Frontoparietal functional dedifferentiation during naturalistic movie watching among older adults at risk of emotional vulnerability.

ABSTRACT Background Eating disorder (ED) symptoms are common in the general population and are often associated with childhood maltreatment (CM). Emotion regulation difficulties are likewise linked to both CM and ED symptoms, yet the role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CERS) in this relationship remains underexplored. Culturally specific forms of adversity, such as parental overprotection and overcontrol (OP–OC), have also been largely overlooked. Method This cross‐sectional study investigated whether adaptive and maladaptive CERS mediate the associations between six forms of CM and ED symptoms in a non‐clinical sample of 352 Turkish adults. Participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Expanded, the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire–Short Form, and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro (Model 4) in SPSS v29. Results The results revealed that, except for physical abuse, maladaptive CERS significantly mediated the associations between all CM types and ED symptoms, with full mediation found for emotional neglect and sexual abuse. Although adaptive CERS did not mediate these relationships, their use was significantly lower among individuals exposed to emotion‐related maltreatment, including OP–OC. Discussion These findings underscore the potential of maladaptive CERS as early indicators and modifiable risk factors in subclinical populations. Tailoring emotion regulation components within interventions like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy–Enhanced (CBT‐E) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) may enhance efficacy, especially for trauma‐exposed individuals. Preventive psychoeducational programmes in youth and community settings could offer timely support before clinical symptoms emerge.

Background: Infertility represents a significant crisis in married life, leading to serious intrapersonal and interpersonal challenges, with many infertile women experiencing psychological and marital difficulties. Objectives: In Iran, few studies have examined communication factors influencing infertility stress. This study aimed to better understand the variables affecting infertility stress and to test the mediating role of relational resilience in the relationship between dyadic coping and infertility stress among women undergoing infertility treatment in Kashan. Methods: A correlational study using structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted. The statistical population comprised infertile women who attended an infertility center in Iran in 2023. A total of 218 participants were selected through purposive sampling and completed the Relational Resilience Questionnaire, Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI), and Fertility Problems Inventory (FPI). Data were analyzed using AMOS 24 and SPSS 24. Results: The final mediation model demonstrated good fit indices (all > 0.90). Dyadic coping positively influenced relational resilience (β = 0.67, P < 0.001), which in turn negatively affected infertility stress (β = -0.51, P < 0.001), indicating full mediation. Subscale analyses confirmed these relationships: Relational resilience and dyadic coping were positively associated with their respective dimensions, while infertility stress was positively linked to social, relational, sexual concerns, and the need for parenthood. These results suggest that dyadic coping among infertile women and their husbands can enhance relational resilience, thereby reducing infertility-related stress. Conclusions: Although infertility stress affects multiple aspects of a couple's life, positive dyadic coping and relational resilience play a protective role. The findings provide valuable insights for therapists working with infertile couples, highlighting the importance of strengthening dyadic coping and relational resilience to mitigate stress.

ABSTRACT The transition from university to the labour market is a critical phase in graduate professional development, requiring the ongoing formation of a clear professional identity. Drawing on the graduate identity approach and mentoring theory, we argue that internship, as a key form of work-integrated learning (WIL) experience, represents a liminal space across academic training and workplace practice systems. Practitioners serving as internship mentors serve as bridges, fostering the process of anticipatory socialisation, thereby supporting graduates to meaningfully shape their envisioned professional identity and feel worthy of being employable. This three-wave longitudinal study explores whether and how mentoring contributes to graduates’ emerging professional identity and perceived employability through graduate anticipatory socialisation. It was conducted with 142 Italian Psychology graduates at mid-internship, end-of-internship, and 6–18 months post-internship. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) results supported the hypothesised model and the full mediation of anticipatory socialisation on both outcomes. These findings position mentoring as a critical enabler of identity work in liminal spaces between academic study and employment, fostering graduates’ readiness for the labour market. The study also highlights the importance, for educational institutions and policymakers, of embedding structured mentoring into WIL programmes to support intentional identity development and sustainable career trajectories.

