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Nonprofit organizations often position their charitable efforts as fulfilling the immediate needs of those who are disadvantaged (termed "immediate aid appeals"). This study explores an alternative positioning strategy focused on the use of autonomous aid appeals, which promote the use of donated funds to facilitate the eventual self-sufficiency of those in need. Seven studies show that people are more likely to donate to a charity that uses autonomous aid appeals than immediate aid appeals. The authors generalize this effect to various contexts and examine it with actual donation behavior. They find that managerially relevant boundary conditions support a serial mediation model first through perceptions of impact and then by feelings of hope for the recipient's future. To support the proposed framework, they conduct mediation analyses and two process-by-moderation studies. The findings have practical implications for charities and their promotional messaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the relationship between governmental infectious disease management and emergency systems, I examine the turn to emergency in European measles management during the resurgence of the disease between 2017 and 2020. While measles management was shaped by hope for disease eradication and as a progressive pursuit of elimination, amid growing concerns with vaccination coverage, hope was redirected toward reversing regression in the struggle against infectious disease. I argue that perception of and action on public health issues as emergencies is intricately tied to change in the fundamental construct of governmental infectious disease management, regardless of change in the disease or its categorization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hope is well recognised as a positive protective factor for mental health, improved coping responses to adverse childhood events and better educational outcomes. Hope is composed of synergistic constituents – agency and pathway. A retrospective chart review was conducted of 53 justice-involved youths (10−17 years old) who underwent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) diagnostic assessments with Patches in Western Australia between 2019 and 2020. Snyder’s Children’s Hope Scale was included as part of the diagnostic assessment. There was a statistically significant difference (p = 0.038) for the agency subscale score between those diagnosed with FASD versus those without FASD. As agency quantifies an individual’s goal-setting capacity and the motivation to achieve goals, it is possible that the impacts of FASD on executive functioning are reflected in lower scores. Factors such as cultural background, schooling engagement, previous alcohol/substance use or rurality did not significantly affect hope scores. It is recommended that justice-involved youths diagnosed with FASD receive specific training to encourage executive functioning skills and external support from consistent, supportive and culturally safe school systems and adult role models. This cohort is at a developmental stage where resilience, executive functioning skills, and community support can positively impact mental health and future trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundMethodsResultsDiscussionEvidence suggests that individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia have lower self-concept clarity and that an unclear self-concept is related to symptom severity. The aim of this study was to investigate whether self-concept clarity is linked to functional impairments and hope for the future in individuals with schizophrenia.A sample of 130 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia completed the Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS), the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), and the Schizophrenia Hope Scale (SHS-9).Lower self-concept clarity was associated with more functional impairments and less hope for the future. These results remained significant when adjusting for sociodemographic and illness course variables.In individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, self-concept clarity may play a role in daily functioning and hope for the future. The implications for interventions aimed at improving functional outcomes and recovery prospects are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rooted in the emotions-as-frames model (EFM), this research examines how hope, fear, and annoyance are evoked through health news headline scanning, and how these emotions influence perceptions of news and medical science institutions as well as health behavioral intentions. A sample of U.S. adults (N = 327) were assigned to one of four headline framing conditions expected to associate with different emotions (positive future frame-hope; threat frame-fear/anxiety; reversal frame-annoyance; and control-neutral) and then asked about their emotional states, trust in science and news, and health-related behavioral intentions. Overall, health news headlines generated more hope than any other emotion across all conditions, and positive future-framed headlines evoked more hope than other framed headlines. Felt hope, in turn, generated greater trust in news and science, higher expectations of medical breakthroughs and cures, and greater intention to engage in preventative health behaviors. Felt anxiety had marginal positive benefits whereas felt annoyance negatively impacted the outcomes of interest. Notably, felt emotion mediated the headline frame-outcome relationships in the positive future/hope condition. These findings offer some support for the EFM and demonstrate that scanning headlines imbued with specific emotional frames can influence important health-related outcomes through the emotions they evoke. We discuss both the theoretical and practical implication of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the role of imaginaries of preemptive hope in second‐tier cities and regions within the global petroleumscape that face an uncertain future in a post‐petroleum world order. It highlights the importance of such imaginaries in discussions of stability, destabilisation, and ruptures in the petroleum landscape. The article examines the assumptions and presuppositions that undergird the post‐petroleum imaginaries in Stavanger, Norway's oil capital and self‐proclaimed energy capital of Europe, and how these can be conceptualised as imaginaries of preemptive hope. These imaginaries are framed as a promise of a new oil waiting to be realised—thus promising a status quo post‐petroleum future that only requires technical adjustments. These new oil imaginaries become forms of repair and maintenance of the petroleumscape because they primarily promise to maintain the wealth, status, and privileges