Stressful Experiences Research Articles

The Double-Edged Sword of Short-Time Work: Job Insecurity, Financial Stress, and Leisure Experience during COVID-19

AbstractFor many employees, the COVID-19 pandemic-related policies triggered concerns about job security. At the same time, companies in many countries made greater use of state-financed short-time work (i.e., where employees could keep their jobs, work less or not at all, and still receive a substantial surrogate wage). Even though such a measure certainly helps mitigate negative financial effects, employees in short-time work can be expected to experience job insecurity and financial stress. It can also be assumed that the additional free time is not experienced positively in times of lockdowns and social distancing. Therefore, the effects of short-time work during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020 on employees’ perceived job insecurity, financial stress, and their leisure experience were examined in Germany. The results of a cross-sectional online study (N = 343) showed that short-time workers experienced greater job insecurity and financial stress as compared to full-time workers. Furthermore, the perception of job insecurity and financial stress among short-time workers was negatively related to satisfaction with their leisure time (i.e., leisure experience).

Fostering Improved Mental and Spiritual Health of Nursing Students During COVID and Beyond.

Nursing school is a highly stressful experience for most nursing students. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified stress levels for undergraduate students with serious impacts on mental health. Faculty acted to provide solutions such as debriefings and fostering safe places inside and outside of class where students could release negative emotions and develop positive coping skills. The integration of faith and the caring outreach by the faculty also strengthened students' emotional, mental, and spiritual health.

Sensing perceived urban stress using space syntactical and urban building density data: A machine learning-based approach

Human well-being is an essential criterion in achieving smart and sustainable cities. Given the significant influence of stress on individuals physical and mental health, various approaches have been proposed to examine the subjective experience of stress induced by the urban built environment and its effects on human well-being. Nevertheless, conducting assessments on a large scale continues to be a significant obstacle, particularly in today's context of rapid urbanization. This study utilized advancements in Machine Learning (ML) to develop a method for measuring perceived stress by analyzing urban building density, space syntactic characteristics, and visual features of the built environment. Through the utilization of ML models, a predictive approach has been developed that can capture the perceived stress levels of urban dwellers. The results are verified with public survey data, with R2 reaching 0.698 obtained by evaluating the mean stress scores of 25 districts in Seoul city. The findings demonstrate that the proposed approach can effectively measure perceived stress, enabling urban planners to analyze the spatial pattern of perceived stress and the influence of the built environment on this perception. This work expands current approaches, which concentrate solely on parks, open spaces, or streetscapes, by developing a more comprehensive predictive model for measuring perceived stress levels in various urban areas.

Physiological and communicative emotional disconcordance in children on the autism spectrum

BackgroundIndividuals on the autism spectrum commonly have differences from non-autistic people in expressing their emotions using communicative behaviors, such as facial expressions. However, it is not yet clear if this reduced expressivity stems from reduced physiological reactivity in emotional contexts or if individuals react internally, but do not show these reactions externally to others. We hypothesized that autism is characterized by a discordance between in-the-moment internal psychophysiological arousal and external communicative expressions of emotion.MethodsForty-one children on the autism spectrum and 39 non-autistic, typically developing (TD) children of two age groups (2–4 and 8–12 years) participated in a low-level stress task whilst wearing a wireless electrocardiogram. Children’s negative emotional expressions (facial, vocal, bodily) were coded following standardized protocols. Alexithymia traits were assessed using the Children’s Alexithymia Measure with school-aged children only. Data analyses involved ANOVAs, correlations, and sensitivity analyses.ResultsThere were no group differences in physiological arousal (heart rate) or in communicative expressions of stress to the stress task. For TD preschoolers, physiological arousal during the stress task was associated with vocal expressions and for TD school-aged children, they were associated with facial and bodily expressions. By contrast, for children on the autism spectrum, physiological arousal during the stress tasks was not associated with communicative expressions across age groups.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that children on the autism spectrum might experience emotional disconcordance, in that their physiological arousal does not align with their communicative expressions. Therefore, the internally experienced stress of children on the autism spectrum may be inadvertently missed by teachers and caregivers and, consequently, learning opportunities for teaching emotional communication and regulation may be also missed. Our results support the use of wearable biosensors to facilitate such interventions in children on the autism spectrum.

