INFLUENCE OF PEER SOCIAL EXPERIENCES ON POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE INDICATORS OF MENTAL HEALTH AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Modern definitions of complete mental health include both positive and negative indicators of psychological functioning. We examined the associations between peer relationships (victimization and receipt of prosocial acts) and multiple indicators of mental health that represent subjective well‐being (i.e., life satisfaction, positive and negative affect) and psychopathology (general internalizing symptoms and externalizing problems—aggressive behavior) among 500 high school students in Grades 9 to 11. Peer experiences explained the most variance in positive affect (R² = 18%) and internalizing psychopathology (R² = 19%). Different types of peer experiences drove these effects, with relational victimization particularly salient to internalizing psychopathology and prosocial acts by peers most predictive of positive affect. Moderation analyses indicated that peers’ prosocial acts did not serve a protective role in the associations between victimization and mental health. Instead, the presence of overt victimization negated the positive associations between prosocial acts and good mental health (high life satisfaction, low internalizing psychopathology). Understanding these associations illuminates the range of student outcomes possibly impacted by victimization and suggests that both limiting peer victimization and facilitating positive peer experiences may be necessary to facilitate complete mental health among high school students.     

THE PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ACADEMICALLY RIGOROUS PROGRAMS

This cross‐sectional study determined whether students who take part in academically challenging high school curricula experience elevated levels of stress and whether this stress co‐occurs with psychological and/or academic problems. Data from self‐report questionnaires and school records were collected from 480 students from four high schools. Results of analyses of covariance suggested that stress is not always associated with deleterious outcomes, as students in academically rigorous programs (specifically, Advanced Placement [AP] classes and International Baccalaureate [IB] programs) reported more perceived stress than did students in general education, while maintaining exceptionally high academic functioning. Furthermore, despite their stress level, the psychological functioning of students in AP and IB is similar or superior to the levels of psychopathology, life satisfaction, and social functioning reported from their peers in general education.     

Relationships between social support sources and early adolescents' mental health: The moderating effect of student achievement level

This study examined how perceived social support from parents, classmates, and teachers jointly and uniquely predicted psychopathology (i.e., internalizing and externalizing symptoms) and wellness (i.e., life satisfaction) in a sample of 390 middle‐school students. This study also explored the protective nature of high student academic achievement in the relationship between social support and mental health. Social support was a significant predictor of all mental health outcomes, particularly life satisfaction. Although classmate and teacher support were significant unique predictors of students' internalizing and externalizing symptoms, respectively, parent support emerged as the strongest predictor of all indicators of mental health. Academic achievement moderated the direction and strength of the relationships between externalizing behavior and (a) classmate support, and (b) parent support, respectively. Specifically, classmate support emerged as adaptive for average‐ and high‐achieving students only, whereas academic achievement functioned as a protective factor against the manifestation of externalizing psychopathology among students with low parental support. Implications for school psychologists and directions for future research are discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The best years of our lives? Coping with stress predicts school grades,life satisfaction,and feelings about high school

This study examines whether problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidant coping strategies predict key outcomes in a sample of 354 high school students. The four outcomes considered are: academic achievement, life satisfaction, positive feelings towards school, and negative feelings towards school. Results demonstrate that coping incrementally predicts all four outcomes above and beyond the effects of the Big Five personality factors, vocabulary, and demographic variables. Incremental prediction is strongest for school feeling variables, where coping predicts 17.4% of the variance in positive feelings, and 15.9% of the variance in negative feelings. All three coping styles are important in predicting different outcomes: problem-focused coping predicts grades, life satisfaction, and positive feelings about school; emotion-focused coping predicts negative feelings only; and avoidant-focused coping predicts both positive and negative feelings about school. Results suggest that coping styles are an important variable for school outcomes, and that the effectiveness of different strategies differs depending on the outcome considered.     

