Global Impact Journal: Psychological Research

The impact of digital collaboration tools on inclusive leadership in multicultural teams in the context of global remote work: a psychological perspective on empathy, cohesion, and cross cultural communication

Youfu Wang — 2026-04-27

As remote and hybrid work becomes increasingly normalized, organizations rely on digital collaboration platforms to coordinate multicultural teams, yet it remains unclear how everyday technology-mediated interaction translates into inclusive leadership. This study examines whether digital collaboration tool use is associated with inclusive leadership through a sequential psychological pathway involving empathy, team cohesion, and cross-cultural communication. Drawing on social information processing theory and emotional contagion theory, survey data were collected from 240 employees working in multicultural remote or hybrid teams and analyzed using structural equation modeling and multi-group path analysis by gender. Results indicate that both the frequency of tool use and perceived interaction quality positively predict empathy in the full sample, and empathy is subsequently linked to stronger team cohesion, which supports more effective cross-cultural communication and, in turn, higher perceived inclusive leadership. Bootstrap analyses further support the significance of the sequential indirect effect. Multi-group comparisons reveal gender-related differences at the entry stage of the model: among women, tool use frequency predicts empathy whereas interaction quality is not significant; among men, both predictors are significant. Taken together, the findings suggest that the leadership relevance of digital collaboration tools operates primarily through socio-emotional and relational processes rather than through technology use alone, and that these processes may unfold differently across gender groups in multicultural remote work contexts.

The effect of perceived stress on depression in stroke: the chain mediating role of self-acceptance and self-perceived burden

Bing Li — 2026-02-06

Background: This study aims to investigate the mechanism through which perceived stress affects depression symptoms by assessing the current status of depression symptoms and psychological characteristics in stroke patients.
Methods: A total of 222 stroke patients were enrolled through convenience sampling at a tertiary general hospital in Harbin City during 2023–2024. Measurement tools included the patient health questionnaire-9, Chinese version of perceived stress scale, self-perceived burden scale and self-acceptance questionnaire. SPSS software was used for descriptive statistical analysis, t-test, analysis of variance, correlation analysis, multiple stepwise regression analysis and mediation effect test.
Results: In this study, 67.12% of stroke patients had depression symptoms. The results of correlation analysis showed that perceived stress was significantly positively correlated with self-perceived burden and depression symptoms (r = 0.212–0.241, p < 0.01), and significantly negatively correlated with self-acceptance (r = −0.320, p < 0.01). Self-perceived burden was positively correlated with depression symptoms (r = 0.348, p < 0.01), and negatively correlated with self-acceptance (r = −0.255, p < 0.01). Self-acceptance was negatively correlated with depression symptoms (r = −0.304, p < 0.01). Mediation effect analyses showed that self-acceptance mediated significantly (95% CI [0.025, 0.117]); self-perceived burden mediated significantly (95% CI[0.003, 0.098]); and self-acceptance and self-perceived burden mediated significantly the chain of mediation in the relationship between perceived stress and depression symptoms (95% CI [0.005, 0.035]).
Conclusion: Patients with stroke have a relatively high level of depression symptoms. Through a chain path of reducing perceived stress, enhancing self-acceptance, and alleviating perceived burden, the depression symptoms of stroke patients can be effectively alleviated.

The relationship between childhood trauma, early maladaptive schema and alexithymia: a multi-group path model of clinical and non-clinical samples

Qiuying Zhang — 2026-02-27

Introduction: Depression patients with comorbid alexithymia often experience difficulties in emotional expression and emotional recognition. Previous research has identified early maladaptive schemas (EMS) as mediators in the relationship between childhood trauma and alexithymia; however, no studies have examined this mediation in combined models across clinical and non-clinical samples.

Methods: This study included 134 non-clinical participants (Mean age = 37.75, SD = 18.41) and 137 clinical participants diagnosed with depression according to ICD-10 criteria (Mean age = 35.80, SD = 11.22). Participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Young Schema Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, and Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Using multi-group path analysis, we tested a hypothesized model in which EMS mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and alexithymia in both clinical and non-clinical samples. Additionally, we examined whether structural paths differed between groups.

Results: Results revealed that the disconnection and rejection, impaired autonomy and performance, other directedness, over-vigilance and inhibition and impaired limits schema domains significantly mediated the relationship in both samples. Notably, the association between the over-vigilance and inhibition schema domain and depression was significantly stronger in the clinical sample compared to the nonclinical sample.

Discussion: These findings highlight the mediating role of EMS in the link between childhood trauma and alexithymia and underscore group-specific differences in schema depression associations, with implications for tailored clinical interventions.

How does organizational AI adoption affect employees’ job crafting behaviors? An approach-avoidance perspective

Qi Liu — 2026-02-03

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has significantly changed human work. Increasingly, organizations are promoting the integration of AI into employees’ work processes. While existing research has explored AI applications in the workplace, relatively little attention has been devoted to understanding how organizational AI adoption influences employees’ motivational reactions and the subsequent impacts. Drawing on approach-avoidance motivational theory, this research explores the fundamental mechanisms through which organizational AI adoption influences employees’ approach and avoidance job crafting behaviors.
Methods: A three-wave survey was conducted among 650 employees from five enterprises that actively utilize AI tools in China, yielding 487 valid responses. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and Mplus 7.0 to test the proposed hypotheses.
Results: The findings suggest that organizational AI adoption influences employees’ approach or avoidance motivation, which in turn shapes their job crafting behaviors. Specifically, AI-supported autonomy mediates the positive relationship between organizational AI adoption and approach job crafting. Conversely, AI anxiety mediates the positive relationship between organizational AI adoption and avoidance job crafting. Furthermore, AI knowledge sharing moderates the effects of organizational AI adoption on motivational reactions and the indirect effects of organizational AI adoption on approach and avoidance job crafting, respectively.
Discussion: This study introduces the approach-avoidance perspective, providing a valuable framework for understanding employees’ motivational responses and job crafting behaviors following the organizational AI adoption, thereby expanding the application scope of the approach-avoidance motivational theory. Organizations should leverage the role of AI in knowledge sharing to enhance employees’ approach motivation and reduce their avoidance motivation. Future research may focus on developing an AI-specific job crafting construct and exploring additional antecedents of AI-related crafting behaviors.