Stress experiences of women in policing: A scoping review

Policewomen can be significantly impacted by stress, resulting in mental health challenges. Although numerous studies have explored experiences among women in policing, few have focused on the stress that can accompany these experiences and their impacts. We conducted a scoping review of stress among policewomen to explore and summarize the current breadth of research in this area and identify potential knowledge gaps and opportunities for further study. Ten databases were searched to identify relevant literature. Manual searches of reference lists and book chapters were also completed. Twenty-five peer-reviewed articles, one book chapter, one thesis, and one dissertation were included in the current review. An inductive thematic analysis was completed, and six categories relating to policewomen's workplace stress experiences and their impacts were identified. The categories included gendered institutions, gender identity and gendered roles in policing, sexual harassment and discriminatory experiences, organizational relationships between gender, career progression and promotion, policewomen and parenting, organizational change, and stressors and associated health effects for women police officers. Although the experiences were thoroughly described, their connection to stress and the effects on mental health were not. Robust research into the overall impacts of workplace stress on policewomen's mental health is needed, including exploring generative mechanisms capable of producing the stress experiences and resulting mental health challenges to develop appropriate policies, practices, and interventions.

A qualitative study exploring the perinatal experiences of social stress among first- and second-generation immigrant parents in Quebec, Canada

BackgroundPerinatal psychological distress adversely impacts the well-being and social adjustment of parents and their children. Expectant parents who have migrated may be at higher risk for perinatal psychological distress due to various migration-specific stressors and healthcare service barriers. Limited studies have examined the perceived determinants of perinatal distress in immigrant parents, particularly men. This study explored first and second-generation immigrant parents’ lived experiences of social stressors and facilitators of perinatal psychological well-being.MethodsParticipants were recruited by convenience and purposive sampling as part of a larger study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually with first and second-generation immigrant women and men in Quebec, Canada. An inductive thematic analysis was performed.ResultsSixteen women (age = 34.8 ± 3.7 years) and ten men (age = 35.1 ± 4.9 years) from various ethnic backgrounds participated in the study at 7.4 ± 0.73 and 7.5 ± 0.72 months postpartum, respectively. Three themes were identified: (1) cultural pressures (cultural differences in parenting, gender-related cultural pressures, health and baby-related practices), (2) health and social service access (social benefits and resources, and systemic barriers in health care), and (3) discrimination (physical appearance or parental-related discrimination, gender-related discrimination, ethnic-related discrimination). First-generation immigrant parents reported greater acculturative stress (i.e. mental health stigma, health care access) and ethnic discrimination concerns related to their distress. Among men, barriers include feeling as though the paternal role was devalued by society and not receiving consideration by health care.ConclusionsOur results highlight different social factors of perinatal well-being perceived by men and women from various ethnic and immigration backgrounds during the perinatal period. Perceived factors include macro-level factors, such as a country’s social climate, health and social policies and services, and social aspects of acculturative stress. Our findings suggest the need for continued efforts to challenge and eliminate discriminatory practices. Interventions and resources directed at first-generation immigrant parents should be bolstered. Understanding what parents perceive to facilitate or hinder their psychological well-being can help inform the development of tailored evidence-based programs and policies to better meet the mental health needs of Canadians and reduce gender disparities in the treatment of perinatal distress.

Enduring Neurobiological Consequences of Early-Life Stress: Insights from Rodent Behavioral Paradigms.

