Importance Of Psychological Factors Research Articles

Reflective functioning and emotion regulation in adolescents with a history of sexual offending: a comparative study with a non-offending control group

BackgroundSexual offenses encompass a diverse array of behaviors across various contexts, affecting numerous individuals. Despite the prevalence of sexual offending among adolescents, there is still a limited understanding of this population. To contribute further to the literature in this field, the present study was conducted to compare a group of male adolescents convicted of sexual offenses with a control group in terms of reflective functioning (RF), emotion regulation (ER) strategies, and emotion dysregulation (ED).Methods60 male adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (M = 16.90; SD = 0.97) who had been convicted of at least one serious sexual offense were recruited from male adolescents referred by juvenile courts to the Legal Medicine Organization in Mashhad, Iran, and compared with a control group of non-offending adolescents consisting of 60 male adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (M = 16.97; SD = 0.82) who were attending school. The groups were matched on age and education level.ResultsA comparison between these two groups revealed that adolescents with a history of sexual offending exhibited poorer RF capacity, greater use of suppression as an ER strategy, and higher scores in all ED domains (p’s < 0.001) except non-acceptance of emotional responses compared with the control group.ConclusionsResults suggest that RF, ER strategies, and ED need to be considered as important psychological factors in understanding and treating adolescents with a history of sexual offending.

A survey study of success attribution factors in reading comprehension performance-evidence from Chinese college students of Japanese language majors

Attribution beliefs are important psychological factors that affect students’ reading performance. This paper reports a survey study on Japanese Major students’ success attribution factors in reading comprehension performance through a questionnaire and follow-up interviews. The participants are 160 third-year Japanese language learners from four universities in Jiangsu Province, China. Findings revealed that 1) the Japanese third-year language learners show a tendency of positive attribution style on the whole, with the mean value of Internal Factors (Mean=3.68) higher than that of External Factors (Mean=3.23), which means that most of Japanese Major learners attribute their success to Internal Factors in terms of Japanese reading comprehension performance. 2)There are differences existing between high achievers and low achievers with regard to success attribution factors in Japanese reading comprehension performance, with high achievers’ mean scores higher than low achievers in both Internal Factors and External Factors. The research findings have greatly enhanced our understanding of Japanese language learners’ success attribution beliefs in reading comprehension performance, which will provide educational guidance and recommendation for both teachers and students during the process of teaching and learning Japanese language.

Trait impulsivity is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes incidence in adults over 8 years of follow-up: results from the NutriNet-Santé cohort

BackgroundType 2 diabetes is one of the most prevalent and preventable diseases worldwide and impulsivity, a psychological trait characterized by making quick decisions without forethought, has been suggested as a key feature for health-related conditions. However, there have been no studies examining the relationships between impulsivity and the incidence of type 2 diabetes and our aim was to assess the prospective association between trait impulsivity and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.MethodsA prospective observational study design was conducted between May 2014 and February 2023 within the NutriNet-Santé cohort. A web-based platform was used to collect data from the French adult population, with voluntary enrollment and participation. Of the 157,591 adults (≥ 18 years old) participating in the NutriNet-Santé study when impulsivity was assessed, 109,214 participants were excluded due to prevalent type 1 or 2 diabetes or missing data for impulsivity or follow-up data for type 2 diabetes. Trait impulsivity, and the attention, motor, and non-planning subfactors, were assessed at baseline using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale 11. Incident type 2 diabetes was ascertained through follow-up. Medical information was reviewed by NutriNet-Santé physician experts to ascertain incident diabetes cases based on the ICD-10. Cox regression models, using hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (HR [95% CI]), were performed to evaluate associations between impulsivity per 1 standard deviation increment and type 2 diabetes risk, adjusting by recognized confounders.ResultsOf the 48,377 individuals studied (women 77.6%; age at baseline = 50.6 year ± 14.5 years), 556 individuals developed type 2 diabetes over a median follow-up of 7.78 (IQR: 3.97–8.49) years. Baseline impulsivity was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes incidence (HR = 1.10 [1.02, 1.20]). The motor impulsivity subfactor was positively associated with type 2 diabetes risk (HR = 1.14 [1.04, 1.24]), whereas no associations were found for attention and non-planning impulsivity subfactors.ConclusionsTrait impulsivity was associated with an increased type 2 diabetes risk, mainly driven by the motor impulsivity subfactor. If these results are replicated in other populations and settings, trait impulsivity may become an important psychological risk factor to be considered in the prevention of type 2 diabetes.Cohort registrationName of registry: The NutriNet-Santé Study. A Web-based Prospective Cohort Study of the Relationship Between Nutrition and Health and of Dietary Patterns and Nutritional Status Predictors.Cohort registration number: NCT03335644.Date of registration: October 11, 2017.URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03335644

Later Life Food Insecurity and Social Isolation in Ghana: The Importance of Psychological Factors.

