Frequency Of Help Research Articles

Academic support from teachers and parents during grade 2: Links to teacher perceived children's task persistence

The present study investigated the interplay between teachers' (n = 40) and parents' (n = 606) self-reported quantity (frequency of help), and quality (positive affect while assisting a child) of academic support and teacher rated children's task persistence (n = 647). In the fall semester of Grade 2 children completed academic performance tests. Teachers and parents filled out questionnaires in the fall and spring semesters of Grade 2. First, the results showed that the frequency of teachers' and parents' help did not significantly predict teacher perceived children's task persistence, whereas teachers' and parents' positive affect while assisting a child contributed to the children's higher task persistence. Second, the results revealed that the effect of the frequency of teachers' help on teacher perceived children's task persistence is moderated by their positive affect while assisting a child. Finally, teachers and parents responded to lower children's task persistence by providing more frequent help, and parents responded with more positive affect when children's task persistence was high. Educational relevance statementThe current study confirms that both home and school contexts play a meaningful role in second graders' task persistence development by simultaneously taking into account the effect of the quantity (frequency of help) and quality (positive affect) of teachers' and parents' academic support. Results suggest that teachers' and parents' quality of academic support (positive affect) is critical in shaping more persistent children's behavior with the tasks according to the teachers' reports. Meanwhile, while the frequency of help seems not to have a unique effect on teacher perceived children's task persistence, it appears significant in interaction with teachers' positive affect, indicating that children remain the most persistent with the tasks when teachers are high in positive affect (joy and satisfaction) and low in the frequency of help. Further, as teachers' and parents' academic support is significant for teacher perceived children's task persistence, teacher perceived children's task persistence also seems to be an important factor in evoking teachers' and parents' academic support. Specifically, low children's task persistence triggers more frequent help from teachers with classwork and from parents with homework. In terms of positive affect, higher children's task persistence evokes more joy and satisfaction only for parents. Thus, the reciprocal associations investigation of two different teachers' and parents' academic support dimensions provide a better understanding of how both teachers and parents together can support children's task persistence during Grade 2. In sum, teachers and parents should monitor how frequently they offer help to children, focusing more on keeping a positive learning atmosphere by demonstrating joy and satisfaction.

Measuring learning from others: The development and validation of the Proactive Social Informal Learning Questionnaire

AbstractThe present study aims to develop, validate, and cross‐validate an instrument measuring three proactive social informal learning activities, namely feedback seeking, help seeking and information seeking. Prior research mainly focused on detecting or measuring the frequency of these seeking behaviours and did not consider whether the information, help or feedback that has been sought was also used. Furthermore, although these seeking behaviours were studied extensively in different research fields, the current study takes a learning perspective and interprets feedback, help and information seeking as learning activities. The questionnaire was completed by a convenient sample of 650 professionals working in higher education, consultancy, retail and food production. We performed an exploratory factor analysis (N = 230 educators) to explore the structure of the questionnaire. This was followed by a confirmatory factor analysis (N = 230 educators) to confirm the structure. Finally, we cross‐validated the questionnaire in a sample of business professionals (N = 190) by testing for measurement invariance. The final questionnaire resulted in a five‐factor structure measuring the (1) Use of Feedback Seeking, (2) Frequency of Help and Information Seeking, (3) Use of Help seeking, (4) Use of Information Seeking and (5) Frequency of Feedback Seeking. The current study presents a preliminary, yet promising instrument that taps into proactive social informal learning.

Online peer support training to promote adolescents’ emotional support skills, mental health and agency during COVID-19: Randomised controlled trial and qualitative evaluation

Adolescents often look to their peers for emotional support, so it is critical that they are prepared to take on a supportive role, especially during a health crisis. Using a randomised controlled trial (ISRCTN99248812, 28/05/2020), we tested the short-term efficacy of an online training programme to equip young people with skills to support to their peers’ mental wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, one-hundred UK adolescents (aged 16–18) recruited through social media were randomly allocated (1:1) to immediate 5-day peer support training or a wait-list, via an independently generated allocation sequence. Primary outcomes were indicators of ability to help others (motivation, perceived skills, frequency of help provided, compassion to others and connectedness to peers). Secondary outcomes included emotional symptoms, mental wellbeing, and indicators of agency (civic engagement and self-efficacy). We also collected qualitative reports of participants’ experience. Assessments were completed at baseline and 1 week post randomisation (primary endpoint), and up to 4 weeks post randomisation (training group only). The training increased support-giving skills, frequency of providing support, compassion and peer connectedness (medium–large-effect sizes), but not motivation to provide support, 1 week post randomisation, compared to controls. Gains in the training group were maintained 4 weeks post randomisation. Training also improved adolescents’ mental health and agency, and qualitative reports revealed further positive outcomes including increased self-care and empowerment. Leveraging digital platforms that are familiar to young people, peer support training has the potential to enable adolescents to support their own and their peers’ mental wellbeing during a health crisis.

