Acta Psychologica最新文献

Aim: To analyze the effect of using Bach's emergency compound, Five-Flower essence, on the stress level of mothers with premature newborns.

Methods: The randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted with 117 postpartum women. They were divided into intervention (with five-flower) and control groups. Their children were admitted to a Maternity Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, from June 2019 to May 2021. The use of the Five-Flower essence was proposed during hospitalization (4 drops every 15 min four times a day) and at home (16 drops a day at pre-determined times) in the ten days after the first intervention. The pre-and post-intervention parameters were evaluated using the Instrument Parental Stress Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and cortisol analysis. Student's T, Mann-Whitney, Chi-square, Fisher's exact tests, and Generalized Estimating Equation models were used to analyze the data. The 5 % significance level was considered in statistical tests.

Results: The groups were homogeneous regarding sociodemographic, obstetric, and neonatal characteristics (p > 0.05). Mean stress scores were calculated for the control (3.75) and intervention (3.82) groups before intervention and a range was observed for the control (2.75-3.44) and intervention (2.55-3.54) groups after the intervention; the difference between groups was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Mean cortisol levels were calculated for the control (3.53) and intervention (3.45) groups before intervention and a range was observed for the control (3.38-2.75) and intervention (2.32-2.86) groups after intervention, showing distinct declines in the groups but without statistical difference (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: The use of the Five-Flower essence as a non-pharmacological therapy is effective in reducing the stress and cortisol levels in mothers of premature newborns admitted to neonatal and semi-intensive care units.

Introduction: The interaction between parents and children is a crucial determinant of adolescents' learning behavior, future orientation, and self-esteem. Moreover, positive relationships between parents and students significantly enhance these factors, promoting better academic and personal development outcomes.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the effects of parent-child contact on learning behavior, with future orientation and self-esteem serving as mediating factors. The research contributes to the existing body of literature by exploring these interconnections.

Method: A sample of 1141 students from various schools and academic levels in China participated in the study by completing an online survey. Linear regression analysis was used to examine relationships among the four main variables, and all pathways in the multiple mediation model were tested.

Results: The findings revealed that parent-child interaction positively and significantly influences future orientation ((β = 0.490, p < 0.01), self-esteem (β = 0.652, p < 0.01), and learning behavior (β = 0.673, p < 0.01).

Conclusion: This research underscores the critical role of parent-child contact, future orientation, and self-esteem in shaping students' learning behavior and their personal and professional development. The results highlight the significant and positive impact of these factors on students' academic outcomes.

Participatory approaches in education, such as syllabus negotiation, have been suggested to enhance student autonomy, engagement, and self-regulation. However, their impact on academic procrastination and engagement still needs to be explored. The main objective of the study was to investigate the impact of the negotiated syllabus on EAP learners' engagement and procrastination in a higher education context. It also aimed to explore the learners' perceptions of the effectiveness of the negotiated syllabus. A mixed-method research design was used. For the quantitative phase, six EAP classes were divided into an experimental group (n = 139), which used a negotiated syllabus, and a control group (n = 169), which followed a traditional syllabus. For the qualitative phase, 26 students from the experimental group were selected using theoretical sampling. Quantitative data were analyzed using Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA), while qualitative insights were thematically analyzed. Quantitative results revealed significant engagement improvements and reductions in procrastination for the experimental group. Students reported more significant interest in course materials, increased participation, and enhanced time management. Qualitative findings supported these outcomes, highlighting the development of reflective learning and psychological flexibility among students involved in the syllabus negotiation process. These results align with self-determination, suggesting that a negotiated syllabus fosters intrinsic motivation and self-regulation. Syllabus negotiation demonstrates the considerable potential to enhance academic behaviours and support the development of essential lifelong learning skills. It can be concluded that learners' participation in the syllabus promotes student autonomy, engagement, and adaptive learning behaviours. Findings have theoretical implications for educational psychologists and applied linguists and practical consequences for EAP teachers and learners.

The increasing need to address climate change has intensified efforts to promote green transportation options, such as cycling and public transit. Over the past few decades, gamification-the integration of game-like elements into non-game contexts to motivate and engage people in adopting new behaviors-has emerged as a strategy to encourage the use of sustainable transportation. This literature review examines how gamification has been used to drive the adoption of green transportation. Following the PRISMA methodology, 49 documents were initially screened, leading to a final selection of 14 papers. We analyze the stakeholders involved, the game elements, the external rewards (e.g., financial incentives), and persuasive strategies employed, and the overall effectiveness of these initiatives both in the short and in the long term. We also explore the relationship between game elements and persuasive approaches, offering insights into how they are related. Finally, we propose a research agenda that emphasizes the exploration of different game elements and the need for a multidisciplinary approach to designing gameful systems that promote sustainable behaviors.

