Psihološka istraživanja

Do Personality Traits Moderate the Relationship between Mindfulness and Satisfaction with Life?

Filip Biro, Boris Popov — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0100

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between mindfulness and life satisfaction, while also examining whether personality traits moderate this relationship. The sample consisted of 214 respondents (158 females and 56 males, the average age of 29). The instruments used in the research include the following: Velikih pet + dva, skraćena verzija (Big Five + Two, shortened version), The Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). The results indicate that mindfulness significantly predicts satisfaction with life. In spite of the fact that almost all personality traits correlate with mindfulness, no significant moderating effect of personality traits has been obtained regarding the relationship between mindfulness and satisfaction with life.

Faust Syndrome: Do negative moral emotions leave marks on employees’ health?

Nebojša Majstorović, Radojka Šolak — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0100

The paper is aimed at evaluating the incidence of the Faust Syndrome indicators and examining the effects of this syndrome of work relationships on employees’ psycho-physical health mediated by negative moral emotions towards others induced in such relationships. The sample consisted of 611 participants (64.5% women), employed at various positions (83.3% executive), of the average age of 37.13 (SD = 11.94), and the average length of service of 8.09 years (SD = 8.75). In order to measure toxic work relationships in the form of the Faust Syndrome (FS), the Faust Syndrome Questionnaire (FSQ-2) was used to assess five dimensions: Loyalty to the employer, Subversive behaviour, Manipulation of the decision-making system, Ostracism and Negative attitudes towards colleagues. The incidence of negative moral emotions at the workplace scale (SUMO) measured the following negative moral emotions towards others: Anger, Disgust, Rage, Envy, Belittling, Malice, Jealousy and Contempt. The scale of psycho-physical health (SPFZ-1) was used to assess Physical health disorder, Fear and anxiety, Depression reactions, Fatigue and Social behaviour disorder. The results indicate that the Faust Syndrome has a significant effect on the increased expression of negative moral emotions towards co-workers, that these emotions most likely have a significant effect on the employees’ psycho-physical health, as well as that these same emotions act as mediators between toxic work relations and the employees’ health. It is concluded that negative moral emotions towards others, which are probably induced by the Faustian Syndrome, do leave marks on employees’ health.

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Math? Structure and Correlates of Math Anxiety in Preschool Children

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Math anxiety (MA) is a phenomenon that has garnered the attention of researchers and practitioners due to its negative effects on various educational outcomes in math learning and the motivation for learning math. However, previous research has predominantly focused on primary and secondary school students, while preschool-aged children have been largely overlooked. This gap is particularly relevant in the Serbian context, where early childhood education is undergoing continuous reforms and where mathematics readiness is increasingly recognized as a key predictor of later academic success. Therefore, this research aims to examine the structure and correlates of MA in preschool children from Serbia. Study 1, involving 258 children aged 4 to 6 (50% boys), investigated the nature and structure of the Young Children Math Anxiety Scale (YCMAX). Study 2, conducted with 205 children aged 4 to 6 (48.8% boys), investigated the relationships between MA aspects (Worry and Somatization), gender, age, and children’s readiness for learning math. This was done by applying the correlation analysis with the Mathematics School Readiness Test, designed to assess (pre)math skills in preschool-aged children. The CFA results indicate that the Young Children Math Anxiety Scale is an adequate instrument for measuring this type of anxiety and that, even at this age, negative relationships between MA and various (pre)math skills can be identified. The study discusses the potential benefits of using this scale by practitioners in preschool institutions and the specificities of the relationships between MA and various math abilities and children’s age in the preschool (non)evaluative contexts.

Examination of the Factor Structure and Convergent Validity of the Child and Youth Resilience Measure – Revised (CYRM-R) in a Sample of Adolescents from Serbia

Anja Žujović — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0100

The aim of this study is to examine the factor structure and convergent validity of the Serbian translation of the Child and Youth Resilience Measure ‒ Revised (CYRM-R). The analysis was conducted on a sample of 421 adolescents (age range: 15‒19; M = 16.86; SD = 0.89; 48% female). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) were conducted to assess the factor structure. After comparing several models, including the one-factor and two-factor CFA and ESEM models, the two-factor CFA model was adopted as the most suitable. The structure of the selected model corresponds to the originally proposed one and includes all items within the intra/interpersonal and caregiver factor. The findings show acceptable fit indices, good subscale reliability, and adequate convergent validity, as demonstrated by the associations with the measures of subjective well-being and internal resilience. The initial findings suggest that the translated scale could provide an adequate assessment of resilience resources among adolescents in Serbia, with the main limitation of the study being the lack of a risk context.

Clinical Decision Making and Mental Health

David Mandić — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Judgement and decision making are rife with cognitive biases. Despite their everyday fitness, these can affect clinical assessment, which may lead to erroneous decisions. All specialists are prone to bias; these vulnerabilities permeate social strata, while people underestimate their own proneness to these errors. In mental health, statistical prediction and empirically robust tests should compensate for such errors. Therefore, the paper reviews basic heuristics and associated biases in practice, namely, representativeness, availability, and anchoring. Furthermore, it is elaborated how clinical decision making is influenced by social factors, thus giving rise to groupthink. Experience without adequate training might even worsen decision making by overconfidence. Psychoeducation on biases, among others, shows promise in countering them. In addition, examples that demonstrate in which way heuristics and biases contribute to the receptiveness to popular psychology, myths, pseudoscience, misinformation, alternative health methods and radicalization, are provided in the paper. Relativization of evidence and disinformation present crucial challenges to the acceptance of science and to the democratic society. Science communication should influence market offering and consult social psychological communication research in combatting disinformation, useful for both undergraduates and the lay audience.

"All for One, One for All": A New Psychology of Leadership Through the Lens of Social Identity

Zoran Pavlović — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100