COVID-19 has Affected Activities of Daily Living in Older Adults?

Research ObjectivesTo investigate that Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)has affected to performed activities of daily living, we analyzed the association between confirmation of COVID-19 and help in activities of daily living.DesignOur study was a cross-sectional study using secondary data.SettingThe participants were living in the general community and residential care and nursing home.ParticipantsWe used 3119 adult observations in the 2020 COVID-19 National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). We are separate the group by confirmed of COVID-19.InterventionsNot applicable.Main Outcome MeasuresThe dependent variable of study was the frequency of help in activity of daily living. In the NHATS survey, the question is follow as “During the COVID-19 outbreak, has anyone ever helped you with sub-item relative activities of daily living?”. The answer was yes or no. We summed the number of yes and used it as the dependent variable. The independent variable was confirmed of COVID-19.ResultsWe applied multiple imputation methods due to missing data. When removing the missing data, Yes-COVID-19 group was 26 and No-COVID-19 group was 2091. The Yes-COVID-19 group was composed of 18 males (45.00%) and 22 females (55.00%). The No-COVID-19 group was composed of 1299 males (42.20%) and 1779 (57.80%). The Yes-COVID-19 group was living in general community (n=32, 80.00%), residential care (n=5, 12.50%) and nursing home (n=3, 7.50%). The No-COVID-19 group was living in general community (n=2889, 93.86%), residential care (n=161, 5.23%) and nursing home (n=28, 0.91%). The frequency of help in activity of daily living was Yes-COVID-19 group higher than No-COVID-19 group. In addition, the relative risk of help in activity of daily living was Yes-COVID-19 group higher than No-COVID-19 (relative risk=1.84, 95% confidence level=1.59-2.08, p < .0001).ConclusionsOur study is confirmed COVID-19 is affected activity of daily living in older adults. Our finding is suggested that the need for the rehabilitation program after confirmation of COVID-19. Also, we need to investigate the research of demand in a rehabilitation program.Author(s) DisclosuresAll authors declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Зависимость родственной помощи в заботе о внуках от дистанции проживания: сравнительный анализ России, США и Бразилии

We tested this prediction on data collected in three cultural contexts of modern post-industrial societies. Quantitative data on the frequency of grandparental involvement in childcare were collected via a set of online surveys conducted in 2019 in Russia, the United States, and Brazil (N= 1531) and analyzed in R software. The current research was also focused on the analysis of the impact of the distance between households on the frequency of kinship assistance in childcare. Results. We found significant cross-cultural universalizes: 1) the distance between households negatively affects the frequency of help; 2) the care of the maternal grandparents is significantly higher than the care of the paternal grandparents. Discussion. In this study we found that the distance between households and family kin side have stable significant impact on the grandparental help cross-culturally. At the same time, it was shown that grandparental help in childcare is significantly reduced in Brazil compared to the other two studied countries. The phenomenon of reduced kin help in Brazil is an important finding and requires further research by evolutionary psychologists, anthropologists, and sociologists.

Predictors of professional help-seeking for emotional problems in Afghan and Iraqi refugees in Australia: findings from the Building a New Life in Australia Database

BackgroundRefugees are particularly vulnerable to poor mental health outcomes due to exposure to pre migration trauma and post migration stressors. Research has demonstrated evidence to suggest that the professional help-seeking among refugee groups is low or problematic. This study seeks to examine help-seeking for emotional problems in two large samples of Iraqi and Afghan refugees in Australia.MethodsThis study uses data from two waves of the Building a New Life in Australia, the longitudinal study of Humanitarian migrants. The data was collected face-to-face between 2013 and 2016, among humanitarian migrants. All participants held a permanent protection visa and had arrived in Australia or been granted their visa between period of May to December 2013. The study sample included 1288 participants born in Iraq and Afghanistan (aged 15 and over). In the Wave 3 interview (2015–2016) participants reported on professional help received to deal with emotional problems.ResultsApproximately 36 and 37% of the Iraqi and Afghan groups respectively, reported seeking help for emotional problems. Within the Iraqi group, associations between mental health status, namely general psychological distress and PTSD and help-seeking were found but this was not present in the Afghan group, where age seemed to play a role in help-seeking. Frequency of help received was low with approximately 47% of the Iraqi and 57% of the Afghan groups reporting having received help 5 times or less in the last 12 months.ConclusionsFindings from this study provide clear directions on areas where culturally tailored mental health promotion programs should target in these two refugee communities. Further, the differences in help-seeking behaviour of these communities should be noted by both clinicians and policy makers as efforts to provide culturally responsive mental health services.

