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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: 'Blue Zones' (BZs) are regions with exceptionally high numbers of longevous inhabitants. Several factors have been suggested to promote longevity in BZs, but the evidence generally does not meet scientific quality criteria. We aimed to characterize a municipality as a 'relative BZ', satisfying three criteria: compared to other municipalities, more exceptionally longevous inhabitants, a higher life expectancy, and a more stable population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The population-based Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam is ongoing since 1992 in 11 municipalities across the Netherlands with three- or four-yearly measurement waves. Using all available waves, we included 39 genetic, personal, socio-cultural, and environmental characteristics. RESULTS: One municipality satisfied the three BZ criteria. In comparison with participants in other municipalities in the same province and other provinces in the Netherlands, BZ-participants more often had a polygenic risk score linked to longevity, smoked less, consumed less alcohol and more fruit, biked more minutes, did more often paid work, practiced singing more often, attached higher importance to religion, and lived in a more walkable and livable environment. In contrast, BZ-participants had a slower walking speed, more depressive symptoms, felt less purpose in life, had a larger waist circumference, walked and did sports less often, consumed less vegetables, and exchanged less instrumental support. Other indicators of their physical and mental health and social connectedness did not substantially differ from non-BZ-participants. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Rather than clues to healthy aging, our findings suggest factors conducive to longevity regardless of impaired health.

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Previous research has found that nature connectedness, an experiential close connection to nature with cognitive, affective and physical benefits, profoundly impacts individual wellbeing and subsequently increases pro-environmental behaviors. However, little is known about the personal and contextual factors that predict nature connectedness. Testing theory derived from a qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis study, this research addresses the lacuna in the literature. A structural equation model analysis finds that interoceptive awareness significantly predicts nature connection, that secure attachment to nature significantly explains this relationship, and that these inter-related constructs predict both pro-environmental behavior and wellbeing. This revised model of nature connection indicates important antecedents for the human-nature bond, illuminating in particular that the interpersonal relational processes foundational for close bonding with humans also occur in bonding with nature. Structural equation modeling indicates that emotional awareness is the dimension of interoceptive awareness that most significantly predicts nature connection, suggesting that the more aware a person is of the connection between inner bodily sensations and emotions, the more likely they can bond with nature. Given that interoceptive awareness indicates a coherent relationship with the self, including effective communication between body, mind and feelings, this process is therefore implicated in the capacity for humans to bond with nature. In sum, this present research points to the efficacy of an embodied, secure attachment with nature to help close both the human-nature disconnection chasm, and the environmental value-action gap. Theoretical and methodological implications for research and policy are discussed.

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Social capital is an important social determinant of health, more specifically bridging social capital, which connects individuals and communities across societal divides. This article reports on the findings of a study about the relationship between bridging social capital and COVID-19 infection trends within the state of Arizona from October 2020 to November 2021. Economic connectedness (EC), derived from Facebook friendship connections, served as a measure of aggregated bridging social capital among residents in each ZCTA (ZIP code tabulation area). Analysis of 192 ZCTAs in Arizona revealed that below-median SES individuals had fewer above-median SES friends (mean EC = 0.86). Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the correlation between EC and biweekly COVID-19 case growth, adjusting for other social determinants of health. Results showed that higher EC was associated with slower biweekly COVID-19 case growth (p < 0.001). This suggests that bridging social capital plausibly facilitated members of underserved and vulnerable groups to better access health-related information during the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby reducing the risks of infection during the pandemic. These findings suggest that promoting bridging social capital, particularly through social network sites, could be leveraged during early phase of public health crisis. The article concludes by recommending to strengthening bridging social capital for individuals with limited access to public health information and medical care.

