Individualism-Collectivism (I-C) indices do not mediate the negative association between non-referent downward counterfactual thinking and prevention pride in Australian university students

<ns3:p>Non-referent downward counterfactual thinking pertains to visualising how life events could have turned out for the worse without identifying who is blameworthy for the negative outcome. A key question is whether its link to prevention pride corresponds to the direction articulated in the Functional Theory – that is, in general, downward counterfactual thinking is positively associated with prevention goal-attainment, and this could be facilitated by greater adherence to social norms that maintain the status quo. This research question was investigated in a cross-sectional study using a sample of Australian university students (<ns3:italic>N</ns3:italic> = 209, <ns3:italic>M<ns3:sub>age</ns3:sub> </ns3:italic> = 24.48, <ns3:italic>SD</ns3:italic> = 8.23; <ns3:italic>Range</ns3:italic> = 18-56). Contrary to the Functional Theory of Counterfactual Thinking, it was found that more frequent non-referent downward counterfactual thinking was associated with lower prevention pride. Non-referent downward counterfactuals did not significantly predict Individualism-Collectivism indices (<ns3:italic>i.e.</ns3:italic>, social harmony, self-control, social identification, and social sharing of recognition). Amongst the I-C indices, only social identification and social sharing of recognition were found to be significantly positively and negatively associated with prevention pride, respectively. However, the I-C indices did not mediate the negative association between non-referent downward counterfactual thinking and prevention pride. Therapeutic implications were discussed in relation to the “wake-up call” principle to help individuals take preventative actions in the future.</ns3:p>