The influence of traditional values of education on greek students' real and ideal self-concepts

Students' real and ideal self-concepts were studied with respect to their acceptance or rejection of the traditional values of Greek education. The relationship between the real and the ideal components of self-concept was also examined. A sample of Athenian students who answered a questionnaire accepted most of the traditional values of education. The students' internalization of such values predicted their moderately satisfied real self-concepts and their extremely developed ideal self-concepts, which symbolized their hopes and ambitions for academic achievement. The factor-analyzed items of self-concept revealed a disparity between the real and the ideal components of the participants' self-concepts. © 1998 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Value Acculturation and Response Tendencies of Biethnic Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to investigate the modes of acculturation and the response tendencies of adolescents (n = 133) of biethnic families living in Athens, as compared to adolescents (n = 113) of homoethnic families in Athens, and homoethnic adolescents (n = 80) of Greek immigrants in Germany and the Netherlands, by means of a scale of family values. Biethnic adolescents manifested different forms of acculturation of values as compared to homoethnic Greeks in Athens, Germany, and the Netherlands. The biethnic adolescents appear to be integrating primarily to the disparate value systems of their biethnic parents, manifested by reluctance to disagree with the values of the homoethnic or heteroethnic parent, and less to the ecological and social factors of the host culture. The response tendencies appear to be closer to “accommodation” but with a different response pattern dependent on whether they are toward the traditional or rejection of traditional values poles of the scale. © 1992, Sage Publications. All rights reserved

The stress process, self-efficacy expectations, and psychological health

In this study the effects of the stress process after a stressful encounter, that is an examination period, on university students' psychological health, as well as certain factors that play a significant role in this relationship are being examined. Two hundred and ninety-one (291) students at the University of Athens participated in our study. They completed a series of questionnaires concerning (a) psychological symptoms; (b) self-efficacy expectations; (c) threat, challenge and stakes; (d) coping strategies, and (e) a cognitive self-schema concerning personal examination abilities. The questionnaires were completed in three phases: three months and one week before an examination period, and one week after completion of this period. According to the findings, psychological symptoms are predicted by prior health, appraisal variables, and certain coping strategies. Self-efficacy expectations play a significant role in shaping threat, challenge, and stakes. These appraisal categories in turn exert influence upon psychological health, even after controlling for prior psychological health and coping strategies. Self-efficacy serves as the key variable in the appraisal process, as well as a mediator between inner cognitive structures and stress outcomes. © 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Quality of life of residents of the community hostels of Leros-Greece: Clinical and social functioning profile of the ex-patients

Background: The quality of life experiences of the chronically mentally ill have received increased attention in outcome research lately and constitute a critical outcome of mental health. Aims: This study evaluated the perceived quality of life of the former psychiatric patients (N = 103) who have been moved from the Psychiatric Hospital of Leros to community hostels (N = 19) in Leros Island. In addition, the residents' clinical and social functioning profiles were examined together with the extent of institutional practices by the staff in residents' environment. Method: The present research is a cross-sectional study examining the impact of the transformation programmes Leros I and Leros II on the well-being of long-term psychiatric clients following the move. Results: The majority of the residents expressed high levels of satisfaction, in almost all variables of quality of life, except the variable of contact with family relations. The level of psychopathology was very low, while the majority of residents expressed low community and social skills. Finally, the staff (N = 64) allowed in a way, the expression of autonomy in the residents' environment. Conclusions: This study suggests that even the most chronic psychiatric population of Greece is able to give valid and reliable responses concerning the manner in which they perceive their present life. © 2009 SAGE Publications

The effect of counselling-based training on online peer support

The aim of the current study is to investigate the impact of counselling-based training on online peer support by comparing the interventions of trained peer supporters as opposed to non-trained peer supporters. Two independent raters analysed 746 support posts published during a period of one year at the ‘Student to Student’ online peer support discussion forum at University of Athens. Results showed that the 30-hour counselling-based training used in this study allowed trained peer supporters to use basic counselling skills, such as open-ended and closed-ended questions and paraphrasing more often and even use relatively complex techniques, such as problem solving or definition of the main problem that non-trained supporters did not use at all or used very rarely. In addition, training did not seem to affect the peer support relationship, as indicated by the lack of differences between the two groups on empathy, acceptance and empowerment. Based on these findings, it was concluded that the training enhanced the peer support offered without compromising the nature of the relationship formed between peers. Therefore, brief counselling-based training can be an integral part of every peer-moderated online support programme. © 2014, © 2014 Taylor & Francis

