University Students In Greece Research Articles

Problematic Internet Use Among Greek University Students: An Ordinal Logistic Regression with Risk Factors of Negative Psychological Beliefs, Pornographic Sites, and Online Games

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationships between Problematic Internet Use (PIU) among university students in Greece and factors such as gender, age, family condition, academic performance in the last semester of their studies, enrollment in unemployment programs, amount of Internet use per week (in general and per application), additional personal habits or dependencies (number of coffees, alcoholic drinks drunk per day, taking substances, cigarettes smoked per day), and negative psychological beliefs. Data were gathered from 2,358 university students from across Greece. The prevalence of PIU was 34.7% in our sample, and PIU was significantly associated with gender, parental family status, grade of studies during the previous semester, staying or not with parents, enrollment of the student in an unemployment program, and whether the student paid a subscription to the Internet (p < 0.0001). On average, problematic Internet users use MSN, forums, YouTube, pornographic sites, chat rooms, advertisement sites, Google, Yahoo!, their e-mail, ftp, games, and blogs more than non-problematic Internet users. PIU was also associated with other potential addictive personal habits of smoking, drinking alcohol or coffee, and taking drugs. Significant risk factors for PIU were being male, enrolment in unemployment programs, presence of negative beliefs, visiting pornographic sites, and playing online games. Thus PIU is prevalent among Greek university students and attention should be given to it by health officials.

Cigarette smoking among university students in Greece: a comparison between medical and other students

The purpose of the study was to investigate the smoking habits of medical and other students and to explore the most important factors associated with students' smoking. University students were surveyed in late spring 2006 regarding their smoking status and additional health- and behavior-related characteristics. A total of 1205 (269 medical and 936 nonmedical) students participated in the study. Of these 47% reported being current smokers (35% among medical students), and 30% of the smokers had already started smoking at the age of 16years. Smokers reported a significantly higher prevalence of cough and respiratory infections and a decrease in physical fitness. The most important factor associated with smoking prevalence was friendship with smokers and maternal smoking. A better knowledge of harmful effects showed a strong association with nonsmokers. Although nonmedical students exhibited a greater possibility to be a smoker, awareness of harmful effects among medical students was not as significant as factor against smoking compared with among nonmedical students. This study shows that smoking prevalence among medical and other students in Greece is extremely high. A lack of effective education against smoking in medical students was evident and this underlines the need to identify the factors to be included in planning effective antismoking programs.

Acceptability of genetically modified maize by young people

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how label information may affect the acceptability by young consumers of a food produced by genetic engineering methods.Design/methodology/approachA popular snack derived from maize (corn chip) was presented with five different labels (“organic corn”, “conventional corn”, “product that contains genetically modified (GM) corn”, “product that contains GM corn approved by EU”, “non‐classified corn”) to 229 university students in Greece in order to taste it.FindingsThe results obtained showed that the GM label evoked a deeply rooted negative attitude as more than half of participants (63 per cent) refused to taste even a single piece of the product. The product labelled “GM but approved by EU” was viewed as more credible but still 28 per cent refused to sample. The conclusion was that although the feeling of trust increased considerably when the label message was supported by a certifying authority, a large proportion (almost one third) of participants refused to taste a product that had been approved by the EU for nearly a decade.Practical implicationsThis result demonstrated in an emphatic way a degree of phobia concerning GM food and the importance of carefully worded labelling.Originality/valueThe attitude of consumers after direct experience with a GM food product had never been reported for Greece and these findings may serve as an exploratory tool for further investigations on GM food related attitudes.

The importance of self-regulatory and goal-conflicting processes in the avoidance of drunk driving among Greek young drivers

The present study examined self-regulatory and goal-conflicting processes in the avoidance of drunk driving among Greek young drivers. A total of 361 university students in Greece completed a questionnaire, using a retrospective cross-sectional survey design. One-third reported to have driven under the influence of alcohol. Although prior intentions were clearly related to actual avoidance of drunk driving, one out of five respondents had not complied with their intention. An examination of post-intentional correlates of avoidance of drunk driving among positive intenders showed that avoidance of drunk driving was positively related to alcohol limitation plans and alcohol limitation self-efficacy, whereas negative relations were found for goal conflict and behavioural willingness. The present study suggests that people should not only be motivated but also be equipped with self-regulatory strategies aiming at the avoidance of drinking. Finally, goal commitment should be enhanced by increasing the salience of the avoidance goal.