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Background: Social disconnection is a public health concern among rural Australian older adults. While research suggests technology can enhance social wellbeing and protect against social disconnection, many older adults are not digitally literate, and little is known as to why and how technology adoption could be promoted in rural contexts. This study aimed to (1) explore the barriers and facilitators of technology adoption among rural older adults and (2) determine the potential utility of technology to promote social connectedness in the aged population. The Theoretical Domains Framework and the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) were employed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the digital and social behaviours of rural Australian older adults. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 33 rural older adults aged between 65 and 87 years. Interviews were conducted over the phone, audio-recorded, and transcribed. Interview transcripts were coded and analysed using thematic analysis and the BCW. Results: Numerous barriers and facilitators of technology adoption were identified, with the most prominent being knowledge, perceived value, perceived self-efficacy, and social support. Findings suggest that older adults' technology adoption is not simply a technical matter, but influenced by various individual, social, and environmental contexts. Consideration of these factors during development, marketing, training and implementation may facilitate technology adoption among older adults. With regard to social connectedness, several rural barriers emerged, including low population density, geographic isolation, limited community opportunities and poor public transport infrastructure. Conclusion: Technology was consistently identified as a facilitator of the social experience, indicating that technology is a promising tool to enhance social connectedness among older adults, particularly those living in rural areas. Future research should focus on enhancing the capability, opportunity and motivation of older adults in technology adoption, with reference to the rural contexts.

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BACKGROUND: Social isolation and social connectedness are health determinants and aspects of social well-being with strong associations with psychological distress. This study evaluated relationships among social isolation, social connectedness, and psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety) over 1 year in young adult (YA) cancer survivors 18-39 years old. METHODS: Participants were YAs in a large cohort study that completed questionnaires every 2 months for 1 year. Social isolation, aspects of social connectedness (i.e., companionship, emotional support, instrumental support, and informational support), depression, and anxiety were assessed with Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System short form measures. Mixed-effect models were used to evaluate changes over time. Confirmatory factor analysis and multilevel structural equation modeling were used to define social connectedness as a latent construct and determine whether relationships between social isolation and psychological distress were mediated by social connectedness. RESULTS: Participants (N = 304) were mean (M) = 33.5 years old (SD = 4.7) and M = 4.5 years (SD = 3.5) post-initial cancer diagnosis. Most participants were female (67.4%) and non-Hispanic White (68.4%). Average scores for social well-being and psychological distress were within normative ranges and did not change (p values >.05). However, large proportions of participants reported at least mild social isolation (27%-30%), depressive symptoms (36%-37%), and symptoms of anxiety (49%-51%) at each time point. Across participants, more social isolation was related to less social connectedness (p values <.001), more depressive symptoms (p < .001), and more symptoms of anxiety (p < .001). Social connectedness mediated the relationship between social isolation and depression (p = .004), but not anxiety (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Social isolation and connectedness could be intervention targets for reducing depression among YA cancer survivors.

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Introduction: Exposure to natural environments, such as parks, forests, and green areas, is often linked to a decrease in stress, anxiety and depression, while contributing to improved emotional wellbeing. These observations are supported by well-established theories, such as the Stress Reduction Theory and Attention Restoration Theory, which highlight the psychological benefits of interacting with nature. However, the relationship between exposure to nature and emotions, and in particular, with emotional regulation, is an evolving aspect of research with no clear conclusions. Emotional regulation can be deliberate in nature, where individuals voluntarily participate in modifying various aspects of their emotions, such as their type, intensity, quality or duration. Alternatively, it may be automatic, originating from sensory perception and acting without full awareness, but significantly influencing emotional experiences. In this context, the environmental self-regulation hypothesis, suggests that people consciously or unconsciously use their physical environment to regulate their emotions. Method: To analyze the evidence of the relationship between contact with nature and emotional regulation, we conducted this review. Using the PRISMA statement as a reference, we conducted keyword searches in five databases in the period between 2013 and 2023. The databases selected were Scopus, Web of Science (WoS), PubMed, PsycINFO and ScienceDirect. Results: In addition, a manual search was carried out of journals in the research field. Initially, from which gray literature, reviews and duplicates were removed in a first step. The resulting articles were then filtered using their titles and abstracts. Subsequently, the abstracts of the 25 selected articles were reviewed and discussed by researchers to reach a final decision based on consensus about the adequacy of each paper. Finally, nine articles were included in the systematic review. Discussion: In general terms, this review suggests that research on the relationship between contact with nature and emotional regulation provides valuable insights into how natural environments can contribute to the emotional wellbeing and physical and mental health of the population.

