A network analysis of adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury from the perspective of an invalidating family environment.

HighlightsWhat are the main findings?Community belonging is independently associated with better elderly health as a direct psychosocial correlate and is not mediated by healthcare service satisfaction; perceived capital–provincial spatial inequality is independently and negatively associated with elderly health.The health correlates of the Young-Old (aged 60–69) and Old-Old (aged 70+) diverge sharply: psychological belonging matters for the younger elderly, while face-to-face neighbor communication and spatial inequality perception are significant exclusively among the oldest elderly.What are the implications of the main findings?Korea’s Integrated Community Care Act, scheduled for nationwide rollout in 2026, should adopt an age-differentiated design—prioritizing psychological community attachment for the Young-Old and material conditions of face-to-face social contact for the Old-Old.Addressing the health costs of perceived regional marginalization requires interventions beyond healthcare service improvement, including visible central government commitment to provincial communities and residential continuity protections for aging in place.Background/Objectives: South Korea became a super-aged society in 2024, and this demographic shift is unfolding alongside the depopulation of rural municipalities across the country. How spatial inequality and community social capital jointly relate to elderly health—and whether those relationships look different for younger versus older elderly—remains an open question. We investigated associations between two dimensions of community social capital (sense of belonging and neighbor communication), subjective perception of capital–provincial inequality, and self-rated health among Korean elderly, with separate analyses for the Young-Old (aged 60–69) and Old-Old (aged 70+). Methods: We used the 2024 Social Integration Survey from the Korea Institute of Public Administration (full sample N = 2588; elderly subsample N = 1020). Random intercept hierarchical linear models accounted for the nesting of individuals within 17 metropolitan cities and provinces. Stepwise models examined social capital antecedents, a healthcare satisfaction indirect association pathway, and the direct association of spatial inequality perception with health. The elderly subsample was stratified into Young-Old (N = 289) and Old-Old (N = 731). A mixed-effects ordered logistic regression with Liang–Zeger cluster-robust standard errors was estimated as a robustness check. Results: Sense of belonging was positively associated with subjective health among the elderly (B = 0.065, p < 0.05) as a net of rurality and socioeconomic controls. Perceived spatial inequality showed a negative association (B = −0.070, p < 0.05). The indirect association pathway through healthcare satisfaction was not supported (Sobel Z = −1.458, p = 0.144). Age-stratified models revealed a striking split: belonging was the dominant predictor for the Young-Old (B = 0.149, p < 0.01), while neighbor communication (B = 0.078, p < 0.05) and spatial inequality perception (B = −0.092, p < 0.01) were significant only among the Old-Old. The ordered logistic robustness check confirmed the negative association of perceived spatial inequality across all specifications. Conclusions: What predicts health in the younger elderly is not what predicts health in the older elderly. Korea’s Integrated Community Care Act, set for nationwide rollout in 2026, should account for this divergence—prioritizing psychological community attachment for the Young-Old and face-to-face social contact combined with regional equity for the Old-Old.

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) methodologies align closely with the field of community psychology. System dynamics group model building (SD GMB) represents a CBPR-grounded approach that is centered on collaborating with stakeholders to develop a shared understanding of the dynamic complexity of a community problem, represented as a system dynamics (SD) model, and identifying potential solutions. Much is still unknown regarding the value of SD GMB for improving systems thinking capacity among community stakeholders. Therefore, this study evaluates systems thinking capacity among 32 stakeholders who participated in SD GMB workshops from two recent studies. Stakeholders completed a baseline survey before the first SD GMB workshop session and a final evaluation survey following the last session. This survey included a validated systems thinking scale (Dolansky et al., 2020) and a “systems thinking knowledge quiz” (only administered during the baseline survey) developed by the research team to assess stakeholder knowledge of key concepts. Among all stakeholders, the average systems thinking quiz score was nearly 45%, and knowledge quiz scores were higher among stakeholders who were older in age, had lived experience, were in healthcare provider or academic researcher/data professional roles, represented the nonprofit or grassroots sectors, reported prior experience with SD GMB, or did not attend the pre-session orientation. Overall, stakeholders’ pretest scores and post-test scores did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference; however, increases in systems thinking mean scores were observed among stakeholders who were younger in age, had lived experience, were in community-based nonprofit staff roles, represented nonprofit or grassroots organizations, did not have prior SD GMB experience, or did not attend orientation. These findings underscore the importance of adopting a more differentiated and context-sensitive approach to evaluating SD GMB interventions. Future research should further explore how participatory modeling fosters systems thinking capacity across different stakeholder groups.

