Despite recent growth of research on prosocial media effects (e.g., Greitemeyer, 2011a & b), processes underlying these effects are not well understood. Two studies explored theoretically relevant mediators and moderators of prosocial media effects on helping. Study 1 examined associations among prosocial and violent media use, empathy, and helping with participants from 7 countries. Prosocial media use was positively associated with helping. This effect was mediated by empathy and was similar across cultures. Study 2 explored longitudinal relations among prosocial video game use, violent video game use, empathy, and helping in a large sample of Singaporean children and adolescents measured three times across two years. Path analyses yielded significant longitudinal effects of prosocial and violent video game use on prosocial behavior through empathy. Latent growth curve modeling revealed significant mediated effects of change in video game use on change in helping through change in empathy over the two-year period.
Cultural generality versus specificity of media violence effects on aggression was examined in seven countries (Australia, China, Croatia, Germany, Japan, Romania, the United States). Participants reported aggressive behaviors, media use habits, and several other known risk and protective factors for aggression. Across nations, exposure to violent screen media was positively associated with aggression. This effect was partially mediated by aggressive cognitions and empathy. The media violence effect on aggression remained significant even after statistically controlling a number of relevant risk and protective factors (e.g., abusive parenting, peer delinquency), and was similar in magnitude to effects of other risk factors. In support of the cumulative risk model, joint effects of different risk factors on aggressive behavior in each culture were larger than effects of any individual risk factor.
(1) Objective: Parental alienation phenomenon was given an increased attention during the recent years in both the clinical and the legal fields. This study aims to introduce the development of a new parental alienation questionnaire. (2) Method: Four studies were performed. In the first two studies in which five specialists participated, the questionnaire was defined, and the inter-rater reliability was verified. The next study, which included 267 participants, sought to establish the construct validity by applying Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The last study that enrolled 200 participants considered predictive validity as well as test-retest reliability. (3) Results: Eight criteria of parental alienation have been identified: Campaign of denigration, frivolous, weak, or absurd rationale for the alienation, lack of ambivalence towards the alienating, lack of guilt or remorse about the alienation, borrowed scenarios, independent thinker phenomenon, taking the alienating parent’s side in the conflict, and spread of alienation to the extended family of the targeted parent. (4) Conclusion: The results highlighted the proper psychometric qualities of the questionnaire. The Parental Alienation Questionnaire (PAQ) seems to be a promising tool not only for clinical and judicial practice, but also for research.
IntroductionThe present study investigated the role of dispositional hope as a potential protective factor moderator in the relationship between adult ADHD symptoms, media use/smart phone addiction and wellbeing during the period of isolation because of the COVID-19 pandemic among students in Romania.MethodsA sample of 333 college students (86.8% female and 13.2% male) between the age of 18 and 47 with a mean of 20.6 years old from West University of Timişoara completed online surveys. Mediation and moderation analyses were performed to assess the associations among the variables.ResultsResults confirmed the negative associations of both adult ADHD and smartphone addiction with overall wellbeing. The smartphone addiction/ wellbeing association was moderated by dispositional hopefulness, such that high hopefulness served as a protective factor [b = −0.008, 95% percentile CI (−0.0134; −0.0012)].DiscussionImplications for the educational environment are discussed.
Empirical actuarial measures are significantly more accurate than unstructured clinical judgments in predicting recidivism risk of incarcerated populations across different cultures. In a retrospective study, we examined the predictive validity of the Static-99R, the actuarial measure most used around the world for assessing the recidivism risk of persons who committed a sexual offense (PCS), in a sample of 518 male PCS in Romania. The results showed a good predictive validity for any kind of recidivism (area under the curve [AUC] = .70) and a slightly lower predictive accuracy for violent (AUC = .69) and sexual recidivism (AUC = .67). Effect sizes and the predictive validity of the single items of the Static-99R have also been examined. In addition, the predicted rates of reconviction have been compared with the observed rates. The Romanian version of the Static-99R has been shown as a valid, useful tool to predict sexual, violent, and general recidivism for Romanian PCS.
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