Greek university students: a discouraged workforce

PurposeThe significance of young, well‐educated workers in the Greek labour market has been largely neglected in studies addressing the issue of low participation rate in the labour force of the country. This study focuses on the reluctance of Greek students to enter the labour market and combine studies with paid work. This article reports on a survey that aimed to examine to what extent university students in Greece seek to work during term‐time and to explore student perceptions of combining studies and work.Design/methodology/approachThe survey was conducted in May 2003 and involved 466 full‐time undergraduate students at the Universities of Macedonia and Aristotle in Thessaloniki, Greece. A structured questionnaire was used in exploring students’ perceptions of working and studying full‐time simultaneously.FindingsThe survey found that only 22 per cent of students have entered wage labour, while inactivity rate is very high, amounting to 55 per cent. Although many students assess employability after graduation as the main motivation for working, the majority of them are discouraged to search for a job because of schedule conflicts and lack of job opportunities.Practical implicationsIn breaking this deadlock the article explores the idea of restructuring the internal labour market in Greek universities by expanding services and offering part‐time job positions to their students.Originality/valueGiven the dearth of empirical research on youth employment in Greece, this paper aims to contribute to debates in the wider academic community on the issue of preparing young, well‐educated people to enter the Greek labour market.

The Relationship of Parental Attachment and Psychological Separation to the Psychological Functioning of Young Adults

The authors explored the interrelations between attachment patterns and psychological separation from parents as well as the contribution of these variables to adaptive psychological functioning. Among 153 university students in Greece, there was a positive association between security of attachment and freedom from guilt, anxiety, and resentment toward one's parents (conflictual independence); in contrast, there was an inverse relation between security of attachment and independence from parents in relation to emotional, functional, and attitudinal independence. Compared with the insecurely attached students, the securely attached students also scored higher on measures of self-esteem and lower on measures of anxiety and loneliness.

Attitudes and values in sexual behaviour and sex education: A cross-cultural study among University students in Greece and Scotland

This article describes a survey comparing university students in Greece and Scotland with regard to their attitudes to sexual development and sex education. A questionnaire was constructed in Greek and English and was completed by 436 university students in Greece and an equivalent number in Scotland. Comparative results show a tendency for students' attitudes to converge with regard to gender identity, inter-sexual relations, appropriate forms of sexual behaviour and the factors that shape it. Differences exist regarding the aims of sex education, the concept of a sexually mature person, and the moral principles that should govern inter-sexual relations.

Epidemiological Aspects of the Use of Cannabis among University Students in Greece

A survey was conducted among 1,057 students of the University of Ioannina, Greece, investigating the prevalence of cannabis use, the attitude to and the knowledge on cannabis, as well as the intention of students to experiment with other illicit drugs. Students who had tried cannabis amounted to 17.9%, but regular users were 8.7% of the sample. There was an obvious predominance of ‘male users’ (14.4% of the male sample) over ‘female users’ (5.1 % of the female sample). Age was also correlated with cannabis use, since students older than 24 years predominated over the younger ones among regular users (20.8 vs. 6.5%, respectively). Heavy daily tobacco smoking (20 cigarettes or more) and use of psychotropic drugs were also among the factors strongly correlated with cannabis use. The students who admitted a regular use of cannabis expressed their doubt on the harmfulness of the drug and its dependence liability. As a rule, they held strong views on issues pertaining to the properties of cannabis, whereas most of the other respondents often admitted ignorance on the same issues. In addition, regular users declared their willingness to experiment with other illicit drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, if they were available. As for the general attitude towards illicit drugs, cocaine seems to hold a more acceptable place than heroin for all students included in our epidemiological sample.

Corporal development and other characteristics of school children and university students in Greece.

Corporal development and other characteristics of school children and university students in Greece.