Abstract The importance of close relationships has been confirmed for a wide range of health-related outcomes, yet the mechanisms by which social support influences physical health remains understudied. The aim of the study was to investigate the roles of emotional self-efficacy and depressive symptoms as mediators of the effect of social support on physical health, based on a regionally representative

Abstract Cognitive reserve (CR) refers to individual differences in cognitive processing that can protect from and compensate for functional decline related to ageing or brain pathology. The CR theory postulates that attaining an active and cognitively stimulating lifestyle can accumulate CR. The Cognitive Reserve Scale (CRS) is a questionnaire that measures lifelong attainment in leisure activities

(2021). Editorial. Nordic Psychology: Vol. 73, No. 1, pp. 1-2.

Abstract The main objective of this study was to examine which factors regarding children’s testimony, at Barnahús in Iceland, influence prosecution and conviction of alleged sex offenders. The sample consisted of 542 cases of children interviewed between 1998 and 2012. Video recordings and reports of investigative interviews were analyzed by an expert interviewer, and information on prosecutions and

Abstract Information on the degree to which individuals can make accurate estimations of someone’s age can be of importance in different legal contexts, such as for example child sexual abuse cases in which the victim is an adolescent and asylum procedures. There is, however, a scarcity of studies concerning age estimations conducted with young target persons. Using facial photos of target persons

Abstract The argument that Working Memory (WM) is especially important for reading comprehension has been supported in previous research. The aim of this study was to test a non-computerized WM training method to improve children’s reading comprehension in a longitudinal design. 38 Danish children in 3rd and 4th grade (M = 112.9 months, SD = 7.90 months) were divided into a training group (N = 18)

Abstract The trip task has been used as a verbal test for examining preschool children’s episodic future thinking. However, the only existing study using the trip task merely examined 3-year-olds. In order to investigate how future projections develop, we examined a total of 241 preschool children in three age groups (35-, 47-, and 55-month-olds). As expected, the results revealed a developmental progression

Abstract The trip task has been used as a verbal test for examining preschool children’s episodic future thinking. However, the only existing study using the trip task merely examined 3-year-olds. In order to investigate how future projections develop, we examined a total of 241 preschool children in three age groups (35-, 47-, and 55-month-olds). As expected, the results revealed a developmental progression

Abstract Acquired brain injury (ABI) represents a great burden for not only the person with ABI but also their partner. Grief among partners of adults with ABI is a broadly recognized phenomenon. However, few studies have examined partners’ experience of grief, and little is known about grief as a reaction to ambiguous loss. This article presents a phenomenological study that aimed to explore the experience

Abstract Mentalization, emotion regulation, and identity diffusion are theoretically and clinically important transdiagnostic psychological constructs that contribute to mental health. In order to advance meaningful empirical research on these constructs, we need measures that are well tested. In this study, we used confirmatory factor analysis to assess the reliability and construct validity of the

Abstract According to police records, many rape cases are closed because victims withdraw from the police investigation. However, little is known about the causes of victim withdrawal, and findings need to be replicated in other cultural contexts, as existing literature primarily stems from the US and UK. Based on a sample of rapes reported in a Danish police district, the present study was aimed at

Abstract There is substantial evidence supporting the robust dissipative influence of mindfulness on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, but its mediating pathway has been rarely explored. The present study aimed at determining whether the relationship between mindfulness and PTSD symptoms is mediated via the mechanism of experiential avoidance (EA). This cross-sectional study involved 577

(2020). Editorial. Nordic Psychology: Vol. 72, No. 4, pp. 263-264.

