Stress, resilience, and coping resources in the context of war, terror, and migration

Within the transactional framework of stress, resilience may be conceptualized as a dynamic process wherein individuals, when confronted with adversity, utilize both internal and external coping resources. This article focuses on two resources, namely self-efficacy and social support, examining their roles in the context of war, terrorism, and forced migration. These resources are perceived as protective factors capable of mitigating the impact of adversity and aiding in the recovery from traumatic experiences. They facilitate individuals in reshaping their perspectives and engaging in cognitive restructuring as integral components of the coping process, ultimately leading to a rebound from adversity or even the development of higher levels of functioning post trauma. When scrutinizing the trajectories of coping resources over time, distinct mechanisms may come to the fore. A causation model posits a positive effect of resources on recovery outcomes, while an erosion model elucidates the wear and tear that ongoing adversity may inflict upon these resources. In exploring the interplay between self-efficacy and social support within the resilience process, diverse mechanisms may emerge. These include the enabling effect, where support enhances self-efficacy, and the cultivation effect, wherein self-efficacy contributes to the development of robust social networks

FOODLIT-PRO: Food literacy domains, influential factors and determinants—A qualitative study

Poor eating habits are increasing the prevalence of weight-related issues, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Given the demand to improve individuals’ food knowledge and competencies aiming at healthier behaviours, the current investigation explores the concept of food literacy. Considering the lack of a shared understanding of food literacy, this study aims to explore food literacy’s domains, influential factors and determinants. Using a qualitative deductive-dominant content analysis, 30 experts from food-related fields were interviewed. The obtained outcomes were compared to available food literacy frameworks. Agreement among inter-raters was nearly perfect (k = 0.82). Yielding a total of 184 codes nested within 19 categories, identified domains were Origin, Safety, Choice and Decision, Select and Acquire, Plan, Preserve, Prepare, Cook, and Knowledge; influential factors included Nutrition, Psychological, Health, Learning Contexts, Policy, Industry, Sustainability, and Social and Cultural; External determinants were “Access to Food-Related Information”, “Perishable and/or Unreliable Food-Related Information”, “Family Dynamic and/or Identity”, and “Professionals’ Unpreparedness on Food-Related Expertise”, and Internal determinants included “Prioritise Food”, “Convenience and Practicality”, “Time and Financial Management”, “Previous Food-Related Habits”, and “Innate and Learned Flavour Preferences”. In conclusion, more than half of the identified attributes (62.5%) are corroborated by the current literature. However, the manifested content unmatched with the current frameworks of food literacy literature express food-literacy-related fields of action, knowledge, competencies, and determinants that have not yet been explored. As such, this study provides new and useful information concerning food literacy definition and development, by identifying its domains, factors of influence, and potential determinants. Moreover, this work paves the way for new measurements and interventions within this field

The contribution of class climate to the development of the self-concept of pupils

