Influence of Physical Self-Concept in Drug Use in Adolescent Students Athletes

Drug use in Spain is one of the most serious problems faced by society today, and is particularly relevant in adolescence. Practicing physical sport activity is considered one of the most representative habits of a healthy lifestyle, and can act as a preventive factor in drug use. The physical self-concept of the people who practice sport plays a key role in drug adherence. This study aims to analyze the relation and influence of physical self-concept in drug, tobacco, and cannabis use in a sample of 682 adolescent athletes (M = 15.85; SD = 1.404). The results suggest significant influences on the competition perceived in different drug uses. Some practical implications can be deduced for coaches and instructors to bear in mind for their athletes, who aim to acquire a more adaptive and self-determined behavior away from drug use

The relationship between eudaimonic wellbeing, emotional intelligence and affect in early adolescents

This study aims to analyse the relationship between eudaimonic well-being, emotional intelligence and affects in early adolescents. Eudaimonic well-being is based on the development of personal skills, based on the premise that people are happy if they have a life purpose, challenges and growth. Emotional intelligence and affects can play a key role in this. The sample analysed comprised 344 first- and second-year secondary school students, aged 12 to 15 years (49.13% boys; M age = 12.86 years), and the relationship between the three target constructs – eudaimonic well-being, affects and emotional intelligence – was analysed. The survey was designed as a lateral study based on natural groups. The instruments used were the Eudaimonic well-being questionnaire, the Emotional intelligence questionnaire and the Positive and negative affect scale for children and adolescents. The results show that these constructs are related to one another. One in three participants yielded low scores in terms of eudaimonic well-being, emotional intelligence and positive affects. One in three yielded high values. The study also analysed the mediating role that emotional intelligence plays in well-being, which is increased when affects play a mediating role. According to our research, the emotional intelligence has a direct positive effect on well-being of 0.31 (p < 0.001), with a total effect (direct + indirect effects) mediated by positive and negative affects of 0.48 (p < 0.001), which suggests that positive and negative affects directly mediate the relationship between EI and eudaimonic well-being. Regression analysis revealed that three of the components of emotional intelligence (emotional self-awareness, emotional regulation and the use of emotions in problem-solving) and positive and negative affects can be used to predict eudaimonic well-being, with an aggregate variance of 70.2%. It is concluded that emotional intelligence and affects play a role in eudaimonic well-being in early adolescents. Therefore, early emotional and affective training can lead to an increase in eudaimonic well-being, which opens interesting avenues for future research

The relationship of internalizing problems with emotional intelligence and social skills in secondary education students: gender differences

Internalizing problems (depression, anxiety, social anxiety, somatic complaints, post-traumatic symptoms, and obsession-compulsion) are very important in adolescents’ development. These problems can be related with people who lack social skills and poorly handle their emotions. This study assessed 1358 secondary education students (12–17 years) to analyze the relationship linking internalizing problems, emotional intelligence, and social skills. The results showed not only how these constructs were related, but how students’ internalizing problems varied according to their emotional intelligence and social skills. They also indicated that two in every three males, and just over one in every two females, obtained high scores for internalizing problems. The model showed a good fit: ¿2(85) = 201.161 p &lt; 0.001; ¿2/gl = 2.367; CFI = 0.919; NFI = 0.869; TLI = 0.900; RMSEA = 0.075, IC 95% (0.062–0.089). Finally, gender influenced the way that internalizing problems, emotional intelligence, and social skills were related, and an inverse relation appeared to link internalizing problems, emotional intelligence (r = -.77), and social skills (r = -.52) for females, while this relationship was poorer for males. By way of conclusion, we state that internalizing problems are related with emotional intelligence and social skills in secondary education students, but this relationship differs according to gender

School motivation, goal orientation and academic performance in secondary education students

