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First responders (i.e. police and ambulance staff) have increasingly become part of the mental health care system, often being the first port of call for those experiencing a crisis. Despite their frequent involvement in supporting those with mental health problems, there is evidence that mental health stigma is high amongst first responders. The aim of the present study was to evaluate a brief training video aimed at reducing mental health stigma amongst first responders. First responders watched a training video based on the cognitive behavioural model of mental health stigma, and involved contributions from people with lived experience, and first responders. Measures of mental health stigma were collected before and after viewing the training. The training video produced small but significant improvements in mental health stigma, and these effects did not differ between police and ambulance staff. We were unable to determine what psychological constructs mediated this change in stigma. The feedback on the training video was generally positive, but also indicated some key areas for future development. The present study provides encouraging evidence that levels of mental health stigma can be improved using a resource-light training intervention.

Over the past decades, LGBTQ+ issues have been at the centre of politics, social movements, and human rights discussions across the world. Consistent with these developments, there is a growing interest in social psychological research into sexual orientation and gender identities. The emerging research not only taps recent societal developments and the effects of these on LGBTQ+ people; but also focuses on very old research questions of stereotypes and prejudice that are still relevant today. In this special issue, we bring together nine papers addressing several of these issues using qualitative, correlational, and experimental methods with sexual majority and minority samples across different cultural contexts. We discuss the current state of the field and how further research could enhance our understanding of LGBTQ+ issues.

Understanding how individual beliefs and societal values influence support for measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission is vital to developing and implementing effective prevention policies. Using both Just World Theory and Cultural Dimensions Theory, the present study considered how individual-level justice beliefs and country-level social values predict support for vaccination and quarantine policy mandates to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Data from an international survey of adults from 46 countries (N = 6424) were used to evaluate how individual-level beliefs about justice for self and others, as well as national values—that is, power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, and indulgence—influence support for vaccination and quarantine behavioral mandates. Multilevel modeling revealed that support for vaccination and quarantine mandates were positively associated with individual-level beliefs about justice for self, and negatively associated with country-level uncertainty avoidance. Significant cross-level interactions revealed that beliefs about justice for self were associated more strongly with support for mandatory vaccination in countries high in individualism, whereas beliefs about justice for others were more strongly associated with support for vaccination and quarantine mandates in countries high in long-term orientation. Beliefs about justice and cultural values can independently and also interactively influence support for evidence-based practices to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission, such as vaccination and quarantine. Understanding these multilevel influences may inform efforts to develop and implement effective prevention policies in varied national contexts.

Reconciling religious beliefs with a sexual minority identity can be challenging. After coming out, many gay men report to renounce their religious identity or experience increased identity conflict between their religious and sexual identities. Giving up one’s own identity or identity conflict are known to predict negative wellbeing, and it is important to find ways to reduce this conflict and increase identity integration. In this experiment, we conceptualized identity integration as a social creativity strategy, and we examined whether societal acceptance (vs rejection) and ingroup experience (e.g., whether gay community feels stability or improvement about their status) would alter one’s level of Muslim-gay identity integration. We found that Muslim-gay identity integration was highest among highly religious gay men when societal acceptance was present and ingroup experience was stable. Overall, we discuss our findings by drawing parallels between social identity theory and bicultural identity integration framework, and provide implications to increase identity integration for those with multiple conflicting identities.

The extent to which culture moderates the effects of need for approval from others on a person's handling of interpersonal conflict was investigated. Students from 24 nations rated how they handled a recent interpersonal conflict, using measures derived from face-negotiation theory. Samples varied in the extent to which they were perceived as characterised by the cultural logics of dignity, honour, or face. It was hypothesised that the emphasis on harmony within face cultures would reduce the relevance of need for approval from others to face-negotiation concerns. Respondents rated their need for approval from others and how much they sought to preserve their own face and the face of the other party during the conflict. Need for approval was associated with concerns for both self-face and other-face. However, as predicted, the association between need for approval from others and concern for self-face was weaker where face logic was prevalent. Favourable conflict outcome was positively related to other-face and negatively related to self-face and to need for approval from others, but there were no significant interactions related to prevailing cultural logics. The results illustrate how particular face-threatening factors can moderate the distinctive face-concerns earlier found to characterise individualistic and collectivistic cultural groups.

Currently, Europe is dealing with a large number of asylum seekers. A recent report show that attitudes toward asylum seekers are not that negative in the Netherlands, and yet Dutch citizens living close to asylum seeker centers barely have contact with them. Because contact is vital for a multicultural society, we investigated the facilitators and barriers for Dutch citizens to establish and maintain contact with asylum seekers where they live close together. We conducted semistructured interviews with Dutch people and analyzed them using thematic analysis. We found four themes: Physical possibilities for Contact, Goals for Contact, Social Identities, and Positivity and Openness, and proposed a grounded theory model based on how the themes are related. The findings are discussed in relation to debates on multiculturalism and intergroup tolerance, and can be used to improve the integration policies by local governments, because they present clear conditions and practical information as to how contact can be established and maintained.

