Browse Our Latest Psychology and Behavioral Science Journals
Psychological journals are peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journals that publish original work in some areas of psychology. The most common publications include cognitive, health and clinical psychology, applied, developmental, biological, social, experimental, and educational psychology, and psychoanalysis.
Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
Background and Aims
Nasal congestion is a prevalent symptom often alleviated with over-the-counter nasal sprays containing decongestants. Rhinitis medicamentosa (RM), caused by the overuse of decongestants leading to recurrent mucosal swelling, poses a significant challenge for specialists in managing patients. Despite advancements in understanding, research primarily consists of case series with limited data on its impact on quality of life. This qualitative study aimed to explore the effect of nasal spray overuse on quality of life and identify addiction components among individuals with RM.
Methods
Twenty participants with RM were interviewed by an otorhinolaryngologist and addiction counsellor. The study employed a qualitative approach utilising directed content analysis and revealed eleven categories, classified into addiction components and distinctive features of nasal spray addiction.
Results
The analysis revealed the presence of all Griffiths' addiction components in the identified themes. Additionally, sleep disorders, the feeling of suffocation, side effects, illness identity and psychological effects on nasal congestion significantly impair individuals' quality of life.
Conclusion
This qualitative study identified key components of addiction in nasal spray overuse and suggested that RM might be conceptualised in the DSM-5 category of “Other (or Unknown) Substance-Related Disorders”, considering the lack of psychoactive effects. Nevertheless, in view of the current findings, it also seems to be plausible to examine the phenomenon in the behavioural addiction framework. The study underscores the need for further research and intervention strategies to address the significant impact of RM on individuals' quality of life.
Abstract
Background and aims
Adolescent problematic gaming is a global public health issue, and is associated with numerous negative outcomes. The Big Two personality traits, neuroticism and extraversion, have been identified as significant predictors of problematic gaming in adolescents. However, most previous studies have been cross-sectional, limiting the ability to explore their mutual influences or causality inference. This study addresses this gap by employing a longitudinal design and utilizing the Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model (RI-CLPM) to examine the bidirectional relations between the Big Two personality traits and problematic gaming at the within-person level.
Methods
This study included 3,307 students (Mean age = 11.30, SD = 0.48, 43.6% being girls). Participants were assessed annually, completing a total of four assessments over the course of the study.
Results
The RI-CLPM analyses revealed that neuroticism and problematic gaming significantly predict each other. Extraversion acts as a protective factor against adolescent problematic gaming, whereas problematic gaming leads to a decrease in extraversion levels. Additionally, the longitudinal relations between neuroticism and problematic gaming exhibit significant sex differences.
Discussion and conclusions
This study provides insights into the interplay between the Big Two personality traits and problematic gaming in adolescents. These findings emphasize the need for prevention and intervention strategies that address personality traits as risk factors while recognizing how problematic gaming can influence personality, promoting a more holistic approach. The observed sex differences highlight the importance of integrating sex-specific considerations in interventions.
Abstract
Background and aims
Exercise addiction in adults is increasingly recognized as a public health concern, carrying potentially harmful physical, psychological, and social consequences. Body image—encompassing cognitive, behavioral, affective, and perceptual elements—may be a key factor in this risk, yet comprehensive evidence remains scarce. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to (1) evaluate the overall relationship between multidimensional body image and the risk of exercise addiction in adults, and (2) identify key moderators (e.g., different elements of body image, gender, region).
Methods
A systematic search was conducted in PsycINFO, Medline, SPORT Discus, Web of Science, and Embase up to October 22, 2024. A three-level meta-analysis model was employed, and univariate and multivariate meta-regressions were used to explore potential moderating factors.
Results
A total of 38 eligible studies were identified, contributing 65 effect sizes. The meta-analysis revealed a moderate correlation (r = 0.26) between body image and risk of exercise addiction in adults. Moreover, the cognitive component of body image and the use of compulsive exercise measures in addiction assessments emerged as unique moderators, each further strengthening the observed relationship.
Discussion and conclusions
These findings underscore the central role of body image—particularly its cognitive dimension—in shaping the risk of exercise addiction in adults, especially when assessed via compulsive exercise measures. Incorporating these insights into research and practice may guide more effective interventions and improve public health strategies aimed at mitigating harmful exercise behaviors.
Abstract
Background and aims
Smartphones have been so widely adopted that many consider them essential for modern life. However, some people use their phone excessively, which can cause functional impairment or harm, termed problematic smartphone use (PSU). Smartphone use motives may help explain why users engage in general smartphone use and PSU, but existing measures may not capture certain motives which research suggests are important to smartphone use. To address this, across two studies, we constructed and validated a Motives for Smartphone Use Questionnaire (MSUQ) among young adults.