Stress profoundly affects physical and mental health, particularly when experienced early in life. Early-life stress (ELS) encompasses adverse childhood experiences such as abuse, neglect, violence, or chronic poverty. These stressors can induce long-lasting changes in brain structure and function, impacting areas involved in emotion regulation, cognition, and stress response. Consequently, individuals exposed to high levels of ELS are at an increased risk for mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders, as well as physical health issues, including metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. This review explores the biological and psychological consequences of early-life adversity paradigms in rodents, such as maternal separation or deprivation and limited bedding or nesting. The study of these experimental models have revealed that the organism's response to ELS is complex, involving genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, and is associated with the dysregulation of physiological systems like the nervous, neuroendocrine, and immune systems, in a sex-dependent fashion. Understanding the impact of ELS is crucial for developing effective interventions and preventive strategies in humans exposed to stressful or traumatic experiences in childhood.

“Home Is the Mouth of a Shark”: Trauma and the Needs of Students from Refugee Backgrounds from the Perspective of Boundary Spanning Refugee Resettlement Workers

This research project examines the experiences of four individuals working in refugee resettlement and their perspectives on the educational needs of refugee students, given their role as boundary spanners. They also discuss the need for teachers to encourage students to use the Funds of Knowledge in the classroom. Participants discuss their varied experience as professionals in refugee resettlement, with two being refugees and one being an immigrant. This paper (1) explores the stress associated with relocation, (2) delves into the mental health issues faced by individuals from refugee backgrounds, emphasizing trauma, (3) analyzes how inefficiencies and lack of support within the public school system contribute to a stressful and ineffective experience for all parties involved, and (4) highlights the importance of human connection. The implications for future research are also discussed with particular attention paid to the need to actively work with other stakeholders.

Rate and sociodemographic correlates of depression, anxiety, and stress among domestic and overseas medical students: A cross-sectional observation from a private medical college in Bangladesh.

Depression, anxiety, and stress are the commonly encountered mental health conditions among medical students. Overseas environment may add additional burden to the existing environment. However, comparison of the rate and associated factors of depression, anxiety, stress among domestic and overseas students has not been attempted in Bangladesh. We aimed to assess the rate and associated factors of depression, anxiety, stress among domestic and overseas medical students in the country. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 360 undergraduate medical students in 2021. Data were collected by self-reporting instruments by a stratified random sampling method by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 scale. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were done by computing crude odds ratio and adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval to identify the associated factors. Among the 360 undergraduate medical students, 181 were domestic and 179 overseas ones. 44.8% of domestic students reported depressive symptoms, 45.3% reported anxiety symptoms, and 33.1% reported stress. On the other hand, half of overseas students experienced depression (50.3%) and anxiety (52.5%), and 41.3% experienced stress. Female medical students were found vulnerable for developing depression, anxiety, and stress than males. The study revealed higher rates of depression, anxiety, and stress among overseas undergraduate medical students enrolled in a private medical school of Bangladesh. Private medical college authorities could consider special services for overseas students to ensure adequate psychosocial support.

ROLE STRESS DAN TURNOVER INTENTION: STUDI EMPIRIS MENGGUNAKAN PERSPEKTIF TEORI PERAN

As professionals, Tax Consultants and their employees within a Tax Consulting Office (KKP) provide education, development, and thorough planning to ensure the successful implementation of tax obligations. Differences in opinions between taxpayers and fiscal authorities also represent situations where Tax Consultants and their employees cannot escape role stress in their jobs. This is due to boundary-spanning activities (BSA) that are highly susceptible to role stress. The experienced stress can trigger discomfort at work, thus increasing the desire to change jobs and seek other employment alternatives. In this context, turnover intentions can be triggered by role stress. The population in this study includes all Tax Consultants working at the Tax Consulting Offices (KKP) in Bali Province who hold a practice license. The sample was selected using the purposive sampling method. The selection criteria for the sample members were: (1) active status not limited by position, whether as Partner, Manager/Assistant Manager, Supervisor, or Junior Consultant; (2) a minimum of one year of employment. Primary data was gathered through questionnaires and then processed using SPSS statistical software to determine whether hypotheses were rejected or accepted. The variables used in the study will each be detailed in indicators and subsequently transformed into questionnaire items in the research instrument. Data collection involved questionnaires followed by validity and reliability tests. The data analysis technique used was multiple linear regression. The study's findings indicate that tax consultants' intentions to leave their jobs are affected by role conflict, role ambiguity, and role overload, partially and simultaneously.

