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Forgiveness interventions are a promising approach to conflict resolution, anger-reduction and the enhancement of emotional well-being in adults. The present study examined the effectiveness of a novel six-session, problem-oriented forgiveness group intervention for Greek preadolescents. The sample consisted of 42 primary school students aged 10-13 years, allocated to the experimental (n = 21) or control group (n = 21). The intervention was evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Results indicated that, compared to the control group, participants in the experimental group showed a significant reduction in feelings of depression and anger as well as an increase in satisfaction with life. In addition, experimental group participants showed a better understanding of forgiveness and developed a more positive attitude towards their offenders. A 12-month follow-up further supported the long-term impact of the forgiveness intervention. Practical implications for the design and implementation of universal forgiveness programmes for older children are discussed.

The present study examined the effectiveness of a novel 6-session, prejudice-reduction group for Greek preadolescents. The sample consisted of 106 elementary school students aged 10-12 years, allocated to the intervention (n = 55) or control group (n = 51). Results indicated that, compared to the control group, participants in the intervention group showed more positive attitudes toward refugees as well as an increase in their general capacity for empathy. In addition, intervention group participants showed more tolerance and less xenophobia. Practical implications for the design and implementation of classroom-based, prejudice-reduction programs for older children are discussed.

This study investigated the effectiveness of a social and emotional learning (SEL) group to enhance first-grade students' school adjustment. A seven-session intervention program was conducted by two group leaders and included training in social and emotional skills. Pre- and post- and follow-up assessment data were collected from a total of 114 first-grade Greek students and their teachers. Children attending the intervention group (n = 56) were found to exhibit better social skills and prosocial behavior, as well as less aggressive and disruptive behavior, according to teacher reports, than children in the (non-intervention) control group (n = 58). However, no group differences on children's self-reported school liking and avoidance, as well as on feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction, were found. Theoretical and practical implications of the finding are briefly discussed.

Studies examining processes in youth group psychotherapy are scarce. This article reports on the development and psychometric properties of the Psychoeducational Group Alliance Scale for Children (PGAS-c). This scale was designed to assess the therapeutic alliance that develops between the members and the facilitator in a psychoeducational group intervention for children and was tested in 2 samples of children participating in different psychoeducational groups. The PGAS-c was internally consistent in both samples. Concurrent validity was examined using correlations with an established measure of therapeutic relationship (the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory). Reliability and validity of the PGAS-c were supported in both samples.

This study examined the effectiveness of an 8-week psychoeducational group program for siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The sample consisted of 38 siblings aged 6-15 years (M = 10.75), allocated to the experimental (n = 22) or control group (n = 16). Self-report questionnaires were administered before and after the intervention. Results indicated a significant increase in knowledge of ASD in the experimental group, but not in the control group. In addition, a statistically significant reduction in adjustment difficulties and emotional/behavioral problems in the experimental group was detected. The theoretical and practical relevance of the findings for facilitating sibling support groups is discussed.

The aim of this study was to examine the counselling needs of a sample of secondary school students in Greece. Moreover, the effect of age, gender, and academic performance on such perceived counselling needs was also investigated. The sample consisted of 931 students (433 girls and 498 boys) aged between 12 and 16 years old. A 70-item questionnaire was developed and administered to assess participants' perceived needs in various areas. The exploratory factor analysis yielded five factors: learning skills, vocational guidance/development, interpersonal relationships, personal development, and social values. Students particularly valued social values, learning skills, and vocational/guidance development compared to interpersonal relationship, and personal-development needs. In addition, the effects of age, gender, and academic performance on the five factors were all significant, suggesting that these variables were determinants of students' self-reported counselling needs. The implications of these results for the development and implementation of effective school counselling programs are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate therapeutic factors and perception of co-leaders' attitudes in elementary children. The Critical Incident Questionnaire was collected from participants during 8 sessions of 3 psychoeducational groups for social anxiety, whereas the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory was administered twice. It was found that affective and behavioral therapeutic factors decreased in the working and ending stages, while cognitive therapeutic factors increased significantly as the groups progressed. Moreover, children were able to form a positive perception of co-leaders' attitudes early on, and perceptions further ameliorated as the groups progressed.

This study investigated the efficacy of a psychoeducational group for Greek special education teachers, all but one of whom reported experiencing anger in class. An anger management program was designed, which included a short, four-session package to be given within two weeks. The results of a pretest-posttest comparison revealed reductions in participant-reported indicators of trait anger and hostile interpretations in the anger management group (n = 20) compared to a control sample of teachers not receiving the intervention (n = 24). Mediational analyses also showed that change in hostile attributions mediated change in emotions. These results suggested that the intervention was effective, despite being brief.

