Background In an era of scientific uncertainty and philosophical skepticism, the question of life’s meaning has renewed psychological and cultural importance. Although the cosmos lacks intrinsic purpose, humans continue to seek and sustain meaning amid existential ambiguity. This integrative review examines whether durable frameworks of meaning can be developed without cosmic teleology. Methods Using an integrative conceptual review, this study synthesizes insights from existential philosophy and meaning-centered psychology with recent developments in cosmology. Core sources include Sartre and Frankl, therapeutic models, such as Logotherapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and scientific perspectives from multiverse theory and contemporary cosmological narratives. This study proposes a four-phase model of existential meaning-making embedded in a recursive adaptive process. Results The model comprises four interrelated components: (1) value-driven goal setting, (2) reflective self-awareness, (3) purposeful engagement, and (4) responsible decision-making operating within cycles of disruption, integration, and renewal that cultivate resilience and existential growth. Discussion While the universe may be purposeless, reflective consciousness, ethical deliberation, and intentional action enable subjective meaning. Bridging existential philosophy with clinical practice and cosmology, the model highlights meaning-making across suffering, uncertainty, and scientific disenchantment. Conclusion Even in a purposeless cosmos, individuals can construct meaningful lives through value-oriented consciousness and ethical engagement. The model offers a transdisciplinary foundation for therapeutic work, philosophical reflection, and education, and invites empirical validation and implementation.

Introduction The cultural and industrial environment in Binh Duong, which includes international students, local inhabitants, and migrant workers, presents challenges, such as social cohesion, intercultural conflict, and psychological stress. While previous studies confirm the separate benefits of mindfulness and forgiveness, little is known about their combined effects in such diverse settings. Methods This study employed a mixed-methods design. Quantitatively, 150 participants (50 international students, 50 migrant workers, 50 local residents) completed validated scales: the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Rye Forgiveness Scale (RFS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and a Social Cohesion Index. Analyses included Pearson correlations, ANOVA, and multiple regression with interaction terms. Qualitatively, 18 purposively selected participants engaged in semi-structured interviews, thematically analyzed to uncover underlying mechanisms. Results There was a high level of correlation between mindfulness practice and stress reduction (r = 0.76, p < 0.01), while emotional healing and interpersonal trust were correlated with forgiveness (r = 0.64, p < 0.05). Together, they created a synergistic effect which was greater than the sum of the individual contributions, enhancing overall life satisfaction and social connectedness even more (r = 0.82, p < 0.01) than the two methods separately. ANOVA showed significant group differences, with the greatest benefit going to the international students. Qualitative results indicated that the outcome was influenced by cultural and religious factors. Discussion The findings suggest that mindfulness helps to manage emotions and that forgiveness helps to repair relationships, thereby emphasizing a dual-pathway approach for improving resilience and cohesion. The group-specific differences suggest that such interventions ought to be designed bespoke to the cultural and religious background of the participants. The integration of forgiveness and mindfulness addresses the persisting gaps in stress-and-coping theories by providing a framework for the intrapersonal stress regulation and interpersonal reconciliation. Conclusion Used alone, forgiveness and mindfulness, and their combination, are effective techniques for stress reduction and fostering social harmony in multicultural settings. Their combined use has practical meanings for education, community programs, psychosocial support, and training and development in the workplace in Binh Duong and comparable urban settings.

Introduction While adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are known to impair executive functioning (EF), the precise emotional mechanisms are underexplored. This study investigated the parallel mediating roles of positive and negative emotions in the ACEs-EF link and formally compared their relative influence on Chinese adolescents. Methods Using a cross-sectional design, 683 adolescents with a history of adversity completed self-report measures for ACEs, emotional states, and EF. A parallel mediation model was tested via structural equation modeling, with a 5,000-resample bootstrap procedure used to evaluate indirect effects. Results The analysis revealed significant indirect effects of ACEs on EF through both diminished positive emotion (β = −.038, 95% CI [−.049, −.029]) and elevated negative emotion (β = −.057, 95% CI [−.072, −.045]). Critically, the pathway through negative emotion was confirmed to be significantly stronger (Difference = .019, 95% CI [.005, .034]), although a significant direct ACEs-EF path remained. Discussion These findings provide robust evidence that emotional states are a primary mechanism transmitting risk from ACEs to EF impairment. The novel demonstration that negative emotion is a more potent mediator is a key contribution to the field. Conclusion This highlights the need for interventions that not only foster positive affect but also prioritize strategies aimed at mitigating and regulating negative emotions to buffer the neurocognitive consequences of childhood adversity.