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Commodity futures constitute an attractive asset class for portfolio managers. Propelled by their low correlation with other assets, commodities begin gaining popularity among investors, as they allow to capture diversification benefits. This comprehensive study examines the time and frequency spillovers between the Economic Policy Uncertainty [1] and a broad set of commodities encompassing ferrous, non-ferrous, and precious metals, food, and energy commodities over a period from December 1997 to April 2022, which includes various political, economic and health crises. The novelty of this research lies in its extensive temporal and categorical coverage, providing an understanding of how different types of commodities respond to various crises. Furthermore, our study breaks new ground by employing wavelet analysis to gain detailed insights in both time and frequency domains in the financial time series of interest, providing a deeper understanding of the co-movements and lead-lag relationships. Specifically, we introduce the Cross Wavelet Transform (XWT) and Wavelet Coherence (WTC) analysis. Our findings demonstrate that not all crises uniformly impact commodities. Notably, during the global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, co-movements between commodities became significantly stronger. These results highlight the heterogeneity within the commodity asset class, where individual commodities exhibit diverse underlying dynamics. Importantly, the proposed methodology facilitates the extraction of robust results even when dealing with nonlinearities and nonstationary time series data. Consequently, our work offers valuable insights for policymakers (including regulatory bodies), investors, and fund managers.

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The complex interplay between agricultural and energy commodities has been a subject of interest in past research, gaining more relevance recently due to geopolitical events such as the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. This conflict has systematically driven up the prices of both energy and agricultural commodities. Deeply understanding the dynamic interconnections between these commodities and the cascading events resulting from the war is crucial for comprehensive market analysis. Our study leverages the connectedness or risk of spillover based on a Quantile Vector Autoregression (QVAR) model, allowing us to track connectedness over time through the examination of extreme quantiles. This approach facilitates the identification of shocks triggered by exogenous events, such as the Russian-Ukrainian war, which are often observable in these extreme quantiles or tails. The investigation encompasses several agricultural commodities: Wheat, Barley, Soybean, Soybean Oil, Soybean Meal, and Sunflower Oil, along with energy commodities represented by Crude Oil and Natural Gas. Furthermore, we considered the prices of crucial fertilizers, DAP & Urea, given their significance in agricultural production. The timeframe for our study extends from January 2010 to January 2023, providing a comprehensive review of market trends during various geopolitical scenarios. This research contributes valuable insights into the intersection of global events, agricultural trends, and energy commodity markets. The study revealed that Soybean and its derivatives consistently play a leading role in the market, with Soybean being the primary shock transmitter. This is particularly true for the upper Quantile, where Soybean and Soybean Meal's influence remains stable. On the other hand, Soybean Oil's, Barley, and Wheat risk of spillover has increased, especially during the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Finally, spillover appears symmetric, with both extreme tails exhibiting around 91-87 % connectedness, while the median Quantile is under 49 %. We observed a diminution in network complexity, manifested as a decline in network connectedness, in correlation with extreme quantiles. Policymakers can use this information to draft proactive measures, ensuring stability and sustainability in both domestic and international markets.

