders.

Abstract: This study examines how religious and spiritual identities relate to depression and anxiety at baseline and longitudinally. Using data from the Family Foundations of Youth Development Project, which sampled parent-child dyads from the Western United States, we investigated how mental health relates to the conjunction of spirituality and religiosity (S/R), the lack of either, or one separate from the other. At baseline, children identifying as “Spiritual but not Religious” (SBNR) reported the highest levels of anxiety and depression, whereas children who identified as “Religious and Spiritual” (RAS) exhibited the lowest levels of depression. The difference between RAS identity and the SBNR identity was significant across all baseline scales, with SBNR individuals demonstrating greater pathology. Among parents, the "religious but not spiritual RBNS group” was more depressed than the RAS group, and both RBNS and SBNR parents were more anxious than the “not religious, nor spiritual” (NRNS) parents. Longitudinally, SBNR children uniquely showed significant decreases in their depression levels, and no increases in their anxiety levels, likely reflecting a ceiling effect given their initially high symptoms. Regarding adults, all groups except RBNS decreased in depressive symptoms over time. This study highlights the nuanced relationship between psychological well-being and S/R. It offers possible interpretations, intending to alleviate suffering and encourage flourishing by identifying risk and protective factors.

Abstract: Background: Parents play a central role in shaping children’s eating behaviors. While previous research has documented associations between parental attitudes and feeding practices, fewer studies have examined how mothers’ own eating styles may contribute to their perceptions of their children’s eating attitudes and behaviors and how these may influence subsequent feeding practices. Objectives: This study tested a cross-sectional mediation model to examine whether mothers’ eating styles predicted their self-reported restrictive feeding practices indirectly through their perceptions of their children’s appetite and subsequently through their concern about their children’s weight. Methods: A total of 488 mothers (M_age = 33.87 years, SD = 4.81, range = 20–49) of children aged 2–6 years (M_age = 3.85 years, SD = 1.33) completed self-report measures, including the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) for maternal eating styles, the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) for parental concerns and restrictive practices, and the Children’s Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) for perceptions of child eating attitudes. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the hypothesized mediation model, with model fit evaluated using CFI, TLI, RMSEA, and SRMR indices. Results: The best-fitting model showed that maternal eating styles predicted restrictive feeding practices indirectly through maternal perceptions of child appetite and concern about child weight. Specifically, mothers who reported higher emotional and external eating tendencies perceived their children as having stronger appetitive drives, which in turn predicted greater concern about child weight and more restrictive feeding practices. Conclusions: Findings suggest that maternal eating styles may bias mothers’ perceptions of their children’s appetite and influence restrictive feeding practices indirectly through increased concern about child weight. These results underscore the importance of addressing parental cognitions and maternal eating styles in interventions designed to promote healthy child feeding practices.

Abstract: Objective: To determine whether executive function impairment is a defining feature of individuals with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) through analyses using the BRIEF questionnaire. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis examining executive func-tions assessed with the BRIEF or BRIEF-P in individuals with NF1.Data Sources and Study Selection: Relevant studies using BRIEF or BRIEF-P to evaluate executive functions in clinically diagnosed NF1 populations were identified. Studies reporting parent or teacher assessments and providing effect sizes suitable for meta-analysis were included. Data Extraction: Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were computed across BRIEF scales, including clinical and global indices. Results: Individuals with NF1 showed significant executive function deficits compared with community controls. Small but significant deficits were observed in Emotional Control (d = 0.31) and Inhibitory Self-Control (d = 0.26). Moderate deficits emerged in Inhibition (d = 0.50), Global Executive Functioning (d = 0.58), and Or-ganization of Materials (d = 0.52). Large deficits appeared in Self-Monitoring (d = 1.03), Working Memory (d = 0.97), Metacognition (d = 0.95), and Planning/Organization (d = 0.72). No significant differences were found in Flexibility scales. Parent reports indicated moderate deficits (d = 0.63), while teacher reports showed smaller effects (d = 0.49). Defi-cits were larger with the BRIEF (d = 0.82) than with the BRIEF-P (d = 0.38). Conclusions: Executive function impairment is a prominent characteristic of NF1, particularly in meta-cognitive and behavioral regulation domains, as demonstrated by BRIEF-based assess-ments.

Abstract: Therapeutic horse riding (THR) is a non-traditional intervention that may support mental well-being in individuals with autism spectrum conditions. Despite growing interest, most research has focused on children and has tended to privilege practitioner or care-giver perspectives, leaving autistic adults underrepresented. This qualitative study ex-plores the psychological benefits and systemic barriers associated with THR among Autistic adults, drawing on perspectives from both clients and practitioners. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six Autistic clients and four practitioners, and the data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Five overarching themes were constructed: Facing the Puissance, Pathways to Participation, Embodied Engage-ment, To Understand and To Be Understood, and Beyond the Arena – Impacts That Last. Participants described enjoyment, increased confidence, and a sense of achievement, with effects accumulating over time and often extending beyond the riding arena into daily life. Barriers included cost, accessibility, and limited availability of appropriately trained staff and facilities. The findings contribute to a limited evidence base on THR for Autistic adults and suggest that THR can enhance well-being, self-agency, and relation-ship-building, whilst also revealing structural obstacles that restrict equitable access.

Abstract: Background/Objectives: In the healthcare sector, burnout has become a critical concern due to high job demands and emotional strain. The main objective of the study is to examine the predictive role of psychosocial work-related risks in the development of burnout. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, using a snowball recruitment method, from May to September 2025, among 154 healthcare workers. Data were collected using a validated two questionnaires and analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The main results shows that psychosocial risk factors are consistently linked to the development of burnout symptoms. For exhaustion, the predictors included, Working Hours (β = .312, p < .001), Work Relations (β = .196, p = .026), and Emotional Demands (β = .295, p = .002). For mental distance, the predictors included Work Intensity (β = −.193, p = .049), Emotional Demands (β = .294, p = .004), and Work Values (β = .348, p = .003). For cognitive impairment, Work Values (β = .240, p = .042) and for emotional impairment, Employment Relations (β = .182, p = .038) emerged only one significant positive predictor. Conclusions: Findings underscore a crucial understanding: the development of burnout is not solely determined by the workload intensity, or the number of hours worked, the quality of working life and the dynamics within the workplace play pivotal roles in predicting burnout. A multidomain evaluation aligns with a holistic well-being approach to well-being by emphasizing that enhancing healthcare workers’ health demands systemic interventions addressing psychosocial work environment.

Abstract: In recent years, the increasing use of social media in the workplace has raised concerns about its potential adverse impact on employee productivity and overall organizational success. Consequently, the aim of the study was to enhance the understanding of the relationship between social media addiction, Fear of Missing Out, cyberloafing, work engagement, and organizational commitment using a network analysis approach. The findings reveal a triangular association between social media addiction, Fear of Missing Out, and cyberloafing. Especially Fear of Missing Out and organizational commitment play a central role within the network, bridging work-related attitudes and problematic social media behaviors. Contrarily, social media addiction and cyberloafing appear to play a less central role forwork-related attitudes within the network. Implications for workplace management and suggestions for future research are discussed.