Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41392441›Full record

ArticleThe British journal of social psychology2026

Shared dysphoric experiences activate identity fusion, but not forever.

Hend Bautista, Sara Fregenal, Alexandra Vázquez, Ángel Gómez, Mercedes Victoria Martínez Díaz

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The British journal of social psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Shared dysphoric experiences activate identity fusion, but not forever.The British journal of social psychology · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Hend BautistaDepartamento de Psicología Social y de Las Organizaciones, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, Spain.
Sara FregenalDepartamento de Psicología Social y de Las Organizaciones, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, Spain.
Alexandra VázquezDepartamento de Psicología Social y de Las Organizaciones, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6040-9102
Ángel GómezDepartamento de Psicología Social y de Las Organizaciones, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, Spain.
Mercedes Victoria Martínez DíazDepartamento de Psicología Social y de Las Organizaciones, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3631-6165

Funding

European Research Council Grant 101018172
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Identity fusion is a synergistic union of the personal self and target of fusion that predicts extreme behaviours on its behalf. Previous work identified that intense shared dysphoric experiences cause fusion with groups, but no research to date has investigated changes in fusion before, during and after a collective traumatic experience. Six repeated cross-sectional surveys conducted in Spain (2017-2022) (Study 1) showed that differences between sample means in fusion with the country increased during the COVID-19 pandemic but decreased when the COVID-19 subsided. In addition, an experiment provided support for these results (Study 2), since making salient the COVID-19 crisis (vs. neutral situation) increased fusion with the country. Finally, three additional repeated cross-sectional surveys conducted in Ukraine (Study 3), one month before the war, one month after the war began and eight months later, replicated that differences between sample means in fusion increased just when the war started, but decreased when the conflict turned chronic. The effects were replicated for fusion with a value, democracy. Apparently, dysphoric experiences represent a temporary drive of fusion, but not a maintenance factor.

Indexed as

COVID-19Self ConceptSocial IdentificationAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSpainUkraineYoung Adultcauses of fusionidentity fusionshared dysphoric experienceswillingness to fight and die

Identifiers

PMID41392441
PMCPMC12703063

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.