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BACKGROUND: The uptake of traditional mental health services among older adults remains low. Digital peer support offers older adults a resource for engaging with others to independently support their mental well-being. This qualitative study explored the uptake and engagement of a clinically moderated digital peer support platform (Breathing Space) for older adults with depressive symptoms and alcohol use concerns. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with 30 participants aged 60-80 years explored participants' uptake and engagement with Breathing Space, a novel, moderated, private, and anonymous peer support platform. Data were analysed using reflective thematic analysis and are discussed with reference to the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology2. RESULTS: Three themes were constructed to characterize participants' experiences: (i) navigating the complexities of peer-peer online engagement; (ii) the function of anonymity in online connection; and (iii) experiences of app features and content. CONCLUSIONS: Future development of digital peer support for older adults would benefit from the following: (i) co-design with older adults; (ii) providing choice over anonymity and increased options for interacting with peers; (iii) streamlining the basic functionality with popular platforms; (iv) providing options for users to curate their digital experience; and (v) providing telephone support for troubleshooting technical difficulties. Future research should explore the use of digital peer support among older adults who experience social exclusion challenges.

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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted college student learning both globally and nationally. Current literature points to decreases in social connectedness, adverse mental health outcomes, and decreased overall learning outcomes; however, there are limited findings from higher education institutions within the Bay Area, California. There are also limited studies that examine the COVID-19 impact among public health graduate students, especially to understand how the pandemic renewed their interest in the field. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on graduate student learning experiences, social connectedness and mental health within the Master of Public Health program at San José State University in San Jose, California. Methods: We employed a convergent mixed-methods design using a survey that quantitatively assessed student learning experiences through a retrospective pre-and post-design, and a semi-structured interview guide that qualitatively assessed student learning experiences and its relationship with mental health and social connectedness using a phenomenological design. Data were collected between September 2022 and June 2023 and analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results: A total of 22 students completed the survey and four participated in follow-up semi-structured interviews. Of the 22, 12(54%) were among the 18-29-year age group, 9(41%) identified as Asian, 21(95%) identified as female, and 9(41%) identified as a first-generation college student. When comparing survey responses, the median change in learning experiences pre and during-pandemic were statistically significant across several areas such as student ability to stay organized (p < 0.0001), participate actively in class (p < 0.001), retain course material (p < 0.0001), collaborate with peers (p < 0.0001), and maintain a sense of connection with their cohort (p = 0.0001) and broader campus community (p < 0.0001). Semi-structured interviews further revealed the following six themes: (1) Consistent faculty support; (2) Sense of community; (3) Reduced social connectedness; (4) Impact on mental health; (5) Deeper public health understanding; and (6) Facilitators and barriers. Conclusion: Educational practitioners are encouraged to offer hybrid academic programs and establish resource infrastructures that provide students with social and mental wellness support when transitioning to different learning modalities.

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OBJECTIVE: Technology addiction is an increasingly important public health problem all over the world that negatively affects people's mental and physical health. In this study, we examined technology addiction and social connectedness levels of psychiatric patients who admitted to clinics in different geographical regions of Turkey. METHODS: A total of 642 people with a diagnosis of psychiatric illness who applied to psychiatry clinics in Istanbul, Elazig, Malatya, Yozgat, Adiyaman, and Bingöl provinces were included. Sociodemographic data form, Technology Addiction Scale (TAS), and Social Connectedness Scale (SCS) were applied to all participants. RESULTS: The total score of the TAS in patients diagnosed with anxiety disorder and somatoform disorder was significantly higher than the other patient groups (p<0.001). Patients diagnosed with anxiety disorder showed a significant difference from other patient groups in terms of SCS score (p<0.001). Anxiety disorder was found to be the highest in TAS total score and sub-dimensions and the lowest in SCS score, while major depressive disorder was found to be the lowest in TAS total score and sub-dimensions and the highest in SCS score. The multiple linear regression analysis showed that the total score of the TAS was predicted by the SCS score (ß=-1.857, p<0.001) and the SCS score was predicted by age (ß=0.046, p=0.049) and the total score of the TAS (ß=-0.316, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: As a result of this study, we can say that psychiatric patients have a moderate level of technology addiction, these people have high levels of social connectedness, and psychiatric patients with technology addiction have a high level of social belonging.