Background Mental health issues pose a major challenge to the well-being and academic success of undergraduate students. Identifying key determinants of mental health is crucial for developing targeted interventions. This study employs association rule mining (ARM) to explore the relationships between educational and personal factors and students' mental health status. Methods A validated survey was administered to 1,394 undergraduate students (409 males and 985 females) from six Malaysian public universities. The Apriori algorithm was applied with minimum support of 0.1, confidence of 0.7, and lift of > 1 to extract meaningful associations. Data preprocessing included handling missing values, categorical encoding, and outlier detection. Results The analysis identified ten key association rules, revealing that female students were more likely to face learning difficulties (support = 0.188, confidence = 0.852, and lift = 1.134) but were also more uncertain about their mental health status. Interestingly, financial problems did not strongly predict mental health issues (support = 0.175, confidence = 0.707, and lift = 1.142). Conclusion These findings underscore the need for universities to reduce academic pressures, combat loneliness and isolation, and provide mental health services to support struggling students. With targeted interventions, universities can create healthier learning environments where students can thrive both academically and emotionally.

Background Despite its increasing use in South Korean research, the Teamwork Quality (TWQ) scale has often been modified without proper validation, raising concerns about its reliability and consistency. Given the growing importance of teamwork, validating the Korean version of the 20-item TWQ scale is essential for accurate assessment. Additionally, while TWQ is known to influence job performance, few studies have examined this relationship using a single-construct measure focused on in-role behaviors, highlighting the need for a more precise and standardized approach. Objectives This study aimed to enhance the understanding of TWQ by first validating the Korean version of a 20-item TWQ measurement tool and then examining the relationship between TWQ factors and job performance, focusing on in-role behaviors across various organizations in South Korea. Methods A total of 266 employed adults in South Korea participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the validity and applicability of the translated TWQ scale in the Korean context. Multiple regression analysis examined the overall relationship between TWQ factors and job performance, as well as the unique contribution of each factor while considering their interdependencies. Results The Korean TWQ scale showed strong construct validity and reliability and acceptable convergent validity, though coordination and mutual support overlapped in discriminant validity. Four dimensions, effort, cohesion, balanced contributions, and communication, significantly influenced perceived job performance. Conclusion Organizations can use the validated TWQ scale to assess team dynamics, identify strengths, and enhance collaboration. Furthermore, prioritizing effort, cohesion, balance of contributions, and communication can foster a more effective work environment and improve job performance.

Background Everyone encounters the challenge of choosing a career at some point, which typically happens when students choose academic programs that determine their future professions. This research studied the effect of family preference and monetary value on career choice among freshmen at universities. Students who are concerned about the financial aspects of their careers may be more likely to choose a high-paying job over one that is more personally fulfilling. The importance of this study lies in the possibility that it might provide valuable insight into the role that family and monetary values play in shaping career choice, which may inform future research in the area. Methods Quantitative approach, correlation and regression analysis design was employed to analyze the data gathered from the samples. The population consisted of freshmen from different universities, with 500 samples for the study. Automated data processing was performedfor this study by using a software. Results There is a slight positive correlation between family preference and monetary value. A very weak positive correlation exists between family preference and career choice, while a moderate positive correlation is observed between monetary value and career choice. Conclusion These findings indicate that financial factors have a significant influence on career choice decisions. While family preference does not show a significant relationship with either monetary value or career choice, from this study it is recommended to investigate other potential variables that might influence career choice and examine the role of family preference in different contexts or populations.