Since the Stonewall uprisings, there has been greater social acceptance of homosexuality within Western contexts. Nevertheless, those who are at the intersection of more than one minority identity continue to face prejudice and discrimination, including homophobia and racism. Though there has been increasing work regarding the experiences of sexual minority people of colour (POC), a lacuna remains regarding the experiences of sexual minority British Muslim South Asian men and the integration of sexual minority and religious identities, particularly within a context of increased societal acceptance towards sexual minorities and societal Islamophobia. In this study, 38 sexual minority British Muslim South Asian men were recruited via snowball sampling and interviewed. Data were examined via reflexive thematic analysis. Five themes were identified: degrees of “outness”, hegemonic Whiteness and the LGBTQ+ community, internalisation of White hegemony, distancing from the sexual minority religio‐cultural ingroup, and attempting to reconcile potential identity conflict between sexual orientation identity and religious and cultural identities. Respondents' experiences highlighted substantial social exclusion due to intersectional disadvantage as well as a lack of intra‐community social support, suggesting substantial isolation, psychological implications and a general eschewing of identity affiliation based on sexual attraction. This has implications on services predicated on identity affiliation which may potentially exclude the needs of hidden and intersectionally disadvantaged populations.

Identity Salience is a core aspect in theories of social identification. Yet, this construct is poorly defined, has conflicting operationalisations, and is inconsistently measured. We argue that identity salience comprises two elements: chronic salience (i.e., perpetually thinking about the identity) and contextual salience (i.e., only thinking about the identity when prompted). Across four studies, we present evidence for this claim through the development and validation of the dual-dimensional Identity Salience Questionnaire (ISQ). Studies 1 and 2 (Ns = 414; 1,069) provide exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic evidence of the ISQ among LGBTIQA+ participants. Study 2 also provides evidence of (a) measurement invariance, (b) concurrent, convergent, and discriminant validity, and (c) internal reliability. Study 3 (N = 318) indicates strong test-retest reliability. Study 4 (N = 107 social psychologists) confirms content validity of the ISQ. Future research for the use of the ISQ (both within and beyond LGBTIQA+ groups) is discussed.

Cross-societal differences in cooperation and trust among strangers in the provision of public goods may be key to understanding how societies are managing the COVID-19 pandemic. We report a survey conducted across 41 societies between March and May 2020 (N = 34,526), and test pre-registered hypotheses about how cross-societal differences in cooperation and trust relate to prosocial COVID-19 responses (e.g., social distancing), stringency of policies, and support for behavioral regulations (e.g., mandatory quarantine). We further tested whether cross-societal variation in institutions and ecologies theorized to impact cooperation were associated with prosocial COVID-19 responses, including institutional quality, religiosity, and historical prevalence of pathogens. We found substantial variation across societies in prosocial COVID-19 responses, stringency of policies, and support for behavioral regulations. However, we found no consistent evidence to support the idea that cross-societal variation in cooperation and trust among strangers is associated with these outcomes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These results were replicated with another independent cross-cultural COVID-19 dataset (N = 112,136), and in both snowball and representative samples. We discuss implications of our results, including challenging the assumption that managing the COVID-19 pandemic across societies is best modeled as a public goods dilemma.

© 2020 SAGE Publications. This study compares the individual-level and sample-level predictive utility of a measure of the cultural logics of dignity, honor, and face. University students in 29 samples from 24 nations used a simple measure to rate their perceptions of the interpersonal cultural logic characterizing their local culture. The nomological net of these measures was then explored. Key dependent measures included three different facets of independent versus interdependent self-construal, relevant attitudes and values, reported handling of actual interpersonal conflicts, and responses to normative settings. Multilevel analyses revealed both individual- and sample-level effects but the dignity measure showed more individual-level effects, whereas sample-level effects were relatively more important with the face measure. The implications of this contrast are discussed.

BackgroundThe effective implementation of government policies and measures for controlling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires compliance from the public. This study aimed to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of trust in government regarding COVID-19 control with the adoption of recommended health behaviours and prosocial behaviours, and potential determinants of trust in government during the pandemic.MethodsThis study analysed data from the PsyCorona Survey, an international project on COVID-19 that included 23 733 participants from 23 countries (representative in age and gender distributions by country) at baseline survey and 7785 participants who also completed follow-up surveys. Specification curve analysis was used to examine concurrent associations between trust in government and self-reported behaviours. We further used structural equation model to explore potential determinants of trust in government. Multilevel linear regressions were used to examine associations between baseline trust and longitudinal behavioural changes.ResultsHigher trust in government regarding COVID-19 control was significantly associated with higher adoption of health behaviours (handwashing, avoiding crowded space, self-quarantine) and prosocial behaviours in specification curve analyses (median standardised β = 0.173 and 0.229, p < 0.001). Government perceived as well organised, disseminating clear messages and knowledge on COVID-19, and perceived fairness were positively associated with trust in government (standardised β = 0.358, 0.230, 0.056, and 0.249, p < 0.01). Higher trust at baseline survey was significantly associated with lower rate of decline in health behaviours over time (p for interaction = 0.001).ConclusionsThese results highlighted the importance of trust in government in the control of COVID-19.

