A world together: Global citizen identification as a basis for prosociality in the face of COVID-19.

How do global citizens respond to a global health emergency? The present research examined the association between global citizen identification and prosociality using two cross-national datasets-the World Values Survey (Study 1, N = 93,338 from 60 countries and regions) and data collected in 11 countries at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (Study 2, N = 5,427). Results showed that individuals who identified more strongly as global citizens reported greater prosociality both generally (Study 1) and more specifically in the COVID-19 global health emergency (Study 2). Notably, global citizen identification was a stronger predictor of prosociality in response to COVID-19 than national identification (Study 2). Moreover, analyses revealed that shared ingroup identity accounted for the positive association between global citizen identification and prosociality (Study 2). Overall, these findings highlight global citizenship as a unique and promising direction in promoting prosociality and solidarity, especially in the fight against COVID-19.

Life Change, Social Identity, and Health.

Life change affects health. Research aimed at understanding the consequences of life change has primarily focused on the important roles played by stress, social support, individual differences, and broader socioeconomic factors in shaping health outcomes, most notably mental health decline. In this review we extend these accounts by exploring social identity-based determinants of adjustment to life change. We do so by drawing on social identity theorizing and, in particular, the Social Identity Model of Identity Change (SIMIC). This points to the importance of multiple, maintained, new, and compatible group memberships as determinants of people's responses and adjustment to life change. We apply this model to understand the health consequences of adjustment to life change in four diverse areas: pursuit of higher education, migration, trauma and resilience, and recovery from illness and injury. Finally, we provide direction for future research on SIMIC and the health consequences of life change.

Unlocking the power of 'us': Longitudinal evidence that identity leadership predicts team functioning and athlete well-being.

The social identity approach has become an important framework for understanding effective leadership. The present study is the first to longitudinally examine the relative impact of coaches' and athlete leaders' identity leadership on athletes' identification with their team, as well as the subsequent relationships with key team and individual outcomes. To investigate these research questions, 18 sport teams (N = 279) completed a questionnaire early and late in their season competition. To analyse these data, we conducted structural equation modelling and controlled both for baseline values and the nested structure of our data. Results revealed that it was mainly the identity leadership of athlete leaders (and not of the coach) early in the season that predicted athletes' team identification later in the season. This increased team identification in turn fed into both team outcomes (i.e., task climate, team resilience, team performance) and individual outcomes (i.e., well-being, burnout, and individual performance). The mediating role of team identification suggests that by building a shared sense of 'we', athlete leaders can improve the team's effectiveness and enhance athletes' well-being. Accordingly, we conclude that empowering athlete leaders and strengthening their identity leadership skills is an important way to unlock sport teams' full potential.

Group? What group? A computational model of the group needs a psychology of "us" (not "them").

Groups are only real, and only serve as a basis for collective action, when their members perceive them to be real. For a computational model to have analytic fidelity and predictive validity it, therefore, needs to engage with the psychological reality of groups, their internal structure, and their structuring by (and of) the social context in which they function.

Colitis Promotes a Pathological Condition of the Liver in the Absence of Foxp3+ Regulatory T Cells.

Inflammatory bowel disease is associated with extraintestinal diseases such as primary sclerosing cholangitis in the liver. Interestingly, it is known that an imbalance between Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) and Th17 cells is involved in inflammatory bowel disease and also in primary sclerosing cholangitis. To explain these associations, one hypothesis is that intestinal inflammation and barrier defects promote liver disease because of the influx of bacteria and inflammatory cells to the liver. However, whether and how this is linked to the Treg and Th17 cell imbalance is unclear. To address this, we used dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) and T cell transfer colitis mouse models. We analyzed the pathological conditions of the intestine and liver on histological, cellular, and molecular levels. We observed bacterial translocation and an influx of inflammatory cells, in particular Th17 cells, to the liver during colitis. In the DSS colitis model, in which Treg were concomitantly increased in the liver, we did not observe an overt pathological condition of the liver. In contrast, the T cell-mediated colitis model, in which Treg are not abundant, was associated with marked liver inflammation and a pathological condition. Of note, upon depletion of Treg in DEREG mice, DSS colitis promotes accumulation of Th17 cells and a pathological condition of the liver. Finally, we studied immune cell migration using KAEDE mice and found that some of these cells had migrated directly from the inflamed intestine into the liver. Overall, these data indicate that colitis can promote a pathological condition of the liver and highlight an important role of Treg in controlling colitis-associated liver inflammation.

Standing out from the crowd: Identifying the traits and behaviors that characterize high-quality athlete leaders.

