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Recent de-tracking reforms in some German federal states converted or merged the two lower track secondary school types into a comprehensive one, where students can achieve all school-leaving qualifications. The goals of the reforms were to facilitate desegregation of students from different socioeconomic backgrounds and to reduce educational disparities. We investigated whether socioeconomic composition (SEC) and SEC effects have, in fact, changed with the de-tracking reforms. Moreover, we examined whether a possible increase in students' educational expectations of achieving the general qualification for university entrance contributes to the intended reduction of SEC effects. We used data from two representative large-scale assessment studies carried out in 2009 and 2015 covering the period of reforms. The SEC changed in non-academic school types. SEC effects on students' reading achievement tended to decrease, but are still significant in the comprehensive schools. The level of students' educational expectations did not mediate the SEC effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preventing adolescents from engaging in Health-Risk Behaviours (HRBs) requires a comprehensive understanding of the factors linked to HRBs. Factors like dysfunctional parenting practices and emotion regulation difficulties may significantly contribute to the development and persistence of HRBs. However, this association, particularly the mediating effects of emotion-regulation difficulties, has not been extensively investigated among Indian adolescents, as such research has predominantly centred around Western cultures. The current study explored emotion-regulation difficulties as a mediator in the association between perceived parenting practices and HRBs. The sample comprises 723 adolescents (Mage = 16.05; Males = 440) selected from various schools in the Punjab state of India. Structural equation modelling using item-parcels and the path analysis tested the stated hypotheses. As hypothesized, difficulties in emotion regulation were found to be a partial mediator of the parenting-HRB relationship. By offering empirical evidence of this mediational mechanism, the study enhances our understanding of how perceived parenting influences adolescent behaviour. Emotion dysregulation may be the underlying factor behind the development and maintenance of HRBs. These insights can guide researchers in designing targeted interventions to address emotion regulation difficulties and, in turn, help reduce HRBs among adolescents. Highlights: The study explored the inter-construct association between parenting, emotion regulation and health-risk behaviours (HRBs) Adolescents who experience positive parenting practices and active parental involvement are less likely to engage in HRBs. Adolescents' perception of maladaptive parenting practices is positively associated with their likelihood of engaging in HRBs Difficulties in emotion regulation emerged as a partial mediator of the parenting-HRB relationship. Emotion regulation interventions and positive parenting training may help mitigate adolescents' indulgence in HRBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The model-implied simulation-based power estimation (MSPE) approach is a new general method for power estimation (Irmer et al., 2024). MSPE was developed especially for power estimation of non-linear structural equation models (SEM), but it also can be applied to linear SEM and manifest models using the R package powerNLSEM. After first providing some information about MSPE and the new adaptive algorithm that automatically selects sample sizes for the best prediction of power using simulation, a tutorial on how to conduct the MSPE for quadratic and interaction SEM (QISEM) using the powerNLSEM package is provided. Power estimation is demonstrated for four methods, latent moderated structural equations (LMS), the unconstrained product indicator (UPI), a simple factor score regression (FSR), and a scale regression (SR) approach to QISEM. In two simulation studies, we highlight the performance of the MSPE for all four methods applied to two QISEM with varying complexity and reliability. Further, we justify the settings of the newly developed adaptive search algorithm via performance evaluations using simulation. Overall, the MSPE using the adaptive approach performs well in terms of bias and Type I error rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on theories on vocabulary knowledge, grammar knowledge, and reading comprehension subcomponents, ten attributes/subskills were defined for 50 items from relevant subtests of TEM4 (Band Four of Test for English Majors in China). Cognitive diagnosis was conducted on the TEM4 data of the randomly sampled 2285 examinees (roughly at the B2 level) through the saturated generalized deterministic inputs, noisy "and" gate (G-DINA) model. The person parameters obtained from cognitive diagnosis served as the basis for simple multiple regression and path analyses for detecting relationship patterns. The study discovered that the relationship pattern at both construct and attribute/subskill levels can be better described as a mediation pattern in which vocabulary knowledge and its attributes are more suitable to serve as the starting point for reading comprehension. The study also discussed the patterns of the impact of vocabulary and grammar attributes on reading subskills as well as the internal subskill relationships within the construct of reading comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this study is to adapt the Affective Style Questionnaire (ASQ) into Turkish. It also aims to examine the mediating role of affective styles between attachment styles and depression. The study was conducted on a total of three different samples (N1 = 261; N2 = 190; N3 = 263). The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the construct validity of the scale and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) was used to test the convergent validity. As a result of the CFA conducted in all three samples, the model was found to have adequate fit values. In the convergent validity, ASQ were found to be significantly correlated with ERQ. The findings indicate that adjusting mediated between secure attachment and depression while concealing mediated between avoidant attachment and depression, and adjusting and concealing mediated between anxious-ambivalent attachment and depression. The findings were also discussed in light of the related literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/hypothesis: Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that is caused by hyperglycaemia. Our aim was to characterise the metabolomics to find their association with the glycaemic spectrum and find a causal relationship between metabolites and type 2 diabetes. Methods: As part of the Innovative Medicines Initiative - Diabetes Research on Patient Stratification (IMI-DIRECT) consortium, 3000 plasma samples were measured with the Biocrates AbsoluteIDQ p150 Kit and Metabolon analytics. A total of 911 metabolites (132 targeted metabolomics, 779 untargeted metabolomics) passed the quality control. Multivariable linear and logistic regression analysis estimates were calculated from the concentration/peak areas of each metabolite as an explanatory variable and the glycaemic status as a dependent variable. This analysis was adjusted for age, sex, BMI, study centre in the basic model, and additionally for alcohol, smoking, BP, fasting HDL-cholesterol and fasting triacylglycerol in the full model. Statistical significance was Bonferroni corrected throughout. Beyond associations, we investigated the mediation effect and causal effects for which causal mediation test and two-sample Mendelian randomisation (2SMR) methods were used, respectively. Results: In the targeted metabolomics, we observed four (15), 34 (99) and 50 (108) metabolites (number of metabolites observed in untargeted metabolomics appear in parentheses) that were significantly different when comparing normal glucose regulation vs impaired glucose regulation/prediabetes, normal glucose regulation vs type 2 diabetes, and impaired glucose regulation vs type 2 diabetes, respectively. Significant metabolites were mainly branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), with some derivatised BCAAs, lipids, xenobiotics and a few unknowns. Metabolites such as lysophosphatidylcholine a C17:0, sum of hexoses, amino acids from BCAA metabolism (including leucine, isoleucine, valine, N-lactoylvaline, N-lactoylleucine and formiminoglutamate) and lactate, as well as an unknown metabolite (X-24295), were associated with HbA1c progression rate and were significant mediators of type 2 diabetes from baseline to 18 and 48 months of follow-up. 2SMR was used to estimate the causal effect of an exposure on an outcome using summary statistics from UK Biobank genome-wide association studies. We found that type 2 diabetes had a causal effect on the levels of three metabolites (hexose, glutamate and caproate [fatty acid (FA) 6:0]), whereas lipids such as specific phosphatidylcholines (PCs) (namely PC aa C36:2, PC aa C36:5, PC ae C36:3 and PC ae C34:3) as well as the two n-3 fatty acids stearidonate (18:4n3) and docosapentaenoate (22:5n3) potentially had a causal role in the development of type 2 diabetes. Conclusions/interpretation: Our findings identify known BCAAs and lipids, along with novel N-lactoyl-amino acid metabolites, significantly associated with prediabetes and diabetes, that mediate the effect of diabetes from baseline to follow-up (18 and 48 months). Causal inference using genetic variants shows the role of lipid metabolism and n-3 fatty acids as being causal for metabolite-to-type 2 diabetes whereas the sum of hexoses is causal for type 2 