Prevalence of family violence and mental health and their relation to peer victimization: A representative study of adolescent students in Southwestern Uganda

BackgroundDespite global efforts to end violence against children in all settings, reports reveal that violence against children is still highly prevalent, especially in low-and middle- income countries. Violence in childhood is associated with a host of negative outcomes, and exposure in one setting can easily spill over to other contexts. For instance, exposure to family violence was not only related to mental health problems but also seems to be a risk factor for peer victimization.ObjectivesThe present study aimed to examine the prevalence of maltreatment within the family and adolescents’ mental health problems and their relation to peer victimization. We also aimed to gain new insights into the perceptions of adolescents concerning maltreatment within their families.MethodsData were collected from April to November 2017 in a representative sample of 702 students from 12 public secondary schools in Southwestern Uganda who responded to self-administered questionnaires.ResultsOverall, 95% of the students experienced at least one type of family violence in the past month. Students (81.3%) had endorsed some level of acceptance of violent discipline as a valid strategy in response to any misbehavior. Maltreatment within the family was related to peer victimization (β = .47) and this relation was mediated by mental health problems (0.002, 95%-CI: 0.001–0.004).ConclusionsThe results indicated a high prevalence of maltreatment within Ugandan families that was associated with peer victimization. This underscores the need to implement interventions aiming to reduce maltreatment and violence in order to protect children from potentially negative consequences.     

The mental health and wellbeing of Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URMs)

BackgroundToday, almost half of all refugees worldwide are children and adolescents, nearly a quarter of whom arrive in Europe as Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM). Many URMs have experienced the cumulative stress of being exposed both to the adverse environmental conditions which drive forced migration, and to the traumatic experience of displacement and resettlement. These experiences, coupled with other developmental stressors, may impede their overall development and increase their likelihood of mental health problems. Despite the evident vulnerability of URMs, much controversy currently surrounds the legitimacy of their arrival in host countries and their mental health is given little consideration.ObjectiveThis review synthesises and examines the limited published literature on the impact of traumatic refugee experiences on the mental health and development of URMs.MethodsAcademic databases and other sources were searched using key terms relating to URMs and mental health.ResultsThe findings confirm in large part that being a URM negatively influences mental health development, and that adolescence and being female are particular indicators of increased risk of psychiatric disorders. However, cultural differences in measurement and assessment of mental health are important confounding factors.ConclusionsThe current literature on youth in transit consistently paints a picture of how experiences URMs face can place a great burden on their mental health - clearly depicting an urgent need to consider their mental health within the current climate. The pressing need for improved care based on best practice is discussed.     

Effects of different sequences of examples and problems on motivation and learning

Recent research has shown that example study only (EE) and example-problem pairs (EP) were more effective (i.e., higher test performance) and efficient (i.e., attained with less effort invested in learning and/or test tasks) than problem-example pairs (PE) and problem solving only (PP). We conducted two experiments to investigate how different example and problem-solving sequences would affect motivational (i.e., self-efficacy, perceived competence, and topic interest) and cognitive (i.e., effectiveness and efficiency) aspects of learning. In Experiment 1, 124 technical students learned a mathematical task with the help of EEEE, EPEP, PEPE, or PPPP and then completed a posttest. Students in the EEEE Condition showed higher posttest performance, self-efficacy, and perceived competence, attained with less effort investment, than students in the EPEP and PPPP Condition. Surprisingly, there were no differences between the EPEP and PEPE Condition on any of the outcome measures. We hypothesized that, because the tasks were relevant for technical students, starting with a problem might not have negatively affected their motivation. Therefore, we replicated the experiment with a different sample of 81 teacher training students. Experiment 2 showed an efficiency benefit of EEEE over EPEP, PEPE, and PPPP. However, only EEEE resulted in greater posttest performance, self-efficacy, and perceived competence than PPPP. We again did not find any differences between the EPEP and PEPE Condition. These results suggest that, at least when short training phases are used, studying examples (only) is more preferable than problem solving only for learning. Moreover, this study showed that example study (only) also enhances motivational aspects of learning whereas problem solving only does not positively affect students’ motivation at all.     

