Climate distress (CD) is an emerging psychological response to the climate crisis, encompassing anxiety, grief, shame, and helplessness. While empirical research has begun to explore its prevalence and emotional impacts, little is known about the lived experience of CD. This study qualitatively explored how CD is experienced, maintained, and managed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants experiencing CD, recruited via social media. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), allowing for an in-depth exploration of participants' experiences. Three superordinate themes were identified: (1) moral selves in crisis; (2) climate distress is all-consuming; and (3) finding relief. CD was closely tied to participants' moral identity, often resembling features of moral injury and perfectionistic striving. Distress was intensified by perceived powerlessness, unmet ethical standards, and concern that relief from distress would signal moral disengagement. Value-driven actions provided meaning and relief but were frequently accompanied by shame, burnout and emotional exhaustion. Psychological support was sometimes experienced as invalidating when moral and contextual dimensions of CD were not acknowledged. CD is a morally grounded response to an ongoing and existential global threat, shaped by identity, values and wider socio-political contexts. Supportive responses should avoid individualising or pathologising distress, instead attending to how responsibility is understood and internalised, and to how individuals relate to their distress in ways that allow for sustainable moral engagement. Therapeutic approaches that support individuals to hold responsibility with self-compassion and within realistic limits of individual agency, alongside collective forms of support, may be particularly valuable.

This study aims to employ cross-lagged panel network (CLPN) analysis to longitudinally explore the intricate and dynamic relational patterns both within and between the systems of self-stigma and moral disengagement in adolescents who have experienced various forms of bullying. Adopting a two-wave longitudinal design with a four-month interval, the study involved 559 adolescents (39.54% female, 60.46% male; Mage = 13.46, SD = 0.92). The network analysis revealed that, at both T1 and T2, emotional self-stigma, blaming/dehumanizing the victim, and verbal bullying exhibited the highest expected influence (EI), indicating the establishment of a stable and central core within the adolescent psychological pathology network. The CLPN results further highlighted that verbal bullying displayed the strongest out-EI, while cognitive self-stigma demonstrated the strongest in-EI. Additionally, two distinct pathological pathways emerged: relational bullying at T1 significantly predicted cognitive self-stigma at T2 (internalizing pathway), while verbal bullying at T1 predicted cognitive restructuring at T2 (externalizing pathway). The study also illuminated the self-sustaining nature of self-stigma and moral disengagement, revealing a reciprocal feedback loop between these constructs. Notably, minimizing agency at T1 was found to negatively predict cognitive self-stigma at T2, suggesting it serves as a temporary defense mechanism protecting victims from self-depreciation. Overall, the findings underscore that bullying victimization triggers a complex, interconnected psychological system, emphasizing the importance of interventions grounded in psychological mechanisms, sequential strategies, and individualized approaches tailored to the specific types of bullying encountered by victims.

Academic misconduct poses a severe threat to scientific integrity and medical ethics. While gender disparities in misconduct are widely documented, the underlying cognitive mechanisms explaining why males are more susceptible, and whether a supportive institutional environment can buffer the risks associated with academic pressure and negative attitudes, remain underexplored in the context of Chinese medical education. A multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted across medical universities in Southwest China. Standardized assessments evaluating five core constructs, including academic misconduct, academic attitude, institutional environment, ethical climate, and academic pressure, were administered. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and K-means cluster analysis were employed to analyze the mechanisms and student profiles. From an initial cohort of 511 participants, 426 valid questionnaires were retained. The study revealed a robust gender disparity, with male students reporting significantly higher engagement in misconduct (β = 0.29, p < 0.001). SEM analysis demonstrated that Academic Attitude-operationally defined as utilitarian tolerance toward dishonesty-served as a critical mediator, accounting for 50.7% of the total gender effect. Contrary to the strict buffering hypothesis, the institutional environment did not significantly moderate the adverse effects of negative attitudes, partially due to severe range restriction in the highly-regulated sample. Furthermore, cluster analysis identified a distinct "High Misconduct-High Strain" phenotype (11.3% of the sample) characterized by high pressure, negative attitude, and prevalent misconduct. Notably, this group was disproportionately male (60.4%) and exhibited a behavioral phenotype consistent with moral disengagement. The gender gap in academic misconduct is primarily driven by utilitarian cognitive framings rather than behavioral inevitabilities. The limited buffering capacity of environmental factors challenges the reliance on external governance alone. To effectively mitigate misconduct, institutions should avoid over-educating the resilient majority and move toward targeted educational strategies. Interventions should prioritize non-universal cognitive restructuring specifically tailored for the identified high-risk subgroup.

