Decisional trade-offs towards doping and their association with moral attitudes and health risk perceptions: A mixed methods study.

The objective of the present research was to examine doping-related decisional trade-offs, and their relationship with health risk perceptions towards doping and moral attitudes in sport. A mixed methods sequential-explanatory design was used. In Study 1,249, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes from 16 countries completed anonymous online questionnaires on decisional trade-offs related to doping, health risk beliefs towards doping, moral attitudes in sport, and socio-demographic variables. The results showed that almost 1 in 10 athletes would trade their life for sporting success, independently of the moral implications of their choice. When mortal threat was absent, 31.5% of the athletes would trade morality for sporting success. Decisional trade-off choices differentiated scores in moral attitudes, such as acceptance of cheating and keeping winning in proportion. In Study 2, 11 British competitive MMA athletes were interviewed about decisional trade-offs involving moral violations or mortal threats. Thematic analysis corroborated the Study 1 findings, with most athletes dismissing the doping choice involving a mortal threat but endorsing the one where the mortal threat was absent. Anti-doping education in MMA athletes should target the decision-making process underlying doping, with an emphasis on moral values and the adverse health risk effects of doping.

The Emotional Burden of Loneliness and its Association with Mental Health Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The present study examined, for the first time, the emotional burden of loneliness on dimensions of emotional valence and arousal, and its association with mental health outcomes. METHOD: A cross-sectional design was used, and data were collected from 503 adults across the UK with an online survey. Measures included socio-demographic characteristics, self-reported measures of loneliness and social isolation, affective ratings (i.e., valence and arousal) of loneliness experiences, and symptoms of depression and anxiety as mental health outcomes. RESULTS: The emotional burden of loneliness differed significantly across groups with differing loneliness experiences, and females scored significantly higher in the emotional burden of loneliness than males. The emotional burden of loneliness was associated with both depression and anxiety symptoms, and respectively added 4.7% and 6.2% of the variance, on top of measures of loneliness frequency and social isolation. CONCLUSIONS: Measuring the valence and arousal dimensions of loneliness experiences advances our understanding of loneliness experiences and its association with mental health outcomes. The theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of our study are discussed.

Impulsivity and self-regulation: A dual-process model of risky driving in young drivers in Iran.

The dual-process model of risky driving (Lazuras, Rowe, Poulter, Powell, & Ypsilanti, 2019) suggested that regulatory processes mediate the effect of impulsivity on risky driving. The current study aimed to examine the cross-cultural generalisability of this model to Iranian drivers, who are from a country with a markedly higher rate of traffic collisions. We sampled 458 Iranian drivers aged 18 to 25 using an online survey measuring impulsive processes including impulsivity, normlessness and sensation-seeking, and regulatory processes comprising emotion-regulation, trait self-regulation, driving self-regulation, executive functions, reflective functioning and attitudes toward driving. In addition, we used the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire to measure driving violations and errors. Executive functions and driving self-regulation mediated the effect of attention impulsivity on driving errors. Executive functions, reflective functioning, and driving self-regulation mediated the relationship between motor impulsivity and driving errors. Finally, attitudes toward driving safety significantly mediated the relationship of both normlessness and sensation-seeking with driving violations. These results support the mediatory role of cognitive and self-regulatory capacities in the connection between impulsive processes and driving errors and violations. Overall, the present study confirmed the validity of the dual-process model of risky driving in a sample of young drivers in Iran. Implications for educating drivers and implementing policies and interventions based on this model are discussed.

Self-Affirmation and Image/Performance Enhancing Drug Use in Recreational Exercise.

Objectives: The use of image and performance enhancement drugs (IPEDs) in recreational sport represents an emerging public health and societal problem. The present study investigated whether self-affirmation changed exercisers' intentions to use IPEDs, via the effects of mental construal and message acceptance. Method: Sixty-eight exercisers who self-reported IPEDs use participated in the study and were randomly assigned to either a self-affirmation or a control group. All participants read a health-related message about the 10 consequences of IPEDs and subsequently completed a survey measuring message acceptance, mental construal, doping intentions and IPEDs-related social cognitive variables. Results: There were no significant differences between the self-affirmed and the control groups. Hierarchical linear regression analysis further showed that message acceptance, subjective norms, and situational temptation were significantly associated with intentions to use IPEDs. Conclusion: Our findings raise the possibility that for recreational exercisers IPED's use is seen mostly as a health-related matter than a socio-moral transgression.

