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School bullying is a serious public health concern in many countries worldwide. Over recent decades, several effective anti-bullying prevention programs have been developed. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an adapted version of the “Equipping Youth to Help One Another (EQUIP) for Educators” (EfE) program in reducing adolescents’ engagement in school bullying perpetration by correcting their use of self-serving cognitive distortions (CDs). Furthermore, guided by the vantage sensitivity framework, we investigated whether the intervention effects varied depending on the adolescents’ gender and environmental sensitivity. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test with a control group design involved 354 Italian middle and high school adolescents (51.7% males; Mage = 14.86, SD = 2.54). Both the control (n = 187) and experimental group (n = 167) completed self-report questionnaires, before and after the intervention. Structural equation modeling revealed a significant moderated mediation effect: highly sensitive males participating in the EfE program decreased their engagement in bullying by reducing CDs, compared to females and those with low- and medium- sensitivity. These findings support the effectiveness of the EfE program in equipping youth to think and act more responsible and shed light on “why” and “for whom” the intervention might work better to counteract school bullying during adolescence.

Self-Serving leadership is a global phenomenon and requires both literary and practical attention to understand how it unfolds and impacts organizations. More specifically the investigation of this underexplored dark side of leadership in Pakistani service sector organizations has its unique significance. So, in this regard, the current study took the initiative to investigate the relationship between a Leader's self-serving behaviour and a follower's self-serving counterproductive work behaviour. Moreover, the underlying mechanism of self-serving cognitive distortions was proposed, with followers' Machivellianism strengthening the indirect relationship between leaders' self-serving behaviour with self-serving counterproductive work behaviour through the self-serving cognitive distortions. The proposed theoretical framework was explained by the Social Learning theory. This study adopted a survey method with the collection of data by utilizing the convenience sampling method, in three-time waves with peer-reported self-serving counterproductive work behaviours. The data was analyzed by utilizing confirmatory factor analysis to establish discriminant and convergent validity. Moreover, the hypotheses testing was done utilizing Hayes Process Macro 4 (Mediation) and 7(Moderated Mediation). The results proved that the self-serving cognitive distortions mediated the relationship between the leader's self-serving behaviour and the follower's self-serving counterproductive work behaviours. Moreover, it was established that the High Mach tendencies strengthed the indirect positive relationship between a leader's self-serving behaviour with self-serving counterproductive work behaviour through the self-serving cognitive distortions. It is important to note that the current study provides a view to the practitioners that formulation of effective policies and systems for identifying and discouraging the tendencies of Leaders' self-serving behaviour and employing people with low Mach Tendencies can avoid the self-serving counterproductive work behaviours harming the overall welfare of the organization.

School bullying is a serious public health concern in many countries worldwide. Over recent decades, several effective anti-bullying prevention programs have been developed. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an adapted version of the "Equipping Youth to Help One Another (EQUIP) for Educators" (EfE) program in reducing adolescents' engagement in school bullying perpetration by correcting their use of self-serving cognitive distortions (CDs). Furthermore, guided by the vantage sensitivity framework, we investigated whether the intervention effects varied depending on the adolescents' gender and environmental sensitivity. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test with a control group design involved 354 Italian middle and high school adolescents (51.7% males; Mage = 14.86, SD = 2.54). Both the control (n = 187) and experimental group (n = 167) completed self-report questionnaires, before and after the intervention. Structural equation modeling revealed a significant moderated mediation effect: highly sensitive males participating in the EfE program decreased their engagement in bullying by reducing CDs, compared to females and those with low- and medium- sensitivity. These findings support the effectiveness of the EfE program in equipping youth to think and act more responsible and shed light on "why" and "for whom" the intervention might work better to counteract school bullying during adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers and mental health professionals have paid growing attention to identify risk factors contributing to the prediction, assessment, and treatment of behaviorally at-risk youth. Among