Motivation of cancer patients to help others and the relation between posttraumatic growth and helping

BackgroundPosttraumatic growth (PTG) is related to positive psychological changes following people’s struggle with trauma. The PTG model suggests that one of its possible consequences may be higher motivation towards helping behaviours. The aim of the research was to explore the influence of cancer illness on the motivation to help others, as perceived by participants, and the mechanisms behind such behaviour.Participants and procedureQuantitative and qualitative methods were used to explore the main motives to help others among cancer patients. The study also investigated the relation of perceived growth (PTG) and the frequency of providing help. Female cancer patients (n = 100) com-pleted a Polish version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory and a questionnaire measuring frequency of providing help to-wards ill and healthy individuals. Some of the subjects (n = 29) were also interviewed to assess the main perceived motives to help others.ResultsPositive rho Spearman correlations between PTG and the frequency of help given towards ill individuals and healthy ones were found. Based on thematic analysis four motives of helping were identified: empathy, self-enhancement, internalized standards of behaviour, searching for the sense of life.ConclusionsThis findings highlight the positive association between cancer patients’ involvement in helping other cancer patients and posi-tive life changes after experience of cancer.

Examining the Nature of Scaffolding in an Early Literacy Intervention

AbstractIn this study, we used Reading Recovery as the context to examine the relationship between three types of contingent teaching (temporal, instructional, and domain contingency) and student outcomes in a one‐to‐one literacy tutoring setting. We first created a National Teacher Effectiveness Index for all Reading Recovery teachers in the country and then used that index to identify two distinct groups of teachers from an existing data repository of 38 Reading Recovery teachers in training: those whose students had either lower average gain scores at the end of the school year (n = 6) or higher average gain scores (n = 4). We coded 1,199 teacher and student moves when they interacted at difficulty while reading a new book with teacher support. Results from hierarchical linear modeling analyses showed no significant differences for instructional contingency (the amount of information provided at difficulty), no main effects, and a nonsignificant interaction. Nor did we find statistically significant differences between the two groups of teachers for temporal contingency (the frequency of help). Dramatic differences existed, however, for domain contingency (what the teachers focused on when providing help). Specifically, teachers of students with higher outcomes had 8.3 greater odds of prompting students to use sources of information that they were neglecting while trying to decode a word. These findings provide needed information about the processes of scaffolding and have important implications not only for reading instruction and intervention but also for the ways in which scaffolding is studied.

Usability Study of a Computer-Based Self-Management System for Older Adults with Chronic Diseases

BackgroundUsability can influence patients’ acceptance and adoption of a health information technology. However, little research has been conducted to study the usability of a self-management health care system, especially one geared toward elderly patients.ObjectiveThis usability study evaluated a new computer-based self-management system interface for older adults with chronic diseases, using a paper prototype approach.MethodsFifty older adults with different chronic diseases participated. Two usability evaluation methods were involved: (1) a heuristics evaluation and (2) end-user testing with a think-aloud testing method, audio recording, videotaping, and interviewing. A set of usability metrics was employed to determine the overall system usability, including task incompletion rate, task completion time, frequency of error, frequency of help, satisfaction, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use. Interviews were used to elicit participants’ comments on the system design. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the qualitative data were analyzed for content.ResultsThe participants were able to perform the predesigned self-management tasks with the current system design and they expressed mostly positive responses about the perceived usability measures regarding the system interface. However, the heuristics evaluation, performance measures, and interviews revealed a number of usability problems related to system navigation, information search and interpretation, information presentation, and readability. Design recommendations for further system interface modifications were discussed.ConclusionsThis study verified the usability of the self-management system developed for older adults with chronic diseases. Also, we demonstrated that our usability evaluation approach could be used to quickly and effectively identify usability problems in a health care information system at an early stage of the system development process using a paper prototype. Conducting a usability evaluation is an essential step in system development to ensure that the system features match the users’ true needs, expectations, and characteristics, and also to minimize the likelihood of the users committing user errors and having difficulties using the system.