Abstract This article explores assessments and collaborative practices between Danish parents and professionals when young children enter nursery care. Based on practice research in Danish childcare institutions, the article focuses on how early childhood education policy is connected to early assessment, based on an understanding of children as vulnerable and in need of stimulation by adults in order

Abstract There is a growing body of literature that recognizes young men’s reluctance to seek psychological help. However, how young men perceive the role of their social networks in their decision to seek help has received limited attention in research. Using thematic analysis, this study investigated 30 young men’s description of how members from three categories of their social networks: partner

Abstract Objective Several studies have investigated biopsychosocial consequences after acquired brain injury (ABI) in the early rehabilitation phases. However, longitudinal studies are rare and few go beyond three years post-injury. The aim of the present study was to assess biopsychosocial challenges in a long term perspective and investigate which challenges remain after five years. With reference

Abstract Job embeddedness was developed as a new perspective to explain employee retention, and recent research has demonstrated its predictive power of voluntary turnover. However, little is known about factors that might influence job embeddedness. The aim of this study was to examine if a perceived mastery climate at work predicts job embeddedness (i.e., links, fit and sacrifice) and whether satisfaction

Abstract This article argues that the latest Danish Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Act has direct implications for the ways in which parents and professionals collaborate about children. The Act introduces a learning agenda that installs an asymmetrical distribution of tasks, which, we argue, may subsequently cause asymmetrical relations between parents and professionals. This asymmetry

(2020). Editorial. Nordic Psychology: Vol. 72, No. 3, pp. 181-182.

Abstract Psychological assessment scales need to be psychometrically sound, but previous research on the factorial structure of one of the most common measures of trait reactance, the Hong Psychological Reactance Scale (HPRS), has provided multiple latent structures and contradicting findings, and the statistical methodology of previous research can be criticized. These issues raise questions regarding

Abstract Research on students suggests that repeated feedback in simulated investigative interviews with avatars (computerized children) improves the quality of the interviews conducted in this simulated environment. It remains unclear whether also professional groups (psychologists) benefit from the training and if the effects obtained in the simulated interviews transfer into interviews with real

(2020). Editorial. Nordic Psychology: Vol. 72, No. 2, pp. 81-82.

Abstract Personal therapy has been proposed as an aid in promoting the professional development of psychotherapists by increasing their self-awareness, self-reflexivity, and self-knowledge of the therapy process and of personal characteristics. Psychoanalysis/psychodynamic therapies, cognitive-behavioral therapies, humanistic/experiential therapies, and systemic/family therapies argue that working

Abstract To capture the core pathology of eating disorders (EDs) in the context of multiple childhood trauma, the aim of this study was to describe variation and common features in the lived experiences of ED patients with childhood physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse and neglect. Semi-structured interviews were conducted post-treatment with nine participants aged 25-59; data was analyzed with

Abstract The field of personality and work-related outcomes has branched out into separate subfields in the past decade. While this process has been valuable in terms of improving our knowledge, it has also raised the bar for practitioners and researchers who wish to acquire an overview of the field. We use socioanalytic theory as a prism through which to order this knowledge. We conduct a systematic

(2020). Editorial 72.01. Nordic Psychology: Vol. 72, No. 1, pp. 1-2.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate the internal consistency, factor structure, and validity of the Leiden Index of Depression Sensitivity-Revised (LEIDS-R) and a recent revision of the LEIDS-R (LEIDS-RR) in Norway. The LEIDS-R is a self-report inventory measuring cognitive reactivity. Cognitive reactivity is defined as the relative ease with which negative thinking is activated by mild

Abstract The current study aimed to examine the impact of social support, bullying and school-related stress on both positive and negative aspects of mental health in adolescence. In addition, the possible buffering effects of social support related to school performance was investigated. The analyses were based on a cross-sectional survey of 1814 students between 15 and 21 years old from five upper

Abstract The pupils’ general development is a core value in the legal framework and purpose of the Nordic schools. In spite of various attempts to specify the concept both theoretically and pedagogically, it is still considered an abstract and broad concept that lacks content and relation to the pupils’ lifeworlds. The present article demonstrates that it is possible to identify a number of lifeworld

Abstract The school system increasingly focuses on the students’ grip on life challenges in general. In this article, a life-psychological approach to the development of a general grip on life is tested. The method can be implemented in schools, such as public schools, in high school, as well as in youth education programs. Such implementations can often be organizationally and financially costly,

Abstract The present study examined a parachute training course intended to improve the leadership abilities of future military officers. Two research questions were examined. First, whether there were any differences between completers and non-completers in anxiety, stress, and collective identity at the beginning of the course (time 1), and second, whether there were any differences between completers

(2019). Editorial. Nordic Psychology: Vol. 71, No. 4, pp. 233-234.