Methods and results
In Study 1, the Delphi method was used, whereby engagement with a panel of 23 international academic experts resulted in a pool of 62 smartphone use motives items that measure 11 proposed motives. In Study 2, the 62 items were administered to 680 young adults aged 18–25 years (M age = 22.50, SD = 2.16). Results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses found that the MSUQ has a seven-factor structure, assessing smartphone use to cope, pass time, socialize, obtain social comfort, feel safe, fulfil social obligations, and seek information. These motives differentially influenced PSU and smartphone usage.
Conclusions
The MSUQ is a valid measure of motives for smartphone use. It was developed specifically for smartphone use and it includes motives not captured in prior measures.
Abstract
Background and aims
Emotion dysregulation has been suggested to play a role in gambling-related harm, but past gambling research has typically assessed emotion dysregulation via self-report surveys rather than in a gambling context. Here, we sought to investigate how the severity of participants' hazardous gambling behavior was associated with their emotional reactivity and choice behavior within a simulated slot-machine task.
Methods
Participants (N = 100) recruited via Prolific completed a behavioral task involving repeated choices between two simulated slot-machines. When chosen, slot-machines could produce one of five outcome types (win/near-win/neutral/near-loss/loss). After each outcome, participants reported their subjective emotional valence. Emotion data were analysed using a beta-autoregressive computational model, allowing us to extract per-participant estimates of trial-by-trial emotional reactivity to different slot-machine outcomes.
Results
Correlation analyses revealed that people who engaged in more hazardous gambling behavior (higher PGSI scores) showed greater emotional reactivity to all slot-machine outcome types (all Spearman ρ > |0.31|, all p < 0.01, corrected for multiple comparisons). There were no significant associations between patterns of choice behavior and PGSI scores.
Discussion and conclusions
Within a simulated slot-machine task, individuals who engaged in more hazardous gambling behavior showed greater emotional reactivity in general (more positive emotional reactions to wins and more negative emotional reactions to unpleasant events such as losses and near-wins). These results are consistent with a model in which emotion dysregulation is a risk factor for gambling-related harm, and serve to validate this model in a more naturalistic setting.
Abstract
Objective
Hallucinogen Persistent Perception Disorder (HPPD) is a condition where the effects of hallucinogenic drugs reoccur long after the acute effects have stopped. No established risk factors or mechanisms for HPPD have been identified. However, reports have suggested a risk phenotype for HPPD due to associations with other perceptual disturbances. With recent increases in therapeutic psychedelic drug use, it is essential to consider the existence of HPPD risk factors. Therefore, exploring potential links between HPPD and other perceptual disturbances, such as tinnitus and migraine with aura, is a necessary first step. This study aimed to investigate the association between HPPD and other perceptual disorders.
Methods
One hundred thirty-eight individuals with HPPD and 116 controls participated in a survey assessing the prevalence of various perceptual disturbances: photosensitivity, phonosensitivity, tinnitus, migraine with aura, vertigo, paraesthesia, and synaesthesia.
Results
The survey results showed a significant association between HPPD and photosensitivity (OR = 10.65), phonosensitivity (OR = 8.00), and the number of perceptual disturbances (OR = 1.59) in the HPPD group compared to the control group. The study also observed trends of dual prevalence between HPPD and tinnitus, migraine with aura, vertigo, paraesthesia, and synaesthesia. Participants with both HPPD and other perceptual disturbances were likelier to experience additional perceptual disturbances after the onset of HPPD.
Conclusions
These findings suggest a common vulnerability or pathophysiological mechanism among these perceptual disturbances. Given the increasing therapeutic use of hallucinogens, the results of this study provide essential considerations for HPPD risk profiles. Moreover, they may guide future investigations into HPPD's pathophysiology and management options.
Abstract
Background and Aims
Networks of so-called underground, or illegal, psilocybin mushroom practitioners are popularly known to exist, though few systematic investigations of their practices have been conducted. We sought to uncover the experiences of a hidden community of psilocybin practitioners in order to inform scientific and policy dialogues about safe and effective practices in this area.
Methods
An academic-community partnered research team used snowball sampling to recruit 17 underground psilocybin practitioners in a western U.S. state for in-depth individual interviews focused on training, protocols, practices, and policy priorities. Combined deductive and inductive analysis with three independent coders was completed using NVivo v12.
Results
Practitioners were white (76.5%), female-identified (64.7%), aged 31 to 50 (64.7%), non-therapists by training (58.8%), and moderately to highly experienced facilitators. All described multiple years of often difficult personal inner-directed work with psilocybin before guiding others. Benefits ranged from reduction in symptoms of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and addictions to greater self-knowledge, reduced death anxiety, and a greater ability to experience joy. Client screening protocols revealed precautions for persons with severe trauma backgrounds, personality disorders, or lacking social support. Moving too quickly into a high dose mushroom session without adequate preparation or internal resourcing was perceived as a significant risk for harm. Practitioners' direct personal relationship with mushrooms was highlighted as critical to safe practice. Policy priorities centered on respectful reciprocity, defined as an ethos of giving back rather than extraction, and equitable access.
