Social Aptitudes Research Articles

Helicopter Parenting

Helicopter child parenting could be an attractive shape of child-rearing fashion that's by and large portrayed as exceedingly serious and exceedingly included with the children. A specific child-rearing fashion impacts all stages of teenagers' advancement and way of life. Helicopter parents excessively secure their children from troubles by setting a few sets of information without thought of the uniqueness of their children. Later writing has got tremendous consideration to this child-rearing fashion and debated the aces and cons of the advancement of the child. Higher life fulfillment and superior mental well-being have been found in children of profoundly meddlesome guardians. When there are positive impacts of helicopter child-rearing, there are negative results and effects that have moreover been considered. The troubles in passionate direction, scholastic efficiency, and social aptitudes among children raised by helicopter child-rearing have been detailed within the writing. Moo self-efficacy, the need to believe in peers, and distance from peers have to be related to helicopter child-rearing. Helicopter parenting has garnered significant attention in recent years due to its pervasive influence on children's upbringing and development. This parenting style is characterized by excessive involvement, overprotection, and control, often driven by well-intentioned desires to ensure children's success and safety. However, the consequences of helicopter parenting extend beyond immediate outcomes and can significantly impact various facets of children's lives. The comprehensive review synthesizes existing literature to examine the multifaceted effects of helicopter parenting on child development. Positive aspects, such as increased parental involvement and support, are balanced against negative outcomes, including decreased autonomy, impaired decision-making skills, and hindered resilience. Helicopter parenting has been associated with heightened anxiety, decreased self-efficacy, and reduced academic performance in children. Moreover, it can hinder the development of crucial social skills, such as conflict resolution and peer interaction.

The Differences in Individual-psychological Properties Of Students-journalists and Professional Journalists

Background: This article delves into the examination of distinctions in personal traits, professional qualities, and professional self-esteem between seasoned journalists and aspiring student journalists. Numerous studies have undertaken comparisons between student and professional individuals across various domains, but not in journalists. Methods: The study involved a sample of 48 students and 48 established journalists, with average ages of 19 and 25 years, respectively. Participants were subjected to a battery of tests, including Rusalov’s Temperament Structure Questionnaire, Cattell’s Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, the “Motivation of Professional Activity” method by Zamfir K., “Motivation for Career” method by Noe A., Noe R., Bachhuber D., Zakirzyanova L.A.’s method for Assessing Journalist Professionalism, Kalina N.F.’s method for Evaluating Social Intelligence, among others. Results: We found no disparities in temperament attributes, personal characteristics, and social aptitudes between these two groups. Differences were observed only in certain aspects of self-esteem, such as operational activity and self-esteem of result. Specifically, these differences concern the assessment of hard skills, job satisfaction, and professional responsibility. All the aforementioned aspects were found to be more pronounced in professional journalists compared to their student counterparts. Conclusion: The demarcation between students and professional journalists encompasses variations in personal competencies and self-esteem, which form the core of one’s professional self-concept. However, significant differences in personality traits between students and professional journalists were not identified in this research.

Teenagers' Social Aptitudes for Managing Behavior Disorders in Wadata Community Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

This study focused on social skills as a means of curbing conduct disorders among adolescents in Wadata Community of Benue State. The purpose of the study was to investigate the social skills needed by Adolescents for Curbing conduct disorders along River Benue Bank. The study answered two research questions. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. The population of the study was 570 adolescents drawn from four settlements in Wadata Community. Sample of 343 adolescents was drawn using proportionate stratified random sampling technique. Questionnaire (RABQ) was used for date collection. Frequency and percentage were used for answering of research questions. Major findings show that factors reveal that the factors influencing conduct disorder among the adolescents were lack of home training, lack of good mentorship, lack of formal education, drinking of alcohol, poverty and bad friends. The most important social skills needed to curb conduct disorder among adolescents were parental good mentorship, exhibiting good temperament, patience and calmness in all situations, acknowledging individual’s worth and asking polite questions to clarify issues when not understood. It was recommended that among others that parent should encourage adequate social skills among their children such as good communication skills, honesty, patient, respect to constituted authority.

Examining the psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the Social Aptitudes Scale in two clinical samples

BackgroundFew studies have examined the psychometric properties of the Social Aptitudes Scale (SAS). The study aims of the current paper were to examine the internal consistency and the validity of the Norwegian SAS.MethodsParents of children from a clinical neuropediatric sample (N = 257) and from a clinical sample from child and adolescent’s mental health services (N = 804) filled in the SAS.ResultsInternal consistency for the SAS were good in both samples and correlations between the SAS and different scales were in the expected directions. The results from the Confirmatory Factor Analyses indicated poor model fit.ConclusionsFuture validity studies should investigate whether SAS is suitable as a screening instrument for detecting autism spectrum disorder.