学生生活满意度及其影响因素——多水平分析研究

通过对11所中学2471名学生的调查,对社会支持、积极应对和心理健康对学生生活满意度的影响作用进行多水平分析结果表明：（1）在个体层面,学生社会支持和积极应对对生活满意度存在显著影响,学生的社会支持、积极应对水平越高,其生活满意度也越高;（2）在团体层面,学校总体心理健康水平对学生的生活满意度存在显著的跨层影响作用,学校心理水平越高,其学生的生活满意度越高。     

中小学校长工作压力、社会支持、应对方式与心理健康的关系

本研究选取贵州省某地区中小学校长160人,使用中小学校长工作压力问卷、社会支持评定量表、简易应对方式问卷和自测健康评定量表进行问卷调查,探讨中小学校长工作压力、社会支持、应对方式与心理健康的关系.结果发现,中小学校长总体工作压力处于中等水平,其中考试升学的压力最大,人际关系的压力最小;中小学校长心理健康处于中等偏上水平;中小学校长工作压力、社会支持总分、主观支持和积极应对与心理健康水平的相关均具有统计学意义;结构方程模型的研究结果表明,工作压力直接影响个体心理健康水平,主观支持通过中介作用影响工作压力和心理健康的关系,主观支持通过积极应对方式对心理健康有间接影响.     

Evaluation of a school‐based transition program designed to facilitate school reentry following a mental health crisis or psychiatric hospitalization

In recent decades, increasing attention has been paid to the number of adolescents experiencing extended absences from school due to mental health crises. Upon returning to school, these students often face difficulties in functioning, risk of relapse, and vulnerability to academic failure and social isolation. This paper presents results of a study examining a school‐based support program model designed to provide short‐term academic, social, and emotional support to help students successfully reacclimatize to school after an extended absence. The paper describes demographic, academic, and clinical characteristics of 189 program participants across eight high schools. Improvements were observed in participants’ day‐to‐day functioning based on the results of pre/postassessments completed by program clinicians. Preliminary data showed positive trends in participants’ school attendance and high school graduation rates. Finally, the paper considers implications for school‐based mental health practice and next steps in related research.     

信息类高校大学生心理应激源及应对方式研究

为了探讨信息类高校大学生心理应激源特点及常用应对方式,从而为高校心理健康教育工作提供依据,采用大学生心理应激源及应对方式问卷对某信息类高校400名大学生进行调查。结果显示:前程压力是信息类高校大学生面临的最大的心理应激源;大学生在前程压力、学习压力、社交人际压力、自主独立压力上年级差异显著,大三学生压力最大;大学生在应激状态下习惯采用的应对方式依次为:解决问题、幻想、自责、合理化、退避。高应激组倾向于采用消极的应对方式。进而得出结论:信息类高校要指导大学生采用积极的应对方式,顺利度过应激状态。     

Thinking styles and academic stress coping among Chinese secondary school students

Abstract

This study investigated the predictive power of thinking styles for academic stress coping. Participants were 563 (280 males, 275 females, 8 gender unspecified) secondary school students in grades 7 through 12 from mainland China. Thinking styles were measured using the Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised II which was based on the theory of mental self-government. Coping strategies were measured by the COPE-Revised, which was derived from Carver’s COPE (1989). Results showed that thinking styles had statistically significant predictive power for academic stress-coping strategies beyond age and gender, largely in the expected directions. Theoretical implications for research on intellectual styles and coping are discussed; and some practical implications for school teachers and students are proposed.     

Relationships of personality,affect, emotional intelligence and coping with student stress and academic success: Different patterns of association for stress and success

The associations of personality, affect, trait emotional intelligence (EI) and coping style measured at the start of the academic year with later academic performance were examined in a group of undergraduate students at the University of Edinburgh. The associations of the dispositional and affect measures with concurrent stress and life satisfaction were also examined. The survey was completed by 238 students, of whom 163 gave permission for their end-of-year marks to be accessed. Complete data for modelling stress and academic success were available for 216 and 156 students respectively. The associations of academic success and stress differed, and high stress was not a risk factor for poor academic performance. Further analyses were based on the extraction of three composite factors (Emotional Regulation, Avoidance and Task Focus) from the EI and coping subscales. Structural equation modelling showed that academic performance was predicted by Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, positive affect and the Task Focus factor. Modelling for stress and life satisfaction showed relationships with personality, affect, and the Task Focus and Emotion Regulation factors. The Task Focus factor played a mediating role in both models, and the Emotion Regulation factor acted as a mediator in the model for stress and life satisfaction. The theoretical interpretation of these results, and their potential applications in interventions targeting at-risk students, are discussed.     