A lot of popular comedians are known for their transgressive humor towards social groups, but disparagement humor is not just restricted to stages or media performances. We encounter it everywhere or perhaps use it ourselves. In this paper, we were interested in how people react to disparaging jokes (i.e., homophobic jokes) across different relational settings. Adapting Fiske’s relational models theory, we examined how status differences in relationships affect the perception of and cognition about socially disparaging jokes. In Study 1 (N = 77), we piloted seven potentially disparaging jokes about gay men in relation to how they are perceived. In Study 2 (N = 288), using one joke from Study 1, we constructed vignettes manipulating the sexual orientation of the source of the joke in the dyad (i.e., heterosexual, gay, both heterosexual) and their status differences across relational models (i.e., high, equal, and low status). We found that the joke was perceived to be less funny, more offensive, and more morally wrong, and to contain more harm intent if it came from a heterosexual person rather than a gay person. Study 3 (N = 197) used concrete status differences in relationships in terms of existing intergroup dimensions. Results showed that the joke was perceived as more offensive, less acceptable and more morally wrong when it came from a high authority source (e.g., professor rather than a student). Overall, these findings bring the first evidence to link disparagement humor with relational models and show the importance status differences in the perception of disparagement humor.

Masculinity contest culture encourages fierce competition and race for status at all costs. Across three experiments (Ntotal = 554), we investigated how masculinity contest culture affects discretionary performance at work (i.e., organizational citizenship behaviors). Compared to an alternative culture (i.e., feminine nurturing culture), participants in the masculinity contest culture condition reported lower levels of organizational citizenship behaviors toward the organization and its members. Further results showed that masculinity contest culture diminished individuals’ intentions to engage in discretionary performance through reduced organizational identification. We did not find a moderating effect of gender, suggesting that masculinity contest culture thwarts discretionary performance and organizational identification for both women and men.

We investigated whether and how the experience of being tolerated and of being discriminated against are associated with psychological well-being in three correlational studies among three stigmatized groups in Turkey (LGBTI group members, people with disabilities, and ethnic Kurds, totalN = 862). Perceived threat to social identity needs (esteem, meaning, belonging, efficacy, and continuity) was examined as a mediator in these associations. Structural equation models showed evidence for the detrimental role of both toleration and discrimination experiences on positive and negative psychological well-being through higher levels of threatened social identity needs. A mini-meta analysis showed small to moderate effect sizes and toleration was associated with lower positive well-being through threatened needs among all three stigmatized groups. Publisher's Version

Objective In 2017, the Australian Government announced that a voluntary postal survey would be used to quantify the views of the Australian public on marriage equality. This non-binding, voluntary postal survey-and the associated public debate-can be viewed as a discriminatory event for same-sex attracted Australians. The exacerbation of minority stress likely imposed by this unexpected event has resulted in an unprecedented demand for psychological services by members of this community. Despite this surge of use, relatively little is known about the specifics of the impact of this discriminatory event. Method In this article, we present the findings of a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews that qualitatively examined the impact of the marriage equality debate among a sample of 14 Australians (eight sexual minority and six affected 'allies'). Results Two themes were identified from the interviews, each with four subthemes: (a)personal impacts(emotional wellbeing, empathic concern, devaluation, and connection to religion), and (b)social impacts(activism, avoidant behaviour, social connections, and societal perceptions). Conclusions Overall, the findings of the current study reveal a range of intra- and inter-personal negative impacts of public debate about the equal rights of same-sex attracted people to marry. Moreover, the results suggest that the impact is not only on this minority and at-risk group but also on their heterosexual allies. These results can help inform future policy with the aim of decreasing minority stress experienced by same-sex attracted people.

We examined the mechanisms by which identification with a stigmatized ingroupimpacts well-being in stigmatized groups. The first three studies were conducted among gay men and lesbians in Europe and North America. Results support the idea that identification with homosexuals protects well-being by decreasing attempts at self-group distancing. Pursuit of self-group distancing was negatively related to well-being (studies 1 to 3a, N=1055). Other coping strategies were associated with identification but had no relationship with well-being. Identification was positively related to engagement coping strategies,namely, collective action, group affirmation and ingroup support, and negative related to disengagement strategies: ingroup blaming and avoidance of discrimination. A fourth study (study 3b) examined these mechanisms among Black North Americans (N=203). Again, identification was positively related to engagement strategies, and negatively related to disengagement; however, only collective action (positively) predicted well-being. Results are discussed in terms of how the effectiveness of different strategies for coping with stigma will differ depending on qualities of the identities in question and the specifics of the intergroup context.

