International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology最新文献

{"title":"Within-person changes in emotional complexity are associated with concurrent changes in mental health symptoms","authors":"K.D. Petagna ,&nbsp;A.L. Ecker ,&nbsp;T.E. Reid ,&nbsp;K.M. McMullen ,&nbsp;K.S. Quigley ,&nbsp;J.B. Wormwood","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100659","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100659","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Several constructs reflect features of everyday emotional experience that have been theorized to support mental well-being at the between-person level. These include emotional granularity (the ability to identify and label emotions precisely), emotion covariation (the ability to experience positive and negative emotions simultaneously), and emodiversity (the ability to experience a variety and relative abundance of emotions over time). Emerging evidence suggests that these qualities of everyday emotional experience may reflect abilities or skills that could be modified over time. This study examines whether repeated emotion reporting through experience sampling is associated with changes in these features of emotional complexity over time and whether any such changes co-occur with corresponding changes in mental health symptoms. Participants (<em>N</em> = 123) from the general public reported their current emotions multiple times a day for 6 weeks alongside biweekly assessments of self-reported alexithymia and depression, anxiety, and somatic symptom severity. Data were collected between 2022–2023. We found that participants’ emotional granularity and emotion covariation significantly increased while their emodiversity decreased over time. Moreover, increases in emotional granularity corresponded with concurrent decreases in alexithymia and depression symptoms while decreases in negative emodiversity corresponded with lesser alexithymia and anxiety and depression symptoms. Findings support past demonstrations that experience sampling of emotional experience itself can serve as an intervention to promote changes in emotional granularity, emotion covariation, and emodiversity. The findings also offer initial evidence that changes in these constructs over time are associated with concurrent within-person fluctuations in mental health symptoms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100659"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145939226","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The use of mHealth technologies to support acceptance and commitment therapy in cancer patients: Preliminary results from a randomized controlled trial","authors":"Francisco García-Torres ,&nbsp;Margarita García-Carmona ,&nbsp;Ángel Gómez-Solís ,&nbsp;Sebastián Rubio García ,&nbsp;Rosario Castillo-Mayén ,&nbsp;Bárbara Luque ,&nbsp;Francisco Jurado-González ,&nbsp;Marcin Jablonski ,&nbsp;Enrique Aranda","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100668","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100668","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Previous studies show positive results when acceptance and commitment therapy is used in the treatment of cancer patients.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To establish the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy in the treatment of common symptoms in cancer patients using trials with an adequate level of control.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Sixty-nine patients affected by different types of cancer (breast, gynecologic, lung, colorectal and ovarian) were recruited and randomly assigned to three experimental conditions defined as follows: the ACT group, the ACT+ACT-ON group, and the waitlist group. Data relating to psychological inflexibility, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety and depression, post-traumatic growth as well as quality of life were collected before (T0) and at the end of the intervention (T1).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Results showed better outcomes for the two intervention groups, but significant differences were only observed with regard to fatigue (ω2 = .074), where the ACT group obtained lower scores. This group also showed higher scores for post-traumatic growth (ω2 = .066). Similarly, in the quality-of-life subscales, results indicate significantly higher scores for physical role (ω2 = .062) and cognitive function (ω2 = .087), and lower scores for fatigue (ω2 = .118) than in the waitlist group.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Preliminary results suggest that acceptance and commitment therapy is effective in improving relevant aspects such as fatigue, post-traumatic growth and key aspects of quality of life in cancer patients. However, the benefits of using the mobile application need to be confirmed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100668"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147396775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Targeting self-reported and neural error sensitivity: Short- and long-term effects of a one-week online intervention","authors":"Kai Härpfer ,&nbsp;Franziska M. Kausche ,&nbsp;Alexandria Meyer ,&nbsp;Norman B. Schmidt ,&nbsp;Anja Riesel","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100667","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100667","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Elevated error-related brain potentials such as the error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) have been discussed as neural markers of error sensitivity and are thought to reflect increased risk for anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Consequently, targeting error sensitivity with precise interventions has been found a promising avenue of recent mechanism-based research aiming to reduce this risk. In this preregistered, randomized-controlled trial, we tested the efficacy of a one-week, online intervention designed to reduce error sensitivity. A sample of 237 individuals