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This study explores psychological well-being in adolescence through a multidimensional perspective using the Adolescent Students' Basic Psychological Needs at School Scale, derived from the Self-Determination Theory. The ASBPNSS focuses on three basic psychological needs (Competence, Autonomy, and Relatedness) in adolescence and has not yet been used within the school context in Italy. This study's main objectives are: (1) to validate a preliminary Italian version of the ASBPNSS; (2) to analyze the association between well-being at school and self-efficacy for self-regulated learning; and (3) to verify whether there are differences by gender. A sample of 395 students (mean age = 17.5; SD = 0.75) completed the ASBPNSS and the Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning Scale. The factorial structure, composite reliability, and gender invariance of the ASBPNSS were examined. Associations between well-being at school and self-efficacy were tested with structural equation models (CFI = 0.935, TLI = 0.925; RMSEA = 0.054). Measures of well-being were associated with school self-efficacy for self-regulated learning, which predicted Competence (beta = 0.639), Relatedness (beta = 0.350), and Autonomy (beta = 0.309). These relationships were invariant over gender, although girls reported lower latent means in the Relatedness factor. This study highlights the importance of promoting school self-efficacy and well-being in adolescence.

Background: The Well-being Profile (WB-Pro) is a multi-item and multidimensional instrument with strong psychometric properties and a solid theoretical grounding. It includes aspects of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being that can be used at the individual and social levels., Method: We developed the Italian version through back-translation procedures. The aim of this study is to validate the WB-Pro in Italian as well as to better understand its multidimensionality through bifactor analysis. A sample of 1451 participants (910 = women, 62.7%; age range: 18-70, M-age = 32.34, SD-age = 13.64) was involved., Results: The 15-factor structure was confirmed with CFA and ESEM and was invariant across gender, age, and education. We examined convergent and discriminant validity and a bifactorial representation. Short versions of the WB-Pro were tested., Discussion: Even though a few items of the Italian version of the WB-Pro might benefit from revision (e.g., clear-thinking scale), this study confirms the theoretical and empirical strength of the WB-Pro., Conclusions: This study supports the WB-Pro validity and usefulness in studying well-being and for professional psychological applications to assess well-being in both individuals and groups., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Cognitive flexibility plays a crucial role in psychological health and this research aimed to investigate its assessment. We developed a novel Reversal learning task (RLT) paradigm adding pure reward (+ 100 points, 0) and punishment (- 100 points, 0) conditions to the classic reward-punishment condition (+ 100, - 100); we also analyzed the RLT convergent validity with approach-avoidance questionnaires (BIS-BAS and Approach-Avoidance Temperament questionnaire) and the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) scores through a Principal component analysis. In a sample of 374 participants, we found that these three conditions differently assess flexibility and that high RLT reward sensitivity in the punishment condition (0; - 100) is related with high BAS reward responsiveness. Moreover, we found that RLT and WCST flexibility scores, although associated, detect different facets of cognitive flexibility. Finally, in a second sample (N = 172), we explored the impact of stress, moderated by gender, on RLT and WCST. Whereas, WCST was not impacted by these variables, in RLT stressed women showed increased perseverative errors in punishment condition (- 100, 0) and reduced punishment sensitivity in reward condition (+ 100, 0).Overall, our newly developed RLT paradigm and the WCST seem to provide different ways to assess cognitive flexibility and to be differently affected by moderators, such as gender and stress., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

We put forward a validation of the first instrument to measure the big four health risk behaviours (World Health Organization, Global status report on non-communicable diseases 2014, WHO, 2014) in a single assessment, the Health Risk Behaviour Inventory (HRBI) that assesses physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, smoking and alcohol in Italian- and English-speaking samples. Further, we investigate the instrument's association with self-regulatory dispositions, exploring culture and gender differences in Italian and US subgroup samples. Overall, 304 English- and 939 Italian-speaking participants completed the HRBI and the self-regulatory questionnaire. We explored the factorial structure, convergent validity, invariance and association with self-regulatory dispositions using structural equation modelling.The HRBI has a robust factorial structure; it usefully converges with widely used healthy lifestyle measures, and it is invariant across the categories of age, gender and languages. Regarding self-regulatory dispositions, the promotion focus emerges as the most protective factor over physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, smoking and alcohol, whereas the prevention focus is associated mainly with smoking and alcohol reduction. Results are consistent across genders and US subgroup-Italian samples. The HRBI is a valid instrument for assessing the big four health risk behaviours in clinic and research contexts, and among self-regulatory measures, the promotion and prevention foci have the greatest efficacy in eliciting positive health behaviours., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Hypoxia can impair cognitive performance, whereas exercise can enhance it. The effects of hypoxia on cognitive performance during exercise appear to be moderated by exercise duration and intensity and by severity and duration of hypoxia and cognitive task. In normal individuals, exercise under hypoxia can evoke adverse post-exercise mood states, such as tension and fatigue. However, little is known about the effects of hypoxia during exercise in trained athletes. The purpose of this study was to investigate how hypoxia affected executive functions and mood states, assessed, respectively, during and post-exercise and to explore the role of motivation moderators, such as inhibition and activation systems (BIS-BAS). Two different sessions of exercise in normoxia and hypoxia (FiO2 13%), each lasting 18 min, were randomly assigned in a counterbalanced order and administered to seventeen male athletes. During exercise bouts, participants performed a mental task (BST) aimed to produce cognitive interference and suppression. Reaction times and accuracy of responses were recorded. After 5 min, all participants completed two questionnaires assessing mood states (ITAMS) and incidence of symptoms potentially related to hypoxia (AMS-C). The results show that hypoxia impairs cognitive performance in terms of slower reaction times, but a high BAS attenuates this effect. Participants with high BAS show an equivalent cognitive performance under hypoxia and normoxia conditions. No effects were found on mood states. Further research is required to investigate the role of BAS, cognitive abilities, and mood states in prolonged hypoxic conditions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Guicciardi, Pazzona, Manca, Monni, Scalas, Perra, Leban, Roberto, Mulliri, Ghiani, Doneddu and Crisafulli.)

