European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education最新文献

{"title":"Impulsivity, Cognitive Distortions, and Problem Gambling Among Spanish Adults Who Gamble: Exploring the Moderating Role of Gambling Self-Efficacy.","authors":"Ainhoa Coloma-Carmona, Cristina J Valdivia Blanco, José Luis Carballo, Antonia Pelegrín-Muñoz","doi":"10.3390/ejihpe16050065","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ejihpe16050065","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gambling self-efficacy is a key construct in understanding gambling behavior and behavior change. This study examined (i) differences between individuals with low and high gambling self-efficacy and (ii) tested whether gambling self-efficacy moderated the associations between impulsivity, gambling-related cognitive distortions, and problem gambling severity. Data were drawn from a cross-sectional web-based survey of 1429 Spanish adults aged 18-64. Analyses focused on the 921 who had engaged in gambling activities during the previous 12 months (mean age = 40 years, SD = 12.1, 52.2% men). Measures included sociodemographic characteristics, gambling self-efficacy (BSCQ-G), problem gambling severity (PGSI), impulsivity (UPPS-P), gambling-related cognitive distortions (Labrador's cognitive distortion scale), and gambling involvement indicators. Participants were classified into low (BSCQ-G < 80%; 51.5%; <i>n</i> = 474) and high (BSCQ-G ≥ 80%; 48.5%; <i>n</i> = 447) gambling self-efficacy groups. Individuals with low self-efficacy showed broader and more intensive gambling involvement, including greater participation in gambling-like activities, and higher scores on PGSI, impulsivity, and gambling-related cognitive distortions. In moderation models adjusted for gambling involvement indicators, the association between impulsivity and PGSI was weaker at higher levels of gambling self-efficacy, although the incremental variance explained was very small (ΔR² = 0.0024). The interaction between gambling self-efficacy and cognitive distortions was not statistically supported. These findings suggest that gambling self-efficacy is associated with gambling risk profiles among adults who gamble and may play a modest buffering role in the association between impulsivity and gambling severity.</p>","PeriodicalId":30631,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education","volume":"16 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13206389/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148035939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dissociative Experiences and Psychopathological Symptoms in a Non-Clinical Sample-Gender Differences and the Mediating Role of Self-Concept Clarity.","authors":"Georgiana Bogos, Octav-Sorin Candel, Ana Tiperciuc, Magdalena Iorga","doi":"10.3390/ejihpe16050064","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ejihpe16050064","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Dissociation is associated with multiple psychiatric disorders and mental health issues. However, there are some limitations in the existing studies, such as the predominant use of clinical samples and the lack of focus on potential mediators that can explain this relationship. Among the latter, an unclear self-concept may serve as a risk factor for many psychological disturbances, while a well-established self-concept may be a resilience factor. This study aimed to examine the gender differences among the variables, to test whether dissociative experiences are associated with psychopathological symptoms in a non-clinical sample, and to explore the mediating role of self-concept clarity.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>257 participants (<i>M_age</i> = 23.92 ± 7.33, 69.6% females) were included in the research. The Symptoms Checklist-90, The Dissociative Experiences Scale, and The Self-Concept Clarity Scale were used.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Women scored higher on somatization (<i>M_women</i> = 1.28, <i>SD</i> = 0.86) than men (<i>M_men</i> = 0.93, <i>SD</i> = 0.70), <i>t</i>(255) = 3.47, <i>p</i> = 0.001, <i>d</i> = 0.42. Moreover, women had a higher level of depression (<i>M_women</i> = 1.37, <i>SD</i> = 0.96) compared to men (<i>M_men</i> = 0.98, <i>SD</i> = 0.77), <i>t</i>(255) = 3.49, <i>p</i> = 0.001, <i>d</i> = 0.43. Dissociative experiences were positively associated with psychopathological symptoms (<i>r</i> = 0.69, <i>p</i> < 0.01). Self-concept clarity mediated this relationship (<i>β</i> = 0.21, <i>SE</i> = 0.04, 95% CI [0.13, 0.30]).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings showed gender differences regarding psychopathological symptoms and highlighted the importance of self-concept clarity in reducing the risk of developing them.</p>","PeriodicalId":30631,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education","volume":"16 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13206073/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148035980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Describing Pre-Post Changes Observed During the Implementation of a Snoezelen Program in a Real-School Context.","authors":"María-Dolores Cárcel-López, Mercedes Ferrando-Prieto","doi":"10.3390/ejihpe16050062","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ejihpe16050062","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sensory alterations affect 90% of individuals with autism and have been recognized in the DSM-5 as a diagnostic criterion. These alterations often exacerbate emotional stress and may increase levels of anxiety, impacting everyday life activities. The general objective of this work is to assess the changes before and after a multisensory stimulation program aimed at improving sensory processing, repetitive behaviors, and adaptation to the environment in a sample of students with ASD. Twenty-seven schoolchildren participated (M = 10.04, SD = 4.24), with different levels of impairment, diagnosed by specialized teams. The design included a pretest and post-test condition. The results highlight significant improvements in the assessed areas. The Sensory Profile-2, the Bodfish Repetitive Behavior Scale, and the Vineland Scale were administered. The results suggest that changes may be conditioned by the student profile. The profiles that benefited the most in terms of sensory profile and repetitive behaviors were students with levels 1 and 3; meanwhile, students with level 2 did not show improvements in these areas but did show gains in overall adaptation, as measured by the Vineland Scale.