Emotional Behavior Research Articles

Evaluating the impact of nonverbal behavior on language ability ratings

Nonverbal behavior can impact language proficiency scores in speaking tests, but there is little empirical information of the size or consistency of its effects or whether language proficiency may be a moderating variable. In this study, 100 novice raters watched and scored 30 recordings of test takers taking an international, high stakes proficiency test. The speech samples were each 2 minutes long and ranged in proficiency levels. The raters scored each sample on fluency, vocabulary, grammar, and comprehensibility using 7-point semantic differential scales. Nonverbal behavior was extracted using an automated machine learning software called iMotions, and data was analyzed with ordinal mixed effects regression. Results showed that attentional variance predicted fluency, vocabulary, and grammar scores, but only when accounting for proficiency. Higher standard deviations of attention corresponded with lower scores for the lower-proficiency group, but not the mid/higher-proficiency group. Comprehensibility scores were only predicted by mean valence when proficiency was an interaction term. Higher mean valence, or positive emotional behavior, corresponded with higher scores in the lower-proficiency group, but not the mid/higher-proficiency group. Effect sizes for these predictors were quite small, with small amounts of variance explained. These results have implications for construct representation and test fairness.

Tourism live streamers as brand ambassadors: investigating their impact on destination brand value through social exchange theory

Purpose This study aims to identify the key characteristics of tourism live streamers (TLSers) that influence target consumers and examine how these characteristics enhance destination brand value by stimulating consumer emotional engagement and value co-creation behaviors. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was conducted with 552 respondents who had viewed tourism live streaming in China. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings The results revealed that TLSers’ expertise had the strongest influence on consumers and positively affected their attachment, trust, participation and citizenship behaviors and perceived destination brand value. Attractiveness and trustworthiness exerted positive but weaker effects on these variables. Originality/value This study contributes to the theoretical development of live-streaming research by demonstrating the distinct impacts of TLSer characteristics. Furthermore, this study expands the application of the social exchange theory and value co-creation in tourism research.

The unconscious online: An exploration into the emotional experience and behaviours of virtual working

The new normal in the wake of the global Covid pandemic means that more organisations are working virtually. Whilst this new working environment offers opportunities, a particular challenge relates to working together, mediated through technologies, whilst being physically apart. Online communication platforms have emerged as dominant virtual places of social, professional, and educational encounters. Spurred on by the researchers’ experiences of using these platforms at work, an online exploratory research project was developed to examine how the design affordances and constraints of these platforms influence the emotional experiences and behaviours of those using them. The researchers applied their own backgrounds to the study of unconscious processes at work in social systems to the exploration of these platforms. Self‐selecting, psychodynamically informed practitioners were invited to join three online exploratory studies. These pilots aimed to study the conscious and unconscious influence of the online platforms (Zoom and Microsoft Teams) on the groups’ perceptions, emotions, and behaviours. An adaptation of group relations methodology was used to allow processes to develop naturally within carefully designed boundaries of time, space, and roles. Key themes identified from direct observations, using researchers’ free-floating attention and subjective experiences, related to role, identity, and presence.

The relationship between stress, emotional eating, and nutritional status in adolescents