attained from their position in the petroleumscape—a promise that they are unable to realise. The broader implication of the study is that we need to pay more attention to the imaginable post‐petroleum futures governing second‐tier cities’ and regions’ economic strategies in maintaining the status quo, not just the actions of global oil majors and leading petro‐states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significant prevalence of mental health problems among children and adolescents is a major concern worldwide. The current study evaluates the impact of a year‐long, school‐based intervention, Flourishing Students, on adolescents' salivary cortisol levels, depressive symptoms, psychological well‐being, and hope. Utilizing a cluster randomized design with intervention and control classes, 72 students engaged in 32 well‐being lessons during academic year 2016–2017, whereas 68 students followed their standard curriculum. Depressive symptoms and psychological well‐being were assessed at three time points, while the stress hormone cortisol and hope were measured at two. The results showed a slight increase in cortisol levels from baseline to post‐intervention during school hours in the control group, whereas no change occurred in the intervention group. Additionally, total cortisol levels at post‐intervention were slightly lower among intervention‐group students compared with control group students. Questionnaire data revealed significant interaction effects on psychological well‐being and hope from baseline to post‐intervention, and on depression and psychological well‐being from baseline to the 5‐month follow‐up. The intervention group scored lower in depressive symptoms and higher in psychological well‐being and hope compared with the control group. These findings underscore the essential role of comprehensive assessment methods in evaluating intervention efficacy in well‐being programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: While many are aware of the benefits of exercise, there has been a decline in participation across all ages, with dramatic declines during adolescence/young adulthood. This study aimed to determine whether hope, body-esteem, and motivation to exercise contribute to exercise behavior among college students. Participants: Undergraduates (N = 104) were recruited through the psychology research pool and athletic department. Method: Participants completed a set of questionnaires measuring hope, motivation, body-esteem, and participation in exercise. Results: We performed a hierarchical regression to determine whether hope predicted exercise above the influence of motivation, body-esteem, and demographic factors. Our analysis revealed a significant model predicting exercise with hope and participation in collegiate athletics as significant predictors. Conclusions: The combination of health/enjoyment motivation, participation in collegiate athletics, body-esteem, and hope predicts exercise behavior among college students. Identifying that hope played a significant role is an intriguing finding and warrants continued research on hope in health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are reasons for many things. For instance, we can have reasons to watch our favorite movie and believe that it will live up to the hype. These are cases of reasons for beliefs and actions. We can also have reasons for affective attitudes: we can have reasons to be excited the movie is releasing, to fear that our friends won't like it as much as we do, and to be relieved that they did. Barry Maguire has recently argued against the claim that there are reasons for affective attitudes. If he is right, it would have serious consequences in metaethics. Several projects in metaethics are committed to the existence of reasons for affective attitudes. These views are doomed if Maguire is right. Other projects have run into serious difficulties in trying to account for the existence of reasons for attitudes. Their prospects are seriously improved if Maguire is right. I hope to show we should not accept these consequences: the existence of reasons for attitudes can be defended against Maguire's attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to assess the impact of a positive psychotherapy‐based hope placement program on life goal setting and hope levels in individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Method: A Solomon Four‐Group experimental design was used, involving 50 individuals diagnosed with MS who sought treatment at a university hospital's neurology outpatient clinic. Experimental (1‐2) and control (1‐2) groups were randomized, and pretests were administered exclusively to the experimental and control groups. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Herth Hope Scale, and the Scale for Determining Life Goals in the Context of Positive Psychotherapy. A 5‐week/10‐session Positive Psychotherapy‐Based Hope Placement Program was conducted online for the Experimental groups. The research was conducted in the form of group therapy. Post‐tests were administered to all groups upon program completion. Results: The experimental 1–2 group exhibited statistically significant improvements in the Scale for Identifying Life Goals in the Context of Positive Psychotherapy and Herth Hope Scale scores (p <.05). The Positive Psychotherapy‐Based Hope Placement Program effectively enhances hope levels and life goal setting for individuals diagnosed with MS. Conclusion: The results indicate that the program increased the sense of purpose in life and elevated levels of hope among MS patients. These findings suggest that positive psychotherapy‐based interventions significantly improve the quality of life for MS patients. Clinical or Methodological Significance of this Article: This study examines the impact of a Positive Psychotherapy‐based hope placement program on determining hope and life purpose in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This research shows that HOPP (Hope Placement Program), an intervention based on Positive Psychotherapy, can significantly improve the quality of life of MS patients. These findings support the consideration of Positive Psychotherapy‐based approaches as a potential therapeutic option that can positively influence the life experiences of MS patients. Therefore, this article makes an important contribution to researchers interested in using Positive Psychotherapy‐based interventions in clinical practice and related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on the work of Professor Joanna Shapland, this exploratory, phenomenological study theorizes contexts that ground desistance for people sentenced to life in prison for crimes committed as youth. The investigation draws from 28 interviews conducted with 10 formerly incarcerated youth lifers, all male, who were imprisoned