diabetes-to-metabolite. Identified metabolite markers are useful for stratifying individuals based on their risk progression and should enable targeted interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some of the most difficult consultations for an ethics consultant to resolve are those in which the patient is ready to leave the acute-care setting, but the patient or family refuses the plan, or the plan is impeded by deficiencies in the healthcare system. Either way, the patient is "stuck" in the hospital and the ethics consultant is called to help get the patient "unstuck." These encounters, which we call "complex discharges," are beset with tensions between the interests of the institution and the interests of the patient as well as tensions within the ethics consultant whose commitments are shaped both by the values of the organization and the values of their own profession. The clinical ethics literature on this topic is limited and provides little guidance. What is needed is guidance for consultants operating at the bedside and for those participating at a higher organizational level. To fill this gap, we offer guidance for facilitating a fair process designed to resolve the conflict without resorting to coercive legal measures. We reflect on three cases to argue that the approach of the consultant is generally one of mediation in these types of disputes. For patients who lack decision making capacity and lack a surrogate decision maker, we recommend the creation of a complex discharge committee within the organization so that ethics consultants can properly discharge their duties to assist patients who are unable to advocate for themselves through a fair and transparent process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores external facilitation for school improvement; more specifically, it examines the practical work of external facilitators. It is based on a Swedish case in which facilitators at the Swedish National Agency for Education support low-performing schools. The article aims to develop knowledge about how external facilitators in their practical work both promote and prevent developed understanding and improvement capacity. Based on observations and documents, facilitators' endeavours and critical situations in their work to support school improvement are identified. The findings show five different endeavours to promote development of understanding and improvement capacity. However, they also show how taking ownership, simplification, and model focus, three of five identified recurring critical situations, prevent such development. The conclusion is that there are several aspects for external facilitators to balance to promote school improvement and turn around low-performing schools. When planning for external facilitation, it is important to consider how the facilitators' practical work can be adapted to the local contexts of those who are facilitated in order to promote their ownership of the processes. Without balance and adaptation, external facilitation can lead to deprofessionalisation instead of development of improvement capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the extent to which the councils of five Catalan cities have modified their integration policies. The structural transformations of contemporary societies have had a great impact on city councils and local integration policies, especially from the point of view of planning and policy orientation. The article studies the policies developed in five Catalan cities in the last four mandates, specifically between 2007 and 2023, based on in-depth interviews and analysis of political and technical documentation. Although the strategies used in the five cities analyzed are not identical, the results show that during these years there has been a tendency to limit the approval of plans for the integration of immigrants, although this does not mean that the councils do not have explicit political priorities and objectives. The cities also tend to speak less specifically about integration and, on the contrary, resort to two different orientations: some councils design and implement policies related to security, mediation, and community work in neighborhoods, while others tend to broaden the focus of their policies, opting for more holistic approaches focused on multiple forms of diversity, intersectionality, and anti-racism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental factors have received significant attention, even though eating disorders—which have been more prevalent recently—are known to involve numerous psychological components. Notably, maternal behavior and gender have been significant in studies of disordered eating and eating disorders. However, studies of paternal behavior are limited, and these studies are predominantly related to gender. Although various negative parenting behavior is associated with eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors, it is evident that addressing these behaviors would be more efficacious in treating unhealthy eating attitudes than working with the parents of these individuals. In this study, self-compassion was considered a formable trait and a mediating variable in the relationship between parental rejection and disordered eating behaviors. Two separate models were tested for maternal and paternal rejection, with gender as a control variable. A descriptive survey method was employed. The sample group of 456 consisted of adults who agreed to participate in the study through the consent form and filled in the self-report scales through Google Forms. The results of the study indicated that self-compassion fully mediated the relationship between maternal rejection and disordered eating behaviors, and partially mediated the relationship between paternal rejection and disordered eating behaviors. This finding indicates that self-compassion is a feature worthy of study in the treatment process of individuals with disordered eating, as well as the need for more scientific studies on paternal behaviors in disordered eating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the research increase on Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU), few studies focus on Problematic Instagram Use (PIU) and its associated factors. Our study evaluated the effects of social comparison (abilities and opinions) and self-esteem on PIU, mediated by positive and negative affect. A total of 976 Brazilian university students participated answering the following scales online: The Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure, Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale adapted for Instagram, Positive and negative Affect Schedule and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. We observed positive associations between social comparison and negative affect with PIU, and negative associations between self-esteem and positive affect with the outcome. Based on structural equation modeling controlling for gender and self-report of mental health disorders, we observed that negative affect completely mediated the effects of self-esteem on PIU but did not mediate the association with social comparison. However, abilities comparison had a direct effect on PIU. Positive affect did not mediate this associations. Thus, subjects with higher social comparison of abilities and negative affect associated with lower self-esteem are more likely to present PIU. These findings contribute to understanding PIU, considering the users' individual characteristics and affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed associations between a negative change in employment and household income reduction due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subjective well-being (i.e., happiness and life satisfaction). It also examined the mediating role of perceived life control and psychological distress on these associations. The data were gathered from the 2021 Koreans' Happiness Study, a nationally representative cross-sectional survey targeting Koreans aged 15 or older. The total number of respondents was 17,357. Multiple regression analyses showed that a negative change in employment and household income reduction were negatively associated with happiness and life satisfaction. The coefficients of the two independent variables were reduced when perceived life control and psychological distress were hierarchically controlled, suggesting that perceived life control and psychological distress had mediating effects. Bootstrapping confirmed the mediating roles of perceived life control and psychological distress. Those who experienced a negative change in employment and reduced household income tended to show lower perceived life control and higher psychological distress, which, in turn, lowered happiness and life satisfaction. The findings suggest that economic stressors due to the COVID-19 pandemic might lower subjective well-being by decreasing perceived life control and increasing psychological distress. Policy-makers should consider developing an intervention program that promotes perceived life control and decreases psychological distress for individuals with negative economic experiences during the pandemic. Furthermore, governmental support, such as job search, training interventions, and subsidies, should also be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The negative effect of problematic muscularity-oriented eating has been well-documented in the current literature. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the primary factors that could lead to the beginning and pursuit of such practices. The current research explored the association between narcissism (grandiose and vulnerable) and problematic muscularity-oriented eating, addressing the mediating effect of self-esteem and muscle dysmorphia as reflected in functional impairment (i.e., feelings of guilt when skipping exercise and avoiding social situations because of body image concerns), desire for size (i.e., preoccupations about the inadequate size), and appearance intolerance (i.e., appearance anxiety or body exposure avoidance). The study was carried out with 151 competitive bodybuilders of the category men's and women's physique. Results indicated that the association between grandiose narcissism and problematic muscularity-oriented eating was mediated only by appearance intolerance. In addition, only functional impairment mediated the interplay between vulnerable narcissism and problematic muscularity-oriented eating. These findings yield relevant theoretical implications about the main factors underpinning eating practices that are particularly risky for individual health. Limitations and future research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to examine the associations between various dimensions of social support and sleep quality in a hospital psychiatric outpatient population using canonical correlation analysis, while also investigating the potential mediating roles of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Methods: Employing a cross-sectional design, survey data were collected from 10,071 individuals visiting Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital between October 2020 and October 2023. After excluding invalid cases, a total of 10,063 participants were included for analysis. The survey encompassed gathering basic demographic information as well as administering the Social Support Rating Scale, Self-rating Depression Scale, Self-rating Anxiety Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Scale. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 27.0 statistical software with canonical correlation analysis employed to examine the relationships. Additionally, the mediating effects of anxiety and depression symptoms were examined using the SPSS PROCESS macro. Results: Canonical correlation analysis reveals a significant positive correlation between social support dimensions and various aspects of sleep quality. The first pair of canonical variables (r = 0.586, p < 0.001) accounts for an impressive 97% of the cumulative contribution. It is found that this pair of canonical variables explains 68.9% of the variance in social support and 49.0% in sleep quality. Mediation analysis revealed that anxiety and depressive symptoms significantly mediated the relationship between social support and sleep quality, accounting for 88% of the total effect. Specifically, anxiety accounted for 47% mediation while depression accounted for 41%. Conclusion: The study findings revealed a significant positive correlation between social support and sleep quality dimensions, indicating a robust association between increased social support and enhanced individual sleep quality. Furthermore, the results indicated that anxiety and depression partially mediated the relationship between social support and sleep quality, offering novel insights into the intricate connection between mental health and sleep quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) may cause adverse birth outcomes. Thyroid hormones may play a key role in mediating the effects of PFAS. We enrolled 374 mother-infant pairs from the Ezhou birth cohort study between 2019 and 2020. Eight PFASs and six thyroid hormones were measured in maternal serum during the first trimester of pregnancy. Neonatal growth metrics, including birth weight, length, head circumference, and gestational age, were acquired. Multivariate linear regression was performed to determine the associations between maternal serum PFAS and thyroid hormone levels and birth outcomes and a mediation analysis was also conducted. Except for perfluoroheptanoic acid (41.2%), the other seven PFAS detection rates were more than 85%, and the highest median concentration was observed for PFOSA with levels of 5.21 ng/mL. After controlling for typical confounders, we observed a decrease in birth length (cm) with increasing serum concentrations of perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) (β = -0.54; 95% CI = -1.0, -0.08) and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) (β = -0.64; 95% CI = -0.86, -0.42). Additionally, a decrease in birth head circumference was observed with increasing concentrations of perfluorooctanote (PFOA) (β = -0.73, 95% CI = -1.19, -0.27) and PFHxS (β = -0.30; 95% CI = -0.53, -0.07). Maternal free triiodothyronine (FT3) mediated 36.7% of the negative association between PFNA and birth length, and free thyroxine (FT4) mediated 30.8% of the effect of PFOA on head circumference. When performing stratified analysis by infant sex, the associations might differ between boys and girls. Our study suggested prenatal exposure to some PFASs was negatively associated with birth length and circumference, and FT3 and FT4 may partly mediate the association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the relationship between school socioeconomic composition and academic outcomes, particularly in Australia, through large-scale assessments. It addresses the debate on whether academic composition mediates the effects of socioeconomic composition on student achievement. The author responds to a critique of their study, arguing that the critique did not engage with the theoretical basis of their research and made erroneous statements about their findings. The study suggests that school socioeconomic compositional effects are substantial and warrant policy reforms, emphasizing the importance of considering academic composition in understanding these effects. [Extracted from the article]

Even though self-criticism is a well-known transdiagnostic process, there is no consensus about its different forms and functions in nonclinical populations when measured with the Forms of Self-Criticizing/Attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale (FSCRS) and the Functions of Self-Criticism/Attacking Scale (FSCS). Although these scales are widely used and translated into multiple languages, there is no Spanish version of the instruments. To study the appropriateness of differentiating these forms of self-criticism, we conducted a Confirmatory Factor Analysis on the Spanish version of the FSCRS with 242 participants, comparing the one-factor, two-factor, three-factor, two-tier, and bifactor models. The 3-factor model presented the best fit in a nonclinical population. The FSCS was also explored, and the two-factor solution was confirmed. The relationship between different functions and forms of self-criticism and the capacity of self-reassuring was explored through mediation and moderation analysis to provide external validation of the scales. Mediation analysis revealed the extensive and pervasive influence of the Self-Persecution function on depression through all forms of self-criticism. Moderation analysis showed that whereas the influence of the Inadequate-Self form on depressive symptomatology was buffered by compassionate self-treatment, the effect of the Hated-Self was not moderated by self-reassure or self-compassion. This study suggests that self-criticism may have different functions with different effects on depressive symptoms. We propose that individuals cope indirectly with self-criticism through self-compassion, which, in turn, would reduce the impact on depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Game Changers for Cervical Cancer Prevention (GC-CCP), a peer-led, group advocacy training intervention, increased cervical cancer (CC) prevention advocacy not only among intervention recipients, but also their social network members (referred to as "alters") who were targeted with advocacy in a pilot randomized controlled trial. We examined mediators and moderators of this effect on alter advocacy, to understand how and for whom the intervention had such an effect. Method: Forty women (index participants) who had recently screened for CC enrolled and were randomly assigned to receive the GC-CCP intervention (n = 20) or the wait-list control (n = 20). Up to three alters from each participant (n = 103) were surveyed at baseline and month 6. Measures of CC-related cognitive constructs (knowledge, enacted stigma, and risk management self-efficacy), as well as extent of advocacy received from index participants, were assessed as mediators of the intervention effect on alter advocacy using multivariate regression analyses. Alter characteristics were examined as moderators. Results: Increased CC-related knowledge partially mediated the intervention effect on increased alter engagement in CC prevention advocacy; those with greater gains in knowledge reported greater engagement in advocacy. No moderators of the intervention effect were identified. Conclusion: The effect of GC-CCP on alter CC prevention advocacy is enhanced by increased alter knowledge pertaining to CC prevention, causes, and treatment and suggests this may be key for diffusion of intervention effects on increased CC prevention advocacy throughout a social network. Trial Registration: NCT04960748 (registered on clinicaltrials.gov, 7/14/2021). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous studies have established the association between parental marital status and mental health problems in adolescents, however, the adverse effects of incomplete family settings and childhood maltreatment on adolescent anxiety symptoms have not been fully investigated. Moreover, whether childhood maltreatment can mediate the relationship between parental marital status and anxiety symptoms remains unclear. A population-based cross-sectional study was performed among 35,573 adolescents in elementary schools across 17 provinces in China. And childhood maltreatment, resilience, and anxiety symptoms were assessed among adolescents, respectively. The parental marital status was self-reported as having two married biological parents, divorced parents, stepparents, and single-parent. We found that the rates of anxiety symptoms among adolescents were 35.1% in intact families, 48.8% in divorced families, 49% in stepparent families, and 48% in single-parent families. Divorced parents (aOR = 1.191, 95% CI [1.060–1.337]) was an independent risk factor for adolescents' anxiety symptom while having stepparents and single-parent were not. In addition, emotional abuse (aOR = 1.300, 95% CI [1.285–1.316]), sexual abuse (aOR = 1.088, 95% CI [1.063–1.114]), and physical neglect (aOR = 1.019, 95% CI [1.007–1.031]) were all independent risk factors for anxiety symptoms in adolescents, while physical abuse and emotional neglect were not. The negative impacts of divorced and remarried parents on adolescent anxiety symptoms were mediated by childhood maltreatment partially (64.9% and 72.2%), while childhood maltreatment completely mediated the adverse impacts of single-parent on adolescent anxiety symptoms. Childhood maltreatment intervention strategies could be necessary for anxiety symptoms of adolescents in divorced/stepparent/single-parent families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous observational studies have identified a link between obesity, adiposity distribution, type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM), type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), and the risk of pressure ulcers (PUs). However, the definitive causality between obesity and PUs, and potential DM mediators remains unclear. Univariable, multivariable, and mediation Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were conducted to explore the mediating role of T1DM or T2DM in the association between obesity, adiposity distribution, and PUs. Instrumental variables for obesity and adiposity distribution, including Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference, hip circumference, trunk fat mass, whole body fat mass, trunk fat percentage, and body fat percentage, were selected from two genome-wide association studies (GWAS). In univariable MR analysis, BMI, hip circumference, and obesity were associated with PUs using inverse variance weighted (IVW) regression. These findings were further corroborated by the replication cohorts and meta-analysis (BMI: OR = 1.537, 95% CI = 1.294–1.824, p < 0.001; Hip circumference: OR = 1.369, 95% CI = 1.147–1.635, p < 0.001; Obesity: OR = 1.235, 95% CI = 1.067–1.431, p = 0.005), respectively. Even after adjusting for confounding factors such as T1DM and T2DM, BMI and hip circumference remained statistically significant in multivariable MR analyses. T2DM may mediate the pathogenesis of BMI-related (OR = 1.106, 95% CI = 1.054–1.160, p = 0.037) and obesity-related PUs (OR = 1.053, 95% CI = 1.034–1.973, p = 0.004). These findings provide insights for the prevention and treatment of PUs, particularly in patients with obesity or DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep problems and impulsivity frequently occur in methamphetamine (MA) abstainers and are linked to aberrant brain function. However, the interplay between these factors remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep, impulsivity, and regional homogeneity (ReHo) through mediation analysis in MA abstainers. 46 MA abstainers and 44 healthy controls were included. Impulsivity and sleep problems were evaluated using the Barratt Impulsivity Scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale, respectively. ReHo, indicative of local brain spontaneous neural activity, was assessed using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results unveiled correlations between different dimensions of impulsivity and ReHo values in specific brain regions. Motor impulsivity correlated with ReHo values in the left postcentral gyrus and left precentral gyrus, while non-planning impulsivity was only associated with ReHo values in the left precentral gyrus. Additionally, the need for sleep medications correlated with ReHo values in the left precentral gyrus and bilateral postcentral gyrus. Also, the need for sleep medications was positively correlated with cognitive impulsivity and motor impulsivity. Mediation analysis indicated that reduced ReHo values in the left precentral gyrus mediated the association between impulsivity and the need for sleep medications. These findings imply that addressing sleep problems, especially the need for sleep medications, might augment spontaneous neural activity in specific brain regions linked to impulsivity among MA abstainers. This underscores the importance of integrating sleep interventions into comprehensive treatment strategies for MA abstainers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land is a constitutional issue in Ethiopia. Article 40 of the FDRE constitution enshrines governing provisions about rural and urban land. Legislation power is given to the federal government (Article 51(5) of the constitution) although this power can be delegated to regions (Article 50(9) of the same constitution). In contrast, administration power is allocated to regions (Article 52 (2(d)) of the constitution). The federal government has enacted the Rural Land Administration and Use Proclamation 456/2005. Both federal and regional land laws have Alternative Dispute Resolution clauses. However, the opportunities and challenges of these clauses from the access to justice perspective are not studied very well. The main objective of this paper is to assess the legal framework and practice of ADR mechanisms in the rural land administration system from the access to justice perspective and come up with a policy option. Doctrinal type of legal research is applied where it involves theory testing which deals with studying existing laws (both federal and regional laws). In addition, both primary and secondary sources have been used. Primary qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The study found that there are legal constraints. One significant legal constraint is the requirement for mandatory mediation in certain regional states before seeking recourse in a court of law. Mediation is not clearly and uniformly applied per the law and in practice (often the practice and legal framework confuse mediation with arbitration, inappropriately giving decision-making powers to mediators, and turning them into arbiters). Women and Vulnerable Groups are generally more negatively affected by the overreaching of mediators into decision-making, because the mediators are more easily influenced by the party opposing women and Vulnerable Groups, and/or the mediators are culturally biased. This study recommends that mediation should be made optional, where mediators are chosen by the parties and the legal framework is clear that the role of the mediators does not involve imposing decisions. For Oromia and SNNPR, the legal regime of mediation should be clarified to avoid confusion with the arbitration. It is necessary to train community-level mediators in the law and the protection of land rights of Vulnerable Groups against gender discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of precollege physics access and performance has been a persistent concern when considering the goal of diversifying participation in post-secondary STEM study and careers. This observational study examined school-level academic and demographic predictors of high school physics enrollment and performance in the USA. Due to the sequential and hierarchical nature of high school science and mathematics coursework, related predictors were included in multivariable regression and structural equation models to understand whether selectivity constrains the STEM pipeline. Descriptive and inferential analyses of state-level data were conducted (N = 663 high schools enrolling 559,044 students) to define the scope of physics enrollment and performance, and the predictive value of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and science and mathematics course enrollments and performance. Physics was taken by fewer students when compared to biology, earth science, and chemistry. Correlations, multiple regression, and structural equation modeling indicated that although socioeconomic status was the main predictor of student enrollment in physics, this was mediated by schoolwide enrollment in chemistry and algebra II as well as schoolwide performance in chemistry and geometry. School-level performance in physics was negatively predicted by the percentage of students traditionally underrepresented in STEM, yet the predictive value was mediated by chemistry and algebra II performance. Results suggest that the prevalent science and mathematics sequence correlates to diminished physics enrollment, particularly with regard to students traditionally marginalized in STEM. US school leaders and policy makers should implement more proactive interventions earlier in the STEM pipeline to promote diverse physics participation and more equitable performance outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing inspiration from the sociocultural turn in language teacher cognition research, this conceptual article argues for the utilisation of cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) as a theoretical framework for researching and understanding teacher cognition as a social phenomenon. In this article, three CHAT-related concepts, namely mediation, including contradictions; emotion; and agency are expounded, drawn together, and proven as pertinent and useful analytical tools for the study of the complexity of teacher cognition. Its central thesis posits that CHAT accommodates teachers' sociocultural activity systems whose mechanism is characterised by mediation that stimulates their emotional responses and agency for taking actions—a process through which teacher cognition unfolds