Talía Gómez Yepes

Background: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a psychotherapeutic program developed to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD). Given the conceptualization of behavioral problems as the result of a skills deficit, skills training is presumed to be one of the primary active components of the DBT program. It is therefore essential to be able to assess the learning and use of DBT skills to manage life problems. The main objective of the study was to develop and validate the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills (Habilidades in spanish) scale (DBT-H) in the Argentine context. The DBT-H was designed to measure five key dimensions: Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotional Regulation, Distress Tolerance, and Radical Acceptance. Methods: A convenience non-clinical sample of 1006 Argentine adults was assessed (58.3% women, 40.6% men, and 1.1% identified as “non-binary”), with an age range from 18 to 80 years (M = 42.33; SD = 13.21). We analyze the DBT-H, along with standard measures, including the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Results: Initial descriptive analysis confirmed that all DBT-H items adequately contributed to their respective subscales, with high item-total correlation and no skewness or kurtosis biases affecting their distribution. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the five-factor structure, consistent with the DBT skills components proposed by Linehan. Higher DBT-H scores were reliably associated with greater life satisfaction (SWLS) and mindfulness (MAAS). This relationship suggests that DBT skills effectively contribute to improving well-being and mindful awareness in individuals. Additionally, higher DBT-H scores correlated with fewer difficulties in emotional regulation (DERS), indicating a direct link between mastery of DBT skills and better emotional regulation. Conclusion: The validation of the DBT-H as a reliable and valid tool for assessing DBT skills in the Argentine context is a significant step toward studying the efficacy of various interventions.

In recent years, inclusive education in Spain has undergone significant legislative and pedagogical progress. However, its implementation still faces challenges, particularly regarding teachers’ attitudes and practices. The main objective of this study was to analyze how socioemotional competencies (self-esteem, prosociality, and emotional autonomy) are related to primary school teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education. A total of 590 teachers from the Valencian Community, aged between 25 and 60 years (Mage = 33.33 years; 88.7% women), participated in the study by completing a battery of validated quantitative scales. The results indicated that most teachers exhibited medium levels across all three competencies, with significant differences by gender (higher prosociality in women and higher self-esteem in men) and teaching experience (prosociality decreased over time, while self-esteem increased). Furthermore, a positive and significant relationship was found between the three socioemotional competencies and inclusive attitudes, with emotional autonomy emerging as the strongest predictor, followed by self-esteem and, to a lesser extent, prosociality. These findings underscore the need to incorporate socioemotional competence development into teacher training programs to foster more inclusive educational environments. The implications and limitations of the relationships between the examined socioemotional competencies, inclusive attitudes, and sociodemographic and professional experience variables are discussed.

Evolutionary theory and historical evidence suggest humans possess distinct psychological tendencies for defensive and offensive violence, which have insufficiently been considered in research. In a large-scale preregistered study across 58 countries ( N = 18,128), we demonstrate that violent extremist intentions manifest along two distinct psychological phenomena: defensive extremism, motivated by protecting one’s group from (perceived) threats, and offensive extremism, driven by establishing group dominance. We show that these dimensions a) can be reliably differentiated across diverse cultural contexts, b) are distinctively associated with psychological dispositions, and c) systematically differentiate countries varying in macrolevel sociopolitical functioning and violence. Across nations, a two-factorial structure was observed that was invariant at the scalar level. Defensive extremist intentions were consistently higher than offensive extremism in 56 out of 58 countries, suggesting greater moral acceptance of protective violence. While psychopathy was positively related to both types of violent extremist intentions, those high in Machiavellianism and narcissism demonstrated particularly higher levels of defensive extremist intentions. By contrast, those scoring high on religious fundamentalism and social dominance orientation demonstrated particularly higher levels of offensive extremist intentions. Unexpectedly, liberal political group identification was associated with higher offensive but lower defensive extremist intentions. Crucially, offensive (but not defensive) intentions were associated with macrolevel societal dysfunction, including political terror and internal conflict. These findings establish that defensive and offensive violent extremist intentions represent two conceptually different forms of extremism across a large and diverse range of countries, with consequences for research and practice.

