Bakaitytė-Bagdonė, Aistė

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.

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.

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.

Background Childhood maltreatment is associated with dissociative experiences later in life, but it remains unclear which characteristics of maltreatment are most relevant for such experiences. This study examined cumulative maltreatment exposure, maltreatment types, and developmental timing experienced during childhood years. Method A representative sample (N = 2000, 47.65% women, M age = 23.89, SD = 3.59) of Lithuanian young adults (ages 18–29) completed measures of childhood maltreatment (MACE) and dissociative experiences (DES-II), a dimensional measure capturing a broad spectrum of dissociative phenomena. Results Hierarchical linear regressions with bootstrapped confidence intervals were conducted controlling for sociodemographic variables. Greater cumulative maltreatment experienced during childhood was associated with higher frequency of dissociative experiences in young adults. Physical abuse and non-verbal emotional abuse were significant predictors when examined simultaneously. Participants who experienced single and multiple types of maltreatment differed from those who did not have such experiences, however, no differences between the 2 groups were found. Developmental timing (age of onset, age of exposure, cumulative age of exposure periods) variables were not significant. Family disharmony was indirectly associated with dissociation through cumulative maltreatment. Conclusions Cumulative and threat-related maltreatment were modestly associated with frequency of dissociative experiences, whereas developmental timing and the number of maltreatment types showed more limited associations.

Background Since eco-anxiety has been linked to various mental health, well-being, and environmental conservation indicators, this study aims to further explore the prevalence of eco-anxiety and its links to mental health indicators, overall well-being, and environmentally responsible consumption Methods A nationally representative sample of 2,136 Lithuanians provided self-reported data on symptoms of eco-anxiety, depression, and general anxiety as well as on life satisfaction and environmentally responsible consumption. The prevalence of eco-anxiety symptoms was estimated based on mean score: no eco-anxiety symptoms group (M = 1), mild/medium eco-anxiety symptoms group (1.25 ≤ M ≥ 3), and high eco-anxiety symptoms group (3.25 ≤ M ≥ 5) Results In the general sample, 1.4% of respondents scored in the high range on eco-anxiety symptoms. We found no significant differences in the prevalence of eco-anxiety symptoms by gender, age, education, income, or relationship status. Higher eco-anxiety scores were associated with higher scores on depression and general anxiety symptoms. However, eco-anxiety symptoms were not related to life satisfaction. We found no significant relationship between eco-anxiety symptoms and regular consumption, whereas eco-anxiety symptoms were positively related to activism-oriented consumption Conclusion This study helps to address the underrepresentation of the Baltic region in eco-anxiety research. It adds to the growing evidence that eco-anxiety symptoms are prevalent among adult population and are negatively associated with mental health symptoms and positively associated with activism-oriented consumption.