Longitudinal Trajectories of Metabolic Control Across Adolescence: Associations With Parental Involvement, Adolescents' Psychosocial Maturity, and Health Care Utilization

To predict trajectories of metabolic control across adolescence from parental involvement and adolescent psychosocial maturity, and to link metabolic control trajectories to health care utilization. Two hundred fifty-two adolescents (M age at study initiation = 12.5 years, SD = 1.5, range = 10-14 years) with type 1 diabetes (54.4% female, 92.8% Caucasian, length of diagnosis M = 4.7 years, SD = 3.0, range = 1-12 years) participated in a 2-year longitudinal study. Metabolic control was gathered from medical records every 3 months. Adolescents completed measures of self-reliance (functional autonomy and extreme peer orientation), self-control (self-control and externalizing behavior), and parental involvement in diabetes care (acceptance, monitoring, and frequency of help). At the end of the study, mothers reported health care utilization (diabetes-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations) over the past 6 months. Latent class growth analyses indicated two distinct trajectories of metabolic control across adolescence: moderate control with slight deterioration (92% of the sample; average HbA1c = 8.18%) and poor control with rapid deterioration (8% of the sample; average HbA1c of 12.09%). Adolescents with poor and rapidly deteriorating metabolic control reported lower paternal monitoring and frequency of help with diabetes management, lower functional autonomy, and lower self-control than others. Those with poor and rapidly deteriorating metabolic control were 6.4 times more likely to report diabetes-related emergency room visits, and 9.3 times more likely to report diabetes-related hospitalizations near the end of the study. Parental involvement and adolescents' psychosocial maturity predict patterns of deteriorating metabolic control across adolescence and could be targeted for intervention.

Social capital and community participation among migrant workers in China

AbstractIn China, rapid development has prompted massive migration from rural to urban areas. Migrants' participation in Urban Residents Committees (URCs) and other community organizations offers opportunities for the development of social capital and democracy in contemporary China. We use 2006 survey data from a stratified convenience sample of 3,024 migrant workers in 7 Chinese cities to examine individual and community social capital and their relation to 3 types of community participation: (a) amount of contact with community organizations, (b) frequency of help sought from community organizations, and (c) the rate of participation in URC meetings. Multiple regressions yield, among 12 measures of individual and community‐focused social capital, only neighborhood interaction and organizational social capital as consistently and significantly associated for all 3 types of participation. Other measures were associated with certain types of participation, or were nonsignificant. Implications for migration policy, community participation, and social capital in China are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The structure of parental involvement and relations to disease management for youth with type 1 diabetes.

To test structural models of parental involvement in type 1 diabetes and to examine associations of parental involvement with adherence and metabolic control. Two hundred and fifty-two young adolescents (10-14 years) completed reports of adherence and parents' involvement: acceptance, independence encouragement, communication, general and diabetes-specific monitoring, frequency of help, and intrusive support. HbA(1c) values came from medical records. A model of relationship quality, behavioral involvement, and monitoring as three separate yet interrelated factors best fit the data. Higher reports of mothers' and fathers' monitoring and fathers' relationship quality uniquely related to better adherence, whereas higher reports of fathers' behavioral involvement uniquely related to poorer adherence. Higher reports of paternal monitoring were related to lower HbA(1c). Adolescent perceptions of components of parental involvement are interrelated, yet separate constructs for both mothers and fathers. Parental monitoring was an important predictor of management of type 1 diabetes during adolescence.

Determinants of home-based formal help in community-dwelling older people in Finland.

Knowledge of the determinants of use of formal home-based services among older people is of particular importance for predicting the need for and cost of care in the future. The aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of formal and informal help among community-dwelling older people and to assess the determinants of home-based formal help, with a special emphasis on the frequency of help from spouse, from children and other relatives and friends. We used nationally representative cross-sectional data from 1,166 community-dwelling Finnish persons aged 70-99. Determinants of formal help were assessed with logistic regression models. Receiving formal help was most strongly related to need factors such as age and functional capacity. Adjusted for need factors, receiving help from spouse or living with someone else than the spouse decreased the odds of receiving formal help. In contrast, the more frequently the children helped, the larger were the odds of receiving formal home-based help. Help from other informal sources did not affect receipt of formal help. Our results thus suggest that intra-household help from spouse or from other co-residents may partly offset expected cost increases in the formal care sector brought about by an aging population. The results further suggest that help from children and help from formal sources is likely to be concomitant and that children may act as agents seeking formal help also in a welfare state based on the universal and equal care services.

