Zeynep Turkmen

Marital relationships are shaped by the interaction of individual cognitive characteristics and interpersonal processes. Although maladaptive personality beliefs are associated with dysfunctional interpersonal functioning, little is known about their relationships with manipulation and marital empathy in non-WEIRD contexts. This study examined associations among maladaptive personality beliefs, manipulation strategies, and marital empathy in a nonclinical Turkish married sample. Participants were 200 married individuals (100 heterosexual couples) residing in Türkiye. Data were collected using the Personality Belief Questionnaire, Manipulation in Interpersonal Relationships Scale, and Marital Empathy Scale. Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses were conducted. Maladaptive personality beliefs were positively associated with manipulation and negatively associated with marital empathy. Antisocial, narcissistic, and histrionic beliefs showed the strongest positive associations with manipulative behaviors, whereas borderline and dependent beliefs were more strongly related to emotional manipulation and self-concealment. Both personality beliefs and marital empathy showed independent associations with manipulation in the regression model, with personality beliefs accounting for substantially greater unique variance. The regression model showed a medium effect size, although considerable variance remained unexplained. Findings extend cognitive-interpersonal models to a non-WEIRD cultural context and support a dimensional, belief-based framework for understanding marital manipulation and empathy without implying clinical personality pathology. Findings should be interpreted cautiously because analyses were conducted at the individual rather than dyadic level.

The possession and trafficking of drug substances is one of the major public health problems. When examining court records of drug offenses, it is often found that the dealer may claim to be a user in order to avoid punishment. Of course, it is essential to determine whether the crime is drug trafficking or personal possession. The role of the courts in determining the purpose of possession is quite complex, as it requires an understanding of the offender's intent. This situation shows us that two articles in Turkish law (TPC No. 5237, Articles 188 and 191) could not be drawn with clear lines. Although there are many factors that cause this unclarity, the most complex one is the amount of substance recovered, i.e., the threshold value. This threshold terminology is a situation of great importance, given the increase in the types of illegal substances in today's world. In this study, we examined the verdicts (805 files) on the four main classical illicit substances commonly found in Turkish courts between 2016 and 2023 to determine the conditions that play an important role in determining the intention to supply drugs based on judicial principles.

Pethidine (PET), used to treat pain in humans, is a controlled drug that has drawn attention for abuse. It is also challenging to figure out whether a person taking this drug for pain relief intends to abuse it or use it for treatment. PET abuse is still on the rise as of right now, despite efforts to limit PET use and explore substitute options. As of today, chambers of pharmacists in various provinces of Türkiye have issued hundreds of statements on PET abuse. PET addiction is a public health problem that affects not only the individual but also the community and the environment in which they live. The abuse of this drug is most common in the health sector, which further increases the seriousness of the situation. This is thought to be due to long and stressful working lives and easy access to these drugs. PET has both clinical and forensic importance due to the effects it causes or produces. This review aims to review the general characteristics, pharmacology, side effects, forensic significance, analytical detection techniques, and addiction prevention efforts of PET. In this context, it is believed that this review will draw attention to the dangers of PET abuse, shed light on the individual and social problems caused by PET addiction, and help to solve these problems to some extent.