Maria Karekla
Biographic Data
| ID | 1560387 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Maria Karekla |
| GIVEN NAMES | Maria |
| FAMILY NAME | Karekla |
| SIGNATURE | KAREKLA M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Cyprus |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7021-7908 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 35 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 35 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Beyond emotions
Understanding the drivers of COVID-19 vaccination intentions remains relevant as public health systems prepare for future pandemics. This study examined how emotional and social-cognitive factors influence COVID-19 vaccination intentions during two key phases of the COVID-19 pandemic: before (April-June 2020) and after (January-February 2021) vaccination rollout. A total of 586 adults completed an online survey assessing beliefs about COVID-19, s…
Struggles and solutions in psychological research with unaccompanied minors
Validation of the Online Test Anxiety Inventory ( on ‐ Tai ) for Adult Students. The Rasch Measurement Approach
This study is an investigation of the validity of the Online Test Anxiety Inventory (OΝ‐TAI) for adult students. The scale contained the 20 items of the Test Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, 1980), together with five computer anxiety items, all rephrased so as to pertain to online test anxiety. The scale was administered to a large sample of Greek and Cypriot postgraduate students and Rasch measurement was used for the investigation of its psychom…
Through the extended evolutionary meta-model, and what ACT found there
This article is part of a special issue in the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science devoted to process-based therapy (PBT) or a process-based approach to therapy and the role it plays in harmonizing existing evidence-based treatments. In the present discussion, we focus on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and how it fits into the PBT framework. We describe how viewing ACT through a PBT framework and its organizing rubric-the extended e…
Examining psychological flexibility in unaccompanied refugee minors
Coping with emotional pain
Enhancing Emotion Regulation Skills in High-Risk Adolescents Due to the Existence of Psychopathology in the Family
Targeted emotion regulation skills training is a potentially useful transdiagnostic intervention to prevent mental health problems in youth. Bringing the intervention to the school setting and involving counsellors in referring at-risk students can facilitate uptake and reduce dropout
Behavioral, cognitive and emotional determinants of getting vaccinated for Covid-19 and the mediating role of institutional trust among young adults in Cyprus
When tackling COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy, behavioural, cognitive, and emotional aspects should be considered. Stakeholders and policymakers are advised to implement targeted vaccination programs in young people while at the same time building trust and improving their capabilities and motivation towards getting vaccinated
Tensions in caring for chronic patients' medication adherence
Medication adherence (MA) to recommended treatment is a multi-faceted problem and an ongoing challenge for healthcare providers (HCPs) to monitor. This qualitative study with 10 HCPs in Cyprus aims to explore HCPs' perceptions and strategies used on addressing medication non-adherence (MNA) in patients with chronic conditions. Two main themes emerged from the analysis reflecting the ways that HCPs described their reactions to MNA of their patient…
Predictors of changing patterns of adherence to containment measures during the early stage of Covid-19 pandemic
BACKGROUND: Identifying common factors that affect public adherence to COVID-19 containment measures can directly inform the development of official public health communication strategies. The present international longitudinal study aimed to examine whether prosociality, together with other theoretically derived motivating factors (self-efficacy, perceived susceptibility and severity of COVID-19, perceived social support) predict the change in a…
Acceptability and feasibility of a gamified digital eating disorder early-intervention program (AcceptME) based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Machine learning advances the classification and prediction of responding from psychophysiological reactions
Profiling Hesitancy to Covid-19 Vaccinations in Six European Countries
Vaccination hesitancy is an important barrier for the effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying determinants of COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy is essential in order to reduce mortality rates. Further, given the variability of the factors and the different recommendations used in each country, it is important to conduct cross-country research to profile individuals who are hesitant toward COVID-19 vaccinations. This cross-sectional s…
Author Correction
Can psychological flexibility and prosociality mitigate illness perceptions toward Covid-19 on mental health? A cross-sectional study among Hong Kong adults
BACKGROUND: The negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on public mental health can be persistent and substantial over a long period of time, but little is known regarding what psychological factors or processes can buffer such impact. The present study aimed to examine the mediating roles of coping, psychological flexibility and prosociality in the impacts of perceived illness threats toward COVID-19 on mental health. METHOD: Five-hundred and fourt…