for an average of 27 years in California. The major themes are presented along three phases in the desistance journey: life in prison as a barrier to desistance, the will to change, and policy changes and the process of parole. The analysis finds that despite a harsh and violent prison environment, all located sources of support (i.e. spiritual, family, and peers) that facilitated desistance and hope to create a meaningful life inside of prison. While the work of desistance was ultimately externally validated by a parole board, all participants asserted agency to take behavioral and attitudinal steps toward desistance long before they had hope for freedom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change education is infused with images of light. Scholars in the field tend to emphasize hope, sustainability, and solution. They foreground knowledgeable humans who construct better worlds and thereby bind themselves to modern understandings of human being and becoming. I draw on agential realism and object-oriented ontology to contest the metaphor of light, the focus on hope, and the modern premises they rely on—particularly in the context of massive sustainability crises such as climate change. The ethical dimension of agential realism and object-oriented ontology—their call for care and solidarity—offers an alternative to hope, one that aligns well with Kropotkin's concept of mutual aid. Instead of opening a pathway to sustainability, I understand education as a sphere of human being and becoming that should have its foundation on care and solidarity. As an alternative to the metaphor of light, I develop a metaphor for education in times of crisis: an education 'in shades of blue.' Blue is an existential color. It relates to dystopian and utopian images, to issues of power and force, and to solidarity and care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several reports highlight health disparities among Black Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, though studies assessing positive psychological experiences for this group are nascent. I analyzed responses from a probability-based sample of (n = 981) Black adults to redress this gap. Participants completed surveys in 2022 and were recruited from the AmeriSpeak panel via the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. I used latent variable modeling techniques to measure direct associations while probing for measurement error. Study findings indicate that fear of COVID-19 was related to significantly less hope and joy. Loneliness during COVID-19 was also related to less joy. Presence of meaning in life was the strongest contributor to joy, while prayer was most strongly associated with hope. Positive psychological insights should in turn be recognized as public health priorities when working to promote well-being, hope, and joy for Black Americans, and members of other underserved groups, during this global crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effectiveness of the 'Feel Good – Think Positive', a school-based, multi-component, positive psychology intervention (PPI) for elementary school children, designed to enhance optimism and hope. Participants were 361 elementary school children (8–12 years old, M = 9.91, SD = 1.26, 158 boys and 203 girls), assigned to an intervention group (n = 229) or to a control group (n = 132), who completed several measures at baseline and after the intervention's completion. Children in the intervention group exhibited increased optimism, hope, diverse coping strategies, social skills, and self-esteem, and decreased pessimism and anxiety, compared to children in the control group who only showed a significant decrease in anxiety. Mediator analyses revealed that gender had a significant effect on anxiety, age on pessimism, emotion-focused coping, seeking social support, and likeability, and parental educational level had no effect. Results are discussed in relevance to positive psychology literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are two ways for a situation to be uncertain. Subjective uncertainty refers to not knowing facts. Objective uncertainty refers to future events that have not been determined yet. A wide ranging literature review finds that subjective uncertainty inhibits behavior, increases conserving resources and willpower, and stimulates search for information – though in crude, sometimes dysfunctional fashion. In contrast, objective uncertainty calls for action, reflected in agentic control, increased arousal, and greater willingness to take risks. Again, some responses are irrational, such as exerting more effort for less expected reward, and betting more on uncontrollable future than past events. With both kinds of uncertainty, attention is mobilized and emotion is prolonged. Our review uncovered multiple signs that some uncertainty is beneficial and heightens enjoyment as a kind of spice of life, or, in some cases, as a welcome hope that a bad outcome might still be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tobacco pictorial warnings could employ a variety of emotional appeals to enhance effectiveness; however, little research exists to guide the selection of discrete emotional appeals. Further, it remains unclear how contextual pro-smoking norms might influence the persuasive impacts of discrete emotional appeals within pictorial warnings, especially in China, where the overall smoking rate and social acceptance remain high. To fill these gaps, this study leveraged the largest set of pictorial warnings (K = 510) tested to date. Using a randomized large-K multiple-message design, we evaluated the impacts of disgust, fear, self-anger, contempt, shame, and hope appeals among Chinese adult male smokers (N = 2,306) on perceived message effectiveness (PME). Results showed that fear, self-anger, shame, and hope appeals significantly increased PME, while disgust and contempt appeals appeared less effective. Importantly, the PME of nearly all emotional appeals – except hope appeals – was weakened for Chinese adult male smokers with higher pro-smoking normative perceptions, highlighting the importance of considering local contextual influences when implementing pictorial warnings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past decades have seen growing interest and application of interventions targeting the change of multiple behaviors at once. We advance this work by using the diffusion of innovations theory (DOI) to consider constellations of behaviors as innovation packages: multiple innovations that are logically related, interdependent in their use or effects, and often promoted as a set (Rogers, 2003). In addition, we embraced DOI's focus on behavioral decisions as a continual process that can include adoption and discontinuance over time, especially as new innovations (e.g., COVID-19 vaccine) appear. To that end, we conducted a latent transition analysis of COVID-19 mitigation behaviors (N = 697; 97% received a COVID-19 vaccine) across three time points in the pandemic: initial outbreak; a secondary, record-breaking rise in cases; and after the CDC recommended that fully vaccinated adults could discontinue wearing masks. This analysis allowed us to identify latent classes based on shared behavioral patterns and transitions between classes over time. The results showed evidence of three possible packages: (a) a package of traditional, symptom-management behaviors (covering coughs and sneezes, staying home if ill, and seeking medical care), (b) a package of just-novel COVID-19 behaviors (wearing masks, keeping six feet apart, and avoiding mass gatherings), and (c) a package of all COVID-19 mitigation behaviors. Movement between classes exemplified adoption and discontinuance of different packages, as well as widespread discontinuance with the replacement innovation: COVID-19 vaccines. Additional analyses showed that increases in hope were associated with sustained and delayed adoption; decreases in social approval were associated with discontinuance. Future directions in theorizing around innovation packages are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: During large-scale stressful events such as pandemics, situational uncertainty and daily routine disruptions increase anxiety prevalence, underscoring the need for research on approaches to promote effective coping. This study focused on the psychological function of benefit finding in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design and Methods: Both Study 1a (a cross-sectional survey of 567 Chinese adults) and Study 1b (a two-wave longitudinal survey of 406 Chinese adults) examined the relationship between benefit finding and anxiety, with hope as the mediator. Study 2 used an interventional design to examine the efficacy of daily benefit-finding writing among 129 Chinese college students. Results: In Studies 1a and 1b, benefit finding was positively associated with anxiety, which was mediated by hope. Study 2 showed that daily writing tasks significantly promoted benefit finding. Hope mediated the relationship between benefit finding and anxiety at both the within- and between-person levels. Conclusions: Benefit finding can foster hope and relieve anxiety. Daily benefit-finding activities, which can be conducted online, can help improve mental health during pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feelings of defeat and entrapment are significant risk factors for various mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicidality. However, limited studies have intentionally examined these constructs exclusively within a sample of Black women. The current study aims to investigate whether the endorsement of hope can serve as a protective factor against feelings of defeat and entrapment among Black women. About 266 (M age = 34) cisgender African American/Black women were surveyed, and results indicated that hope negatively moderated the relationship between defeat and entrapment, suggesting that hope served as a protective factor by weakening the relationship between defeat and entrapment. Future research and clinical implications are discussed. Plain language summary: Primary agenda This study aims to critically investigate the ways in which hope can protect against feelings of defeat and entrapment among Black women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation has long been considered key to sending adolescents with mental or substance use disorders in the direction of recovery. But how do you motivate an adolescent, to whom motivational approaches may feel like a call to battle — or even worse, an excuse for running away? Lauren Sbarbaro, Ph.D., a psychologist licensed in alcohol and drug treatment who trained at Hazelden, shared some insights with attendees at the Cape Cod Symposium on Addictive Disorders (CCSAD) in Hyannis, Massachusetts in September. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the affective and material impacts of the reconfiguration of caring on disabled people's lives during the pandemic. We draw on a series of focus groups and interviews with a group of nine disabled people with mobility or sensory impairments, many of whom were politically active in the arena of disability rights and independent living. This work forms part of a wider project re‐imagining care practices and policies. We reveal the interplay of emotion, affect and socio‐material conditions in disabled people's pandemic lives and reflect on how pre‐existing diminished care landscapes compounded COVID‐19's impacts. With support services shuttered and people confined at home, many disabled people experienced a renewed dependence on family care or found their care needs reduced to functional tasks undertaken by rota‐filling workers. We document participants' emotional experiences of loss, fear and anger deriving from changes in their one‐to‐one care interactions and arrangements but also wider societal narratives positioning disabled people as both vulnerable to, and carriers of, disease. Drawing together the crisis' affective and material effects, we demonstrate how disabled people politicized their affective experiences of anger and hope through online organizing to challenge the diminution of supports and demand affective justice from the care system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of delta inflation, in which design treatment effects tend to exceed observed treatment effects, has been documented in several therapeutic areas. Delta inflation has often been attributed to investigators' optimism bias, or an unwarranted belief in the efficacy of new treatments. In contrast, we argue that delta inflation may be a natural consequence of clinical equipoise, that is, genuine uncertainty about the relative benefits of treatments before a trial is initiated. We review alternative methodologies that can offer more direct evidence about investigators' beliefs, including Bayesian priors and forecasting analysis. The available evidence for optimism bias appears to be mixed, and can be assessed only where uncertainty is expressed explicitly at the trial design stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This study aims to explore the differences in psychological flexibility, psychological capital and the perception of marital quality between parents of children with and without autism and to examine whether psychological capital could serve as a moderator of the association between psychological flexibility and the perception of marital quality. One‐hundred fifty parents of children with autism and 192 parents of children without autism completed an online survey. Parents of children with autism had lower psychological