Positive irrational beliefs are associated with hypomanic personality.

Primary irrational beliefs, such as demanding about attaining personal goals, are a common trans-diagnostic factor involved in many emotional disorders. Although Bipolar Disorder (BPD) is a severe emotional disorder, little is known about the role of primary irrational beliefs in the risk of BPD. Given that the risk for mania is related to responses to positive rather than adverse events, we developed a measure of irrational beliefs in response to cues of positive events. This is the first study that examines the relationship between positive primary irrational beliefs and the risk of BPD. 119 participants completed an online survey including measures for the risk of BPD, irrational beliefs, positive irrational beliefs, mania-related cognitions, and mood measures (depressive and manic mood). Results revealed significant associations between the risk of BPD and positive primary irrational beliefs, irrational beliefs, positive generalization, and mood. Regression analyses revealed that positive primary irrational beliefs, such as demanding to attain significant goals in response to cues for positive events, uniquely predict the risk for BPD independently of mood, mania-related cognitions and irrational beliefs. These findings encourage the treatment approaches focused on restructuring primary irrational beliefs in response to positive situations to reduce the risk of BPD.

Predictors of Changes in Travel Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Tourists' Personalities.

This study investigates travel behavior and psychosocial factors that influence it during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a cross-sectional study, using an online survey, we examined changes in travel behavior and preferences after lifting travel restrictions, and how these changes were influenced by exposure to COVID-19, COVID-19 travel-related risk and severity, personality, fear of travel, coping, and self-efficacy appraisals in the Romanian population. Our results showed that participants traveled less in the pandemic year than the year before-especially group and foreign travel-yet more participants reported individual traveling in their home county during the pandemic period. Distinct types of exposure to COVID-19 risk, as well as cognitive and affective factors, were related to travel behavior and preferences. However, fun-seeking personality was the only major predictor of travel intention, while fear of travel was the only predictor of travel avoidance. Instead, people traveled more cautiously when they perceived more risk of infection at the destination, and had higher levels of fear of travel, but also a high sense of efficacy in controlling the infection and problem-solving capacity. The results suggest that specific information about COVID-19, coping mechanisms, fear of travel, and neuropsychological personality traits may affect travel behavior in the pandemic period.

Attitudes towards e-Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Untangling the Gordian Knot in Greece, Bulgaria and Romania in Healthcare Professionals and Students?

BACKGROUND: Until recent times, healthcare specialists lagged behind other fields in terms of computer networks and software usage, partly because they were uncomfortable with information and communication technologies. The rapid development of personal wearables, their easier connections with smartphones and other similar devices, and the possibilities of online or cloud storage of personal medical data led to improvements of eHealth services in terms of ease of access and reduced costs of delivery. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The current research aimed to fill a research gap regarding attitudes towards e-Health during the COVID-19 pandemic in three Balkan countries: Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania. A total number of 775 adult participants (healthcare professionals and students in the field) were contacted in the winter of 2020 and asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their e-Health attitudes. RESULTS: The Greek participants had the most negative attitudes toward e-Health services. This may be due to forced use of eHealth applications during the pandemic crisis and the need for mastering the necessary technical skills to use them. CONCLUSIONS: It should be noted that in the scientific literature no research is found on this topic, therefore it is the first study aimed to assessing and comparing attitudes towards eHealth in these countries.

When is a person with dementia in need of palliative care? Opinions of healthcare professionals and university students from three South East European countries.

