Deployed combat personnel are at increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). People with PTSD often judge ambiguous information as negative or threatening (interpretation bias). However, this may be adaptive during deployment. The current study aimed to investigate the extent to which interpretation bias in combat personnel is associated with PTSD symptoms, rather than with appropriate situational awareness. Combat veterans with and without PTSD and civilians without PTSD generated explanations for ambiguous situations and judged the likelihood of various possible explanations. Th ..read more

The current study investigated the correlation between political violence and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and whether the sense of belongingness (SOB) and loneliness mediate the correlation between the two variables among Palestinians living in a society characterised by high political violence and prolonged traumatic events. The study sample consisted of 590 Palestinian adults, consisting of 360 men and 230 women, and were recruited using non-probabilistic convenience sampling methods from a village in the northern region of the occupied Palestinian territories. This study suggests a ..read more

A pilot quasi-experimental study was conducted in which participants in the intervention group (n = 31) received positive learning environment through Positive Disciplining (PLEPD) module, while those in the control group (n = 29) received routine training. Teachers' knowledge and attitude regarding corporal punishment (CP) and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) were measured before (T0), immediately after (T1) and 3 months after the intervention (T2). Descriptive analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to describe participants' characteristics and mean scores for knowledge and ..read more

The heaviest smoking and burden of tobacco-related illness occurs among low-income individuals. Using a behavioural economics framework, this non-randomised pilot study examined the preliminary efficacy of behavioural activation (BA) with a contingency management (CM) component designed to encourage continued use of BA skills and reductions in cigarettes smoked. Eighty-four participants were recruited from a community centre. Data were collected at the start of every other group and at four different follow-up time points. Domains assessed included number of cigarettes smoked, activity level ..read more

To this date, the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated psychological symptom profiles amongst non-combatant community-based veterans in Israel has not been studied. Data were analysed from a web-based survey of veterans via a market research platform during September 2021 and included 522 non-combat (e.g. intelligence, office-based or education corps) veterans and 534 combat (e.g. front-line infantry) veterans. The survey assessed PTSD, depression, anxiety and somatic symptoms in addition to the prevalence of self-reported aggression. A two-way multivariate analysi ..read more

The influence of group norms is often tested via people's norm perceptions. Yet, people's group norm perceptions can be inaccurate, which raises the question to what extent effects of perceived norms indicate real group influence. The present study sought to obtain a better understanding of the value of group norm perceptions in social influence research. We used (longitudinal) data collected in 51 primary school classrooms in the Netherlands (Grades 3–6) and examined how majority of children's (N = 779; aged 7–13 years) perceptions of the anti-prejudice norm of their classroom peer group affe ..read more

To sustainably develop organisational goals, it is important to create conditions under which leaders are trusted and judged to be incorrupt. We proposed that and tested whether leader selection affects judgements of leader corruption. A correlational study with cross-national data and two experimental studies in China were conducted. Study 1 collected and analysed 20-year panel data on 93 countries/territories. To provide causal evidence for the results of Study 1 and account for this effect, Studies 2 and 3 manipulated leader selection and measured trust in leaders and perceptions of leader ..read more

Previous work suggests that people have a need for meaning, and that when meaning is threatened, efforts are undertaken to restore a sense of meaning. We hypothesized that a meaning threat (i.e., reminders of death) would increase victim blaming of a domestic violence victim since doing so can restore a sense of meaning—that people get what they deserve—but for those with advanced knowledge of victimology, such as trained counsellors, this effect would be diminished since victim blaming runs counter to their meaning framework that bad things can happen to good people. In addition, because art ..read more

We aimed to determine the peculiarities of personal growth resources among the adult population following the first months of the war in Ukraine. The study, which included 1257 respondents (32.3% male and 67.7% female, aged 18–61+ years), used the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory—Expanded, the Brief Resilience Scale, the Professional Hardiness Questionnaire and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. We found the following descending sequence of expression of the components of personal growth: appreciation of life, spiritual and existential changes, relations to others, new possibilities and personal s ..read more

International Journal of Psychology, Volume 58, Issue 3, Page i-iv, June 2023 ..read more