Cognitive behavioral therapy treatment for drug addiction

Drug addiction remains a major health concern following its devastating consequences to the users and the economy. Current statistics show a rising trend in substance abuse around the globe with approximately 284 million people engaging in drug abuse. Various approaches are used to treat the victims of drug abuse. Cognitive behavior therapy, a form of nonpharmacological intervention, has also been shown to be an effective treatment option for drug addiction. The use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has grown since the 1970s to become one of the most important models of psychotherapy in this decade. Various empirical studies have shown the efficacy of CBT in well-controlled trials. A total of 19 randomized trials (cases) (with over 1400 patients treated) were selected and studied. In the various cases, results showed that patients were treated for drug and substance abuse disorders with the majority being those who abused cannabis, cocaine, alcohol and other opioids. In most cases, the CBT techniques that were used for drug addiction included cognitive restructuring, relapse prevention and contingency management. Components of CBT for drug addiction include skills and training, amplification of non-substance-related activities, approaches for managing urges, drug rejection and improvement of social aptitudes. Cognitive restructuring focuses on the identification of misconceptions and influencing the way people think about themselves by eliminating distorted thinking. Relapse prevention focuses on the identification and prevention of high-risk situations that may trigger the patient to engage in drug abuse. Contingency management reinforces positive behaviors and reduces negative behaviors through the use of rewards and incentives.

Enhancing social-emotional competence of secondary school students within the context of globalization and international integration in Vietnam today

Social–emotional competence is a pivotal concern of contemporary education, with the movement of applying various strategies for enhancing personal satisfaction - one of the primary foundations in forming an individual's personality, and helps shape one's long-term success. In the current context of globalization and international integration, the enhancement of students' social-emotional competence arises as a principle of importance in education, especially with secondary school students - the phase characterized by significant growth in cognitive, emotional, and social aptitudes. Cultivating the social-emotional competence in secondary school students not only equips them with the necessary skills to become global citizens but also promotes a positive academic environment, and helps alleviate and eliminate potential conflicts and bullying behaviors. While the research on the social-emotional competence is not a novel trend in recent years, the implementation and improvement of social-emotional models in Vietnam are still limited. In the article, the author provided an overview of the concepts, some prevailing research on secondary school students’ social-emotional competence, and prominent examples of current social-emotional models, thereby showing the significance of social-emotional competence enhancement towards the goal of creating happiness and success for students.

Conditional cash transfers and adolescent mental health in Brazil: Evidence from the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort.

BackgroundYoung people living in poverty are at higher risk of mental disorders, but whether interventions aimed to reduce poverty have lasting effects on mental health has not been well established. We examined whether exposure to Brazil’s conditional cash transfers programme (CCT), Bolsa Família (BFP), during childhood reduces the risk of mental health problems in early adolescence.MethodsWe used data from 2063 participants in the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort study. Propensity score matching (PSM) estimated the association between BFP participation at age 6 and externalising problems (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire – SDQ and violent behaviour) and socio-emotional competencies (Development and Well-Being Assessment questionnaire, and the Nowick-Strickland Internal-External Scale) at age 11.ResultsPSM results suggest that programme participation at age of six was not significantly associated with externalising problems (P = 0.433), prosocial behaviour (P = 0.654), violent behaviour (P = 0.342), social aptitudes (P = 0.281), positive attributes (P = 0.439), or locus of control (P = 0.148) at the age of 11 years.ConclusionsParticipation in BFP during childhood was not associated with improved or worsened mental health in early adolescence. While we cannot fully discard that findings may be due to adverse selection, results suggest that CCTs alone may not be sufficient to improve mental health outcomes and would be prudent to assess whether mental health interventions as an addition to CCTs may be helpful.

Maternal depression trajectories and offspring positive attributes and social aptitudes at early adolescence: 2004 Pelotas birth cohort.

There is growing evidence that adolescent positive attributes and social aptitudes are associated with beneficial outcomes, including higher educational attainment and lower risk of later psychiatric disorder. Although maternal depression is a well-known risk factor for a variety of offspring adverse outcomes, less is known on its repercussion on children's positive behavioral traits. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of maternal depression trajectories on offspring positive attributes and social aptitudes, testing sex-moderated models for the studied association. The 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort is an ongoing cohort originally comprised by 4231 live births from Brazil. We included 3465 11-year-old adolescents (48.6% female; maternal self-reported skin color: 27.0% non-white). Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at all follow-ups. Adolescent positive attributes and social aptitudes were ascertained by specific subscales of Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA). Multivariate linear regression was used to examine the effect of maternal depression trajectories on offspring's outcomes, adjusting for potential confounding variables. Moderation was assessed with interaction terms. Adolescents from mothers who presented high-chronic levels of depressive symptoms during offspring's life have lower scores of positive attributes and social aptitudes. Boys exposed to maternal depression during their lifetime are more affected than girls regarding positive attributes, but this sex difference was not observed for social aptitudes. Interventions targeting the promotion of adaptive behavioral traits may represent an effective way to buffer the adverse impact of maternal depression on offspring development, especially for vulnerable groups such as male adolescents.