flexibility and psychological capital than the comparison group. The levels of psychological flexibility and psychological capital were also found to be significantly and positively correlated with the perception of marital quality of parents in both groups. Amongst parents of children with autism, hope significantly moderated the association between psychological flexibility and the perception of marriage quality. Hope buffers the relationship between psychological flexibility and the perception of marital quality amongst parents of children with autism. Designing unique, specific and tailored therapeutic interventions for parents of children with autism is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tested the hypothesis that the relationship between faith in God and poor mental health (depression, stress, and anxiety), in higher education students, is mediated by the constructs of hope, meaning of life and resilience. A sample of 527 Australian tertiary students from across the country completed an online survey. Path analysis was used to test the hypothesis. The results supported the proposed model. These findings provide preliminary support for a model that, with further testing through longitudinal data, may guide the development of faith-based interventions for university students with depression, anxiety, and stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe post-pandemic economic uncertainty has profoundly affected the hotel sector, which was among the earliest casualties and continues to grapple with protracted recovery hurdles. This turmoil has taken a toll on the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of both current and former hotel workers, exacerbating employability issues in the broader tourism industry. This study, involving 36 participants (20 former hotel employees who left during the pandemic and 16 who remained employed), utilized interviews and thematic analysis to explore the role of Psychological Capital (PsyCap) components in the lives of these workers. The findings highlight the significance of enhancing employees’ PsyCap to bolster their mental well-being, enabling them to navigate adversities, particularly in the post-pandemic era. Moreover, the study emphasizes the role of Social Capital in reinforcing and sustaining employees’ PsyCap during crises, ultimately fostering organizational commitment. These results carry important implications for hotel organizations. To address pandemic-induced challenges, these entities should prioritize creating a supportive work environment that encourages employee retention during and beyond the pandemic. These measures can enhance organizational resilience and provide a competitive edge in addressing post-pandemic workforce challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the contribution of color correlations to Double Parton Scattering (DPS). We show that there is a specific class of Feynman diagrams related to so-called 1→2 processes when the contribution of these color correlations is not Sudakov suppressed with the transverse scales. The effective absence of Sudakov suppression gives hope that although they are small relative to color singlet correlations, they eventually can be observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of love of life, which refers to a positive attitude towards one's own life, care for it and attachment to it, has recently captured the attention of researchers in the field of positive psychology. Despite its growing importance, there is a lack of research investigating the underlying mechanisms through which love of life impacts the flourishing and well-being of individuals. For the first time, the present study examined the mediating roles of optimism and hope in the association between love of life and flourishing in Turkish youth. The study comprised 374 young adults, aged between 18 and 24 years (55.3% female; Mean age = 20.94; SD = 1.78 years), who participated in an online survey assessing their levels of love of life, optimism, hope, and flourishing. Results from the mediation analysis revealed that love of life significantly predicted optimism, hope, and flourishing. Furthermore, optimism and hope had significant predictive effects on flourishing. Importantly, optimism and hope played a partial mediating role in explaining the positive influence of the love of life on individuals' flourishing. The findings suggest a positive association between love of life and heightened levels of optimism and hope. These psychological attributes, in turn, emerge as crucial factors contributing to increased flourishing. These results hold significant implications for the development of interventions focused on understanding how to foster the love of life and flourish through the cultivation of psychological strengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although achievement situations trigger multiple emotions and learners experience both negative and positive emotions simultaneously, procrastination research typically examines isolated relationships between specific emotions and procrastination. The potential interplay of negative and positive emotions regarding procrastination is often overlooked, although this perspective can shed light on their dynamic relationships. Moreover, past studies primarily address the behavioral aspect of procrastination (delay) while overlooking its emotional facet (subjective discomfort), albeit this differentiation could enhance understanding of procrastination and its correlates. The present study explores the understudied interplay of the two most frequently experienced negative (anxiety) and positive (hope) exam-related emotions regarding students' procrastination tendencies with differentiated behavioral and emotional dimensions. The study analyzes cross-sectional data from two independent studies (Nstudy1 = 266, Nstudy2 = 468) conducted in Germany among university students. Latent profile analyses (LPA) reveal three similar profiles across both studies—High Anxiety–Low Hope, Low Anxiety–High Hope and Moderate Anxiety–Moderate Hope— and two study-specific profiles namely, Low Anxiety–Moderate Hope (Study 1) and High Anxiety–Moderate Hope (Study 2). Females compared to males are more likely to belong to the anxiety-dominated profiles. Overall, students in anxiety-dominated profiles report higher scores whereas students in hope-dominated profiles report lower scores on both behavioral and emotional dimensions of academic procrastination. This study advances an integrated approach that incorporates the combined effects of both negative and positive emotions concerning procrastination. Findings further inform research efforts towards identifying risk and protective emotional factors to develop tailored intervention against academic procrastination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Aims