Accelerometer feedback to promote physical activity in adults with type 2 diabetes: A pilot study

This study examined whether giving activity feedback to obese, sedentary adults with Type 2 diabetes would improve their adherence to a home-based walking program. 49 subjects were recruited. Ten failed a treadmill cardiovascular test. Another 9 dropped out before the intervention, and 4 dropped out during the intervention. The remaining 26 adults (14 women, 12 men; age M=48.1 yr., 5D = 7.1) received behavioral counseling monthly for 3 mo. regarding exercise. All subjects wore a triaxial accelerometer during these 3 months. Randomly, half of the subjects were blind to the data from the accelerometers, i.e., no feedback, and had counseling based on their self-report diaries. The other half had access to the accelerometer data, got a computerized graph of their physical activity for the period between counseling sessions, and had counseling based on these objective data, i.e., feedback. The feedback group showed an increase in exercise over the 3 mo. The nonfeedback group showed an increase in activity at 1.5 mo. but reverted to their baseline exercise levels at 3 mo. However, analysis of variance showed there was at least an 8% probability that this effect was due to chance, so the hypothesis that feedback would improve exercise adherence could not be supported. Further studies with larger sample sizes and greater control of experimental conditions are needed to determine the utility of objective activity feedback. © Perceptual and Motor Skills 2005

Validation of the greek version of the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form 3: Internal consistency reliability and validity

Schema therapy (ST) is an integrative therapy, which combines elements of cognitive behavior therapy, attachment theory, object relations theory and emotional-focused models. Schema therapy is an effective treatment for patients with personality disorders and other chronic psychological disorders. Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMSs) are a main concept in schema theory referring to self-defeating, core themes or patterns. They develop as a result of traumatic or toxic childhood experiences and the frustration of the core emotional needs in childhood. To date 18 EMSs have been identified and grouped into five higher order structures, known as domains. For the evaluation of the EMSs, Young developed a self-report inventory, the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ). There are two forms of the YSQ, the Young Schema Questionnaire - Long Form 3 (YSQ-L3) a 232-item inventory and the Young Schema Questionnaire - Short form 3 (YSQ-S3), a 90-item inventory, which is a subset of the Long form. The aim of this study was to validate the Greek Version of the YSQ-S3. A non-clinical sample of 1,236 undergraduate students completed the YSQ-S3 and 124 patients with Axis-I, Axis II or comorbid diagnosis, completed the YSQ-L3. Moreover, both samples completed the second part of the Adults Self Report (ASR). Internal consistency reliability, discriminative, convergent and predictive validity were examined. The internal consistency reliability of the schema factors was satisfactory with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.70 or above, for all factors in both student's and clinical sample. The effect sizes were high for most of the scales, regarding the differences between clinical and non-clinical sample. Emotional Deprivation, Vulnerability to harm or Illness, Subjugation, Social Isolation/Alienation and Defectiveness/Shame had the highest effect sizes in the clinical sample and in the non-clinical sample according to whether they had ever visited a mental health specialist. This may suggest that these EMSs are more sensitive and useful markers of psychological problems. In addition, patients with Axis II pathology scored significantly higher on Emotional Deprivation, Abandonment, Mistrust/Abuse, Social Isolation/Alienation compared to patients with only Axis I pathology. This finding is consistent with Schema theory, as these EMSs are associated with earlier in life traumatic experiences and insecure attachment and lie in the core of personality pathology. YSQ-S3 factors were significantly correlated with all ASR dimension and linear regression analysis showed that certain EMSs could predict Depressive and Anxiety problems. In total, the greek version of the YSQ-S3 showed good reliability and validity