Journal of Assessment and Research in Applied Counseling (JARAC)

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of workload on creative performance and to test whether intrinsic motivation buffers the potential negative impact of workload among employees in Colombia.

Methods and Materials: A descriptive correlational research design was employed with a sample of 397 full-time employees from diverse organizations across Colombia, selected using Morgan and Krejcie’s sample size determination table. Data were collected using validated instruments: the Quantitative Workload Inventory, the Work Preference Inventory–Intrinsic Motivation subscale, and the Employee Creativity Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted to test the hypothesized relationships. Analyses were performed using SPSS version 27 and AMOS version 21. Model fit was assessed through multiple indices, including χ², degrees of freedom, χ²/df, GFI, AGFI, CFI, TLI, and RMSEA.

Findings: Results indicated that workload was significantly and negatively correlated with creative performance (r = –.31, p < .001) and with intrinsic motivation (r = –.27, p = .001), while intrinsic motivation was strongly and positively correlated with creative performance (r = .48, p < .001). SEM analysis confirmed good model fit (χ²/df = 1.74; GFI = .94; CFI = .97; RMSEA = .043) and revealed that workload exerted a significant direct negative effect on creative performance (β = –.29, p < .001) and on intrinsic motivation (β = –.27, p < .001). Intrinsic motivation showed a robust positive effect on creative performance (β = .52, p < .001) and buffered the negative workload–creativity relationship, partially mediating and weakening the total negative impact of workload (β total = –.15, p = .041).

Conclusion: Findings highlight that although heavy workload reduces employees’ creativity, fostering intrinsic motivation can protect and sustain innovative performance under job demands. Organizations should design roles and climates that support autonomy, curiosity, and self-driven engagement to maintain creativity despite high workload conditions.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between AI anxiety and technostress among South African technology users and to determine whether a growth mindset moderates the impact of AI anxiety on technostress.

Methods and Materials: A descriptive correlational design was applied with a sample of 440 participants recruited across various professional and academic sectors in South Africa, selected based on the Morgan and Krejcie sampling table to ensure adequate statistical power. Data were collected using standardized instruments: the Technostress Creators Scale (TCS), the AI Anxiety Scale (AIAS), and the Implicit Theories of Intelligence Scale to measure growth mindset. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and Pearson’s correlation examined relationships between variables. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with maximum likelihood estimation was performed using AMOS 21 to test the hypothesized moderating effect of growth mindset on the AI anxiety–technostress link.

Findings: AI anxiety demonstrated a strong, positive correlation with technostress (r = .63, p < .001), whereas growth mindset was negatively correlated with both technostress (r = –.42, p < .001) and AI anxiety (r = –.47, p < .001). The SEM analysis yielded excellent fit indices (χ²/df = 2.20, GFI = .93, AGFI = .91, CFI = .96, TLI = .95, RMSEA = .052). AI anxiety had a significant positive direct effect on technostress (β = .61, p < .001), while growth mindset showed a significant negative direct effect (β = –.32, p < .001). A significant indirect effect of AI anxiety on technostress through growth mindset (β = –.11, p < .001) confirmed the moderating role of growth mindset.

Conclusion: Findings highlight AI anxiety as a critical predictor of technostress and demonstrate that fostering a growth mindset can meaningfully buffer the psychological strain associated with AI-driven environments.

Objective:  This study aimed to examine the relationship between social media doomscrolling and anxiety among Egyptian adults and to test whether psychological resilience moderates this association, potentially buffering individuals against the anxiety-provoking effects of doomscrolling.

Methods and Materials: A descriptive correlational design was used with a sample of 399 adult social media users recruited from diverse Egyptian online communities. Sample size was determined based on the Morgan and Krejcie table to ensure adequate statistical power. Data were collected using validated instruments: the Social Media Disorder Scale adapted for doomscrolling, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety, and the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-25) for psychological resilience. Analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS 27 for descriptive and bivariate statistics and AMOS 21 for structural equation modeling (SEM). Model fit was evaluated using χ²/df, GFI, AGFI, CFI, TLI, and RMSEA indices.