Aim of the present study is to support the multidimensional and hierarchical nature of the Spanish version of Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Wellbeing (QEWB) and to analyze its psychometric properties through the exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) framework. Results of the analyses carried out in a sample of university students ( N = 589, 161 males and 428 females), supported the hypothesized bifactor-ESEM solution, composed by a global eudaimonic wellbeing factor and three specific factors (Sense of Purpose, Purposeful Personal Expressiveness and Effortful Engagement). Specifically, the global factor is relatively well defined by most of the 21 items; moreover, two of the specific factors (Purposeful Personal Expressiveness, Effortful Engagement) keep their own meaningful specificity apart from that explained by the global factor, suggesting that they add information to the eudaimonic wellbeing construct. Regarding criterion-related validity of the QEWB, the global factor was positively correlated with self-esteem. Finally, the scale showed adequate levels of composite reliability and measurement invariance over gender. Differences in latent means showed that girls report higher positive Purposeful Personal Expressiveness and Effortful Engagement than boys, whereas no significant differences were found in relation to global eudaimonic wellbeing. Theoretical implications about the nature of eudaimonic wellbeing are considered., (Copyright © 2020 Fadda, Quevedo-Aguado, Benavente Cuesta and Scalas.)

The self-equilibrium hypothesis underlines the importance of having a strong core self, which is defined as a high and developmentally stable self-concept. This study tested this hypothesis in relation to body image (BI) trajectories in a sample of 1,006 adolescents (M age = 12.6, including 541 males and 465 females) across a 4-year period. The results supported the self-equilibrium hypothesis among 3 profiles of adolescents, all characterized by matching BI levels and stability: (a) High (48.0%); (b) Increasing (34.1%); and (c) Decreasing (17.9%). Boys presented higher levels of BI, and the quality of relationships with peers and parents predicted initially more desirable trajectories across gender. By the end of the study, more positive academic outcomes were associated with the Decreasing profile, lower internalizing problems with the High profile, and lower externalizing problems with the High and the Increasing profiles. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).)

Among personality traits, extraversion has received major theoretical and empirical attention as predictor of subjective well-being (SWB), whereas the role of emotional stability-neuroticism has been partially neglected. The present study aims to study the role of neuroticism in the relationship between introversion-extraversion and SWB. In particular, we explored if the trait of neuroticism moderates the relationships between introversion-extraversion and SWB dimensions (Satisfaction with life, Mastery, Vigour, Social Cheerfulness), directly and by mediation of self-esteem. Indeed, previous studies have suggested that self-esteem is positively associated with high extraversion and low neuroticism and that it positively mediates the relationship between SWB and personality traits in adolescents. For this purpose, a sample of high school students (N = 1173) completed the Oxford Happiness Inventory, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Big Five Questionnaire. In a latent variable model, we examined the interaction effects (direct and indirect) of extraversion and neuroticism on SWB dimensions. Our results showed that the nature of differences between introverts and extraverts on SWB could be related to the level of neuroticism in relation to Satisfaction with life. Moreover, self-esteem mediated the relationship between personality traits and SWB. In particular, mediated moderation effect analysis showed that self-esteem mediates completely the relationship between the interaction term (extraversion x neuroticism) and Mastery, and partially the relationship with Satisfaction with life. Moreover, moderated mediation effect analysis showed that high levels of neuroticism moderate the effect of extraversion on Satisfaction with life and Mastery through the mediation of self-esteem. In conclusion, our results suggest that although extraversion has a cardinal role on SWB dimensions related to Vigour and Social Cheerfulness, neuroticism and the mediating role of self-esteem should more properly considered in relation to Satisfaction with life and Mastery.

