Including general options on items, such as None-of-the-above (NOTA), could lead to worse psychometric properties. Further, personality traits are related to academic performance and could influence NOTA effects. Therefore, this study aims to test the effects of NOTA by manipulating its appearance and its use as the correct option or as a distractor, while considering the examinees’ personality traits. The sample consisted of 449 psychology students who answered a statistics concept inventory. A crossed random-effects model was conducted to model the probability of answering an item correctly depending on items and students’ covariates. The appearance of NOTA negatively affects the probability of answering correctly and changes between examinees. Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Emotional Stability, and previous knowledge of statistics are also significant predictors. The results point to increased items’ difficulty when NOTA is included, although not all the examinees seem to show the same behavior when dealing with NOTA options.

The FrameNet project is a large-scale frame-semantic database with a seemingly usage-based core: It draws on 200,000 annotated sentences from representative corpora and offers the most comprehensive description of semantic valency patterns in English to date. Nevertheless, its empirical validity is weakened by the lack of statistical information on the distribution of lexical units, frames and frame elements. Similarly, the characterisation of frame elements as core, core-unexpressed, peripheral or extra-thematic – intended to indicate their essentiality to a frame – is primarily motivated on theoretical grounds. This raises the question of whether these labels are consistent with actual language use. After exhaustively extracting frequency data from Python’s NLTK FrameNet Corpus for all attested combinations of verbs, frames and frame elements, hierarchical gradient boosting models were trained on information-theoretic measures and word embeddings to predict the coreness of frame elements. The models provide strong usage-based evidence for a general core versus non-core distinction but cast doubt on further subdivisions such as core versus core-unexpressed or peripheral versus extra-thematic. While further validation is necessary, this contribution offers the first statistical perspective on the current state of FrameNet and its compatibility with usage-based approaches.

Employees rely heavily on computer-mediated communication (CMC). While CMC provides significant benefits, it also presents some challenges. The theoretical mechanisms underlying these opposing effects remain poorly understood, limiting our ability to mitigate the drawbacks of CMC use while maximizing its advantages. This study leverages job design theory to unravel the complex relationship between CMC use and employee basic need satisfaction, an important determinant of employee well-being and performance. More specifically, we propose that CMC use can satisfy the basic psychological needs of relatedness, competence, and autonomy as defined in self-determination theory, by providing social support, a critical job resource. However, it may also impede psychological need satisfaction by introducing technology-induced job demands, such as interruptions and techno-workload. A daily diary study among 143 employees reporting on at least 2 days of working from home corroborated these hypotheses: CMC use was positively related to daily relatedness satisfaction through enhanced social support. Conversely, it was negatively associated with daily autonomy satisfaction through task interruptions and techno-workload. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these results, confirming the dual role of CMC in fulfilling and challenging basic psychological need satisfaction.

Deviations in P300 activity have been implicated in depression and anxiety; however, much of this research has been conducted in adult samples and has primarily examined the association between P300 amplitude and internalizing symptoms between participants. We sought to simultaneously examine the between- and within-subject associations between depression and anxiety symptoms with P300. Self-report and neural data from a flanker task were collected at three timepoints over the course of two years in a large sample of adolescents (n = 490). Blunted P300 was robustly related to elevated between-subject depression. Conversely, elevations in within-subject anxiety were associated with larger P300. Results implicate the P300 as a reliable correlate of between-subjects level depression-related deficits in cognitive functions that is not susceptible to within-subject changes. Additionally, P300 also serves as a correlate of within-subject elevations in youth anxiety symptoms likely reflecting greater hyperarousal at the time of assessment.

One factor that has been shown to mediate and protect against psychopathology is the ability to engage in meaning making in adverse situations during the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the models that have attempted to explain the relationship between traumatic, stressful events’ meaning and clinical symptoms have been conducted in a piecemeal fashion. The objective of this study is to analyze which model (two-pathway model vs three-pathway model) has a better fit in explaining the association between the violation of global meaning and clinical symptoms such as somatization, anxiety, and depression in participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study sample consisted of N = 1106 adults. The results suggest that the violation of schemas affects depression and anxiety symptoms through three pathways: (a) Path one, directly, schema violation explains clinical symptoms; (b) Path two, indirectly, schema violation explains clinical symptoms through the search for meaning and negative effect; and (c) Path three, the presence of meaning explains positive affect and buffers clinical symptoms. The three-pathway model explains 90% of the variance in clinical symptoms. The three-pathway model has clinical implications for the assessment, prevention, and treatment of people who are coping with unforeseen negative situations.