Conclusions
While some psychedelic research actively examines the role of the mystical-type experience in clients' positive outcomes, findings from underground practitioners suggest an even greater role of mysticism, relationality, and expanded concepts of holistic healing that can inform the development of best practice paradigms of an emerging profession.
Hallgatni arany, beszélni ezüst – A szervezeti véleménynyilvánítás és hallgatás viszonyrendszerének feltárása
Silence is golden, voice is silver – Exploring the dynamics of organizational voice and silence
Háttér és célkitűzések: Az utóbbi években élénk vita folyik arról, hogy a szervezeti véleménynyilvánítás, illetve a hallgatás egymás ellentétei, vagy különálló konstruktumok-e. Több érv szól az utóbbi nézet mellett, például a köztük lévő kismértékű korreláció vagy az, hogy a különböző tényezők gyakran nem ellentétes hatást gyakorolnak a véleménynyilvánításra és a hallgatásra. Korábbi kutatásunkban mi is azt tapasztaltuk, hogy a véleménynyilvánítás motivációs bázisának ismeretéből nem következtethetünk a hallgatás motivációira. Ezért egy véleménynyilvánítást és hallgatást is integráló közös modellel további érveket kerestünk a fenti álláspont mellett. Módszer: Keresztmetszeti kutatást végeztünk kérdőíves módszerrel. Az 577 kitöltő (358 nő, 218 férfi) válaszait látens változó modellezéssel vizsgáltuk. Modellünk fő változói a fejlesztő és figyelmeztető véleménynyilvánítás, illetve a defenzív és normatív hallgatás. Megvizsgáltuk a pszichológiai biztonság, a változási készenlét és a karrierrel való elégedettség prediktív hatását a véleménynyilvánításra és a hallgatásra. Eredmények: A pszichológiai biztonságnak aszimmetrikus prediktív hatása van. A hallgatási faktorokat erősen és negatívan jósolja be, míg a véleménynyilvánítási faktorok esetében pozitív, de kisebb mértékű a hatása. A változási készenlét viszont fontosabb szerepet játszik a véleménynyilvánítás megjelenésében, mint a hallgatáséban. A karrierrel való elégedettség gyenge prediktor, amely a fejlesztő véleménynyilvánításra pozitívan, míg a normatív hallgatásra negatívan hat. Következtetések: Összetett képet kaptunk a véleménynyilvánítás és a hallgatás viszonyáról. A pszichológiai biztonság és a változási készenlét aszimmetrikus hatása azt az érvelést erősítik, miszerint a véleménynyilvánítás és a hallgatás eltérő konstruktumok. Ennek fontos gyakorlati következménye is van, hiszen az egyoldalúan a véleménynyilvánításra serkentő szervezeti intézkedések nem feltétlenül ösztönzik a dolgozókat a hallgatás feladására is.
Megküzdési stratégiák a munkahelyen – a proaktív és kollektív megküzdés vizsgálata az észlelt stresszel és a pszichológiai jólléttel összefüggésben
Coping strategies at work – Examining the relationship between proactive and collective coping, perceived stress, and psychological well-being
Háttér és célkitűzések: Tanulmányunk célja két vizsgálaton keresztül ismertetni az észlelt stressz, a jóllét, valamint a proaktív és a kollektív megküzdés közötti kapcsolatot magyar munkavállalói mintán. Eredményeink hozzájárulnak a célcsoport munkával kapcsolatos megéléseinek, viselkedéses reakcióinak pontosabb megismeréséhez, miközben iránymutatásul szolgálhatnak ezek fejlesztése során. Módszer: Mindkét vizsgálatban keresztmetszeti eljárással és kényelmi mintavétellel gyűjtöttünk adatokat felnőtt, magyar munkavállalói mintán. Az első vizsgálat (N = 312) fókuszában az észlelt stressz, a jóllét és a proaktív megküzdés közötti kapcsolat feltárása áll, míg a második vizsgálat (N = 811) a Kollektív Megküzdés Kérdőív magyar nyelvű adaptációjának validitásvizsgálatát helyezi előtérbe. Eredmények: Az első vizsgálat a nemzetközi szakirodalommal összhangban megerősítette, hogy szignifikáns kapcsolat van az észlelt stressz, bizonyos jóllétkomponensek és a proaktív megküzdés között – utóbbiak az észlelt stressz varianciájának közel 50%-át magyarázzák együttesen. A második vizsgálat a Kollektív Megküzdés Kérdőívet megbízható mérőeszközként azonosította, noha az eredeti kérdőív faktorstruktúráját nem sikerült teljes mértékben reprodukálni, és a konstruktumvaliditás vizsgálatához választott változókkal mutatott korrelációk erőssége is alacsonyabb lett a vártnál. Következtetések: Noha vizsgálatainkat érdemes a továbbiakban longitudinális elrendezéssel is megismételni, eredményeink alátámasztják, hogy a proaktív, illetve a társas megküzdés fontos szerepet tölt be a stressz és a jóllét kapcsolatában.