Abstract Grief is a normal and natural response to the loss of a loved one that is characterized by a broad range of emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and physiological symptoms. For most bereaved, these symptoms abate over time as the individual comes to terms with the loss. However, about 10% of the bereaved experience a persistent and debilitating grief reaction, a condition that has been termed

Abstract Clinical feedback (CF) systems are considered to be effective tools for supporting therapy. However, their implementation can be challenging. In this article, we question whether the Norse Feedback System addresses the needs of the diverse population that consults Norway’s National Health Care Services (e.g., migrants, refugees, and different age groups with mental illnesses of varying severity)

Abstract In this article, we reflect on decolonizing models of pedagogy with empirically-supported approaches as an epistemological point of departure. We discuss the risk of reproducing a colonial pedagogical framework in a way that promotes a dominant Western voice over indigenous knowledge and local culturally-informed processes of teaching mental health interventions. Gazans experience ongoing

Abstract Student life has been characterized both as challenging and as facilitative of future success. During the college years, emerging adults develop vocational competencies at the same time as they develop their sense of themselves and of their involvement in the world. In the current study, we examined the interplay among academic motivation, features of emerging adulthood, and psychological

Abstract A review of the history of the University Clinic at the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, is presented. The history of the Clinic can be viewed as a case illustrating more general trends at university clinics in Western societies. The history is viewed in relation to key points in the development of psychological science in general, with a special focus on clinical

Abstract Are young people more likely to blame themselves than the system for their being unemployed in times of neoliberalism characterized by an emphasis on self-responsibility? And if so, how does that affect their sense of well-being, given that this is known to deteriorate for people when they become unemployed? Inspired by attributional theory we have utilized a mixed-methods approach customized

Abstract The Finnish investigative instrument of child sexual abuse (FICSA) is a computerized tool that uses Bayesian statistics to provide a base rate for an alleged child sexual abuse (CSA), using population-level information about correlates of CSA. FICSA can, thus, assist decision-making in investigations of CSA. Using mock-scenarios, we compared the ability of forensic experts who evaluate CSA

Abstract Yoga is gaining popularity as an alternative treatment but knowledge of its effects remains limited, particularly among patients with chronic conditions. This randomized controlled pilot-study investigated immediate and long-term effects of a hatha yogic exercises (YE) program as compared to a conventional training program (CTP) on health-related outcomes including anxiety, depression, stress

Abstract Research suggests that a parental trauma history may increase the risk of family violence and have a negative impact on parent/child dyadic functioning and on children’s psychosocial adjustment. This study aimed at exploring mother/child dyadic functioning, and symptom levels in mothers and children’s psychosocial adjustment in a sample of refugee families referred for treatment of family

Abstract Experiencing sexual abuse and family violence/conflict is related to greater risk of adolescent substance use (drugs, alcohol and cigarettes), with significant health implications. Religion and spirituality are connected with less substance use, which may be even more true for adolescents with a history of abuse, violence and conflict. Currently Nordic research on this topic is lacking, but

(2019). Editorial 71.03. Nordic Psychology: Vol. 71, No. 3, pp. 147-147.