Research on the joint role of testosterone and cortisol in aggression has produced inconsistent results, with limited attention to adolescence, a stage characterized by considerable hormonal changes, and to the distinction between within-and between-person effects. This study examined whether peer victimization moderates testosterone–cortisol associations with bullying perpetration in adolescents. Assessed at three 3-month intervals, participants (471 adolescents, Mage = 14.97, SD = 0.70; 47.1% female) reported bullying perpetration and victimization and provided saliva samples for the analysis of hormones. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models revealed a three-way interaction (testosterone × cortisol × victimization). Increases in testosterone predicted changes in bullying perpetration when cortisol decreased. These effects were moderated by victimization. When victimization was below average, testosterone increases predicted more bullying perpetration; when it was above average, testosterone increases predicted less perpetration. These findings highlight that peer victimization shapes how testosterone–cortisol interactions influence adolescent aggression, underscoring the interplay of biological and contextual factors in adolescent adaptation.

In this work, we use language modeling to investigate the factors that influence insertional code-switching. Code-switching occurs when a speaker alternates between one language variety (the primary language) and another (the secondary language), and is widely observed in multilingual contexts. Recent work has shown that code-switching is often correlated with areas of low predictability in the primary language, but it is unclear whether low primary language predictability only makes the secondary language relatively easier to produce at code-switching points – that is, purely speaker-driven code-switching – or whether code-switching is additionally used by speakers for other purposes, for instance to signal the need for greater attention on the part of listeners. In this paper, we use bilingual Chinese–English online forum posts and transcripts of spontaneous Chinese–English speech to replicate prior findings that low primary language (Chinese) predictability is correlated with insertional switches to the secondary language (English). We then demonstrate that the predictability of the English productions is even lower than that of meaning-equivalent Chinese alternatives, and these are therefore not easier to produce, rejecting the purely speaker-driven theory of code-switching in both writing and speech.

Adolescents’ communication with friends increasingly occurs online and research has primarily focused on the quantity rather than the quality of interactions, such as feeling supported or ignored. Since feeling supported or ignored by friends offline affects adolescents’ well- and ill-being, it is essential to understand how these dynamics unfold in online contexts, particularly for adolescents with elevated depressive symptoms, who may be especially sensitive to these experiences. In this preregistered 100-day diary study, 479 adolescents (Mage = 15.98, 54.9% girls; 96.9% Dutch) reported daily on time spent communicating online with friends, their experiences of feeling supported and ignored by friends, and their well- and ill-being. Results showed that time spent communicating online with friends did not relate to adolescents’ well- and ill-being. Feeling supported by friends online resulted in higher well-being and lower ill-being, while feeling ignored by friends online was related to lower well-being and higher ill-being. Adolescents with elevated depressive symptoms experienced intensified effects, both positive and negative, suggesting more vulnerability to everyday online social experiences but also increased benefit from online support. Altogether, this underscores the importance for parents and clinicians to foster open conversations to help adolescents with elevated depressive symptoms navigate their digital social world.

Firearm suicide among adolescents in the United States has increased in recent years, with Black and Latino youth experiencing disproportionately rising rates. Although firearm violence and mental health disparities have received growing attention, the structural conditions that shape racial inequities in firearm suicide risk remain insufficiently examined. This overview applies an intersectional and structural lens to analyze how systemic inequities including residential segregation, concentrated disadvantage, punitive school discipline practices, underinvestment in mental health infrastructure and commercial determinants of firearm availability contribute to differential suicide risk. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature and recent epidemiologic data, the manuscript maps the causal pathways through which structural racism and institutional inequities shape exposure to community violence, access to culturally responsive care, crisis response practices and household firearm environments. It further examines how these mechanisms interact with gender and lethal means availability to amplify disparities in suicide mortality. The analysis underscores the importance of multilevel, upstream interventions that address structural inequities, strengthen community-based supports and reduce access to lethal means. By reframing firearm suicide as a structurally patterned outcome rather than an individual-level phenomenon, this work advances a socio-ecological understanding of adolescent suicide prevention with implications for structural reform and suicide prevention policy.

Young migrants encounter heightened challenges as the intersection of their youth and migrant identities magnifies the influence of risk factors for suicide. Social media offers a platform for young migrants to express emotions, seek support and connect with others, often anonymously. However, how they communicate about self-harm and suicide online remains underexplored. This qualitative study involved 17 online interviews with young migrants aged 15–25 years. Transcribed data were coded and thematically explored using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis methodology. Four key themes were identified: (1) Exposed and isolated: The emotional toll of viewing self-harm and suicide-related content on young migrants; (2) Connected but at-risk: The dual role of social media in migrant belonging; (3) Digital belonging across borders: Benefits and strains of staying connected; and (4) Helpful and harmful: The dual nature of support on social media. Social media has a complex impact on young migrants, offering both protective and harmful effects. While exposure to distressing or discriminatory content may exacerbate feelings of isolation and disconnection, social media can also promote belonging, cultural understanding and resilience. It also provides accessible support, though poor-quality advice and stigma may deter help-seeking. These insights can inform culturally responsive mental health interventions.