OBJECTIVES: An emerging body of evidence indicates that, in addition to the coach, athlete leaders within a team are vital for a sports team's success. Sports teams are therefore keen to know which attributes are distinctly characteristic of high-quality leaders on and off the field. The present study aims to shed more light on this question. METHOD: A wide variety of traits and leadership behaviors was assessed in a sample of 776 athletes, stratified across gender, competitive level, and four sports. The leadership quality of each of the athletes (ie, as task, motivational, social, and external leader) was determined on the basis of the perceptions of teammates using social network analysis. RESULTS: Findings revealed that leadership behaviors outweighed personality traits in distinguishing high-quality leaders from others on and off the field. Providing identity leadership that creates, embodies, advances, and embeds a collective sense of "us" in their teams was found to be a particularly important leadership behavior that characterized high-quality leaders both on and off the field. CONCLUSION: The fact that leadership behaviors were important predictors of high-quality athlete leadership (and more important predictors than traits) suggests that leaders are not just born, but can also be made. Our findings therefore highlight the clear need for leadership development programs to target the behaviors that we identified as important predictors of leadership.

Predictors of social identification in group therapy.

Background: Group therapy is a popular and effective format for psychological intervention, and both anecdotal and empirical data consistently point to group dynamics as a primary driver of its benefits. However, to date there has been no systematic investigation of what facilitates an engaged, cohesive group environment. We argue that this is social identification and explore the features of groups that help to build this. Method: We present two longitudinal studies of group therapy and examine the predictors of social identification. Study 1 was a sample of psychiatric outpatients (N = 103) who completed group cognitive behavior therapy. Study 2 was a sample of young women with body shape or weight concerns (N = 112) who completed an eating disorder prevention program. Results: Multilevel analyses indicated that social identification was best predicted by participant fit with the therapy group, specifically the degree to which (1) participants were and perceived themselves to be similar to other group members, and (2) participants met the group therapy eligibility criteria at baseline. Conclusions: These results show that attending to issues of client fit in group therapy can improve social identification, with implications for reducing client attrition and improving client outcomes.

A Protective Function of IL-22BP in Ischemia Reperfusion and Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Injury.

Acute liver injury can be secondary to a variety of causes, including infections, intoxication, and ischemia. All of these insults induce hepatocyte death and subsequent inflammation, which can make acute liver injury a life-threatening event. IL-22 is a dual natured cytokine which has context-dependent protective and pathogenic properties during tissue damage. Accordingly, IL-22 was shown to promote liver regeneration upon acute liver damage. However, other studies suggest pathogenic properties of IL-22 during chronic liver injury. IL-22 binding protein (IL-22BP, IL-22Ra2) is a soluble inhibitor of IL-22 that regulates IL-22 activity. However, the significance of endogenous IL-22BP in acute liver injury is unknown. We hypothesized that IL-22BP may play a role in acute liver injury. To test this hypothesis, we used Il22bp-deficient mice and murine models of acute liver damage induced by ischemia reperfusion and N-acetyl-p-aminophenol (acetaminophen) administration. We found that Il22bp-deficient mice were more susceptible to acute liver damage in both models. We used Il22 × Il22bp double-deficient mice to show that this effect is indeed due to uncontrolled IL-22 activity. We could demonstrate mechanistically increased expression of Cxcl10 by hepatocytes, and consequently increased infiltration of inflammatory CD11b+Ly6C+ monocytes into the liver in Il22bp-deficient mice upon liver damage. Accordingly, neutralization of CXCL10 reversed the increased disease susceptibility of Il22bp-deficient mice. In conclusion, our data indicate that IL-22BP plays a protective role in acute liver damage, via controlling IL-22-induced Cxcl10 expression.

Friendships that money can buy: financial security protects health in retirement by enabling social connectedness.

BACKGROUND: Research on the health and wellbeing of retirees has tended to focus on financial security and financial planning. However, we suggest that one reason why financial security is important for retirees is that it enables social connectedness, which is critical for healthy ageing. METHODS: This paper tests this hypothesis cross-sectionally (N = 3109) and longitudinally (N = 404) using a population-weighted mixed effects mediation model in two nationally representative samples of Australian retirees. RESULTS: Analyses provide robust support for our model. Subjective financial security predicted retiree health cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Social connectedness also consistently predicted mental health and physical health, on average four times more strongly than financial security. Furthermore, social connectedness partially accounted for the protective effect of subjective financial security. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss the implications of these findings for public health, with a particular emphasis on how social connectedness can be better supported for people transitioning to retirement.