in dynamic, developmental manners. By mapping these concepts, the article contributes to the extant scholarship by highlighting language teacher cognition as a mediated, emotional, and agentive process of transformation and providing critical epistemological implications for prospective empirical attempts in this line of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Depression is a highly prevalent mental disorder in older adults, and among its highest risk factors is loneliness. Although this relationship is commonly evident, the mechanisms underlying it, such as sense of mattering and psychological adjustment, lack exploration. The current research aims to examine the relationship between loneliness and geriatric depression and explore the mediating roles of sense of mattering and psychological adjustment. Methods: A sample of 200 older adults (63.5% females; mean age = 75.6; SD = 8.806) were recruited from 24 geriatric homes in Cairo, Egypt. Participants responded to the Arabic versions of the Mini-Mental State Examination for excluding the severely demented, Geriatric Depression Scale-15, University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale-version 3, General Mattering Scale, and Brief Adjustment Scale-6. The mediation analysis was conducted using multiple linear regression with Hayes' process macro on SPSS26 and structural equation modeling on JASP0.18.1.0. Results: Sense of mattering and psychological adjustment showed a significant total effect (β =.051, 95%CI [.045,.056], z = 18.436, p <.001) separated into a significant direct effect (β =.019, 95%CI [.009,.029], z = 3.784, p <.001) and a significant indirect effect (β =.031, 95%CI [.022,.041], z = 6.478, p <.001), indicating simultaneous partial mediation by the two variables. Additionally, sense of mattering accounts for 76% of the impact of loneliness on geriatric depression, and psychological adjustment accounts for 60.1%. Conclusion: Loneliness significantly impacts geriatric depression through a sense of mattering and psychological adjustment. These findings implicate substantial insight for interventions that can be targeted at the reduction of geriatric depression through reducing loneliness feelings and enhancing sense of mattering and adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous researches have proposed several isolated mechanisms linking dispositional mindfulness (DM) and mental health. The present study tested a comprehensive explanatory model that could provide an integrative framework to determine the relative contributions of these isolated mechanisms to the positive effects of DM on lowering mental health problems. This study proposed a model that explores the mediating roles of decentering, nonattachment, emotion regulation difficulties (ERD), positive affectivity, and negative affectivity in the impact of DM on mental health problems. The model was tested using self-report data on the said constructs from 251 participants (118 males, 133 females) aged 18–55 years. Findings revealed that DM is associated with lower mental health problems directly as well as indirectly by enhancing decentering and nonattachment and reducing ERD and negative affect. Unlike males, DM had a direct significant effect on mental health problems in females. Moreover, the indirect pathways differed across genders. In males, DM impacted mental health problems via reducing ERD, enhancing nonattachment, and enhancing nonattachment via decentering. In females, DM improved mental health by reducing ERD and negative affect, and reducing negative affect via ERD. Thus, this study provides an integrative model of various mediating mechanisms of DM-mental health relationship and highlights that metacognitive and affective mediating mechanisms do not interact in producing the salutary effects of mindfulness on mental health. Further, it was noted that DM enhances mental health mainly via metacognitive pathways in males but only via affective pathways in females, which was a novel finding. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between lower resting heart rate and antisocial behavior has been suggested to be mediated by sensation-seeking. However, other theoretical models suggest that sensation-seeking has a moderating influence. This study sought to investigate the interplay between resting heart rate, sensation-seeking and antisocial behavior. Two subsets of participants from the Risk Factors for Antisocial Behavior (RFAB) project (n = 690, n = 391) were used. We conducted mediation analyses and logistic regression analyses to test for mediating and moderating effects of sensation-seeking on the association between resting heart rate and antisocial behavior by young adulthood. In general, sensation-seeking partially mediated the association between resting heart rate in childhood as well as adolescence and antisocial behavior by young adulthood. Resting heart rate in childhood and adolescence also interacted with sensation-seeking to predict antisocial behavior by young adulthood, such that a lower resting heart rate increased the odds of antisocial behavior among individuals with higher but not lower levels of sensation-seeking. Our results on a theoretical level suggest that sensation-seeking is important to understand the association between resting heart rate and antisocial behavior. Results further suggest that encouraging prosocial behaviors as a means of fulfilling the need for stimulation in individuals with a psychophysiological risk profile could serve as an effective approach in redirecting their behaviors towards positive outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research examining the joint relationships between test anxiety, metacognition, and mathematics achievement revealing the mediational role of metacognition in the relationship between test anxiety and mathematics achievement is sparse. A mediation study was designed to redress this imbalance. The Children's Test Anxiety Scale (CTAS), Junior Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (Jr. MAI), and Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) were distributed to 943 (442 males and 501 females) Grade 7 (n = 477) and Grade 8 (n = 466) students aged between 11–12 (Mage = 11.5, SD =.88) and 11–13 (Mage = 12, SD =.91) years, respectively. In this study, multiple mediation models were tested to explore the role of metacognition as a mediator of the effect of test anxiety on mathematics achievement. Results indicate that although both test anxiety and metacognition were significantly related to mathematics achievement, metacognition was not a statistically significant mediator in the relationship between test anxiety and mathematics achievement. Specifically, the knowledge of cognition component of metacognition was the only significant mediator, mediating the relationship between off-task behaviors and mathematics achievement. Findings support the beneficial role of metacognition with the rewarding side of a key implication that without developing metacognitive knowledge, efforts at alleviating test anxiety to maximize achievement in mathematics may well be fruitless. Educational and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article critically addresses current debates on the digital transformation of the public sphere. It responds to two contrasting responses to this transformation: the school of destruction, which expresses pessimism about the design of social media, and the school of restoration, which advocates for the redesign of social media to align with normative conceptions of the public sphere. However, so far these responses have omitted an explicit philosophical reflection on the relationship between politics, technology and design. After tracing back the current discourse on politics and technology to the Platonic tradition of political thought, I propose to re-arrange the relationship between poiesis, praxis and theoria assumed in this tradition. By connecting Arendt’s phenomenology of the political to postphenomenology and Derrida’s notion of ‘artifactuality’, this article proposes a renewed approach to think the political implications of technological change consistent with the ‘empirical turn’ in philosophy of technology. This approach unfolds in two moves: first, it examines how the design (poiesis) of new technological conditions makes space and time for certain kinds of events to become public; second, it takes the praxis emerging in response to these new conditions as a starting point for re-theorizing the political in specific mediated contexts. The article concludes by advocating for a ‘practical turn’ in political theory of technology, emphasizing the importance of engaging with design practices and artistic practices to refine foundational concepts in political theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mediation analysis investigates the covariation of variables in a population of interest. In contrast, the resolution level of psychological theory, at its core, aims to reach all the way to the behaviors, mental processes, and relationships of individual persons. It would be a logical error to presume that the population-level pattern of behavior revealed by a mediation analysis directly describes all, or even many, individual members of the population. Instead, to reconcile collective covariation with theoretical claims about individual behavior, one needs to look beyond abstract aggregate trends. Taking data quality as a given and a mediation model's estimated parameters as accurate population-level depictions, what can one say about the number of people properly described by the linkages in that mediation analysis? How many individuals are exceptions to that pattern or pathway? How can we bridge the gap between psychological theory and analytic method? We provide a simple framework for understanding how