BACKGROUND: Recommendations of the European Association for Palliative Care have been proposed to strengthen the provision of palliative care and it is clear that people with dementia can benefit from palliative care, but no research so far addresses the beliefs of university students and professionals in the social, medical and other science fields in South East Europe regarding the need from palliative care. The objective of this study is to explore when students and professionals consider a person with dementia in need of palliative care and to compare their opinions in three South East European countries. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: An anonymized questionnaire was used based on van Riet Paap et al. (2015) case-vignette. A sample of 1287 participants (student nurses, professional nurses, psychology students, professional psychologists, student doctors, professional doctors, and students and professionals from other non-relevant to medical and social care sciences) was examined in Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. RESULTS: The open responses to the "when" question revealed the categories: after her diagnosis/after the first symptoms; when she and her family cannot cope; at the advance of symptoms; all the time; when she behaves aggressively; I am not sure/there is no specific point. Unexpectedly, age, professional status and field of studies were not found to be significant predictors, but only the country of origin was found to contribute to the differences in the participants' answers regarding the start of palliative care. CONCLUSION: Although professional-student status and relevancy of subject did not predict opinions, the country of origin predicted controversies for the proposed time point of considering a person with dementia in need of palliative care.

Irrational Beliefs and Personality Traits as Psychological Mechanisms Underlying the Adolescents' Extremist Mind-Set.

The tripartite model of militant extremist mind-set proposed by Stankov et al. (2010b) includes three components: War (justification of violent acts as war); God (violence is seeing extremist acts as moral because they are done in the name of God or Allah); and West (violence against Western countries is justified because they are perceived as evil and/or immoral). There is a lack of conceptual framework regarding psychological mechanism that underlie radicalization and extremism, and there is little evidence regarding risk factors for radicalization in the scientific literature. In the present study, it is hypothesized that irrational beliefs and a constellation of personality factors are two possible psychological mechanisms that put adolescents in a vulnerable position and could influence them to develop an extremist mind-set. The sample consists in 295 Romanian adolescents, ages 15-18 years, and the mean age being 16.41. The present study was conducted in several schools from Bihor County located in the north-western part of Romania. Adolescents took part on a voluntary basis in the study after the written, informed consent was obtained from their parents. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the structure of Militant Extremist Mind-Set Scale confirmed the three-factor model of the extremist mind-set. Two confirmatory factor analyses were also conducted for the other two administered scales: CASI and Mini-IPIP. The results support the previous models for both scales, including items loading on factors. SEM analysis was performed with AMOS 23 statistical package on a final sample size of 242 participants and there were no missing data. Fifth structural models were specified. The fifth model had adequate fit based on all three indices including the RMSEA (0.054), CFI (0.958), and SRMS (0.047). Global evaluation of self seems to be the only irrational belief that was somewhat related with the extremis mind-set, being part of it. Neuroticism was not identified as being a variable that could have a direct influence on mind-set extremism, or an indirect influence through personality. Religious adherence is a good predictor of extremist ideology. A global personality factor consisting in low Intellect/Imagination, low Extraversion and high Agreeableness seems to be a vulnerability factor that influences people to believe in extremist ideology.

Psychological Mechanisms Involved in Radicalization and Extremism. A Rational Emotive Behavioral Conceptualization.

Extremist acts and the process of radicalizations got into researchers' attention worldwide since 2001. The aim of this paper is to offer a broad image on radicalization and extremist acts and to bring a new perspective for the conceptualization of radicalization. Radicalization is a process of developing extremist beliefs, emotions, and behaviors. The extremist beliefs are profound convictions opposesd to the fundamental values of society, the laws of democracy and the universal human rights, advocating the supremacy of a certain group (racial, religious, political, economic, social etc.). The extremist emotions and behaviors may be expressed both in non-violent pressure and coercion and in actions that deviate from the norm and show contempt for life, freedom, and human rights. A complete inroad to psychological mechanism involved in the process of radicalization is offered in order to have a broad image regarding current research in the field. Starting from this point, a rational emotive and behavioral conceptualization on radicalization has been developed, bringing together all the concepts and knowledge in the field. A complete and clear conceptualization is crucial for developing prevention/intervention programs and good practices in dealing with this process which has been spreading in the past years. The final part deals with directions regarding prevention/intervention programs from a rational emotive and behavioral perspective, and also from the perspective of European policies.