Covid-19 Scientific Facts vs. Conspiracy Theories
Science may be failing to convince a significant number of people about COVID-19 scientific facts and needed public health measures. Individual and social factors are behind believing conspiracy theories. Adults (N = 1001) were asked to rate their beliefs in various conspiracy theories circulating in social media, rate their psychological distress relating to COVID-19, rate their trust in science to solve COVID-19 problems, and rate their willing…
Does Cognitive Fusion show up similarly across two behavioral health samples? Psychometric properties and invariance of the Greek–Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (G-CFQ)
Adaptability and psychological flexibility
Psy-Flex
Psychological flexibility is increasingly studied in various contexts including clinical studies. The construct has been hypothesized to be a major determinant of mental health. Existing measures lack context-sensitivity (e.g, implicitly measuring it as a trait) and/or reference to a limited time frame. We developed a short self-report measure that covers all facets of the construct and is context-sensitive. Data was collected from four separate …
I won't comply because it is a hoax
Report of the ACBS Task Force on the strategies and tactics of contextual behavioral science research
Throughout its history the strategy and tactics of contextual behavioral science (CBS) research have had distinctive features as compared to traditional behavioral science approaches. Continued progress in CBS research can be facilitated by greater clarity about how its strategy and tactics can be brought to bear on current challenges. The present white paper is the result of a 2 1/2-year long process designed to foster consensus among representa…
Patterns of Psychological Responses among the Public during the Early Phase of Covid-19
This study aimed to compare the mediation of psychological flexibility, prosociality and coping in the impacts of illness perceptions toward COVID-19 on mental health among seven regions. Convenience sampled online survey was conducted between April and June 2020 from 9130 citizens in 21 countries. Illness perceptions toward COVID-19, psychological flexibility, prosociality, coping and mental health, socio-demographics, lockdown-related variables…
A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the Covid-19 pandemic
Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on mental health
Background The COVID-19 pandemic triggered vast governmental lockdowns. The impact of these lockdowns on mental health is inadequately understood. On the one hand such drastic changes in daily routines could be detrimental to mental health. On the other hand, it might not be experienced negatively, especially because the entire population was affected. Methods The aim of this study was to determine mental health outcomes during pandemic induced l…
The empirical status of acceptance and commitment therapy
A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the Covid-19 pandemic
Coping with psychosomatic symptoms
Individual differences in avoidant coping were hypothesized to exacerbate quality of life impairment associated with somatization and illness anxiety symptoms; psychological flexibility was expected to moderate this impairment. Individuals from a random community sample ( N = 298; 182 females), who met screening criteria for somatization and illness anxiety, reported lower quality of life and psychological flexibility and greater avoidant coping …
Measuring experiential avoidance
Dispositional coping in individuals with anxiety disorder symptomatology
Validation and invariance testing of the Greek adaptation of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire -II across clinical vs. nonclinical samples and sexes
Coping through avoidance may explain gender disparities in anxiety
Network analysis
Cognitive defusion versus experiential avoidance in the reduction of smoking behaviour
Background: Brief procedures that reduce smoking behaviour may be useful in reaching the many people that do not seek help for smoking addiction.Objectives: The current study aimed to determine if one component of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), cognitive defusion, could be useful in reducing smoking behaviour in a sample of students.Methods: The study employed a between-subjects three-arm design. For one week, participants were asked to…
An investigation of the affective experience of females at high risk for eating disorders in general and pathology-specific contexts
Coping with psychosomatic symptoms
Individual differences in avoidant coping were hypothesized to exacerbate quality of life impairment associated with somatization and illness anxiety symptoms; psychological flexibility was expected to moderate this impairment. Individuals from a random community sample ( N = 298; 182 females), who met screening criteria for somatization and illness anxiety, reported lower quality of life and psychological flexibility and greater avoidant coping …
Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on mental health
Background The COVID-19 pandemic triggered vast governmental lockdowns. The impact of these lockdowns on mental health is inadequately understood. On the one hand such drastic changes in daily routines could be detrimental to mental health. On the other hand, it might not be experienced negatively, especially because the entire population was affected. Methods The aim of this study was to determine mental health outcomes during pandemic induced l…
