The COVID-19 pandemic, a health emergency with international consequences, has brought serious impact on all aspects of society and affects not only health and economy, but psychological functioning and mental health as well. This research was conducted in order to examine and further our understanding of emotional reactions to the ongoing pandemic. Change in emotional reactions during the pandemic and relations with specific pandemic related behaviors and personality traits from the revised Reinforcement sensitivity theory were explored. The research was conducted in Serbia for 35 days while the country was in a state of emergency, as a citizen science project. Out of the 1526 participants that joined the study, 444 (67% female) had measures for all five weeks. Longitudinal changes in four emotional states during the pandemic were examined: worry, fear, boredom, and anger/annoyance. Results indicate a decrease in all four emotional states over time. The biggest decrease was present in case of worry, followed by fear and boredom. Regression analysis showed that personality dimensions, as well as behavioral responses in this situation significantly predicted emotional reactions. Findings revealed the Behavioral activation system was significantly related to worry, fear and boredom, Fight with boredom and anger, and the Behavioral inhibition system with anger. Adherence to protection measures, as well as increased exposure to the media, had significant positive relations with worry and fear. These results indicate that both stable characteristics and specific pandemic-related behaviors are significantly related to emotional response during the pandemic.

Abstract. The aim of this research was to examine the structure of the Dark Triad and Tetrad traits by answering the question whether a person-centered or a variable-centered approach is more suitable for their description, or its combination. Moreover, we examined whether the inclusion of sadism into the dark traits constellation would change the results. On a sample of 404 participants, both short and full-length measures of the Dark Triad were used, while sadism was assessed via Short Sadistic Impulse Scale. The results of the factor mixture analysis showed that the variable-centered approach is better at describing the Dark Triad, but the inclusion of sadism resulted in qualitatively different latent profiles, suggesting that the person-centered approach could serve in describing the Dark Tetrad. Inclusion of sadism led to the isolation of higher Dark Tetrad-sadism profile in both short and full-length measures and this profile showed the higher risk behaviors and interpersonal problems. Other isolated profiles could be interpreted as lower and higher Dark Tetrad profiles, with some specificities. Results showed that inclusion of sadism contributed to the isolation of profile more prone to sadism, but also to isolation of other profiles, suggesting that it could change the relations among dark traits.

The aim of this research was to determine whether the person-centered or the variable-centered approach is better at describing the covariance between the Dark Triad and Dark Tetrad traits in the community sample. On the sample of 624 participants (48.2% males), the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen (DTDD), the Short Sadistic Impulse Scale (SSIS) and the Varieties of Sadistic Tendencies Scale (VAST) were used for measuring the dark traits, while the Reactive Proactive Questionnaire (RPQ) and the questions about alcohol use were applied for criteria validation. In order to test whether the variable-or the person-centered approach better described covariance among the dark traits, the latent profile analysis was used. The results revealed one profile or two quantitatively different profiles (low and high dark traits), suggesting that the variable-centered approach is more appropriate than the person-centered for describing the dark traits. In the case of the Dark Tetrad, profile membership largely depended on the used sadism measure, i.e. profile agreement was moderate. High dark traits profile based on the combination with the SSIS sadism scale was characterized by both higher aggression and alcohol use, while the same profile based on the combination with the VAST sadism measure was characterized only by higher aggression.

The aim of this research is the psychometric evaluation of the Abbreviation Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS) on a sample of high school students. AMAS operationalizes math anxiety as a two- dimensional construct, basing its main components on the context model: math learning anxiety (MAL) and math evaluation anxiety (MAE). MAL represents the tendency of manifesting mathematical anxiety during the process of learning mathematics, while MAE represents math anxiety present in all situations that imply formal evaluation of math knowledge. The sample consisted of 514 high school students (45.3% male), aged 15 to 19. Confirmatory factor analysis pointed that AMAS is a one–dimensional scale with two facets, with the bifactorial solution showing the best fit parameters. Psychometric attributes of AMAS were tested by using Item Response Theory. Items and the questionnaire showed appropriate psychometric properties. The AMAS scale has expected patterns of relatedness with mathematical achievement, motivation for learning math, age and gender.

The main aim of this study was to explore reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic and their relationship with personality traits using a person-centered approach. Sample of 471 Serbian citizens was collected during the first 7 weeks of the pandemic. Cluster analysis revealed three clusters based on reactions to the pandemic: Adapted, Antagonized, and Passive. Adaptive type is characterized by stable emotional reactions and adherence to behavioral guidelines. Antagonized cluster is characterized by lowered adherence to behavioral guidelines, while Passive cluster is characterized by increased fear and boredom. Clusters differed significantly on HEXACO and PANAS traits. Similarity of obtained clusters with prototypes that commonly emerge using personality traits for classification, stresses the importance of basic individual differences in pandemic-induced behavior.

The first twin study in Serbia began in 2011 as a part of the research project, ‘Psychological Foundations of Mental Health: Hereditary and Environmental Factors’. At the same time, the research team from the Faculty of Philosophy and Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad established the first Serbian twin registry. The registry is intended primarily for the purpose of the research in behavioral genetics, as well as potential future studies in human genetics. It includes information on 1658 volunteers, including twin-pairs, their parent and siblings. The behavioral genetic study of adult twins has been focused on the hereditary and environmental sources of variance of different psychological characteristics, such as personality traits, cognitive abilities, executive functions and aggression, as well as some anthropometric measures and aspects of mental and physical health. Certain molecular genetic analyses have also been performed. The research team is currently starting the longitudinal twin study of children, which will be focused on different indicators of emotional, cognitive and physical development.

The long-term stability of subjective wellbeing has directed an attention to stable dispositions as the probable source of individual differences in the satisfaction with life (SWL). The main objective of this study was to examine the extent of genetic overlap between SWL and personality traits of the five-factor model (FFM). The sample consisted of 121 monozygotic and 61 dizygotic twin pairs (the average age was 24.59, SD = 7.11). Satisfaction with Life Scale and The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PIR) were applied. Multivariate genetic modeling was performed. The results show the most appropriate fit indices for Independent AE model(χ²/df = 1.41, CFI = .92, TLI = .91, RMSEA = .07, AIC = 17400.81, BIC = 17558.68, SRMR = .10). SWL and all NEOPI- R personality traits have a moderate to strong genetic bases, while the common genetic influences for SWL are 40%. The results show that unique environmental contributions are moderate to strong (from 61% for Neuroticism, 41% for SWL, to 23% for Conscientiousness). Genetically driven tendency common to Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness, underlines individual differences in SWL, and therefore a cognitive evaluation of SWL seems to be substantially based on emotional tendencies encompassed by the FFM. Also, SWL appears to be uniquely environmentally influenced, which implies benefits of wellbeing interventions through the process of learning or adopting a different life philosophy.

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