Das „Selbstvertrauen angesichts schulischer Leistungsanforderungen“ (kurz: Selbstkonzept) entwickelt sich in Abhängigkeit von Erfolgen und Mißerfolgen, gezielten Leistungsrückmeldungen und Selbstbewertungen in Bezugsgruppen während der schulischen Sozialisation. In der vorliegenden Untersuchung geht es darum zu prüfen, ob das Unterrichtsklima ebenfalls einen Beitrag dazu liefert. Unter Unterrichtsklima wird hier die kollektive Wahrnehmung von Leistungsdruck, Konkurrenzdruck, Anonymität und Chaos in einer Schulklasse verstanden. Als Selbstkonzeptindikatoren dienen die Merkmale Selbstwertgefühl, Erfolgszuversicht und die Abwesenheit von Kontrollverlust, Leistungsängstlichkeit und Hilflosigkeit. Die entsprechenden Skalen wurden im Rahmen einer Längsschnittstudie an über 2000 Schülern der Sekundarstufe I eingesetzt. Im Verlauf von 3 Jahren wurden 2 Schülerkohorten dreimal untersucht. Mit Hilfe einer Konfigurationsfrequenzanalyse wurden klimapositive und klimanegative Klassen als „Typen“ identifiziert. Es zeigte sich, daß die Selbstkonzeptmerkmale, die ein Jahr später erhoben worden waren, in diesen Klassen unterschiedlich ausgeprägt waren. In einem weiteren Auswertungsschritt wurde ein dynamisches Kausalmodel] mit latenten Variablen und multiplen Indikatoren spezifiziert, in dem das Unterrichtsklima auf der Aggregatebene und das Selbstkonzept auf der Individualebene angesiedelt sind. Nach Prüfung mit dem Programm Lisrel zeigten sich Effekte in der erwarteten Kausalrichtung. Diese Mehrebenenanalysen haben gezeigt, daß das Unterrichtsklima zwar einen Beitrag zur Selbstkonzeptentwicklung von Schülern der Sekundarstufe I leistet, diese Sozialisationswirkungen jedoch nicht überschätzt werden dürfen. (DIPF/Orig.)The “self-reliance in view of scholastic demands of achievement” (briefly: self-concept) is developed in dependency on success and failures, systematic feedbacks about achievement and self-assessment in reference groups during scholastic socialization. The aim of the present investigation was to test if the climate of instruction also contributes to the process. This hypothesis seems theoretically plausible, because for a long period of time experiences from learning environments created a motivational prerequisite for achievement actions. The climate of instruction is understood as the collective perception of the pressure of achievement and competition, anonymity and chaos in a class. Self-esteem, confidence of success and the absence of loss of control, achievement anxiety and helplessness serve as indicators of the self-concept. The corresponding scales were used in a longitudinal study with more than 2000 pupils of the German „Sekundarstufe I“ (grades 5 to 7). In the course of 3 years 2 cohorts of pupils were tested 3 times. Two “types”, climate-positive and climate-negative classes were identified by configuration frequency analysis. It appeared that the characteristics of the self-concept which had been collected one year later were differently prominent in the classes. In another Step of evaluation, a dynamic causal model with latent variables and multiple indicators was specified. Within the model the climate of instruction is found on the level of aggregation. The self-concept is found on the individual level. In the analysis by Lisrel, the effects in the expected causal direction were found. These multi-leveled analyses show that the climate of instruction certainly contributes to the development of the self-concept of pupils in the “Sekundarstufe I”, but that these effects of socialization must not be overestimated

Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) as a Theoretical Framework to Understand Behavior Change

A theoretical framework to explain, predict, and modify health behaviors is presented which consists of various psychological constructs and a mediator mechanism. Risk perception, outcome expectancies, self-efficacy, intention, planning, and action control constitute the building blocks for a mediator model that is based on two processes: goal setting and goal pursuit. When it comes to the development of interventions to modify behaviors, one can target either the initial motivation phase or the subsequent volition phase. This is an open architecture framework allowing for various research designs and subsets of constructs. Hundreds of studies have been conducted based on this model. Three correlational and two intervention studies were chosen to illustrate the diversity of approaches targeting physical activity in Germany and Costa Rica, dental cleaning in India and Poland, and dust mask wearing in China. They differ in terms of the predictors that emerged as most relevant for behavior change

a cross-over longitudinal design

Background Frequent handwashing can prevent infections, but non-compliance to hand hygiene is pervasive. Few theory- and evidence-based interventions to improve regular handwashing are available. Therefore, two intervention modules, a motivational and a self-regulatory one, were designed and evaluated. Methods In a longitudinal study, 205 young adults, aged 18 to 26 years, were randomized into two intervention groups. The Mot-SelfR group received first a motivational intervention (Mot; risk perception and outcome expectancies) followed by a self-regulatory intervention (SelfR; perceived self-efficacy and planning) 17 days later. The SelfR-Mot group received the same two intervention modules in the opposite order. Follow-up data were assessed 17 and 34 days after the baseline. Results Both intervention sequences led to an increase in handwashing frequency, intention, self- efficacy, and planning. Also, overall gains were found for the self-regulatory module (increased planning and self-efficacy levels) and the motivational module (intention). Within groups, the self-regulatory module appeared to be more effective than the motivational module, independent of sequence. Conclusions Self-regulatory interventions can help individuals to exhibit more handwashing. Sequencing may be important as a motivation module (Mot) first helps to set the goal and a self-regulatory module (SelfR) then helps to translate this goal into actual behavior, but further research is needed to evaluate mechanisms