Findings: Results showed that doomscrolling was significantly and positively correlated with anxiety (r = .58, p < .001), while resilience was negatively associated with both doomscrolling (r = –.46, p < .001) and anxiety (r = –.52, p < .001). SEM demonstrated an excellent fit (χ²/df = 2.10, GFI = .93, CFI = .96, RMSEA = .053). Doomscrolling had a significant direct effect on anxiety (β = 0.47, p < .001) and a significant indirect effect via reduced resilience (β = –0.11, p < .001). Resilience strongly predicted lower anxiety (β = –0.35, p < .001) and significantly buffered the relationship between doomscrolling and anxiety.

Conclusion: Excessive exposure to negatively oriented social media content is associated with heightened anxiety, but psychological resilience serves as a protective factor, weakening this link.

Objective: This study aimed to explore how emerging adults in Mexico narrate self-defining memories and how these narratives shape their sense of continuity with their envisioned future selves.

Methods and Materials: A qualitative research design was employed to gain an in-depth understanding of the narrative and temporal processes that support future self-continuity. Twenty emerging adults (12 women and 8 men) aged 18–29 years from various regions of Mexico were recruited through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews focused on personally significant life events, emotional interpretations, and future identity projections. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically following Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework. Data collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved, and NVivo 14 software was used to support systematic coding and organization of emerging categories.

Findings: Analysis revealed three main thematic domains: (1) narrative foundations of identity, including formative turning points, emotional markers of the past, and value anchors; (2) bridging present and future selves, encompassing vision of future identity, continuity across time, and agency over life direction; and (3) social and cultural context shaping self, involving family influence, cultural belonging, and negotiation of societal expectations. Participants demonstrated an active process of meaning-making, reframing adverse experiences into resilience-building narratives and integrating cultural heritage with personal aspirations. Rich, detailed self-defining memories supported optimism and future planning, while vague or fragmented narratives were linked to uncertainty and anxiety about adulthood.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between parental criticism and identity confusion in emerging adults and to determine whether self-compassion moderates this relationship.

Methods and Materials: A descriptive correlational design was employed with a sample of 422 emerging adults (aged 18–29) residing in Germany. Participants were recruited online and completed validated self-report questionnaires assessing parental criticism, self-compassion, and identity confusion. The sample size was determined according to the Morgan and Krejcie table to ensure adequate statistical power. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS-27 and AMOS-21. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation coefficients were computed to explore bivariate relationships among variables. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to test the hypothesized model and to examine direct, indirect, and total effects, as well as the moderating role of self-compassion. Model fit was evaluated using multiple indices, including χ²/df, GFI, AGFI, CFI, TLI, and RMSEA.

Findings: Results indicated a significant positive correlation between parental criticism and identity confusion (r = .52, p < .001) and a significant negative correlation between self-compassion and identity confusion (r = –.47, p < .001). SEM revealed that parental criticism directly predicted higher identity confusion (β = .49, p < .001), while self-compassion directly predicted lower identity confusion (β = –.38, p < .001). Parental criticism negatively predicted self-compassion (β = –.41, p < .001), and an indirect effect of parental criticism on identity confusion through reduced self-compassion was also significant (β = –.16, p < .001). The structural model demonstrated excellent fit (χ²/df = 2.01, CFI = .97, TLI = .96, RMSEA = .049).

Conclusion: Parental criticism significantly contributes to identity confusion in emerging adults; however, self-compassion acts as a protective factor by buffering this adverse effect. Enhancing self-compassion may be an effective strategy to support identity development among individuals with critical parental backgrounds.

Objective: This study aimed to explore and conceptualize the psychological and contextual mechanisms through which late adolescents maintain a coherent self-concept while navigating intense academic demands in the Brazilian educational context.

Methods and Materials: A qualitative research design was employed using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 18 late adolescents (10 females and 8 males, aged 17–21) from Brazil who were experiencing significant academic pressure. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling to ensure diversity in gender, academic stage, and performance levels. Data collection continued until theoretical saturation was reached. All interviews were conducted in Portuguese, lasted between 60 and 90 minutes, and were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was applied with support from NVivo software version 14, following iterative coding, category refinement, and constant comparison to ensure depth and consistency. Credibility was enhanced through peer debriefing and member checking.

