A comparative study of relationship satisfaction in dating and friends with benefits among emerging adults

Recent shifts in romantic relationship dynamics among emerging adults have contributed to the increasing prevalence of diverse relationship forms,  including dating relationships and friends with benefits (FWB). Examining how these relationship structures relate to relationship satisfaction is essential for understanding contemporary romantic experiences. This study aimed to compare levels of relationship satisfaction between individuals engaged in dating relationships and those involved in FWB relationships. Employing a quantitative comparative design with a non-equivalent group approach,  data were collected from 136 emerging adults aged 20-25 years through an online survey utilizing the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS) developed by Hendrick. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling,  and group differences were examined using an independent samples t-test. The results revealed a significant difference in relationship satisfaction,  with individuals in dating relationships reporting higher satisfaction levels than those in FWB relationships (p < .05). These findings highlight the critical role of emotional intimacy and commitment in fostering satisfying romantic relationships. The study contributes theoretically by extending the understanding of non-traditional relationship dynamics within the Indonesian cultural context and offers practical implications for counselors,  sex educators,  and developmental psychologists in supporting emerging adults’ navigation of romantic relationships

The influence of father involvement on academic resilience among late adolescents in Padang city

Academic resilience is a critical capacity that enables adolescents to cope with academic challenges and sustain performance under pressure. Grounded in Social Support Theory, this study examines the association between father involvement and academic resilience among late adolescents. A total of 385 participants aged 16–18 years (78.7% female) completed validated measures of father involvement and academic resilience. Data were analyzed using simple linear regression. The findings revealed a significant positive association between father involvement and academic resilience (R = .637, R² = .405, F = 261.0, p < .001), indicating that higher levels of father involvement are associated with greater academic resilience. These results underscore the role of fathers as a salient source of social support that may enhance adolescents’ capacity to cope with academic demands. This study extends prior literature by highlighting the specific contribution of father involvement, rather than general parental support, within a non-Western adolescent context. Practically, the findings emphasize the importance of promoting father engagement in adolescents’ academic lives through family- and school-based initiatives to foster adaptive academic functioning

Doomscrolling and mental well-being among university students: A qualitative study of late-night digital behavior

Doomscrolling has evolved beyond a mere habit into a significant maladaptive behavior that systematically erodes the mental well-being of university students. This study explores the nexus between late-night compulsive content consumption and the degradation of psychological health. Employing a qualitative approach, the research focuses on seven purposively selected informants exhibiting extreme device usage (>5 hours/day). This sample size was intentionally curated to achieve phenomenological depth and data saturation, ensuring a rich, granular understanding of the digital experience that large-scale surveys often overlook. Data were gathered through participant observation and in-depth interviews, subsequently analyzed using thematic coding to identify recurring behavioral patterns. The findings reveal that informants spend 3 to 5 hours nightly in a "doomscrolling loop," driven by information anxiety and social pressure (oversharing). Rather than providing a digital escape, this activity consistently delays sleep, triggering emotional exhaustion and a sharp decline in morning cognitive focus. Critically, this study proves that doomscrolling serves as a failed coping mechanism that disrupts time management and psychological stability. These findings contribute to the global discourse on digital mental health by highlighting the urgent need for mindfulness-based digital literacy interventions to help students navigate the demands of a hyper-connected academic environment

The influence of psychological empowerment on work engagement of civil servant employees in Padang city

Work engagement is a critical factor in enhancing employee performance, particularly in the public sector where service quality is a primary priority. However, maintaining high levels of work engagement remains a challenge, especially within bureaucratic organizational contexts. Drawing on the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) Theory, psychological empowerment can be understood as a key personal resource that fosters employee motivation and engagement. This study aims to examine the effect of psychological empowerment on work engagement among public sector employees. A quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design was employed. Data were collected from 340 civil servants using purposive sampling techniques. Data analysis was conducted using simple linear regression. The results indicate that psychological empowerment significantly predicts work engagement (p < .001). The coefficient of determination (R² = .282) suggests that psychological empowerment accounts for 28.2% of the variance in work engagement. These findings highlight the important role of psychological empowerment as a personal resource in enhancing employee engagement, particularly within public sector organizations. Theoretically, this study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence from an emerging economy context and underscores the importance of strengthening psychological empowerment to foster higher levels of work engagement

Psychological experiences of gratitude among dual role, lower middle income mothers in Sukoharjo: A phenomenological study

This study explores the essence of gratitude as a psychospiritual coping mechanism among dual-role mothers working in labor-intensive industrial sectors. A key gap in the existing literature lies in the dominance of Western positive psychology perspectives, which tend to be secular and individualistic, thereby overlooking the transcendental dimension in coping processes. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of studies that specifically position gratitude as a coping system for working mothers with dual burdens in religious contexts within the Global South. Employing a Husserlian descriptive phenomenological design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with three working mothers in Sukoharjo Regency. The findings reveal that gratitude functions as a dynamic and integrated coping system through three primary dimensions: (1) syukr qalbi as an emotional shield through acceptance of divine decree (qana’ah); (2) syukr amali, which sacralizes work-related burdens as acts of worship; and (3) syukr lisani as a form of verbal emotion regulation. Theoretically, this study contributes to Islamic psychology by integrating Al-Ghazali’s concept of gratitude into contemporary coping theory through a transcendental meaning-making mechanism. Practically and academically, these findings provide a foundation for developing culturally grounded mental health interventions and offer a novel perspective for cross-cultural psychology on how spiritual values can mitigate the impact of role conflict amid economic challenges

