There is a high prevalence of anxiety and depression in university students as they face overwhelming pressures to succeed academically. A relationship between academic stress and academic...Show moreThere is a high prevalence of anxiety and depression in university students as they face overwhelming pressures to succeed academically. A relationship between academic stress and academic resilience, among students can be found in the literature However, there has not been as much exploration into the extent to which academic resilience can operate as a moderating factor between academic stress and its effect on depressive and anxiety symptoms manifested by students. Τhis cross-sectional study focused on the role of academic resilience in moderating the depression and anxiety symptoms in university students. A total of 221 university students completed a battery of self-report questionnaires; 1) Law Student Perceived Stress scale (LSPSS, modified version for students in general), 2) Generalized Anxiety Scale-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety, 3) Patient-Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression, and 4) Academic Resilience Scale (ARS-30) for academic resilience. Results showed that that academic stress significantly impacted depression and anxiety symptoms. However, the results did not support the hypothesis that academic resilience can operate as a moderating factor between academic stress and the manifestation of symptoms of anxiety and depression. Though the initial hypothesis was rejected, the findings of this study underline the need for implementing stress management programs within the academic settings in order to facilitate students to achieve their goals with no psychological burden, as higher academic stress was related to higher symptoms of anxiety and depression.Show less
A healthy parent-adolescent relationship, including respectful communication, is crucial to an adolescent’s well-being. However, these findings have been based mainly on observations or self-report...Show moreA healthy parent-adolescent relationship, including respectful communication, is crucial to an adolescent’s well-being. However, these findings have been based mainly on observations or self-report questionnaires and little is known about how adolescents perceive the communication with their parents in daily life. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore how Dutch adolescents perceive certain aspects of daily communication with their parents and whether there is an association between the perceived positivity of this communication and adolescents’ positive and negative affect during the day. Data was collected using an experience sampling method from 80 healthy Dutch adolescents (51 girls, 29 boys) with a mean age of 15.9. Descriptive statistics revealed that in general adolescents talked more frequently to their mothers than to their fathers, with the primary form of communication being face-to-face. Adolescents perceived their parents as actively listening and understanding, and they, in turn, saw their parents as less dominant and critical. However, differences were found in the adolescents’ perceptions of the parenting behaviour demonstrated by their fathers and mothers. Mothers were perceived as better at listening and understanding, whereas fathers were viewed as more dominant and critical. Lastly, results of a multilevel regression analysis indicated that the more the parent-adolescent relationship was perceived as positive, the more positive and the less negative adolescents’ affect was during the day. This study provides the groundwork for understanding how adolescents perceive the communication with their parents in daily life and the influence this has on their daily affect.Show less
Background: Depending on baseline catecholamine levels and executive cognitive function, caffeine may enhance or disturb such functions. Trait anxiety and stress are associated with increased...Show moreBackground: Depending on baseline catecholamine levels and executive cognitive function, caffeine may enhance or disturb such functions. Trait anxiety and stress are associated with increased catecholamine action and cognitive effects of caffeine as a function of these factors is largely unknown. Hypotheses: First, high trait performance anxiety increases state performance anxiety after a stressor. Second, caffeine leads to a higher increase in state performance anxiety, also moderated by trait anxiety. Third, caffeine leads to a worse WM performance, also depending on trait anxiety. Fourth, after the consumption of caffeine, high TBR will enhance WM, whereas low TBR will impair it. Methods: A continuous performance task (N-back) was used to assess WM and the interference by negative stimuli. A stress procedure was used to induce performance anxiety and electroencephalogram was used to calculate TBR. To assess trait anxiety and state performance anxiety, the Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale (CTAS) and the State Performance Anxiety Scale (SPAS) were used. Results: TBR moderated the effect of caffeine on WM. High TBR corresponded to an enhancement of WM, whereas caffeine may have overruled the effect of TBR on WM. CTAS moderated increases in SPAS after a stressor, but not when in interaction with caffeine manipulation. CTAS, in interaction with caffeine manipulation, did not influence WM. Conclusions: Our first and fourth hypotheses were confirmed, as the association between high CTAS and a higher increase in SPAS after a stressor, and the moderation role of TBR towards WM, alone and partially when in interaction with the caffeine manipulation, were confirmed. Our second and third hypotheses were rejected, as CTAS, in interaction with caffeine manipulation, did not influence WM or the increase in SPAS after a stressor.Show less
This study (N = 153) investigated the relationship between academic stress, mental health – consisted of anxiety and depression scores – and self-efficacy in university students, and the effect of...Show moreThis study (N = 153) investigated the relationship between academic stress, mental health – consisted of anxiety and depression scores – and self-efficacy in university students, and the effect of perceived parental autonomy support and psychological control on their mental health and self-efficacy. Online survey entries were collected over three weeks. Multiple regression analyses were conducted and also tested for moderating effects. Academic stress was associated with higher anxiety and depression levels. General self-efficacy buffered against elevated anxiety and depression from academic stress. Perceived parental autonomy support was associated with higher self-efficacy, and the association between academic stress and depression was stronger for students reporting high perceived maternal psychological control, but using a post hoc correction both findings became non-significant. Limitations, study conclusions, and further research directions are also discussed.Show less