Temporal Dynamics of Stress, Affect, and Abdominal Pain in IBS: Insights from a Clinical Sample

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has a complex aetiology involving biological and psychological alterations. Among others, stress seems to be a relevant factor for IBS symptom onset and exacerbation. Affective changes can be related to symptom severity and stressful experiences and may be valuable for therapeutic purposes. The aim of this study was to examine temporal dynamics of affect, stress, and symptom severity (specifically abdominal pain) in a sample of IBS patients. Thirty-two outpatients kept a diary with a set of short questionnaires (Affect scale, Symptom severity scale, and Daily stress measure) once a day, in the evening, for 14 days. Abdominal pain was modeled as a function of between-person, concurrent and lagged within-person effect of stress and affect controlling for autoregressive pain effects. Positive and negative affect exhibited concurrent effects on abdominal pain while stress did not. Daily variation in positive affect was associated with a decrease in pain while the opposite was true for negative affect. Positive and negative affect models explained over 40% of the variation in daily abdominal pain. Even though the models had a good fit, the amount of variance explained by positive and negative affect alone was relatively small (~7%) with high interindividual heterogeneity. It seems that day-to-day stress variations do not have a direct impact on abdominal pain, while affective dynamics appear closely related to pain variations.

Examining the impact of daily discrimination on alcohol use among racially diverse, trauma-exposed sexually minoritized adults: A pilot study.

Identity-based stress and trauma are key drivers of alcohol use-related health inequities among minoritized people. Research on intersectional experiences of identity-based stress and alcohol use among trauma-exposed minoritized people is scant. This pilot study used a 30-day diary design to examine the effect of identity-based discrimination exposure on alcohol use in a racially diverse sample of trauma-exposed sexual minoritized (SM) adults (N = 47; 63.8% cisgender female; 65.2% Black, Indigenous, and People of Color [BIPOC]). Multilevel logistic regression models were used to evaluate whether days marked by any (vs. no) identity-based discrimination were concurrently or prospectively associated with increased likelihood of reporting a higher (vs. lower) level of drinking-and whether these associations differed by race/ethnicity. Discrimination was associated with increased likelihood of reporting a higher level of same-day drinking (B = 0.91, p = .03), but did not predict next-day drinking. BIPOC (vs. White) individuals were less likely to report a higher drinking level on or following nondiscrimination days (Bs = -2.18 to -1.52, ps ≤ .005), but more likely to do so on or following discrimination days (Bs = 1.13-1.60, ps ≤ .03). Results suggest that everyday discrimination may create insidious risk for coping-motivated alcohol use among SM BIPOC, a subgroup that otherwise exhibits resilience with respect to drinking. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

A Study To Assess The Level Of Anxiety, Coping Strategies And Financial Burden Among The Spouses Of Alcoholics Attending De-Addiction Centre At Selected Hospital In Kolkata, West Bengal

