The moderating role of resilience in the relationship between academic burnout and the perception of psychological health in nursing students

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyse the role of resilience in the dimensions of academic burnout syndrome and psychological health in a sample of nursing students. A battery of questionnaires was administered to 218 nursing students, all of whom were in the second year of their degree at the University of Murcia (Spain). The applied protocol used the CD-RISC 10 scale for the measurement of resilience, the burnout scale MBI, and the GHQ-12 questionnaire to assess psychological health. The findings showed a significant relationship between resilience and burnout, emotional exhaustion, and self-efficacy, as well as with psychological health. Moreover, three burnout dimensions were found to be significantly linked to psychological health in the way we had predicted. Regression analysis indicated the moderating role of resilience on psychological health in emotionally exhausting situations. We conclude that the psychological characteristic resilience moderated the effect of emotional exhaustion on the psychological health of the students. The practical implications of the results are discussed in order to introduce measures for the proper training of nursing students for professional practice; we also make several suggestions for future research in this field.     

A comparison of reading aloud,silent reading and follower reading. Which is best for comprehension? / Una comparación de lectura en voz alta,lectura en silencio y lectura de seguimiento. ¿Cuál es mejor para la comprensión?

When reading in the classroom, teachers may use different methods. We examined the impact of different reading conditions on comprehension. Reading aloud involved reading the text aloud for an audience. Silent reading required the students to read the text silently. Follower reading involved listening to another student read the text aloud while having the text available for individual reading. Thirty-six fifth- and sixth-grade students read texts under the three conditions and then took comprehension tests. The students performed equally well under reading aloud and silent reading. Follower reading resulted in worse comprehension. The data suggest that the follower readers focused on their individual reading, making an effort not to listen to the student reading out loud, which consumed cognitive resources. Since reading aloud in the classroom involves not only one loud reader but also a lot of follower readers, silent reading might be the smartest choice.     

Engines at top speed! Using the adventures of a comic book motorsports hero as an approach to understanding recent French history

Jean Graton created a series of comic books called Michel Vaillant, and its motorsports hero bore the same name. Michel Vaillant made his first appearance in 1957 in the weekly Tintin. Young French boys who loved adventure, sports and car racing greeted this publication with great enthusiasm. We studied the first series of Michel Vaillant, composed of 16 comic books produced in the 1960s. We have departed from traditional approaches and have based our method on the analysis of the sources of Graton’s inspiration. We link these sources to the comics’ text bubbles, visual signs and iconic meanings of the drawings. Our analysis of the comics’ iconography based on the establishment of a mass culture dedicated to the automobile brings to light the existence of an urge to go beyond the limits of tradition. Our research highlights that the success of Michel Vaillant is due, in the main, to the series’ detailed knowledge of the automobile sports industry, and to the myths of speed, youth and progress that it promulgates – myths in which its young male readers could see themselves reflected and which would also prepare them for the future.     

Swimming and peak bone mineral density: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This meta-analysis aims to determine the effects of regular swimming on bone mineral density (BMD) in young adults (18–30 years). A systematic search was performed in Pubmed, SPORTDiscus and the Cochrane Library from the earliest possible year to March 2016. Swimmers were compared to non-athletic controls (CG) and to high-impact athletes (HIGH). Effect sizes with the Hedges g in random effects models were developed. Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analyses. Swimmers presented similar BMD values to CG in whole-body (g = ?0.20; P = 0.251), femoral neck (g = ?0.05; P = 0.818) and lumbar spine (g = 0.18; P = 0.492); and lower BMD in the whole-body (g = ?1.21; P < 0.001), femoral neck (g = ?1.51; P < 0.001) and lumbar spine (g = ?0.84; P = 0.017) than the HIGH. For the whole-body differences, the higher the latitude the smaller the differences between swimmers and HIGH (B = 0.10; P = 0.001). For the femoral neck differences, age also seemed to reduce the differences between groups (B = 0.19; P = 0.020). Young adult swimmers present similar BMD values than CG and lower values than HIGH.     