the well-established psychological factors associated with the development and persistence of antisocial behavior during adolescence, the role of psychopathy as well as moral cognitive processes has been emphasized over decades. In this paper, the link between psychopathic traits, self-serving cognitive distortions and antisocial behaviors during adolescence has been examined through a review of the literature focused on empirical studies. Furthermore, starting from the studies on the treatment of psychopathy, which highlighted how the longstanding "Nothing Works" doctrine has been overtaken by the more recent "What Works" approach to offender treatment, we tried to point out some treatment implications for preventing and counteracting antisocial behaviors among psychopathic youth. In this regard, guided by previous research that recognized the self-serving cognitive distortions as cognitive expression of psychopathic traits, we suggested the need to early identify youth's self-serving cognitive distortions and the potential benefits of focusing on cognitive restructuring processes, especially for those individuals with high levels of psychopathic personality traits. After overcoming the rooted view of psychopathy as untreatable condition, we concluded this paper by providing some relevant suggestions, both for juvenile justice systems and clinical settings, in the field of prevention and treatment, to break the psychopathy-violence link during adolescence and adulthood effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School bullying represents a widespread expression of violence in the peer context. Guided by the social-ecological model, this study investigated the longitudinal and transactional pathways linking domestic and neighborhood/community violence exposure (through direct victimization and witnessing), self-serving cognitive distortions (CDs), and school bullying perpetration. Furthermore, consistent with the previous literature, we tested the cognitive desensitization process that could develop in response to chronically violent contexts. Two four-wave cross-lagged panel mediation models were tested in a sample of 778 high school students (28.1% males; M age [Time 1; T1] = 14.20, SD = 0.58). The results showed differential effects of multiple contexts and forms of violence exposure, with domestic violence victimization and community violence witnessing being associated with self-serving CDs and bullying perpetration over time. Moreover, significant associations between CDs and bullying perpetration over time were found, with bidirectional effects for each of these longitudinal patterns. Finally, self-serving CDs significantly mediated the relationships between both domestic violence victimization and community violence witnessing and school bullying perpetration. These findings highlight the need to consider school bullying as a social phenomenon stemming from a complex and bidirectional interplay between individuals and the environments they inhabit, confirming a basic postulate that "violence breeds violence".

Self-serving cognitive distortions are inaccurate or rationalizing attitudes, thoughts or beliefs concerning one's own or other's social behavior and inaccurate ways of attending or conferring meaning on experience. Such distortions often have associations with psychosocial factors like stressful life evens, personality, and psychopathology. The aim of our study was to find whether any significant association exists between such psychosocial factors and selfserving cognitive distortions for three groups (n for each group=30) of adolescents. Three groups of adolescents were included in the study. Group A: externalizing; Group B: internalizing; Group C- non-clinical group. Findings revealed high loading of cognitive distortions in adolescents with externalizing syndromes. Significant association between cognitive distortions and certain personality factors and psychopathology measures were found separately for each group. The study holds important implications for cognitive behavior therapy for treating adolescents who develop problem behaviors during their growing up age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a digitally developed civilization access to different kinds of content and information can be easily acquired. From all the available content, some individuals chose and prefer to consume aggressive or violent content. In this light, the scope of this investigation is to determine the connection between the level of Violent Content Preferences (VC) and the levels of General Antisocial Behaviour (AS) and Schadenfreude (SCH) and the relationship between the intensity of life satisfaction (LS) and the intensity of Violent Content Preferences (VC), General Antisocial Behaviour (AS) and Schadenfreude (SCH). The present investigation is part of a chain of studies with reference to violent behaviours and cognitions. In this study, a number of 81 students (M = 27.57 SD = 9.25) from Arad, Romania, Aurel Vlaicu University, were investigated. VC and SCH were measured with the explorative affirmations, AS scores were obtained with the help of the How I Think Questionnaire (HIT) and LS was calculated with the help of the Satisfaction with life scale (SWLS). The obtained data