Fil: Smith, Peter B. University of Sussex. School of Psychology; Reino Unido Fil: Easterbrook, Matthew J. University of Sussex. School of Psychology; Reino Unido Fil: Al-Selim, Heyla. King Saud University. Department of Psychology; Arabia Saudí Fil: Lun, Vivian Miu Chi. Lingnan University. Department of Applied Psychology; Hong Kong Fil: Koc, Yasin. Groningen University. Department of Social Psychology; Países Bajos Fil: Gul, Pelin. Iowa State University. Department of Psychology; Estados Unidos Fil: Papastylianou, Dona. University of Athens. Department of Psychology; Grecia Fil: Grigoryan, Lusine. Ruhr University. Faculty of Psychology; Alemania Fil: Torres, Claudio. University of Brasilia. Institute of Psychology; Brasil Fil: Efremova, Maria. HSE Universit. Centre for Sociocultural Research; Rusia Fil: Hassan, Bushra. International Islamic University. Department of Psychology; Pakistan Fil: Ahmad, Abd Halim. Universiti Utara Malaysia. Department of Psychology; Malasia Fil: Al-Bayati, Ahmed. Lawrence Technological University. Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering; Estados Unidos Fil: Anderson, Joel. Australian Catholic University and La Trobe University. School of Health and Behavioural Science; Australia Fil: Cross, Susan E. Iowa State University. Department of Psychology; Estados Unidos Fil: Delfino, Gisela. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Psicología y Psicopedagogía; Argentina Fil: Gamsakhurdia, Vladimer. Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. Department of Psychological Anthropology; Georgia Fil: Gavreliuc, Alin. West University of Timisoara. Department of Psychology; Rumania Fil: Gavreliuc, Dana. West University of Timisoara. Department of Teacher Training; Rumania Fil: Gunsoy, Ceren. Clemson University. College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences; Estados Unidos Fil: Hakobjanyan, Anna. Yerevan State University. Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology; Armenia Fil: Lay, Siugmin. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Escuela de Psicología; Chile Fil: Lopukhova, Olga. Kazan Federal University. Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology; Rusia Fil: Hu, Ping. Renmin University. Department of Psychology; China Fil: Sunar, Diane. Istanbul Bilgi University. Department of Psychology; Turkey Fil: Mendes Texeira, Maria Luisa. Mackenzie University. Department of Postgraduate Business Administration; Brasil Fil: Tripodi, Doriana. Gioia Tauro. Private practice; Italy Fil: Diaz Rivera, Paola Eunice. Universidad Autónoma de México. Facultad de Psicología; México Fil: Van Osch, Yvette. Tilburg University. Department of Social Psychology; Países Bajos Fil: Yuki, Masaki. Hokkaido University. Department of Behavioral Science; Japón Fil: Abbas, Ammar. University of Baghdad. Department of Chemical Engineering; Irak Fil: Ogusu, Natsuki. Hokkaido University. Department of Behavioral Science; Japón Fil: Kwantes, Catherine T. University of Windsor. Department of Psychology; Canadá Fil: Díaz Loving, Rolando. Universidad Autónoma de México. Facultad de Psicología; México Fil: Perez-Floriano, Lorena. Universidad Diego Portales. Escuela de Psicología; Chile Fil: Chaleeraktrakoon, Trawin. Thammasat University. Department of Psychology; Tailandia Fil: Chobthamkit, Phatthanakit. University of Kent. School of Psychology; Reino Unido Abstract: Sex differences in aspects of independent versus interdependent self-construal and depressive symptoms were surveyed among 5,320 students from 24 nations. Men were found to perceive themselves as more self-contained whereas women perceived themselves as more connected to others. No significant sex differences were found on two further dimensions of self-construal, or on a measure of depressive symptoms. Multilevel modelling was used to test the ability of a series of predictors derived from a social identity perspective and from evolutionary theory to moderate sex differences. Contrary to most prior studies of personality, sex differences in self-construal were larger in samples from nations scoring lower on the Gender Gap Index, and the Human Development Index. Sex differences were also greater in nations with higher pathogen prevalence, higher self-reported religiosity, and in nations with high reported avoidance of settings with strong norms. The findings are discussed in terms of the interrelatedness of self-construals and the cultural contexts in which they are elicited and the distinctiveness of student samples.

Belonging to multiple identities that are incompatible has been linked to poor psychological wellbeing outcomes, including feelings of guilt and shame. Individuals who experience such conflict can use a range of strategies to reconcile seemingly incompatible identities. The current study aimed to explore the strategy of identity integration as a protective factor against guilt and shame for individuals who identify as both religious and gay. A sample of 183 religious gay men (M age = 29.31 years, SD = 10.42) completed an online survey comprising measures of religious identification, gay identification, guilt, shame, and identity integration. We found that religious identification predicted higher levels of religious-based guilt, and both gay identity-based guilt and shame. Conversely, gay identification was not associated with any feelings of guilt or shame. Identity integration predicted lower levels of all guilt and shame outcomes, and also moderated the relationship between religious identification and guilt and shame–that is, religious-gay identity integration attenuated the negative effects independently associated with religious identification. These findings suggest that identity integration may enable gay people to access the protective benefits of religious engagement and multiple group memberships while remaining connected to the gay community.

