'You Treated Me Like an Object, I Don't Forgive You!': The Effect of Dehumanization on Interpersonal Forgiveness from the Victim's Perspective

Introduction. There is a gap in the literature on the impact of the perceptions of a victim of an offense upon their forgiveness towards the offender, particularly when those perceptions include dehumanization. Objectives. The present cross-sectional exploratory study aimed at examining whether the perceptions of being treated in a dehumanized fashion influences interpersonal forgiveness, avoidance, and revenge intentions of dehumanized victims towards the offender. Method. We recruited 149 individuals from the general population, who took part in an online task, consisting of remembering an offense they had been victim of and of a set of self-reported measures of dehumanization (uniqueness and nature), interpersonal forgiveness, avoidance, and revenge intentions. We used multiple linear regression to test the study’s hypotheses. Results. The perceived denial of the victims’ human uniqueness was not associated with the dependent variables, whereas the perceived denial of the victims’ human nature was significantly and negatively associated with interpersonal forgiveness and positively with avoidance and revenge intentions, after controlling for the effects of a set of known covariates. Conclusions. The results revealed a role for dehumanization (nature) in predicting the victims’ interpersonal forgiveness, avoidance, and revenge intentions. Implications for further research are discussed

The Italian version of the Wong-Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS-I): a second-order factor analysis

The Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS) is a 16-item self-report measure of emotional intelligence, based on the revised model by Mayer and Salovey. The scale measures four dimensions: Self-Emotional Appraisal, Others' Emotion Appraisal, Use Of Emotion, Regulation Of Emotions, loading onto a higher-order emotional intelligence factor. The WLEIS has been translated and validated in several cultural contexts, but to date there is no Italian translation, and no studies investigated its factor structure in the Italian community. This study aimed at translating the WLEIS in Italian, analysing its psychometric properties in Italian adults from the community, and testing the fit between the data and the original model by Wong and Law. We also tested correlations between WLEIS and measures of the Big Five personality factors and attachment. We found that the scale was internally consistent, and the second-order factor solution fit the data well. We also found significant positive correlations with agreeableness, extraversion, and perception of the self and the others, and negative correlation with neuroticism. These results represent a preliminary attempt to study the application of the WLEIS in Italian community settings, with implications for assessment and intervention to enhance the subjective and psychological well-being of individuals

The COVID-19 Own Risk Appraisal Scale (CORAS): development and validation in two samples from the United Kingdom

Perceived risk is an important determinant of the adoption of preventive behaviours. In this article, the psychometric properties of the COVID-19 Own Risk Appraisal Scale (CORAS), including its development and validation in two samples in the United Kingdom, are described. The CORAS is a measure of perceived personal risk of contracting the disease, incorporating primarily intuitive with some analytic risk estimates. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed on data from 470 participants in the United Kingdom who completed the CORAS, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale and the COVID-19 Preventive Behaviours Index. Results showed that a unidimensional, six-item model fits the data well, with satisfactory fit indices, internal consistency and high item loadings onto the factor. We found no statistically significant differences by age, gender or ethnicity. The CORAS correlated positively with the Fear of COVID-19 Scale and the COVID-19 Preventive Behaviours Index, suggesting good concurrent validity

COVID-19 fear, post-traumatic stress, growth, and the role of resilience

Understanding the factors through which pandemic fear may be associated not just with distress, but also with growth outcomes is crucial to informing interventions across population groups and cultural settings. To achieve this aim, in a cross-sectional study, we examined the relationship between the fear of COVID-19, post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth while assessing the moderating role of trait resilience. Findings showed that fear of COVID-19 was associated with both stress and growth outcomes and that resilience was a significant moderator of these effects. Specifically, trait resilience acted as a buffer against post-traumatic stress and as a booster factor for appreciation for life. Given the imbalance between needs and resources in times of global pandemic, interventions promoting psychological wellbeing should leverage existing resources and consider psychological resilience as a valuable target to protect against negative and optimise positive outcomes

The Interpersonal Dimension of Pandemic Fear and the Dual-Factor Model of Mental Health: The Role of Coping Strategies

(1) Background: Current COVID-19 research has mainly focused on negative outcomes associated with fear of the pandemic with the examination of potentially positive outcomes remaining underexplored. Based on the dual-factor model of mental health, which postulates positive and negative dimensions, we assessed the influence of COVID-19 fear on both negative and positive mental health outcomes and examined the mediational role of coping strategies. (2) Methods: A convenience sample of 231 respondents participated in an online survey reporting on measures of pandemic fear (SFS), distress (HADS), post-traumatic growth (PTGI) and individual differences in terms of coping strategies (CSI-SF). (3) Results: Respondents’ main concerns related with the pandemic highlighted the interpersonal and social dimensions implicated in fear of COVID-19. As expected, fear of the pandemic was associated not just with negative but also positive outcomes, while different coping strategies played a role in determining such effects. More specifically, disengagement coping mediated the effects of fear on anxiety and depression, whereas engagement coping was the only mediator of the relationship between COVID-19 fear and post-traumatic growth. (4) Conclusions: Approaches to promote psychological wellbeing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic should on the one hand be sensitive to the needs of the more vulnerable population groups, while on the other leverage existing resources to harness the potential for growth. Strengthening engagement coping in the context of fears triggered by the pandemic may constitute a valuable target to protect against negative and optimize positive mental health outcomes in the general population

