Shivani Atul Mansuklal

Most individuals experience at least one traumatic event during their lifetime, which can lead to the development of psychopathological symptoms and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). First responders (e.g., police officers, firefighters, emergency medical professionals) are exposed to traumatic events daily, making them particularly vulnerable to developing such symptoms. Using an online questionnaire, this study aimed to compare self-reported exposure to traumatic events and the presence of psychopathological and PTSD symptoms between a sample from the general community (n = 137) and first responders (n = 672) residing in Portugal. We also sought to identify factors associated with the development of PTSD symptoms. Results showed that although first responders reported higher exposure to traumatic events, there were no significant differences in PTSD symptoms between first responders and the general community. However, general psychopathological symptoms, particularly anxiety and depression, were higher in the general community than among first responders. Symptoms of anxiety, depression, obsessive–compulsive tendencies, hostility, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, and personally experienced traumatic events emerged as significant predictors of PTSD symptoms, whereas demographic variables showed no significant predictive value. The potential influence of factors such as terror management theory, training and education, professional selection, the “hero lifestyle”, and the “police culture” is discussed, along with implications and directions for future research.

Most individuals experience at least one traumatic event during their lives, which can lead to the development of psychopathological symptoms and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. First responders (e.g., police officers, firefighters, emergency medical professionals) are exposed to traumatic events daily, making them more vulnerable to developing these symptoms. Using an online questionnaire, we aimed to compare self-reported exposure to traumatic events and the presence of psycho-pathological and PTSD symptoms between a sample from the general community (n=137) and first responders (n=672) residing in Portugal. We also aimed to identify factors associated with the de-velopment of PTSD symptoms. Results showed that, although first responders reported higher exposure to traumatic events, there were no significant differences in PTSD symptoms between first responders and the general community; However, general psychopathological symptoms (anxiety and depression) were higher in the general community than for first responders. Symptoms of anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, hostility, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, and personally experienced traumatic events emerged as predictors of PTSD symptoms, while demographic variables showed no significant predictive value. We discussed the potential influence of factors like terror management theory, training and education, selection, the 'hero lifestyle,' and the 'police culture' on the results and explored directions for future research.

Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a dysfunctional coping mechanism that involves excessive, uncontrollable daydreaming. MD accounts for severe impairment in life functioning and is comorbid with several psychopathological disorders, sharing common maladaptive features such as compulsion and emotional dysregulation. We conducted a scoping review of the research on MD. We aimed to clarify the definition of MD, its underlying psychological mechanisms, and characteristics of the published research. We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, Web of Science Core Collection, and secondary sources for MD‐focused empirical studies published in English until March 2024. Two independent screeners performed abstract and full‐text screening and data extraction. This review included 89 studies, of which 87 were published and two were unpublished studies. MD research showed an increasing trend of studies since 2002 with geographical diversity. Most studies presented online cross‐sectional data with younger female participants and explored prevalence, associated psychological correlates, and comorbidity with mental disorders. A total of 66 studies were conducted in the general population, MDers, and student samples. Among clinical studies ( n = 23), eight focused on specific diagnoses, seven included mixed clinical groups, and eight were case studies. Our review innovately reported the diverse methodologies used in MD research, especially involving clinical populations, and suggests future studies focus on heterogeneous samples, namely, in diverse clinical groups to explore differences in MD levels across these groups, longitudinal study designs, and the effectiveness of treatment strategies that will aid policymaking and the creation of valid resources for mental health professionals to diminish the negative impact of MD.

Policing is a highly demanding and stressful profession. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool for enhancing stress management programs, including for police officers. The use of VR in combination with biosensors enables measurement of psychophysiological responses such as peripheral temperature (PT) and skin conductance level (SCL). This study investigated the psychophysiological responses of police officers exposed to a VR scenario simulating a car accident. The study included a total of 63 police officers from the Public Security Police. Participants were divided into three groups based on their police divisions: the Investigation Brigade of Traffic Accidents, the Traffic Surveillance Squad (TSS), and a control group from the Lisbon Metropolitan Command. The results indicated that the VR environment effectively induced psychophysiological arousal, particularly in less experienced officers (TSS), that is, there were significant group differences in mean SCL and PT, showing this group with higher SCL and lower PT during the VR exposure. These results support the potential of VR as a stress inoculation strategy for training police officers and highlight the complex nature of stress responses that are influenced by individual factors and psychopathology.

This study aimed to explore the moderating role of social networking sites (SNS) use in the link between identity commitment development and psychological functioning in a sample of Portuguese emerging adults. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 251 participants (71.3% women), aged 18–30 years ( M = 22.33, SD = 3.31). Self-report questionnaires were used to measure identity commitment-making (commitment-making and identification with commitment), SNS use (perception of feed refresh frequency), and psychological functioning (anxiety and depressive symptoms). Results showed that feed refresh frequency acts as a moderator with a distinct role in the associations between each identity commitment dimension and psychological functioning. Specifically, with the increased frequency of feed refresh, the relation between commitment-making and psychological symptoms becomes negative (for those who refresh feed more frequently, the presence of commitments was associated with lower levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms). On the other hand, the negative relation between identification with commitment and psychological symptoms becomes weaker with an increase in the frequency of feed refresh (for those who refresh feed more frequently, identifying with and embracing the commitments they already made was not associated with psychological symptoms). Overall, our results suggest that refreshing the SNS feed seems to boost the effect of commitment-making in psychological functioning and simultaneously hinder the effect of identification with commitment on psychological functioning. Ultimately, this study calls for further research on emerging adults’ identity development in the digital age, which can inform prevention/intervention actions for promoting youth media literacy and psychological adjustment.