many people actually align with the pattern of relationships revealed by a population-level mediation. Additionally, for those individuals who are exceptions to that pattern, we tabulate how many people mismatch which features of the mediation pattern. Consistent with the person-oriented research paradigm, understanding the distribution of alignment and mismatches goes beyond the realm of traditional variable-level mediation analysis. Yet, such a tabulation is key to designing potential interventions. It provides the basis for predicting how many people stand to either benefit from, or be disadvantaged by, which type of intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As much as it is rooted in empirical facts, the concept of truth in natural sciences and technology has core dimensions marked by the sphere of the possible. As can be inferred from Cassirer's symbol theory, this is, in both cultural forms, a structuring mode of their symbolic constitution and differentiation. But when the coupling of the two increases (as currently happens with the new pictorial forms of scientific prediction), it is necessary to know the major repercussions imposed on the way of conceiving phenomena—among these, mainly those that concern the formation of our idea of nature. In addition to this theoretical imperative, it will be the purpose of this paper to show how Cassirer's thought helps us to recognize and reconstruct the relationships between experimental scientific knowledge and technological mediation. Keeping this in mind, a narrow articulation of truth's functional profile with the idea of the future that permeates both science (especially natural sciences) and technology will be conceived to see how the two symbolic forms reveal the prospective complexion of human thought and human action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Causal mediation analysis has gained increasing attention in recent years. This article guides empirical researchers through the concepts and challenges of causal mediation analysis. I first clarify the difference between traditional and causal mediation analysis and highlight the importance of adjusting for the treatment-by-mediator interaction and confounders of the treatment–mediator, treatment–outcome, and mediator–outcome relationships. I then introduce the definition of causal mediation effects under the potential outcomes framework and different methods for the identification and estimation of the effects. After that, I highlight the importance of conducting a sensitivity analysis to assess the sensitivity of analysis results to potential unmeasured confounding. I also list various statistical software that can conduct causal mediation analysis and sensitivity analysis and provide suggestions for writing a causal mediation analysis paper. Finally, I briefly introduce some extensions that I made with my colleagues, including power analysis, multisite causal mediation analysis, causal moderated mediation analysis, and relaxing the assumption of no post-treatment confounding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The WASH benefits Bangladesh trial multi-component sanitation intervention reduced diarrheal disease among children < 5 years. Intervention components included latrine upgrades, child feces management tools, and behavioral promotion. It remains unclear which components most impacted diarrhea. Methods: We conducted mediation analysis within a subset of households (n = 720) from the sanitation and control arms. Potential mediators were categorized into indicators of latrine quality, latrine use practices, and feces management practices. We estimated average causal mediation effects (ACME) as prevalence differences (PD), defined as the intervention's effect on diarrhea through its effect on the mediator. Results: The intervention improved all indicators compared to controls. We found significant mediation through multiple latrine use and feces management practice indicators. The strongest mediators during monsoon seasons were reduced open defecation among children aged < 3 and 3–8 years, and increased disposal of child feces into latrines. The strongest mediators during dry seasons were access to a flush/pour-flush latrine, reduced open defecation among children aged 3–8 years, and increased disposal of child feces into latrines. Individual mediation effects were small (PD = 0.5–2 percentage points) compared to the overall intervention effect but collectively describe significant mediation pathways. Discussion: The effect of the WASH Benefits Bangladesh sanitation intervention on diarrheal disease was mediated through improved child feces management and reduced child open defecation. Although the intervention significantly improved latrine quality, relatively high latrine quality at baseline may have limited benefits from additional improvements. Targeting safe child feces management may increase the health benefits of rural sanitation interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The university environment is considered an important context for young people to experience close relationships. In close relationships, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors are seen as determinants of a healthy relationship. According to the rational emotional behavioral approach, thoughts direct emotions and behaviors. In romantic relationships, the behavior of female not expressing their thoughts and feelings to maintain their relationship is defined as self-silencing. Therefore, in this study, it is aimed to investigate the relationship between irrational romantic relationship beliefs, emotion regulation, and self-silencing and also examine the mediating role of emotion regulation. The participants of the research consisted of 430 female from a university. Personal ınformation form, ırrational romantic relationship beliefs scale, emotion regulation questionnaire, and silencing the self scale were utilized to female students. According to findings, positive relationship was found between irrational beliefs and self-silencing, and emotion regulation mediated the relationship between irrational beliefs and self-silencing. The findings were discussed in the context of dysfunctional romantic relationship thoughts and emotion regulation in raising the level of female students' self-silencing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how trust influences parents' satisfaction with parenting apps. The study demonstrates that social ties and perceived value act as mediators between trust and user satisfaction. A questionnaire was conducted in Taiwan to test parents' perceptions of parenting apps, focusing particularly on user satisfaction and related social factors. The survey examined four latent factors: trust, satisfaction, social ties, and perceived value. In order to evaluate the validity and reliability of the latent factors, partial least squares regression was used. The soundness of the measurement model was confirmed by the statistical results. The study also examined hypothesized relationships and multiple mediations to establish statistical significance. The multiple mediating analysis revealed a significant relationship between trust and satisfaction regarding parenting apps. Social ties and perceived value were identified as significant mediators in this relationship. Parents' satisfaction with parenting apps is influenced by their perceptions of the apps' trustworthiness. This is influenced by the apps' information about education and childcare, which helps people improve their parenting literacy and their ability to raise children. Parents' attitudes towards social ties and perceived value also enhance their satisfaction with parenting apps, encouraging their continued use. Working cooperatively and socializing via the apps helps to construct a mobile community that allows parents of young children to interact with each other and develop their parenting skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fear of negative evaluation, defined as a sense of dread associated with being unfavorably evaluated in a social situation, is the primary factor underlying student anxiety in college science courses and is disproportionately experienced by students who are underserved in science. Yet, it is unknown why fear of negative evaluation disproportionately affects these students and what can be done to reduce student fear of negative evaluation. Academic social comparison describes how students perceive themselves compared to their peers with regard to desirability as a groupmate, the extent they fit in among others in their major, and academic talent. We hypothesize that academic social comparison mediates the relationship between student identities and fear of negative evaluation, where individuals with underserved identities in science may perceive themselves as "less than" their peers, contributing to their fear of negative evaluation. We surveyed 909 undergraduate science majors across 15 research-intensive institutions in the United States (U.S.) to assess: (1) To what extent do student identities predict fear of negative evaluation among science undergraduates? and (2) For identities that significantly predict fear of negative evaluation, to what extent does academic social comparison mediate the relationship? We used regression, single-mediator models, and multi-mediator models to address our research questions. Results: Women/non-binary and LGBTQ + science majors reported disproportionately high fear of negative evaluation compared to men and non-LGBTQ + science majors. Women/non-binary and LGBTQ + students also expressed lower academic social comparison relative to their respective counterparts, meaning they perceive themselves as less than their peers with regard to their desirability as a groupmate, the extent to which they fit in among others