ABSTRACT This study investigated how classroom ethnic diversity, students’ ethnicity, and classroom moral disengagement (MD) interact to predict students’ bullying involvement. The sample consisted of 6391 students (50.2% boys, 87.6% ethnic majority students, mean age 13.43 years) from 329 classrooms. Using a multilevel modelling approach, we found that individual and classroom-level MD were strong predictors of bullying perpetration and victimization. Higher ethnic diversity was associated with increased bullying perpetration among ethnic minority/mixed students, but not among ethnic majority students. In addition, the positive association between ethnic diversity and bullying perpetration among minority/mixed students was present only in classrooms characterized by high MD, while in classrooms with low MD, ethnic diversity was unrelated to bullying perpetration for both groups. For victimization, classroom MD was more strongly associated with higher victimization in ethnically diverse classrooms than in more homogeneous classrooms, although the association remained significant across both contexts. The study contributes to the limited body of research investigating the moderating role of classroom climate variables in the relationship between classroom ethnic diversity and bullying and highlights the relevance of MD in shaping peer dynamics in ethnically diverse classrooms. Practical implications include the potential of interventions targeting MD to foster inclusive, low-conflict classroom environments.

Bullying victimization among Chinese adolescents manifests in distinct types (verbal, physical, relational, cyberbullying) with unique adverse outcomes and influencing factors, yet predictive models for specific types remain scarce. Collapsing these distinct victimization types into a single outcome may obscure critical differences essential for tailored prevention. Therefore, this study applied machine learning to predict distinct victimization types and reveal type-specific risk and protective factor patterns, supplying an evidence base for targeted intervention. Chinese adolescents (n = 1,981, aged 11-18 years) completed measures of bullying victimization, depression, anxiety, friendship quality, emotion regulation, social support, school climate, trait anger, and moral disengagement bullying behavior. Multiple machine learning algorithms were trained using 5-fold cross-validation, with sensitivity analyses conducted without oversampling. For each victimization type, the hyperparameter configuration yielding the highest F2-score was selected to retrain the model on the full training set and subsequently applied to the test set. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis was performed on the F2-optimal model using test set data to identify key predictors, and feature importance rankings were compared between the main and sensitivity analyses. Random Forest achieved optimal performance for overall (F2 = 0.67) and physical (F2 = 0.52) victimization, Bagging for verbal (F2 = 0.65), Logistic Regression for relational (F2 = 0.57), and Naïve Bayes for cyberbullying (F2 = 0.51). Depression, anxiety, angry reaction and moral disengagement were common risk factors, while student-student was relationship a common protective factor, while angry temperament, gender, conflict and betrayal, and teacher-related factors, among others, showed distinct patterns across victimization type. Sensitivity analyses confirmed these patterns: the top five predictors were consistent across verbal, physical, cyber, and overall victimization, and four of the top five were also consistent for relational victimization. This study demonstrates that machine learning enables prediction of distinct bullying types and identification of their unique risk and protective factor patterns. These findings suggest that prevention strategies should move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches toward tailored interventions addressing the specific combination of risk factors of each victimization type.

This Systematic Literature Review (SLR) aims to synthesize empirical studies to determine prominent risk factors associated with radicalization and violent extremism (RVE), as well as moderating or mediating factors that trigger the radicalization pathways. Following the prior set eligibility criteria, the PRISMA guideline was used to identify, screen, and select the empirical studies. In this SLR, we have identified some prominent risk factors of RVE and categorized them into micro, meso, and macro level factors. At the micro level, age, gender, education, SES, psychopathological issues, personality and psychological traits, proviolence and hostile attitude, political-ideological beliefs, intolerance, conspiracy mentality, and moral disengagement, while at the meso level, family dysfunction, a post-conflict society, social isolation, harsh school environment, perceived intergroup threats, psychological needs, and low social support are considered to be key risk factors. At the macro level, collective strain, political conflict, strong religious and ethnic identity, and group-based relative deprivation significantly influence radicalization processes. The findings of the current SLR pointed toward multiple risk factors for the radicalization process. These findings can be imperative in developing counter-radicalization interventions and planning preventive strategies.