Sexual violence, especially non-consensual first sex (NCFS) has profound impact on women's risk to HIV infection, a link that can be partly explained by subsequent risky sexual behavior (RSBs) later on in life and yet has been limitedly explored. Using a national sample of 4286 women aged 15 to 49 years from Lesotho Population-based HIV Impact Assessment, we explored the mediation effect of RSBs on the association between history of NCFS and HIV infection among women in Lesotho. We first employed multivariate logistic regression to estimate the associations between NCFS and HIV infection; and then used generalized structural equation modeling (GSEM) to determine the mediation effect of RSBs (casual sex, multiple sexual partners and condom use) on this association, while adjusting for cluster sampling design of the survey. About 16.8% of the women had a history of NCFS, and logistic regression results showed a significant positive association between NCFS and HIV positive status (AOR: 1.24; 95% CI [1.02, 1.49]). From the GSEM, all the RSBs were significant mediators of the link between NCFS and HIV positive status; whereby casual sex (AOR: 1.17; 95% CI [1.00, 1.35]) and multiple sexual partners (AOR: 1.91; 95% CI [1.81, 2.02]) were full mediators, while condom use (AOR: 0.91; 95% CI [0.89, 0.92]) showed partial mediation. Multiple lifetime partners showed to have highest total mediation effect (AOR: 2.13; 95% CI [1.84, 2.41]). The results indicated that NCFS is linked to HIV infection indirectly through RSBs. Therefore, HIV prevention interventions targeting victims of NCFS would greatly contribute in reducing risk of HIV infections among women in Lesotho.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of knowledge management (KM) on innovation (INN) through the mediating role of total quality management (TQM). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 130 certified family SMEs. Structural equation modeling was used to test the conceptual model. Findings Results show that knowledge management positively influences TQM. Similarly, TQM positively influences product and process innovation. The direct effect of KM on product and process INN is not significant. Furthermore, results show that the indirect effect of KM on product and process INN through TQM is significant. TQM fully mediates the relationship between KM and product and process INN. Research limitations/implications This research was carried out on the basis of a sample of family SMEs, which shows the difficulty of generalizing the results of this study. Future researchers are encouraged to investigate the present model by selecting samples of companies from the industrial and service sectors. Practical implications The results of this article demonstrate that in resource-constrained SMEs, KM practices alone are insufficient; embedding them within a structured TQM framework is necessary to translate knowledge into innovative outputs. As a result, managers can pay particular attention to knowledge management processes, removing barriers to organizational learning to improve innovation. Originality/value This article test a full mediation model in which TQM completely channels the effect of KM into both product and process INN, challenging the assumption that KM directly drives innovation.

Purpose Due to escalating environmental pollution in Vietnam, green vehicles are rapidly gaining attraction as a green vehicle solution. Applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study aims to explore the role of felt obligation in linking consumer attitudes to green vehicle usage intention. Design/methodology/approach Data from 408 participants of quantitative research were collected and analyzed with SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 26.0. Findings Findings reveal that although a positive attitude towards eco-social benefits is associated with green vehicle usage intention, attitude towards environmental issues (AEI) does not directly influence green vehicle usage intention. Practical implications These results offer strategic insights for promoting green vehicle and suggest directions for future research. Originality/value This study confirms the application of TPB in predicting green vehicle usage intention from different dimensions of attitudes. Importantly, felt obligation is found to be a full mediator between AEI and green vehicle usage intention as well as a moderator in the relationship between attitude towards eco-social benefits and green vehicle usage intentions.

Purpose This study examines the impact of digital assistants' emotional stimuli (i.e. aesthetics and playfulness) on customer pleasurable experience (CPE) and purchase intentions within the boundary condition of customer engagement. Design/methodology/approach Partial least squares-based structural equation modeling was performed using SmartPLS 4.0 to confirm the reliability and validity of the measurement model and test hypotheses. Findings The findings highlight aesthetics and playfulness as key emotional stimuli driving CPE, which in turn enhances purchase intentions. Moreover, CPE serves as a full and partial mediator between emotional stimuli and purchase intention, while customer engagement negatively moderates the CPE–purchase intentions relationship. Originality/value Our study pioneers in establishing the mediating role of CPE in the relationship between emotional stimuli and purchase intentions. Furthermore, it offers fresh insights by introducing customer engagement as a moderating variable, revealing that higher engagement actually weakens the link between CPE and purchase intentions in DA-driven marketing.

