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Rodríguez-Aragón M, Barranco-Rodríguez D, de Mora-Martín M, Sánchez-Jorge S, Varillas-Delgado D, Valle-Benítez N. The effects of global postural re-education on sleep quality and stress in university women lecturers: a randomized controlled trial. Front Psychiatry 2024; 14:1321588. [PMID: 38298929 PMCID: PMC10829090 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1321588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of global postural re-education (GPR) on sleep quality and stress in female health science lecturers. Methods A total of 24 female university lecturers were allocated in this randomized controlled trial into intervention (n = 12) and control (n = 12) groups. The intervention group underwent familiarization and training on the therapy to execute an 8-week treatment with GPR. Data collected on sleep quality were analyzed using 24-h accelerometry (Actigraphy GT3X+) in addition to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire score as well as the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) anxiety questionnaire. Data on stress were collected by measuring salivary cortisol. Results After comparing the GPR of the groups, there was a main effect of the group (F = 5.278, p = 0.044) for PSQI. The post-hoc analysis revealed that both groups decreased scores between pre- and post-treatment. Additionally, post-treatment, there were differences between groups. For sleep latency, there were main effects of group (F = 6.118, p = 0.031) and score × group (F = 9.343, p = 0.011) interactions. The post-hoc analysis revealed that treatment groups decreased scores between pre- and post-treatment, and there were differences between groups (all p < 0.050). Conclusion The self-administered GPR improves sleep quality in female university lecturers, providing a valuable self-regulation tool for enhanced sleep quality and enhanced academic performance. Further study may help to develop this as a potential tool to help university lecturers' job performance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Noelia Valle-Benítez
- Faculty of Experimental Sciences, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid, Spain
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Madhi ZS, Hasan MA, Almusawi AAH. Prevalence of hypertension links with body mass index by academic population in Babylon city. J Adv Pharm Technol Res 2023; 14:133-136. [PMID: 37255879 PMCID: PMC10226711 DOI: 10.4103/japtr.japtr_106_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Many risk factors have been listed that predispose to the occurrence of high blood pressure (BP). Although high body mass index (BMI) is a recognized risk factor for hypertension, the cutoff value for the high BMI was not taken into consideration as a predictor risk. There is no clear data on the occurrence of hypertension in Iraq in the highly educated population. Moreover, studies on hypertension in Iraq have been limited to a few studies. To assess and study the prevalence of BP in the academic population of Babylon city, a prospective study of 100 people was conducted. In the course of 3 months, during their work at the university in the morning, the questionnaire was filled out along with the body weight measurement. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to measure the maximum area under the curve for the BMI score. Outcomes demonstrated that despite the high level of education, the prevalence of hypertension remains unacceptable. Awareness raising about the risk factors should be addressed through ongoing health education in health sectors and media. BMI of more than 25 could be considered a predictable risk value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaid Saad Madhi
- Department of Radiological Techniques, Al-Mustaqbal University College, Hillah, Iraq
| | - Mohannad Ali Hasan
- Department of Surgery, Babylon Medical College, University of Babylon, Hillah, Iraq
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3
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Galgotia D, Lakshmi N. Implementation of Knowledge Management in Higher Education: A Comparative Study of Private and Government Universities in India and Abroad. Front Psychol 2022; 13:944153. [PMID: 35783718 PMCID: PMC9244708 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.944153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
All academic institution contributes to the corpus of knowledge in some way. To keep expanding, the resulting information and data must be collected in a single area and shared throughout society. Knowledge developed in academic institutions is not adequately preserved or gathered, according to research. It has also been observed that the majority of the content or knowledge developed in academic institutes is unknown to the general public and is categorized as a literature review, which may be useful if proper coding is kept in the organization. The purposeful integration of humans, processes, and technology dedicated to developing, capturing, and executing an organization's creative infrastructure is known as a Knowledge Management (KM) method. Knowledge Management supports educational institutes in refining their capability to acquire and share information and knowledge, applying it to problem resolution and promoting research and continuous development. This paper advocates a holistic strategy for finding, analyzing, recording, retrieving, and distributing the whole of an administration's data properties. Databases, records, procedures, regulations and hitherto un-captured knowledge and talent in ordinary employees are samples of these properties. Higher education institutions can use KM as a tried and true approach to dealing with their problems. KM aids in the motivation of research as well as the promotion of partnerships and innovations in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhruv Galgotia