in their major, and their academic talent. Academic social comparison partially mediated the relationship between fear of negative evaluation and both gender and LGBTQ + status. Major fit, defined as the extent to which students perceive they fit in among others in their major, was found to be the primary mediating subconstruct of academic social comparison for both gender and LGBTQ + identities. Conclusions: Women/non-binary and LGBTQ + science majors perceive themselves as less than their peers to a greater extent than men and non-LGBTQ + science majors, contributing to their higher fear of negative evaluation in college science course. Major fit, defined as the extent to which students feel they fit in with others in their major, is the subconstruct of academic social comparison that had the strongest influence on fear of negative evaluation in our sample. Academic social comparison is a promising target for future efforts aimed at decreasing fear of negative evaluation in active learning college science courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a major public health issue, chronic loneliness has been associated with increased mortality and impaired physical and mental health. The proposed model by Cacioppo and Hawkley (Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13(10), 447–454, 2009) pictures the emergence and maintenance of chronic loneliness as a vicious cycle containing cognitive and behavioral aspects. As a potential source of resilience, self-esteem has been shown to have buffering effects on loneliness. This study aimed to investigate the central relationships between the components within the regulatory loop of loneliness and the potential buffering effect of self-esteem. In this study, a community sample of 436 adult participants completed measures of loneliness, interpretation bias in social situations, social avoidance behavior, self-esteem, and important covariates (including depressive and social anxiety symptoms and social network size). First, we tested bivariant correlations. Subsequently, we tested three mediation models representing the regulatory loop of loneliness. Lastly, we tested moderated mediation models with self-esteem as a moderator. Loneliness was positively associated with interpretation bias and social avoidance and negatively with self-esteem. Indirect effects in all three mediation models testing the regulatory loop were positive and strongly significant. Self-esteem was a significant moderator in the mediation models, with higher levels of self-esteem attenuating the indirect effect of loneliness on interpretation bias. These effects held even when controlled for relevant covariates, such as depressive and social anxiety symptoms. This study gives preliminary empirical support for the proposed model of chronic loneliness by Cacioppo and Hawkley (Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13(10), 447–454, 2009) and the potential buffering effect of self-esteem. Hence, our results support the notion of addressing maladaptive social cognitions and maladaptive social behavior to effectively reduce chronic loneliness and strengthen self-esteem as a protective factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smartphone distraction (SD) is closely related to depression, and the prevalence of SD among nursing students is gradually increasing. However, the potential mechanism of the effect of SD on nursing students' depression is unclear. A total of 574 nursing students were assessed using Smartphone Distraction Scale, Ruminative Response Scale, Hikikomori Questionnaire, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The results indicated that SD among nursing students had an impact on depression through four pathways: (1) SD was positively associated with depression (β = 0.353, P < 0.001); (2) Rumination (β = 0.199, 95% CI: 0.081 to 0.162) and social withdrawal (β = 0.061, 95% CI: 0.034 to 0.091) mediated the effects of SD on depression, respectively; and (3) Rumination and social withdrawal played a chain mediating role in the effect of SD on nursing students' depression (β = 0.027, 95% CI: 0.015 to 0.042). The negative impact of SD on nursing students' mental health should not be taken lightly. Schools and hospitals should guide nursing students to use smartphones correctly, including providing mental health education and professional psychological counselling; families could play a supervisory role and communicate regularly to understand the psychological state and learning of nursing students. These measures can help nursing students cope with stress and reduce the risk of depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant-based diets have gained attention for their potential benefits on both human health and environmental sustainability. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of plant-based dietary patterns with the endogenous metabolites of healthy individuals and identify metabolites that may act as mediators of the associations between dietary intake and modifiable disease risk factors. Adherence to plant-based dietary patterns was assessed for 170 healthy adults using plant-based diet indexes (PDI). Individuals with higher healthful PDI had lower BMI and fasting glucose and higher HDL-C, while those with higher unhealthful PDI had higher BMI, triacylglycerol and fasting glucose and lower HDL-C. Unhealthful PDI was associated with higher levels of several amino acids and biogenic amines previously associated with cardiometabolic diseases and an opposite pattern was observed for healthful PDI. Furthermore, healthful PDI was associated with higher levels of glycerophosphocholines containing very long-chain fatty acids. Glutamate, isoleucine, proline, tyrosine, α-aminoadipate and kynurenine had a statistically significant mediation effect on the associations between PDI scores and LDL-C, HDL-C and fasting glucose. These findings contribute to the growing evidence supporting the role of plant-based diets in promoting metabolic health and shed light on the potential mechanisms explaining their beneficial health effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated attention, sensory processing, and social responsiveness and the relationship between these constructs among autistic and neurotypical adults. Participants included 24 autistic adults (17–30 years) and 24 neurotypical peers who completed the Test of Everyday Attention, Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP), and the Social Responsiveness Scale-2. Autistic individuals showed greater attention, sensory processing, and social responsiveness challenges compared to neurotypical peers. Using mediation models, we showed that the relationship between attention and social responsiveness was mediated by sensory processing, specifically the low registration and sensation-seeking AASP quadrants. The relationship between attention, sensory processing, and social responsiveness suggests that adults with greater attention issues may have greater sensory and social challenges. Specifically, having poor attention may lead to poor sensory processing skills which compound poor social responsiveness. Understanding the relationships between these domains is critical for developing effective interventions and support for autistic adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is a well-recognized risk factor for adolescent depressive symptoms, but mediating mechanisms of this association have scarcely been studied. This study is unique in examining an indirect pathway of this link via body esteem (BE) prospectively from childhood (8–12 years) to adolescence (13–18 years). In addition, potential gender moderation was examined. This study utilized data from a case–control study comparing 100 children with and without obesity matched on important confounders (age, gender, and socioeconomic status). Our findings provide support for the mediating role of BE in the link between childhood weight status and adolescent depressive symptoms at a 5-year follow-up. This mediation effect did not differ between boys and girls. The findings suggest the relevance of specifically targeting children's BE in preventive intervention programs among children with obesity to prevent future mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation are common in behavioral research models. Several tools are available for estimating indirect effects, conditional effects, and conditional indirect effects and forming their confidence intervals. However, there are no simple-to-use tools that can appropriately form the bootstrapping confidence interval for standardized conditional indirect effects. Moreover, some tools are restricted to a limited type of models. We developed an R package, manymome, which can be used to estimate and form confidence intervals for indirect effects, conditional effects, and conditional indirect effects, standardized or not, using a two-step approach: model parameters are estimated either by structural equation modeling using lavaan or by a set of linear regression models using lm, and then the coefficients are used to compute the requested effects and form confidence intervals. It can be used when there are missing data if the model is fitted by structural equation modeling. There are only a few limitations on some aspects of a model, and no inherent limitations on the number of predictors, the number of independent variables, or the number of moderators and mediators. The goal is to have a tool that allows researchers to focus on model fitting first and worry about estimating the effects later. The use of the model is illustrated using a few numerical examples, and the limitations of the package are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) framework is often used in public health to explore people's adaptive behaviors and to guide intervention