Self-reported involvement of family members in the care of adults with CF

Background Few empirical studies have examined the role of family caregivers in the lives of adults with CF. Methods As part of the Project on Adult Care in CF (PAC-CF), an on-going prospective, longitudinal panel study of adults with CF, 119 family members and friends of adults with CF completed a mail survey in which they reported the frequency of help they provide for their family member with CF during routine care, hospitalization, and home IV treatment. Results The 119 caregivers were mainly spouses or unmarried partners (56%) and parents (29%). Fifteen percent of caregivers were children, friends, siblings or roommates. Family caregivers for adults with CF report assisting mainly with communication and social support during routine treatment, although one third provide some clinical care on a regular basis. Family caregivers report an increase in assistance during periods of acute illness, such as during a hospitalization and home IV treatment, especially with clinical care tasks. Conclusions The depth of commitment required of families of children with CF has been well documented for decades. Our results suggest that the responsibilities of family members diminish only moderately as those with CF reach adulthood.

Validation of a Brief Screen for Cognitive Impairment (BSCI) Administered by Telephone for Use in the Medicare Population

The aim of this research was to examine the validity of a brief screen for cognitive impairment (BSCI) consisting of three questions administered by telephone (delayed recall, frequency of help with planning trips for errands, and frequency of help remembering to take medications). The study design was an age and gender matched case-control study. Seventy managed care members, 35 with dementia (cases) and 35 without dementia (controls), were assessed using BSCI embedded within a longer health assessment questionnaire commonly used in Medicare-managed care. A number of measures were used to examine validity of BSCI, including comparisons of the differences between cases and controls in BSCI scores, comparisons of the correlations between patient scores on BSCI and the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE, a common screening test for dementia) and the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS, a common dementia assessment test), and comparisons of the areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the three instruments. BSCI scores for cases and controls were significantly different, as were their scores for the MMSE and ADAS. Scores on BSCI were significantly correlated with scores for the MMSE and ADAS using both the Kendall's tau-b and Spearman rank-order correlation; correlations ranged from 0.654 between BSCI and ADAS to -0.83 for the correlation between BSCI and the MMSE (p < 0.001 for both). The areas under the ROC curves ranged from 0.94 to 0.96 for the three tests, meaning that they were equally accurate in discriminating between demented and nondemented patients. BSCI, a brief telephone screen for cognitive impairment due to dementia, discriminates between demented patients and normal controls as well as two standard tests of dementia, and may be considered a valid screen for dementia. Compared to existing screening tests, it has the additional advantages of extreme brevity, and ease of administration and scoring by lay interviewers via telephone. The use of brief screening instruments for dementia, such as the one validated here, will be increasingly important for the effective management of dementia and other chronic diseases where dementia is a coexisting condition.

The Influence of Status on Decisions to Help

Abstract Schemas influence interpersonal judgments in ways that can affect behavior toward members of various social categories. In this study, the “wrong number” technique was used to examine the effect of social status on U.S. subjects' decisions to help. The independent variables were the help requester's occupational status (lawyer, gas station attendant, or unspecified) and the helper's socioeconomic status (high or low median neighborhood income). Overall, 62.1% of the subjects helped by making a phone call. Although frequency of help was not affected by the helper's status, X 2(1, N = 240) = 0.64, p > .05, it was affected by the requester's status. Lawyers and requesters with unspecified occupational status received help significantly more often than gas station attendants, X 2(2, N = 240) = 14.90, p < .05. This finding did not support a “similarity effect” in helping.

Meaning of infant feeding issues and mothers' use of help

Abstract This article explores the meaning of feeding issues for 17 primiparous and multiparous mothers of young infants and examines the relationship of these issues to the mothers' use of help. Meaning is studied in terms of the content of the issue, its importance to the infant's well-being and mother's actions in response. The feeding issues identified by the mothers are evaluated according to the infant's age and type of feeding. Three classes of feeding issues (technical, regulation, and personal experience of infant or mother) are studied; sources (lay and authority, including clinician and published information) and frequency of help used are assessed by means of a daily diary of feeding issues kept by mothers during the infant's first 90 days. The frequency with which the three classes of issues are reported vary with the infant's age and type of feeding method used (breast, bottle, or both breast and bottle for at least part of the study period). Requests for help and the type of help used vary ...