European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education最新文献

Background: The prevalence of mental health disorders calls for valid and reliable instruments that are easy to administer and assess for clinicians and researchers. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) is a commonly used instrument to assess psychological distress; however, model fit and internal reliability issues have been reported. Our objective was to assess the factorial and structural validity of the DASS-21.

Methods: A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on the full sample (n = 1036) to assess the proposed three-factor DASS-21 using a priori cut-off values. Because model fit indices were not met, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to identify a parsimonious model. The resulting three-factor structure (i.e., DASS-9) was then assessed using CFA and multigroup invariance testing procedures.

Results: The proposed three-factor DASS-21 did not meet model fit criteria. The DASS-9 did meet recommended model fit criteria and was invariant between sex, injury status, mental health diagnosis, and activity level groups. Statistically different group means were found between mental health diagnosis and activity level groups, while no differences between sex or injury status groups were found.

Conclusions: The current study provides support to use a condensed DASS-21 instrument, such as the DASS-9. Future research is necessary to establish the DASS-9 prior to its adoption in research and clinical practice. Additionally, there is a need to identify and review all condensed versions of the DASS-21, so individuals know which instrument can be used for clinical or research purposes.

Fears of negative evaluation (FNEs) and fears of positive evaluation (FPEs) comprise a bivalent model of evaluation that can explain the aetiology and maintenance of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). In this study, we examined an extended version of this model which incorporates two related cognitive processes (concerns about reprisal and discounting of positive outcomes) as partial mediators of the effects of FNEs and FPEs. We built on earlier work by including a broader measure of social anxiety across different social situations and comparing models for groups of participants with and without probable SAD. Structural equation modelling was utilised to test the model in a sample of 890 university students (74.8% female, mean age 29.49). We replicated the findings of Cook et al. in the overall sample and in the group with probable SAD. FNEs and FPEs predicted social anxiety directly and were serially mediated by concerns about reprisal and discounting positive outcomes. The model was also a good fit for those without SAD; however, in the model, FNEs were no longer a direct predictor of social anxiety. The findings confirm the utility of the extended bivalent model and have implications for psychoevolutionary accounts of social anxiety.

The sense of school belonging plays an important role in students' academic, behavioural, and psychological outcomes. Based on a systematic review, following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines and examining 86 studies conducted between 1990 and February 2023, the article addresses two research questions: (a) what are the predictors of the sense of school belonging at the individual, micro, meso, exo, macro, and chrono levels of the bioecological model of human development; (b) do these predictors differ based on students' individual characteristics, and if so, how. The findings reveal individual factors as important predictors of school belonging and indicate the lack of studies that take into consideration the interplay of different (micro, meso, exo, macro, chrono) levels in addressing the sense of school belonging. Considering the complexity and multi-factorial nature of the sense of school belonging, it calls upon further research, which would support the development of evidence-based interventions for fostering school belonging among different groups of students, particularly those who are at risk of feeling alienated from school, and thus promote equity in education.

Parents of children With Special Needs and Disabilities (W-SND) who require long-term healthcare are at high risk of Parental Burnout (PB). However, most studies have focused on PB among parents of children Without Special Needs (WO-SN). This study aimed to develop a new model explaining PB of mothers of children W-SND/WO-SN. The main hypothesis was that the nexus of correlations between risk factors of PB (severity of child's disability/challenge, perceived caregiver burden) and protective resources (social support, learned resourcefulness, deep emotion work) will explain the variance of PB of mothers of children W-SND and WO-SN. A questionnaire assessing PB, its risk factors, and protective resources was completed by 352 Israeli mothers of children W-SND (mean age 36.9) or WO-SN (mean age 32.3). The child's disabilities were communicative, physical, intellectual and developmental. The main results are that mothers of children W-SND reported higher PB, higher caregiver burden, and a higher severity of disability. About 50% of PB variance was significantly explained by the nexus of correlations between selected risk and protective factors. Among all mothers, the more social support they received, the higher their learned-resourcefulness. However, learned resourcefulness mediates the correlation between caregiver burden and PB among mothers of children W-SND. Accordingly, it is important to increase awareness among healthcare professionals regarding the risk factors and symptoms of PB, and to develop workshops on protective resources in order to prevent PB and promote mothers' well-being. Further research should be conducted among fathers and parents from diverse cultures.

In the contemporary era, Computational Thinking has emerged as a crucial skill for individuals to possess in order to thrive in the 21st century. In this context, there is a need to develop a methodology for cultivating these skills within a science and mathematics content education framework, particularly among pre-service teachers. This study aimed to investigate the impact of Educational Robotics on the development of Computational Thinking skills, with a particular focus on the role of gender, through a scientific and mathematical content teaching approach. A pre-experimental design with a quantitative approach was employed, and it was implemented with a total of 116 pre-service teachers, 38 males and 78 females. The results demonstrated a notable enhancement between the pre-test (8.11) and post-test (9.63) scores, emphasising specific concepts such as simple functions, while, and compound conditional. With respect to gender, statistically significant differences were identified prior to the intervention, but not following its implementation. The high level of Computational Thinking exhibited by both genders was comparable (53.85% in females and 55.26% in males) following the intervention. This indicates that the intervention is a promising approach for enhancing Computational Thinking proficiency, independent of gender and initial proficiency levels. The implementation of Educational Robotics in the teaching of science and mathematics enables the enhancement of Computational Thinking abilities among pre-service teachers, while reducing the observed gender disparity in this area of skill development.