Context matters: athletes' perception of dopers' values, actions and vulnerabilities.

Background: Although athletes seem to hold uniform views towards non-dopers, their perception of dopers is more nuanced, reflecting positive and negative attributes. Research also indicates that rarely a single factor can explain doping, but a host of reasons that intertwine. A holistic understanding of how values play a role in decisions in anti-doping and the elements that influence athletes' doping vulnerability is timely and warranted. Methods: We recruited elite athletes from 13 countries representing 27 sports at a national or international level (N = 60) to participate as part of a larger research project. Data were collected via focus group interviews focusing on values, value priorities and perceptions about the role of values in doping as a phenomenon and in dopers' actions. Data were analysed using iterative thematic analysis. Results: Three themes were identified: (1) athletes' personal stance on doping, (2) dopers in the eyes of the anti-doping-compliant athletes, and (3) doping vulnerability is a balance. Athletes in this study strongly opposed doping but showed empathy and understanding toward athletes who doped under certain circumstances. Furthermore, athletes believed that "clean" and "doping" athletes are not always distinguished by the values they hold, leading to the realisation that all athletes can be vulnerable to doping at some point. This vulnerability is a balance between risks and protective factors in a complex interaction between environmental, personal, and situational influences. Each element (e.g., values, environment) can be a motivator or a barrier. Consequently, doping vulnerability is highly idiosyncratic and dynamic. Conclusion: If doping is not due to a lack of moral values but the consequences of combined risk factors that override the guiding function of values, then doping can happen to anyone, "good" athletes included. Developers and facilitators of anti-doping education programmes are advised to embrace this important aspect. The results also contribute to developing the doping vulnerability concept as a balance between risks and protective factors and draw attention to the clean athlete vulnerability, which is rooted in the combination of strategic performance enhancement via non-prohibited means, their exposure to anti-doping requirements and the constant high level of suspicion that surrounds them.

Loneliness is not a homogeneous experience: An empirical analysis of adaptive and maladaptive forms of loneliness in the UK.

Understanding loneliness is pivotal to informing relevant evidence-based preventive interventions. The present study examined the prevalence of loneliness in the UK, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the association between loneliness, mental health outcomes, and risk and protective factors for loneliness, after controlling for the effects of social isolation. It was estimated that 18.1% of the population in our study experienced moderately high to very high loneliness. We also found that loneliness was positively associated with self-disgust and social inhibition, and negatively associated with trait optimism and hope. Cluster analysis indicated that two distinct groups emerged among those experiencing higher levels of loneliness: "adaptive" and "maladaptive" loneliness groups. The maladaptive loneliness group displayed psychological characteristics like self-disgust and social inhibition including symptoms of depression and anxiety that can potentially undermine their ability to connect with others and form meaningful social relationships. These findings suggest that not all people experience loneliness in the same way. It is possible that a one-size-fit-all approach to reducing loneliness, may be less effective because it does not take into account the differential psychological profiles and characteristics of lonely people, relevant to their capacity to connect with others.

Behaviours and Beliefs Related to Whistleblowing Against Doping in Sport: A Cross-National Study.

Background: Whistleblowing has been recognized as an important deterrent of doping in elite competitive sport. The present study examined athletes' knowledge of external whistleblowing channels and on how and where to report doping misconduct, perceived trust in different whistleblowing reporting channels, whistleblowing behaviour and athletes' reasons for reporting (or not) doping misconduct. Methods: Athletes from Greece (n = 480), the Russian Federation (n = 512) and the United Kingdom (n = 171) completed a structured questionnaire on demographics, knowledge of different whistleblowing channels, perceived trust in internal and external whistleblowing channels, past whistleblowing behaviour and reasons for reporting (or not) doping misconduct. Results: The British athletes reported greater awareness of whistleblowing reporting channels (e.g., WADA's Speak Up and IOC's reporting platform) than did athletes from Greece (all p < 0.001) and Russia (p = 0.07, and p = 0.012) respectively. However, British athletes reported the lowest scores on knowledge of how and where to report doping misconduct, as compared to athletes from Greece and Russia. The majority of respondents reported greater trust to their coach or a club manager than to other whistleblowing channels, however, responses regarding other channels varied by country. Among athletes who detected doping misconduct 62% of athletes did not report it, while 38% reported it. Reasons for and against reporting doping misconduct reflected in eight themes that were identified using thematic analysis. Conclusion: Athletes showed low awareness of external whistleblowing channels and they predominantly trusted internal whistleblowing channels. Sportspersonship, confidence in resources and personal benefits were among the reasons that facilitate reporting doping misconduct. The present findings indicate that cultural context may play a role in the ways athletes perceive whistleblowing, and this should be taken into account by future interventions to promote the reporting of doping misconduct.