<p align="center"><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p><p><strong><em>Background: </em></strong><em>The prevalence of overnutrition among adolescents in Indonesia has significantly increased from 7.3% in 2013 to 13.5% in 2018. Overnutrition at this age can increase the risk of obesity and other degenerative diseases in adulthood. Stress and eating behavior are two factors that might impact nutritional status in adolescents. Stress can trigger unhealthy eating behaviors, such as increased consumption of fast food, sugary foods and drinks, or even loss of appetite. Stress can also lead to emotional eating behavior, which is the urge to eat as a coping method when facing stress or negative pressure, and has been link to a higher BMI.</em></p><p><strong><em>Objectives: </em></strong><em>This study aims to identify the relationship between stress, emotional eating, and the nutritional status of high school students at SMA 2 Cileungsi Bogor Regency.</em></p><p><strong><em>Methods: </em></strong><em>This research is a quantitative study with a cross-sectional approach. Data collection was conducted in September 2023 at SMA 2 Cileungsi Bogor Regency. Data were collected using research instruments, including the Adolescent Stress Questionnaire – Shortened Version (ASQ-S) to determine stress data, the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) to determine emotional eating data, anthropometric measurements to determine the nutritional status of the respondents, and the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) to assess the frequency of respondents' consumption of various foods. This study involved 262 respondents obtained using Cluster Random Sampling technique. </em><em></em></p><p><strong><em>Results: </em></strong><em>The results showed that most of respondents in this study had normal nutritional status, accounting for 66.0%, while 8.4% were undernourished and 25.6% were overnourished. Respondents categorized as stressed were 51.9%, while the remaining 48.1% were adaptive. It was found that 54.6% of respondents fell in to the category of emotional eating, while 45.4% did not exhibit emotional eating behaviour. Based on bivariate analysis, a significant relationship was found between stress and nutritional status (p-value=0.013). There was no significant relationship between emotional eating and nutritional status (p-value=0.647).</em><em></em></p><p><strong><em>Conclusions:</em></strong><em> </em><em>Stress has been shown to be significantly associated with nutritional status.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><strong>KEYWORD</strong><strong><em>: </em></strong><em>Nutritional status; stress; emotional eating; adolescents</em></p>

Understanding human amygdala function with artificial neural networks.

The amygdala is a cluster of subcortical nuclei that receives diverse sensory inputs and projects to the cortex, midbrain and other subcortical structures. Numerous accounts of amygdalar contributions to social and emotional behavior have been offered, yet an overarching description of amygdala function remains elusive. Here we adopt a computationally explicit framework that aims to develop a model of amygdala function based on the types of sensory inputs it receives, rather than individual constructs such as threat, arousal, or valence. Characterizing human fMRI signal acquired as participants viewed a full-length film, we developed encoding models that predict both patterns of amygdala activity and self-reported valence evoked by naturalistic images. We use deep image synthesis to generate artificial stimuli that distinctly engage encoding models of amygdala subregions that systematically differ from one another in terms of their low-level visual properties. These findings characterize how the amygdala compresses high-dimensional sensory inputs into low-dimensional representations relevant for behavior.

Early Astrocytic Dysfunction Is Associated with Mistuned Synapses as well as Anxiety and Depressive-Like Behavior in the AppNL-F Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease. Unfortunately, efficient and affordable treatments are still lacking for this neurodegenerative disorder, it is therefore urgent to identify new pharmacological targets. Astrocytes are playing a crucial role in the tuning of synaptic transmission and several studies have pointed out severe astrocyte reactivity in AD. Reactive astrocytes show altered physiology and function, suggesting they could have a role in the early pathophysiology of AD. We aimed to characterize early synaptic impairments in the AppNL-F knock-in mouse model of AD, especially to understand the contribution of astrocytes to early brain dysfunctions. The AppNL-F mouse model carries two disease-causing mutations inserted in the amyloid precursor protein gene. This strain does not start to develop amyloid-β plaques until 9 months of age. Thanks to electrophysiology, we investigated synaptic function, at both neuronal and astrocytic levels, in 6-month-old animals and correlate the synaptic activity with emotional behavior. Electrophysiological recordings in the hippocampus revealed an overall synaptic mistuning at a pre-plaque stage of the pathology, associated to an intact social memory but a stronger depressive-like behavior. Astrocytes displayed a reactive-like morphology and a higher tonic GABA current compared to control mice. Interestingly, we here show that the synaptic impairments in hippocampal slices are partially corrected by a pre-treatment with the monoamine oxidase B blocker deprenyl or the fast-acting antidepressant ketamine (5 mg/kg). We propose that reactive astrocytes can induce synaptic mistuning early in AD, before plaques deposition, and that these changes are associated with emotional symptoms.

Counseling for Special Needs Children Experiencing Bullying Through Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) Approach

When a family having a child with special needs, the happiness that parents experience is mixed with a variety of other emotions such as shock, self-guilt or partner, to worry about their child's future. ABK needs special attention and service. ABK requires special attention, help, service, and learning methods. Likewise, ABK parents need special support to make it easier for them to adapt, accept, and then educate their ABK optimally. One of the forms of support that is needed is counseling. Counseling for ABKs needs to be done among others so that they do not feel alone and have a support group to make them more resilient in the face of various problems and challenges in life. Especially when ABK suffered bullying, where ABK included those who were vulnerable to bullyed because of their different conditions. Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) provides an overview of how counseling for ABK victims of bullying through the REBT approach can help them in addressing the problems associated with the impact of ABK's Bullying.

