Psichologijos institutas / Institute of Psychology

Growing research highlights significant yet complex links between eco-anxiety and pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). It remains unclear to what extent this relationship is shaped by additional factors, and longitudinal investigations are particularly needed to capture the dynamic interplay between the constructs. This study examines how eco-anxiety relates to PEB in young adults over time, focusing on the roles of hope and coping. The study employs a longitudinal two-wave design. A convenience sample of 560 participants was collected for the first wave of the study. After excluding data due to several reasons, the final sample comprised 455 adults aged 18 to 35 years (M = 22.47; SD = 4.40), with 71.5% female. The participants who agreed to be further contacted will be invited to participate in the second wave of the study at the beginning of 2026. Items from the Climate Change Anxiety Scale (Clayton & Karazsia, 2020), the Coping Strategies instrument (Ojala, 2012; Ojala & Bengtsson, 2019), and the Hope Index (Sangervo et al., 2022) are used, together with questions about environmentally friendly consumption. The structural equation modelling framework will be applied to data analysis. Drawing on prior findings and theories such as the transactional model of stress and coping, we expect robust longitudinal links between eco-anxiety and PEB, with hope and coping playing significant explanatory roles. Anxiety is anticipated to predict the behaviour over time, while coping strategies and hope may uniquely mediate/moderate this relationship. Clarifying these mechanisms is crucial for designing interventions that foster adaptive responses to environmental crises.

Pokalbis su MRU Psichologijos instituto profesore, Taikomosios psichologijos laboratorijos tyrėja Goda Kaniušonyte, atliekančia ilgalaikius tyrimus ir stebėjimus tiek Lietuvoje, tiek kitapus Atlanto, gilinantis į vaikų ir paauglių gyvenimą, jų sėkmingą raidą.

Social networks provide great opportunities for innovation, learning and creativity, but have negative effects on mental health. In 2021, 49 percent actively used social networks, of the world's population of 3.8 billion people, and in 2027 this number will increase to almost six billion. Problematic use of social networks is a multifaceted phenomenon influenced by biological, psychological, social and cultural elements. 90 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 use social media daily, and most have active accounts on at least five different social media platforms. In Lithuania, there is a lack of research with students about the problematic use of social networks and its relationship with self-esteem and academic achievements. It is important to understand the relationship between problematic social media use and students' self-esteem and academic achievement. The purpose of the study is to assess the correlations between students' problematic use of social networks, self-evaluation and academic achievements. An online written survey was conducted, in which 157 Lithuanian high school students (77 girls and 80 boys) participated. The research sample was convenient. This was a correlational study using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and the Subjective Academic Achievement Scale (SAAS). It was found that the problematic use of social networks is negatively related to self-esteem. The self-esteem of girls is lower than boys. 4th year students differ from 2nd and 3rd year students in problematic use of social networks. However, problematic social media use is not associated with lower academic achievement.

Cross-cultural empirical evidence on the validity of measures of depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescents is scarce and inconclusive. The present study investigated the cross-national measurement invariance and convergent validity evidence of the Depression and Anxiety scales of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21). We sampled 16,802 adolescents (58.1% female) aged 14–19 years across 30 countries from five continents. Both exact and approximate measurement invariance were tested. The results provided evidence for the exploratory structural equation model (ESEM) as the best representation of the data in most countries. Full scalar invariance was not supported when tested across all countries, but only among two Southern Asian countries (Bangladesh, India), two Northern European countries (Estonia, Lithuania), the six former republics of Yugoslavia, and European and American countries grouped by UN subregions. Results of the alignment method supported the approximate invariance of the ESEM model across 29 countries. Associations between Depression and Anxiety ESEM factors and life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect conformed to the theoretical expectations in most countries. Our findings indicate that the Depression and Anxiety scales of the DASS-21 have potential for use in cross-national research on adolescent internalizing symptoms, but we highlight issues of using it outside of Western (European, North American) settings.

Experiencing child sexual abuse (CSA) can be considered a traumatic experience. Many negative shortand long-term consequences are linked with CSA. Dissociative experiences are one such consequence. The goal of the present study was to investigate the differences in nonperitraumatic dissociative experiences in different types and circumstances of CSA. Method: The present study utilized a representative sample of Lithuanians aged 18–29 (N = 2,000). The frequency of dissociative experiences was investigated between groups of participants who experienced different types of CSA (contact, noncontact, and verbal) and different circumstances of abuse (age of onset, number of perpetrators, and instances of abuse). Results: Participants who indicated having experienced multiple types of CSA demonstrated a higher frequency of dissociative experiences compared to those with no indicated CSA or a single type of CSA. No significant differences were found between different types of CSA. Contrary to expectations, no significant differences were found based on age of onset, number of perpetrators, or number of CSA instances, even though their strength of relationship with dissociation differed. Notably, those unable to recall CSA experiences consistently reported a higher frequency of dissociative experiences. Conclusions: Taken together, our findings confirm that there is a difference in frequency of dissociative experiences between those who experienced CSA and those who did not. Findings of the present study would suggest that different types of CSA should not be joined into one, since there may be important differences between them.