The role of the COVID-19 pandemic in altered psychological well-being, mental health and sleep: an online cross-sectional study.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic. Measures to reduce transmission of the virus have altered usual activities, routines, and livelihoods, and have had a significant impact on mental health. The current study aims to examine the potential alterations in psychological wellbeing, mental health, sleep and diurnal preference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross sectional online questionnaire-based study with n = 200 participants (aged 18-62; 7.86.0% female, 93.0% white, 92.5% UK-based, 73.5% students). Data were collected between 15th April and 8 June 2020. Participants answered questions on lifestyle changes and their concerns and worries about COVID-19, and completed the SCI, PHQ9, GAD7, PWB18, UCLA3 and MEQ. Results showed self-isolation was linked to lower psychological well-being, and increased loneliness, anxiety and depression. Home-working was related to a shift in diurnal preference. Reduced work/income was related to decreased psychological well-being and sleep quality and increased anxiety, depression, loneliness and. Intensity of worried thoughts and concerns about COVID-19 were positively correlated with anxiety, depression and negatively with sleep quality. In conclusion, the social, occupational and economic disruption due to COVID19 has had a negative impact on psychological well-being. However, the transition to home-working may have been somewhat beneficial for some individuals in terms of sleep. These findings should be taken into account by policy makers during the transition to the 'new normal' post-pandemic.

Feelings of fear, sadness, and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from two studies in the UK.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, exposure to COVID-related stimuli, has been enormous. Exposure to threat-related stimuli, can have a significant impact on people's wellbeing particularly in relation to COVID-related anxiety. The present research comprises two empirical studies. In Study 1, a newly developed Emotional Stroop Task (EST) and an Image Rating Task (IRT) were used to assess, automatic and non-automatic affective responses to COVID-related words and images during the first wave of the pandemic in the UK general population. In Study 2, the same tasks were used to evaluate the affective responses of University students during the second wave of the pandemic. Additionally, loneliness and pro-social behaviours were explored in relation COVID-related anxiety in the same population. Overall, the results showed that automatic affective responses as measured by interference effects on the EST, remained unaffected during the pandemic. However, non-automatic affective responses to COVID-related images measured by the IRT, indicated that participants rated these images as more fearful sadder and higher in anger, compared to non-COVID negative images matched for arousal and negativity and this was more evident in people with high COVID-anxiety. Trait anxiety was related to higher levels of loneliness, more prosocial behaviour and higher intentions to help others, while COVID-related anxiety mediated these effects, suggesting that for high levels of trait anxiety, participants were more likely to have helped someone in need during the pandemic when their COVID-anxiety levels were low.

Homogeneity of cognitive and behavioural processes underlying the relationship between insomnia and body image disturbance.

Specific cognitive behavioural mechanisms related to selective attention, situational avoidance and physical appearance are implicated in the development and maintenance of insomnia and negative reinforcement of body image disturbances. Therefore, we examined whether these processes potentially mediate the relationship between insomnia and body image perception. N = 728 participants completed self-reported measures of sleep-associated monitoring, insomnia symptoms, body image disturbance and coping with body image challenges. Symptoms of insomnia and sleep-associated monitoring behaviour were independently related to increased reports of body image disturbance, cognitive distortions of body image, appearance fixing (i.e. altering appearance by covering, camouflaging or correcting the perceived defect), avoidance (i.e. attempt to escape or avert stressful body image situations) and reduced levels of positive rationale acceptance (i.e. acceptance of the challenging event and positive self-care or rationale self-talk about one's appearance). More crucially, sleep-related monitoring on awakening, cognitive distortion of body image and negative coping strategies related to body image (i.e. appearance fixing, avoidance, rationale acceptance) mediated the relationship between reports of body image disturbance and insomnia symptoms. The current findings expand upon previous research demonstrating consistent relationships between poor sleep and increased dissatisfaction with cutaneous features, by providing novel evidence that body image disturbances are associated with symptoms of insomnia. More crucially, we highlight the role of particular cognitive and behavioural mechanisms pertaining to sleep (i.e. selective attention for physical signs of poor sleep) and body image (i.e. avoidance and rationale acceptance) which may be targeted as part of cognitive behavioural treatments.