Given how quickly information technology is developing and how diverse online worlds are becoming, research on the cyber behavior and psychological mechanisms of university students has become an important topic in educational and cyber psychology. Unlike previous studies, this research innovatively integrates normative beliefs about aggression and perceived online anonymity into a unified analytical framework, and introduces moral disengagement as a key mediating variable to explain the underlying psychological mechanism. Grounded in the General Aggression Model and Social Cognitive Theory, this cross-sectional study collected questionnaire data from 738 university students to thoroughly examine the relationships among these variables. The results indicate that normative beliefs about aggression and perceived online anonymity are positively associated with cyber aggression, and moral disengagement exerts a partial mediating effect. This study extends our understanding of cyber aggression through an empirical focus on the distinctive features present among university students, investigating the dual pathways of normative beliefs about aggression and perceived online anonymity, and systematically revealing the key mediating mechanism of moral disengagement. These results offer a fresh theoretical framework for comprehending how cyber aggression develops, as well as empirical evidence and practical guidance for promoting cyber ethics education and behavioral interventions in higher education.

ABSTRACT The increasing use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) platforms for plagiarism is a significant concern in higher education, particularly among marketing undergraduate students in the United States. This study examines the influence of adolescent strain and moral obligation on students’ intentions to use AI for plagiarism, utilizing an integrative framework rooted in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and General Strain Theory (GST). According to TPB, key behavioral determinants: attitude, moral obligation, and past behavior, affect students’ ethical decision-making. GST further contextualizes this by explaining how academic and non-academic strain can lead to negative coping mechanisms, such as AI-assisted plagiarism. We hypothesize that heightened adolescent strain and moral obligation will contribute to weakened ethical decision-making and a greater likelihood of misconduct (AI-assisted plagiarism) as a coping mechanism. Past behavior significantly predicts future plagiarism, underscoring the importance of addressing academic misconduct mechanisms. Integrating TPB and GST, this study highlights how both structural and psychological factors shape ethical behavior, informing policy and support strategies for educators.

Based on the General Aggression Model and Social Ecological Systems Theory, this study investigated the longitudinal mediating roles of moral disengagement and violent attitudes in the relationship between exposure to violence and aggressive behavior. A three-wave longitudinal survey was conducted among college students in China from May 2021 to November 2022. The final analytical sample comprised 809 participants (605 females, 204 males; aged 16-24 years, M = 19.62, SD = 0.803) who completed all three waves. Measures assessed exposure to violence, violent attitudes, moral disengagement, and aggressive behavior. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, including cross-lagged and multiple mediation models with bootstrapping. The results indicated that: (1) Exposure to violence, moral disengagement, and violent attitudes all longitudinally predicted subsequent aggressive behavior significantly. (2) Exposure to violence influenced aggressive behavior through two significant sequential mediation pathways: one mediated first by violent attitudes and then by moral disengagement, and another mediated first by moral disengagement and then by violent attitudes. (3) A bidirectional predictive relationship was found between violent attitudes and moral disengagement over time. The findings reveal complex longitudinal mediating mechanisms involving both violent attitudes and moral disengagement linking violence exposure to aggression. This underscores the importance of addressing these cognitive and moral factors in developing targeted prevention and intervention strategies aimed at reducing aggressive behavior among individuals exposed to violence.

Drawing on social cognitive theory, moral disengagement offers an explanatory framework for behaviors that violate moral standards. However, limited research has explored its specific role in adolescent-to-parent violence, particularly within the Chinese context. This study examined whether global associations between moral disengagement and adolescent-to-parent violence, as well as the interrelations among individual components, may be associated with risk for adolescent-to-parent violence among Chinese adolescents. A sample of 1310 Chinese adolescents (47.79% females; Mage = 14.05 years, SD = 0.65, range = 13-16) completed self-report measures of moral disengagement and adolescent-to-parent violence at two waves spaced 3 months apart. Data were analyzed using both structural equation modeling and network analyses. Moral disengagement was a risk factor for subsequent adolescent-to-parent violence. When examining specific components, displacement of responsibility showed the strongest link with adolescent-to-parent violence, whereas psychological violence was most closely related to moral disengagement. Moreover, previous moral justification and displacement of responsibility were associated with increases in all forms of adolescent-to-parent violence. Adolescents reporting higher levels of psychological violence were more likely to show increased endorsement of all eight moral disengagement mechanisms over time. These findings suggest that bidirectional associations between moral disengagement and adolescent-to-parent violence emerge through specific mechanisms and behavioral forms rather than at the aggregate construct level. These findings highlight the importance of addressing displacement of responsibility, moral justification, and psychological violence as potential intervention targets that may play a role in disrupting the cognitive-behavioral cycle of adolescent-to-parent violence.