城市化进程中失地农民心理适应问题论析

失地农民进入城市会面临某些心理不适问题,具体表现在居住变化、经济压力、就业不足与保障不力等导致的心理不安、焦虑与抵触失衡心理,以及社会交往产生的封闭自卑心理、城市认同感欠缺与市民意识缺失等。心理不适问题的产生既与城市体制性因素以及城市居民的偏见与歧视有关,也与失地农民自身人力资本不足、农村传统文化的持续影响有关。应该从物质层面做好就业与保障工作、从社会文化层面扭转生活方式与价值观念以及从个体心理层面构建心理调适机制来实现失地农民心理适应。     

A person-centered approach to achievement goal orientations in competitive tennis players: Associations with motivation and mental toughness

Background:Research on achievement goal orientations in sport has typically relied on the use of variable-centered approaches that tend to overlook population heterogeneity.In this study,we used a person-centered approach to identify subgroups of competitive tennis players according to unique combinations of achievement goal orientations and tested for subgroup differences in motivation and mental toughness.Methods:A sample of 323 competitive tennis athletes(69.35%male)between 15 and 25 years of age(17.60±2.40 years,mean±SD)completed the 3×2 Achievement Goal Questionnaire for Sport,Sport Motivation Scale Ⅱ,and Mental Toughness Index.Latent profile analysis was used to identify unique combinations of achievement goal orientations.Comparisons between latent subgroups on autonomous motivation,controlled motivation,and mental toughness were performed using analysis of variance.Results:Latent profile analysis supported 3 distinct patterns of achievement goal profiles that were primarily distinguishable based on valence of competence(i.e.,approach vs.avoidance).Analyses of variance indicated that athletes who were classified into subgroups that endorsed approach types of goals(regardless of the types of avoidance goals they endorsed)reported higher levels of autonomous motivation and mental toughness.Conclusion:Results indicated that athletes tend to pursue a number of achievement goals collectively rather than in isolation.Although approach goals are more commonly linked to adaptive psychological functioning and positive outcomes,avoidance goals may also be associated with desirable psychological characteristics if they are pursued in conjunction with approach types of achievement goals.     

论体育舞蹈对大学生心理健康的影响

基于《全民健身计划纲要》的实施,发展到全民健身热潮的今天,体育锻炼意义不仅仅在于健身,同时也在于健心。体育锻炼对于心理健康发挥了重要的作用,并且也逐渐得到人们的重视。本文基于大学生的了解度与兴趣状况与学习体育舞蹈后的心理健康评价调查,探究体育舞蹈对大学生心理健康的影响,结果表明,体育舞蹈对大学生的心理健康具有积极影响,希望能够对今后的教育教学有一定帮助作用。     

健美操教学对促进普通高校学生身心素质发展的研究

文章运用对比分析统计的方法, 分析健美操教学在高校教育中的作用。结果表明, 健美操运动在改善高校青年学生身体形态机能, 提高身体素质,促进心理健康发展以及培养他们终身体育能力方面具有积极的促进作用.     

我国优秀女子铅球运动员最后用力技术的运动学分析

采用技术动作录像拍摄与分析法、数理统计分析等研究方法,对我国优秀女子铅球运动员的最后用力技术分别从身体各关节与出手速度、最后用力的两个阶段技术参数,人与铅球系统重心的位移等方面,结合铅球专项理论、运动训练学、运动生物力学等理论进行运动学分析,旨在探讨我国优秀女子铅球运动员最后用力技术的特点,进一步提高其训练的科学性、针对性。     

Motivation counteracts fatigue-induced performance decrements in soccer passing performance

Recent theories suggest that negative effects of fatigue on performance are determined by perception of effort and motivation rather than being directly caused by reaching physiological limits. In the current experiment, the influence of motivation on fatigue-induced decrements in soccer performance was experimentally investigated. Sixty amateur soccer players performed a validated soccer-passing test before and after a fatigue protocol. Results showed that players’ motivation and performance decreased after the fatigue protocol for players in the control group. In contrast, players in the motivation group (i.e., with motivation experimentally induced after the fatigue protocol) were able to uphold their motivation and increase their performance. These results indicate that motivation plays a crucial role in performance under fatigue, as fatigue-induced decrements in soccer passing performance can be counteracted by high levels of motivation. Future research may explore the limits of this counteracting effect and extend findings to other relevant performance aspects.     

The impact of physiological load on anticipation skills in badminton: From testing to training

Research remains unclear on the impact of physiological load on perceptual-cognitive skills in sport. Moreover, no study has examined the training of perceptual-cognitive skills under physiological load. The current study comprised two phases. Firstly, we examined the impact of badminton-specific physiological load on anticipatory skills in expert badminton players (n = 13), including key underlying mechanisms, such as gaze behaviour. Under high physiological load, participants displayed less efficient visual search behaviour and showed a reduction in response accuracy. Secondly, we examined the effects of combining perceptual-cognitive simulation training with the high physiological load. Ten of the expert badminton players were assigned to a combined training group, where the simulation training and the physiological load intervention occurred simultaneously or an independent training group, whereby the two components were completed independently. The combined training group showed a positive change in the efficiency of their visual search behaviours compared to the independent training group, but no significant performance improvements were found. Overall, findings demonstrate that high physiological load is detrimental to experts’ anticipatory skills. However, combining perceptual-cognitive simulation training with high physiological load can potentially negate these debilitating effects.