Psychology Hub

The academic integration of international students at an Italian university: exploring communication channels, feeling of belonging and social support

Emre Celik, Laura, Mauro Sarrica — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Language barriers, sociocultural barriers and academic adjustment are some of the main factors affecting international students’ experience in foreign universities. Focusing on the Italian context, the present study aims to evaluate to which extent the language anxiety, the perceived practical-emotional support of local or foreign peers, the perceived effectiveness institutional communication, and communication channel used affect international students’ feeling of belonging and academic performance. Data were collected with 185 international students from the largest university in Rome, using an anonymous online questionnaire. Results show that language anxiety levels affect with academic success; also, the support received by local students, the emotional support received by international students, and the effectiveness of information provided by the university affect the feeling of belonging to the university. Practical support received by other international negatively affect feeling of belonging. Age, gender also have significant effects in this context. These findings encourage institution to actively pursue the integration of international students with the local students and community, enhancing individual skills and opportunities for socialization with host and international students.

Students’ mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. The role of psychological resilience and daily functioning.

Louiza Ioannidou — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The present study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affects college students' mental health and well-being. Furthermore, the study investigates the association between psychological resilience, daily functioning, and trajectories of mental distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our sample included 208 college students from a private University in Cyprus. Students completed the COVID-19 Functioning Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale. Statistical analyses highlighted that COVID-19 perceived challenges negatively impacted students' mental health and well-being. In addition, results revealed that students with a higher level of resilience and a healthier daily routine and functioning indicate lower levels of perceived stress and mental difficulties. Study findings highlighted that high resilience and functioning could be protective factors for students' well-being during the pandemic. Thus, activities that foster resilience should be included in broader strategies to support students' mental health and well-being.

Intimate Partner Violence and physical diseases: an exploratory study

Anna Sorrentino, Valentina Alfano — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a transversal phenomenon that affects a significant number of women and
female adolescents in the world. Although several and numerous studies have investigated various negative
consequences associated with exposure to IPV, few have focused on the physical diseases associated with
exposure to physical, psychological, and sexual violence. The present study aims to analyze the association
between past or present IPV victimization and the presence of physical disease, in particular, investigating the
unique contribution of physical, psychological, and sexual violence on IPV victims’ likelihood of reporting
physical diseases diagnoses by surveying 133 women victims of IPV recruited from various anti-violence
centers (CAV). The results showed that women who experienced psychological violence were more at risk of
reporting cardiovascular disorders and a diagnosis of benign neoplasm; moreover, women who believed that
their physical disease was linked to exposure to IPV showed a higher presence of gastrointestinal disorders.
The results are discussed, along with possible applications for prevention and intervention strategies.

Has social distancing increased our relationships and sense of being connected?

Laura Menatti, Mariagrazia Ranzini — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Connecting with others is a basic human need, often associated with health and well- being. The COVID-19 pandemic and the related distancing measures have been challenging the way we connect and interact, by raising psychological and social issues. During the first lockdown, we designed a questionnaire to investigate people’s social relationships and sense of connectedness. We distributed it online in Italy, France, and Spain (N=672). The survey asked people to rate how much they perceived to be connected to personal (family, friends), local (city), European, or global communities; we related connectedness to other factors, such as quality of social relations, fear of contagion, loneliness, worries for the future. Our results show that the majority of responders reported being moderately to consistently in touch with other people. Yet, to be in contact does not mean to be connected. Compared to the
pre-pandemic period, responders reported to be particularly connected with their families/friends, less connected with their town and Europe, while they perceived no variation in the degree of connection with the entire world. Among the predictors we analysed, the fear of being infected and the perception of loneliness revealed significant effects on the connectedness to family and friends. Furthermore, perceiving to be connected to personal and larger groups was associated with fewer worries for the future. Our findings are in line with other psychological studies developed during the pandemic which demonstrate that relationships and the sense of being connected improve the quality of life of people and their expectations for the future.

Longitudinal evaluation of psychological health issues in young adults subsequent to COVID-19 pandemic

Silvia Bussone, Chiara Pesca, Valeria Carola, Renata Tambelli — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions negatively affected mental health, increasing the risk for mood and stress-related symptoms. We recently reported that the lockdown in Italy worsened mental health, affectetd in part by parenting and attachment. Since the pandemic continues, understanding its long-term effects on mental health is mandatory. In this study, we examined how the psychopathological responses previously reported are modulated by the easing of restrictions and how sociorelational patterns influence this response.

Methods: 42 university students were screened for psychopathological symptoms (SCL-90-R and STAI-Y), stress perception (PSS), attachment style (RQ), and parental care and overcontrol (PBI) 6 months before the confinement (Phase 1). In the same subjects, psychopathological symptoms and stress perception were retested during the lockdown (Phase 2), November 2020 (Phase 3), and July-September 2021 (Phase 4).