ilustrates that VC is positively associated with AS an SCH, furthermore, AS is positively related with SCH, and LS was negatively associated with VC, AS and SCH. These outcomes point out the requirement to take into consideration the content we consume in regard to one’s satisfaction with life and can offer literature meaningful information in regards to the prevention or reduction of anti-social tendencies or cognitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-serving cognitive distortions are biased or rationalizing beliefs and thoughts that originate from the individual persistence into immature moral judgment stages during adolescence and adulthood, increasing the individual's engagement in antisocial or immoral conducts. To date, the literature examining trajectories of cognitive distortions over time and their precursors is limited. This study sought to fill this gap, by examining effortful control and community violence exposure as individual and environmental precursors to developmental trajectories of cognitive distortions in adolescence. The sample consisted of 803 Italian high school students (349 males; Mage = 14.19, SD = 0.57). Three trajectories of cognitive distortions were identified: (1) moderately high and stable cognitive distortions (N = 311), (2) moderate and decreasing cognitive distortions (N = 363), and (3) low and decreasing cognitive distortions (N = 129). Both low effortful control and high exposure to community violence were significant predictors for moderately high and stable trajectory of cognitive distortions. These results point to the importance of considering moral development as a process involving multiple levels of individual ecology, highlighting the need to further explore how dispositional and environmental factors might undermine developmental processes of morality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature in the field of aggressive and violent behavior indicated a strong link between anti-social behavior and self-serving cognitive distortions. The concept of self-serving is represented by a series of distorted cognitive processes, which can take shape due to the generally oversized tendency of self-perception. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible positive relationships between different levels of offences/crimes and self-serving cognitive distortions in a sample of juvenile delinquents and young individuals from Romania. The assessment of the self-serving cognitive distortions was measured with the How I Think Questionnaire and the type of the criminal offence was taken from the Institutional evaluation sheet. Data was gathered from 55 juvenile delinquents, ages between 15 and 19, the average age being 17.13 (SD = .92). Positive correlations were found between the different levels of offences/crimes and self-serving cognitive distortions, except for Self-Centered, Minimizing/Mislabeling, Physical Aggression and Stealing. These results suggest that as the level of offence gets higher so does the level of self-serving cognitive distortions and anti-social tendencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-Serving leadership is a global phenomenon and requires both literary and practical attention to understand how it unfolds and impacts organizations. More specifically the investigation of this underexplored dark side of leadership in Pakistani service sector organizations has its unique significance. So, in this regard, the current study took the initiative to investigate the relationship between a Leader's self-serving behaviour and a follower's self-serving counterproductive work behaviour. Moreover, the underlying mechanism of self-serving cognitive distortions was proposed, with followers' Machivellianism strengthening the indirect relationship between leaders' self-serving behaviour with self-serving counterproductive work behaviour through the self-serving cognitive distortions. The proposed theoretical framework was explained by the Social Learning theory. This study adopted a survey method with the collection of data by utilizing the convenience sampling method, in three-time waves with peer-reported self-serving counterproductive work behaviours. The data was analyzed by utilizing confirmatory factor analysis to establish discriminant and convergent validity. Moreover, the hypotheses testing was done utilizing Hayes Process Macro 4 (Mediation) and 7(Moderated Mediation). The results proved that the self-serving cognitive distortions mediated the relationship between the leader's self-serving behaviour and the follower's self-serving counterproductive work behaviours. Moreover, it was established that the High Mach tendencies strengthed the indirect positive relationship between a leader's self-serving behaviour with self-serving counterproductive work behaviour through the self-serving cognitive distortions. It is important to note that the current study provides a view to the practitioners that formulation of effective policies and systems for identifying and discouraging the tendencies of Leaders' self-serving behaviour and employing people with low Mach Tendencies can avoid the self-serving counterproductive work behaviours harming the overall welfare of the organization., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Self-serving