Fear of intimacy in young adults from divorced families: a systematic review within attachment and family systems perspectives

This literature review examines the development of research on fear of intimacy among young adults from divorced families within the framework of attachment theory and a family systems perspective. Although prior studies have investigated the impact of parental divorce on children’s psychological adjustment, there remains a limited understanding of the intrapersonal and relational mechanisms underlying the emergence of fear of intimacy in early adulthood. This review synthesizes findings from 18 peer-reviewed studies published between 2016 and 2025. The main themes identified include behavioral indicators of fear of intimacy (cognitive, emotional, and social), intrapersonal factors influencing fear of intimacy, and gender differences in its intensity and expression. The synthesis reveals that fear of intimacy is a multidimensional construct shaped by negative relational schemas, emotion regulation processes, insecure attachment patterns, and individuals’ capacity for self-acceptance and self-worth. This review highlights prevailing methodological trends dominated by correlational quantitative designs, theoretical contributions in integrating attachment theory and family systems perspectives, and practical implications for psychological interventions targeting young adults from divorced families. These findings provide a foundation for future research in the domains of interpersonal relationships and mental health in early adulthood

Enhancing critical thinking and soft skills in generation z psychology students through project-based learning: Evidence from a board game intervention

Generation Z students are characterized by impatience, fear of missing out (FOMO), low tolerance for conventional learning methods, and difficulties in collaboration during conflict situations. This study aims to implement a Project-Based Learning (PjBL) design for first-semester Psychology students at UPI in the History and Schools of Psychology course, with the goal of enhancing critical thinking through Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) and developing soft skills. The research employed a mixed methodology combining action research with a single-group pretest–posttest experimental design. Students were tasked with creating board games based on psychological theorists. Evaluation and reflection were conducted periodically by both instructors and students, with instructors providing three formal review sessions. Results indicate that PjBL significantly improves HOTS, leading to enhanced learning outcomes. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences (p < .001) across Review 1, Review 2, and Final Review scores. Qualitative coding of student reflections further demonstrated notable improvements in soft skills, particularly in managing personal and group conflicts. These findings suggest that PjBL is an effective pedagogical strategy for fostering critical thinking and collaborative competencies among Generation Z learners

The mediating role of academic stress on the effects of self-regulated learning and smartphone addiction on academic procrastination

Self-regulated learning is typically conceptualized as a protective factor against academic procrastination. However, its role may be more complex in high-demand academic contexts such as undergraduate thesis completion. This study investigated the direct and indirect effects of self-regulated learning and smartphone addiction on academic procrastination, with academic stress as a mediator, thereby integrating three constructs that have rarely been examined within a single model among final-year students. A cross-sectional design was applied to a purposive sample of 315 final-year undergraduate students in the Greater Jakarta area. Participants completed the Tuckman Procrastination Scale (TPS), the College Student Self-Regulated Learning Scale, the Smartphone Addiction Inventory, and the Academic Stress Inventory (ASI). Path analysis was conducted to test the hypothesized relationships. Contrary to conventional assumptions, self-regulated learning showed a significant positive association with academic procrastination (β = .206), suggesting that heightened self-regulation may co-occur with maladaptive processes such as perfectionism and overplanning. Moreover, self-regulated learning exerted a significant indirect effect on procrastination through academic stress (β = −.213). Smartphone addiction was also positively associated with academic procrastination (β = .172), but this effect was not mediated by academic stress. These findings refine theoretical accounts of self-regulated learning by highlighting its context-dependent effects and underscore the distinct role of smartphone addiction in academic procrastination

Analysis of the influence of conscientiousness, personality traits, and dyadic communication on decision-making among women of reproductive age in contraceptive use

Contraceptive decision-making is a complex process influenced by an interplay of psychological characteristics and interpersonal dynamics.  which may contribute to dissatisfaction and discontinuation among users. This study examined the effects of conscientiousness as a personality trait and dyadic communication on the quality of contraceptive decision-making among women of reproductive age. A cross-sectional study design was employed.  involving 186 married women aged 20–50 years who were current contraceptive users.  recruited through purposive sampling. Data were collected using the Big Five Personality Scale (α = 0.82).  the Dyadic Communication Scale (α = 0.89).  and the Decision-Making Scale (α = 0.87). Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that conscientiousness (β = 0.563.  p < 0.001) and dyadic communication (β = 0.358.  p < 0.001) were significant predictors of decision-making quality.  collectively accounting for 79.2% of the variance (R² = 0.792). In addition.  significant differences in decision-making quality were identified across age groups.  educational levels.  contraceptive methods.  and employment status. These findings underscore the importance of integrating psychological traits and partner communication into contraceptive counseling strategies to improve informed and satisfactory decision-making among women of reproductive age

Community empowerment for poverty alleviation through social entrepreneurship based on an ecological framework

This study is rooted in the issue of poverty, which has the potential to incite conflicts. In response to this, the research aims to explore social entrepreneurship as a tool for community empowerment to alleviate poverty and prevent conflicts. The research adopts a qualitative approach with a phenomenological design. The participants include village heads, leaders of cooperatives, tourism awareness groups, ecotourism managers, youth organization members, representatives of the village consultative body, cooperative administrators, managers of village-owned enterprises, neighborhood leaders, and village heads. These participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews, and the data analysis employed thematic analysis, with member checking used to ensure validity. The findings indicate that social entrepreneurship through ecotourism business units, underpinned by an ecological framework, has been successful in fostering contributions from individuals, microsystems, organizations, local communities, and the macrosystem. This approach to empowerment has proven effective in reducing poverty and preventing conflicts