This work explores civic engagement in Ukraine in 2022 soon after the full-scale Russian invasion. We collected responses from 998 Ukrainian citizens to understand their perspectives on civil society in the first year of the invasion, and more importantly, what motivated them to potentially act. Empirical findings support the relevance of psychological experiences of community as motivators in crisis management settings, that experiencing community can lead to prosocial behavior at various “levels” (macro, meso, micro) in the face of a national crisis, and that these experiences may be the building blocks of the development of a more formal civil society. This work helps integrate the literatures in community psychology and civil society, and also provides a mechanism for understanding the path from psychological experiences of community to individual action, informal networks, and formal organizing.

This article examines protests in a detention center in Melilla, Spain-a site where structural violence intersects with the everyday harms of confinement. Adopting a justice and dignity-centered perspective, we analyze grassroots forms of resistance emerging at the border. The study focuses on the protests of Tunisian migrants and explores the role of emotions under specific conditions of oppression. Grounded in theories of affective injustice and in dialogue with community psychology scholarship on detention and resistance, we expose the emotional harms produced by confinement and the affective capacities that enable detainees to manifest their agency. In particular, we highlight the transformative potential of restorative anger. When collectively recognized, anger created a cross-border community between Spain and Tunisia-one in which each act of resistance built upon the next, in a chain reaction that challenged the logic of nation-states and border regimes. These findings advance our understanding of how affective border harms operate, while demonstrating that emotions can mobilize communities that transcend borders and structural hierarchies. We conclude by emphasizing the emotional dynamics of detention and their capacity to foster justice and liberation, and reflect on community psychology's potential to generate critical knowledge on border detention.

In Canada, precarious migration is largely invisibilized. Nonetheless, b/ordering greatly affects people's realities by limiting access to social rights. In Quebec, migrants with precarious status (MPS) do not have access to healthcare, although Quebec has a "universal" healthcare coverage. In this study, we were interested in (1) documenting the reality of care workers working with MPS, and (2) analyzing it through the lens of b/ordering. Between September 2022 and May 2024, we conducted participatory research with our partner Doctors of the World. In a three-step process (1) interviews, (2) observations, and (3) workshops, we explored care workers' experiences, challenges, and strategies. Our analysis revealed: (1) impacts of restrictive policies on MPS material and social lives, (2) impacts of these policies on care workers' work environment, social life, and well-being, and (3) care workers' strategies to resist b/ordering and to find meaning to their engagement. In this article, we argue that b/ordering is at play for care workers who find themselves in position of (re)affirming border control, disrupting it, or creating new forms of borders. We discuss community psychologists' role to support migrants' justice in the context of an increasing use of b/ordering by state institutions.

The Psychological Professions Network (PPN, 2024) guidelines for crisis services emphasise psychologically informed training for all staff, delivery of psychosocial interventions by trained multidisciplinary clinicians, and access to evidence-based interventions by psychological professionals. Crisis services across the UK vary considerably, with some universal teams supporting all adults regardless of age, while others recognise the distinct and complex needs of older people. In Northumberland, crisis services are delivered via separate working-age and older people’s teams. Although the working-age team benefits from integrated clinical psychology provision, the older people’s crisis team currently lacks dedicated psychological input. In the absence of dedicated funding, a pilot initiative was developed in collaboration with the Older Person’s Psychology Community Team. This involved CBT-informed training delivered over nine months, alongside monthly group supervision to support skill development and provide a restorative reflective space. Self-report questionnaires completed pre- and post-training indicated statistically significant improvements in clinicians’ reported knowledge, confidence, and application of CBT principles. Qualitative feedback highlighted the value of case-based learning, theory-practice integration, and restorative supervision. These findings suggest that, even in the absence of dedicated funding, structured psychological skills-based training and supervision can enhance workforce capability and provide essential restorative support within older people’s crisis services.