Social isolation (SI) and food insecurity (FI) are important social determinants of health that can negatively impact well-being in old age. While research on the association between FI and SI is limited in LMICs, the mediators of this association are largely unknown. This cross-sectional study examined whether FI is associated with SI among older adults in Ghana and whether psychological factors (i.e., depression, anxiety, and sleep problems) mediated the association. Our study consisted of adults aged ≥50years in the Aging, Health, Well-being, and Health-seeking Behavior Study. SI was assessed with the Berkman-Syme Social Network Index, while FI was assessed with dietary inadequacy-related items. We used an ordinary least squares regression(OLS), logistic regressions, and bootstrapping modeling approach to examine our hypotheses with p<0.05. The analysis included 1201 individuals (Mage=66 [SD=12], women=63%). In the full sample (β=0.21; p<0.001) and in women (β=0.30, p<0.001) but not in men, FI was independently associated with SI. FI was comparably associated with increases in SI for the 50-64 age group (β=0.21, p<0.001) and ≥65 age cohort (β=0.19, p<0.01). Moreover, FI showed differential associations with specific domains of SI (OR=1.81 to 1.45, p<0.001). Finally, the FI-SI association was mediated by depressive symptoms (65.16%), anxiety symptoms (30.16%), and sleep problems (9.50%). Our data highlight the fundamental role of FI in SI among older adults, and the effect is explained by psychosocial factors. Interventions targeted toward strengthening interpersonal ties in old age should include addressing FI and older adults' psychosocial outcomes.

Preliminary Validity and Reliability of the Persian Version of The Situational Motivation Scale for use in Academic Sport Contexts

Motivation is one of the most important psychological factors in recognising human behavior in different settings. The purpose of this study was to analyse the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the Situational Motivation Scale (P-SIMS) developed by Guay et al., (2000) in academic sport settings. A total of 231 undergraduate students, 113 males (51.6%) and 106 females (48.4%), participated in the study. The P-SIMS consists of 16 items and four subscales: intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, external regulation, and amotivation. Cronbach's alpha coefficient, interclass correlation coefficient (ICC), confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the internal consistency of subscales, temporal reliability, construct validity of the scale respectively. The Standardized estimate of 16 questions shows that the CFI, GFI, and NNFI indexes are above 0.90 and the RMSEA index is below 0.08, indicating the acceptability of the fit indexes. Also, the results of the calculations performed to estimate the reliability of the scale factors show that the value of the Cronbach's alpha coefficient and interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) are good enough and considering that the internal consistency coefficients and temporal reliability of the components of the list are reasonable and appropriate, the reliability of the scale is confirmed. The results showed that P-SIMS has relatively acceptable construct validity and acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The results of this study support the preliminary validity and reliability of the P-SIMS for use in academic sport contexts.

Oral Findings and Salivary Alpha-Amylase in Major Depressive Disorder Patients

Background: The increasing global prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) has become an important challenge, leading to a heightened demand for oral medicine in developed nations. This demand arises from the recognition of the association between psychiatric disorders and other conditions, including various orofacial pain disorders. Objective: This study are to evaluate oral conditions such as recurrent aphthous ulcers, burning mouth syndrome, and altered taste and to assess salivary alpha-amylase in individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Methods: This research uses a cross-sectional study design that includes a sample of 49 patients who have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder and who have undergone treatment for at least two weeks. The control group consists of 34 healthy subjects with no signs or symptoms of systemic disease. The study group received the diagnosis in Najaf City according to the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). With respect to recurrent aphthous ulcers, the results of this study show the percentage of patients with oral ulcers is significantly higher than in the control group. Results: The results also show that the prevalence of burning mouth syndrome is significantly higher in patients with major depressive disorder than in healthy controls. A highly statistically significant difference was found between the study group and the control group regarding altered taste. There is also a significant difference in salivary alpha-amylase levels between the study and control groups (p = 0.009). Conclusion: Major depressive disorder patients have much higher incidences of reported recurrent aphthous ulcers, burning mouth syndrome, and altered taste than healthy subjects, indicating the importance of psychological factors in these conditions. Additionally, salivary alpha-amylase levels were higher in patients with major depressive disorder than in the control group.