Materials and Methods Results Discussion Conclusion Despite the recognition of meaning and hope as salient for many individuals in mental health treatment, little empirical attention has been given to patient perspectives. Research has primarily looked at the presence—or absence—of meaning and hope, and associations with symptom distress and suicidality.These constructs are multi‐faceted and influenced by social, cultural and spiritual/religious contexts. Understanding where clients draw meaning and hope from can provide valuable information to inform case formulation, treatment planning and intervention.This mixed method practice‐based study (N = 233) in an outpatient community clinic (a) elucidated key areas that fuel clients' sense of meaning and hope and (b) explored associations with well‐being.Qualitatively, we identified six domains through thematic analysis: interpersonal, action‐based, transcendent, intrapersonal, environmental/contextual and lacking/searching. A sub‐set of clients also emerged who were lacking in and/or searching for meaning or hope. Quantitatively, one‐way ANOVA results indicated that source diversity was associated with greater well‐being.Findings illustrate that patients draw from culturally and spiritually embedded sources to construct meaning and hope in their lives, with distinctions between areas most salient for meaning, hope and both. Furthermore, having fewer sources of meaning and/or hope may represent a well‐being liability.Therapists should pro‐actively explore and consider ways to bolster patients' sources of meaning and hope, considering evidence of implications for well‐being outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I am grateful to and honored by the time the authors in this symposium have taken to discuss my recent book Health Problems. I don’t have the space in what follows to fully address the issues they raise, but I hope to highlight some key points of challenge and disagreement, and offer some preliminary responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article engages Stefano Harney and Fred Moten’s conception of ‘black study’ (2013. The Undercommons: Fugitive Planning and Black Study. Wivenhoe: Minor Compositions.) as an enactment of a feminist ethics of response-ability. As such, this article inquires: how might ‘we’ conceive of study as a response-able practice of ‘collective knowing and doing’ (Haraway, D. J. 2016. Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press.) through the confluence of thinking-with feminisms, posthumanisms, black studies, and affect theories? This article experiments with study as an ecological mode of engagement that affirms difference through the decentring of individual identity in favour of foregrounding co-constitutive relations. I do so by proposing response-able reading, sensing and storying as practices of study that might contribute towards new educational imaginaries for thinking and doing higher education differently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study explored the effect of family functioning on secondary vocational students’ problematic behavior, and the mediating roles of positive psychological traits (hope, gratitude and grit). A total of 3049 secondary vocational students (15.87 ± 1.00 years old) participated in the current research by completing measures of family functioning, problematic behavior, hope, gratitude and grit. The results indicated that family functioning was negatively correlated with problematic behavior. Secondary vocational students from families with better functioning exhibited less problematic behavior. Furthermore, structural equation analysis revealed that hope, gratitude and grit played parallel mediating roles in the association between family functioning and problematic behavior. Pairwise contrasts suggested grit exerted strongest indirect effect among the three mediators. The current research highlighted the role of positive psychological traits in the comprehension of how family environment affects behavioral development among adolescents from secondary vocational school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In some situations, goal striving does not go without problems, leading to intrapsychic decisional conflict between giving up and persisting in problematic goal striving, known as an action crisis. However, only limited attention has been devoted to cultivable positive psychological resources that can shield individuals from an action crisis development. In the six studies, we examined the role of psychological capital (PsyCap), the higher-order construct based on similarities between hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism and their unique characteristics in an action crisis experience. A pilot study (N = 295) established a link between variables, indicating that the more PsyCap participants had, the fewer action crises they experienced (and vice versa). In a preregistered follow-up study (N = 210), this finding was replicated. Furthermore, it was shown that the relationship was indirect, potentially mediated by the appraisals of goal attainment. In the third study (N = 411), some essential aspects were varied. The main findings were conceptually replicated, showing that PsyCap was associated with action crisis and predicted it above and beyond selected personality traits (negative emotionality and conscientiousness). In the fourth and fifth study (N = 272 and N = 268), the indirect role of goal-related negative emotions, controlled motivation, and effort was supported. Also, results were partially extended to goal progress. However, in a longitudinal study (N = 254) with the random intercept cross-lagged panel model, it was shown that although the average level of PsyCap across time points is negatively associated with the average level of action crisis (i.e., the between-person effect was supported), the cross-lagged within-subject effect of PsyCap on action crisis was not supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hope is a theological virtue, and a great human need as well. In the Christian sense, it is an expectation of the ultimate fulfillment of human desires in God. In turn, the promises brought to man by technological development, which leads to the stage of transhumanism, where man in his human condition will be modified and even replaced by a machine, are a certain form of fulfillment of human hopes. In consequence, due to interference with its nature, the human body will become stronger, healthier, less susceptible to the effects of time, and resistant to injuries. Moreover, an expanded set of senses will enable man to receive more fully the wealth of impressions from the environment in which he lives. However, the promise of transhumanism does not fall within Christian hope, nor does it constitute