The Effects of a Peer Mentoring Program on Academic Success Among First Year University Students

The present study examines the effect of participation of first-year university students in a full-year peer mentoring program as well as individual differences in motivation in relation to outcome measures of retention and achievement. A sample of 983 first year students completed the Academic Motivation Inventory (Tremblay, 1998) and agreed to provide final grades; 537 students were randomly assigned to participate in the program, while the remainder served as a control group. Mentored students who continued to participate mid-way through the second semester had significantly higher final grades than did students in the control group. There was no effect on retention from year one to year two, however data are being collected on retention and grades for all groups for the length of their undergraduate careers. Students high in anxiety in the mentored group showed achievement comparable to that of low anxiety program participants, whereas students in the control group with high anxiety scored significantly worse on achievement than did their low anxiety counterparts.La présente étude a examiné les répercussions de la participation d'étudiants de première année impliqués, pendant un an, dans un programme de mentorat de pairs, ainsi que les différents niveaux de motivation en rapport avec les résultats mesurés de rétention et de réussite. Un échantillon de 983 étudiants de première année ont complété l'inventaire de motivation académique (Tremblay, 1998) et ont accepté de soumettre leurs notes finales; 537 étudiants ont été choisis au hasard pour participer au programme, tandis que le groupe restant allait faire fonction de groupe contrôle. Les étudiants bénéficiant de l'appui du programme de mentorat qui sont restés jusqu'à la moitié du second semestre ont obtenu des notes considérablement plus élevées que ceux dans le groupe contrôle. Aucun effet sur la rétention n' a été observé entre la première et la deuxième année, mais toutefois des données continuent d'être recueillies dans ce domaine, ainsi que dans celui des notes obtenues par tous les groupes au cours des quatre premières années de scolarisation universitaire. Les étudiants plus angoissés impliqués dans le groupe de mentorat ont aussi bien réussi que les participants du même groupe qui l'étaient moins, tandis que les étudiants du groupe contrôle souffrant d'un niveau d'anxiété élevé ont considérablement moins bien réussi que leurs homologues qui y étaient moins sujets

Cycle of suffering: Exploring the final thoughts of creative minds who died by suicide

It is difficult to study the final thoughts of people who die by suicide. To compensate for this gap in knowledge, this study explored the life stories found in the suicide notes of well-known creative individuals. A 6-phase thematic analysis was used to explore the phenomenon of final thoughts. This study presents the narrative trends across entries, which consisted primarily of the artists communicating their suffering and expressing their coping strategies. The artists circled back to the same themes of suffering, mainly the negative view of themselves, the striving to be better, and the paradox of choice. This cycle of suffering gave rise to feelings of being trapped in existence, in which death was perceived to be the only escape. The act of leaving behind a note represents the artists’ last attempt to connect to life. This yearning for connection is discussed as the final barrier to suicide

Estudio de la influencia de los rasgos y el individualismo en la satisfacción vital entre naciones: un modelo multinivel

The current cross-cultural study explored the associations between relationship enhancing traits (interpersonal trust, importance of close relationships, sociability), characteristics corresponding to an individualistic attitude (competition, autonomy), and life satisfaction. Data for this study was from 24 of the 59 countries used in the World Values Survey Wave 6. Multilevel modelling was used as a means to analyse the influence of individual level (Level 1) and country level (Level 2) variables on life satisfaction. Results indicated that the individual level predictors interpersonal trust and importance of close relationships made meaningful positive contributions to life satisfaction. The competition variable aggregated at the country level significantly negatively predicted life satisfaction, while country-level aggregated autonomy shared a positive relationship with life satisfaction

Symposium: Client Counseling and Moral Responsibility

Cochran served as moderator and presented an introduction to this symposium titled Client Counseling and Moral Responsibility . It is based on papers and discussion presented at the Professional Responsibility Section panel at the annual meeting of the American Association of Law Schools in Washington, D.C., on January 4, 2003. Members of the panel, Professors Deborah Rhode, Paul Tremblay, and Thomas Shaffer presented three different approaches to moral issues that arise in the client counseling relationship: the directive approach, client-centered counseling and the collaborative model. Under the directive model, a lawyer asserts control of moral issues that arise during legal representation. Client-centered counseling is designed to craft legal solutions which satisfy client interests. Under the collaborative model, the lawyer and client resolve moral issues together through moral discourse. Each provides a different combination of answers to the following questions: 1) Who controls the important decisions in the relationship? and 2) Are the interests of people other than the client taken into consideration in making those decisions