Factors affecting food addiction: emotional eating, palatable eating motivations, and BMI

AbstractEvaluating the factors leading to adult food addiction should shed light on potential preventive and treatment strategies for obesity and eating disorders. This research aimed to assess the relationship between food addiction, emotional eating, palatable eating motivations, and the factors that affected them. Five hundred twenty‐two adults participated in this descriptive, cross‐sectional study in Erzurum, Turkey. Participants completed a questionnaire that included a general information form, anthropometric measurements, Palatable Eating Motives Scale (PEMS), Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), and Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ). In total, 181 (34.7%) men and 341 (65.3%) women participated in the study. While 24.7% were overweight or obese, 65.7% had normal BMI (body mass index). Food addiction (FA) was determined in 18.2% of the participants. The FA group had significantly higher PEMS and EEQ scores (p < .001). The risk of FA was 3.18 times higher in women than in men (95% CI = 1.65, 6.13, p = .001). Significant positive associations between FA, BMI (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.00, 1.11, p = .021), and EEQ (OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.23, 1.38, p = .000) were found. Emotional eating behavior and palatable eating motivations are more common in individuals with food addiction than nonfood addiction. Female gender, emotional eating, and high BMI values were determined as risk factors for food addiction.

Comparative study on emotional behavior and parental job stress of only-child and non-only-child preschool children.

Studies have revealed that Children's psychological, behavioral, and emotional problems are easily influenced by the family environment. In recent years, the family structure in China has undergone significant changes, with more families having two or three children. To explore the relationship between emotional behavior and parental job stress in only preschool and non-only preschool children. Children aged 3-6 in kindergartens in four main urban areas of Shijiazhuang were selected by stratified sampling for a questionnaire and divided into only and non-only child groups. Their emotional behaviors and parental pressure were compared. Only and non-only children were paired in a 1:1 ratio by class and age (difference less than or equal to 6 months), and the matched data were compared. The relationship between children's emotional behavior and parents' job stress before and after matching was analyzed. Before matching, the mother's occupation, children's personality characteristics, and children's rearing patterns differed between the groups (P < 0.05). After matching 550 pairs, differences in the children's parenting styles remained. There were significant differences in children's gender and parents' attitudes toward children between the two groups. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores of children in the only child group and the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) scores of parents were significantly lower than those in the non-only child group (P < 0.05). Pearson's correlation analysis showed that after matching, there was a positive correlation between children's parenting style and parents' attitudes toward their children (r = 0.096, P < 0.01), and the PSI-SF score was positively correlated with children's gender, parents' attitudes toward their children, and SDQ scores (r = 0.077, 0.193, 0.172, 0.222). Preschool children's emotional behavior and parental pressure were significantly higher in multi-child families. Parental pressure in differently structured families was associated with many factors, and preschool children's emotional behavior was positively correlated with parental pressure.

The socialization of social–emotional behaviour in early childhood classrooms: child outcomes moderated by socioeconomic risk

ABSTRACT Early childhood educator's emotional socialization may contribute crucially to young children's social–emotional competence. Here, we examined the contributions of self-reported reactions to children's emotions and beliefs about emotional socialization of 90 teachers to the social–emotional competence of 334 pre-schoolers. Teacher-reported emotion socialization, especially as moderated by classroom socioeconomic risk, often predicted pre-schoolers’ end-of-year social–emotional behaviours, independent of child covariates, including children's beginning-of-year premeasures. Only three findings resembled the parent emotion socialization literature, however, and two appeared unique to the pre-school environment. Most were specific to classrooms where children experienced socioeconomic risk. The pattern of moderation findings highlights the importance of context in teachers’ emotional socialization. Suggestions are given for expanded research on the topic and potential applications to assist teachers in their role as emotion socializers.