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INTRODUCTION: The Covid-19 pandemic and its ensuing effects on mental health made it clearer than ever that social bonds are critical for survival, flourishing, and mental wellbeing. Experimental laboratory-based research with children and adults shows that activities involving movement alignment and joint action, such as dance, can facilitate social bonds. METHODS: This study examined whether an online group dance intervention positively affects social bonding and wellbeing using a randomized control design. Participants were 58 UK adolescents aged 11-16 years (N = 52 girls, 75% White, 7% Asian/Asian British, 18% Mixed-Other), randomly assigned to an online intervention or waitlist control group. Participants in the intervention group completed an online 5-week hip-hop dance program during the Covid-19 pandemic in January to February 2021. Measures of social bonding, wellbeing, and future orientation were taken at the beginning and end of the program. RESULTS: Linear mixed model analyses examining group × timepoint interaction showed greater increase in social bonding (p < .0001), and wellbeing (p < .0001) in the intervention vs control group. Moreover, increases in bonding significantly predicted increases in wellbeing (p < .0001), and increases in bonding (p = .03) and wellbeing (p = .0002) significantly predicted increases in the adolescents' hope for the future. CONCLUSIONS: These data, collected at a time of mass social isolation, show that a 5-week-long online dance activity can help adolescents forge stronger social bonds, and improve their wellbeing and future orientation. Our findings suggest that the wellbeing and future orientation benefits of group dance may stem from having stronger social connectedness, opening up avenues for future research and interventions.

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Aim: This study aims to shift views away from negative perceptions towards aging by exploring the following research question: How are the multiple levels of the gerotranscendence theory influenced by the sustainable behavior and attitude toward the biophilic design of older adults? Background: Improving perceptions of aging is vital for positively impacting both the biological and societal aspects of the global aging phenomenon. Methods: The study utilized a mixed-method design. Initially, 300 older Turkish adults completed self-reported measures including the Gerotranscendence Scale (GS), Pro-environmental Behavior (PB), Environmental Identity Scale (EID), Biophilic Design Importance Level (BDI), and Inclusion of Nature in the Self Scale (INS). Subsequently, the second phase involved diary logs from 30 participants who volunteered during the initial phase. Results: Results indicated that a higher importance level placed on biophilic design was linked to a greater inclusion of nature in the self. Moreover, a stronger interest in nature correlated positively with the gerotranscendence experience. Conclusions: The results bring significant attention to biophilic design, especially its relevance in supporting sustainable environmental behaviors and positive aging.

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INTRODUCTION: Quality of life (QoL) is a subjective measure reflecting individuals' evaluations based on their personal goals and values. While global research shows the role of neighborhood factors like ethnic diversity and socio-cultural dynamics on QoL, these are unexplored in the Nepali context. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between neighborhood environment and QoL among Nepali older adults in eastern Nepal. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 847 non-institutionalized older adults (aged ≥ 60 years) from two districts in eastern Nepal. QoL was evaluated using the 13-item brief Older People's Quality of Life questionnaire, where a mean score of < 3 indicated low/poor QoL. The neighborhood environment, conceptualized across three domains (demographic, socio-cultural, and built environment), included ethnic diversity, connections with family, friends, and neighbors, cultural ties, residential stability, and rurality. Their association with QoL was examined using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Around 20% of older adults reported poor QoL. Higher ethnic diversity (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] = 0.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.04-0.36), moderate contact with family and relatives (aOR = 0.26, CI: 0.11-0.61), and high contact with neighbors (aOR = 0.09, CI: 0.03-0.21) were associated with lower odds of poor QoL. Conversely, high contact with friends (aOR = 2.29, CI: 1.30-4.04) and unstable residence (OR = 6.25, CI: 2.03-19.23) increased the odds of poor QoL. Additionally, among the covariates, chronic disease, tobacco use, unemployment, and lack of education were also significantly associated with poor QoL. CONCLUSION: Overall, the demographic environment, socio-cultural factors, and the built environment of the neighborhood influence QoL. Therefore, diversifying the neighborhood's ethnic composition, promoting social connections such as frequent contact with family, relatives, and neighbors, and ensuring residential stability can enhance the QoL of older adults.