Results: Psychopathological symptoms and perceived stress decreased in Phase 4, compared with Phase 2. State anxiety remained elevated during the entire pandemic. In individuals with dysfunctional sociorelational patterns (insecure attachment, low care), state anxiety was stably high over time (from Phases 1 to 4), regardless of pandemic-related environmental changes, whereas those with functional sociorelational patterns (secure attachment, high/intermediate care) experienced changes in state anxiety according to their environments.

Conclusion: The improvement in psychological health demonstrates that habituation occurred, despite the pandemic still being perceived as stressful, as in Phase 1. Moreover, the flexibility to environmental changes varied according to the sociorelational patterns, wherein individuals with functional sociorelational patterns adjusted better to their environment than those with dysfunctional sociorelational patterns.

“I feel good with my teachers”. The effects of positive teacher-student relationship on students’ self-esteem and perceptions about their future.

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The school climate has long been acknowledged as a protective factor for children’s and adolescents’ well-being. In fact, research has demonstrated that learning environments based on positive relationships among various social actors (students, teachers, and parents) are essential for enhancing students’ global self-evaluations and fostering their positive adaptation. However, few studies have examined the role teachers’ play in students’ self-esteem and future expectations. To overcome this limitation present in the literature, particularly in the Italian context, this study investigated the effect of teachers-students relationship on students’ self-esteem and their expectations for the future. The study employed a sample of 287 high school students. The mediational models included the quality of the teachers-students relationship as the independent variable, students’ self-esteem as the mediating variable, and students’ future expectations as the dependent variable. The results indicated total mediation: positive relationships between teachers and students had a positive association with students’ self-esteem which, in turn, had a positive association with students’ future expectations. The study emphasizes that socio-relational competencies are an essential component of teachers’ professionalism and are linked to the well-being of their students.

Between populism and egalitarianism: mapping attitudes toward social and political issues during the Draghi government using exploratory graph analysis.

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Using a community sample of 323 individuals (74% women; Mean Age = 26.9 years), who completed an online survey from April 2021 to April 2022, the present study explored the relations among attitudes towards a variety of social and political issues that sparked social media debate. The study used the Attitudes towards Social and Political Issues (ASPI) survey, which covers attitudes towards COVID-19, vaccines, the European Union, migrants, LGBTQ+ rights, gender equality, religion, and conspiracy beliefs. Using an Exploratory Graph Analysis, the study discovered three attitude communities. The first community, labeled equal rights & inclusion, encompassed positive attitudes towards LGBTQ+ rights and gender equality. The second community, labeled national populism, included hostility towards immigrants and anti-EU sentiments. The third community, labeled religiosity, emerged as an autonomous cluster related to national populism positively and equal rights and inclusion negatively. The ASPI scores were sensitive to individual differences in political and religious orientation. The national populism score was the most likely proxy for political orientation, while religiosity marked the difference between those who said they were Christians, or followed other religious or spiritual doctrines, and atheists or agnostics. Overall, the study provides insight into the complex social and political landscape in Italy during the Draghi government.

Relation between psychological, psycho-cultural factors and attitudes towards the construction of a composting/vermicomposting plant

Giulia Rocchi, Matteo Reho, Arturo Bevilacqua, Jessica Pileri — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Waste management is one of the challenges to address to promote environmental sustainability. The methods of composting and vermicomposting seem to be a possible ecological solution. A number of 90 participants answered a questionnaire aimed at detecting the relationship between risk perception about climate change, biospheric values, symbolic universes and attitudes towards the construction of a composting and vermicomposting plant near the respondent's living place. Participants answered an open-ended question aimed to obtain a deeper understanding of the perceived disadvantages in relation to the construction of the plant. Results highlight that positive attitudes towards the plant are related and predicted by both risk perception and biospheric values. Moreover, different levels of biospheric values were found between symbolic universes, consistently with a different world’s representation. The qualitative analysis produced 7 categories related to different kinds of disadvantages about the plant. Findings offer suggestions for future research.

The negative and positive symptoms in people suffering from schizophrenia during the pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The pandemic had a significant impact on the physical and mental health of the world population. In this context, higher levels of negative and positive symptoms related to psychosis have been observed. The present study aimed to verify, through a systematic review and meta-analysis, the evolution of negative and positive symptoms of schizophrenia during the pandemic period.
The present work adhered to the PRISMA guidelines, and the GRADE and New Castle Ottawa bias scales were applied. Longitudinal studies from 2020-2021 that assessed negative and/or positive symptoms in persons diagnosed with schizophrenia before and during the pandemic period were searched on PubMed, PsycInfo and PsycArticles. The main results showed significant differences between the pre and the pandemic period regarding negative symptoms [95% CI -0.47 (-0.70, -0.24); Z = 4.01 (p < 0.0001)]. In conclusion, the work showed a worsening of negative symptoms during the pandemic in persons with schizophrenia. The results suggested the importance, in the post-pandemic period, of planning psychosocial interventions for these individuals.