- Department of Management Studies, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Nirupa Lakshmi
- Department of Management Studies, Galgotias College of Engineering and Technology, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Costa JPD, Meireles P, Rodrigues PNS, Barros H. Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a cohort of workers from the University of Porto, Portugal. Infect Dis (Lond) 2022; 54:441-447. [PMID: 35129057 DOI: 10.1080/23744235.2022.2035429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Repeated serosurveys in the same population provide more accurate estimates of the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 infection and more comparable data over time than notified cases. We aimed to estimate the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, identify associated factors, and assess time trends in the ratio of serological/molecular diagnosis in a cohort of university workers. METHODS Participants had a serological rapid test for SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulins M and G, and completed a questionnaire, in May-July 2020 (n = 3628) and November 2020-January 2021 (n = 2661); 1960 participated in both evaluations and provided data to compute the incidence proportion and the incidence rate. Crude and adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using generalized linear models with Poisson regression. RESULTS The incidence rate was 1.8/100 person-months (95% CI: 1.5-2.0), and the 6 months' cumulative incidence was 10.7%. The serological/molecular diagnosis ratio was 10:1 in the first evaluation and 3:1 in the second. Considering newly identified seropositive cases at the first (n = 69) and second evaluation (n = 202), 29.0% and 9.4% never reported symptoms, respectively, 14.5% and 33.3% reported contact with a confirmed case and 82.6%, and 46.0% never had a molecular test. Males (aIRR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.44-0.85) and 'high-skilled white-collar' workers (aIRR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.53-1.04) had lower risk of infection. CONCLUSION University workers presented a high SARS-CoV-2 incidence while restrictive measures were in place. The time decrease in the proportion of undiagnosed cases reflected the increased access and awareness to testing, but opportunities continued to be missed, even in the presence of COVID-19-like symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Pinto da Costa
- EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Porto, Portugal
| | - Paula Meireles
- EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro N S Rodrigues
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Henrique Barros
- EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Porto, Portugal.,Departamento de Ciências da Saúde Pública e Forenses e Educação Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Schmits E, Dekeyser S, Klein O, Luminet O, Yzerbyt V, Glowacz F. Psychological Distress among Students in Higher Education: One Year after the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021; 18:7445. [PMID: 34299896 PMCID: PMC8308017 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18147445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the psychological well-being of students. Several stressors (such as socioeconomic and education-related contexts) could influence mental health, as well as individual and relational dimensions. This study proposes to evaluate the predictive effect of these factors on anxiety and depressive symptoms among students in higher education one year after the beginning of the pandemic. A sample of 23,307 students (Mage = 20.89; SD = 1.96; 69.08% of women) was assessed through an online self-report questionnaire including adapted and validated measures. The main rates were as follows: 50.6% of students presented anxiety symptoms; 55.1% reported depressive symptoms; 20.8% manifested suicidal ideations; 42.4% saw their financial situation deteriorate; 39.1% felt they were dropping out of school. One year after the beginning of the pandemic, students in higher education are anxious and depressed, especially those who identify as women (for both anxiety and depression) and as a non-binary gender (only for anxiety), experience a deterioration in their financial situation, are dropping out of school, or manifest hostility (for both anxiety and depression). The degree of study affects the symptoms' severity (Bachelor 2 and 3 for anxiety and Master for depression). Contact with family and friends (for both anxiety and depression) as well as regular physical activity (only for depression) should provide some protection against psychological distress. Policy-makers must make a long-term investment in the well-being and positive mental health of the student community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Schmits
- Psychologie Clinique de la Délinquance, Unité de Recherche Adaptation, Résilience et Changement, Faculté de Psychologie, Logopédie et Sciences de l’Education, Université de Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Sarah Dekeyser
- Centre d’Etude du Comportement Social, Institut de Recherche en Sciences Psychologiques, Faculté de Psychologie et des Sciences de l’Education, Université Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; (S.D.); (O.L.); (V.Y.)
| | - Olivier Klein
- Center for Social and Cultural Psychology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium;
| | - Olivier Luminet
- Centre d’Etude du Comportement Social, Institut de Recherche en Sciences Psychologiques, Faculté de Psychologie et des Sciences de l’Education, Université Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; (S.D.); (O.L.); (V.Y.)
| | - Vincent Yzerbyt
- Centre d’Etude du Comportement Social, Institut de Recherche en Sciences Psychologiques, Faculté de Psychologie et des Sciences de l’Education, Université Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; (S.D.); (O.L.); (V.Y.)