Intercultural sensitivity has become a pivotal competence in teacher education, particularly in urban and culturally diverse contexts. This study examines how emotional intelligence, prosocial behavior, and social dominance orientation jointly shape intercultural sensitivity among 629 prospective secondary teachers in Madrid, Spain. Using a cross-sectional survey design, participants completed standardized measures of intercultural sensitivity, emotional intelligence, prosociality, and social dominance orientation. Results showed that teacher trainees in the final stage of their program reported higher levels of intercultural sensitivity—especially in interaction confidence, respect for cultural differences, and engagement—than those at the beginning. Additionally, participants born outside Madrid demonstrated greater openness and respect in intercultural encounters compared to their local counterparts. Emotional intelligence correlated positively with all dimensions of intercultural sensitivity, underscoring the importance of emotion regulation and clarity for fostering positive interactions in diverse classrooms. Prosocial behaviour predicted higher intercultural engagement and confidence, whereas social dominance orientation negatively impacted all three dimensions of intercultural sensitivity. These findings contribute to the growing body of research on socio-emotional factors in education, highlighting how emotional competencies, prosocial dispositions, and hierarchical attitudes can influence future teachers’ readiness to engage with diversity. The study offers practical implications for designing teacher training programs that promote emotional intelligence and prosociality while addressing social dominance tendencies, ultimately aiming to cultivate more inclusive and equitable educational environments.

Digital well-being refers to the subjective balance between the benefits and drawbacks of technological connectivity. Although it is a relatively recent construct, research has shown that it can be measured reliably. The Digital Well-Being Scale, comprising three dimensions—Digital Satisfaction, Digital Wellness, and Safe and Responsible Behavior—has been validated in other countries, but not yet in Argentina. This study aimed to adapt and validate the scale in the Argentine context and to examine its associations with Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and identity bubbles, two variables previously linked to digital experiences. A total of 895 participants (55.2% women; aged 18–65) completed an online survey including the Digital Well-Being Scale, the FoMO Scale, and the Identity Bubble Reinforcement Scale (IBRS-9). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the original three-factor structure, and all dimensions showed an adequate internal consistency. A significant negative correlation was found between FoMO and the Digital Wellness dimension, suggesting that individuals with higher FoMO experience lower emotional balance in their digital lives. In contrast, associations between identity bubble dimensions and digital well-being were modest and selective. Only Digital Satisfaction and Digital Wellness were weakly related to social identification and homophily; no relationship was observed with safe digital behavior. These findings support the adapted scale’s psychometric soundness in the Argentine context and provide initial insights into how FoMO and digital identity processes may influence digital well-being. Further research is needed to explore these relationships in more diverse populations and cultural contexts.

El aislamiento social se considera un problema frecuente en los adultos mayores y se define como la falta objetiva de contactos sociales con los demás junto con sentimientos de exclusión y aislamiento. En este estudio participaron 812 casos, la edad promedio de los participantes fue de 67,45 años, con un rango de edad entre 60 y 80 años. Se utilizaron medidas de autoinforme a través de una batería de instrumentos de evaluación compuesta por: Aislamiento social, FoMO, Sentimientos de exclusión social, Desconexión social y datos sociodemográficos. Los resultados han mostrado una relación entre el FoMO, la exclusión social y desconexión social. Se discuten los alcances y límites de los hallazgos.

This study investigates the predictive role of socio-emotional competencies—empathy, prosocial behavior, and emotional autonomy—and emotional intelligence dimensions—attention, clarity, and regulation—in shaping attitudes toward inclusive education among 405 in-service primary school teachers in Spain’s Valencian Community. Employing a quantitative, cross-sectional design, the research identifies significant associations between these psychological constructs and inclusive attitudes. Empathy and emotional autonomy emerged as the strongest socio-emotional predictors, while emotional attention, regulation, and clarity were robust predictors within the emotional intelligence domain. These findings highlight the relevance of emotional skills in fostering inclusive dispositions and underscore the need for targeted professional development programs to enhance teachers’ emotional capacities and promote equity-driven educational practices.