Promoting resilience in mental health nurses: A partially clustered randomised controlled trial

BackgroundThere is a critical global shortage of nurses in mental health, with workforce attrition due in large part to workplace stressors. Proactive strengths-based interventions to strengthen nurses' capacity to manage stress and improve mental health, wellbeing and resilience may also support workforce retention. ObjectiveTo determine the effects of a resilience-building programme on mental health nurses' coping self-efficacy (primary outcome), and psychological distress, wellbeing, resilience, posttraumatic growth, emotional intelligence behaviours, workplace belonging, and turnover intention (secondary outcomes). DesignPartially clustered randomised controlled trial. SettingLarge tertiary metropolitan mental health service in Australia. ParticipantsA total of 144 registered and enrolled nurses working clinically ≥0.6 full-time equivalent (73/intervention, 71/control), with 122 completing 3-month follow-up. MethodsThe Promoting Resilience in Nurses programme is an evidence-based workplace intervention delivered by trained facilitators across two workshops. Surveys were administered online upon registration and prior to randomisation (Time 1) into Intervention or Control (no intervention) arms, and immediately after the final workshop (Time 2), and at three months follow-up (Time 3). Linear mixed models for outcome measures were fitted to Time 2 and 3 responses. ResultsThere were seven intervention groups, with seven to 13 participants per group. Coping self-efficacy improved at Time 2 (estimated intervention effect 21.2 units, 95 % Confidence Intervals: 13.3 to 29.0) and Time 3 (12.1 units, 4.7 to 19.6), as well as wellbeing (Time 2: 9.2 units, 5.0 to 13.4), resilience (Time 2: 0.24 units, 0.01 to 0.46) and posttraumatic growth (Time 2: 16.1 units, 7.0 to 25.3). Psychological distress reduced (Time 2: −3.7 units, −6.2 to −1.31). All were sustained at three months. Emotional intelligence behaviours were improved (Time 2: 3.5 units, 0.6 to 6.5) but not sustained. Workplace belonging improved at Time 3 (0.34 units, 0.02 to 0.65) only. No statistically significant effects for turnover intention. ConclusionsDespite major contextual challenges, the Promoting Resilience in Nurses programme achieved the aims of promoting nurses' efficacy to cope with stress and regulate their emotions and improving mental health and wellbeing. The findings support the programme as a feasible and successful intervention for nurses across other settings and contexts. Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12620001052921). Registered 15/10/2020. First recruitment 04/02/2021. Tweetable abstractPromoting Resilience in Nurses intervention improved coping self-efficacy, wellbeing, resilience, posttraumatic growth, emotional intelligence and psychological distress.

Traces of social culture in the lived experiences of emotional eating among Iranian obese women

IntroductionEmotional eating is a situation with harmful consequences for the physical, mental and social health of humans. In this regard, the present study aimed to explain the role of social culture in the lived experiences of emotional eating in Iranian obese women.MethodsThis was a qualitative study conducted using the phenomenological approach. Purposive heterogeneous sampling method was used to select 17 women with body mass index of 30 and above who had emotional eating experience. Data were collected through semi-structured and face-to-face interviews. A guideline designed by the research team, whose content validity was confirmed by the expert panel, was used to conduct the interviews. Data were analyzed based on Diekelmann 7-step approach, and trustworthiness was evaluated by Lincoln and Guba criteria.ResultsThe main topic of the findings was social culture and emotional eating, which was explained by three themes: “influence of social culture”, “language culture of eating” and “the culture of eating together”. Influence of social culture had three sub-themes: “a legal and popular entertainment”, “hospitality culture: encouraging guests to overeat”, and “coping with the social stigma of thinness and obesity”. The language culture of eating had two sub-themes of “association of common infinitives” and “the symbol of swallowing anger “. Also, “culture of eating together” included 2 sub-topics with the titles “pleasant symbol of belonging and love” and “the symbol of family cohesion”.ConclusionThis study found that social culture through language, norms, and customs can initiate and/or reinforce emotional eating. The results of this study can be used in the design of interventions to improve emotional eating behavior in women by emphasizing the characteristics of Iranian social culture.

Poetry writing can enhance character formation in school students through the application of rational emotive behavior theory

ABSTRACT This study explores the role of poetry writing and the ABC model of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) in promoting character development and moral behavior among students. The study used DAS SF1 and SF2 and assessed poetic talent using a poetry attitude and knowledge test. Forty-eight students were selected using the purposive method from five Convent schools, along with five teachers. Following a two-month intervention of 30 sessions, the researcher conducted interviews to evaluate the method’s efficacy. Content analysis of the integrated poetry writing and REBT program was performed using NVivo, while both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using SPSS. The study found significant positive correlations between the integration of REBT and improved behavior, suggesting that incorporating poetry writing into the curriculum can enhance students’ behavior and attitudes.