| | - Fabienne Glowacz
- Psychologie Clinique de la Délinquance, Unité de Recherche Adaptation, Résilience et Changement, Faculté de Psychologie, Logopédie et Sciences de l’Education, Université de Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
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Slobodin O, Icekson T, Herman L, Vaknin O. Perceived Discrimination and Motivation to Pursue Higher Education in Ethiopian-Origin Students: The Moderating Role of Ethnic Identity. Front Psychol 2021; 12:647180. [PMID: 34168587 PMCID: PMC8217432 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.647180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Research has increasingly recognized the adverse effects of perceived discrimination on the academic outcomes of children and adolescents from ethnic and racial minority backgrounds. However, little is known about the association between perceived discrimination and the motivation of ethnic minority students to pursue higher education. Guided by an academic resilience framework, the current study examined the relationship between perceived discrimination and two types of motivation to pursue higher education (personal/career-driven and expectation-driven) among Ethiopian undergraduate students in Israel. In addition, we examined the role of ethnic identity as a potential moderator of this relationship. Participants were 183 undergraduate students of Ethiopian origin (77% females) who studied in 18 different higher-education institutes. Participants completed self-report questionnaires concerning their experiences of perceived discrimination, affiliation with their Ethiopian identity, and their reasons for pursuing higher education. Results showed that frequent discrimination experiences were positively related to a stronger ethnic identity and to higher levels of personal/career motivation to pursue higher education. Ethnic identity moderated the relationship between perceived discrimination and personal/career motivation so that the association was significant under low and moderate levels of ethnic identity but not under high levels. Our findings suggest that the awareness of discrimination may motivate students to pursue higher education and succeed in academia. However, the motivating force of perceived discrimination diminishes under high levels of ethnic identification. Further investigation is needed to explore how discrimination and ethnic identity work together to impact academic motivation in different developmental stages and socio-cultural contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ortal Slobodin
- Department of Education, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Tamar Icekson
- Department of Education, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel.,Department of Management, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel.,School of Behavioral Sciences, Peres Academic Center, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Lee Herman
- Department of Education, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Ofri Vaknin
- Department of Education, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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Elkana O, Soffer S, Eisikovits OR, Oren N, Bezalel V, Ash EL. WAIS Information Subtest as an indicator of crystallized cognitive abilities and brain reserve among highly educated older adults: A three-year longitudinal study. Appl Neuropsychol Adult 2019; 27:525-531. [PMID: 30838891 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2019.1575219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) Information Subtest (IS) is known as a neuropsychological "Hold" test that is relatively resistant to decline with aging. We administered neuropsychological tests among highly educated healthy older adults once a year for three subsequent years. Results showed highly stable performances on the IS across years (Mean Z score: T0 = 1.39, SD = 0.60; T1 = 1.37, SD = 0.77; T2 = 1.50, SD = 0.66; T3 = 1.48, SD = 0.66), that were significantly higher than zero (T0: t = 12.08; T1: t = 9.29; T2: t = 11.71; T3: t = 11.68; for all, p < 0.0001). In contrast, other neuropsychological tests showed differences in performance across time; some performances significantly declined (Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure test-copy, Rey-Auditory Verbal Learning Test, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment test [MoCA]), whereas others were improved, possibly due to practice effects (Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure test- delayed, Rey-Auditory Verbal Learning Test- delayed, and Trail Making Test- part A). Correlation with whole brain volumetric analysis revealed a positive correlation between gray matter volumes and IS scores (r = 0.46, p < 0.05) even when controlling for age and education (partial correlations: r = 0.43; r = 0.45, for both p < 0.05). No significant correlations were found between gray matter and other test scores. Therefore, the WAIS-III Information subtest appears to be an adequate neuropsychological measurement of crystallized ability in highly educated older adults and may be considered as a proxy measure of brain reserve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Odelia Elkana
- Behavioral Sciences, Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo, Yaffo, Israel
| | - Shani Soffer
- Behavioral Sciences, Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo, Yaffo, Israel
| | | | - Noga Oren
- Department of Neurology, Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Functional Brain Center, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Vered Bezalel
- Department of Neurology, Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Elissa L Ash
- Department of Neurology, Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Badenes-Ribera L, Frias-Navarro D, Iotti B, Bonilla-Campos A, Longobardi C. Misconceptions of the p-value among Chilean and Italian Academic Psychologists. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1247. [PMID: 27602007 PMCID: PMC4993781 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Common misconceptions of p-values are based on certain beliefs and attributions about the significance of the results. Thus, they affect the professionals' decisions and jeopardize the quality of interventions and the accumulation of valid scientific knowledge. We conducted a survey on 164 academic psychologists (134 Italian, 30 Chilean) questioned on this topic. Our findings are consistent with previous research and suggest that some participants do not know how to correctly interpret p-values. The inverse probability fallacy presents the greatest comprehension problems, followed by the replication fallacy. These results highlight the importance of the statistical re-education of researchers. Recommendations for improving statistical cognition are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Badenes-Ribera
- Department of Methodology of the Behavioral Sciences, University of Valencia Valencia, Spain
| | - Dolores Frias-Navarro
- Department of Methodology of the Behavioral Sciences, University of Valencia Valencia, Spain
| | - Bryan Iotti
- Veterinary and Prevention Department, University of Turin Turin, Italy
| | - Amparo Bonilla-Campos
- Department of Methodology of the Behavioral Sciences, University of Valencia Valencia, Spain
| | - Claudio Longobardi
- Department of Psychology, University of TurinTurin, Italy; Research Center on Development and Educational, Faculdade Européia de VitòriaCariacica, Brazil
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