programs. Still, psychometric and structure-wise refinements could provide new insights, more aligned with an epidemiological view of people's role in disease transmission and containment. Our study aims to (1) develop a psychometrically adequate KAP instrument for measuring COVID-19 pandemic responses, and (2) test a structural configuration of KAP that can aid in estimating behavior-related epidemiological parameters in a population: (a) the average number of people that an infected person comes into contact with per unit of time, (b) the probability of each of these exposures to result in infection. One relates to behavioral prevention practices through social distancing or isolation and was measured by the Contact Practices subscale. The other links to health practices, like mask-wearing or hand-washing, being measured by the Probability Practices subscale. A first multi-mediation model suggests that Knowledge has both direct and indirect effects on Probability Practices, but only indirect on Contact Practices, mediated by Attitudes. Two distinct content areas emerged for measuring Knowledge: Preventive Measures, and Causes and Consequences. The final path model demonstrates an excellent fit, indicating that knowledge regarding Preventive Measures has effects on Practices, both directly and indirectly through Attitudes. Disease containment depends on balancing Probability Practices and Contact Practices as distinct but equifinal behavioral strategies, both amenable to attitude-centered intervention. Consistent with other infectious disease research, knowledge about prevention practices far outweighs specialized medical information in promoting adaptive timely responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of supporting parent-child interactions has been noted in the context of prodromal autism, but little consideration has been given to the possible contributing role of parental characteristics, such as psychological distress. This cross-sectional study tested models in which parent-child interaction variables mediated relations between parent characteristics and child autistic behaviour in a sample of families whose infant demonstrated early signs of autism (N = 103). The findings suggest that associations between parent characteristics (psychological distress; aloofness) and child autistic behaviours may be mediated by the child's inattentiveness or negative affect during interactions. These findings have important implications in developing and implementing interventions in infancy which target the synchrony of parent-child interaction with the goal to support children's social communication development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the tools used to mediate intersubjectivity as a central element in Jean-Paul Sartre's phenomenological theory of ensembles. It first presents a brief account of ordinary individuals acting in and through violent groups from the viewpoints of psychology and phenomenology. Next, using Sartre's ontology of consciousness, the paper establishes the phenomenological structure of consciousness and intersubjectivity to explain, with recent psychological findings, how individual agents in violent groups come to deny their moral responsibility for the group's ideology and action. Finally, through Sartre's theory of ensembles, the paper shows how collectives of individuals evolve into groups. In violent groups, instruments of terror are used to mediate intersubjective relationships, and this explains how individual perpetrators and those complicit may sense a lack of control and perceive that they have diminished moral responsibility even though they are responsible for collective violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to investigate the associations between metal exposures and periodontitis among U.S. adults, as well as the mediated effect of biological aging. Methods: Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009–2014, we explored the single and mixed impacts of metal exposures on periodontitis through adjusted weighted logistic regression, robust Poisson regression, restricted cubic spline regression, and Bayesian kernel machine regression models. This study included 2,393 participants, with 46.9% experiencing periodontitis. Concentrations of nine urinary metals, including barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), cesium (Cs), molybdenum (Mo), lead (Pb), thallium (Tl), tungsten (Tu), and uranium (Ur), were measured using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. In addition, we analyzed the association between metals and periodontitis, stratified by age, body mass index, gender, and smoking status. Mediation models were also applied to investigate the mediated effects of biological aging between metal exposures and periodontitis. Results: Weighted logistic and robust Poisson regression identified positive associations between Cd, Pb and periodontitis (P < 0.05). BKMR analyses indicated that mixed metal exposures were significantly associated with periodontitis, particularly among smokers, second-hand smokers, and males, with Cd, Pb, Tl, and Ba contributing the most. Furthermore, subgroup analyses observed a modifying effect on the associations between urinary Cd, Pb and periodontitis in stratified gender and BMI subgroups in robust Poisson regression. Phenotype age was found to mediate the association between metals and periodontitis. Conclusions: This study identified significant positive associations between metal exposures and periodontitis in the U.S. adults. In addition, the association between metal exposures and periodontitis could vary in different gender, BMI and smoking subgroups. These associations were likely partly mediated by biological aging, suggesting that metals may potentially increase the risk of periodontitis by promoting cell senescence and overall aging of the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a prevalent mental health issue and has been reliably associated with problematic internet use (PIU), an escalating concern. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of two theoretically derived internet affordances—seeking social connections online and safety-seeking behaviors online—in this relationship, and to compare their relative impact. Using a sample of 537 adult volunteers and self-report measures, we tested a structural equation model to probe their contributions. Results indicate that individuals with more SAD symptoms tended to use the internet more for both internet affordances, which in turn increased the likelihood of PIU. The relative contribution of safety behaviors in the relationship between SAD and PIU was five times stronger than seeking social connections online. We discuss our results in the context of an affordance-based approach to research internet behaviors and delve into potential clinical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this prospective study was to examine (a) whether Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) measured at baseline (T0) predicts distress at one year follow-up (T1), and (b) whether and in what way resilience mediates the effect of SPS on distress. The study sample consisted of gifted adults. A total of 738 respondents participated in the study at T0 and T1 (mean age of 44.86; 63.4% female). Structural Equation Modeling and logistic regression analysis were conducted. A high level of SPS at T0 predicted psychological (anxiety and depression) and somatic (physical symptoms and fatigue) distress at T1. As far as indirect effects are concerned, results depended upon whether we looked at the negative or positive higher-order dimension of SPS. A higher score on negative SPS was associated with lower resilience which in turn led to more distress, indicating that low resilience increased the negative impact of negative SPS on distress. In contrast, a higher score on positive SPS was related to more resilience, resulting in less distress, suggesting that in this case resilience had a buffering effect. As resilience is a buffer between SPS and distress, follow-up research could focus on psychological interventions aimed at increasing resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responsive parenting serves an influential role in explaining the link between children's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and children's mental health impairment, but how this occurs is not well elucidated. In some cases, researchers examine parenting as a mediator to explain how IPV leads to maladaptive outcomes (i.e., IPV negatively impacts one's capacity for responsive parenting, which in turn impacts children), whereas others examine moderation in which either the absence of responsive parenting exacerbates adverse outcomes or increased responsive parenting buffers risk. Mediation addresses theoretical questions about how or why IPV leads to maladaptive outcomes, whereas moderation addresses who might be most impacted. However, responsive parenting has rarely, if ever, been tested as both a mediator and moderator of the link between IPV and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) within the same sample. The current study examined the mediating and moderating role of responsive parenting on physical IPV exposure and child PTSS in a longitudinal sample of 391 children ages 3 to 5 years (M = 4.74, SD = 0.89). Self-report measures of physical IPV exposure, parenting practices, and PTSS were completed by mothers. We found that responsive parenting significantly moderated and mediated the association between physical IPV exposure and child PTSS over time. Studies that include tests of both moderation and mediation are critical for advancing mechanistic insight into the role of parenting in the etiology of mental health impairment in children exposed to IPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]