One Does Not Fit All: European Study Shows Significant Differences in Value-Priorities in Clean Sport.

Doping violates the Spirit of Sport and is thought to contradict the values which underpin this spirit. Values-based education (VBE) has been cited as a key element for creating a clean sport culture across age groups. Culturally relevant VBE requires understanding of the values that motivate athletes from different countries to practice their sport and uphold clean sport values. WADA's new International Standards for Education makes this study both needed and timely. Overall, 1,225 athletes from Germany, Greece, Italy, Russia, and the UK responded to measures assessing their general values, Spirit of Sport values, and their perceived importance of "clean sport". MaxDiff analysis identified the most important values to participants based on their respective country of residence. Correlation analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between importance of clean sport and Spirit of Sport values. There were significant differences between participant nationality and their perceived importance of clean sport [F (4, 1,204) = 797.060, p < 0.000], the most important general values (p < 0.05), and Spirit of Sport values (p < 0.05). Moderate positive correlations were observed between the perceived importance of clean sport and honesty and ethics (r = 0.538, p < 0.005) and respecting the rules of sport (r = 0.507, p < 0.005). When designing the values-based component of anti-doping education programs, athletes' different value-priorities across countries should be considered.

Whistleblowing Against Doping Misconduct in Sport: A Reasoned Action Perspective With a Focus on Affective and Normative Processes.

Whistleblowing against doping misconduct represents an effective deterrent of doping use in elite competitive sport. The present study assessed the effects of social cognitive variables on competitive athletes' intentions to report doping misconduct. A second objective was to assess whether the effects of social norms on whistleblowing intentions were mediated by actor prototype evaluations and group identification and orientation. In total, 1,163 competitive athletes from Greece, Russia, and the United Kingdom completed a questionnaire on demographics, past behavior, social cognitive variables, and intentions toward whistleblowing. Regression analyses showed that whistleblowing intentions were associated with different social cognitive variables in each country. Multiple mediation modeling showed that attitudes and subjective norms were associated with whistleblowing intentions indirectly, via the effects of anticipated negative affect and group identification and orientation, respectively. The findings of this study are novel and have important implications about the social, cognitive, and normative processes underlying decision making toward reporting doping misconduct.

Factors Affecting General Practitioners' Readiness to Accept and Use an Electronic Health Record System in the Republic of North Macedonia: A National Survey of General Practitioners.

BACKGROUND: Electronic health records (EHRs) represent an important aspect of digital health care, and to promote their use further, we need to better understand the drivers of their acceptance among health care professionals. EHRs are not simple computer applications; they should be considered as a highly integrated set of systems. Technology acceptance theories can be used to better understand users' intentions to use EHRs. It is recommended to assess factors that determine the future acceptance of a system before it is implemented. OBJECTIVE: This study uses a modified version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology with the aim of examining the factors associated with intentions to use an EHR application among general practitioners (GPs) in the Republic of North Macedonia, a country that has been underrepresented in extant literature. More specifically, this study aims to assess the role of technology acceptance predictors such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, job relevance, descriptive norms, and satisfaction with existing eHealth systems already implemented in the country. METHODS: A web-based invitation was sent to 1174 GPs, of whom 458 completed the questionnaire (response rate=40.2%). The research instrument assessed performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, and social influence in relation to the GPs' intentions to use future EHR systems. Job relevance, descriptive norms, satisfaction with currently used eHealth systems in the country, and computer/internet use were also measured. RESULTS: Hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that effort expectancy, descriptive norms, social influence, facilitating conditions, and job relevance were significantly associated with intentions to use the future EHR system, but performance expectance was not. Multiple mediation modeling analyses further showed that social influence (z=2.64; P<.001), facilitating conditions (z=4.54; P<.001), descriptive norms (z=4.91; P<.001), and effort expectancy (z=5.81; P=.008) mediated the association between job relevance and intentions. Finally, moderated regression analysis showed that the association between social influence and usage intention was significantly moderated (P=.02) by experience (Bexperience×social influence=.005; 95% CI 0.001 to 0.010; ß=.080). In addition, the association between social influence and intentions was significantly moderated (P=.02) by age (Bage×social influence=.005; 95% CI 0.001 to 0.010; ß=.077). CONCLUSIONS: Expectations of less effort in using EHRs and perceptions on supportive infrastructures for enabling EHR use were significantly associated with the greater acceptance of EHRs among GPs. Social norms were also associated with intentions, even more so among older GPs and those with less work experience. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are also discussed.