Magnesite is an important raw material used in various industrial applications, especially the production of high-temperature resistant materials. Due to its high reactant nature, magnesite ore is not found in pure form and it contains a great variety of pollutants such as calcium compounds, which restrict its use when exceeding 1% of the ore. Thus, the development of efficient strategies for the removal of pollutants remains a crucial step for magnesite utilization. In this regard, our present work was conducted to isolate and identify active fungal strains that remove calcium pollutants without changing the main magnesium content of the ore. For this aim, magnesite ore samples were collected from two quarries (Turanocagi and Ortaocak) of KuMAS Magnesite Inc. and fungal isolation studies were done by using the ore's flora. Active isolates were chosen according to their CaCO(3)and MgCO(3)dissolving capabilities and identified by using conventional light microscopy and molecular characterization techniques. 71 fungal isolates were obtained from the isolation step and 14 of them were chosen as active isolates that solve calcium compounds while not affecting the magnesium component. The data of the microscopic examination and 18S rDNA gene sequence analysis showed that 14 active strains with magnesite enrichment potential grouped inAspergillus alliaceus(3),Aspergillus flavus(2),Aspergillus leporis(1),Aspergillus nomius(1),Fusarium tricinctum(2),Penicillium chrysogenum(1) andPenicillium sp.(4).

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a global health crisis. Consequently, many countries have adopted restrictive measures that caused a substantial change in society. Within this framework, it is reasonable to suppose that a sentiment of societal discontent, defined as generalized concern about the precarious state of society, has arisen. Literature shows that collectively experienced situations can motivate people to help each other. Since societal discontent is conceptualized as a collective phenomenon, we argue that it could influence intention to help others, particularly those who suffer from coronavirus. Thus, in the present study, we aimed (a) to explore the relationship between societal discontent and intention to help at the individual level and (b) to investigate a possible moderating effect of societal discontent at the country level on this relationship. To fulfil our purposes, we used data collected in 42 countries (N = 61,734) from the PsyCorona Survey, a cross-national longitudinal study. Results of multilevel analysis showed that, when societal discontent is experienced by the entire community, individuals dissatisfied with society are more prone to help others. Testing the model with longitudinal data (N = 3,817) confirmed our results. Implications for those findings are discussed in relation to crisis management. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement. New York University Abu Dhabi

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. Understanding the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine uptake is important to inform policy decisions and plan vaccination campaigns. The aims of this research were to: (1) explore the individual- and country-level determinants of intentions to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, and (2) examine worldwide variation in vaccination intentions. This cross-sectional online survey was conducted during the first wave of the pandemic, involving 6697 respondents across 20 countries. Results showed that 72.9% of participants reported positive intentions to be vaccinated against COVID-19, whereas 16.8% were undecided, and 10.3% reported they would not be vaccinated. At the individual level, prosociality was a significant positive predictor of vaccination intentions, whereas generic beliefs in conspiracy theories and religiosity were negative predictors. Country-level determinants, including cultural dimensions of individualism/collectivism and power distance, were not significant predictors of vaccination intentions. Altogether, this study identifies individual-level predictors that are common across multiple countries, provides further evidence on the importance of combating conspiracy theories, involving religious institutions in vaccination campaigns, and stimulating prosocial motives to encourage vaccine uptake.

Identification with multiple, seemingly incompatible identities has been linked to poor psychological well-being outcomes, including shame and guilt. However, the outcome of internalized sexual prejudice (ISP) has received scant attention in identity-conflict literature. The present study investigated the identity-conflict management strategy of identity integration as a protective factor against ISP in men who identify as both gay and religious. Additionally, this study explored the role of religious comfort and religious conflict in ISP, and whether gay-religious identity integration acts as a moderating variable for these relationships. The results of an online survey of 178 gay Australian men (Mage = 29.32 years, SD = 10.46) were analyzed using a hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis. As predicted, greater gay-religious identity integration predicted lower levels of ISP. Unexpectedly, religious comfort was positively related to ISP, and religious conflict was unrelated to ISP. Gay-religious identity integration was found to moderate these effects, demonstrating the protective influence of identity integration and multiple group membership against negative psychological outcomes in religious gay men. This study challenges the assumption that religious and sexual minority identities are dichotomous, emphasizes the benefits of multiple group membership, and may offer a foundation for further inquiry into the influence of gay-religious identity integration.