Introduction With the onset of the pandemic and the reopening of institutions, we are all undergoing a new normal, and educators and students are attempting to adjust to keep close ties to the core principles of the educational system. Existing studies have limited analysis on temporal dynamics and causal links between psychosocial factors, COVID-19-related stress, and sleep quality. Moreover, the studies rely on self-reported data, which introduces potential biases. Therefore, the current study employs a mixed-method approach that combines thematic analysis with both inferential and descriptive statistics. Methods The first part of this study, which is split into two phases, focuses on identifying the stress that COVID-19 students experience and how it affects other behavioural, psychological, and social factors, as well as sleep. It then examined the significance of these factors for students' academic performance during the current transition from offline to online teaching and hybrid modes. Understanding the importance of Digital technology and, using AI-based intervention to address underlying problems, and determining the impact of chatbots on underlying causes is discussed in the second phase of the study. Results The information was gathered from 214 undergraduate students enrolled in different programmes in the University of Delhi using a self-designed, extensive questionnaire that included demographic questions, the Pittsburgh Sleep Index, and the COVID-19 Student Stress Questionnaire (CSSQ). To assess and forecast a student's academic performance based on psychosocial indicators, the data was examined using techniques such as feature selection, regression, neural networks, the Naïve Bayes machine learning algorithm, and multi-dimensional analysis. To determine the link between the variables before and after the intervention, statistical tools, including SPSS, were used to calculate mean, SD, t, and correlation. Conclusion The results of the present study show that stress associated with COVID-19 was affecting undergraduate students' sleep, as well as their psychological, behavioural, social, and cognitive functioning. Additionally, research indicated that AI-based intervention chatbots significantly improved undergraduate students' general learning capacity, reduced stress connected to COVID-19, and improved sleep.

Background It is important to understand the factors that influence belief formation and belief change. Objective We test the hypothesis that following belief change about contentious topics, verifying a past belief will influence current beliefs. Methods In Experiment 1, participants reported initial beliefs about television violence in a prescreening, then read a belief-inconsistent text in the experiment. Participants either verified or did not verify their initial beliefs before reporting current beliefs. In Experiment 2, participants were randomly assigned to verify their initial belief (about gun control effectiveness), a false belief that was the opposite of their initial belief or did not verify a belief. Results Participants changed their beliefs after reading a belief-inconsistent text. If participants first verified the beliefs they held several weeks prior to the experiment, they reported their post-reading beliefs as closer to those initial beliefs. In Experiment 2, although 80% of participants in the false belief condition verified that belief as accurate, it did not influence their post-reading beliefs. Conclusion Results show that beliefs were moderated when participants verified their initial beliefs. Results are consistent with the belief fluency hypothesis, which contends that salient information is used in constructing our current beliefs.

Background Psychologists have recently turned their focus to the “dark side” of workplace behavior, particularly negative traits that impact professional environments. Methods In this exploratory study, we examined the Dark Triad traits Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy among 3,112 bank employees. Additionally, we analyzed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) performance in a subset of 1,613 participants to explore correlations between Dark Triad traits and decision-making. We also investigated differences based on sex and job position. Results Our findings reveal that men scored higher on Dark Triad traits than women, reinforcing well-established findings. Furthermore, sales managers and premium client managers displayed the highest levels of Machiavellian strategies, though overall, bank employees showed significantly lower Machiavellianism scores compared to published Russian norms. While IGT performance showed no sex differences, it varied between managers and non-managers. A significant negative correlation emerged between Machiavellianism and psychopathy and good deck choices on the IGT, with a linear regression indicating that lower Dark Triad scores predicted better decision-making. Conclusion Further research is needed to explore the relationship between affective decision-making and dark personality traits.

Background The attitudes of society and mental health practitioners towards mental illness are subject to multiple dimensions. This may affect the quality of health services and the client’s ability to seek treatment. It was hypothesized that there is a relationship between qualification, self-esteem, and attitudes toward personality disorders among mental health practitioners in Saudi Arabia. Objective This study aimed to assess how attitudes toward clients’ personality disorders relate to work qualifications and self-esteem among health practitioners in Saudi Arabia. Methods A correlational, within-subject, cross-sectional study was conducted, including psychologists and psychiatrists (N=171) across the five regions of Saudi Arabia, using a survey research design. The online survey contained a demographic information sheet and two standardized scales of attitudes toward personality disorders and self-esteem. Results Descriptive analysis, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and ANOVA were conducted using SPSS. Significant positive correlations were found between the total Attitude to Personality Disorder Questionnaire and self-esteem, APDQ, and qualification scores (r = .319 and .283, both p < .001). There was also a significant positive correlation between self-esteem and qualification scores (r = .378, p <.001). Conclusion The findings of the study may help mental health practitioners understand attitudes toward personality disorders and the role of qualification and self-esteem in prompting a positive attitude. Mental health practitioner training interventions can enhance and support service quality. On-job professional training, additional training on how to treat personality disorders, and proper supervision for clinicians are highly recommended.