Conservation of resources theory (COR) establishes a link between resource loss and the stress response. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of resource loss in the form of home ...damage and the choice of active or passive coping strategies to PTSD symptoms in survivors of the 2020 Petrinja (Croatia) earthquake.
A total of 374 adults (29.9% men) aged 18-64 years living in the counties surrounding the epicenter of the Petrinja (Croatia) earthquake participated in an online cross-sectional survey. The questionnaire included the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Coping Inventory, and the binary item assessing whether or not the participants' home was damaged.
Hierarchical regression analysis showed that home damage was a significant predictor of PTSD symptoms. Participants whose homes were damaged by the earthquake were significantly more likely to use passive coping strategies, namely avoidance and emotional venting, and one active coping strategy, action, than those whose homes were spared. Finally, more frequent use of passive coping was associated with a higher risk of PTSD symptoms.
The study corroborates the COR theory link between resource loss and the stress response, as well as the general consensus that passive coping is a less adaptive strategy than active coping. In addition to passive coping, individuals who lacked resources may have been inclined to take some active steps because they either needed to repair or relocate their homes and because most buildings were only moderately to minimally damaged in the Petrinja earthquake.
The association between sensation-seeking and gambling is well established, yet the research on mediators of this relationship is limited. The proposed model of the present study includes sensation ...seeking as an antecedent variable, danger invulnerability as a mediator, and gambling frequency as an outcome variable.Self-report data obtained from a convenient sample of 641 university students aged 18–40 years (Mage = 21.25; F = 52.7%, M = 47.3%) were analysed. This study supported proposed hypothesis that both sensation seeking and danger invulnerability are in significant positive relation with the frequency of gambling. Moreover, the results show that tested mediation model fit the data well, and that danger invulnerability completely mediates the relationship between sensation seeking and gambling frequency, such that higher sensation seeking is related to higher danger invulnerability and higher danger invulnerability is related to higher gambling frequency. The model explained 42.4% of the variance in danger invulnerability and 32.7% of the variance in gambling frequency. This study underscores the importance of examining both the direct and indirect effects of different variables on gambling behaviour.
The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between exposure to climate change information in traditional and modern media, cognitive and emotional aspects of climate change risk judgment, ...and pro-environmental behavior (PEB).
A cross-sectional online study was conducted on a quota sample of 1,075 participants (51.9% women) aged 18-79 years. Participants self-reported their exposure to climate change-related information in traditional (e.g. television) and modern media (e.g. social networks), cognitive assessment of climate change risk, level of worry about climate change, and the frequency of PEB.
Structural equation modeling showed a good fit for the parallel mediation model, involving cognitive risk judgment and worry as mediators between exposure to climate change information in traditional and modern media and PEB. Exposure to climate change information in traditional media had indirect effect on PEB through heightened worry, but not cognitive risk judgment. In contrast, exposure to climate change information in modern media had no indirect effect on PEB.
Since the link between exposure to climate change information in traditional media and PEB has been shown to be mediated by climate change worry, it is important to enhance the coverage of climate change in traditional media in Croatia, taking care to offer solutions to reduce possible negative impact on people's well-being.
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of harmonious and obsessive passion for playing video games with behavioral school engagement, and to determine whether these two types of ...passion are indirectly related to behavioral school engagement through time spent playing video games. Data for this correlational, on-line study were collected from a convenience quota sample of 568 high-school students (55.5% boys) between 14 and 19 years old (M = 15.89; SD = 1.16). Participants self-reported their passion for playing video games, the amount of time they spent playing video games, and their behavioral school engagement. Path analysis showed that both harmonious and obsessive passion exerted direct effects on behavioral school engagement, as well as indirect effects through time spent playing video games. Higher harmonious passion was directly related to higher school engagement, but it was also indirectly related to lower school engagement because of its association with more time spent playing video games. In contrast, higher obsessive passion was related to lower school engagement both directly as well as indirectly through its association with more time spent playing. The results are discussed in the context of the dualistic model of passion.