Ghrelin, Neuroinflammation, Oxidative Stress, and Mood Disorders: What Are the Connections?

Ghrelin is a gut peptide hormone associated with feeding behavior and energy homeostasis. Acylated ghrelin binds to the growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a subtype (GHS-R1a) in the hippocampus, leading to GH release from the anterior pituitary. However, in recent years, ghrelin and its receptor have also been implicated in other processes, including the regulation of cardiomyocyte function, muscle trophism, and bone metabolism. Moreover, GHS-R1a is distributed throughout the brain and is expressed in brain areas that regulate the stress response and emotional behavior. Consistently, a growing body of evidence supports the role of ghrelin in regulating stress response and mood. Stress has consistently been shown to increase ghrelin levels, and despite some inconsistencies, both human and rodent studies suggested antidepressant effects of ghrelin. Nevertheless, the precise mechanism by which ghrelin influences stress response and mood remains largely unknown. Intriguingly, ghrelin and GHS-R1a were consistently reported to exert anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neurotrophic effects both in vivo and in vitro, although this has never been directly assessed in relation to psychopathology. In the present review we will discuss available literature linking ghrelin with the stress response and depressive-like behavior in animal models as well as evidence describing the interplay between ghrelin and neuroinflammation/oxidative stress. Although further studies are required to understand the mechanisms involved in the action of ghrelin on mood, we hypothesize that the antiinflammatory and anti-oxidative properties of ghrelin may give a key contribution.

School-Based Mental Health Counseling with Black Males in Title I Elementary School

Our study investigated changes in Black male children’s (N = 22) psychosocial functioning who participated in a school-based mental health counseling intervention at three Title I elementary schools. We collected the participating children’s psychosocial functioning data before their first counseling session, after the fifth session, and again after the tenth session. The results of the analyses for this single group design identified that the participants’ emotional and social behaviors changed over time, per parent report (η2 = .214). This study provides valuable implications for counselors working with Black male youth, highlighting the effectiveness of school-based mental health interventions in addressing the psychosocial needs of this population. This study’s findings also suggest that interventions focused on improving social-emotional functioning can have significant positive impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of Black male children.

Focal pharmacological manipulation of serotonin signaling in the amygdala does not alter social behavior.

Serotonin signaling plays critical roles in social and emotional behaviors. Likewise, decades of research demonstrate that the amygdala is a prime modulator of social behavior. Permanent excitotoxic lesions and transient amygdala inactivation consistently increase social behaviors in non-human primates. In rodents, acute systemic administration of drugs that increase serotonin signaling is associated with decreased social interactions. However, in primates, the direct involvement of serotonin signaling in the amygdala, particularly in affiliative social interaction, remains unexplored. Here, we examined the effects of serotonin manipulations within the amygdala on social behavior in eight pairs of familiar male macaques. We microinfused drugs targeting the serotonin system into either the basolateral (BLA) or central (CeA) amygdala and measured changes in social behavior. Surprisingly, the results demonstrated no significant differences in social behavior following the infusion of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, 5-HT1A agonist or antagonist, 5-HT2A agonist or antagonist, or 5-HT3 agonist or antagonist into either the BLA or CeA. These findings suggest that serotonin signaling in the amygdala does not directly contribute to the regulation of social behavior between familiar conspecifics. Future research should explore alternative mechanisms and potential interactions with other brain regions to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex neural circuitry governing social behavior.