The Importance of Psychological Factors, E-Service Quality, and Perceived Value in Maintaining Indonesia Life Insurance Customer Loyalty

Insurance customers in Indonesia are motivated and attach importance to the quality of electronic services and the perceived value exceeds the expected value. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the influence of psychological factors, electronic service quality, and perceived value on customer loyalty of life insurance companies in Indonesia. Through a literature review, a hypothesis was developed by exploring previous research related to the impact of psychological factors, electronic service quality, and perceived value on customer loyalty. The survey was conducted on 165 life insurance customers in Indonesia. The collected data was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The validity and reliability of the measurements were confirmed before testing the research hypotheses. The results of the study reveal that psychological factors, electronic service quality, and perceived value influence customer loyalty of life insurance companies in Indonesia.

The Effects of Thoppukaranam (Super Brain Yoga) on Stress Management and Psychological Health to University Students: An 12-Week Intervention Study

Introduction: Effective coping mechanisms that are practical and economical for everyday life are required to handle the challenges that contemporary academic students experience. In clinical samples, Thoppukaranam has been shown to lower stress, but more research is needed to see whether regular Brain yoga lessons among functional Students produce the same effects. Objectives: This study examined the effects of 12-week Thoppukaranam practice on stress and psychological wellness. In this study, we tested whether college students experienced these kinds of stress. Studies involving participants have examined important psychological factors including stress. After receiving stress management training for students. participants who were practise super brain yoga had improved mental function and experienced reduced stress. Design / methodology / approach: sixty individuals participated moderate-to-high stress were randomly assigned to 12 consecutive weeks of Thoppukaranam practice. To achieve this purpose of the study, 60 Students were selected in the technique of stratified random sampling from SRM institute of science &amp; technology Tamilnadu, India; their ages ranged from 19 to above years. another group is control group who did not practice Brain yoga. Stress and psychological health variables were assessed. Results: Significant reductions in stress and all psychological health measures were found within the Thoppukaranam practice group over 12 weeks. When compared to the control group, Super brain yoga practitioners showed significant decreases in stress, anxiety, and general psychological health, and significant increases in well-being. The group who did not practice yoga showed not significant decreases in stress. Conclusions: Super Brain yoga appears to be beneficial for stressed-out students and has the potential to support their psychological well-being.

Using machine learning algorithms to detect fear of falling in people with multiple sclerosis in standardized gait analysis

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. The progressive impairment of gait is one of the most important pathognomic symptoms which are associated with falls and fear of falling (FOF) in people with MS (pwMS). 60 % of pwMS show a FOF, which leads to restrictions in mobility as well as physical activity and reduces the quality of life in general. Therefore, early detection of FOF is crucial because it enables early implementation of rehabilitation strategies as well as clinical decision-making to reduce progression. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of gait pattern is an essential aspect of disease assessment and can provide valuable insights for personalized treatment decisions in pwMS. Our objective was to identify the most appropriate clinical gait analysis methods to identify FOF in pwMS and to detect the optimal machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict FOF using the complex multidimensional data from gait analysis.Methods: Data of 1240 pwMS was recorded at the MS Centre of the University Hospital Dresden between November 2020 and September 2021. Patients performed a multidimensional gait analysis with pressure and motion sensors, as well as patient-reported outcomes (PROs), according to a standardized protocol. A feature selection ensemble (FS-Ensemble) was developed to improve the classification performance. The FS-Ensemble consisted of four filtering methods: Chi-square test, information gain, minimum redundancy maximum relevance and ReliefF. Gaussian Naive Bayes, Decision Tree, k-Nearest Neighbor, and Support Vector Machines (SVM) were used to identify FOF.Results: The descriptive analysis showed that 37 % of the 1240 pwMS had a FOF (n = 458; age: 51 ± 16 years, 76 % women, median EDSS: 4.0). The FS-Ensemble improved classification performance in most cases. The SVM showed the best performance of the four classification models in detecting FOF. The PROs showed the best F1 scores (Early Mobility Impairment Questionnaire F1 = 0.81 ± 0.00 and 12-item Multiple Sclerosis Scale F1 = 0.80 ± 0.00).Conclusion: FOF is an important psychological risk factor associated with an increased risk of falls. To integrate a functional early warning system for fall detection into MS management and progression monitoring, it is necessary to detect the relevant gait parameters as well as assessment methods. In this context, ML strategies allow the integration of gait parameters from clinical routine to support the initiation of early rehabilitation measures and adaptation of course-modifying therapeutics. The results of this study confirm that patients' self-assessments play an important role in disease management.