Purpose This study aims to explore the interplay between dispositional greed and value materialism and empirically test how it shapes online compulsive buying tendencies. Additionally, it investigates whether, and if so, how online compulsive buying and generosity have consequences for individuals’ negative emotions (guilt, shame and regret) and harmony in life. This study uses an integrated and multi-theoretical framework that combines the duality between selfishness and prosocial behaviour, self-regulation theory and a combination of bottom-up and top-down theories of subjective well-being to provide a novel perspective on the complex motivations and consequences of online compulsive buying. Design/methodology/approach The results are based on a survey of 370 consumers who were members of Prolific, a consumer panel in the USA. Structural equation modelling using AMOS and SmartPLS are used to test the conceptual model and hypotheses. Findings The survey finds show that dispositional greed and value materialism have significant positive associations with online compulsive buying. In addition, negative emotion is found to be a full mediator of the relationship between compulsive buying and harmony in life. Generosity weakens both the positive effect of compulsive buying on negative emotion and the negative effect of online compulsive buying on harmony in life. The analytical results show, in particular, that general greed, value materialism and generosity account for 36.6% of the variation in online compulsive buying. Research limitations/implications Future studies using this theoretical approach could include other personality traits or personal values. The limitations include the use of self-reporting instruments and a cross-sectional survey from one country. Practical implications Generally, compulsive buying is seen primarily as a negative outcome. Redefining compulsive buying by showing how it can have multifaceted motivations and consequences, may lead to better managerial and consumer policy and therapeutic interventions. For example, enhancing generosity and other prosocial behaviours could be a component of strategies and interventions designed to prevent the mental and financial damage of compulsive buying, potentially improving overall well-being and harmony in life. Originality/value This study proposes a novel integrated (dualistic) perspective and theoretical grounding, highlighting the potential for individuals to concurrently embody aspects of selfishness (represented by greed and value materialism) and prosocial behaviour/otherishness (represented by generosity) in the context of online compulsive buying.

This study investigates the mediating role of crisis response strategy in the relationship between students’ preparedness and crisis communication competency among undergraduates in a Malaysian higher education. Grounded in Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), the research adapts three core constructs namely crisis type identification, responsibility attribution, and strategic response selection to an educational context. A total of 419 undergraduate students from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia has participated in a cross-sectional survey. Using Hayes’ PROCESS macro (Model 4), mediation analyses revealed that crisis response strategy significantly mediated all three hypothesised pathways: understanding of crisis types (H1), perceived preparedness (H2), and responsibility attribution (H3). Partial mediation was observed in H1 and H3, while H2 demonstrated full mediation. These findings highlight the central role of strategic application in transforming students’ cognitive, ethical, and experiential readiness into effective crisis communication performance. The study extends SCCT beyond organizational actors to pre-professional learners and emphasizes the influence of collectivist cultural norms on responsibility framing and strategy selection. Practical implications for curriculum reform include integrating simulation-based learning and culturally responsive pedagogy into communication education. The findings contribute to theory by repositioning SCCT as both a diagnostic and developmental framework within higher education.

Although the proposition that teacher enthusiasm can predict students’ academic enjoyment and achievement has been validated, few studies have examined the potential mechanism. This research explored how teachers’ stimulation of reading engagement served as a mediator between teacher enthusiasm and students’ reading enjoyment, and assessed the consequent influence on student reading proficiency. We performed a two-level path analysis on a sample comprising 12,058 15-year-old students from Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang in mainland China. The results revealed that teachers’ stimulation of reading engagement exerted a partial mediating role between teacher enthusiasm and students’ reading enjoyment at the student level, but a full mediation role at the school level. This indicates that it is important to establish a school policy to help enthusiastic teachers use effective teaching strategies to develop students’ reading enjoyment, such as stimulating students’ reading engagement, considering that emotion cannot automatically be transmitted from teachers to students at the school level without such teaching strategies.