The goal of this study was to investigate whether the association between national
identity and providing direct aid to individuals impacted by the 2020 earthquake in
Croatia differs depending on the ...gender. A convenience sample of 374 Croatian
residents (70.1% women) between 18 and 64 years old completed a cross-sectional
survey on-line. Participants, using valid questionaires, self-reported their level of
national identity and how much direct assistance they provided to people in
earthquake-affected areas. The study employed a linear regression model to test
the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between national identity and
direct aid provision. The results showed that the interaction between national
identity and gender significantly affected helping: higher levels of national identity
predicted greater helping among men but not women. This suggests that men were
more motivated than women to provide aid after the earthquake due to their sense
of national identity and affiliation with the nation. These findings have significant
implications for disaster relief efforts, as different motivations may be at play
when providing aid during crises. Relief organizations can tailor their efforts to
meet the needs and motivations of different groups, resulting in more effective
relief efforts
Perceived anonymity and cyberbullying Lacković, Dora; Lotar Rihtarić, Martina; Vrselja, Ivana
Hrvatska revija za rehabilitacijska istraživanja,
12/2023, Volume:
59, Issue:
2
Journal Article, Paper
Peer reviewed
Open access
Although cyberbullying is a significant problem nowadays, there are few theoretical explanations for this phenomenon in the literature. Based on Barlett and Gentile’s cyberbullying model (2012), the ...aim of this paper was to examine the contribution of a variable specific to the virtual world - perceived anonymity - in explaining cyberbullying. It also aimed to examine whether there is a mediating effect of attitudes in the relationship between anonymity and cyberbullying, as well as a moderating effect of frequency of internet use on the relationship between anonymity and cyberbullying, as well as between attitudes towards cyberbullying and cyberbullying itself. A survey was administered online in March and April 2021 and data was collected from a convenient sample of 329 students (110 males), aged 18-30 years (M = 21.53, SD = 2.50). The results of the moderation-mediation analysis, performed in the Process macro for SPSS, showed that there was a significant mediation effect of positive attitudes in the relationship between perceived anonymity and cyberbullying, in the way that greater perceived anonymity predicted positive attitudes toward cyberbullying, which predicted more frequent cyberbullying. There was no significant direct contribution of more pronounced perceived anonymity to more frequent cyberbullying. Finally, the results showed that frequency of internet use did not have a significant moderating effect on the relationship between perceived anonymity and cyberbullying, as well as between attitudes and cyberbullying.
Many researchers (e.g. Farrington, 2003; Joliffe and Farrington, 2004) state that the mechanism linking empathy and offending needs to be better explored, suggesting several ways in which this ...relationship be viewed. One of them is based on the results of Joliffe and Farringtons’ (2004) systematic review of studies relating empathy to offending. According to these authors, there is a possibility that empathy actually mediates the relationship between some other risk factors and offending. Their review showed that intelligence is one of these risk factors. Therefore, in order to provide a better understanding of the relationship among intelligence, empathy and criminal recidivism, the aim of this study was to examine whether empathy mediates the relationship between intelligence and criminal recidivism. It was hypothesized that lower intelligence would affect intensity of criminal recidivism only indirectly, through lower empathy. The sample consisted of 1600 male prisoners in the Croatian prison system who had to serve a prison sentence longer than 6 months. Average prisoner age was 39 years (SD=11.79) and duration of the prison sentence was 27 months (SD=34.39). All prisoners came to the Center for Diagnostics in Zagreb during 2013, and they all went through psychodiagnostic testing. For the purposes of this paper, data on intelligence, empathy, personality, and criminal recidivism were used. Criminal recidivism was operationalised as the number of prison sentences during a person’s lifetime. Intelligence was measured using the Beta test, empathy using the empathy subscale from the Eysenck Impulsivity Questionnaire, and personality traits (psychoticism, extraversion, and neuroticism) using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire – Revised/Adult. Results of mediation analysis conducted using the PROCESS macro for SPSS (Hayes, 2012) showed a nonsignificant direct effect of intelligence on criminal recidivism, and a significant indirect effect of lower intelligence on criminal recidivism via lower empathy. Research findings are discussed from theoretical and practical perspectives.