Abstract The main objective of the present quali-quantitative exploratory study was to analyze narrative data from in-depth interviews with returning West African migrants in the Agadez and Nyamey regions (Niger). Specifically, we out to investigate the complex set of reasons that had led the participants to leave their homes and move toward other countries, as well as their expectations concerning

Abstract The objectives of this study were (i) to analyse how differences in psychological skills among elite athletes depend on sex and psychological skills training (PST), and (ii) to identify predictors of whether an elite athlete has sought PST. Three hundred and ninety-six Icelandic members of youth and senior national teams (49.2% men 21.4 ± 7.1 years old) in basketball, equestrian sports, football

Abstract The prevalence of loneliness is reported higher for autistic children, adolescents, and adults when compared to non-autistic peers. However, how autistic adults understand loneliness is still unclear. The present study aimed to explore how autistic adults understand the concept of loneliness combining focus groups and individual interviews to engage autistic adults in a shared exploration

Abstract Gambling is a field that harbors both harmless recreational activities and pathological varieties that may be considered an addictive disorder. It is also a field that deserves special interest from a learning theoretical perspective, since pathological gambling represents both a pure behavioral addiction involving no ingestion of substances and behavior that exhibits extreme resistance to

Abstract Comparisons of children's perceptions of lesbian mothers to children's perceptions of heterosexual parents are limited. To investigate whether children's descriptions of their parents vary by family type (lesbian versus heterosexual) and biological relatedness, we interviewed 29 Finnish children raised by lesbian mothers or heterosexual parents. Parents also completed surveys about division

(2019). Editorial. Nordic Psychology: Vol. 71, No. 2, pp. 79-80.

Abstract Research findings on whether or not using a foreign language systematically alters people’s decisions by mitigating framing effects, are inconclusive. The bulk of previous research suggests that our decisions are affected by the language they are made in. A more recent study however indicates that this phenomenon might be related to an unexpected switch of language prior to a decision rather

Abstract Negative automatic thoughts (NATs) influence perception and memory resulting in a negative self-evaluation. The 30-item Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ) was developed to measure NATs and had been validated in several languages. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a Danish version of ATQ in adolescents and young adults and to explore the association between

Abstract Theoretical and empirical work is needed to adapt psychotherapy to psychosis. The article introduces dialogue therapy (DT), a philosophical-ethical, humanistic, and dialogue-oriented individual psychotherapy model for schizophrenia and other severe psychosis. Rather than introducing novel methods, DT offers a unified approach, including flexible methodology derived from existing psychotherapy

(2019). Editorial. Nordic Psychology: Vol. 71, No. 1, pp. 1-2.

Abstract One of the most important qualitative changes in children’s development is linguistically mediated thinking, i.e., the acquisition of language which also has an effect on the development of conceptual thinking. During investigative interviews, children can be asked questions that may be difficult to understand. In this study, the relationship between ages, development of conceptual thinking

Abstract The aim of this study is to assess the psychometric properties of the Icelandic version of the Preschool Anxiety Scale-Revised (PAS-R). The PAS-R is a parent-based questionnaire designed to assess anxiety symptoms in preschool aged children and consists of four subscales: general anxiety, social anxiety, separation anxiety and specific fears. Participants were four to six-year-old children

Abstract Psychology was taught at the University of Copenhagen as part of a compulsory first-year course throughout the nineteenth century. In 1883, Harald Høffding (1843–1931) became professor of philosophy at the University having the previous year brought out the first edition of his Outlines of psychology. The book went through numerous editions and received widespread acclaim through translations

(2018). Editorial. Nordic Psychology: Vol. 70, No. 4, pp. 257-258.

Abstract The Borg centiMax scale is a psychophysically constructed general intensity scale with verbal anchors placed in congruence with the numerical scale (0–100); thus, ratio data are obtained. With ratio data, quantitative relationships among perceptions and feelings can be determined in a statistically more solid way. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the utility of using the Borg

Abstract The aim of the present study was to investigate experiences that tell about coping and resilience in the lives of 19 Finnish transgender adults, aged 21–62 years (M = 35.20, SD = 12.10). The study was explorative in nature, using semistructured interviews. Results indicated, with data analyzed according to principles of grounded theory, the following three central sources of support: social

Abstract The study aimed at investigating whether the seven-subtest short form based on WAIS-R (Ward 1990) was statistically valid to use on the Swedish version of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV), if this abbreviation was fit to catch the heterogeneity in test performance across age and if this brief measure was possible to abbreviate even more. WAIS-IV data from a non-clinical