How do emotional intelligence and behavioral biases of investors determine their investment decisions?

PurposeIn earlier studies, research has shown that EI is the only element, which influences the ways in which people develop in their lives, jobs and social skills control their emotions and get along with other people. It is EI that dictates the way people deal with one another and understand emotions. The research gap is to explore the impact of behavioral factors and investors psychology on their investment decision-making.Design/methodology/approachThe information was gathered from 500 financial specialists. The region of research was the financial specialists who contribute through LSC Securities Ltd. in Punjab State. The purposive testing system was used in this examination.FindingsThe investigation found that the positive connection between the conduct predispositions of the financial specialists and venture choices of the speculators and positive connection between enthusiastic insight of the financial specialists and their venture choices. Yet, the authors found that the enthusiastic insight better foresees the venture choices of the financial specialists than the conduct predispositions of the speculators. Among the different elements of conduct inclinations of the speculator’s lament and carelessness are identified with the financial specialist’s venture choices. Among the various estimations of eager understanding – care, dealing with emotions, motivation, empathy and social aptitudes are related to the hypothesis decisions of the monetary pros.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample selection was based on purposive sampling, rather than a random probability sample. The sample was area specific, restricted only to Ludhiana Stock Exchange in Punjab state. Therefore, the results of the study cannot be generalized with certainty to all the investors investing through other exchanges in other states. The inferences are based on the assumption that the data provided by the investors are true and correct. The findings may be relevant for other stock exchanges as that of the Ludhiana Stock Exchange. However, the authors do not claim the generalization of the results.Practical implicationsThis study also helps to understand the relationship between investment decision-making and risk tolerance of investors. It will helpful for the financial advisors to know the behavioral biases of investors while making an investment decision, and therefore, they can advise investors properly to mitigate such biases. It may help the investors in understanding the subjective part of their behavior and control their emotions while taking decisions for their investment in stock market options.Social implicationsThis research will help investment advisors and finance professionals to judge investors’ attitudes toward risk in a better way, which leads to better investment decisions.Originality/valueThis study is my own study and it is original and has not been published anywhere.

Introduction to Counseling: An emerging concept in Clinical Social Work Practice

Counseling is part of every culture, either formal or informal. But new trends have emerged to transform the structure and role of family which has reduced the capacity to serve as the safety net for people who are not capable in handling the stressor for any reasons. Professional counseling is a lot of advanced social aptitudes or abilities in which focus is encourages the client's change in the therapeutic process. It depends on the client's, strength, their qualities, their convictions, their uniqueness with their entitlement to self-assurance. The counseling in social work requires intense training and develop understanding regarding human nature, behavior, and explicit therapeutic potential, ethical and healthy professional boundaries. This type of training incorporates mindfulness, evaluation of social and cultural impacts, advancement, abilities, religion, social character, gender role, socio-economic status, and nationality. Counselors basically value such differences and stay away from discrimination. It includes interacting and intervening with current issues, addresses crises situations, either short term or long-term solutions, depends on the nature of crises. It very well may work with individual, couples, families or groups. Counselors utilize the enhanced capacity and the self effectively in therapeutic environment. In this article, researcher trying to explore counseling i) the meaning and concept of counseling in social work, ii) clinical social work practices , iii) assessment tools, iv) counseling skills, v) related theories, vi) utility of counseling and emerging role and challenges of counseling in contemporary society. Key Concept: Counseling -Clinical Social Work- Therapeutic relationship -interpersonal process of counseling-assessment tools & skills- contemporary practices. DOI : 10.7176/JESD/10-12-16 Publication date :June 30 th 2019

The Social Aptitudes Scale: looking at both "ends" of the social functioning dimension.