Dysfunction of hepatic regulatory T cells in experimental sclerosing cholangitis is related to IL-12 signaling.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Reduced numbers of regulatory T cells (Treg) have been reported in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC); therefore, Treg expansion might serve as a therapeutic approach. Here, we explored whether treatment with IL-2/IL-2 monoclonal antibody complex (IL-2/IL-2Ab complex) could provide in vivo Treg expansion and treatment of experimental sclerosing cholangitis. METHODS: Treg were expanded by repeated injection of IL-2/IL-2Ab complex in mouse models of cholangitis (Mdr2-/-, DDC) or colitis (dextran sulfate sodium [DSS]) as control. In vitro suppressive capacity and gene expression were analyzed in isolated hepatic and splenic Treg. RESULTS: In vivo expansion resulted in a 5-fold increase in hepatic Treg, which localized within the inflamed portal tracts. However, although Treg expansion was associated with reduced pro-inflammatory IL-17 and increased anti-inflammatory IL-10 production by hepatic lymphocytes, the severity of cholangitis was not reduced. In contrast, DSS-induced colitis could be improved by Treg expansion, suggesting a selectively reduced functionality of intrahepatic Treg. Indeed, hepatic Treg manifested reduced Foxp3 expression and reduced suppressive capacity compared to splenic Treg. Hepatic Treg dysfunction could be linked to increased IL-12 signaling due to an upregulation of the IL-12 receptor. Accordingly, IL-12 receptor beta 2 knockout mice (IL-12rb2-/-) were able to maintain hepatic Treg functionality. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic Treg expanded in vivo failed to improve the course of cholangitis, which was related to the effects of hepatic IL-12 on Treg. Therefore, neutralization of IL-12 should be considered as part of treatment strategies targeting Treg in sclerosing cholangitis. LAY SUMMARY: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is associated with a paucity of regulatory T cells (Treg) that have a particular ability to control immune responses; therefore, in vivo expansion of Treg might serve as a treatment of cholangitis. However, in a mouse model of PSC, we show that Treg enrichment in the liver was not sufficient to provide effective control of cholangitis, as the suppressive functionality of hepatic Treg was significantly limited by IL-12 signals. Thus, neutralization of IL-12 should be considered as part of treatment strategies to improve the efficacy of Treg-based treatments for liver diseases. Data accession number: GSE 87898.

A Meta-Analytic Review of Social Identification and Health in Organizational Contexts.

We provide a meta-analytical review examining two decades of work on the relationship between individuals' social identifications and health in organizations (102 effect sizes, k = 58, N = 19,799). Results reveal a mean-weighted positive association between organizational identification and health ( r = .21, T = .14). Analysis identified a positive relationship for both workgroup ( r = .21) and organizational identification ( r = .21), and in studies using longitudinal/experimental ( r = .13) and cross-sectional designs ( r = .22). The relationship is stronger (a) for indicators of the presence of well-being ( r = .27) than absence of stress ( r = .18), (b) for psychological ( r = .23) than physical health ( r = .16), (c) to the extent that identification is shared among group members, and (d) as the proportion of female participants in a sample decreases. Overall, results indicate that social identifications in organizations are positively associated with health but that there is also substantial variation in effect size strength. We discuss implications for theory and practice and outline a roadmap for future research.

A latent profile analysis of the nature of social group memberships and their contribution to retirement outcomes.

Positive experiences of groups (e.g., the extent to which groups are important and supportive) tend to be associated with better retirement adjustment outcomes. However, group experiences are not always positive, and we know little about their varied contribution to adjustment outcomes. We addressed this gap by exploring the nature of social group memberships - in terms of varying positive and negative experiences of groups - to better understand how social group memberships shape retirement adjustment, life satisfaction and mental health. A latent profile analysis (using data from 489 retirees and their membership of 1887 groups) identified four profiles of social group memberships: optimal (63%), slightly straining (13%), low-supportive (18%) and ambivalent (6%). Subsequent regression analysis showed that these different profiles of group membership were differentially associated with retirement adjustment outcomes: belonging to more optimal groups was associated with better perceived adjustment, higher life satisfaction and better mental health, while belonging to slightly straining and ambivalent groups contributed to poorer adjustment, lower life satisfaction and greater depression. These findings have implications for theory and practice, not least because they advance our understanding of the diversity of people's group memberships and their contribution to retirement and health outcomes.

Measuring leadership in sport: Development and validation of the Identity Leadership Inventory - Youth (ILI-Y).