Background: In the students' school stage can appear many psychological variables that can positively or negatively affect the academic life of the students as well as their learning process. Therefore, the present study aims to explore the relation between school motivation, goal orientation and academic performance in adolescent students. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on adolescent students (N=3512) from 18 public Secondary Education (ESO) centers. The Scale of School Motivation (EME-S), the Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ) and academic performance, quantified by each student’s mean mark, were instruments used. Results: The results revealed significant relations among, on the one hand, intrinsic school motivations, task-oriented goal orientations and academic performance in a more adaptive pattern behavior and, on the other hand, relations between extrinsic motivations and ego-oriented goal orientations. The influence of intrinsic motivations, task-oriented goal orientations and low amotivation indices on predicting academic performance was deduced. Conclusion: The importance of promoting adaptive behaviors that improve adolescent students’ academic lives focus on adequate levels of school motivation and task-oriented goal orientations at their education centers was revealed

Translation and validation into Spanish of the Formal Thought Disorder Scales

This paper has investigated the internal consistency and the factorial structure of a Spanish version of the Thought Disorder Scales using a sample of 102 individuals (50% men; Average age=40.84 years). The results support the internal consistency of the scales. During our research, it was found that the components of both scales saturate the same factor when they are compared with each other. Additionally, the research's data shows that the scales have good reliability. During our research, it was found that the components of both scales saturate the same factor when they are compared with each other. The totals of the factors from both scales have high values; more specifically, the FTD-Patient scale has a value of .937 and the FTD-Caregiver scale has .991. The exploratory factor analysis clearly demonstrated that the accumulated variance of the Thought Disorder Scales factors was 77.60%. Also, the invariance of this structure across gender was demonstrated. Overall our findings suggest that the REIS instrument is easy to understand and fast to complete, it is considered valid for the assessment EI in Spanish-speaking

School bullying: Empathy among perpetrators and victims

This study analyses the relationship between empathy and school bullying, taking both perpetrators and victims into consideration. The study sample comprised 840 students, 423 of which were female (50.36%), aged an average of 14.28 years. The instruments used were an ad hoc questionnaire for socioeconomic variables and bullying behaviour, an empathy questionnaire, and a personality questionnaire. Victims yielded higher scores in terms of empathic concern, while both groups, aggressors and victims, yielded similar results in terms of cognitive and affective empathy. Concerning the correlation between these variables and personality, anxiety was found to be correlated with affective empathy and empathetic concern in both groups. A correlation between cognitive empathy and impulsiveness and activity was also found in both groups. Remarkably, aggression and cognitive empathy were found to be correlated, but only among victims. Finally, experiences with classmates, anxiety, sincerity, and aggression were found to act as predictors of school bullying, while gender and aggression factors were found to act as predictors among perpetrators, but to a lesser extent, which suggests that other factors must be in place for bullying behaviour to occur. The results suggest that, although empathy levels are different in both groups, they cannot act as a predictor of bullying, especially concerning perpetrators

The mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between resilience and academic performance in adolescence

Background: During learning processes, some students lack the necessary skills and competences to cope with their academic demands successfully. During adolescence, emotions play a prominent role in academic and personal development. This study aims to analyse the relationship between resilience and academic performance and the possible mediating role of self-efficacy. Methods: The study comprised 2652 students with ages ranging from 12 to 19 years (M=14.55; SD=1.70), both male (N = 1368; 51.58%) and female (N = 1284; 48.41%) from 14 secondary schools in Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain. The instruments used were the Academic Self-efficacy Scale (ASES) and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS); average marks were used to measure academic performance. Results: The results of the study revealed significant correlations between self-efficacy, resilience and academic performance. Self-efficacy was found to play a mediating role between resilience and academic performance, which explains a pattern of adaptive behaviours in adolescent students. These results have practical implications for educational policies. Conclusion: The important role of self-efficacy as mediating variable between the constructs under analysis and for the promotion of adaptive behaviours is clear. Self-efficacy is important for the psychological and personal development of students, to prevent school drop out and improve the students’ academic performance and experience

Repercusión de las estrategias de afrontamiento de estrés en la felicidad de los alumnos de Secundaria