Background: Alcoholism is one of the significant problems in India. It is a chronic progressive and often fatal disease but it has not a symptom like other diseases or emotional problems. Prolonged heavy use of alcohol is the cause of addiction. For this addiction higher anxiety level, depression, low self-esteem and communication apprehension have been reported in spouses of alcoholics and attributed to intense, stress and traumas experiences. [1] The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates (9th May 2022) that there are about Worldwide, 3 million deaths every year result from harmful use of alcohol. This represents 5.3% of all deaths. The excessive use of alcohol is one of the main causes of more than 200 disease and injury conditions. Overall, 5.1% of the global burden of disease and injury is attributable to alcohol, as measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). A cause of death and disability relatively early in life is alcohol consumption. In people aged 20–39 years, approximately 13.5% of total deaths are attributable to alcohol. [9] Materials and Methods: A descriptive survey research design was adopted in this study. Non-probability Convenience sampling technique was used to select 100 spouses of alcoholics attending de-addiction centre of R. G. Kar M. C. H. Kolkata and de-addiction centre of N. R. S. M. C. H., Kolkata. Result: The findings revealed that majority of the subject 70% experiencing moderate level of anxiety, majority of the subject 76% adapted moderate coping strategies and majority of the subject 87% experiencing moderate financial burden. There was no relation between the level of anxiety and coping strategies among the spouses of alcoholics. There was a statistical significant association between anxiety with the selected socio demographic variables as educational qualification (χ2= 4.842 df =1, p>0.05), duration of marriage (χ2=4.762, df=1, p>0.05). Conclusion: Alcoholism had the negative effects towards the individual, family and also the nations. Lower education, loss of job, unemployment, unsocial behaves were also the effect of alcoholism. Awareness about the adverse effect of alcohol can prevent the alcoholism, thus reduce the level of anxiety of the spouses

Early Adversity and Socioeconomic Factors in Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis: A Case-Control Study.

Psychosocial adversity and stress, known to predispose adults to neurodegenerative and inflammatory immune disorders, are widespread among children who experience socioeconomic disadvantage, and the associated neurotoxicity and proinflammatory profile may predispose these children to multiple sclerosis (MS). We sought to determine associations of socioeconomic disadvantage and psychosocial adversity with odds of pediatric-onset MS (POMS), age at POMS onset, and POMS disease activity. This case-control study used data collected across 17 sites in the United States by the Environmental and Genetic Risk Factors for Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Study. Cases (n = 381) were youth aged 3-21 years diagnosed with POMS or a clinically isolated demyelinating syndrome indicating high risk of MS. Frequency-matched controls (n = 611) aged 3-21 years were recruited from the same institutions. Prenatal and postnatal adversity and postnatal socioeconomic factors were assessed using retrospective questionnaires and zip code data. The primary outcome was MS diagnosis. Secondary outcomes were age at onset, relapse rate, and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Predictors were maternal education, maternal prenatal stress events, child separation from caregivers during infancy and childhood, parental death during childhood, and childhood neighborhood disadvantage. MS cases (64% female, mean age 15.4 years, SD 2.8) were demographically similar to controls (60% female, mean age 14.9 years, SD 3.9). Cases were less likely to have a mother with a bachelor's degree or higher (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.22-0.80, p = 0.009) and were more likely to experience childhood neighborhood disadvantage (OR 1.04 for each additional point on the neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage score, 95% CI 1.00-1.07; p = 0.025). There were no associations of the socioeconomic variables with age at onset, relapse rate, or EDSS, or of prenatal or postnatal adverse events with risk of POMS, age at onset, relapse rate, or EDSS. Low socioeconomic status at the neighborhood level may increase the risk of POMS while high parental education may be protective against POMS. Although we did not find associations of other evaluated prenatal or postnatal adversities with POMS, future research should explore such associations further by assessing a broader range of stressful childhood experiences.

Neural and immune interactions linking early life stress and anhedonia

Early experiences of stress and adversity are associated with blunted reward sensitivity and altered reward learning. Meanwhile, anhedonia is characterized by impairments in reward processing, including motivation, effort, and pleasure. Early life stress (ELS) and anhedonia share psychological, behavioral, and neurobiological correlates, and the system-level interactions that give rise to anhedonia have yet to be fully appreciated. The proposed framework uses a multilevel, multisystem approach to aid in understanding neural-immune interactions that link ELS and anhedonia. The interactions linking anhedonia and ELS presented here include reduced reward sensitivity, alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response, elevated inflammatory cytokines or physiological markers of stress, and blunted reward circuitry functioning along the mesocorticolimbic pathway. The clinical implications and areas for future research are also discussed. Ultimately, this research may inform the development of more specific and individualized treatments for anhedonia.