Abstract This study explores education’s role in civic life through the lens of political socialization among Cambodian youth, specifically focusing on the learning experience and community involvement as mediating factors. By moving beyond the instrumental views of education as contributing to the formation of human capital, the study views education as civic infrastructure that promotes political motivation, efficacy, and participation. Utilizing interdisciplinary scholarship in education, political science, and community psychology, the paper argues that active community-based learning experiences are more likely to produce civic learners than traditional learning methods. Additionally, the study argues that community support strengthens the civic purpose of education, despite structural inequities that persist in over-determining participation by gender, class, geography, and socio-economic factors. With the Cambodian example, the study illustrates the arguments in the context of larger debates within Southeast Asia and the Global South, thereby contributing to the theory and policy discourse on the intersections of inclusive education and youth empowerment, and the strengthening of democratic gaps. The study stresses the need to enhance the linkages between education and communities to cultivate inclusive and sustainable civic futures.

Although research has linked adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and repetitive negative thinking (RNT) to the etiology of major depressive disorder (MDD), little differentiation between how ACE type relates to RNT has been carried out, nor is it known how RNT specifically impacts depression severity for those with MDD and ACEs. This study sought to determine how abuse ACEs interact with RNT compared to non-abuse ACEs and to test how RNT associates with depression severity for individuals with MDD and ACEs. Data were collected from 249 treatment-seeking adults with ACEs (72.29% female; mean age=26.01, SD=8.15) who attended a community psychology clinic. Mann-Whitney-U Tests were used to test how abuse ACEs interacted with endorsed RNT than those with non-abuse ACEs. Linear regressions were used to test if RNT was associated with MDD severity. Partial least squares analysis determined the individual predictive value of ACEs to depression severity. Abuse ACEs were associated with higher RNT than neglect or household dysfunction ACEs (U=8498, p=0.014, r=0.16). Additionally, RNT was positively correlated with depression severity for those with MDD and ACEs (β=0.11, t(67)=3.74, p<0.001). This study demonstrates the differential role of ACE type in influencing depression severity, indicating that abuse ACEs are more highly related to RNT than other ACEs. These results have implications on how MDD interventions can be applied for those exposed to ACEs, particularly for those who have experienced abuse ACEs.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the feasibility and potential effectiveness of a structured psychoeducational group program aimed at enhancing resilience and reducing burnout among primary healthcare workers.DesignA single-arm pre–post implementation study conducted between September 2022 and February 2024. Trial registration at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05720429.Site81 primary care centers of the Catalan Health Institute.ParticipantsPrimary care professionals from all occupational profiles were eligible.InterventionsA 11-session program, delivered by community psychologists, combined psychoeducational content, interactive activities, and relaxation techniques.Main measurementsOutcomes were measured before and immediately after the intervention using the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale and the burnout subscale of the Professional Quality of Life Scale. Analyses included effect sizes and multivariate models to identify predictors of change.ResultsOf 1419 baseline participants, 387 (87.1% women; median age 47 years) completed both assessments. Resilience increased significantly post-intervention (p = 0.001; effect size = 0.21), with larger gains in men and younger participants. Burnout decreased significantly (p = 0.001; effect size = 0.21), particularly among physicians. Higher baseline secondary traumatic stress predicted greater burnout reduction. Program overall assessment, feasibility and satisfaction were high.ConclusionsThis psychoeducational group intervention was feasible, well-received, and associated with modest but significant improvements in resilience and burnout. Targeted benefits were observed for specific subgroups, suggesting value in tailoring content to professional role and baseline emotional burden.

