French College Students’ Sports Practice and Its Relations with Stress, Coping Strategies and Academic Success

College students at university have to face several stress factors. Although sports practice has been considered as having beneficial effects upon stress and general health, few studies have documented its influence on this specific population. The aim of this comparative study was to determine whether the intensity of the college students’ sports practice (categorized into three groups: rare, regular, or intensive) would influence their levels of stress and self-efficacy, their coping strategies, and their academic success/failure. Three self-completion questionnaires were administered to 1071 French freshmen during their compulsory medical visit at the preventive medicine service of the university. Results indicated that students with intensive sport practice reported lower scores of general stress, academic stress, and emotion-focused coping strategies, and higher scores of self-efficacy than those with rare practice. However, the proportion of successful students did not differ significantly between the three groups of sports practice

Coping among Students: Development and validation of an exploratory measure

Students is a very specific population according to their manner to cope with stress. A coping questionnaire for students was developed and administered to 1100 French students at the beginning of the term (T1). Principal Component Analysis of responses, followed by varimax rotations, yielded three factors accounting for 50.5% of the total variance. Factors were identified as seeking social support, avoidance/emotion-focused coping and festive-addictive coping. Associations were observed between scores on these factors and a general coping scale (WCC-R), personal variables measured at the same time (T1), neuroticism, self-esteem, substance use, and four stress factors, as well as variables measured at the end of the term (T2), somatic symptoms, depressive symptoms, eating disorders, and life satisfaction. It would be very interesting to develop the students' personal competencies, so that they are learning how to adopt functional strategies of coping rather than of the harmful kind

Profiles of Parental Burnout Around the Globe: Similarities and Differences Across 36 Countries

Parental burnout (PB) is a pervasive phenomenon. Parenting is embedded in cultural values, and previous research has shown the role of individualism in PB. In this paper, we reanalyze previously collected data to identify profiles based on the four dimensions of PB, and explore whether these profiles vary across countries’ levels of collectivistic-individualistic (COL-IND) values. Our sample comprised 16,885 individuals from 36 countries (73% women; 27% men), and we used a latent profile approach to uncover PB profiles. The findings showed five profiles: Fulfilled, Not in PB, Low risk of PB, High risk of PB and Burned out. The profiles pointed to climbing levels of PB in the total sample and in each of the three country groups (High COL/Low IND, Medium COL-IND, Low COL/High IND). Exploratory analyses revealed that distinct dimensions of PB had the most prominent roles in the climbing pattern, depending on the countries’ levels of COL/IND. In particular, we found contrast to be a hallmark dimension and an indicator of severe burnout for individualistic countries. Contrary to our predictions, emotional distance and saturation did not allow a clear differentiation across collectivistic countries. Our findings support several research avenues regarding PB measurement and intervention

Maternal Burnout Syndrome: Contextual and Psychological Associated Factors

Background: Becoming a parent is one of the most significant experiences in a woman’s life. Including substantial and long-lasting mental, social, and physical charge, the parenting experience may also be a potentially stressful and overwhelming task. Since the eighties, the notion of parental burnout syndrome has gained increasing attention, but its contextual and psychological factors need to be better identified.Aims: To investigate a large array of contextual and psychological factors associated with maternal burnout syndrome in a French community-based population in order to contribute to better operationalize the notion of parental burnout and to explore its determinants.Method: A total of 304 French-speaking mothers (mean age = 34.8 years, SD = 6.72) completed a set of questionnaires including a sociodemographic form (in order to gather general information about the mothers, their spouses, and children living at home). The Perceived Stress Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory adapted to parents (MBI-parental), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Parental Stress Index-Short Form and the Ways of Coping Checklist were used in this study.Results: Multivariate linear regression analyses revealed that scores on the MBI-parental version were strongly and positively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms, as well as with perceived stress related to parenthood and parenting stress levels. Moreover, using the task-oriented coping style in parenthood was strongly and positively associated with personal accomplishment. Conversely, some sociodemographic characteristics were found to be negatively associated with maternal burnout: being employed, working full time and being a mother living without a coparent.Conclusion: The construct of maternal burnout syndrome seems to be linked to a conjunction of psychological and contextual factors associated with maternal exhaustion. The implication of the results for prevention and intervention strategies are discussed