家庭环境对医学生心理健康、人格、应对方式的影响

目的:探讨家庭环境对心理健康、人格特质和应对方式的影响。方法运用家庭环境量表(FES-CV)、16PF、简易应对方式问卷(SCSQ)和症状自评量表(SCL-90),对655名医科大学新生进行研究。结果:1.心理健康水平不同的学生家庭环境有显著差异;2.家庭的组织性、知识性、道德性、亲密度和独立性好,学生的学业成就水平的人格因素得分较高;3.亲密度、知识性、成功性和娱乐性好的家庭,学生的积极应对方式较多;4.组织性、控制性和道德性差的家庭,学生消极应对方式较明显。结论:说明家庭环境对子女的心理健康、人格特质、应对方式有重要影响,我们应注意创造良好的家庭环境。     

离异家庭初中生应激生活事件、社会支持、应对方式与心理健康的结构模型研究

目的:构建离异家庭初中生应激生活事件、社会支持、应对方式与心理健康的关系模型。方法:对131名离异家庭初中生分别采用应激生活事件问卷、应对方式问卷、社会支持问卷和症状自评量表进行测量,进而用结构方程模型的方法构建了潜变量之间的关系模型。结果:离异家庭学生的应激生活事件、社会支持、积极应对、消极应对对症状总分有直接影响(权重分别是0.45、-0.21、-0.48、0.78);结构方程分析表明,离异家庭学生的积极应对、消极应对对症状总分的影响比正常家庭学生的更大(离异家庭学生的权重为-0.48和0.78,正常家庭学生的权重为-0.14和0.35);离异家庭学生的应激生活事件对社会支持的影响比正常家庭学生的更大(离异家庭学生的权重为-0.49,正常家庭学生的权重为-0.28)。结论:应激生活事件、社会支持、应对方式对心理健康的作用得到结构方程模型的有力支持。     

Stress among UK academics: identifying who copes best

This article examined levels of stress and associated coping strategies among UK academics. Adopting a positive psychology approach, the influence of the character strengths of hope, optimism, gratitude and self-efficacy on stress, subjective well-being (SWB), and mental health was examined in 216 academics in a UK university. The study explored the relationship between coping styles and the work-coping variables of sense of coherence and work locus of control and stress. No significant differences on the stress, well-being and mental health measures were found for participants’ gender, whether in full-time or part-time employment and level of seniority within the university. Participants using problem-focused coping experienced lower levels of stress while dysfunctional coping was a positive predictor of stress. Hope agency, hope pathway, gratitude, optimism and self-efficacy were the strongest positive predictors of satisfaction with life (SWL), while levels of perceived stress negatively predicted SWL. Gratitude, hope agency and self-efficacy positively predicted positive affect, while stress was a negative predictor. Gratitude, hope agency, self-efficacy and optimism were negative significant predictors of negative affect while stress was a positive predictor. Gratitude positively predicted mental health, while stress was a negative predictor and optimism was a significant moderator of the relationship between stress and mental health. Academics with higher levels of gratitude, self-efficacy, hope and optimism report lower levels of stress at work and higher levels of well-being as measured by higher life satisfaction, higher positive affect and lower negative affect. New approaches to stress management training are suggested based on these findings.     