was randomly assigned to either the intervention or a waitlist control group. Participants completed self-report measures of error sensitivity as well as worry, obsessive-compulsive, and depressive symptoms at pre- and post-intervention, and at an eight-week follow-up. Additionally, neural measures (ERN and Pe) were assessed in a subsample of 69 participants before and after the intervention. Intent-to-treat analyses revealed a medium-sized reduction of self-reported error sensitivity and worry symptoms in the intervention group, with effects persisting at follow-up. Moreover, greater baseline severity and higher intervention adherence were associated with larger reductions of self-reported error sensitivity. In the subsample, no evidence was found for an ERN reduction. However, a reduction in the Pe was observed, indicating diminished error significance and decreased allocation of cognitive resources to erroneous actions. These results suggest that the online intervention reduces both self-reported and neural error sensitivity (Pe but not ERN), offering a low‑threshold, easily disseminable approach with promise as an early prevention tool and as an adjunct to established cognitive‑behavioral treatments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100667"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Social support exchange and relationship satisfaction among couples living with HIV: Actor–partner effects of provided and received emotional support","authors":"Marcin Rzeszutek ,&nbsp;Ewa Gruszczyńska ,&nbsp;Magdalena Grabowska ,&nbsp;Paula Malinowska","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100665","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100665","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to examine the associations between both provided and received emotional social support and relationship satisfaction among romantic couples in which at least one partner was HIV positive. In addition, couples’ serostatus concordance and sexual orientation were tested as potential moderators of the effects of social support exchange. A total of 105 couples participated in the study, of whom 46.7% were seroconcordant and 73.3% were same-gender couples. Each partner independently evaluated provided and received emotional social support using the relevant subscales of the Berlin Social Support Scales. Relationship satisfaction was assessed individually using the Relationship Assessment Scale. In the actor–partner interdependence model (APIM), actor and partner effects were comparable for provided support, whereas for received support, the actor effect was slightly stronger than the partner effect. Partners within dyads were empirically classified as indistinguishable. This classification was further supported by the absence of moderating effects of either serostatus concordance or sexual orientation at the dyadic level. The findings suggest that the perceived provision of emotional support functions as a couple-level resource, whereas the perceived receipt of emotional support operates primarily as an individual-level resource for relationship satisfaction. This pattern of support exchange appears consistent across couples, regardless of HIV serostatus or sexual orientation, among our sample of highly functioning people living with HIV who are receiving treatment<strong>.</strong></div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100665"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sleeping in multicultural societies: The longitudinal interplay between adolescents’ sleep health and intercultural interactions","authors":"Maria Pagano,&nbsp;Valeria Bacaro,&nbsp;Elisabetta Crocetti","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100680","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100680","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Adolescents’ sleep is intertwined with their well-being and daily life experiences. Sleep health is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct encompassing complementary components, including subjective dimensions (e.g., perceived sleep quality and sleep problems, assessed via self-reports) and quantifiable aspects (e.g., sleep duration and sleep efficiency, assessed via actigraphy). During adolescence, poor sleep health is increasingly recognized as a public health concern. However, there is a lack of evidence on how adolescents’ interactions in contemporary societies, characterized by increasing cultural diversity, are intertwined with sleep health. Thus, this study investigated the reciprocal longitudinal associations between sleep health, considering subjective dimensions (i.e., sleep problems) and quantifiable aspects (i.e., sleep efficiency and duration), and the intercultural interactions of adolescents (quantity and quality) in two different life contexts (i.e., school and leisure time). A total sample of 1470 adolescents living in North-Eastern Italy (<em>M</em>_age = 15.71, <em>SD</em> = 1.22, 47.58% females, 20.58% with a migrant background) wore an actigraph for one week and completed questionnaires about intercultural interactions and sleep health four times across one year. Results of Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel models showed that negative interactions were consistently associated with lower subjective sleep health, lower sleep efficiency, and shorter sleep duration. Conversely, positive intercultural interactions were positively associated with better sleep efficiency, although these effects were mainly observed at the between-person level. These findings underscore the nuanced interplay between the quality of intercultural interactions and both the subjective and objective indicators of sleep health. These findings allow for a conceptualization of adolescents’ sleep as a socially embedded phenomenon shaped by the cultural contexts in which young people live.