Whistleblowing against doping in sport: A cross-national study on the effects of motivation and sportspersonship orientations on whistleblowing intentions.

Whistleblowing against anti-doping rule violations and related misconduct has been recognized as an important deterrent of doping behaviour in competitive sport. However, research on whistleblowing against doping is scarce and the available studies have focused on small samples using qualitative and inductive approaches. The present study used quantitative methods to assess, for the first time, the association between self-determined motivation, achievement goals, sportspersonship orientations and intentions to engage in whistleblowing against doping misconduct. A total of 992 competitive athletes from Greece (n = 480) and Russia (n = 512) completed structured measures of self-determination, achievement goals, sportspersonship orientation beliefs, and intentions to report doping misconduct. Latent profile analysis classified athletes into clusters consistent with the theoretical predictions. One-way analyses of variance further showed consistently across countries that autonomous motivated athletes reported higher intentions to whistleblow, and athletes with higher scores in achievement goals and sportspersonship orientations had significantly higher scores in whistleblowing intentions, compared to those with lower scores in these characteristics in both countries. This is the first study to demonstrate the association between motivational regulations, achievement goals, sportspersonship beliefs, and whistleblowing intentions. The theoretical and policy implications of our study are discussed.

Self-Disgust Is Associated With Loneliness, Mental Health Difficulties, and Eye-Gaze Avoidance in War Veterans With PTSD.

In the present study, we examined, for the first time, the association between self-disgust, loneliness, and mental health difficulties in war veterans diagnosed with PTSD. For this purpose, we used a mixed methods design, incorporating surveys and a novel eye-tracking paradigm, and compared the findings from the PTSD veteran group (n = 19) to those from a general population group (n = 22). Our results showed that the PTSD veteran group reported almost three times higher scores in self-disgust, and significantly higher scores in loneliness and mental health difficulties (anxiety and depression), compared to the general population. Furthermore, self-disgust mediated the association between loneliness and anxiety symptoms in both groups. The results from the eye-tracking paradigm further showed that veterans with PTSD displayed a self-avoidance gaze pattern, by looking significantly more toward pictures of faces of unknown others and away from their own face-a pattern that was not replicated in the general population group. Higher self-disgust scores were significantly associated with longer total gaze to the pictures of others (vs. the self). Our findings have implications for the role of self-disgust in the mental health of war veterans.

"Doing What Is Right and Doing It Right": A Mapping Review of Athletes' Perception of Anti-Doping Legitimacy.

BACKGROUND: The creation of the World Anti-Doping Agency in 1999 and the first implementation of the Anti-Doping Code in 2004 established institutional and legal level legitimacy for the anti-doping movement. Subsequently, a distinct line of research examining athletes' perceptions of anti-doping has emerged. This study aims to review the literature on legitimacy via athletes' perceptions of the underpinning values, fairness and effectiveness of anti-doping rules and procedures. METHODS: A systematic mapping review with computerised literature search of seven databases (EBSCOHost, PubMed, Ingenta, ScienceDirect, SCOPUS, SPORTDiscuss and Google Scholar) was used, followed by hand-search of reference lists and relevant journals. Based on Tyler's (2006) psychological components of legitimacy (proper, just, and appropriate), a bespoke conceptual map and analytical framework was developed and employed for retrospective categorisation. RESULTS: Thirty-nine studies representing 15,434 participants met the inclusion criteria. About half of the eligible studies discussed legitimacy components without identifying them as such. Identification of studies for legitimacy concepts faced considerable ambiguity in measures and interpretation, particularly in distinguishing between elements of being 'just' and 'appropriate'. Single focus on one aspect was rare but only 11 of the 39 studies included all three elements of perceived legitimacy. Overall, athletes agreed that anti-doping is 'doing the right thing' to protect clean sport but their views differed on whether the existing anti-doping system is effective and implemented fairly (i.e., 'doing anti-doping in a right way'). Owing to the ad hoc measurements and diverse methodology, quantitative meta-analysis was not feasible. CONCLUSION: Legitimacy is an important concept in anti-doping. Attention to globally equal and fair implementation of testing and sanctioning is warranted. Legitimacy perceptions can be improved by better communication from anti-doping organisations to highlight progress with detection, greater transparency and explicit support for athletes who were affected by doping. Future research requires standardised conceptual framework and measures.