Dimensional approaches are likely to advance understanding of human behaviors and emotions. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether instruments in psychiatry capture variability at the full spectrum of these dimensions. We aimed to investigate this issue for two scales assessing distinct aspects of social functioning: the Social Aptitudes Scale (SAS), a "bidirectional" scale constructed to investigate both "ends" of social functioning; and the social Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL-social), a "unidirectional" scale constructed to assess social problems. We investigated 2512 children and adolescents aged 6-14. Item response theory was used to investigate on which range of the trait each scale captures information. We performed quantile regressions to investigate if correlations between SAS and CBCL-social vary within different levels of social aptitudes dimension and multiple logistic regressions to investigate associations with negative and positive clinical outcomes. SAS was able to provide information on the full range of social aptitudes, whereas CBCL-social provided information on subjects with high levels of social problems. Quantile regressions showed SAS and CBCL-social have higher correlations for subjects with low social aptitudes and non-significant correlations for subjects with high social aptitudes. Multiple logistic regressions showed that SAS was able to provide independent clinical predictions even after adjusting for CBCL-social scores. Our results provide further validity to SAS and exemplify the potential of "bidirectional" scales to dimensional assessment, allowing a better understanding of variations that occur in the population and providing information for children with typical and atypical development.

Facteurs de protection dans les conduites d’alcoolisation chez les étudiants de l’université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik au Liban. Étude transversale effectuée sur des étudiants séminaristes et non séminaristes

ObjectivesAlcohol consumption is facilitated in university students by personal risk factors such as initiation with the substances at an early age, a low self-esteem, a lack of social aptitudes and heredity. Protective factors are characteristics of the personality like optimistic attitude towards the future, good coping strategies, good self-esteem and good capacity of resilience. The objective of our study consists in comparing the alcohol consumption of subjects between 18 and 25 years old within the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Beirut. We postulate that the alcohol consumption and the protection factors in the same university vary, as the students are seminarists or not. We tried to see if the seminarists students have lesser alcohol consumption (binge drinking, abuse, dependence) than none seminarists students and to see if they have personal psychological protection factors (optimism, high self-esteem, positive coping strategies to resolve the problems and resilience) higher than none seminarists students. Subjects and methodsOur study concern a Lebanese sample of 200 students of the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanese Francophone University, aged between 18 and 25 years, distributed on four faculties (theology, management, science and medicine) of 50 persons each one. The students were informed and agreed to pass two anonymous questionnaires: the first one help to detect subjects having alcohol drinking (binge drinking, abuse and dependence) whose a part corresponds to the test AUDIT measuring the alcoholic dependence; and the second allows evaluating personal psychological factors of protection (optimism, good self-esteem, positive coping strategies and resilience) whose a part concerning the self-esteem is the one of Rosenberg, the part relating to the coping strategies is inspired by the “Brief cope” scale of Carver; the part concerning the optimism is inspired by the LOT “Test Life orientation” of Schier and Carver and the part relating to the resilience is inspired by “the control and the self-resilience” scale. ResultsTheology students have personal factors of protection, which protect them from alcohol drinking: higher optimism than others, more positive coping strategies, a better resilience and a good self-esteem more than those in other faculties. This differentiates them from other students concerning the risk use and the “binge drinking” and did not significantly differentiate them concerning the abuse and the dependence. The binge drinking seems to be significantly higher at the students in management, sciences and medicine. Their search for domination, which accompanies the competition between each others, where it is socially “virile” to drink important quantities of alcohol around games, can influence their behavior. So, we can understand why such behaviors do not seem to interest the seminarists. The risk use on the test of the AUDIT seems to be significantly lower in seminarists students than in sciences and management. This can be explained by their less frequent use of substances to resolve their conflicts and their use of coping strategies such as prayers and by their vision in the life is based on the hope, faith and carrier of optimism. The major problem of Lebanese students remains the “binge drinking”. ConclusionIt would be interesting to propose interventions within the university. Talking groups could be settled to help them talking about their own consumption of alcohol.

Autistic spectrum disorder traits in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Current classification systems do not allow for comorbid diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with ADHD are often screened for ASD during clinical assessment and when recruited to clinical trials. We predicted that children with ADHD would have more autistic traits than controls and that certain traits would be more prevalent. The clinically referred sample consisted of 30 children with ADHD and 30 matched controls aged 9-15 years. Children were screened for ASD traits using the Social Aptitudes Scale (SAS) and the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ). We found that ASD traits were significantly higher in children with ADHD than controls. None of the children received a diagnosis of autism or ASD. However, a large proportion (28% using the SCQ and 62% using the SAS) of children with ADHD reached screening thresholds for a predictive diagnosis of ASD. Relative to controls, children with ADHD had significantly higher levels of communication and social deficits, but not repetitive behaviours. Further work is needed to establish whether autistic-like communication and social difficulties in children with ADHD are part of the broader ASD phenotype or are specific to ADHD.