Family Physician Clinical Inertia in Managing Hypoglycemia

Aims: Clinical inertia behaviour affects family physicians managing chronic disease such as diabetes. Literature addressing clinical inertia in the management of hypoglycemia is scarce. The objectives of this study were to create a measurement for physician clinical inertia in managing hypoglycemia (ClinInert_InHypoDM), and to determine physicians’ characteristics associated with clinical inertia. Methods: The study was a secondary analysis of data provided by family physicians from the InHypo-DM Study, applying exploratory factor analysis. Principal axis factoring with an Oblimin rotation was employed to detect underlying factors associated with physician behaviors. Multiple linear regression was used to determine association between the ClinInert_InHypoDM scores and physician characteristics. Results: Factor analysis identified a statistically sound 12-item one-factor scale for clinical inertia behavior. No statistically significant differences in clinical inertia score for the studied independent variables were found. Conclusions: This study provides a scale for assessing clinical inertia in the management of hypoglycemia. Further testing this scale in other family physician populations will provide deeper understanding about the characteristics and factors that influence clinical inertia. The knowledge derived from better understanding clinical inertia in primary care has potential to improve outcomes for patients with diabetes

Performance-based financing in low-income and middle-income countries: isn't it time for a rethink?

This paper questions the view that performance-based financing (PBF) in the health sector is an effective, efficient and equitable approach to improving the performance of health systems in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). PBF was conceived as an open approach adapted to specific country needs, having the potential to foster system-wide reforms. However, as with many strategies and tools, there is a gap between what was planned and what is actually implemented. This paper argues that PBF as it is currently implemented in many contexts does not satisfy the promises. First, since the start of PBF implementation in LMICs, concerns have been raised on the basis of empirical evidence from different settings and disciplines that indicated the risks, cost and perverse effects. However, PBF implementation was rushed despite insufficient evidence of its effectiveness. Second, there is a lack of domestic ownership of PBF. Considering the amounts of time and money it now absorbs, and the lack of evidence of effectiveness and efficiency, PBF can be characterised as a donor fad. Third, by presenting itself as a comprehensive approach that makes it possible to address all aspects of the health system in any context, PBF monopolises attention and focuses policy dialogue on the short-term results of PBF programmes while diverting attention and resources from broader processes of change and necessary reforms. Too little care is given to system-wide and long-term effects, so that PBF can actually damage health services and systems. This paper ends by proposing entry points for alternative approaches

Mechanisms explaining transitions between tonic and phasic firing in neuronal populations as predicted by a low dimensional firing rate model

Several firing patterns experimentally observed in neural populations have been successfully correlated to animal behavior. Population bursting, hereby regarded as a period of high firing rate followed by a period of quiescence, is typically observed in groups of neurons during behavior. Biophysical membrane-potential models of single cell bursting involve at least three equations. Extending such models to study the collective behavior of neural populations involves thousands of equations and can be very expensive computationally. For this reason, low dimensional population models that capture biophysical aspects of networks are needed. \noindent The present paper uses a firing-rate model to study mechanisms that trigger and stop transitions between tonic and phasic population firing. These mechanisms are captured through a two-dimensional system, which can potentially be extended to include interactions between different areas of the nervous system with a small number of equations. The typical behavior of midbrain dopaminergic neurons in the rodent is used as an example to illustrate and interpret our results. \noindent The model presented here can be used as a building block to study interactions between networks of neurons. This theoretical approach may help contextualize and understand the factors involved in regulating burst firing in populations and how it may modulate distinct aspects of behavior.Comment: 25 pages (including references and appendices); 12 figures uploaded as separate file

Brain Serotonin Synthesis in Adult Males Characterized by Physical Aggression during Childhood: A 21-Year Longitudinal Study

Adults exhibiting severe impulsive and aggressive behaviors have multiple indices of low serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission. It remains unclear though whether low 5-HT mediates the behavior or instead reflects a pre-existing vulnerability trait.C-AMT bilaterally in the orbitofrontal cortex and self-reported more impulsiveness. Despite this, in adulthood there were no group differences in plasma tryptophan levels, genotyping, aggression, emotional intelligence, working memory, computerized measures of impulsivity, psychosocial functioning/adjustment, and personal and family history of mood and substance abuse disorders.These results force a re-examination of the low 5-HT hypothesis as central in the biology of violence. They suggest that low 5-HT does not mediate current behavior and should be considered a vulnerability factor for impulsive-aggressive behavior that may or may not be expressed depending on other biological factors, experience, and environmental support during development