大学生生活满意度、自尊、应对方式的调查及研究

采用青少年生活满意度问卷、简易应对方式量表和Rosenberg编制的自尊量表对扬州四所高校460名大学生进行问卷调查,探讨社会人口特征对大学生的学生生活满意度、自尊及应对方式的影响,分析自尊、应对方式与大学生生活满意度的相互关系。结果表明：生活满意度与自尊、积极应对方式之间存在正相关;高自尊、积极应对方式是大学生生活满意度的保护因素。由此可以得出结论：自尊和积极应对方式是影响大学生生活满意度的重要变量。     

高中生应对方式的调查研究

目的 了解高中生应对方式的特征，为培养其积极应对方式、开展心理健康教育提供依据。方法 采用简易应对方式量表（SCSQ）对755名高中生进行问卷调查。结果（1）高中生与全国常模相比在积极应对和消极应对两个维度上均差异显著；（2）高中生在积极应对和消极应对两个维度上不存在性别、是否独生子女、城乡等差异，但文、理科学生在消极应对维度上存在差异，文科的均分高于理科；（3）高中生在积极应对和消极应对两个维度上存在年级差异。结论 根据不同年级特点，加强高中学生心理健康教育。培养积极应对方式。     

初中生心理应激及其与一般生活满意度的关系

运用《中学生应激源量表》和《多维学生生活满意度量表》对431名初中生的心理应激和一般生活满意度进行测量,考察初中生心理应激状况及其与一般生活满意度的关系。结果发现:(1)男生承受来自教师、家庭环境、同学朋友、社会文化四个方面的压力高于女生。初中生的学习压力呈现出随年级的升高而增加的趋势。(2)生活在关系很融洽家庭中的学生的学习压力和自我身心压力在三种家庭关系状况的学生中最低,家庭关系不融洽的学生承受来自家庭环境的压力高于家庭关系很融洽的学生。生活在单亲家庭中的学生承受来自父母管教方式和自我身心两方面的压力高于生活在几代同堂和核心家庭中的学生。(3)初中生在父母管教方式、同学朋友、社会文化、自我身心四个方面的心理应激对一般生活满意度具有显著的负向预测作用。     

一般本科院校学生心理健康状况与应对方式关系研究——以福建师大福清分校为例

目的：以福建师大福清分校为例,探讨一般本科院校学生的应对方式对心理健康的影响,为了更好地对一般本科院校学生进行心理健康教育提供理论依据。方法：采用症状自评量表（SCL-90）和应对方式问卷（CSQ）对福建师大福清分校的350名学生进行测试。结果：（1）323名一般本科院校学生心理健康总体平均分低于全国常模但差异并不显著,心理健康状况一般,强迫症状呈阳性。（2）男性心理健康水平高于女性,在焦虑、恐怖、精神病性这几个因子上差异显著;文科生的心理健康状况优于理科生;城市生源的心理健康状况优于农村生源;不同专业学生应对方式存在显著差异,个体更多的选择在解决问题、求助和幻想的应对方式。（3）大学生心理健康状况与应对方式间显著相关。结论：不同类型的应对方式对一般本科院校学生心理健康有着重要影响。     

大学生应对应激事件的方式对心理健康的影响

研究大学生对突发事件的应对方式,对于指导学生有意识地纠正消极应对方式,提出切实可行的干预策略有实际指导意义。从不同性别、不同民族、不同年级大学生面对应激事件所采取的应对方式的差异检验显示,对大学生进行心理健康教育不能搞一刀切,应根据性别、民族和年龄的不同有针对性地进行。     

高中生生活事件与心理健康及主观幸福感的相关研究

采用青少年生活事件量表、中学生心理健康问卷、青少年主观幸福感量表对468名高中学生进行测查，结果表明(1)高中生的心理健康水平整体情况良好，生活满意度整体处于中等以上的水平，其体验到较多的友谊满意感和家庭满意感，较低的学业满意感；(2)生活事件在心理健康水平和主观幸福感各个纬度上均存在显相关；(3)影响高中生心理健康的主要因素有学习压力、消极情感、其他生活事件、自由满意度、家庭满意度、人际关系、积极情感、受惩罚、健康适应。