This study examined self-esteem as mediator in the relations of personal (extraversion, neuroticism) and environmental (maternal, paternal, peer-relationships) variables with domains of positive psychological functioning (PPF) in adolescence (Satisfaction with life, Mastery, Vigor, Social Interest, Social Cheerfulness). We compared one-sided and multidimensional models using a sample of 1193 high school students (592 males and 601 females). We examined variations in adolescent PPF as a function of parenting styles via independent examination of maternal and paternal bonding. Results supported the multidimensional models, which indicated direct effects of personality traits, maternal care and peer relationships, as well as indirect effects, mediated by self-esteem, of all predictors on most PPF dimensions. Overall, our study provided a broader picture of personal and environmental predictors on different dimensions of PPF, which supported the mediating role of self-esteem and emphasized the importance of considering multidimensional models to characterize PPF in adolescents., (Copyright © 2015 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The individually importance-weighted average (IIWA) model posits that the contribution of specific areas of self-concept to global self-esteem varies systematically with the individual importance placed on each specific component. Although intuitively appealing, this model has weak empirical support; thus, within the framework of a substantive-methodological synergy, we propose a multiple-item latent approach to the IIWA model as applied to a range of self-concept domains (physical, academic, spiritual self-concepts) and subdomains (appearance, math, verbal self-concepts) in young adolescents from two countries. Tests considering simultaneously the effects of self-concept domains on trait self-esteem did not support the IIWA model. On the contrary, support for a normative group importance model was found, in which importance varied as a function of domains but not individuals. Individuals differentially weight the various components of self-concept; however, the weights are largely determined by normative processes, so that little additional information is gained from individual weightings.

An Italian adaptation of the Oxford Happiness Inventory was administered to 782 adolescents. Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) was used to examine the first- and second-order factorial structure of the scale and its invariance across gender; internal consistency and construct validity were also investigated. ESEM underlined a 5-factor structure (mastery and self-fulfillment, satisfaction with life, vigor, social interest, and social cheerfulness) that measures positive psychological functioning. These dimensions form a single latent construct of general psychological well-being. The scale showed adequate internal consistency values and strong measurement invariance across gender. Finally, regarding convergent validity, both total scale and subscales were positively correlated with extraversion and self-esteem, were negatively correlated with neuroticism, and displayed no correlation with psychoticism.

Expectancy-value theory (EVT) is a dominant theory of human motivation. Historically, the Expectancy × Value interaction, in which motivation is high only if both expectancy and value are high, was central to EVT. However, the Expectancy × Value interaction mysteriously disappeared from published research more than 25 years ago. Using large representative samples of 15-year-olds (N = 398,750) from 57 diverse countries, we attempted to solve this mystery by testing Expectancy × Value interactions using latent-variable models with interactions. Expectancy (science self-concept), value (enjoyment of science), and the Expectancy × Value interaction all had statistically significant positive effects on both engagement in science activities and intentions of pursuing scientific careers; these results were similar for the total sample and for nearly all of the 57 countries considered separately. This study, apparently the strongest cross-national test of EVT ever undertaken, supports the generalizability of EVT predictions--including the "lost" Expectancy × Value interaction.

Self-esteem, typically measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), is one of the most widely studied constructs in psychology. Nevertheless, there is broad agreement that a simple unidimensional factor model, consistent with the original design and typical application in applied research, does not provide an adequate explanation of RSE responses. However, there is no clear agreement about what alternative model is most appropriate-or even a clear rationale for how to test competing interpretations. Three alternative interpretations exist: (a) 2 substantively important trait factors (positive and negative self-esteem), (b) 1 trait factor and ephemeral method artifacts associated with positively or negatively worded items, or (c) 1 trait factor and stable response-style method factors associated with item wording. We have posited 8 alternative models and structural equation model tests based on longitudinal data (4 waves of data across 8 years with a large, representative sample of adolescents). Longitudinal models provide no support for the unidimensional model, undermine support for the 2-factor model, and clearly refute claims that wording effects are ephemeral, but they provide good support for models positing 1 substantive (self-esteem) factor and response-style method factors that are stable over time. This longitudinal methodological approach has not only resolved these long-standing issues in self-esteem research but also has broad applicability to most psychological assessments based on self-reports with a mix of positively and negatively worded items.

Background: The introduction of the Australian Research Training Scheme has been a strong reason for assuring the quality of the research higher degree (RHD) experience; if students experience poor supervision, an unsupportive climate, and inadequate infrastructure, prior research suggests RHD students will be less likely to complete their degree, with negative consequences for the student, the university, and society at large., Aims: The present study examines the psychometric properties of a survey instrument, the Student Research Experience Questionnaire (SREQ), for measuring the RHD experience of currently enrolled students. The core scales of the SREQ focus on student experiences of Supervision; Infrastructure; Intellectual and Social Climate; and Generic Skills Development., Sample: Participants were 2,213 postgraduate research students of a large, research-intensive Australian university., Results: Preliminary factor analyses conducted at the student level supported the a priori four factors that the SREQ was designed to measure. However, multi-level analyses indicated that there was almost no differentiation between faculties or departments nested with faculties, suggesting that the SREQ responses are not appropriate for benchmarking faculties or departments., Conclusions: Consistent with earlier research based on comparisons across universities, the SREQ is shown to be almost completely unreliable in terms of benchmarking faculties or departments within a university.