Building on international research, which applies moral disengagement theory in sport, this study examined NCAA Division I coaches’ adherence to COVID-19 safety recommendations in the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Medical Sport Playbook. These protocols included social distancing, sanitation, personal protective equipment (PPE), pre-participation exams, and daily screening. Coaches (n = 179) across 29 sports completed a survey regarding compliance with this guidance. The following research questions guided the analysis: RQ1: What is the relationship between win/loss records and compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols? H1: Teams with sustained winning records (≥ 80% win rate) were expected to demonstrate higher compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols. RQ2: What is the relationship between team gender and compliance with these protocols? H2: Women's teams were expected to demonstrate greater compliance with COVID-19 protocols. Guided by Bandura's moral disengagement theory, we explored how competitive pressure and coaching identity may rationalize noncompliance with public health mandates. Regression analyses revealed that teams with higher win rates were significantly less likely to comply with sanitation and daily screening protocols, while women's teams demonstrated significantly greater adherence to social distancing. Compliance with PPE use and pre-participation exams was inconsistent across all teams. Overall, high-performance programs were less likely to follow COVID-19 safety protocols, highlighting the influence of moral disengagement, gendered expectations, and performance culture on health-related decision-making. These findings extend understanding of how performance culture, moral disengagement, and gendered leadership norms influence health compliance in elite sport environments worldwide.

ABSTRACT Based in a dual-process model of moral judgment, we tested how negative emotion influences unethical decision-making in moral dilemmas and how emotion regulation may attenuate this effect. Study 1 manipulated reappraisal whereas Study 2 measured the spontaneous use of various emotion regulation strategies. Participants read one mundane moral dilemma and rated their emotions (combined N = 980). In Study 1, participants were instructed to downregulate or upregulate negative emotion through reappraisal (vs. control). In Study 2, participants self-reported their use of emotion regulation in response to the same moral dilemmas. After each moral dilemma, participants self-reported their likelihood of making an unethical decision. Results from both studies revealed negative emotion was associated with less unethical decision-making, and in Study 1, positive emotion was associated with greater unethical decision-making. Participants instructed to downregulate their negative emotions exhibited an increased likelihood of unethical decision-making (vs. control), and this effect was mediated by moral disengagement (Study 1). Moreover, higher (vs. lower) applied mindfulness processes and emotion regulation strategies like reappraisal and emotional expression were associated with a weaker negative emotion-unethical decision-making relationship (Study 2). These findings suggest that regulating negative emotion can attenuate its moral deterrent function, thereby increasing unethical choices.

Exploring moral disengagement in meat consumption among Malaysian youth - A cross-sectional study.

Research on upper echelons theory often portrays founders as stewards who act in their organizations' best interests, requiring less oversight than hired executives. We challenge this view by examining a potential dark side of founder leadership: leader-directed unethical pro-organizational behavior, in which founders direct subordinates to engage in unethical actions to benefit the firm. Integrating social identity theory with social cognitive theory, we shed light on both when and why founder identification leads to this form of unethicality. Specifically, in the absence of effective corporate governance, singularly identified founders may develop a bottom-line mentality as they struggle for their organization to succeed. Subsequently, they may experience moral disengagement, leading them to rationalize directing subordinates to engage in questionable tactics. However, we argue that the presence of a "second-in-command" can act as a key safeguard that attenuates the relationship between founder identification and bottom-line mentality, thereby reducing founder moral disengagement and leader-directed unethical pro-organizational behavior. We find converging support for our hypothesized model using an archival panel data set as well as a three-wave field study of founders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Religious leaders often hold revered positions and shape moral norms within their communities. However, obedience to such figures may become problematic when followers fail to question unethical behavior or the misuse of authority. This study investigates how dimensions of right-wing authoritarianism (submission, aggression, and conventionalism) and mechanisms of moral disengagement relate to perilous obedience toward religious authority. Drawing on data from 243 Indonesian participants across majority and minority religious groups, hierarchical regression analyses showed that authoritarian submission and moral disengagement - particularly advantageous comparison - were the strongest predictors of perilous obedience. Although authoritarian aggression initially predicted the outcome, its effect diminished once moral disengagement was entered into the model. Conventionalism, despite its theoretical importance, did not significantly predict obedience in this context. These findings highlight psychological factors associated with followers’ willingness to tolerate or justify the misuse of authority in religious settings.

Nurses play a crucial role in promoting school health by supporting students' resilience in the context of bullying. This cross-sectional study examined the influence of school climate and moral disengagement on resilience among 167 Thai secondary students using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. Participants included 38.3% victims, 28.7% perpetrators, and 32.9% bully-victims. Most students reported medium to high levels of resilience and positive perceptions of school climate. Boys were more likely to report moral disengagement (p < .001). Structural modeling indicated that school climate was positively associated with resilience (β = 0.471, p < .001). Moral disengagement was not significantly associated with resilience, and mediation through moral disengagement was not supported. The model accounted for 27% of the variance in resilience. These findings suggest that positive school climate is closely linked to students' resilience and underscore the relevance of school-based nursing practices that emphasize inclusive, relational, and system-level approaches.