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100680"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147656240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Validation of masturbation parameters: A laboratory study measuring psychophysiological and subjective sexual arousal","authors":"Gracia M. Sánchez-Pérez ,&nbsp;Reina Granados ,&nbsp;Pablo Mangas ,&nbsp;Oscar Cervilla ,&nbsp;Juan Carlos Sierra","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100662","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100662","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background/Objective</h3><div>Considering masturbation parameters other than frequency provides a more holistic view of this sexual behavior. This study aims to provide validity evidence for masturbation parameters (i.e., negative attitudes toward masturbation, solitary sexual desire, current masturbation frequency, and subjective orgasm experience) through their relationship with different measures of sexual arousal (i.e., genital response, rating of sexual arousal, and rating of genital sensations).</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Eighty young cisgender adults (40 men and 40 women) aged 18 to 30 years, who engaged in heterosexual sexual relationships, participated in a laboratory task in which their sexual arousal was recorded in response to neutral and sexual videos. Regression models were conducted to examine the association between masturbation parameters and sexual arousal measures.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In men, solitary sexual desire (β = .72) and current masturbation frequency (β = -0.49) were related to the rating of genital sensations. In women, current masturbation frequency was related to genital response (β = .33), the rating of sexual arousal (β = .43), and the rating of genital sensations (β = .44); this last measure of sexual arousal was also related to the rewards dimension of subjective orgasm experience (β = .37).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These results provide validity evidence of masturbation parameters in individuals who engaged in heterosexual sexual relationships. The importance of considering these parameters in the induction of sexual arousal, taking gender into account, is discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100662"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aberrant multi-brain neurodynamics drive atypical social cooperation and competition in heroin use disorder: An fNIRS-based hyperscanning study","authors":"Wanyi Li ,&nbsp;Yifan Wang ,&nbsp;Wenjuan Fu ,&nbsp;Jiaqi Dang ,&nbsp;Yujia Meng ,&nbsp;Xinyang Xu ,&nbsp;Cunfeng Yuan ,&nbsp;Yadan Li ,&nbsp;Haijun Duan","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100677","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100677","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although social deterioration in drug addiction has been widely acknowledged clinically, little is known about altered social interactive patterns and their intra- and inter-brain neural underpinnings. The in-depth investigation into the behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying how individuals with heroin use disorder (HUD) engage in cooperation and competition—two fundamental forms of social interaction—is crucial for comprehensively characterizing atypical social interaction in HUD. We utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning to explore the cooperative and competitive patterns in individuals with HUD during a real-time interactive task. Compared to healthy control dyads, HUD dyads exhibited a higher error rate under both cooperative and competitive conditions. HUD participants showed reduced inter-brain synchronization (IBS) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and right temporoparietal junction (r-TPJ), as well as decreased PFC activation during cooperation compared to healthy controls. In contrast, both IBS and PFC activity were higher during competition than during cooperation. Critically, IBS in the r-TPJ mediated the relationship between heroin craving and cooperative performance, suggesting a potential target for neurofeedback interventions. These findings reveal impaired cooperative abilities and heightened competitive tendencies in HUD, offering translational insights for the development of targeted interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100677"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147538009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) is associated with reduced nightmare severity and depressive, anxiety and suicidal symptoms in adults with Major Depressive Episode","authors":"Julia MARUANI ,&nbsp;Nathan MARTINS ,&nbsp;Emmanuelle CLERICI ,&nbsp;Michel LEJOYEUX ,&nbsp;Pierre A. GEOFFROY","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100658","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100658","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Introduction: Nightmare Disorder characterized by recurrent dysphoric dreams is strongly associated with major depressive episodes (MDE) and suicidal risk. Imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) is the standard treatment for nightmares, but its effectiveness in individuals with MDE remain understudied. This study evaluated whether IRT is associated with greater improvement in nightmare symptoms compared to sleep education therapy (SET) in patients with MDE. Methods: In this non-randomized controlled study, 53 adults diagnosed with both MDE and Nightmare Disorder (DSM-5-TR criteria) received either four weekly group-based IRT sessions (<em>n</em> = 28) or a single SET session during the baseline interview, followed by a four-week waitlist before IRT (<em>n</em> = 25). Outcomes included the Nightmare Severity Index (NSI), depressive symptoms (QIDS-SR16 and HAD-D), anxiety symptoms (HAD-A and GAD-7) and suicidal ideation (item 12 of the QIDS-SR16). Treatment effects were assessed through change scores and pre- and post-intervention comparisons. Results: IRT was significantly associated with greater reductions in nightmare severity (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) with improvements observed across NSI subscales: frequency (<em>p</em> = 