Emotion dysregulation mediates the relationship between nightmares and psychotic experiences: results from a student population.

Sleep disruption is commonly associated with psychotic experiences. While sparse, the literature to date highlights nightmares and related distress as prominent risk factors for psychosis in students. We aimed to further explore the relationship between specific nightmare symptoms and psychotic experiences in university students while examining the mediating role of emotion dysregulation. A sample (N = 1273) of student respondents from UK universities completed measures of psychotic experiences, nightmare disorder symptomology and emotion dysregulation. Psychotic experiences were significantly more prevalent in students reporting nightmares (n = 757) relative to those who did not (n = 516). Hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that psychotic experiences were significantly associated (Adjusted R2 = 32.4%) with perceived nightmare intensity, consequences and resulting awakenings, and with emotion regulation difficulties. Furthermore, multiple mediation analysis showed that the association between psychotic experiences and nightmare factors was mediated by emotion regulation difficulties. Adaptive regulation of dream content during rapid eye-movement sleep has previously been demonstrated to attenuate surges in affective arousal by controlling the intensity and variability of emotional content. Difficulties in emotion regulation may partially explain the experience of more intense and disruptive nightmares among individuals with psychotic experiences. Emotion regulation may represent an important control mechanism that safeguards dream content and sleep quality.

Prevalence and psychiatric correlates of suicidal ideation in UK university students.

BACKGROUND: Evidence highlights increased susceptibility to thoughts and behaviors related to suicide (i.e. suicidal ideation) in the student population, often in co-occurrence with mental health difficulties. Typically, studies focus on specific symptoms, with few providing comprehensive examination of risk factors. In this study we examined the prevalence of suicidal ideation among UK university students and assessed the association with multiple psychiatric risk factors. METHODS: A total of N = 1273 students completed online measures of suicidal ideation, anxiety, depression, insomnia, mania, psychosis, and perceived stress. RESULTS: 37.3% students were classified as high-risk for suicidal behaviour. Moreover, 42.2% of students contemplated suicide at least once within the past twelve months, and 25.1% reported telling someone about these thoughts at least once. Logistic regression analysis showed that suicidal ideation was significantly associated with symptoms of depression, mania, psychosis, and stress. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional nature of ours study does not allow us to infer causality in the observed associations. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate the prevalence of suicidal ideation in a large sample of university students in the UK, and highlight associated mental health risk factors associated with it. Our findings have implications for mental health practitioners working with University students.

Self-disgust, loneliness and mental health outcomes in older adults: An eye-tracking study.

BACKGROUND: Self-disgust has been associated with loneliness and mental health difficulties in clinical and non-clinical populations, but there is limited research on the role of self-disgust in loneliness and mental health outcomes in older adults. METHODS: In Study 1 (N = 102; M age = 68.4 years, SD = 10.9, 68% females) we used a cross-sectional survey to explore the association between loneliness, self-disgust and mental health outcomes. In Study 2 (N = 80; M age = 68.8 years, SD = 11.4, 57% females) we used eye-tracking to investigate attentional vigilance, maintenance and avoidance in individuals with high (vs. low) self-disgust. RESULTS: In study 1 we found that self-disgust mediated the associations of loneliness with anxiety and depressive symptoms, and in study 2 it was demonstrated that older adults with high (vs. low) self-disgust displayed attentional avoidance to their own faces, compared to the faces of unknown others, a process that may perpetuate loneliness. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design used in Study 1 limits our potential to make causal inferences. Additionally, both studies included a wide age range of older adults. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are novel and highlight the importance of self-disgust experiences in the context of loneliness and mental health outcomes in older adults. Implications for practice and interventions against loneliness in this age group are discussed.