Prior Negative Experience Biases Activity of Medial Amygdala during Interstrain Social Engagement in Male Rats.

Social recognition is an essential part of social function and often promotes specific social behaviors based on prior experience. Social and defensive behaviors in particular often emerge with prior experiences of familiarity or novelty/stress, respectively. This is also commonly seen in rodents toward same-strain and interstrain conspecifics. Medial amygdala (MeA) activity guides social choice based on age and sex recognition and is sensitive to social experiences. However, little is known about whether the MeA exhibits differential responses based on strain or how this is impacted by experience. Social stress impacts posterior MeA (MeAp) function and can shift measures of social engagement. However, it is unclear how stress impacts MeAp activity and contributes to altered social behavior. The primary goal of this study in adult male Sprague Dawley rats was to determine whether prior stress experience with a different-strain (Long-Evans) rat impacts MeAp responses to same-strain and different-strain conspecifics in parallel with a change in behavior using in vivo fiber photometry. We found that MeAp activity was uniformly activated during social contact with a novel same-strain rat during a three-chamber social preference test following control handling but became biased toward a novel different-strain rat following social stress. Socially stressed rats also showed initially heightened social interaction with novel same-strain rats but showed social avoidance and fragmented social behavior with novel different-strain rats relative to controls. These results indicate that heightened MeAp activity may guide social responses to novel, threatening, rather than non-threatening, social stimuli after stress.

Assessing the Impact of Psychological Readiness on Performance and Symmetry in Functional Testing After ACL Reconstruction in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients.

Readiness for return to sports involves both physical and psychological aspects of recovery; however, the relationship between psychological and physical variables after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) is poorly understood. ACLR patients with a higher psychological readiness would demonstrate better functional testing results at 6 months. Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Participants were evaluated at 6 months after ACLR with various patient-reported outcome metrics: Hospital for Special Surgery Pediatric Functional Activity Brief Scale, pediatric or adult International Knee Documentation Committee Questionnaire (IKDC), Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) - Psychological Stress Experience and ACL - Return to Sport After Injury (ACL-RSI) scale. Functional testing included quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteal strength testing; Y-balance test; single-leg single hop, crossover hop, and triple hop tests; and timed 6-m hop test. Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariable regression were used to determine associations between the limb symmetry index (LSI) on functional testing and patient-reported outcomes. Those with LSI deficits <20% (better performance) were compared with those with deficits >20% (worse performance). A total of 229 participants (89 male, 140 female) with a median age of 17 years (range, 10.3-30.6 years) were enrolled. IKDC had a moderate negative correlation with PROMIS - Psychological Stress Experience (r = -0.39; 95% CI = -0.49, -0.27; P < .001) and a moderate positive correlation with ACL-RSI (r = 0.55; 95% CI = 0.46, 0.64; P < .001). A total of 151 patients completed functional testing. ACL-RSI demonstrated a positive correlation with single-hop LSI (r = 0.21; 95% CI = 0.05, 0.35; P = .01) and timed 6-m hop (r = 0.28; 95% CI, 0.42; P = .001). When adjusting for sex, age, and graft type, patients who had <20% deficit on the single-hop test scored 16.6 points higher on ACL-RSI (P = .001), and those with <20% deficit on crossover hop testing scored a mean 13.9 points higher on ACL-RSI (P = .04). Higher psychological readiness for return to sport was associated with better performance and greater symmetry on hop testing 6 months after ACLR, suggesting a potential link between physical and psychological recovery.