The effect of psychosocial interventions on anxiety and depression in congenital heart disease population: a systematic review and explorative meta-analysis

Abstract Introduction Patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) face various psychological challenges throughout their clinical journey, mainly attributed to symptoms of anxiety and depression. Approximately 19-43% of adults with CHD experience symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. In this scenario, addressing anxiety and depression through psychological interventions (PIs) becomes crucial. However, no available syntheses of the efficacy of PIs on anxiety and depression in the population with CHD have been performed thus far. Purpose To explore the efficacy of PIs on anxiety and depression within the CHD population. Methods We have conducted a systematic review up to January 2024 in these databases: PubMed, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and EMBASE. The study selection process adhered to specific inclusion criteria: (a) patients of all ages with CHD, (b) randomized controlled trial studies (RCTs), (c) published in English between 2000 and 2023, (d) focusing on PIs targeting anxiety and depression as outcomes. Cohen’s d was calculated to quantify and standardize the effect sizes between groups (treatment group vs. control group, considering an intention-to-treat approach) and within groups (from baseline to the last follow-up) to compute a cumulative effect size (Cohen’s d) per each study that controls potential differences of the outcome scores at the baseline in each study. Random-effect models were applied to pool each primary study's effect size (Stata 18 with the "metan.ado" add-on). Results Out of 558 records identified, only 3 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. These studies, published between 2017 and 2021, predominantly involved adults with CHD. None was conducted in Europe. Three main PIs were tested: Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy, Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction, and Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy. Instead, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Beck Depression Inventory were utilized, while the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was employed to assess both depression and anxiety. For depression (N_intervention group = 93, N_control group = 85), the overall Cohen’s d was -1.04 [95% CI: -2.00, -0.07; p ≤ 0.001] with a moderate level of heterogeneity among studies (I² = 31.53%; Q(2) = 2.79; p = 0.25) as illustrated in Figure 1. Therefore, the findings indicate a moderate statistically significant effect of PIs in reducing depression up to three months post-intervention. Conversely, for anxiety (N_intervention group = 51, N_control group = 43), the overall Cohen’s d was 0 [95% CI: -0.96 +0.97; p ≤ 0.001] as illustrated in Figure 2. Conclusions This study summarizes the current evidence and brings the need for more attention in performing research employing PIs in adults with CHD. In fact, the paucity of available included RCTs sustains the need for more research. The results of this study highlight that PIs appear to be effective in reducing depression, while the studies performed in this population do not support evidence about anxiety.Figure 1.Figure 2.

Study on Short Video Infomercial Avoidance Factors Based on the Perspective of Flow - Taking Tiktok App as an Example

Short video has become a national application at the same time, short video information flow advertising avoidance also continues to appear. Few studies have looked at the avoidance behavior of short video information streams from the perspective of psychological theory and social theory. Taking Tiktok APP as an example and combining the characteristics of short video information stream advertising, this study constructed a model of influencing factors of information stream advertising avoidance from the perspective of flow. In this paper, 220 samples were analyzed by questionnaire survey, and it was found that the scene adaptation of Tiktok information flow advertisements negatively affected the cognitive avoidance and emotional avoidance behaviors of advertisements through the flow state. The push accuracy of Tiktok Yin information flow advertisement negatively affects the cognitive avoidance, emotional avoidance and behavioral avoidance of advertisement through the flow state. The study of advertising avoidance behavior from the perspective of flow has enriched the theoretical perspective of the study of advertising avoidance in short video information flow, and also provided theoretical and practical suggestions for advertisers in short video advertising.

A cluster randomized trial of a rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) program and a mindfulness-acceptance-commitment (MAC) program, with South African adolescent rugby players

Until recently, research examining the application of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) in sports settings was virtually absent in South Africa. Despite the growing evidence of REBT's potential as a psychological intervention in Western nations, its use within the multicultural and sports-fervent context of South Africa remains unexplored. Moreover, limited research has addressed the impact of REBT on rugby players, with only a few case studies being reported. The current experiment employs a cluster randomized trial (CRT) to compare the effects of a 7-week preferential REBT program with a 7-week Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) program on irrational beliefs, competitive anxiety and subjective performance, among adolescent South African rugby players. We also include a wait-list control group who received neither REBT nor MAC. Results indicate that athletes receiving REBT reported greater improvements in irrational beliefs, anxiety, and subjective performance, while that athletes receiving MAC also reported some improvements in anxiety. This study highlights the potential of REBT as a valuable psychological intervention in the context of South African adolescent rugby players.

Physical and Emotional Sibling Violence Behaviors with Closest-Aged Siblings in Childhood: An Exploratory Study Examining Associations with Sibling Relationships in Adulthood

Physical and Emotional Sibling Violence Behaviors with Closest-Aged Siblings in Childhood: An Exploratory Study Examining Associations with Sibling Relationships in Adulthood