El objetivo de este estudio ha sido describir las estrategias de afrontamiento utilizadas por los adolescentes en las distintas situaciones de estrés que les suceden en su vida cotidiana, así como su repercusión en la felicidad subjetiva. Para ello, se evaluó a 1.402 alumnos/as de Enseñanza Secundaria (711 chicos y 691 chicas) de entre 12 y 17 años. Los resultados muestran como los chicos hacen más uso de estrategias de tipo no productivo, mientras las chicas buscan más el apoyo social. El modelo creado para la variable dependiente felicidad permite una estimación correcta del 92, 9% de los casos (X2 = 477.351; p < 0.001; R2 = 0.607). Los resultados indican como la percepción de la felicidad subjetiva es mayor entre quienes usan estilos de afrontamiento orientado a otros, mientras, el afrontamiento no productivo, incide en una menor felicidad subjetiva. Como principales conclusiones, señalar la necesidad de trabajar con los adolescentes las estrategias de afrontamiento con el grupo, un mejor manejo de las estrategias de carácter más introspectivo, así como el incremento y entrenamiento en el uso de las estrategias de afrontamiento activo y de soporte emocional. This study aimed to describe the coping strategies that adolescents adopt in the different situations of stress that occur in their everyday lives, and how they affect their subjective happiness. It evaluated 1, 402 students (711 males, 691 females) aged 12-17 years in Spanish Compulsory Secondary Education. The results show how males resort more to unproductive-type strategies, while females seek more social support. The model created for the dependent variable happiness gave a correct estimation for 92.9% of all cases (X-2 = 477.351; p < 0.001; R-2 = 0.607). The results indicated how the perception of subjective happiness was greater for those who used others-focused coping strategies. The unproductive coping results implied less subjective happiness. The main conclusions include having to work with adolescents on coping strategies with the group, dealing better with more introspective strategies, and training in and increasing the use of active coping strategies and emotional support

Orientaciones de logro, burnout académico y satisfacción intrínseca hacia la escuela en estudiantes de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue analizar la relación entre las orientaciones de logro, el burnout académico y la satisfacción intrínseca hacia la escuela en una muestra de 1756 alumnos (M=14, 47; DT=1, 63) pertenecientes a 12 centros de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO). Los instrumentos utilizados fueron las versiones españolas del Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ) (Martínez, Alonso y Moreno, 2006), el Maslach Burnout Inventory–Student Survey (MBI-SS) (Schaufeli et al., 2002) y la Intrinsic Satisfaction Classroom Scale (ISC) (Duda y Nicholls, 2002). Los resultados mostraron relaciones significativas entre las orientaciones de logro hacia la tarea, eficacia académica y diversión en la escuela, en una línea de comportamientos más autodeterminados, así como la relación de las orientaciones de logro hacia el ego con el agotamiento físico/emocional, cinismo y aburrimiento, en otra línea de comportamientos menos autodeterminados. Se desprende la importancia de la promoción de comportamientos adaptativos orientados al esfuerzo, autoeficacia y diversión que mejoren el bienestar y vida académica de los estudiantes en sus centros educativos. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between burnout, engagement and academic self-efficacy in a sample of 1756 students (M=14.47; SD=1.63) belonging to 12 secondary education high schools. The instruments used were the Spanish version of the Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ), the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS), and the Intrinsic Satisfaction Classroom Scale (ISC) (Duda and Nicholls, 2002). The results showed significant relationships between task orientations, academic efficacy and fun at school, in a more self-determined behavior than the relationship of ego orientations with physical/emotional exhaustion, cynicism and boredom, in a less self-determined behavior. It is revealed the importance of promoting adaptive behaviors oriented to the effort, self-efficacy and fun that improve the well-being and academic life of the students in their high schools

Bullying in Primary and Secondary school in the view of University Students

Bullying is one of the most serious problems that education has, and one of the most serious problems of the educational system in this day and age. It affects almost all students, with them either being a bully, a victim of bullying, or a bystander. But it also has an important effect on the teaching staff, the schools themselves, and the educational system. For this research, we asked first- and second-year university students about their perception of bullying in their stages as students of primary and secondary education. To do this, we evaluated 654 university students: 195 men (29.82%) and 459 women (70.18%). These students were from eight different departments at the University of Zaragoza. The age of the participants ranged from 18 to 27 years, with an average of 22.54 years (s.d. = .292). The results showed that men tend to be bullies to a greater extent than women, and no relationship was found between gender and being a victim of bullying. In addition, it was found that nearly two out of every three students have experienced bullying during these stages of education and that almost all students (nine out of ten) have seen episodes of bullying. As a conclusion, we must point out the need for further studies and research work to discuss and analyze the phenomenon of bullying – a phenomenon that affects both students and our educational system