Facteurs prédisant le développement de symptômes dépressifs, de symptômes organiques, de troubles des conduites alimentaires et de l'échec académique chez des étudiants de première année (une étude prospective en psychologie de la santé)

BORDEAUX2-BU Sci.Homme/Odontol. (330632102) / SudocSudocFranceF

Applications scan de produits alimentaires : profil des utilisatrices et pattern d’usage

International audienc

Who uses food barcode scanner apps and why? Exploration of users' characteristics and development of the Food Barcode Scanner App Questionnaire

Abstract Background Food barcode scanner apps (FBSAs) are increasingly being used to verify food quality. By scanning a product's barcode, they can provide a range of information, including nutritional quality or information on the toxicity of food components. Although they seem to be widely used, no study has yet examined their use in the general population. The objectives of this study were therefore twofold: (a) to identify who the users of FBSA are and (b) to evaluate behaviours and cognitions associated with use of these apps through the development and validation of the Food Barcode Scanner App Questionnaire (FBSAQ). Method A total of 1626 women (average age of 37.51 years; SD = 12.67) from the general population were included in this study, with 25.7% reporting themselves as using at least one FBSA. Participants completed questionnaires assessing socio‐demographic and health characteristics, the use of health apps and the FBSAQ, when relevant. Results The users of FBSAs did not differ from nonusers in regard to key socio‐demographic characteristics, but they were more likely to use healthcare services and other health apps than nonusers of FBSAs. Psychometric analyses allowed validation of the FBSAQ through three factors: pathological use, dietary concerns and exclusion of unhealthy components. Conclusion Data showed that the use of FBSAs can be beneficial for many individuals, as they help with food choices. However, some user may develop more problematic behaviours and have difficulties in not using these apps

Vegans, strict vegetarians, partial vegetarians, omnivores: Do they differ in food choice motives, coping, and quality of life?

International audienceFew studies have examined the differences in food choice motivations and eating disorders associated with different types of vegetarian diets (i.e., partial, strict, vegan), even though these diets are characterized by varying degrees of food selectivity. In addition, few studies have evaluated the quality of life of those following these diets, and none have assessed coping strategies in vegetarians. The objective of this study is, thus, to compare the factors influencing food choices, eating disorders, preferred coping strategies, and the quality of life of those following different vegetarian diets. The sample included 589 adults (83.4% female-mean age = 32 years), of whom 36% were omnivores, 23% were partial vegetarians, 19% were strict vegetarians, and 22% were vegans. Participants were recruited mainly through social networking and completed a selfadministered questionnaire covering their sociodemographic characteristics, food choice motivations (FCQ), eating disorders (EAT-26), coping strategies (Brief COPE), and quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF). It was found that vegetarians and vegans are more motivated by ethics, health, and naturalness in their food choices, while omnivores are more motivated by familiarity and convenience. Concerning health indicators, omnivores have a higher risk of eating disorders and use potentially more dysfunctional coping strategies than vegans. Moreover, omnivores have poorer physical health than vegans. Vegans also appear to have better psychological functioning (e.g., less risk of eating disorders, better subjective physical health) than omnivores. These results underline the necessity to differentiate among vegetarians according to the continuum of dietary restrictions to deepen the understanding of the particularities of functioning and risk associated with these selective diets

Stress perçu et santé physique des doctorants dans les universités françaises

International audienceAbstract Few studies have focused on PhD students in France despite the fact that this population appears to be particularly vulnerable to stress and often faces precariousness. This research investigated associations between socio-demographic factors, health behaviours, perceived stress and physical health in a wide sample of PhD students (N = 1923) in order to have a better understanding of this population's specificities. Our results indicated that stress is a critical issue among PhD candidates. Predictors of perceived stress were: gender, age, satisfaction with supervision, sleep quality and sports practice. Findings from this study confirm the relevance of the transactional model to investigate students' health issues and suggest that physical activity and stress management should be encouraged through health promotion programs. Keywords: health; higher education; perceived stress; sleep quality; physical activity