The degree to which an identity is an important aspect of one's self-concept (i.e., identity centrality) relates to both health and prejudice experiences of minority groups. Individuals with greater levels of identity centrality view their world through the lens of that identity. This allows them to engage in more positive identity-relevant experiences. However, it could also heighten their perceptions of in-group threat. Among LGBTQ groups, the relationship between identity centrality and psychosocial outcomes is yet to be established. In this paper, we investigated the relationship between LGBTQ identity centrality and psychosocial outcomes via a comprehensive systematic (k = 89, N = 35,950) and meta-analytic (k = 57, N = 26,704) literature review. Results indicated that greater levels of LGBTQ centrality relates to more positive identity-relevant affirmations (.155 ≤ r's ≤ .419), but also greater prejudice/discrimination perceptions and experiences (-.271 ≤ r's ≤ -.128). We found no evidence of a relationship between LGBTQ centrality and health outcomes (-.052 ≤ r's ≤ .040). Importantly, we found that these relationships are more beneficial for some LGBTQ groups (gay men), than for others (bisexual/transgender individuals). Findings from this review provide important and necessary insights on the role of LGBTQ identity centrality and identify crucial gaps in the literature that should be addressed.

Stereotypes typically have negative impacts on stigmatized minority groups, especially when endorsed by members of that group. This paper examines the prevalence and consequences of stereotype endorsement on well-being within the gay community. Specifically, we explored how gay men’s self-stereotype (i.e., personal beliefs about the stereotypes pertaining to one’s in-group) and meta-stereotype (i.e., believing that out-group members endorse stereotypes pertaining to one’s in-group) endorsement would be related to mental and cognitive well-being. The sample of 253 gay male participants (aged 18–78 years; M = 38.25, SD = 13.51) completed an online questionnaire assessing demographics, self- and meta-stereotype endorsement, mental well-being (depression, anxiety, stress), and cognitive well-being (life satisfaction, self-worth) measures. We found evidence that our sample endorsed both self- and meta-stereotypes, with meta-stereotypes being endorsed more strongly than self-stereotypes. Regression analyses revealed a unique pattern of findings about the consequences of endorsing stereotypes: increases in self-stereotyping predicted decreases in mental well-being, whereas increases in meta-stereotyping predicted decreases in cognitive well-being. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Consonant with a functional view of moral emotions, we argue that morality is best analyzed within relationships rather than in individuals, and use Fiske's (1992) theory of relational models (RMs: communal sharing [CS], authority ranking [AR], equality matching [EM], and market pricing [MP]) to predict that violations in different RMs will arouse different intensities of other-blaming emotions (anger, contempt and disgust) in both observers and victims, together with different intensities of self-blaming emotions (shame and guilt) in perpetrators, and to predict that these patterns of emotion will show similarity across both individuals and cultures. Three studies, using vignettes portraying moral violations in all RMs in different experimental designs, supported these expectations, while also producing some unexpected results. The intensity of shame and guilt varied markedly across RMs, but with little difference between the two emotions. The intensity of all 3 other-blaming emotions also varied across RMs. Anger was the most intense emotional response to violation in all RMs, whereas disgust and contempt were stronger in CS than in other RMs. Disgust and shame were linked more strongly in CS than in other RMs, and anger and guilt were more strongly linked than other emotion pairs in EM. Moral emotions in RMs involving hierarchy (AR and MP) differed widely depending on the perpetrator's dominant or subordinate status. Both Turkish (TR) and English-speaking (EN) samples showed similar patterns of all moral emotions across RMs. Understanding the functions of moral emotions in relationships using relational models can help to clarify multiple aspects of moral psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Since February 2020, the world has faced a health emergency due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. Two of the first measures adopted by most countries to ensure social distancing were the closure of schools and childcare services, and the mandate to work from home. Millions of parents, while facing the threat of the virus infection, suddenly found themselves locked down in their homes managing workload and care load in single “crowded” spaces. This study tested whether relevant identity structures and individual differences (i.e., work-parent identity integration, identification with family, and identification with work) and contextual factors (i.e., work demands, family demands, and housing conditions) predicted parents’ professional, parental, and mental health outcomes during the lockdown. Data collected in April-2020 from 432 Italian parents working from home during the strict lockdown showed that the main predictor of all outcomes is work-parent identity integration. We provide recommendations for how professionals and organizations can support parents working from home due to COVID-19 or in future lockdowns.

Background The number of mental health-related 999 calls to emergency services has increased in recent years. However, emergency services staff have an unfavourable reputation when it comes to supporting people experiencing mental health problems. Aims To assess the levels of explicit and implicit mental health stigma among accident and emergency, ambulance and police staff, and draw comparisons with the general population. Additional analyses sought to identify which variables predict mental health stigma among emergency services staff. Method A cross-sectional survey of 1837 participants, comprising four independent groups (accident and emergency, ambulance and police staff, and the general population). Results Levels of mental health stigma across all four groups were lower than those reported in recent surveys of the general population by the ‘Time to Change’ campaign. Within this study, explicit levels of mental health stigma were lower among the general population compared with emergency services staff. There was no difference between emergency service professions, nor were there any between-group differences in terms of implicit mental health stigma. The only consistent predictors of mental health stigma were attitudes and future behavioural intentions, whereby increased stigma was predicted by increased fear, reduced sympathy and greater intended discrimination. Conclusions Our findings suggest that levels of mental health stigma have improved over time, but there is room for improvement in emergency services staff. Interventions to improve mental health stigma may be most effective if, in line with the cognitive–behavioural model of stigma, they target attitudes and behavioural intentions.