</p>","PeriodicalId":30631,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education","volume":"16 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13205858/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148035932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pathways from Mindfulness to Career Adaptability: Emotional Intelligence and Psychological Capital as Mediators.","authors":"Getachew Tassew Woreta, Girum Tareke Zewude","doi":"10.3390/ejihpe16050063","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ejihpe16050063","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In an era characterized by rapid technological disruption and vocational uncertainty, Career Adaptability (CA) has emerged as a critical meta-competency for university students transitioning into the workforce. While the importance of CA is well-documented, the internal mechanisms that foster it remain under-explored. This research adopts a resource-based perspective to investigate how Mindfulness-a state of non-judgmental present-moment awareness-acts as a catalyst for career readiness. Specifically, this study examines a dual-mediation model, proposing that Mindfulness enhances Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Psychological Capital (PsyCap) (comprising hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism), which in turn bolsters an individual's capacity to adapt to changing career landscapes. By integrating these four constructs, the study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how \"being present\" (Mindfulness) translates into \"being prepared\" (Career Adaptability) through the cultivation of emotional and psychological resources.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study collected data from 705 final-year students at Wollo University (male = 399 and female = 306). The study employed several well-established instruments: the Compound Psychological Capital Scale (CPC), the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLIES), and the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS). These instruments were rigorously evaluated for their psychometric applicability within the Ethiopian context.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>PLS-SEM analysis revealed: (a) direct and positive influences of mindfulness, PsyCap, and EI on career adaptability; (b) partial and positive mediation effects of PsyCap and EI in the mindfulness-career adaptability link; (c) a serial mediation effect of mindfulness through PsyCap and EI; and (d) the proposed model explained a substantial amount of variance in university students' career adaptability.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite its strengths, the study acknowledged certain limitations and discussed potential implications for enhancing career adaptability, highlighting the benefits of cultivating mindfulness.</p>","PeriodicalId":30631,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education","volume":"16 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13205196/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148034856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating Emotional Contagion into Leadership Theorizing: Development and Validation of the Leader Awareness of Holistic Contagion Scale.","authors":"Laura Petitta, Lixin Jiang","doi":"10.3390/ejihpe16050061","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ejihpe16050061","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While the literature acknowledges the importance of emotion management for effective leadership, no leadership theory embeds the management of contextual emotions that involuntarily spread among multiple workplace stakeholders (i.e., holistic emotional contagion) and are jointly intertwined with leaders' actions. The present research aimed to: (1) include emotional contagion into leadership theorizing and assess the cross-country validity of the accompanying measure (Leader Awareness of Holistic Contagion Scale; LAHCS), and (2) examine the LAHCS' convergent, discriminant and nomological/criterion validity. Data (Study 1) from 1454 Italian employees supported the LAHCS construct and convergent validity with multiple leadership scales and discriminant validity against group-member-prototypicality. Data (Study 2) from the U.S. (<i>N</i> = 400) and Italy (<i>N</i> = 186) supported measurement invariance. SEM model results suggest that leaders' awareness of holistic contagion and their orientation to manage contagion are associated with higher followers' commitment and leadership satisfaction. Interestingly, the leader's engagement in active exploration of contagion exchanges and their awareness of the leader-follower emotional distance is associated with followers' higher burnout, lower commitment and leadership dissatisfaction. In conclusion, our cross-country findings support the LAHCS validity and reveal that leaders who are aware of workplace emotional traffic are appreciated. Notably, if they attempt to actively explore this traffic or are aware of followers' emotional distance, then the situation becomes likely intrusive and uncomfortable, resulting in followers' dissatisfaction, poor commitment and distress. For scholars and practitioners alike, our findings provide a leadership conceptual framework, including emotional contagion as a springboard to the understanding of some apparently inconvenient truths about emotions and leadership.