The social identity approach to leadership posits that leaders' effectiveness depends on their ability to represent, advance, create, and embed a shared sense of social identity among their followers. Although significant progress has been made in investigating the benefits of identity leadership in adult sports, research in youth sports is still in its infancy. One reason is the lack of a youth-centric inventory that adequately measures identity leadership in this population. To bridge this gap, we developed and validated a long (16 items) and short (5 items) version of the Identity Leadership Inventory for Youth Sport (ILI-Y or ILI-Y-Short-Form) through five studies conducted in three phases of research. Data were primarily collected in football in the United Kingdom, involving a total of 1096 participants. Results of Phase I of this study provided little to no evidence that the ILI - originally developed for adults - was understandable (Study 1) and had factor validity and internal consistency (Study 2) in a sample of youth athletes. Therefore, in Phase II, the ILI was revised, leading to the development of the ILI-Y, which was understandable for youth athletes (Study 3). Results from Phase II (Study 4) also indicated that the ILI-Y exhibited a unidimensional factor structure, which was subsequently confirmed in Phase III (Study 5). This last phase offered additional evidence for the discriminant, criterion, and incremental validity of the ILI-Y and its short form, along with their measurement invariance across genders and age groups, and internal consistency. This study provides sports psychology researchers and practitioners with a valid measure to assess identity leadership in youth sports.

Introducing and validating a single-item measure of identity leadership: The visual identity leadership scale (VILS).

In the present research, we introduce and validate a single-item measure of identity leadership-the visual identity leadership scale (VILS). The VILS uses Venn diagrams of sets of overlapping circles to denote different degrees of alignment between a leader's characteristics and behaviours and a group's values and goals. Key advantages of the VILS over other existing multi-item scales are that it provides a holistic assessment of identity leadership, is short, and can be adapted to address novel research questions that are impractical to address with existing scales (e.g. in diary studies, assessing multiple comparisons of many leaders or groups). Data from three studies (conducted in India, the United States and Germany) provide evidence of the VILS' construct reliability and validity. Results also showcase the instrument's capacity to be adapted to assess variations of identity leadership-for example, by assessing a leader's convergence with descriptive and ideal notions of collective self (i.e. with 'who we are' and 'who we want to be'). We discuss the value of including the VILS in the toolbox that researchers and practitioners can utilize to expand our understanding of identity processes in leadership and group behaviour.

"I'm more than my sport": Exploring the dynamic processes of identity change in athletic retirement.

Retirement is one of the most impactful career transitions athletes face. Researchers recognise the role that athletic identity plays in this, but analysis of identity content and change processes is limited. Addressing this gap, we conducted a qualitative study exploring the experience of identity change in 21 competitive and successful elite athletes who had retired from sport. All participated in a one-session psychoeducational program that explored the challenges of transitioning out of sport before being interviewed about their understanding of identity in sport, and their experiences negotiating identity loss and change in retirement. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we identified three themes: (i) the role of identity and self-categorizations in shaping sport performance, (ii) adjusting to identity loss (with subthemes indicating that this experience varied depending on the extent to which a person had multiple or exclusive identities), and (iii) attempts to remoor identity in the transition (with subthemes of searching for a new identity and actively repurposing identity). We interpret these themes through the lens of the Social Identity Model of Identity Change and show that this provides a framework for extending our understanding the complexities of identity change associated with retirement from elite sport.

More Than Sport: A social-identity intervention to support transitions out of elite sport.

Elite athletes often make large personal sacrifices to pursue excellence, but there is insufficient support for them when they leave elite sport. Identity loss is central to athletes' transition trajectories and hence the management of identity change is a crucial area for support. The More Than Sport (MTS) program is a novel digital intervention that aims to provide this support-helping athletes manage identity change in the process of leaving elite sport. The present research aims to study elite athletes' experiences with the MTS program and their perceptions of its usefulness in managing the transition away from elite sport. We undertook a qualitative study with athletes (N=25) from three countries (the United Kingdom, Australia and Belgium) using reflexive thematic analysis to explore their experiences of the program and their feedback on program content. We identified three key themes and eight subthemes. The first key theme was Value of the Program, and this was underpinned by four sub-themes that centred on Program importance and novelty, how Positive and confronting experiences afford insight, the Value of developing shared understanding, and Realising the value of social groups. The second key theme was Engagement with Program Elements and here participants commented on Program content and Delivery format. The final key theme was Time and Place for Identity Management Programs which included the sub-themes of Optimal timing and Additional program beneficiaries. Overall, the results highlight the value of MTS specifically, and identity management efforts more broadly, to help elite athletes adjust successfully to life beyond sport.