This study investigated the impact of a psychoeducational group for social anxiety aimed at elementary children. An 8-week psychoeducational program based on empirically validated risk factors was designed. Interventions included cognitive restructuring, anxiety management techniques, and social skills training. Pre-and posttest data from 3 groups conducted over the course of 3 months were combined for a total of 40 participants. Results indicate completion of the group led to a significant decrease on scales measuring social anxiety and negative interpretation of ambiguity, as well as a significant increase in children's self-reported likeability. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

The study focuses on the mental state language kindergarten teachers use when narrating picture stories. The aims were to examine (a) individual differences in the frequency with which kindergarten teachers use mental state terms, (b) the types of mental state terms (e.g., emotion, desire, belief terms) teachers use most frequently, and (c) the effect that the content of the story to be narrated has on teachers' use of mental state language. A total of 38 kindergarten teachers took part in the study. Participants were asked to narrate a familiar picture story and six short illustrated stories that fell into one of two categories: behavioral or mentalistic. Behavioral stories emphasized the story characters' actions, whereas mentalistic stories emphasized the story characters' mental states. Research Findings: The results showed a significant variation in kindergarten teachers' use of mental state terms. Moreover, teachers used significantly more cognitive state terms than terms expressing other mental states (e.g., emotions and desires). The content of the picture story (behavioral, mentalistic) was not found to have an effect on teachers' use of mental state language. Practice or Policy: Implications of these findings for educators are discussed.

The current study investigated the effectiveness of an online Positive Psychology group intervention for police officers intending to mitigate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to enhance their personal strengths and resilience. Participants were 95 Greek police officers, assigned to the intervention (n = 49) and the control (n = 45) group. All participants completed an online questionnaire at four time-points. The results indicated a significant increase in the intervention group's empathy, resilience, and positive emotions, as well as a significant decrease in fear of the coronavirus, negative emotions, loneliness, depressive symptoms and anxiety emotions compared to the control group. Changes remained significant in the long-term. The intervention assisted police officers in developing their personal strengths in a difficult period, indicating that personal growth can be triggered even in adverse situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the construct of parenting wisdom and describes the development and preliminary validation of the Parenting Wisdom Scale (PWS), a new instrument designed to measure the construct. In a first study, a preliminary version of the PWS was developed and administered to a sample of 137 parents in Greece. The final version of the scale demonstrated the predicted four-factor solution and good internal consistency for the total and subscale scores. PWS correlated in expected ways with the convergent, discriminant and concurrent validity measures. In a second replication study, the above findings were cross-validated with an independent sample of 312 parents. In total, results are encouraging and seem to support the usefulness of the PWS to assess parenting wisdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive bias modification of interpretations (CBM-I) programs, in which individuals are trained to interpret ambiguous scenarios in a benign way, appear effective in altering anxiety-related cognitive biases in both children and adults. In this experimental study, we explored the effectiveness of a novel CBM-I training tool for children, which involves joint discussions of ambiguous information with a same-gender peer. 10- to 11-year-old boys and girls ( n = 20) were provided with ambiguous social vignettes, each followed by two interpretations, and then asked to select one of them after a brief discussion with a same-gender peer. A further group of participants did not participate in any training but only completed pretraining and posttraining measures ( n = 18). Results indicated that children who completed the interpretation training made less negative interpretations, endorsed less negative emotional consequences, reported less social anxiety, and performed better in a stressful task compared with the no-intervention group. Clinical implications of the results are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human rights education has an encouraging effect on children's school routine. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of a 12-session transformative human rights education intervention in improving children's school adjustment. Participants were 340 Greek primary school students assigned to intervention group (n = 187) and control group (n = 153). All members completed a written questionnaire 1 week before the implementation of the intervention, measuring their knowledge of human rights, school engagement, perceptions of the school environment, interpersonal relationships, empathy and perceptions, attitudes and feelings towards school. The completion process of the same questionnaire was repeated 1 week after the termination of the intervention and 4 months later. The results showed that the intervention was particularly beneficial as the intervention group members demonstrated a significant increase in their knowledge of human rights, school engagement, perceptions of the school environment, empathy and school liking, while experiencing a significant decrease in school avoidance and loneliness. Members of the control group did not report any significant improvement over time. The study's implications for future research on school-based human rights interventions are discussed., (© 2023 The Authors. International Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Union of Psychological Science.)