Introduction: African American women (AAW) are disproportionately affected by psychosocial stress and hypertension. While stress is recognized as a cardiovascular risk factor, the behavioral mechanisms linking stress to elevated blood pressure remain insufficiently understood. Sleep disturbances, prevalent in older AAW, may serve as a modifiable mediator in this relationship. This study examined whether sleep quality mediates the relationship between perceived stress and blood pressure among older AAW. We hypothesized that poorer sleep quality would mediate the relationship between higher levels of perceived stress and elevated blood pressure in older AAW. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using baseline data from older AAW (aged 50-75) enrolled in the Resilience, Stress, and Ethnicity (RiSE) study. Perceived stress was assessed using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale, and sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Blood pressure was measured manually by a trained project manager. Three assessments were taken on the left arm and averaged to calculate mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the mediation model, adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), and use of antihypertensive medication. Results: The analysis included 117 older AAW (mean age = 62.78 ± 6.70 years). The mean systolic blood pressure was 130.14 ± 15.72 mmHg, and 58% were taking antihypertensive medications. Participants reported poor sleep quality on average (PSQI score = 7.41 ± 3.37). Perceived stress significantly predicted poorer sleep quality (β = 0.21, p < 0.001), and poorer sleep quality led to higher systolic blood pressure (β = 1.08, p = .019). The indirect effect of stress on systolic blood pressure through sleep quality was significant (β = 0.22, p = .034; 95% CI: 0.018–0.432), while the direct effect was not significant (β = 0.17, p = .451), indicating full mediation. Conclusions: These findings suggest that sleep quality may mediate the relationship between perceived stress and blood pressure in older AAW. Although the cross-sectional design and the modest sample size limit causal inference and preclude definitive claims of full mediation, the results highlight the potential importance of targeting sleep in interventions aimed at mitigating the cardiovascular consequences of chronic stress in this high-risk population.

The persistent challenge of designing digital interfaces that minimize users’ perceived waiting time remains critical for user satisfaction and conversion rates. This research integrates Attentional Gate Theory to investigate how loading animation type (static vs. dynamic) influences perceived waiting duration through temporal attention focus, and examines moderating roles of task involvement and browsing goal orientation. Across four online experiments—Study 1 (N = 198, MTurk) tested the main effect of animation type; Study 2 (N = 411, Prolific) validated full mediation via temporal attention focus using PROCESS analysis; Study 3 (2 × 2 design, N = 400, Prolific) examined task involvement as a moderator; and Study 4 (2 × 2 design, N = 400, Prolific) explored hedonic versus utilitarian browsing goals—the dynamic animation consistently shortened perceived waiting time relative to static displays. Mediation analyses confirmed that reduced temporal attention focus fully explains this effect, which is amplified under low task involvement and hedonic browsing but attenuated when involvement is high or goals are utilitarian. Theoretically, this work extends Attentional Gate Theory to user experience design by uncovering cognitive processes underlying time perception during waits. Managerially, it offers evidence-based recommendations for tailoring loading animations to user context, ultimately enhancing satisfaction and reducing abandonment.

Navigating corporate social responsibility and customer behavior in sustainable hospitality: Role of credibility, environmental concerns, and green brand image.

Research Aims: Few studies have taken into consideration transformational leadership's influence on employee retention via work satisfaction and organisational commitment, despite the fact that it has been demonstrated to positively affect organisationally relevant employee attitudes and performance. This paper fills this gap and looks into the serial mediation of these two variables in the relationship between transformational leadership and retention of employees in BPOs in Metro Manila. Design/Methodology/Approach: A quantitative serial-mediation design was used, with a sample of 400 purposively selected respondents having at least 6 months of tenure. The PLS-SEM method was used to estimate direct and indirect relationships. Research Findings: The results showed that transformational leadership enhances job satisfaction and organizational commitment, both of which contribute to employee retention. However, the full serial mediation pathway was not statistically supported, indicating very limited effects in series. Theoretical Contribution/Originality: The findings accentuate further how transformational leadership impacts employee attitudes, while also suggesting the necessity to look beyond for organizational-wide intervention for retention. Managerial Implication in the South East Asian Context: This study provided substantial data about transformational leadership. The study specifically pointed out that job satisfaction and organizational commitment are significant factors in retaining employees. The results give credence to the idea that organizations can reduce attrition and stabilize their workforce over a longer term if they nurture leadership styles that embrace empathy, communication, and empowerment. Research Limitation & Implications: Implications point to leadership training and improved working conditions as important strategies for ensuring that BPOs can sustain their workforce over the long term.