We examine how social contacts and feelings of solidarity shape experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020. From the PsyCorona database, we obtained longitudinal data from 23 countries, collected between March and May 2020. Results demonstrated that, although online contacts help to reduce feelings of loneliness, people who feel more lonely are less likely to use that strategy. Solidarity played only a small role in shaping feelings of loneliness during lockdown. Thus, it seems we must look beyond the current focus on online contact and solidarity to help people address feelings of loneliness during lockdown. Finally, online contacts did not function as a substitute for face-to-face contacts outside the home - in fact, more frequent online contact in earlier weeks predicted more frequent face-to-face contacts in later weeks. As such, this work provides relevant insight into how individuals manage the impact of restrictions on their social lives.

Previous studies suggested that public trust in government is vital for implementations of social policies that rely on public's behavioural responses. This study examined associations of trust in government regarding COVID-19 control with recommended health behaviours and prosocial behaviours. Data from an international survey with representative samples (N=23,733) of 23 countries were analysed. Specification curve analysis showed that higher trust in government was significantly associated with higher adoption of health and prosocial behaviours in all reasonable specifications of multilevel linear models (median standardised β=0.173 and 0.244, P

The energy demand is enhancing day by day all over the world with the increasing of huge population. Lignite, a fossil fuel with low energy efficiency, is used in many different fields. However, lignite is primarily an energy source and its use without treatment causes environmental pollution as well as low energy efficiency. Advantages are known for the use of microorganisms in lignite processing technologies, and research is underway to improve this process. In this research designed to meet this need, isolation and characterization of bacteria with potential for use in biotechnological applications resistant to extreme conditions were performed from lignite mine. Turkey’s largest lignite mine bacterial flora have been identified for the first time in this study. In addition to lignite processing technologies, a bacterial strain collection has been created to be used in other biotechnological studies. This collection of bacteria includes Methylorubrum zatmanii, Streptomyces argenteolus, Streptomyces galilaeus, Pseudomonas mandelii, Paenarthrobacter aurescens, Paeniglutamicibacter sulfureus, Arthrobacter humicola, Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus safensis, Kocuria polaris, Arthrobacter sp., Rhodococcus sp. This specific bacteria collection is open to sharing with other researchers who want to do field applications. © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Epigenetics are changes that occur in the DNA sequence due to environmental conditions. In last few decades epigenetics has been one of the most important advances in biology and related fields. It is very important in that it offers a new approach to all relevant disciplines, especially biology, to explain how DNA sequencing in an epigenetic organism is affected by environmental conditions and phenotype changes that may result from this interaction. Although there are many environmental factors affecting organisms, starvation is one of the most important factors. In our study, epigenetic changes in Escherichia coli due to carbon starvation in the sprE (rssB) gene region were investigated by COBRA (Combined Bisulfite Restriction Analysis) technique, which is one of the quantitative methylation analyzes. As a result of the current results, it has been shown that the methylation status of the 16th CpG islet located in the sprE gene region does not play a role in the regulation of fasting metabolism in E. coli due to the restriction of the carbon level.

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd The present set of studies investigated the role of both religiosity and social-ideological attitudes in the prediction of various forms of sexist and gender-related attitudes. Hierarchical regression analyses on data collected in three countries (i.e., two heterogeneous adult samples from Turkey and the Netherlands, and two student samples from Belgium; combined N = 964) revealed that although individual differences in religiosity did predict traditional gender role beliefs and sexism (towards both women and men), its impact was limited compared to the impact of individual differences in social-ideological attitudes (i.e., social dominance orientation and particularly authoritarianism). In the discussion, we argue that sexism primarily relates to individual differences in peoples' perspective on the social world, and that religiosity explains little additional variance. ispartof: PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES vol:139 pages:191-197 status: published

Although attitudes towards gay men are becoming increasingly inclusive, negative attitudes are still experienced by this socially marginalised group. Prejudice research often uses the Dual Process Model of Prejudice (DPM; comprised of right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation) to understand negative social attitudes, and recently researchers have begun exploring the role of personality in addition to this theoretical framework. In this paper, we explored the predictive potential of the DPM (right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation) and the dark tetrad model of personality (D4: narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, everyday sadism) in explaining implicit and explicit attitudes towards gay men. The sample (N = 182; Mage = 39.15 years, SD = 10.65) was recruited using Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Variance in explicit negative attitudes towards gay men was predicted by the ideological variables in the DPM, and further variance was predicted with the addition of the D4 traits (narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism each contributed unique variance, while sadism did not). Variance in implicit attitudes towards gay men was not predicted by any individual difference factors. The current study offers theoretical and empirical contributions to the ongoing debate surrounding the utility of the D4 in explaining antisocial cognitions.