A protective effect of inflammatory bowel disease on the severity of sclerosing cholangitis.

Background: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic liver disease marked by inflammation of the bile ducts and results in the development of strictures and fibrosis. A robust clinical correlation exists between PSC and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). At present, published data are controversial, and it is yet unclear whether IBD drives or attenuates PSC. Methods: Mdr2-deficient mice or DDC-fed mice were used as experimental models for sclerosing cholangitis. Additionally, colitis was induced in mice with experimental sclerosing cholangitis, either through infection with Citrobacter rodentium or by feeding with DSS. Lastly, fibrosis levels were determined through FibroScan analysis in people with PSC and PSC-IBD. Results: Using two distinct experimental models of colitis and two models of sclerosing cholangitis, we found that colitis does not aggravate liver pathology, but rather reduces liver inflammation and liver fibrosis. Likewise, people with PSC-IBD have decreased liver fibrosis compared to those with PSC alone. Conclusions: We found evidence that intestinal inflammation attenuates liver pathology. This study serves as a basis for further research on the pathogenesis of PSC and PSC-IBD, as well as the molecular mechanism responsible for the protective effect of IBD on PSC development. This study could lead to the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for PSC.

Restless in an Unequal World: Economic Inequality Fuels the Desire for Wealth and Status.

Building on theories explaining social outcomes of economic inequality, our research examined the psychological impact of inequality on the desire for wealth and status. Our studies provide both experimental (Studies 1 and 3, Ns = 321 and 596) and correlational (Study 2; N = 141,477 from 73 countries and regions) evidence that higher inequality heightens people's desire for wealth and status. Notably, this effect of inequality on desire is independent of the influence of societal wealth. Moreover, our results reveal social class differences in why inequality fuels motivations: Lower-class individuals are more likely to respond to higher inequality with a heightened desire reflecting self-improvement concerns, whereas upper-class individuals are more likely to respond with a heightened desire reflecting social comparison concerns. These findings suggest that higher inequality creates an environment of restlessness in which both the poor and the rich feel obliged to seek wealth and status, albeit for different reasons.

The fish can rot from the heart, not just the head: Exploring the detrimental impact of transgressions by leaders at multiple levels of an organization.

In this registered report, we examined the effect of transgressions committed by leaders working at different group levels within an organization on employee outcomes. Based on social identity theorizing, we argued that organizational leader transgressions would affect organizational members' experiences only at the organizational level, but that workgroup leader transgressions would impact organizational members' experiences at both workgroup and organizational levels. To test these ideas, we developed a 2 (leader group affiliation: workgroup vs. organizational) × 2 (leader behaviour: normative vs. transgressive) between-subjects experimental paradigm. As hypothesized, both workgroup and organizational leader transgressions resulted in decreased organizational identification and perceived organizational leader effectiveness. Contrary to our prediction, transgressions of both workgroup and organizational leaders were similarly detrimental to workers' workgroup identification. However, as predicted, a transgressive workgroup leader had a greater negative impact on perceived workgroup leader effectiveness than a transgressive organizational leader. When outliers were excluded, a workgroup leader's transgression was found to be more detrimental to work performance than an organizational leader's transgression. Overall, this study demonstrates that the transgressions of lower-level workgroup leaders can be as detrimental - and in some cases more detrimental - to workers than the transgressions of higher-level organizational leaders.

Engaged followership and toxic science: Exploring the effect of prototypicality on willingness to follow harmful experimental instructions.

Drawing on the 'engaged followership' reinterpretation of Milgram's work on obedience, four studies (three pre-registered) examine the extent to which people's willingness to follow an experimenter's instructions is dependent on the perceived prototypicality of the science they are supposedly advancing. In Studies 1, 2 and 3, participants took part in a study that was described as advancing either 'hard' (prototypical) science (i.e., neuroscience) or 'soft' (non-prototypical) science (i.e., social science) before completing an online analogue of Milgram's 'Obedience to Authority' paradigm. In Studies 1 and 2, participants in the neuroscience condition completed more trials than those in the social science condition. This effect was not replicated in Study 3, possibly because the timing of data collection (late 2020) coincided with an emphasis on social science's importance in controlling COVID-19. Results of a final cross-sectional study (Study 4) indicated that participants who perceived the study to be more prototypical of science found it more worthwhile, reported making a wider contribution by taking part, reported less dislike for the task, more happiness at having taken part, and more trust in the researchers, all of which indirectly predicted greater followership. Implications for the theoretical understanding of obedience to toxic instructions are discussed.