Emotion regulation (ER) difficulties in early childhood are considered potential predictors of later psychopathology, particularly in children of mothers with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). This multicenter study examined ER in German-speaking children of mothers with BPD (C-BPD), children of mothers with anxiety/ depressive disorders, and children of mentally healthy mothers (N = 318; Mage = 39.41 months, SD = 22.16; range: 6–84 months, 53.5% female). We hypothesized that C-BPD would display more unfavorable (maladaptive) ER strategies than the other groups. ER was assessed via behavioral observations, analyzing latency, frequency, duration, and variability. Contrary to expectations, children across all groups primarily used adaptive ER strategies. No significant associations emerged between maternal psychopathology and children’s ER (MANCOVAs for adaptive ER strategies by maternal diagnostic group: duration, p > .999, η2 = .008; latency, p > .999, η2 = .009; frequency, p > .999, η2 = .006, variability, p = .668, η2 = .003). Exploratory analyses revealed age-specific and developmentally typical differences in ER strategy use. These findings contribute to the literature on ER in C-BPD and highlight the need for longitudinal studies to clarify how and when early ER patterns may influence later psychopathological outcomes.

Elections are moments when nations confront uncertainty about their future and re-examine their past. The present research investigated how two temporal, group-based emotions jointly shape political preferences and behaviour: collective nostalgia (longing for the group’s past) and collective angst (concern for the group’s future). We focused on the 2024 United States federal election, examining how civic-focused nostalgia (longing for civility and institutional trust) and homogeneity-focused nostalgia (longing for cultural and moral uniformity), together with collective angst, predicted three outcomes: support for strong leadership, voting intentions, and actual voting behaviour. Participants (N = 282) completed measures of these constructs pre-election (Time 1), with voting behaviour assessed post-election (Time 2). Results revealed that both civic- and homogeneity-focused nostalgia were associated with greater general support for strong leadership, but collective angst only predicted such support when civic nostalgia was low. Homogeneity-focused nostalgia robustly predicted Trump voting intentions and behaviour, whereas civic nostalgia predicted support for Harris. Collective angst interacted with homogeneity nostalgia to amplify pro-Trump voting, suggesting that anxiety about the group’s future magnifies the political consequences of longing for a homogeneous past. These findings illuminate how emotional orientations towards the past and future jointly guide democratic decision-making.

This study examined adolescent–family relationship predictors of adult-era resilience in the face of the COVID pandemic, considering both mental and physical health outcomes. Adolescents (99 female, 85 male; 107 White, 53 African American, 15 mixed race/ethnicity, 9 from other minority groups) were followed from age 18 to 38 utilizing both observational and self-report assessments. After accounting for levels of functioning pre-COVID, adolescents who demonstrated a capacity to handle disagreements without becoming engaged in relatedness-undermining hostile behavior in mother-adolescent dyads went on as adults to experience relatively fewer depressive symptoms and better physical health quality post-COVID onset (Direct β’s = 0.28 and −0.17, respectively). Follow-up analyses suggested these effects were potentially mediated by maternal reports of adult-era quality of the mother-participant relationship, by level of ongoing maternal contact, and by lower levels of loneliness. Evidence was also found that maintaining contact with fathers in adulthood predicted better health outcomes post-pandemic. Results are taken as supporting a systems approach to understanding resilience, as Luthar has suggested, and identifying the mother–adolescent relationship as a potential long-term protective factor well into mid-adulthood.

This study evaluated English and Spanish language proficiency, and balance among these proficiencies, in relation to reading achievement in a sample of 161 middle school current and former English learners known to be struggling readers. Students were administered English and Spanish language assessments and also reported on their language usage; English reading outcomes (word reading, reading fluency, reading comprehension) were also assessed. Findings support the role of English proficiency in all three reading outcomes in this population. However, Spanish language skills, or indices that reflected the relative balance of these proficiencies, were not uniquely predictive. The present study adds nuance to the current literature and offers considerations for future work.

Research suggests that well-developed parent engagement programs can boost early learning and reduce socioeconomic disparities in subsequent school adjustment. Yet few follow-up studies exist. To address this gap, we followed participants in the Research-based, Developmentally Informed-Parent [REDI-P] intervention study for 8 years to evaluate adolescent outcomes. Participants included 200 4-year-old children (55% White, 26% Black, 19% Latinx; 56% male, 44% female; Mage at study entry = 4.45 years) attending Head Start. Families were randomly assigned to REDI-P home learning materials and coaching or an attention control group. Multi-method measures tracked child literacy skills, learning behaviors, social competence, and conduct problems through grade 7. GLM analyses revealed significant preschool intervention effects on grade 7 working memory, β = 0.35, 95% CI 0.08, 0.62, p = .01; perceived social competence, β = 0.30, 95% CI 0.02, .58, p = .04; deviant peer affiliation, β = −0.33, 95% CI −0.60, −0.06, p = .02; and teacher-rated conduct problems, β = −0.30, 95% CI −0.58, −0.01, p = .04. Serial path models identified developmental progressions linking initial intervention effects to adolescent outcomes. Results highlight the long-term value of empowering parents to support the early social-emotional and pre-academic learning of their preschool children.