the implementation of its goals. Instead, it stems from the boundless belief in the progress of man who is completely enclosed in a horizontal perspective. Christianity, in contrast, perceives the fulfillment of human hopes through a personal relationship with the risen Christ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic disease brings many challenges, which are not always faced adequately, generating stress and suffering. A systematic integrative literature review was carried out in the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, LILACS, SCOPUS and PsycINFO. The resilience and life expectancy of elderly people with diabetes were associated with determinants related to the individual, the way they face difficulties during treatment, in addition to emotional, religious, social and economic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School counselors serve as frontline mental health professionals in schools. Although school counselors have a meaningful impact on students and the school climate, burnout negatively impacts school counselors' self‐efficacy. Hope may serve as a protective resource for school counselors' self‐efficacy. We conducted a sequential regression among 102 school counselors to determine if burnout and hope predicted their self‐efficacy. While burnout predicted school counselors' self‐efficacy, hope contained the largest single explanative influence on self‐efficacy scores. In this study, we provide evidence to support hope as a statistically significant and substantial protective factor for enhancing school counselor self‐efficacy. We provide implications for school counseling practice, training, and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each year, more than 700 000 people die by suicide globally, the majority of whom are men. The United Nations and World Health Organization have set targets to reduce suicide rates by one-third by 2030. While large-scale suicide prevention programmes are required to meet these targets, diffusion of these types of initiatives is difficult—particularly with male populations. This qualitative study investigated the MATES in Construction suicide prevention programme in Australia. Guided by Social Identity Theory and the Social Identity Model for Collective Action, the study aimed to understand why construction workers chose to volunteer and advocate for industry-based suicide prevention programmes, and how their worker identity, solidarity and relationships impacted their volunteering and advocacy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 participants who had chosen to engage with MATES as volunteers. Data were interpreted using a reflexive approach to thematic analysis, and four themes were constructed from the data relating to feelings of belonging, connection and solidarity between workers and their industry; how specific context and roles impacted identity while existing within an overall sense of identity and solidarity; how industry mateship supported engagement in suicide prevention; and how the role of lived experience, mateship and responsibility provided hope for change. Providing intervention skills to workers, particularly workers with a lived experience of mental ill-health, empowered them to believe that they could make a difference by acting collectively. The MATES engagement model described in this study may have applications for other health promotion prevention programmes targeting male cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The co-author of this article, Erich Weingartner, has worked internationally in both human rights and humanitarian aid. Based on his expertise, especially in the Korean peninsula, and on Lutheran theology, he analyzes the tensions between defending human rights and providing humanitarian aid, arguing that a crime and punishment paradigm cannot heal the divisions within our polarized world. The existential threats facing humanity require cooperation and reconciliation. He advocates abandoning dualism and confessing our own complicity in creating and perpetuating the current humanitarian and ecological crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this editorial we highlight the need for empirical studies into the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in healthcare and social work settings, especially studies which are theoretically informed by critical social science studies of risk and uncertainty. In setting out the importance of interpretative and critical traditions for research into such AI-oriented forms of risk work, we propose three important conceptual lines of inquiry which empirical studies might follow. First, we sketch ways in which the enactment of AI in healthcare work may be changing how risk is handled amid professional decision-making, and creating new categories of patient/service-user. Patients may be evaluated as being at lower or higher risk depending, respectively, upon their engagement or non-engagement with AI-technologies. These questions of (non-)engagement lead us to consider, second, the trust and distrust dynamics around AI-technologies, exploring the potential inequalities that can emerge as a result of (non) engagement. We then consider drivers of this technological embrace in terms of hope and magical thinking in technological-imaginaries, connecting these cultural tendencies to broader structures of ideology and political-economic interests. We conclude this editorial with a plea to social scientists to be cautious to avoid both techno-optimistic narratives and alarmist warnings regarding the implications of artificial intelligence (AI). Instead, we argue that our focus should be a theoretically informed and detailed examining of how expectations (pertaining to risk, trust, and hope) materialise in practice, particularly in the daily experiences of those who develop and enact AI technologies in care settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS), a leading cause of disability in young adults worldwide, including in Iran, affects their whole life so common care is no longer effective. In this regard, context‐based approaches should be considered for a holistic care delivery that accords with the patients' inputs. We aimed to explore patients' understanding of MS and their personal experiences of living with this disease. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted. The data were collected through in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with 17 patients. These patients were selected using a purposive sampling method, and the data were analyzed using a conventional content analysis approach. Findings: Three main categories and nine subcategories were identified: Thunder and Lightning strike in the form of Displeasure, Social wrong beliefs, Experiences of Constraints, Interference with Life Stages and Dark Spots on the Horizon of the Future; Subtle Beam consisting of Extrinsic Light Radiation, Reflection of Individual Effort and Formation of a Rainbow by Resilience and Hope for a Bright Future. Conclusion: By offering multidimensional support, patients reported a shift from fear to a vibrant life. Although research often focuses on the negative aspects of MS, this study recognizes both positive and negative aspects. These findings can contribute to future interventional research. Patient or Public Contribution: During the explanation of research goals and consent acquisition, participants were reminded that sharing their experiences could provide valuable insights benefiting others coping with or at risk of the same disease. Additionally, during data analysis, codes extracted were reviewed and improved with active participant involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political advocacy is an important religious practice. But social activism can be discouraging. This paper integrates moral theology, virtue ethics, positive psychology and spiritual formation to highlight the importance of resilient hope for social justice advocates. Part 1 describes an important justice issue—public services for disabled people. Part 2 defines transformational advocacy and outlines an advocacy theology. Part 3 analyzes despair and hope. Part 4 summarizes spiritual practices for building resilient hope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will investigate the dynamic nature of Latin American Christology, a Christology that cannot be separated from the tenets of liberation theology. I will first offer an overview of the development of Latin American Christology and liberation theology, along with its unique features; then, I will analyze some major representatives of Latin American Christology, specifically Jon Sobrino and St. Óscar Romero (through the research of Edgardo Colón-Emeric). Lastly, I will conclude with the relevance of Latin American Christology within the greater landscape of Christian theology today. The theologians considered in this paper are primarily Catholic theologians, with the exception of Edgardo Colón-Emeric, a Methodist pastor, who has become a global voice of authority on the life, thought, and vision of the martyred St. Óscar Romero. Latin American Christology, as will be argued in this paper, cannot be understood separately from the space, culture, and identity of Latin America—the land and the context. This measures to a pivotal pedagogical claim of Latin American Christology as a global teaching pillar for all Christologies and theologies, Catholic or Protestant, within Latin America or outside Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facing crises, life problems, and illnesses, many people turn to religion, spirituality, and faith as a psychosocial adjustment approach. This qualitative study assessed the spiritual needs of fourteen Iranian patients who recovered from COVID-19. Qualitative content analysis resulted in three themes, including "composure" with three categories of "prayer", "hope", and "connection"; "meaning in the life" comprising two categories of "a new prospect of life" and "the power of nature"; and "global responsibility" involving one category of "the relationships between individuals, communities, and the world". This study highlighted that patients relied on spirituality to cope with COVID-19 disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The negative impact of hopelessness on mental health makes multiple sclerosis (MS) disease unmanageable. This study aimed to determine the effect of spiritual care on hope in MS patients. In the present randomized controlled trial study, 70 MS patients were selected from the MS Association of Hamadan, Iran, and randomly allocated to intervention and control groups (35 patients per group). A demographic characteristic form and Snyder's Adult Hope Scale were completed before and after the intervention. Spiritual care was provided in weekly group sessions held for four weeks (45–60 min each). The data were analyzed using SPSS-16. Before the intervention, there were no significant between-group difference (P = 0.323). After the intervention, a significant between-group difference was observed (p < 0.001). There was also a significant increase in the mean of hope scores in the intervention group from baseline to follow-up (within-group difference) (p < 0.001), while there was no significant difference between baseline and follow-up in the control group (p = 0.38), confirming the effectiveness of spiritual care in improving hope. Given the impact of spiritual care on increasing patients' hope and improving their psychological state, nurses are advised to devote adequate time to their patients' spiritual needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is growing interest in investigating genetic explanations for transgender identity. In the spirit of a Community-Engaged Research Framework, which highlights the importance of involving community members who would be impacted by research throughout the entire research process, it is important for researchers to understand transgender and gender expansive individuals' views and concerns regarding the potential harms and benefits of transgender identity genetic research (TIGR). Aim: To evaluate the thoughts, opinions, and beliefs in the transgender and gender diverse communities toward TIGR Methods: We conducted an online survey study, asking 409 transgender and gender diverse individuals about their views regarding potential benefits and risks of TIGR. Results: Participants demonstrated a mixture of positive and negative opinions on the search for a genetic contribution to gender identity. Overall, there was a slight trend toward more positive views, with 71% agreeing or strongly agreeing that TIGR made them feel hopeful. Discussion: Given the varied and nuanced views held within the transgender and gender diverse communities toward transgender genetic research, we hope that this study can be one of many evaluating this topic, and that our findings, and those of future studies, can serve as a foundation for conducting transgender genetic research in a way that is in alignment with the ethos and priorities of the transgender and gender diverse communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The late twentieth century saw a revival and change in holistic care offered in the healthcare setting. Music therapy and spiritual care are new professions that have entered the healthcare field to support patients with existential angst and crisis based on the diagnoses they face. In this paper, we systematically analyze music therapy and spiritual care and how they support the healing and journey of patients and family members in the healthcare setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]