Exploring the potential impact of group identity on post-traumatic growth in the aftermath of Corona outbreak: function of social-emotional competence as a mediator

Background

This research endeavors to examine the potential effects of human and societal interactions on individuals' post-traumatic growth in the aftermath of the Corona outbreak. To achieve the aforementioned objective, the current research investigates the correlations between post-traumatic growth and group identity, while also examining the potential mediating function of social-emotional competence.

Methods

A cross-sectional design included a representative sample of 2,637 high school students located in the capital territory of Pakistan using convenience sampling method. To explore the associations, correlation and mediation analyzes utilizing the group identification scale, the social-emotional competence scale, and the post-traumatic growth scale was performed with SPSS PROCESS 4 macro and AMOS.

Results

The findings demonstrated that group identification emerged as a substantial predictor substantially associated with post-traumatic growth. Moreover, the relationship linking group identification and post-traumatic growth was found to be partially moderated by social-emotional competence.

Conclusion

The phenomenon of group identification can exert influence on post-traumatic growth through both direct and mediating pathways, with the latter being essentially mediated by social-emotional competence. The aforementioned outcomes possess significant academic and practical implications concerning the promotion of post-traumatic growth and the improvement of psychological well-being after the Corona outbreak.

Electrochemical corrosion protection of neat and zinc phosphate modified epoxy coating: A comparative physical aging study on Al alloy 6101

Optimizing the pigment volume concentration of zinc phosphate pigments can protect Al alloy 6101 from alkaline media. Additionally, zinc phosphate pigments form a shielding film on the substrate and facilitate stopping the penetration of aggressive corrosion ions. The efficiency of eco-friendly zinc phosphate pigments is almost 98% during the corrosion analysis. A comparative study of physical aging of neat epoxy and Zinc Phosphate (ZP) pigment-modified epoxy coatings on Al alloy 6101 was conducted in Xi'an, China, for one year in all four seasons, where in summer for 3 months, results degraded more due to high UV radiation and humidity; it is found that peeling force of ZP pigments modified epoxy coatings is 50% higher of than that of the neat epoxy coatings though both peel-off adhesion strength and scratch test visibility decreased in both coatings; The electrochemical resistance of ZP pigments modified epoxy coatings is about 30% higher of than that of neat epoxy coatings, the corrosion rate of ZP pigments modified epoxy coatings is about 70% lower of than that of neat epoxy coatings, moreover the gloss retention is 20% higher in the modified epoxy; Optical surface observation of the coatings showed that the ZP modified epoxy coating could effectively restrict the crack and shrinkage in coatings after aging experimentation in the natural environment.

Electrochemical corrosion resistance of aluminum alloy 6101 with cerium-based coatings in an alkaline environment

Chromium-free materials as eco-friendly coatings with higher corrosion resistance are crucial in various industrial processes. Herein, we report the deposition of cerium-based conversion, a chromium-free, eco-friendly chemical conversion coating for aluminum alloy 6101, by the dip coating method. Immersion in cerium salt precursors assisted with hydrogen peroxide was performed for the deposition of cerium-based conversion coatings on aluminum alloy 6101 at different bathing temperatures. The electrochemical corrosion behavior was assessed in an alkaline solution of sodium hydroxide (pH 11), including mass loss measurements, free corrosion risk, polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction and photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed that the coatings were composed of Ce (III) and Ce (IV) oxides. Surface modifications and surface degradation of the coating and substrate after immersion in corrosive media were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, energy dispersive scanning analysis demonstrated the elemental composition before and after corrosion of the cerium salt conversion-based coating. The results demonstrated that selectively deposited cerium-based conversion coatings improved the corrosion resistance by up to 96% in a strong corrosive alkaline media.