Self-transcendence as a psychological parenthood motive: When mortality salience increases the desire for non-biological children

The influence mechanism of self-transcendence on green consumption: The chain-mediating effect of construction of meaning in life and connectedness

A transition to a more sustainable society is occurring worldwide and necessitates a change in people's ways of consuming. Self-transcendence (ST) is recognized as a key predictor of green consumption. Thus, a multiple intermediary model was developed to clarify the psychological mechanisms underlying ST and its influence on consumption. The model was tested using data from a nationally representative sample of 428 Chinese participants. The results show that ST's overall positive effect on green consumption is realized via four indirect paths: (1) the simple mediating role of nature connectedness between ST and green consumption, (2) the simple mediating role of social connectedness between ST and green consumption; (3) the chain-mediating role of construction of meaning in life (CoMIL) and nature connectedness, and (4) the chain-mediating role of CoMIL and social connectedness. Among these paths, nature connectedness plays the most critical mediating role for the Chinese, accounting for the greatest proportion of the total indirect effect. The study advances understanding of the influence and path of ST on green consumption, and provides theoretical and practical support for guiding people toward sustainable lifestyles.

How Does Parenthood Moderate Paths Between Personal and Community Resources and Distress following Collective Trauma?

This study examines the moderating role of parenthood in associations between personal and community resources and psychological distress and somatization following collective exposure to security threats. The research questions were guided by Terror Management Theory that posits that parenthood involves heightened anxiety when children are in danger yet may also provide an existential resource that can reduce the individuals' distress. The study was conducted following the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict and included 1014 Israelis. The participants completed a questionnaire assessing levels of trauma exposure (the predictors), sense of mastery (personal resource), engagement in community activities and trust in leaders (community resources), and psychological distress and somatization (the outcomes). Results indicated that parenthood moderated several associations between trauma exposure and personal and community resources as well as paths between these resources and psychological distress. In almost all these cases, these paths were statistically significant only among parents in two different directions. Parenthood was associated with more psychological distress through lower sense of mastery and greater engagement in community activities. On the other hand, parenthood was related to lower psychological distress through greater trust in local leaders. In addition, only among parents, lower levels of mastery mediated the association between trauma exposure and somatization. These results offer significant implications for practitioners. Although parents and non-parents can be similarly affected by trauma exposure with respect to trauma-related outcomes, the way to assist them to reduce these negative outcomes should be conducted through different paths involving their personal and community resources.