중국인 유학생이 지각한 부모의 양육태도와 문화적응 스트레스의 관계

Purpose: This study investigated how the parenting attitude of parents perceived by Chinese students studying abroad, affects acculturation stress, and whether perfectionistic self-presentation and interpersonal presence have a mediating effect in these relationships. Method: Data were collected and analyzed through a survey targeting 266 Chinese international students in Korea. For data analysis, frequency analysis, difference analysis, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were performed. Result: As a result of the analysis, the parenting attitude of Chinese students perceived by them had a significant impact on the acculturation stress, and perfectionistic self-presentation and mattening had a partial mediating effect in the inflyence relationship. was confirmed. Conclusions: These results confirmed that the parenting attitude of parents was an important psychological factor affecting the acculturation stress of international students.

Antecedents of Gacha gaming intention: Extending UTAUT2 with structural video game characteristics

Mobile gacha games, featuring chance-based virtual item collections and lottery-like mechanics, have become immensely popular among global youth. Therefore, many game developers are developing new gacha games or implementing gacha mechanics into existing games to capture this trend. To fill the existing research gap, this article proposes an extended model for video game acceptance derived from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) combined with structural video game characteristics (SVGC) and psychological factors like perceived enjoyment and trust. It addresses the crucial factors driving players' intention to continue playing gacha games and fills the gap in developer-centric research. Leveraging the PLS-SEM algorithm, IPMA analysis, and the data from active Indonesian gamers (N = 300), this study highlights the substantial impact of SVGC features (presentation, reward, control/manipulation) on gacha gamers' perceived enjoyment. Moreover, hedonic motivation, habit, and trust in game developers emerge as key antecedents of continuance gaming intention. These findings refine our understanding of gacha game acceptance and have potential avenues for broader gaming research. It presents valuable insights for scholars and game developers to enhance the gaming experience by incorporating relevant structural characteristics and fostering important psychological factors that drive continuance gaming intention.

Analysis of the Psychological Factors Faced by the Final Year College Students of China During Job Interviews and While Choosing Careers.

Career choice research has attracted the attention of recruiters and young graduates. The study aims to investigate the psychological factors that influence college students' employment choices. As a result, data for the study were gathered from 250 final-year college students in China via an online questionnaire survey. The study identified the psychological barriers faced by college students during job interviews through interviews with 120h recruiters. The SPPS tool is used for data analysis. The study identified personal interest, self-efficacy, and self- esteem; social responsibilities; confidence; professional development opportunities; and future orientation as the important psychological factors that influence the career choice of college students. The study also found that the barriers faced by the college students during the interview were anxiety, inferiority complex, cowardice, and pride. Therefore, the study suggests that the college provides job-oriented training for college students' employment choices. The college should take the initiative to provide students with career opportunities and proper training to avoid psychological barriers during interviews.

Literature Review: The Effects of Attachment Styles and Perfectionism on Life Satisfaction

Attachment and perfectionism are two important psychological factors that can significantly influence individual satisfaction in various aspects of life, including relationships, work, and personal achievement. This essay reviews four studies that explore the connection between perfectionism—whether it's positive or negative—and attachment type and their impact on life satisfaction or marital satisfaction. Results indicate that securely attached individuals tend to exhibit higher positive perfectionism and lower negative perfectionism, leading to greater life satisfaction. In contrast, people with insecure attachment tend to exhibit higher levels of negative perfectionism, thereby reducing their life satisfaction. Maladaptive forms of perfectionism are linked to insecure attachment styles, leading to lower levels of marital satisfaction. These findings have practical implications for counselling and interventions aimed at promoting positive mental health and improving relationship satisfaction. However, these studies have limitations that need to be considered, including the use of self-reports, limited generalizability of results, and lack of evidence of a causal relationship between attachment, perfectionism, and satisfaction. Future research could address these limitations and advance our understanding of the complex interactions between the three concepts.