The beauty or ugliness of a face is affected by factors such as the resolution of the face image presented on the screen and its exposure duration. The present study investigated the effects of image resolution and exposure duration on the beauty and ugliness evaluations of face images processed with down-sampling and Gaussian blurring. We prepared two types of face images with these blur processing treatments and conducted two experiments to evaluate beauty and ugliness perceptions at various exposure durations. The data were analyzed using linear mixed models. We found that in both cases of blurring, the more the blurring, the lower the facial beauty and the higher the ugliness perceived. We also found that the shorter the exposure duration, the higher the facial beauty and the lower the ugliness perceived. These results suggest that a positive bias is likely to occur when sufficient temporal information is unavailable, while a negative bias is more likely when image information is insufficient and there is a limited exposure duration. This highlights the importance of both exposure duration and visual clarity in shaping evaluations of facial beauty and ugliness.

Boundary-spanning behavior, which involves building relationships with external entities to achieve organizational goals, has been highlighted as a key mechanism for enhancing the inflow of external knowledge. While boundary-spanning can fuel creativity by providing employees with new resources, ideas, and inspiration, it also poses challenges, potentially depleting resources and inducing stress that hinders creativity. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory, this paper explores the dual impact of boundary-spanning on employee creativity-serving both as a facilitator and inhibitor. Through an experimental study (n = 299) and a field study (n = 331 employees, 49 supervisors), we examine how external engagement fosters or hampers creative thinking, focusing on the mechanisms of resource gain and resource drain. Our findings contribute to the understanding of how organizations can balance the demands of boundary-spanning to harness its creative potential while mitigating its negative consequences. This research provides actionable insights for businesses seeking to thrive in competitive, innovation-driven environments.

This study investigates the relationship between Chinese EFL teachers' emotion regulation, teachers' pedagogical beliefs, pedagogical practices, and their engagement. A total of 516 English teachers from diverse universities in Jiangsu Province participated in the survey, with demographic data revealing a balanced representation of gender and age groups, as well as varied teaching experience. The instruments employed included the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), Teacher Engagement Scale, Teachers' Pedagogical Beliefs Survey, and Classroom Practices Survey, all assessed for reliability and validity. Analysis utilized SPSS software (version 27) and AMOS (version 24), employing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to scrutinize the data. The findings demonstrate a significant correlation between teachers' engagement and emotion regulation, pedagogical beliefs, and practices, explaining approximately 57 % of the variation observed across subjects. This highlights the crucial role of these factors in shaping teachers' engagement and underscores the importance of addressing them holistically to enhance educational outcomes.

The study objective was to assess the effects of a five-week compassionate mind training for university students regarding symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, and self-compassion compared with an active control group. Swedish university students were randomized to a compassionate mind training group or to an active control group. The outcome measures were. the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale, the Perceived Stress Scale 14, and the Self-Compassion Scale - Short Form. All outcomes were measured pre- and post-intervention. Data were analyzed with linear mixed-effects models. The only statistically significant difference between the groups were depression symptoms (p = 0.02, d = -0.40) corresponding to a slight clinically relevant improvement. The study's results are consistent with prior research suggesting that compassionate mind training may be beneficial for alleviating depression symptoms. However, the low baseline depression levels in this sample and the short duration of the intervention may limit the generalizability and the magnitude of the findings. The small sample size and relatively homogenous group, also point to the need for larger and more diverse samples.

Purpose: An examination into the effects of maternal variables on children's emotional regulation abilities, as well as the processes that underlie these effects, may improve our ability to effectively promote the development of children's emotional regulation ability. This study looks at how maternal depression influences the relationship between mindful parenting and children's emotional regulation ability. It also investigates the potential moderating effects of the parent-child relationship. The study centers on a group of Chinese families with preschoolers.

Methods: A cohort of 556 mothers with preschoolers completed surveys to examine maternal mindful parenting, depression, parent-child relationships, and their children's emotional regulation ability. The inquiry attempted to understand the complex dynamics between the variables under consideration using moderated mediation analysis.

Results: The findings revealed that higher levels of closeness in the parent-child relationship attenuated the link between maternal mindful parenting and maternal depressive symptoms. Conversely, parent-child relationships with less conflict intensified the connections between maternal mindful parenting and both maternal depression and the emotional regulation ability of preschoolers.

Conclusion: These findings enhance comprehension regarding the interconnectedness of maternal mindful parenting and preschoolers' emotional regulation ability within the Chinese cultural and familial milieu.