Child welfare specialists work in high-stress environments and psychologically demanding roles, which can lead to high attrition rates, burnout, decreased mental health, secondary trauma, or compassion fatigue. Some studies suggest that self-care may help mitigate these negative effects. However, research specifically focused on child welfare specialists is scarce, and findings regarding the role of self-care remain inconclusive. Additionally, scientific literature suggests that other cognitive and emotional factors may also be important when addressing compassion fatigue in this population. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of compassion fatigue among child welfare specialists in Lithuania. It was hypothesized that higher cognitive rigidity, lack of emotional clarity, and lower levels of personal and professional self-care would predict higher levels of compassion fatigue. Child welfare specialists completed this self-reported survey after participating in a brief competency training based on simulated questioning of child avatars. Compassion fatigue was measured using the Compassion Fatigue Inventory. Self-care was assessed using the Self-Care Practices Scale, which distinguishes between professional and personal self-care. Cognitive rigidity was measured using the Cognitive Rigidity subscale from the Detail and Flexibility Questionnaire, and emotional clarity was assessed using the Lack of Emotional Clarity subscale from the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to examine these relationships. Preliminary results from the first two waves (n = 107) of this ongoing study indicate that all three variables significantly predicted compassion fatigue. Higher cognitive rigidity and lack of emotional clarity were associated with increased compassion fatigue. Lower levels of professional self-care also predicted reduced compassion; however, personal self-care did not have any significant effect. These findings highlight the importance of cognitive and emotional factors in high-stress work environments that may be related to compassion fatigue. Furthermore, they underscore the complex role of self-care as a potential protective factor in maintaining healthier boundaries at work. The practical implications of these findings will be discussed in detail.

Adolescence is a pivotal developmental stage marked by heightened sensitivity to social acceptance. During this period, adolescents increasingly rely on peer feedback to form their sense of self and identity. Susceptibility to peer influence can be linked both to maladaptive behaviors and to adaptive changes (Laursen & Veenstra, 2021). However, not all adolescents are equally influenced by their peers; certain personality traits may heighten this vulnerability (Belsky & Pluess, 2009). This study aims to investigate how susceptibility to peer influence is longitudinally related to rejection sensitivity and body image. Data were drawn from the longitudinal research project NAVIGATE. The study was conducted in a regional town in Lithuania. The sample consisted of students from six high schools, with a total of 746 students in grades 5 - 8. Participants were aged 10 – 14 years (M = 12.33, SD = 1.17). The sample was diverse in terms of family and socio-economic backgrounds but homogeneous in terms of ethnic background. Written parental consent and student assent were obtained prior to participation. The study was conducted across three waves over one academic year. The following measures were used: Resistance to Peer Influence scale (Steinberg & Monahan, 2007), Children’s Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (Downey et al., 1998), Perceived Competence Scale for Children (Harter, 1985). Significant concurrent correlations were observed among all study variables across all three time points. The longitudinal interplay between the study variables was analyzed using three waves of data collected one academic year. Both direct and indirect pathways were considered. At each time interval higher rejection sensitivity predicted lower body image, and lower body image predicted higher susceptibility to peer influence. Bias-corrected bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals confirmed indirect effect: Time1 rejection sensitivity predicted Time 3 susceptibility to peer influence via Time 2 body image (β=.004 [.001, .014]. Thus, the hypothesis was confirmed.

Friends and popular peers are important sources of influence across the transition into adolescence. The present study examines the assertion that the magnitude of influence from friends and popularity-based norms varies across behavioral domains. Participants were 543 (268 girls, 275 boys) students from 29 5th–8th grade (ages 10 to 14) classrooms in three Lithuanian public middle schools. Most were ethnic Lithuanians. Self-reports of socioemotional adjustment, including emotional problems, lack of emotional clarity, problem behaviors, social media use, and weight concerns, were collected in the fall and winter of a single academic year, approximately three months apart. Popularity and academic achievement were assessed through peer nominations. Top-ranked best friends were identified from outgoing nominations. Status-based norms, calculated separately for each socioemotional adjustment variable in the fall (Time 1), represented popularity-weighted classroom averages. Results from longitudinal Group Actor-Partner Interdependence Model analyses indicated that best friends and status-based norms exerted differing amounts of influence over different behaviors. When both were included in the same model (with shared effects removed), best friends influenced emotional problems, lack of emotional clarity, and problem behaviors. Among older adolescents, best friends also influenced academic achievement. Status-based norms influenced social media use and, among older adolescents, weight concerns.

Simulation-based training is used to improve child interviewers’ questioning skills. However, not all trainees benefit equally. While some show clear improvement, others make little or no progress. To better understand this variation, we conducted a mega-analysis of four studies (interviews N = 4,634; participants N = 1,838). We examined whether interviewers’ task appraisals, specifically viewing the task as a challenge rather than a threat, could predict their performance in avatar-based child interview simulations. The results showed that higher challenge appraisals were associated with better performance during the immediately following interview simulation. In addition, interviewers who increasingly viewed the task as a challenge over time also demonstrated greater learning gains, such as asking more recommended questions and obtaining more accurate information. These effects were especially strong among those with less prior experience. However, interviewers with more experience did not always improve, and in some cases performed worse. These findings suggest that how interviewers evaluate the task potentially plays a key role in both immediate performance and long-term learning. Training programs should address evolving appraisals to enhance effectiveness.