Digital platforms became central to institutional participation during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet little is known about how participants experience digitally mediated decision-making processes and which conditions foster high-quality deliberation. Guided by an ecological perspective from community psychology, this study examined university staff’s experiences with platform-based participation, focusing on the relationship between online participation practices, digital empowerment, and perceived deliberative quality. In November 2021, faculty and technical/administrative staff at an Italian university (N = 673) completed an online questionnaire assessing platform use (Microsoft Teams), participation practices, perceived benefits and limitations of digital platforms, digital empowerment, and deliberative quality (critical awareness and engagement). Exploratory factor analyses supported multidimensional measures of platform perceptions and deliberative quality. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that interaction rules and perceived improvements in participation processes were the strongest predictors of deliberative quality. Platform benefits related to participatory quality were positively associated with both outcomes, while efficiency-related benefits showed a small negative association with critical awareness. Digital empowerment uniquely predicted deliberative engagement above and beyond participation practices. Overall, results suggest that deliberative quality in digital institutional settings depends more on structured interaction and empowerment-supportive conditions than on platform use frequency, with implications for designing sustainable online and hybrid participatory processes.

Drawing on training in art therapy and community psychology, this article explores Black land-based healing practices like gardening, culinary rituals, tending, and storytelling as generative forms of art therapy and community care. Using narrative inquiry and arts-based methods, it positions the garden and kitchen as intergenerational archives shaped by memory, care, and cultural survival. Grounded in Black feminist ethics and ecological justice, this work challenges individualistic models of wellness. By integrating interspecies care and Afrofuturist eco-ethics, it expands art therapy into a liberatory, relational, and culturally rooted practice that honors more-than-human entanglements.

AimHealth service usage for eating disorders (EDs) has increased substantially; however, many tertiary hospitals lack resources for specialist ED services. Evidence-based guidelines outline ED management approaches for acute medical stabilisation in non-specialised services, including protocols for care across key disciplines (psychiatry, medicine and dietetics). The study aim was to evaluate collaboration of care within an Australian tertiary hospital following an eating disorder Inpatient Access and Treatment Pathway (IATP).MethodsThis retrospective cohort study reviewed 40 patients admitted with an ED diagnosis pre- (2019) and post- (2022) implementation of the IATP. The electronic medical record was utilised to gather patient demographics and health outcomes, and organisation of care (multidisciplinary team meetings, discharge planning).ResultsFollowing the implementation of the IATP, there was a 40% (p = .01) increase in appropriate discharge planning, classified as ED service referral or suitable community dietetic, medical and psychology follow-up. There was a significant increase in the Care Adherence Score (p = .004) which quantified organisation of care, utilising four key dichotomous variables. There was also a significant an increase in starting energy prescription (5900KJ vs 4480KJ, p = .046).ConclusionsA local IATP supported a significant increase in multidisciplinary collaboration and care adherence, appropriate discharge planning and starting energy provision.

ABSTRACT Disentangling the colonial residues that structure contemporary mental health is a central task for community psychology. Beyond postures of critique, the field requires generative, praxis‐based exemplars. This article presents a practice‐based analysis of the Ancestral Institute (AI) as a project of epistemic reconstruction: a community‐led effort to assemble a coherent psychological framework from Indigenous and diasporic foundations. Tracing AI's evolution (2022–2025), we detail a shift from decolonizing the content of mental health discourse to decolonizing the forms of knowledge exchange. This progression is mapped through AI's expansion from the Caribbean (Puerto Rico) into Central America (Belize), where community‐led governance further refined the framework. We propose Ancestral Systems Praxis (ASP) to name AI's synthesis of ritual, storytelling, and embodied practice that is oriented toward survivance, with core commitments in community psychology and psychosocial care. We also analyse the Wateke, arguing its application as participatory action research functions as both inquiry and praxis. Taken together, these features render AI an adaptable, community‐grounded approach for moving from critical diagnosis to constructive design, with implications for the evaluation of traditional healing systems, culturally anchored psychosocial treatments and policy.