0.010), emotional (<em>p</em> = 0.003), diurnal (<em>p</em> = 0.017), and nocturnal impacts (<em>p</em> = 0.002). Associations were also found between IRT and reductions in depressive (ΔHAD-D <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001, ΔQIDS-SR16 <em>p</em> = 0.028), anxiety (ΔHAD-A and ΔGAD-7 <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) and suicidal symptoms (<em>p</em> = 0.002). Treatment-resistant depression predicted greater improvements in the emotional impact of nightmares (<em>p</em> = 0.007), while nightmare frequency was associated with reduced benefit (<em>p</em> = 0.008). Conclusion: IRT is associated with meaningful reductions in nightmare severity, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and suicidal ideation in individuals with MDE. These findings support the integration of IRT in treatment plans for this high-risk population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100658"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145750380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative efficacy of tDCS and tACS in the context of enhancing executive function under acute stress: A randomized, sham-controlled study","authors":"Zhihua Guo ,&nbsp;Liu Yang ,&nbsp;Yushan Li ,&nbsp;Hongliang Lu ,&nbsp;Rui Qiu ,&nbsp;Xia Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100669","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100669","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Acute stress impairs executive function and prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity. Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) is a promising approach to the task of mitigating these deficits. This study directly compared the efficacy of two tES techniques—transcranial direct (tDCS) and alternating current (tACS) stimulation—targeting the left dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) in terms of protecting executive functions under stress and potential neural mechanisms.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In a randomized, participant-blinded, sham-controlled study, 110 healthy male undergraduates (18–25 years) received active tDCS, tACS, or sham stimulation before stress induction via the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups. Executive function was assessed using 3-back, Go/no-go, Stroop, and task-switching paradigms, and prefrontal hemodynamics were recorded with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Stress induction was successfully maintained throughout the testing period. Compared with both the tACS and sham groups, the tDCS group exhibited greater working memory (3-back) accuracy. Compared with the sham group, both tES groups exhibited enhanced response inhibition (Go/no-go). Neuroimaging revealed lower left DLPFC activation during the 3-back, Go/no-go, and Stroop tasks in the tES groups, in which context tDCS was characterized by the lowest activation during cognitive inhibition. During task switching, both tES groups exhibited elevated activation in the right pre-supplementary motor area.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Both tDCS and tACS enhance performance in specific executive domains (working memory and response inhibition) under acute stress and demonstrate a pattern of lower prefrontal activation, consistent with the concept of improved neural efficiency. Among them, tDCS offers superior benefits. These findings establish a foundation for efforts to optimize tES-based interventions to support cognitive resilience in real-world acute-stress settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100669"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147286732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predictors of hope and despair: Resilience, coping indicators, and demographic characteristics – A longitudinal study","authors":"Hadas Marciano ,&nbsp;Shaul Kimhi ,&nbsp;Yohanan Eshel ,&nbsp;Bruria Adini","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100679","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100679","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hope and despair are often conceptualized as opposing emotional responses following adversity. While traditionally considered as mutually exclusive, contemporary theoretical frameworks and qualitative research suggest that these emotions may coexist or fluctuate over time. This study examines the relationship between hope and despair in the context of protracted war, exploring their connection with three types of resilience, negative coping factors such as distress, sense of danger, and perceived threats, as well as demographic variables, using quantitative methods. The study is a correlational research based on an internet panel sample of 745 Hebrew-speaking adults in Israel, surveyed at two time points during the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza, with data collected in December 2024 and June 2025. A range of established scales was used to assess the various variables. The findings showed that hope and despair predicted each other only in the first measurement, and, contrary to the assumption that they are opposites, both emotions increased simultaneously from the first to the second measurement. Furthermore, they were predicted by different factors: resilience, particularly societal, individual, and community resilience, predicted hope, while negative coping factors, such as distress symptoms, sense of danger, and perceived threats, predicted despair. These findings suggest that hope and despair are not merely opposites, but rather distinct emotions influenced by different underlying factors. The results underscore the need for further research on the interplay between these emotions and highlight the importance of understanding the mechanisms influencing them in extreme contexts to inform therapeutic and resilience-building interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100679"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147612357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}