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In light of the late stage of COVID-19 pandemic, the occurrence of persistent symptoms after COVID-19 infection has become more frequent. To date, there are no standardized treatments. Underlying mechanisms, risk and protective factors for severe persisting symptoms should be investigated to develop effective interventions. METHODS: An online questionnaire was used to assess gender, presence of prior mental disorder, severity of COVID-19 infection, and social connectedness (SCS-R) to determine their influence on symptom severity of persisting symptoms. The sample used to examine risk and protective factors consisted of 693 participants. RESULTS: The analysis revealed no significant gender differences for severity of persisting symptoms. However, prior mental health condition was associated with severity of persisting symptoms. Moreover, there was a positive association between symptom severity during COVID-19 infection and Post COVID 19. Social connectedness was found to be negatively associated with Post COVID 19 symptoms. Social connectedness was shown to be negatively associated with depressive symptoms and disordered self-organization. The symptoms of energy loss and concentration had the highest centrality. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that severity of post-covid symptoms is associated with higher levels of psychopathological symptoms and a lower level of social connectedness. In conclusion, social connectedness may be an important factor in the development of post-COVID symptoms and should be considered for future interventions. The results from the network analyses provide a first step for a more granular syndrome profile.

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The price transmission in international soybean market has been extensively examined. However, recent econometric advancements have enabled the application of dynamic connectedness methodology as outlined by Antonakakis and Gabauer (2017) [1], which is based on a Time-varying Parameter Vector Autoregressive (TVP-VAR) model. This approach captures the time-varying connectedness of time series, considering potential risk shock emitters and receivers. The connectedness index (Diebold and Yilmaz, Jan. 2012) [2] was developed using Generalized Forecast Error Variance Decomposition (GFEVD) and the Generalized Impulse Response Function (GIRF) (Koop et al., Sep. 1996; Pesaran and Shin, Jan. 1998) [3,4]. This study aims to understand the dynamic connectedness and price leadership. The research examined markets including the US Soybean futures market (Chicago Board of Trade), Rotterdam Port spot market representing the European soybean market, Paranaguá port representing Brazil, Argentina represented by Rosario Futures and Spot, and the Chinese domestic spot market and the Dalian futures on behalf of China. The research spanned approximately ten years, from September 2009 to May 2019. The findings suggest that the soybean market has reached a high level of maturity, able to withstand exogenous shocks for at least the past seven years. The net pairwise directional connectedness revealed dynamic and bidirectional causality. The dynamic connectedness index showed a highly connected and developed market in the West (Chicago Futures, Rotterdam, Paranaguá, and Rosario Futures and Spot). However, the connectedness between Western and Eastern markets was relatively low, indicating some level of market isolation. Furthermore, the pairwise connectedness index between Eastern market (China spot and Dalian Futures) was also considerable low. Lastly, Paranaguá and Rosario overtook Rotterdam as price-leading markets and were identified as the primary net transmitters of shocks, indirectly implying causality. Chicago, Rosario, and Paranaguá formed a triumvirate leading international prices, while Rotterdam adopted a secondary leading position, deviating from its historical role as the price leader.

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OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to characterize profiles of mental health, incorporating both indicators of psychopathology and well-being, among college students and determine whether institutional belonging differentially relates to past month substance use by mental health profile. METHOD: Students (N = 4018; 59.5% female, 74.7% white) completed a survey regarding mental health (i.e., anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, stress, flourishing, academic confidence), institutional belonging, and whether they had engaged in any binge drinking of alcohol and use of cannabis and nicotine products, including nicotine vaping, over the past month. RESULTS: Latent profile analyses indicated five profiles of mental health with differing levels of psychopathology and well-being. Greater institutional belonging was only related to higher odds of binge drinking among students in profiles characterized by average or high well-being, irrespective of psychopathology. Among students with overall poor mental health, higher institutional belonging was related to higher odds of nicotine use. Results were generally invariant to campus and year at college. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight that both positive and negative aspects of mental health should be considered when assessing college students' substance use. Greater institutional belonging may incur risk for substance use differentially by mental health, with respect to binge drinking for those with high levels of positive well-being and non-vaping nicotine use for those with overall poor mental health. Because associations emerged between belonging and substance use risk, institutions could consider implementing or raising awareness of alcohol-free, inclusive activities to ensure that students can feel a sense of belonging while abstaining from drinking.