The Effects of Visual Arts and Animated Film Therapy in Managing Emotional Fatigue in Preschool Children Hospitalized in the Pediatric Ward of RSUD Poso

Preschool-aged children who experience hospitalization in a pediatric ward often face a variety of emotional challenges, including emotional exhaustion. Hospitalization is a frightening and stressful experience for children, especially when they are separated from their family and peers. Visual art and animation film therapy have been recognized as effective therapeutic methods for addressing children's emotional exhaustion and stress. Visual arts play therapy allows children to express their feelings, overcome anxiety, and build emotional connections with their surroundings. The study aimed to look at the effects of visual art play therapy and animated films on managing emotional exhaustion in hospitalized preschool-age children. The data were collected through observation, interviews, and questionnaires given to parents. The result obtained by the treatment group's mean emotional exhaustion score before the action was 32.20, and after the action was 21.80. Wilcoxon statistical analysis, p-value = 0.001. So, it is concluded that there is a significant decrease in children's emotional exhaustion before and after therapy. The conclusion of this study can help improve the care and well-being of preschool children who experience hospitalization, as well as provide valuable insights for health practitioners and educators in supporting the emotional development of children in challenging medical situations.

EFL Learners’ Use of Data-driven Learning and their Attitudes in the Improvement of English-speaking Skills

The use of data-driven learning (DDL) to improve the English-speaking skills of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) remains rare. Hence, this research examines whether two types of DDL – namely, hands-on DDL using the computer software directly and hands-off DDL using paper-based materials – can improve vocabulary production in the English speaking of EFL learners. The EFL learners’ attitudes toward both types of DDL were also examined. A total of 45 Thai EFL learners were involved in this research; they were divided equally into two experimental groups, one using hands-on DDL and hands-off DDL, and one control group. A questionnaire and interviews were used to examine the EFL learners’ attitudes toward DDL and a paired sample t-test and a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted. The results reveal that both hands-on and hands-off DDL approaches significantly improved vocabulary production in the EFL learners’ spoken English. In addition, the hands-on DDL had a significant effect on the quantity (sig. = .000, p &lt;0.05), accuracy (sig. = .000, p &lt;0.05), and complexity (sig. = .000, p &lt;0.05) of the participants’ vocabulary production, while the hands-off DDL only had a significant effect on the accuracy (sig. = .000, p &lt;0.05) of vocabulary production. Furthermore, although the EFL learners had relatively positive attitudes toward DDL, less enjoyable experiences were also noted. Experiences of boredom and stress while using DDL were reported, and the participants did not consider DDL to be suitable for all EFL learners.

Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms and Stressful Life Events: An Evaluation of Gene-Environment Interplay

BackgroundBorderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with high rates of stressful life events (SLEs). It is unclear whether people who experience SLEs have more BPD symptoms after accounting for the effects of familial risk factors. Our aims in the current study were to 1) create a predictive model of BPD using stressors across age and contexts and 2) examine whether SLEs resulted in higher levels of BPD symptoms beyond the effects of genetic and environmental risk factors. MethodsThe sample comprised 2801 twins from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health Twin Panel. Poisson regression was used to explore which SLEs predicted BPD symptoms. Elastic net penalized regression was conducted to develop a predictive model for SLEs and BPD symptoms. Co-twin control analyses were performed to differentiate between environmental and genetic factors. ResultsSLEs experienced during childhood and adulthood were associated with BPD symptoms. A weighted polyevent risk score explained 22% of the total variation in symptoms. Shared environmental and heritable factors explained 31% and 47% of individual differences in BPD symptomatology, respectively. Measured SLEs explained 42% of the shared environmental risk for BPD. The predictive risk of SLEs for BPD was reduced when shared environmental and genetic factors were accounted for. However, SLEs increased risk of BPD symptoms beyond the effects of shared genetic and environmental factors. ConclusionsBPD symptomatology following SLEs cannot fully be explained by genetic and shared environmental factors. The SLE-BPD symptoms associations were primarily due to selection by family environments. It is important to identify familial factors that lead to both SLEs and BPD symptoms. SLEs remained associated with BPD symptoms beyond genetic and environmental confounding.