Intolerance of uncertainty and mental wellbeing: serial mediation by rumination and fear of COVID-19

The novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become globally widespread with millions of confirmed cases and many countries implementing various levels of quarantine. Therefore, it is important to investigate the psychological consequences of this process, given the unique situation that has been experienced globally. Therefore, the present study examined whether intolerance of uncertainty was related to mental wellbeing and whether this relationship was mediated by rumination and fear of COVID-19. The sample comprised 1772 Turkish individuals (aged between 18 and 73 years) from 79 of 81 cities in Turkey, who completed measures of mental wellbeing, intolerance of uncertainty, rumination, and fear of COVID-19. Results of serial mediation analyses showed that intolerance of uncertainty had a significant direct effect on mental wellbeing. Rumination and fear of COVID-19, in combination, serially mediated the association between intolerance of uncertainty and mental wellbeing. The findings are discussed within the framework of the psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and related literature

Teachers’ perspectives on psychological issues among their students

This study has two aims: 1) to explore classroom teachers’ experiences regarding the presenting psychological difficulties of their students; and, 2) to understand how they try to help those students and whether or not their intervention is effective. This study is qualitative in nature. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 35 volunteer teachers from primary and high schools located in different parts of Ankara. The subjects taught by the participating teachers varied. Each participant was asked the following questions: 1-Based on your experiences, what are the psychological difficulties most often faced by your students? 2- How do you respond to their presenting psychological difficulties? and, 3- Do you think that your responses are effective? Descriptive and content analysis procedures were utilized. Four categories of psychological difficulties and six categories of widely used intervention strategies were identified. Results and implications are discussed