INVESTIGATION OF CONSTRAINS TOWARD PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

The purpose of the study is to investigate the factors that deter, inhibit and/or prevent the participation of people with disabilities in athletic activities, and also the investigation of possible differentiation of reasons that inhibit exercise in people with disabilities based on gender, age, educational level, congenital or acquired disability, the participation or not in athletic activities and the frequency of participation. For the needs of this study, the “Barrier to Physical Activity Questionnaire for People with Mobility Impairments – BPAQ-MI” (Vasudevan, Rimmer, & Kviz, 2015) was used. The results showed that the main intrapersonal inhibitors are the concerns for health and the attitudes regarding physical activity. Interpersonal factors that inhibit are physical inertia, the lack of encouragement, and the non-adoption of an active lifestyle in the familial and friendly environment. The lack of accessible infrastructures and programs, the lack of appropriate equipment for adapted exercise, the lack of marketing for people with disabilities, the lack of coverage of the cost of participation from health insurance, and the high cost of participation in athletic programs constitute basic organizational barriers. The lack of accessibility of the general environment, the means of transport to the place of exercise, and safety constitute social barriers. Statistically important differences are observed between the two genders, different age groups, different levels of education, and different frequency of participation in athletic activities. The understanding of the inhibitors and obstacles, will contribute to the obviation of the reasons of distance, to the reinforcement of participation in athletic programs and recreational movement. The designers of athletic policy, the managers of athletic and recreational centers ought to improve the infrastructure, the services, according to the needs of people with disabilities, and to eliminate possible obstacles that bar participation.  Article visualizations

THE INFLUENCE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHERS’ SELF-EFFICACY FOR THE INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

The inclusion of students with disabilities in the modern educational process is a necessity for removing barriers to participation, obviating social inequalities and reducing social exclusion. In the direction of equal opportunities, empowerment and social inclusion, the emotional intelligence and emotional literacy of teachers plays a decisive factor. The study investigated the relationship between physical education teachers' emotional intelligence and their self-efficacy, regarding the inclusion of students with physical, sensory and intellectual disabilities. One hundred and fifty physical education (PE) teachers participated in the study. The Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS) was used to measure emotional intelligence and the Self-Efficacy Instrument for Physical Education Teachers Majors Toward Inclusion (SE-PETE) for the evaluation of self-effectiveness. The results showed that demographic factors such as gender, age, level of education, level of schooling employed and years of teaching experience greatly influence the emotional intelligence levels of physical education teachers. Regarding self-efficacy beliefs, no statistically significant differences were observed in terms of gender, age, level of education, level of schooling employed, in contrast to education in adapted physical education which seems to influence self-efficacy. Spearman’s Coefficient Correlation showed that emotionally intelligent teachers show increased self-efficacy, since they create appropriate learning conditions, and act supportive and encouraging, while adapting teaching to the needs of their students. The multiple regression analysis showed that the self-emotional appraisal, the emotional appraisal of students, and the ability to use and regulate teachers’ emotions have a significant predictive value for high self-efficacy in inclusive practices.  Article visualizations

THE ROLE OF SPECIAL EDUCATORS’ EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN SELF-EFFICACY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITY

The present study explores the correlation between the special educator’s emotional literacy/ emotional intelligence and their self-efficacy regarding the empowerment and social inclusion of students with disability. The study examines a main sample of 114 special educators working in the Greek education system. The main research hypothesis is centered around the interrelationship between the two key notions while incorporating copious variables such as age, gender, education and teaching experience to thoroughly examine all aspects. The academic tools utilized within this research include the Schutte (1999) Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test and the Teaching Students with Disabilities Efficacy Scale-TSDES (Dawson and Scott, 2013). The SPSS statistical package has been used to process the data regarding the descriptive and inductive statistical procedures that have been applied. In the end, it appears that emotional intelligence and the sense of self-efficacy of the special education teachers are inextricably linked as the increase in Emotional Intelligence also implies an increase in Self-Efficacy. In addition, with regard to the relations among the variables, it is noted that education is directly related to the level of Emotional Intelligence as PhD holders performed higher than holders of a Master's or Bachelor’s degree. With regard to the participants’ years of Experience, participants with 6-10 years of service had statistically significant superiority over other groups in terms of Emotional Intelligence. Overall, no statistically significant differences between the genders were found with the exception of the Professionalism and Instruction indicators in Self-Efficacy.  Article visualizations

TEACHERS’ SENTIMENTS, ATTITUDES AND CONCERNS ABOUT INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND SELF-EFFICACY FOR INCLUSIVE PRACTICES