Empathy deficits are linked to antisocial behaviour and low prosocial abilities. Improving capacity for empathy may help reduce aggression and support positive social engagement. To evaluate the impact of empathy training among women in prison in Iran. Thirty female prisoners from Kermanshah Prison, Iran, volunteered to take part and were assigned to two groups. Fifteen participants received empathy training, whereas 15 served as a control group and only completed assessments. The intervention was of eight group sessions (45-60min each). Standardised questionnaires were administered pre- and post-intervention to assess empathy, aggression, moral identity, moral disengagement and social desirability. Gain scores for social desirability were treated as covariates in a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). MANCOVA did not reveal statistically significant effects of empathy training. However, individual ANOVA analyses showed a significant increase in moral disengagement among the intervention group, suggesting unintended consequences. This study adds to existing literature by highlighting both the challenges and risks of implementing empathy training in a prison context. Whereas results do not confirm effectiveness, at least partly because of sample size limitations, they confirm that such intervention can be implemented and evaluated safely in prison. They also show the importance of monitoring and interpreting apparent side effects. They pave the way towards larger samples and exploration of intensive interventions to foster psychological change among people in prison.

ABSTRACT In today's dynamic and competitive environment, organizations tend to implement performance‐based HRM practices. Performance‐focused HR attributions can profoundly affect employees' behavior at work (particularly unethical behavior). However, the ethical consequences of performance‐focused HR attributions remain unknown. This research examines the impact of performance‐focused HR attributions on employees' unethical pro‐performance behavior (UPPB). To test our hypotheses, we designed two multi‐method studies: A scenario experiment study and a multi‐wave field study in the new retailing service industry. We find a positive correlation between performance‐focused HR attributions and UPPB, mediated by performance‐oriented moral disengagement (PMD). We further find that algorithmic management strengthened the relationship between performance‐focused HR attributions and PMD, as well as its mediating effect. This study highlights the nuanced role that performance‐focused HR attributions play in shaping employees' behavior, and how algorithmic management influences ethical considerations in performance‐driven environments.

ABSTRACT Existing criminological theories predate algorithmically amplified digital platforms and have not been extended to the persistent, non-reciprocal relationships that those platforms now enable at scale. This paper introduces Parasocial Learning Theory (PLT), a novel social-cognitive framework that addresses this gap by extending Akers’ Social Learning Theory (SLT) and Glaser's Differential Identification into the domain of non-reciprocal, algorithmically mediated relationships, a context neither framework was designed to address. PLT posits that individuals acquire pro-criminal attitudes and justifications through parasocial relationships (PSRs) with media figures. Within a PSR, the illusion of reciprocity weakens cognitive defenses, facilitating parasocial identification; the mechanism by which the individual's self-concept and the emblem's grievances and behavioral scripts collapse into one another. The framework incorporates mediators such as moral disengagement and moderators such as social isolation, and introduces the concept of ‘parasocial emblems,’ media figures who serve as symbolic representations of crime, to explain disproportionate influence and contagion. We demonstrate PLT’s utility by applying it to three emerging digital threat vectors: Nihilistic Violent Extremism, the decentralized 764 network, and True Crime dark fandoms. This paper details the theoretical model, addresses limitations, and concludes with directions for future empirical research on mediated radicalization.

One of tourism’s most persistent paradoxes is that we harm places we love by visiting them. This contradiction is well illustrated by the case of Antarctic tour guides, who live with a moral dilemma around the conflicting nature of their work. Although they overwhelmingly report strong concern for Antarctica, they repeatedly engage in behaviour that harms it (i.e. travelling there). In this mixed-methods study, we aim to understand the psychological mechanisms (moral disengagement mechanisms) used to resolve the cognitive dissonance arising from this contradictory behaviour. We collect qualitative data (semi-structured interviews with Antarctic tour guides) and analyse it using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods (thematic analysis and co-occurrence analysis). We identify 13 novel mechanisms of moral disengagement and three overarching justification narratives that are constructed through complex combinations of mechanisms. Theoretically, the study contributes: (1) the first comprehensive mapping of moral disengagement mechanisms in tourism, (2) several novel mechanisms of moral disengagement, and (3) a deeper understanding of how mechanisms of moral disengagement interrelate. Our results can be used by tourists, practitioners, and policy-makers as a tool to identify disengagement from morals in tourism discourse, and to hold the tourism industry to account on ethical issues.