cognitions and callous-unemotional traits play important roles in adolescent antisocial behavior. The objective of this study was to cross-sectionally explore the mediating role of self-serving cognitions in the relationship between callous-unemotional traits and antisocial behavior. A sample of 972 high-school students completed self-report questionnaires assessing callous-unemotional traits, self-serving cognitive distortions and antisocial behavior. Two competing models exploring indirect effects accounting for the relationships between self-serving cognitive distortions, callous-unemotional traits and antisocial behaviors were tested. Both models revealed significant indirect effects, suggesting both pathways are possible. Gender was found to moderate these models. These findings suggest the importance of targeting self-serving cognitions in therapeutic interventions and increase our understanding of the role of self-serving cognitions in antisocial behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the relationships among oppositional defiant attitudes, moral reasoning, moral value evaluation and self-reported delinquent behaviour in adolescents (N = 351, MAGE = 13.8 years, SDAGE = 1.1). Of particular interest were the moderating effects of age, educational environment and gender on the relationship between moral reasoning and delinquency. The results indicate that oppositional defiance was a strong positive correlate of delinquent behaviour, particularly in late adolescence. Furthermore, moral reasoning was modestly and negatively related to delinquency, but only for males. No moderating effects for educational environment were observed. Moreover, moral value evaluation was uncorrelated with delinquent behaviour when controlling for other sociomoral processes. These findings invite further research on the relationship between attitudes and behaviour, with respect to causal links and practical applications within behavioural interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The How I Think Questionnaire (HIT-Q) was developed to measure the main categories of self-serving cognitive distortions. Method: The present study analyses the psychometric properties of the HIT-Q Spanish-Version. The sample consisted of 1.490 Spanish speaking adolescents recruited from various schools in Madrid (Spain). The participants had a mean age of 15.37 years (SD = 1.67). Results: Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) showed that the underlying structure of the HIT-Q was best explained by a six-factor solution (Self-Centred, Blaming Others, Minimizing/Mislabelling, Assuming the Worst, Anomalous Responses and Positive Fillers). Conclusions: After examination of its psychometric properties, it was concluded that the Spanish version of the HIT-Q is a reliable and valid measure of self-serving cognitive distortions in Spanish adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated mechanisms behind proactive and reactive aggression, by examining whether four types of self-serving cognitive distortions and the personality traits agreeableness and conscientiousness differently predicted proactive and reactive aggression. Self-report questionnaires and a peer nominations method were administered to 173 sixth grade children (age 10-13) of regular elementary schools in the Netherlands. Negative binomial regression analyses showed that proactive aggression was predicted by self-centered and disagreeable tendencies, whereas reactive aggression was predicted by the misattribution of blame to others and the self-regulatory aspects of agreeableness and conscientiousness. Findings emphasize the need to differentiate proactive and reactive aggression in order to accurately predict, prevent and treat aggressive behaviors in childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to assess the relative contributions self-serving cognitive distortions and psychopathic traits to adolescent antisocial behavior. Participants were 972 high-school students who completed self-report questionnaires. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that self-serving cognitive distortions, psychopathic traits, as well as their interaction term were significant predictors of antisocial behavior in both genders after adjustment for the main other cognitive, psychopathological and sociofamilial variables. High levels of self-serving cognitive distortions were associated with more extensive antisocial behavior among participants with higher scores on psychopathic traits. This result may have implications for prevention and treatment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The reliability and validity of the self-report questionnaire How I Think (HIT), designed to assess self-serving cognitive distortions related to antisocial behavior, was tested among Swedish offender and nonoffender adults and adolescents (N = 364). The results showed self-serving distortions to be more common among offenders and to predict self-reported antisocial behavior when tested among adults. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed, in contrast to earlier findings, that the underlying structure of the HIT was best explained by a three-factor solution with one major cognitive factor, referred to as “criminal mind.” It was concluded that the HIT, after further examination of its structural and divergent validity, could be used as a measure of criminal thinking in adults as well as in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthy development can be viewed as an important dimension of the general wellbeing index and can be based upon lifelong sustainable satisfaction. Young individuals can represent an important component for society and its development. The literature shows that increased levels of global life satisfaction (LS) can be associated with minimal levels of problematic behaviors and elevated levels of pro-social behaviors. However, low levels of LS can be associated with high levels of perceived loneliness (PL), which, in turn, can be associated with antisocial behavior (AS). In light of this, the current investigation aims to study the mediating effect of PL and the link between LS and AS. This study is a preliminary investigation referring to aggressive behaviors and cognition in relation to subjective wellbeing. The sample consisted of 81 young individuals (M = 27.57, Standard Deviation = 9.25) from Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, Romania. AS was evaluated with the How I Think Questionnaire (HIT), PL was measured with a single item inquiry and LS was evaluated with the satisfaction with life scale (SWLS). The results display that there is a powerful association between LS and AS, between LS and PL and between PL and AS. After the inclusion of the mediator (PL) to the model, the influence of the independent variable (LS) increased and the effect of LS on AS significantly decreased. In light of this, the relationship between LS and AS can be explained by the mediating role of the PL variable. The results indicate the importance of perceived loneliness in regard to one's life satisfaction and antisocial behaviors. In light of this, interventions that focus on the social aspect could prove useful for the improvement of sustainable life satisfaction, therefore decreasing the chance of the emergence of AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing social alarm generated by the recurrent news concerning violent episodes involving youth gangs, systematic research in Italy in this field, especially within a psychological framework, is still limited. Following a social-ecological approach, the present study aimed at investigating the role of self-serving cognitive distortions (CDs), parental rejection, and community violence witnessing in youth gang membership (YGM). Furthermore, we examined the mediating and/or moderating role of YGM in the association between risk factors and involvement in antisocial behaviors (ASBs). A community sample of 817 adolescents attending middle and high schools in a high-risk urban area in Southern Italy (46.9% males; 53% middle school students; M age = 14.67; SD = 1.65) were involved in the study. One hundred and fifty-seven participants (19.2%) were found to be gang members. Employing counterfactual-based mediation analysis, we found that CDs and community violence witnessing were directly associated with YGM and ASBs. The association between CDs and ASBs was mediated by YGM. Parental rejection was directly related to ASBs but not to YGM. A significant interaction effect between parental rejection and YGM was found, revealing that high levels of parental rejection, along with being a gang member, amplified the involvement in ASBs. These findings pointed out that distorted moral cognitions and the experience of violence witnessing within the community may represent a fertile ground for gang involvement. Both individual and contextual factors should be considered in order to implement interventions aimed to prevent adolescents' risk of joining a gang.

School bullying is a social phenomenon stemming from a complex interrelationship between the individuals and their environments. Underpinned by the social-ecological models, this study investigated the mediation of self-serving cognitive distortions (CDs) in the relationship between community violence exposure, as a victim and as a witness, and bullying perpetration. Bidirectional associations between violence exposure and bullying perpetration, and between CDs and bullying perpetration over time were also hypothesized. The study used a three-waves cross-lagged panel modeling in a sample of 829 Italian high school adolescents (46% males; M age [Time 1; T1] = 12.71; Standard deviation [SD] = 1.68). The results showed that being exposed to community violence as a witness at T1 increased the development of CDs at Time 2 (T2), which in turn promoted the bullying perpetration at Time 3 (T3). Being exposed to community violence as a victim was not a significant predictor of CDs and bullying perpetration over time. Bidirectional associations were found between witnessing violence and bullying perpetration, and between CDs and bullying perpetration. The association between community violence exposure and individual moral cognitions over time plays a crucial role in predicting bullying perpetration. These findings highlight the need to consider both contextual and individual factors in understanding and preventing bullying perpetration., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.