The present study explores Greek teachers' attitudes and sentiments about inclusive education and their overall self-efficacy in instructing students with disabilities. Further aims of the study are: (i) to determine the degree to which teachers' sentiments, attitudes, and concerns towards inclusion can be a predictive factor for teaching self-efficacy and (ii) to investigate the extent to which demographic variables and occupational profile are related to attitudes, perceptions, and concerns of inclusion and teachers' self-efficacy. 165 Greek teachers responded to (1) The Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns about Inclusive Education Scale Revised [SACIE-R]) (Forlin et al., 2011), (b) Teaching Students with Disability Efficacy Scale - TSDES (Dawson & Scott, 2013). The findings showed a positive correlation between teachers' self-efficacy for implementing inclusive practices and their attitudes, sentiments, and concerns regarding inclusive education. Greek educators are in favour of inclusive education, feeling positive about it and acting like positive role models. Self-efficacy is predicted by their attitudes, perceptions, and concerns which are influenced by demographic factors. The regression analysis indicated that self-efficacy in the effective adoption of inclusion is correlated with teachers' attitudes and perceptions. Results may help shape the curriculum for teacher preparation programs to further support inclusive education.  Article visualizations

Off-label indications for atypical antipsychotics: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION: With the introduction of newer atypical antipsychotic agents, a question emerged, concerning their use as complementary pharmacotherapy or even as monotherapy in mental disorders other than psychosis. MATERIAL AND METHOD: MEDLINE was searched with the combination of each one of the key words: risperidone, olanzapine and quetiapine with key words that refered to every DSM-IV diagnosis other than schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder and dementia and memory disorders. All papers were scored on the basis of the JADAD index. RESULTS: The search returned 483 papers. The selection process restricted the sample to 59 papers concerning Risperidone, 37 concerning Olanzapine and 4 concerning Quetiapine (100 in total). Ten papers (7 concerning Risperidone and 3 concerning Olanzapine) had JADAD index above 2. Data suggest that further research would be of value concerning the use of risperidone in the treatment of refractory OCD, Pervasive Developmental disorder, stuttering and Tourette's syndrome, and the use of olanzapine for the treatment of refractory depression and borderline personality disorder. DISCUSSION: Data on the off-label usefulness of newer atypical antipsychotics are limited, but positive cues suggest that further research may provide with sufficient hard data to warrant the use of these agents in a broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders, either as monotherapy, or as an augmentation strategy

Family and psychosocial characteristics of adolescents with suicide attempt: data from a clinical population study

Introduction: For various reasons, systematic study of suicidal behaviour among Greek adolescents remains limited.Aim: To investigate the family and other psycho-social characteristics of adolescent suicide attempters within the rapidly changing socio-cultural context.Population: Patients referred to our Unit after admission for attempted suicide. Up to date, 160 adolescents (16.3% males and 83.7% females), aged 12-19 (mean age 15.14) have been included in our study.Method: As part of a larger continuing research on attempted suicide among adolescents, the present study focuses on family and psycho-social parameters. Through the use of a specifically designed protocol, recorded data are codified and stored in the SPSS for statistical treatment.Results: By order of frequency of appearance, the recorded parameters are: severe dysfunction or impairment of family context (60.6%), school failure/drop (58.1%), adolescent-parent conflict (53.8%), residential changes (52.5%), family schemes other than “intact family” (39.4%), mental health problems among family members (38.1%), disappointment from peer relationships (35.6%), somatic illness among family members (32.5%), cultural particulars (27%), parents’ separation/divorce (25%), followed by other less frequent but not necessarily less important parameters.Conclusions: While confirming some steadily present parameters, our study reveals newly emerging ones, reflecting changes in the family structure and in the wider socio-cultural context, which should be addressed and studied more systematically

Is there a dysfunction in the visual system of depressed patients?

BACKGROUND: The aim of the current study was to identify a possible locus of dysfunction in the visual system of depressed patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty Major Depressive patients aged 21–60 years and 15 age-matched controls took part in the study The diagnosis was obtained with the SCAN v 2.0. The psychometric assessment included the HDRS, the HAS, the Newcastle Scales, the Diagnostic Melancholia Scale and the GAF scale. Flash Electroretinogram and Electrooculogram were performed in all subjects. The statistical analysis included ANCOVA, Student's t-test and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient were used. RESULTS: The Electro-oculographic findings suggested that all subtypes of depressed patients had lower dark trough and light peak values in comparison to controls (p < 0.001), while Arden ratios were within normal range. Electroretinographic recordings did not reveal any differences between patients and controls or between subtypes of depression. DISCUSSION: The findings of the current study provide empirical data in order to assist in the understanding of the international literature and to explain the mechanism of action of therapies like sleep deprivation and light therapy