Relationship between exchange block time in swim starts and final performance in relay races in international championships

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between relay exchange block time and final performance in 4 × 100-m and 4 × 200-m freestyle and 4 × 100-m medley relays as a function of sex (men and women) and classification (medallists and non-medallists) in international competitions. Nineteen international competitions covering a 13-year period (2000–2012) were analysed retrospectively. The data corresponded to a total of 827 team relay histories (407 men, 420 women). Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests were performed to determine any differences by sex, classification, and event. Similarly, the relationship between the exchange block times and final performance was examined by means of a Pearson correlation analysis. In the three events, the men’s exchange block times were shorter than those of the women (η² = 0.049–0.109; P < 0.001). The exchange block time was especially relevant for the women’s relay medallists in the 4 × 100-m freestyle (r = 0.306, P = 0.021) and 4 × 100-m medley (r = 0.385, P = 0.011), while for men the relationship was clearer for the non-medallists. These results suggest that the exchange block time should be considered as one of the performance parameters of swimming relay starts, and thus should be included explicitly as part of training. In particular, the coach could design training targeted at standardising an optimal exchange block time equal to or less than that expected for other teams in the competition.     

Reliability and validity of different methods of estimating the one-repetition maximum during the free-weight prone bench pull exercise

ABSTRACT

This study examined the reliability and validity of three methods of estimating the one-repetition maximum (1RM) during the free-weight prone bench pull exercise. Twenty-six men (22 rowers and four weightlifters) performed an incremental loading test until reaching their 1RM, followed by a set of repetitions-to-failure. Eighteen participants were re-tested to conduct the reliability analysis. The 1RM was estimated through the lifts-to-failure equations proposed by Lombardi and O’Connor, general load-velocity (L-V) relationships proposed by Sánchez-Medina and Loturco and the individual L-V relationships modelled using four (multiple-point method) or only two loads (two-point method). The direct method provided the highest reliability (coefficient of variation [CV] = 2.45% and intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.97), followed by the Lombardi’s equation (CV = 3.44% and ICC = 0.94), and no meaningful differences were observed between the remaining methods (CV range = 4.95–6.89% and ICC range = 0.81–0.91). The lifts-to-failure equations overestimated the 1RM (3.43–4.08%), the general L-V relationship proposed by Sánchez-Medina underestimated the 1RM (?3.77%), and no significant differences were observed for the remaining prediction methods (?0.40–0.86%). The individual L-V relationship could be recommended as the most accurate method for predicting the 1RM during the free-weight prone bench pull exercise.     

Acute intraocular pressure changes during isometric exercise and recovery: The influence of exercise type and intensity,and participant´s sex

ABSTRACT

We assessed the intraocular pressure (IOP) behaviour during a 1-minute period of isometric physical effort and the immediate 1-minute of recovery in the mid-thigh clean pull and squat exercises at three different intensities. Twenty physically active individuals performed the isometric mid-thigh clean pull and squat exercises at three intensities (0% [low-intensity], 25% [medium-intensity] and 50% [high-intensity] of the maximum isometric force). IOP was semi-continuously measured by rebound tonometry. There was a statistically significant effect of exercise intensity on IOP (p < 0.001, ?_p² = 0.416), observing that IOP increments were positively associated with exercise intensity. The mid-thigh clean pull and squat exercises did not demonstrate differences (p = 0.510), and also, no differences were observed between men and women (p = 0.683). The IOP changes during the isometric physical effort showed a positive linear behaviour in all conditions (r = 0.70 to 0.96). IOP returned to baseline levels after 8 seconds of recovery. Our data showed a progressive and instantaneous IOP increment during isometric exercise, which was positively associated with exercise intensity. IOP changes were independent on the type of exercise and participant´s sex. After exercise, IOP rapidly (≈ 8 seconds) returned to baseline levels.     

Children’s Models about Colours in Nahuatl-Speaking Communities

This paper presents the development and structure of indigenous children’s ideas about mixing colours as well as their ideas about each colour, derived from their traditions. The children were interviewed both at school and outside it, and an educational proposal was implemented. Ideas expressed in the school context were analysed using the partial possible model, which states that the inferences and explanations used to describe a subject consist of constricting ideas, rules of correspondence, and a set of phenomenological inferences about processes. After identifying these components in the children’s ideas, we developed models to describe their conceptions about mixing colours. We employed a different approach to analyse children’s ideas related to their cultural context. The results showed that children change from a conception that focuses on colours as entities that do not change and as properties of objects (model 1) to the idea that colour represents a quality of substances or objects that can be modified by mixing colours (model 2). Cultural context analysis showed that stories are independent from one another and that they are not connected to colour mixing processes, only to the actions of colour on people. We concluded that students generate independent constructions between school and cultural knowledge.