This article introduces "auto-photovoice," a novel self-reflexive extension of photovoice methodology where participant-researchers turn the camera on themselves to explore their personal experiences and observations of a phenomenon. In our exemplar project, students and faculty codesigned and implemented auto-photovoice methodology during a 10-week online community psychology graduate seminar during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine. Our photos addressed the prompt, "What inequities do we experience and witness in well-being related to COVID-19?" The initial analysis of weekly discussions of the photos identified 24 themes regarding COVID-19 impacts, which we later synthesized into four more general themes: (1) systemic social injustices, (2) abuses of power, (3) inequitable access, and (4) differential experiences among workers. As participant-researchers practicing auto-photovoice, we created a sense of community and an empowering pedagogy in our first remote online class during the initial weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a methodology rooted in epistemologies that value reflexive and participatory knowledge creation, auto-photovoice facilitates us working empathically and authentically with communities in projects characterized by epistemic respect and justice.

Community coalitions have the potential to elicit diverse participants' perspectives on complex issues and generate shared commitment to adaptive strategies. Ideally, these approaches have been found effective elsewhere. Despite evidence that leadership plays a generally important role in coalitions, there have been limited prior findings about how leadership may support the use of evidence‐based practices. The purpose of the current study was to assess whether three facets of inclusive leadership—engaging communication, inclusive decision making, and inclusion of community residents—predicted the number, reach, and fidelity of coalitions' evidence‐based practices. The study context was 64 Pennsylvania and Missouri youth substance misuse prevention coalitions. Multiple regressions were used to estimate the lagged effects of communication, inclusive decision making, and inclusion of community residents on the number of evidence‐based practices used, their reach, and fidelity, respectively. Inclusive leadership was positively associated with the number of evidence‐based practices coalitions used and how many parents and youth those programs reached, but not with evidence‐based practice fidelity. Findings from this study indicate that inclusive coalition leadership warrants the time and skills entailed. Community psychologists are well‐suited to support coalitions in this empowering approach to decision making and implementation.

Background/Objectives: Healthcare workers have faced increasing emotional strain driven by organizational constraints, rising workload, and accumulated post-pandemic pressure. To support emotional well-being in primary care professionals, the Catalan Health Institute implemented a large-scale psychoeducational group program in its primary care centers. This study explored its feasibility, acceptability, and the factors shaping real-world implementation from the perspectives of participating professionals and community psychologists who taught it. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted involving five online focus groups held with community psychologists (two groups) and primary care professionals who participated in the program (three groups), selected through purposive sampling. Additional qualitative material was obtained from implementation-related field notes. Session transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05720429). Results: Participants described a context of sustained emotional strain that increased motivation to engage with the program. The sessions were perceived as a valuable protected space for emotional expression, interpersonal connection, and learning self-care strategies. Community psychologists were regarded as key facilitators due to their embedded role and contextual knowledge. However, inconsistent managerial engagement, lack of protected time, competing workloads, and inadequate physical spaces were barriers to successful implementation. Participants proposed strengthening institutional support and offering follow-up sessions to consolidate benefits. Conclusions: The program was positively valued and was perceived to provide individual and team-level benefits. Its sustainability requires stronger organizational commitment and integration into routine practice. Findings underscore the need to complement individual-focused interventions with systemic actions addressing workload, staffing, and organizational culture.