Optimism as a key factor in coping with the common cold

ObjectiveThe optimism trait is considered one of the most important psychological factors in protecting and promoting health. This study aims to investigate whether trait optimism may help to cope better with the common cold by reducing the subjective perception of cold symptoms and affecting the immune response. MethodsTo do so, 212 volunteers from the Pittsburg Cold Study 3 within the Common Cold Project were exposed to Rhinovirus (RV39). On the 5 days following the inoculation, a daily symptoms scale, nasal wash, and blood samples were collected to assess Jackson Symptoms (nasal congestion, sneezing, runny nose, sore throat, cough, headache, chills, and malaise) and control the Immune System response to infection (concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interferon (IFN)-α). ResultsResults showed that approximately 30% of the inoculated participants were finally diagnosed with a common cold, showing higher Jackson Symptom severity and Immune System Response (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNFα and IFNα). Importantly, moderation regression analyses showed that higher optimism scores were related to lower Jackson Symptom severity and TNFα response to infection in cold-diagnosed participants. ConclusionsOur results provide important evidence for the protective role of optimism, a trait factor that promotes a better perception of wellbeing and less need for immune system resources to successfully cope with the common cold.

Impact of self‐esteem and self‐gifting on masstige purchase intentions

AbstractConsumers prefer brands that provide them with symbolic meaning, and they use them to enhance their self‐esteem and develop their status and personal images. Self‐esteem is an important psychological factor that contributes to an individual's purchase intentions and consumption behavior, but its role in shaping the consumption of masstige brands has not been thoroughly researched. Hence, this research aims: (1) to identify the masstige brands in the smartphone industry of Pakistan using the masstige mean index, and (2) to explore the role of self‐esteem in consumer consumption behavior grounded in terms of masstige, self‐gifting behavior, and brand personality. Moreover, this study uses self‐gifting behavior as the mediator and brand personality as the moderator in the relationship between self‐esteem and masstige purchase intention. The data from study 1 (n = 560) and study 2 (n = 329) were collected using a self‐administered questionnaire and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that masstige brand consumption is influenced by self‐esteem; this relationship is mediated by self‐gifting behavior, and brand personality moderates the association. Theoretically, this study contributes to the masstige theory by exploring the role of self‐esteem in masstige consumption in an emerging economy. Practically, this study provides a comprehensive guideline for brand managers to devise effective marketing strategies to build their brands as masstige brands.

Suicide risk, related factors and the impact of COVID-19 amongst suicide prevention helpline callers: A network analysis

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic brought along many known risk factors for suicide. It is important to map out contributing and protective factors for suicide risk and examine possible changes in these associations during pandemics such as COVID-19. The current study aimed to examine how information on risk and protective factors obtained through a suicide prevention helpline is linked to the assessed suicide risk and the possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsData on 9474 calls registered by operators of the suicide prevention helpline of Flanders (i.e., part of Belgium) were analysed using network analysis. Using network analyses allowed for a data-driven examination of direct and indirect pathways through which risk and protective factors are associated to perceived suicide risk. The network before and during COVID-19 were compared to examine the possible impact of the pandemic. ResultsOur findings suggest that different vulnerability and protective factors contribute to perceived suicide risk. Experiencing a break-up, abuse, previous attempt(s), experienced difficulties with the healthcare system and availability of resources were directly and uniquely associated with perceived suicide risk before and during COVID-19. LimitationsMain limitations of this study are the possible bias of operator assessment accuracy, absence of several important psychological risk factors and the use of cross-sectional data. ConclusionsThe current study provides insight in the effect of COVID-19 on suicidality and its risk and protective factors amongst suicide prevention helpline users, a population with high risk of suicide. Implications for suicide prevention helplines are discussed.

Latent profiles of resilience and associations with quality of life in head and neck cancer patients undergoing proton and heavy ion therapy.

Psychological resilience is the most important psychological protection factor for cancer patients in the face of tumors and treatment. However, few studies have performed meaningful latent profile analyses of resilience to identify unobserved subgroups of head and neck cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of resilience in head and neck cancer patients using latent profile analysis (LPA) to determine the sociodemographic and disease characteristics of each profile. In particular, we examined the association of different resilience profiles with the quality of life of head and neck cancer patients. A total of 254 head and neck cancer patients completed a demographic questionnaire, the Resilience Scale Specific to Cancer and the EOTRC QLQ-C3O, used to assess their resilience and quality of life. LPA identified three distinct profiles based on varying levels of resilience: "low resilience" group (n = 45; 17.72%), "moderate resilience" group (n = 113; 44.49%), and "high resilience" group (n = 96; 37.80%). Gender (χ2 = 6.20; p < 0.01), education level (χ2 = 1,812.59; p < 0.01), treatment regimen (χ2 = 6.32; p < 0.01), tumor stage (χ2 = 3.92; p ≤ 0.05), and initial recurrence (χ2 = 5.13; p < 0.05) were important predictors. High resilience was significantly related to higher quality of life (χ2 = 15.694; p < 0.001). Head and neck cancer patients' psychological resilience can be categorized as three resilience profiles; those who are female and have a low education level tend to have lower psychological resilience. Low resilience in patients is linked to poor role function and social function, low quality of life, and more severe pain symptoms, highlighting the need to address resilience in patient care for improved wellbeing.