Over the past decade, there has been an intensified emphasis on STEM education to correspond with the goals of twenty-first century education. Educators play a vital role in executing a cohesive approach to interdisciplinary teaching and learning; hence, considerable focus has been directed towards the elements influencing teachers' attitudes. The study aimed to provide empirical evidence illustrating the significant influence of teachers' readiness on predicting attitudes. This was achieved by developing a conceptual model that explores the factors affecting individuals' attitudes towards teaching STEM courses. The emphasis was put on self-efficacy, commitment, cognitive readiness, emotional readiness, and teaching attitudes. A total of 494 Greek primary and secondary education teachers participated electronically in the survey, answering according to the TRi_STEM and TASET scales. The validity of the conceptual model was evaluated using a structural equation model (SEM). The results demonstrated a positive association among all six factors. More notably, general attitudes towards teaching impact positively, either directly or indirectly, the four readiness variables and, finally, teachers' attitudes towards STEM education. The current study contributes to the existing body of the literature by identifying and analyzing critical attributes that substantially impact teachers' attitudes towards teaching STEM courses.

Asthma and ADHD represent prevalent pediatric conditions, with the former being a physical disorder and the latter being a neurodevelopmental disorder. This study examined the influence of parental psychological flexibility (PF)-the ability to adapt to evolving situational demands, shift perspectives, and balance competing priorities-alongside parenting competence and asthma management self-efficacy on family functioning and parental psychological adjustment in families with children exhibiting concurrent asthma and ADHD symptoms. Baseline data were analyzed from 130 parents (mean age = 40.3 years, SD = 5.5; 88.9% mothers) of children diagnosed with both asthma and ADHD (mean age = 8.0 years, SD = 2.2; 74.6% boys), who were participating in a randomized controlled trial evaluating an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based parenting intervention. An adjusted structural equation model revealed that greater parental psychological inflexibility was significantly associated with poorer family functioning (β = -0.61, 95% CI [-0.74, -0.33], p < 0.001) and increased psychological maladjustment (β = 0.48, 95% CI [0.32, 0.63], p < 0.001), accounting for intercorrelations with parenting competence and parental asthma management self-efficacy. Additionally, parental psychological flexibility was found to mediate the relationship between parenting competence and both family functioning and psychological adjustment. These findings underscore the importance of targeting parental psychological inflexibility and enhancing parenting competence in interventions to improve family dynamics and parental mental health and thereby suggest a shift from the traditional focus on self-efficacy in symptom management for pediatric asthma and ADHD.

The objective of this study was to compare the perspectives of psychiatrists, psychologists, and theologians on schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and antisocial personality disorder. A cross-sectional research design was utilized, involving a random sample selected from the official registries of these professionals. The findings revealed significant differences in how these groups conceptualize mental disorders. The preferred concepts varied depending on the specific disorder. For instance, when it came to schizophrenia, psychiatrists showed a greater inclination towards the psychodynamic concept compared to psychologists, who leaned more towards the cognitive and social constructivist concepts. In the case of depression, psychiatrists favored biological, psychodynamic, and spiritual concepts, while psychologists tended to prefer the cognitive concept. Theologians consistently favored the spiritual concept across all four diagnoses, in comparison to both psychiatrists and psychologists. This research holds significant value for both theoretical understanding and practical applications, and future studies should consider incorporating qualitative, in-depth research to explore the complexities of these concepts related to mental disorders.

FOB (fresh-off-the-boat) is a term used to refer to unassimilated immigrants or sojourners, which has created a divide within the Asian community. In this study, we coined the term FOBism, a form of internalized racism (or appropriated racial oppression) that intersects with assimilation, and we developed a measure of FOBism. We created a 14-item, 3-factor FOBism Scale and evaluated its psychometric properties among a sample of 296 Asians in the United States. Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) was utilized to select items and evaluate the factorial validity. Results yielded a strong factor structure, internal consistency reliability, and construct validity. Construct validity was demonstrated through FOBism scores' positive correlations with measures of within-group discrimination and internalized racism, and negative associations with an Asian cultural orientation. The FOBism Scale is a promising measure that could be used as an assessment tool and to raise awareness of the phenomenon.

(1) Background: The observational retrospective study aimed to investigate the prevalence of personality disorders (PDs) and their association with psychopathological symptoms in a group of patients with cocaine addiction. (2) Methods: Ninety-five medical records of the Pathological Addictions Service of the National Health Service of Lecce (Italy) were analyzed. PDs were diagnosed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorders (SCID-II) and psychopathological symptoms were investigated through the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R). (3) Results: Ninety-two out of ninety-five patients met the criteria for at least one PD (96.8%), almost 35% had two Cluster B PDs, and over 25% had three Cluster B PDs. Nine out of ninety-five people met the criteria for all Cluster B PDs. Among the Cluster B PDs, it emerged that the most frequent diagnosis was that of narcissistic-borderline-antisocial (over 20% of the total sample). The analysis highlighted that mental suffering is prevalent in those with multiple comorbid Cluster B PDs. Specifically, depression and psychoticism exceed the clinical cut-off (T score > 63) in all patient groups. At the same time, anxiety and obsessions-compulsions are complained of only by those with more than two PDs as well as the level of general distress. Furthermore, anxiety, hostility, and paranoid ideation are significantly higher in the group of patients with more than three PDs. (4) Conclusions: Further studies should better investigate the relationship between the two aspects and describe the causal effects of PDs on psychopathological symptoms or, on the contrary, the effects of the substance on mental health and the worsening of personality alterations.