Prison is a high stress environment where an individual's mental health can be seriously affected (Mansoor et al., 2015). The way prisoners cope with stress is an important factor in examining the ...impact of the prison environment on their mental health (Gullone et al., 2000). The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between prisoners' coping strategies and their mental health within the framework of the health theory of coping (Stallman, 2020). The study was conducted on a sample of N=125 male prisoners who were in the Diagnostic Department of the Diagnostic Centre in Zagreb (M=40.08; SD=11.97). The Multidimensional Coping Scale (Duhachek, 2005) and DASS-21 (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) were used. Participants were also asked to rate the intensity of emotions they had experienced in the past week. The results show that only unhealthy coping strategies make a significant contribution to explaining prisoners' anxiety, while both healthy and unhealthy coping strategies contribute to explaining prisoners' depression. The results do not confirm the premise of the theory that the frequency of using stress coping strategies is negatively associated with the intensity of experiencing unpleasant emotions. The results are discussed in relation to the theoretical framework and their practical applicability.
Zatvor je okruženje s visokim razinama stresa u kojem mentalno zdravlje pojedinca može biti znatno ugroženo (Mansoor i sur., 2015). Način suočavanja zatvorenika sa stresom važan je čimbenik kada se ispituju efekti zatvorskog okruženja na njihovo mentalno zdravlje (Gullone i sur., 2000). Cilj ovog rada jest ispitati odnos suočavanja zatvorenika sa stresom i njihovog mentalnog zdravlja u okviru zdravstvene teorije suočavanja (Stallman, 2020). Istraživanje je provedeno na uzroku od N=125 zatvorenika muškog spola koji su se nalazili na Odjelu za dijagnostiku Centra za dijagnostiku u Zagrebu (M=40.08; SD=11.97). Primijenjena je Višedimenzionalna skala suočavanja (Duhachek, 2005) te DASS-21 (Lovibond i Lovibond, 1995). Također se zamolilo sudionike da ocijene intenzitet emocija koje su doživjeli u proteklom tjednu. Rezultati su pokazali kako samo nezdrave strategije suočavanja značajno doprinose objašnjenju anksioznosti zatvorenika, dok i zdrave i nezdrave strategije doprinose objašnjenju depresije kod zatvorenika. Rezultati nisu potvrdili pretpostavku teorije prema kojoj je učestalost korištenja strategija suočavanja sa stresom negativno povezana s intenzitetom doživljenih neugodnih emocija. Rezultati su raspravljeni u odnosu na kontekst zdravstvene teorije suočavanja te je razmatrana i njihova praktična primjenjivost.
Cilj ovog rada bio je konstruirati višedimenzionalnu skalu podložnosti vršnjačkom pritisku te utvrditi razlikuje li konstruirana skala adolescente s obzirom na spol i razred.U istraživanju je ...sudjelovalo 217 učenika prvih, drugih i trećih razreda srednjih škola u Zagrebu. Uzorak čini 66% djevojčica i 34% dječaka u dobi od 15 do 18 godina starosti.Područja vršnjačkog pritiska i skupina potencijalnih čestica za skalu definirani su na temelju Brownove i Clasenove (1985.) konceptualizacije vršnjačkog pritiska prema kojoj se vršnjački pritisak javlja u pet područja života adolescenata te razultata fokusnih grupa s adolescentima. Redukcija čestica provedena je s obzirom na raspršenja rezultata za svaku česticu, rezultate faktorskih analiza za svako od pet područja vršnjačkog pritiska, korelacije među česticama i korelacije čestica s ukupnim rezultatom te rezultata faktorske analize cijele skale.Konstruirana skala podložnosti vršnjačkom pritisku sastoji se od 22 čestice koje se raspoređuju u pet faktora (1. odnosi s vršnjacima, 2. fizički izgled, 3. odnosi s roditeljima, 4. rizična ponašanja i 5. ponašanje u školi) te se može zaključiti kako pokazuje zadovoljavajuću faktorsku strukturu i unutarnju konzistenciju. Rezultati ovog istraživanja pokazali su kako su dječaci, u odnosu na djevojčice, podložniji vršnjačkom pritisku u području rizičnih ponašanja, no nema razlike u podložnosti vršnjačkom pritisku s obzirom na razred koji adolescenti pohađaju.
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