Specific mindfulness traits protect against negative effects of trait anxiety on medical student wellbeing during high-pressure periods

Medical education is highly demanding and evidence shows that medical students are three times more susceptible to deteriorating physical and mental health than the average college student. While trait anxiety may further increase such risk, little is known about the role of trait mindfulness in mitigating these effects. Here we examine the protective role of specific mindfulness facets as mediators in pathways from trait anxiety to perceived stress, psychosomatic burden and sleep-wake quality in medical students, across repeated measurements throughout the first trimester of the school year. Preclinical medical students enrolled in the second year of the Medical School of University of Bologna completed self-report questionnaires examining personality traits as well as physical and psychological wellbeing. Data were collected at the beginning (Time 1: N = 349) and the end of the first trimester (Time 2: N = 305). As students approached the end of the trimester and upcoming exams, reported levels of perceived stress, psychosomatic problems and difficulties in wakefulness increased significantly compared to the beginning of the trimester. Mediation results showed that trait anxiety predicted such outcomes whereas the protective role of mindfulness facets in mitigating these effects was significant only at Time 2. Specific facets of Nonjudging of inner experience and Acting with awareness proved to be the most effective mediators. Findings highlight that the beneficial role of mindfulness facets in mitigating negative consequences of trait anxiety on medical student wellbeing is revealed in high-pressure periods and when self-regulation is needed the most. Cultivating awareness and nonjudgmental acceptance of one’s inner experiences is a crucial self-regulation resource that can help medical students sustain their wellbeing as they learn and throughout their high-pressure education and professional careers

Individual differences in interpersonal security predict suicidal ideation and problem gambling

Suicidality and problem gambling represent global health issues. Based on evidence from recent literature, the aim of the present study was to test a theoretical model, in which: (1) Emotional Intelligence and Self and Other Representations of adult attachment combine into a latent factor representing Interpersonal Security; (2) Interpersonal Security negatively predicts Problem Gambling and Suicidal Ideation, respectively; (3) Problem Gambling positively predicts Suicidal Ideation. We used Structural Equation Modelling to test the study hypotheses. The model showed good fit to the data. Factor loadings were high and statistically significant. We found that the hypothesis of Emotional Intelligence and Self and Other Representations combining into a common factor, Interpersonal Security, is empirically supported. The joint effect of Interpersonal Security and Problem Gambling explains about the 63% of variance of Suicidal ideation. The path from Interpersonal Security to Suicidal Ideation is significant and high, whilst the path from Problem Gambling to Suicidal Ideation is not significant. Interpersonal Security explains about 16% of the variance of Problem Gambling. These results outline an integrated model of Suicidal Ideation and Problem Gambling in the community from an interpersonal-psychological perspective, with important implications for researchers, mental health practitioners, and policymakers

Exploring the meanings of community multimedia centers in Mozambique: a social representation perspective

This article presents extensive research conducted in Mozambique that aims to deeply understand how different social groups understand community multimedia centers (CMCs), which are structures combining a community radio and a telecenter. The social representations theory was adopted to interpret narratives of 231 interviewees from 10 Mozambican provinces. Interviewees included representatives of initiating agencies, local staff members, CMC users (both the radio and telecenter components), users of only the community radio, and community members not using the CMCs. Following the analysis of transcribed interviews, six main clusters were identified, each of them shedding light on a specific understanding of a CMC. These are discussed according to a set of sociodemographic variables. This study suggests that the social representations theory is a valuable framework to provide an integrated view of ICT4D interventions by giving a voice to local perspectives without overlooking the initiating agencies' expectations

Unfolding political attitudes through the face: facial expressions when reading emotion language of left- and right-wing political leaders

Spontaneous emotionally congruent facial responses (ECFR) to others\u2019 emotional expressions can occur by simply observing others\u2019 faces (i.e., smiling) or by reading emotion related words (i.e., to smile). The goal of the present study was to examine whether language describing political leaders\u2019 emotions affects voters by inducing emotionally congruent facial reactions as a function of readers\u2019 and politicians\u2019 shared political orientation. Participants read sentences describing politicians\u2019 emotional expressions, while their facial muscle activation was measured by means of electromyography (EMG). Results showed that reading sentences describing left and right-wing politicians \u201csmiling\u201d or \u201cfrowning\u201d elicits ECFR for ingroup but not outgroup members. Remarkably, ECFR were sensitive to attitudes toward individual leaders beyond the ingroup vs. outgroup political divide. Through integrating behavioral and physiological methods we were able to consistently tap on a \u2018favored political leader effect\u2019 thus capturing political attitudes towards an individual politician at a given moment of time, at multiple levels (explicit responses and automatic ECFR) and across political party membership lines. Our findings highlight the role of verbal behavior of politicians in affecting voters\u2019 facial expressions with important implications for social judgment and behavioral outcomes