Highlights • Risk perception of COVID-19 was associated with more negative/less positive emotions. • Risk perception of COVID-19 was inversely associated with subsequent mental health. • The association between risk perception and mental health was mediated by emotions. • Specification curve analysis was used to avoid subjective analytical decisions., Background Although there are increasing concerns on mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, no large-scale population-based studies have examined the associations of risk perception of COVID-19 with emotion and subsequent mental health. Methods : This study analysed cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the PsyCorona Survey that included 54,845 participants from 112 countries, of which 23,278 participants are representative samples of 24 countries in terms of gender and age. Specification curve analysis (SCA) was used to examine associations of risk perception of COVID-19 with emotion and self-rated mental health. This robust method considers all reasonable model specifications to avoid subjective analytical decisions while accounting for multiple testing. Results : All 162 multilevel linear regressions in the SCA indicated that higher risk perception of COVID-19 was significantly associated with less positive or more negative emotions (median standardised β=-0.171, median SE=0.004, P0.05). Limitations Reliance on self-reported data. Conclusions : Risk perception of COVID-19 was associated with emotion and ultimately mental health. Interventions on reducing excessive risk perception and managing emotional distress could promote mental health.

Globalisation provides novel contexts for individuals to express and transform their identities in ways that may not be available in their local cultures. For gay men living in cultures where traditional masculinity norms prescribe heterosexuality and the rejection of homosexuality, gay-male identity is inherently threatened. However, adopting an identity as a ‘global citizen’ may increase the compatibility between gay and male identities, and hence augment well-being. We conducted an experiment with a community sample of 220 gay men in Turkey, manipulating pro- and anti-globalisation world views. Priming with pro-globalisation world views increased people’s identification as global citizens, and thus indirectly led to higher gay-male identity integration. Identity integration, in turn, predicted higher subjective well-being. This study brings the first experimental evidence on the link between global identification and gay-male identity integration. Beyond its local focus on the cultural context of Turkey, it highlights the importance of an intersectional approach to studying social identities by showing how the compatibility of two social identities can be increased by adopting a third social identity.

The present study reports the psychometric properties of the English version of the short form of the Attitudes Toward Homosexuality Scale (ATHS; Falomir-Pichastor & Mugny, 2009). Workers from Amazon’s MTurkTM (n = 235 for validation, n = 60 for test-retest) completed the short form of the ATHS, translated from French, and the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale (ATLG; Herek, 1998) and responded to a series of demographic questions. In this paper, we present evidence for a single-factor structure of the scale, along with evidence for the validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability of the measure. The data revealed distinct patterns in participants’ ATHS scores as a function of their religious affiliation and political conservatism. Finally, positive ATHS scores predicted support for gay rights over and above that predicted by ATLG scores (Herek, 1984). The evidence presented suggests that the ATHS is a psychometrically reliable and valid tool for assessing attitudes toward homosexuality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)

The number of asylum seekers and refugees across the world is rapidly increasing. Negative attitudes towards these groups are globally prevalent and typically hostile because most receiving country citizens perceive them to be a security threat and an economic burden. This paper aims to understand the antecedents of negative attitudes toward a large refugee group currently garnering a great deal of attention – Syrian refugees, and experimentally test ways to ameliorate negative attitudes. In Study 1 (N = 122), we investigated predictors of social distance—as a proxy for prejudice—and found right-wing authoritarianism and intergroup anxiety to be significant predictors. In Study 2 (N = 162), we tested whether perceived acculturation orientation would predict social distance, and found that Americans were less prejudiced toward Syrians who preferred to assimilate rather than integrate. Finally, in Study 3 (N = 153), we tested if a form of vicarious contact could reduce social distance via reduced intergroup anxiety; we found initial evidence for this mediation link. We discussed the potential for the vicarious contact intervention to foster positive intergroup relations, and contribute to refugee wellbeing.

Research into the relationship between religion and anti-gay attitudes frequently focuses on Christianity. We explored the role of religiosity dimensions, previous contact, and factors in the dual-process motivation model as predictors of explicit and implicit anti-gay attitudes in samples of Muslims and Atheists. The explicit and implicit attitudes of Muslims were more negative than the attitudes of Atheists. Explicit attitudes were more negative towards gay men than lesbians; implicit attitudes were negative towards gay men but were unexpectedly positive towards lesbians. In regression analyses, religious fundamentalism and extrinsic religious orientations (Study 1), and contact and right-wing authoritarianism (Study 2) were strong significant predictors of explicit anti-gay attitudes. Interestingly, none of the factors of interest predicted implicit anti-gay attitudes. These findings reveal a strong link between Islam and explicit anti-gay attitudes, but suggest that the relationship between religion and implicit anti-gay attitudes may be more complex than previously thought.