Older adults' attitudes toward using Euthanasia at the end-of life: cancer vs. Parkinson's disease.

There is a paucity of studies that compare older adults' attitudes toward Euthanasia in two different terminal illnesses. Moreover, these studies did not relate to potentially influencing psycho-social factors. The current study aimed to examine the impact of a diverse range of variables on attitudes among older adults toward Euthanasia in two medical conditions: cancer and Parkinson's disease. A total of 501 individuals aged 75 and above participated in the study. Attitudes toward Euthanasia were measured using vignettes which described two conditions: an 80-year-old man with metastatic cancer and another man in an advanced stage of Parkinson's disease. The questionnaire included measures of relevant experience (with a close family member or a friend dying from a terminal illness), self-efficacy, will to live, satisfaction with life, will to prolong life, fear of death and dying, social support, and psycho-social characteristics. The data were analyzed using hierarchical linear regression models. A more positive attitude toward Euthanasia was found in the case of cancer compared to Parkinson's disease. Being a woman, having more years of education, lower level of religiosity, greater fear of death and dying and higher self-efficacy contributes to more favorable attitudes toward Euthanasia in both end-of life conditions. The finding that attitudes toward Euthanasia are statistically significantly more positive in the case of cancer compared to Parkinson's disease can be attributed to the greater prevalence of cancer in the population, and to the public's awareness of the suffering associated with each of these medical conditions. Beyond the important role of the socio-demographic characteristics of gender, education, and religiosity, it appears that fear of death and dying and self-efficacy are important psychological factors in explaining attitudes toward Euthanasia in both illnesses among older people. These findings shed light on older adults' attitudes toward Euthanasia in debilitating illnesses.

Perfectionism, test anxiety, and neuroticism determines high academic performance: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundAcademic performance is an important issue for Korean students. Various psychological factors contribute to academic performance. We aimed to evaluate the psychological factors that affect academic performance integratively.MethodsA total of 102 academic high achievers and 120 comparison participants were recruited. We evaluated psychological factors (test anxiety, perfectionism, personality traits, resilience, and self-efficacy) and measured academic performance using the College Scholastic Ability Test and the current college grade. We compared psychological factors and academic performance between the academic high achiever and comparison groups. Multiple linear regression was then conducted to identify the significant psychological factors for high academic performance. Further, we used cluster analysis to classify the comparison group by the significant psychological factors and compared them among clusters and academic high achievers to determine the psychological characteristics of academic high achievers.ResultsThe academic high achiever group showed lower test anxiety (p = .002), less neuroticism (p = .001), higher self-efficacy (p = .028), and less socially prescribed perfectionism (p < .001) than the comparison group. Multiple linear regression results (p = .020) clarified that neuroticism (p = .020), test anxiety level (p = .047), and perfectionism (p = .035) were important factors predicting better academic performance. Academic high achievers had moderate test anxiety and perfectionism levels, with the best performance on the College Scholastic Ability Test.ConclusionsNeuroticism, test anxiety levels, and perfectionism are important psychological factors for high academic performance. Interventions targeting these factors may help to improve academic accomplishments.

Self-Dissociation as a Predictor of Alienation and Sense of Belonging in University Students

Alienation and a sense of belonging are important psychological factors supporting students’ well-being. In the present study, the purpose was to examine the predictive role of Self-Dissociation on alienation and a sense of belonging in university students. A correlational study design was used in the present study. The data on self-dissociation were collected with the Self-Dissociation Inventory-Short Form (SDI-SF), the data on the level of belonging were collected with the General Belonging Scale, and the data on alienation levels were collected with the Student Alienation Scale. A positive relationship was detected in the present study between Self-Dissociation, belonging, and alienation. Also, it was concluded in the study that Self-Dissociation predicted alienation and a sense of belonging. The findings obtained in the study indicate that it is necessary for the experts who will work on alienation and sense of belonging to take into account the self-dissociation concept in their studies.