</p>","PeriodicalId":30631,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education","volume":"16 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13205571/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148035930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Profiles of Smartphone Addiction Risk Among Middle School Students: The Roles of Childhood Neglect and Materialism Using Latent Profile Analysis, Network Analysis, and Machine Learning.","authors":"Liyan Ji, Pengjin Yang, Song Zhou, Ruiyi Huang, Huimin Ma, Xiaoman Rong, Sai Zhang","doi":"10.3390/ejihpe16050060","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ejihpe16050060","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Using a sample of Chinese junior high school students (<i>N</i> = 1133), this study examined the latent heterogeneity and structural characteristics of mobile phone addiction risk. Latent profile analysis was conducted to identify subgroups with varying levels of risk. Network analysis was then used to model the relationships among smartphone addiction, materialism, and childhood neglect and compare structural differences across subgroups. Finally, five machine learning models were applied to model smartphone addiction scores and compare model performance across different combinations of variables. Results revealed three distinct risk groups of smartphone addiction. Network analysis indicated that loneliness-related nodes exhibited the highest expected influence in the overall network. Across latent profiles, childhood neglect-related nodes consistently occupied central positions, whereas materialism-related nodes showed relatively stable centrality. Network comparison tests further demonstrated significant structural differences across risk groups. In addition, incorporating latent profile information and centrality indices improved model performance, suggesting that these features capture individual differences in smartphone addiction. These findings provide structural evidence for the heterogeneity of mobile phone addiction risk and offer implications for subgroup-specific intervention strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":30631,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education","volume":"16 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13206078/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148035605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Between Ideal and Actual Care: Patients' and Family Carers' Experiences of Cancer Care Relationships.","authors":"Claudia Venuleo, Serena Miccoli, Alessia Petrachi, Tiziana Marinaci","doi":"10.3390/ejihpe16050058","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ejihpe16050058","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Research on how patients and family carers experience their relationships with physicians and healthcare staff is limited, particularly regarding the gap between ideal expectations and actual care. This study explored patients' and carers' perceptions of the ideal care relationship, their lived experiences, and factors shaping discrepancies between expectations and reality. A total of 143 individual, face-to-face semi-structured interviews (mean age = 56.7 ± 13.2; 61.4% women) were conducted with 57 cancer patients and 86 family carers in outpatient oncology clinics in Southern Italy. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling and interviewed separately, with carers recruited as an independent group. Transcripts were analysed using Thematic Analysis of Elementary Contexts (TAEC), a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative techniques. Methodological rigor and trustworthiness were ensured in line with COREQ reporting guidelines. Four thematic clusters emerged: \"Variability in the experience,\" \"The ideal care relationship,\" \"Waiting times and delays in care,\" and \"The luck of being cared for by a good physician.\" Oncology care experiences emerge as inherently ambivalent: supportive in interactions with clinicians, yet tension-laden due to systemic and organizational constraints. These findings suggest that strengthening patient- and family-centered care requires both relational improvements and organizational interventions aimed at reducing waiting times, enhancing care integration across fragmented pathways, and improving continuity of care.</p>","PeriodicalId":30631,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education","volume":"16 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13205213/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148035923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Parents' Own Health-Related Experiences of a Weighted Blanket Intervention for Children with ADHD and Sleep Problems: A Mixed Methods Study.","authors":"Julia S Malmborg, Petra Svedberg, Jens Nygren, Håkan Jarbin, Ingrid Larsson","doi":"10.3390/ejihpe16050057","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ejihpe16050057","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sleep problems can experience challenges and negative health effects. The aim of this study was to explore parents' own health-related experiences as their child with ADHD and sleep problems underwent a sleep intervention with a weighted blanket.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A convergent mixed methods design was undertaken. Sociodemographic and questionnaire data were collected from 68 parents at baseline and at the 16-week follow-up. Paired-samples <i>t</i>-tests were used to analyze the data. An inductive qualitative content analysis was used to analyze interviews with 21 parents after the follow-up. An integrative analysis was performed and assessed for confirmation, expansion, or disconfirmation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>At the follow-up, parents reported improvements in their own health status (EQ-5D-3L-index 0.83 ± 0.15 vs. 0.87 ± 0.13; <i>p</i> = 0.034), in well-being (Outcome Rating Scale-individual 7.08 ± 2.22 vs. 7.55 ± 1.82; <i>p</i> = 0.045), and in family life (the Brief Child and Family Phone Interview-family comfort score 5.62 ± 1.62 vs. 5.14 ± 1.66; <i>p</i> = 0.003). Parents' health-related experiences were described as: (1) having a sense of well-being, including being well rested, sustaining energy, reaching a state of calm, and finding hope, (2) balancing family life, including reclaiming personal sphere and nurturing relationships, and (3) managing everyday life, including keeping to the daily schedule and dealing with household chores. The integrative analysis resulted in the overarching themes of health through: (1) inner strength (confirmed), (2) recovery (expanded), (3) close relationships (confirmed), and (4) social engagements (expanded).