Loneliness is increasingly recognized as a major determinant of health rather than a transient emotional experience. Extensive evidence links chronic loneliness to adverse physical and mental health outcomes and increased healthcare utilization. Despite growing policy attention, loneliness remains inconsistently identified and addressed in healthcare systems, particularly in primary care, where other social determinants of health are increasingly screened. This narrative synthesis aims to advance a biopsychosocial reframing of loneliness as a "vital sign" to reflect a clinically relevant, measurable, and actionable health metric that can be feasibly integrated into primary care workflows to inform whole-person care, risk stratification, and referral pathways. A literature search of interdisciplinary peer-reviewed manuscripts published between 2010 and 2025 across public health, psychology, gerontology, and translational health sciences. Included sources encompassed epidemiological studies, mechanistic research, and implementation science literature examining loneliness screening and integration within real-world clinical workflows. Results are presented thematically to reflect the manuscript's objective of reframing loneliness as a clinically actionable vital sign. Findings are organized to reflect evidence supporting loneliness as a biopsychosocial health risk; feasibility and validity of brief loneliness screening tools in primary care; and implementation determinants influencing adoption, sustainability, and equity, aligning empirical evidence. Synthesized evidence demonstrates that loneliness influences health through interconnected biopsychosocial pathways shaped by structural inequities and marginalization across the life course. Brief, validated screening tools are feasible for use in time-constrained primary care settings, particularly when embedded into existing workflows. Implementation evidence indicates that electronic health record prompts, brief clinician training, and clear referral pathways enhance feasibility and acceptability, while clinician emotional labor, time pressures, and organizational readiness are key determinants of sustainability. Conceptualizing loneliness as a vital sign offers a translational pathway to normalize assessment, reduce stigma, and integrate social connection into biopsychosocial models of care. Theory-informed implementation strategies are essential to support adoption, equity, and long-term maintenance. This reframing positions primary care as a critical site for early identification and intervention and underscores the central role of health, clinical, and community psychology in advancing whole-person, socially responsive healthcare.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are rapidly evolving and their integration into psychological practices has progressively expanded, offering new tools for diagnosis, treatment and therapeutic monitoring. This review examines the transformative role of AI, particularly Natural Language Processing (NLP) systems, in reshaping clinical psychology and digital mental health interventions (DMHIs). In particular, it explores how AI and NLP can facilitate human-machine interaction in therapy by analysing how language is used within clinical conversations and providing personalized, real-time interventions. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review of literature from 2019 to 2025 identified 17 studies that met inclusion criteria, emphasizing AI's use in psychological assessment and intervention. The review focuses on two key aspects: the functions and applications of NLP-based systems in clinical practice and the advantages and benefits they offer for both psychologists and patients. Findings suggest that NLP-driven AI systems enhance both patient engagement and clinician efficiency, offering scalable, cost-effective solutions that improve access and personalization. However, challenges remain, including ethical concerns around data privacy, lack of standardization, limited generalizability across disorders and reduced human empathy. Moreover, current systems are primarily designed for well-defined conditions like anxiety and depression, with limited applicability to complex or comorbid psychological presentations. This review underscores the importance of supervised, ethically governed AI implementation. While AI holds substantial promise in augmenting clinical psychology, its success depends on maintaining human oversight, ensuring transparency and establishing shared scientific and ethical standards across the psychological community.

Despite the increasing emphasis on residents' prosperity aspirations in rural development initiatives, the lack of a psychometrically sound measure limits comparability and rigor, as existing studies primarily focus on structural and policy factors influencing community prosperity, with insufficient attention to residents' psychological processes and subjective experiences. Drawing on community psychology, this study develops and validates a measure of rural residents' aspirations for common prosperity, integrating personal fulfillment with collective advancement across material and spiritual domains. Employing a three-phase mixed-methods design, Study 1 used in-depth interviews and grounded theory procedures (N = 28) to develop a theoretical model comprising four dimensions: material-individual, material-collective, spiritual-individual, and spiritual-collective. Study 2 generated a 19-item, four-factor scale via exploratory factor analysis and exploratory graph analysis (N = 581). Study 3 confirmed the scale's second-order factor structure and psychometric properties with confirmatory factor analysis (N = 659). The Common Prosperity Aspiration Scale (CPAS) demonstrated strong reliability and validity across its four dimensions and the overarching second-order factor. This pioneering study elucidates the psychological structure of common prosperity aspirations and provides a psychometrically reliable measure for rural contexts. It serves as a valuable tool to explore their influence on behaviors and promote sustainable community development.