Findings: Four overarching thematic categories were identified: navigating academic pressure, identity negotiation and self-concept alignment, psychological adaptation strategies, and future orientation with self-continuity. Adolescents reported internalizing family and cultural expectations while simultaneously striving for authenticity, often reframing success to protect identity stability. Cognitive reframing, emotional regulation, and self-compassion emerged as key strategies to mitigate stress and preserve self-concept clarity. Social support from peers and family played a dual role, sometimes buffering stress but occasionally intensifying pressure. Future-oriented thinking, including goal reappraisal and constructing life narratives linking past, present, and envisioned adult selves, contributed to resilience and a coherent sense of self despite academic adversity.

Conclusion: Maintaining self-concept coherence in late adolescence is a dynamic, context-sensitive process involving adaptive psychological strategies and relational negotiation. These insights provide a foundation for designing culturally responsive educational and mental health interventions to help adolescents sustain identity stability under academic stress.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the lived experiences and underlying psychological and contextual mechanisms by which young adults with anxiety naturally deactivate rumination.

Methods and Materials: A qualitative research design based on interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was employed to gain an in-depth understanding of participants’ experiences. The study involved 21 Indonesian young adults (aged 18–30) who self-identified as experiencing recurrent anxiety and ruminative thought patterns. Participants were recruited through purposeful sampling from mental health support networks and university counseling centers. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted in Bahasa Indonesia and analyzed using NVivo 14 software. Interviews continued until theoretical saturation was reached. Analysis followed iterative coding, theme development, and integration processes, with peer debriefing and member checking to ensure credibility and confirmability.

Findings: Four overarching themes emerged: (1) awareness and cognitive shifts, including recognition of mental loops, decentering, cognitive reframing, and acceptance of imperfection; (2) emotional processing and release, such as naming core emotions, expressive disclosure, self-soothing practices, and emotional reappraisal; (3) behavioral and environmental regulation, encompassing structured routines, purposeful engagement, digital boundaries, and adaptive social connection; and (4) coping resources and growth, involving self-directed use of therapy-informed tools, spirituality and existential meaning-making, strengthening self-efficacy, and future-oriented hope. These mechanisms revealed a layered, dynamic process of disengaging from repetitive negative thinking in everyday contexts.

Conclusion: Rumination deactivation among young adults with anxiety involves a synergistic interplay of metacognitive awareness, emotional regulation, behavioral structuring, and personal growth resources. Understanding these naturalistic strategies can inform culturally sensitive interventions, prevention programs, and self-help tools to support mental well-being in emerging adulthood.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore and identify the key components of communication breakdown between parents and adolescents within the Canadian context.

Methods and Materials: This qualitative research employed an exploratory design using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 26 participants, including 13 parents and 13 adolescents residing in Canada. Participants were selected through purposive sampling to ensure diversity in gender, age, and family backgrounds. Data collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. All interviews, lasting 45–60 minutes, were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. NVivo 14 software was used to facilitate systematic coding, categorization, and theme development. Rigor and trustworthiness were ensured through member checking, audit trails, and peer debriefing.

Findings: Analysis revealed three overarching categories of communication breakdown: emotional barriers, interactional dynamics, and contextual influences. Emotional barriers included lack of emotional expression, high reactivity, misinterpretation of intentions, lack of empathy, emotional distance, and spillover of parental stress. Interactional dynamics encompassed power struggles, poor listening skills, inconsistent communication styles, inadequate conflict resolution strategies, technology-related distractions, generational language gaps, and parentification of adolescents. Contextual influences comprised cultural expectations, family structure complexities, peer and social pressures, academic and career demands, socioeconomic stressors, and parental migration and adaptation challenges. Illustrative quotations highlighted how these components disrupted trust, openness, and relational balance within families.

Conclusion: The study concludes that parent–adolescent communication breakdown is a multidimensional phenomenon shaped by emotional regulation challenges, relational dynamics, and broader socio-cultural contexts. Addressing these issues requires interventions that foster emotional literacy, active listening, and culturally responsive dialogue strategies. Findings contribute to a deeper understanding of family communication and provide implications for practitioners, educators, and policymakers seeking to strengthen adolescent well-being and family relationships.