The empirical status of acceptance and commitment therapy
The Role of Illness Perceptions, Coping, and Self-Efficacy on Adherence to Precautionary Measures for Covid-19
As the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues, engaging the public in adherence to precautionary measures for preventing COVID-19 spread or infection becomes difficult. The present study aims to extend our understanding of how illness perceptions, coping, and self-efficacy affect adherence to precautionary measures among the public. An online survey was administered between April and June 2020 to a sample of 514 Hong Kong ci…
Now i can see me” designing a multi-user virtual reality remote psychotherapy for body weight and shape concerns
Recent years have seen a growing research interest towards designing computer-assisted health interventions aiming to improve mental health services. Digital technologies are becoming common methods for diagnosis, therapy, and training. With the advent of lower-cost VR head-mounted-displays (HMDs) and high internet data transfer capacity, there is a new opportunity for applying immersive VR tools to augment existing interventions. This study is a…
Can psychological flexibility and prosociality mitigate illness perceptions toward Covid-19 on mental health? A cross-sectional study among Hong Kong adults
BACKGROUND: The negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on public mental health can be persistent and substantial over a long period of time, but little is known regarding what psychological factors or processes can buffer such impact. The present study aimed to examine the mediating roles of coping, psychological flexibility and prosociality in the impacts of perceived illness threats toward COVID-19 on mental health. METHOD: Five-hundred and fourt…
Covid-19 Scientific Facts vs. Conspiracy Theories
Science may be failing to convince a significant number of people about COVID-19 scientific facts and needed public health measures. Individual and social factors are behind believing conspiracy theories. Adults (N = 1001) were asked to rate their beliefs in various conspiracy theories circulating in social media, rate their psychological distress relating to COVID-19, rate their trust in science to solve COVID-19 problems, and rate their willing…
Does Cognitive Fusion show up similarly across two behavioral health samples? Psychometric properties and invariance of the Greek–Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (G-CFQ)
Adaptability and psychological flexibility
Psy-Flex
Psychological flexibility is increasingly studied in various contexts including clinical studies. The construct has been hypothesized to be a major determinant of mental health. Existing measures lack context-sensitivity (e.g, implicitly measuring it as a trait) and/or reference to a limited time frame. We developed a short self-report measure that covers all facets of the construct and is context-sensitive. Data was collected from four separate …
I won't comply because it is a hoax
Report of the ACBS Task Force on the strategies and tactics of contextual behavioral science research
Throughout its history the strategy and tactics of contextual behavioral science (CBS) research have had distinctive features as compared to traditional behavioral science approaches. Continued progress in CBS research can be facilitated by greater clarity about how its strategy and tactics can be brought to bear on current challenges. The present white paper is the result of a 2 1/2-year long process designed to foster consensus among representa…
Patterns of Psychological Responses among the Public during the Early Phase of Covid-19
This study aimed to compare the mediation of psychological flexibility, prosociality and coping in the impacts of illness perceptions toward COVID-19 on mental health among seven regions. Convenience sampled online survey was conducted between April and June 2020 from 9130 citizens in 21 countries. Illness perceptions toward COVID-19, psychological flexibility, prosociality, coping and mental health, socio-demographics, lockdown-related variables…
A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the Covid-19 pandemic
Acceptability and feasibility of a gamified digital eating disorder early-intervention program (AcceptME) based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Machine learning advances the classification and prediction of responding from psychophysiological reactions
Profiling Hesitancy to Covid-19 Vaccinations in Six European Countries
Vaccination hesitancy is an important barrier for the effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying determinants of COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy is essential in order to reduce mortality rates. Further, given the variability of the factors and the different recommendations used in each country, it is important to conduct cross-country research to profile individuals who are hesitant toward COVID-19 vaccinations. This cross-sectional s…
Author Correction
Psychology (31 works) · Clinical Psychology (19 works) · Medicine (18 works) · Psychiatry (17 works) · Clinical Psychology (16 works) · Social Psychology (12 works) · Social Psychology (10 works) · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes (9 works) · COVID-19 and Mental Health (9 works) · Anxiety (8 works)