New housing supply and the dilution of social capital

This paper examines the role of local housing supply conditions for social capital investment. Using an instrumental variables approach and data from the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, it is documented that the positive link between homeownership and individual social capital investment is largely confined to more built-up neighborhoods (with more inelastic supply of new housing). The empirical findings provide support for the proposition that in these localities house price capitalization provides additional incentives for homeowners to invest in social capital. The findings are also largely consistent with the proposition that built-up neighborhoods provide protection from inflows of newcomers that could upset a mutually beneficial equilibrium involving reciprocal cooperation. However, the results do not appear to be driven by selection based on inherent differences in social aptitudes or by Tiebout sorting.

The Social Aptitudes Scale: an initial validation

Poor social skills are associated with a range of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders, with deficits being particularly marked in autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs). Here, we validate a brief measure of social aptitudes where low scores are designed to index a substantially raised risk of ASDs. Parents of a national community sample of 7,977 British 5-16 year olds completed the Social Aptitudes Scale (SAS) as well as a general questionnaire measure of psychopathology, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Psychiatric diagnoses were assigned by clinical raters on the basis of detailed multi-informant information. All ten items of the SAS loaded onto a single latent factor, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.88. Correlations between the SAS and the SDQ were only modest, suggesting that the SAS measures different attributes to the SDQ. The SAS was significantly better than the SDQ at identifying ASDs. Children and adolescents with low SAS scores are at increased risk of mental health problems, particularly ASDs.

Adolphe Quetelet (1796 1874) the average man and indices of obesity

The quest for a practical index of relative body weight that began shortly after actuaries reported the increased mortality of their overweight policyholders culminated after World War II, when the relationship between weight and cardiovascular disease became the subject of epidemiological studies. It became evident then that the best index was the ratio of the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters, or the Quetelet Index described in 1832. Adolphe Quetelet (1796-1874) was a Belgian mathematician, astronomer and statistician, who developed a passionate interest in probability calculus that he applied to study human physical characteristics and social aptitudes. His pioneering cross-sectional studies of human growth led him to conclude that other than the spurts of growth after birth and during puberty, 'the weight increases as the square of the height', known as the Quetelet Index until it was termed the Body Mass Index in 1972 by Ancel Keys (1904-2004). For his application of comparative statistics to social conditions and moral issues, Quetelet is considered a founder of the social sciences. His principal work, 'A Treatise of Man and the development of his faculties' published in 1835 is considered 'one of the greatest books of the 19th century'. A tireless promoter of statistical data collection based on standard methods and definitions, Quetelet organized in 1853 the first International Statistical Congress, which launched the development of 'a uniform nomenclature of the causes of death applicable to all countries', progenitor of the current International Classification of Diseases.

Factorial Validation of the Severe Impairment Battery for Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

The Severe Impairment Battery (SIB) estimates the cognitive aptitudes and other skills of severely impaired dementia patients. The main objective of this pilot study was to clearly identify the number of factors present in the SIB and to analyze the relationships between the different cognitive domains explored by the SIB and loss of autonomy. We administered the SIB, the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and two scales of dependency to 48 patients with Alzheimer’s disease in its late stages. A factorial analysis (Principal Components Analysis) showed a 4-factor solution for the SIB: a cognitive factor, a praxis and visuospatial functions factor, the reactivity to external stimuli factor and the social aptitudes factor. A factorial analysis involving the dependency scales showed a cognitive factor, a dependency and constructional praxis factor, the reactivity to external stimuli factor and the social aptitudes factor. Reactivity to external stimuli and social aptitudes were not significantly correlated to cognitive aspects nor to dependency. The finding of dependency as a factor different from cognitive deterioration suggests that, in setting a treatment strategy for demented patients, attempts should be made to treat dependency in its own right. In addition, since reactivity to external stimuli and social aptitudes are not related to cognitive aspects nor to dependency, these functions should also be encouraged and stimulated.

Ambulatory insulin therapy

1. Ambulatory insulin therapy was given to a group of 52 unselected patients. 2. The method of treatment was found to be readily applicable without enlargement of existing facilities. 3. No contraindications to use of this therapy were found in any patient. 4. The beneficial effects noted were: gain in weight, a definite sense of well being and amelioration in psychopathological trends with corresponding increase in outgoing interests and social aptitudes. 5. Incident with the above effects, the patients were more accessible to psychotherapy. 6. Therapeutic results were found to be independent of duration of illness, length of treatment and dosage of insulin. 7. Sixty-five per cent of the patients improved; 25 per cent were able to leave the hospital; 10 per cent improved and then relapsed; and 25 per cent showed no improvement. 8. This method seems particularly applicable to the treatment of dementia praecox, paranoid type.