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BACKGROUND: Being subjected to bullying is a significant risk factor for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents. Parental support, peer support, and social connectedness play protective roles in mitigating NSSI in this population. However, the precise impact of the combined effects of parental and peer support on bullying and NSSI requires further investigation. METHODS: This study employed the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale, Delaware Bullying Victimisation Scale, Social Connectedness Scale, and the Ottawa Self-Injury Inventory to survey 1277 Chinese adolescents. Polynomial regression analysis and response surface analysis were applied to examine the mediating role of bullying and social connectedness in the relationship between parental and peer support matching and NSSI. RESULTS: The results indicate that parental support (r = 0.287, P < 0.001), peer support (r = 0.288, P < 0.001), and social connectedness (r = 0.401, P < 0.001) were protective factors against NSSI in adolescents. Conversely, bullying (r = 0.425, P < 0.001) acts as a risk factor for NSSI in this population. Adolescents with low parental and peer support experienced more bullying than those with high parental and peer support, while those with low parental but high peer support experienced less bullying than those with high parental but low peer support (R^2 = 0.1371, P < 0.001). Social connectedness moderated the effect between bullying and NSSI in this model (ß = 0.006, P < 0.001). LIMITATIONS: Due to the under-representation of participants and lack of longitudinal data support, the explanatory power of causality between variables was limited. Future studies should include national samples and incorporate longitudinal studies to enhance the generalisability and robustness of the findings. CONCLUSION: This study reveals the influence mechanism of parental and peer support matching experienced by adolescents on bullying and NSSI and the moderating role of social connectedness. These findings enrich the developmental theory of adolescent NSSI and provide reference for the prevention and intervention of adolescent NSSI behaviour.

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Nature experience is a relatively easy and beneficial measure for improving emotions. Individuals experience nature through proximal senses (tactile, gustatory, and olfactory) and distal senses (vision and audition). This study examined the relationships between diverse natural senses experience and individuals' positive and negative emotions, along with the mediating role of nature connectedness. We recruited 978 college students (Mage = 20.09 ± 1.09 years old) from Beijing, China. The results showed that tactile experience (e.g. touching trees and water) was negatively related to negative emotions, while gustatory experience (e.g. tasting fresh fruits) was positively correlated with positive emotions. Furthermore, nature connectedness mediated the relationship between other natural sensory experiences and positive and negative emotions, except for the insignificant mediation between olfactory experiences and negative emotions. Therefore, individuals should emphasize the role of the proximal senses (especially tactile and gustatory experiences) during nature experiences and increase nature connectedness to maintain positive emotions.

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Greater loneliness as well as a lack of social connectedness have often been associated with poorer sleep. However, the temporal dynamics and direction of these associations remain unclear. Aim of the current study was to examine bi-directional associations between loneliness/social connectedness and sleep in 48 stress-exposed medical students during their first medical internship, considered a period of heightened stress. We obtained trait-level questionnaire data on loneliness and global sleep completed before and during the internship as well as state-level diary- and wearable-based data on daily changes in social connectedness and sleep collected twice over the period of seven consecutive days, once before and once during the internship. Bi-directional associations among greater loneliness and higher daytime dysfunction on trait-level were identified. In addition, several uni-directional associations between loneliness/social connectedness and sleep were found on trait- and state-level. In sum, findings of this study point at a bi-directional relation among loneliness/social connectedness and sleep, in which variables seem to reciprocally influence each other across longer-term periods as well as on a day-to-day basis.

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