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings suggest that sleep interventions for children with ADHD and sleep problems may also be associated with positive changes in aspects of parents' health, well-being, and family life.</p>","PeriodicalId":30631,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education","volume":"16 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13206297/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148035926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Association Between Social Support and Suicidal Ideation Among Undergraduate Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Sijun Chen, Aqeel Khan, Mohd Rustam Mohd Rameli","doi":"10.3390/ejihpe16050059","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ejihpe16050059","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background</b>: Suicide among emerging adults has become a significant global public health concern. Suicidal ideation is the prerequisite for suicide, and social support is recognized as a key protective factor against suicidal ideation. However, the relationship between the strength and consistency of social support and suicidal ideation among undergraduate students remains unclear. This study synthesized empirical studies to quantify the relationship between social support and suicidal ideation among undergraduate students and determine the different correlations between various sources of social support and suicidal ideation. <b>Methods</b>: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Five electronic databases (Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, and ScienceDirect) were searched for studies published from 2016 to 2025. Eligible studies reported quantitative associations between social support and suicidal ideation among undergraduate students. Correlation coefficients were transformed using Fisher's z and pooled using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was evaluated using Cochran's Q and I² statistics. Risk of bias assessments, moderator analysis, sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis, and publication bias assessments were conducted. <b>Results</b>: Fifteen studies with sixteen independent effect sizes and more than 26,000 participants were included. The meta-analysis showed a moderate negative association between social support and suicidal ideation (pooled r = -0.33, 95% CI [-0.40, -0.25]) under a random-effects model. A high heterogeneity was observed among studies (I² = 97%, <i>p</i> < 0.001). There are no studies classified as having a high risk of bias. The standardized sample size demonstrated a significant moderating effect (β = 0.2568, <i>p</i> = 0.0022). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability of the pooled effect. Subgroup analysis indicated that the strength of the association between social support and suicidal ideation did not differ significantly between Asian and non-Asian studies. No significant publication bias was detected (Egger's <i>p</i> = 0.19). Narrative synthesis further suggested that family support showed the most consistent protective association compared with friends' support and support from others. <b>Conclusions</b>: Social support is moderately and consistently associated with reduced suicidal ideation among undergraduate students. These findings highlight social connectedness, particularly family support, as a central interpersonal protective factor and strengthen social support's role in university suicide prevention initiatives.</p>","PeriodicalId":30631,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education","volume":"16 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13205866/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148035621","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Higher Education as a Driver for the Humanization of Pediatric Pain Care (HUPEDCARE): Protocol of a Multicenter Study.","authors":"Sagrario Gómez-Cantarino, Henrique Ciabotti Elias, Miriam Hermida-Mota, Pablo Pando Cerra, Deisa Salyse Dos Reis Cabral Semedo, Ana Suzete Baessa Moniz, Sonsoles Hernández-Iglesias, Ana Maria Aguiar Frias, Tuğba Erdem, Maria da Conceição Fernandes Santiago, Inmaculada García-Valdivieso, Amelia Marina Morillas Bulnes, Jahit Sacarlal, Renata Karina Reis","doi":"10.3390/ejihpe16040056","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ejihpe16040056","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pediatric pain remains a highly prevalent and under-addressed health problem worldwide, largely due to educational gaps, limited humanization of care, and insufficient integration of digital and pedagogical innovations in higher education, and the purpose of this study is to describe and implement an international, higher education-driven model to improve training in humanized pediatric pain management. This multicenter mixed-methods study involves 15 universities from Europe, Africa, and Latin America and includes the development and cross-cultural validation of the HUPEDCARE-Q questionnaire to identify knowledge gaps, the design of an open-access, multilingual digital learning platform (PEDCARE) that integrates learning management and social networking functions, and the implementation of capacity-building workshops based on a training-the-trainers model for students, educators, health professionals, and families. The expected outcomes of the project include the establishment of a standardized instrument for assessing educational needs, the creation of a scalable digital educational environment, and the feasibility of international academic collaboration to strengthen competencies in pediatric pain care. The study suggests that higher education, combined with digital transformation and culturally sensitive approaches, may support the humanization of pediatric pain management and address educational and health inequities, although further research is needed to confirm these potential impacts.</p>","PeriodicalId":30631,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education","volume":"16 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13115245/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147783171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}