No abstract

Infidelity occurs in adult romantic relationships quite often; however, little is known about this relational phenomenon in the adolescent stage, despite its being a surprisingly common behavior. Through a correlational study, we set out to examine how the various documented motivations to engage in an act of infidelity are associated with negative emotional responses, self-esteem, and psychological well-being. In a sample of Spanish adolescents ( N = 346 [ Mage = 15.71, SD = 1.27; range from 13 to 19]), results showed that committing an act of infidelity due to sexual or emotional dissatisfaction (vs. neglect and anger) is related to higher levels of psychological well-being by undermining negative affect, thereby increasing the levels of self-esteem. The discussion of the findings emphasizes that infidelity could favor adolescents’ personal growth, because of the need to explore new sensations and feelings that arise during this period.

Research has demonstrated gender differences in the decision-making process, showing that women make more disadvantageous risk decisions than men. However, these differences have not been examined in terms of psychosocial or sociostructural variables, such as the gender stereotype threat. We conducted an experimental study (N s = 105) to test the well-established stereotype threat effect on decision-making through the Iowa Gambling Task and the possible moderation of this effect by sensitivity to punishment and fear of negative evaluation. The results revealed that women under a stereotype threat condition make more disadvantageous risk decisions than men in the same conditions or women in the nonstereotype threat condition. Moreover, women greatly fearing negative evaluation seemed to make more disadvantageous risk decisions compared with other groups. These findings highlight the relevance of psychosocial variables that legitimize gender inequality, such as the stereotype threat and fear of negative evaluation, in women's decision-making process.

Instagram is a popular social networking site (SNS) among adolescents that allows them to share visual content about their lives quickly and easily, increasing social connection, acceptation, and entertainment among others. Nevertheless, SNS exposure can also lead to negative counterparts such as judgments, envy, social comparison, or cyberbullying perpetration. This research aimed to analyze the possible psychosocial factors associated with Instagram use (i.e., social comparison and envy) that could lead to the perpetration of cyberbullying towards peers. The sample consisted of 254 adolescent students aged between 15 and 18 years-old (Mage = 15.77, SD = 0.74). The results indicated that high connection time to Instagram, high levels of social comparison and malicious envy were associated with an increased tendency to carry out cyberbullying perpetration’s behaviors. Likewise, the main finding showed that a high connection time to Instagram was associated with increased social comparison, which in turn was associated with malicious envy, and consequently with an increased tendency to carry out cyberbullying perpetration’s behaviors. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the psychosocial processes that might precede to perpetrate cyberbullying’s behaviors -among peers, as well as to promote the development of educational programs intend to encourage the responsible use of SNSs during adolescence.

The negative consequences of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) are observed not only in the victims but also in the professionals who work in this field. Self-efficacy has been observed as a significant variable in the perception of work efficiency and general well-being, and in coping with work-related stress and burnout syndrome. Thus, we performed a correlational study ( N = 200) to examine the mediating role of recovery experiences and emotional exhaustion in the relationship between self-efficacy and psychological well-being in these professionals. The mediating analyses revealed that self-efficacy was related to higher levels of well-being through its effects on the increase in recovery experiences and the decrease in burnout levels. These findings emphasize the need to develop intervention programs aimed at improving self-efficacy these professionals. This is necessary to improve their employment situations, increase their health, and optimize both institutional resources and the quality of the services offered.