SummaryIntroductionIn the Philippines, research on knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding human mpox (hMPX) remains limited, despite rising case numbers. With vaccines unavailable locally, enhancing community awareness and promoting non-pharmaceutical interventions are crucial for reducing transmission risks.MethodsThis cross-sectional study utilized an anonymized online data collection tool to explore the general public’s hMPX KAP and their relationships, and identify sociodemographic groups linked to low hMPX knowledge; 502 respondents were included in the analysis.ResultsKnowledge levels were evenly distributed across low, moderate, and high categories. Higher knowledge was associated with being female (β = 0.130, p = 0.004), higher educational attainment (β = 0.134, p = 0.006), and smaller household size (β = –0.098, p = 0.028). Knowledge was not significantly associated with perceived disease susceptibility or severity, but strongly predicted perceived effectiveness of preventive measures. Perceived effectiveness, in turn, consistently emerged as the strongest predictor of preventive practices. Full mediation of the effect of knowledge by perceived effectiveness was observed with protective sexual practices and avoiding crowded places, but only partial with hand hygiene and fomite/high-touch surface disinfection.ConclusionThis study highlights the complex interplay between knowledge, attitudes, and practices in shaping public health behavior toward hMPX in the Philippines. Significant knowledge gaps and the mediating role of attitudes in influencing preventive practices underscore the need for targeted, stigma-free health communication strategies. Strengthening public understanding and perception through tailored interventions will be critical in mitigating hMPX transmission.

Working memory is widely acknowledged as a core and essential executive functions. The aim was to examine the mediating role of self concept in hierarchical relationship between working memory and executive functions. This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted. A sample of 120 intellectually gifted children (mean age = 10.77 years, SD = 0.89, 80 females; 66% and 60 males, 44%) participated in the study. A mediation model, was examined, proposing the existence of interrelations between executive functions, working memory capacity and academic performance of highly able students, and a mediated path of self-concept. Structural equation modeling (SEM), with full information maximum likelihood estimation (FIML) was used to examine bivariate correlations and the mediation model. Multiple fit indices in addition to the chi-square test statistic were used to assess model fit. The results of the full mediation structural model fit indicated that the model fit the data well, with Chi-square = 733.041, p = 0.000, Relative Chi-Sq = 1.773; GFI = 0.825, CFI = 0.917, IFI = 0.910, RMSEA = 0.052. The Goodness of-fit indices of the structural model indicated that the GFI, CFI, and IFI approached or exceeded the cutoff value of 0.90.

ABSTRACT School leadership causes various psychological outcomes on both teachers and students. In school management, school principals’ exhibiting leadership behaviors from different perspectives can be considered as the basis of more effective management. At the same time, different leadership orientations can more accurately guide the reflections of the complexity of human nature in the work environment. This study uses Job Demand-Resource and Social Exchange Theory to investigate the mediating role of teacher autonomy in the relationship between four-frame leadership orientations and teacher self-efficacy. The research sample comprises 498 teachers employed in public schools. All leadership orientations were found to have positive, moderate and significant relationships with teacher self-efficacy and autonomy. The mediation of teacher autonomy was analyzed with structural equation modeling. As a result of the research, structural, human resources and symbolic leadership orientations positively predicted teacher self-efficacy. In addition, teacher autonomy had partial and full mediation effects on teacher self-efficacy. Implications for future research and practical implementation are discussed.

The object of research is the road supervision consultant teams operating in East Kalimantan (Indonesia). One of the most problematic areas is understanding the mechanism by which sub-professional staff performance influences project success via professional staff. Using an explanatory quantitative approach with survey data (n = 55), regression with mediation testing (PROCESS Model 4) was employed. The results confirmed a full mediation model: Sub-professional performance significantly predicted professional performance (B = 1.0127, p < 0.001), and professional performance significantly predicted project success (B = 0.8377, p < 0.001). Crucially, the direct effect of sub-professional performance on project success became insignificant (p = 0.358) when professional performance was included, while the indirect effect was substantial (Effect = 0.8483). This clarifies a key feature of project workflows: technical contributions must be transformed through managerial capabilities to impact outcomes. This allows for a clearer understanding beyond individual contributions. Compared to studies assessing factors in isolation, this offers a systemic view, highlighting the critical importance of the managerial layer (professional staff) in converting technical work into strategic success.

Celebrity entrepreneurship is growing rapidly as more celebrities launch personal brands, boosting consumer purchase intention and brand loyalty. Based on the Source Credibility Model and Brand Equity Theory, this study explores how celebrity entrepreneur credibility affects purchase intentions through brand equity in Vietnam and China. Using an online survey of 672 participants in these two countries, the findings reveal that celebrity credibility strongly influences purchase intention, with partial mediation of brand equity in Vietnam and full mediation in China. In addition, celebrity–brand congruence strengthens the credibility–brand equity link, whereas celebrity reputation moderates the credibility–purchase intention path in Vietnam only. This study offers valuable insights into celebrities by considering entrepreneurship and seeking to build and grow their own brands effectively. It also provides practical suggestions to firms seeking strategic partnerships with celebrities to bring new products to the market.