Psychological and Familial Factors as Predictors of First Year University Students’ Positive Orientation

A Confidence Interval for the Difference Between Standardized Regression Coefficients

Researchers are often interested in comparing predictors, a practice commonly done via informal comparisons of standardized regression slopes. However, formal interval-based approaches offer advantages over informal comparison. Specifically, this article examines a delta-method-based confidence interval for the difference between two standardized regression coefficients, building upon previous work on confidence intervals for single coefficients. Using Monte Carlo simulation studies, the proposed approach is evaluated at finite sample sizes with respect to coverage rate, interval width, Type I error rate, and statistical power under a variety of conditions, and is shown to outperform an alternative approach that uses the standard covariance matrix found in regression textbooks. Additional simulations evaluate current software implementations, small sample performance, and multiple comparison procedures for simultaneously testing multiple differences of interest. Guidance on sample size planning for narrow confidence intervals, an R function to conduct the proposed method, and two empirical demonstrations are provided. The goal is to offer researchers a different tool in their toolbox for when comparisons among standardized coefficients are desired, as a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, other potentially useful analyses.

Positive Orientation and Fatigue Experienced by Polish Nursing Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediatory Role of Emotional Control

This study aimed to investigate the mediatory role of emotional control with respect to the control of anger, depression, and anxiety in the relationship between positive orientation and tiredness/fatigue occurring in a group of Polish nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study included 894 nursing students from six universities in Poland. A diagnostic survey was applied as the research method, and the data were collected using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), the Courtauld Emotional Control Scale (CECS) and the Positive Orientation Scale (SOP). The mean participant age was 20.73 years (SD = 1.81). More than half of the students in the study showed a low level of positive orientation. Correlational analyses revealed a significant negative correlation between positive orientation and tiredness/fatigue experienced by the students participating in the study (r = −0.336; p < 0.001), and correlation between positive orientation and the overall emotional control index (r = −0.317; p < 0.001), and the indices of control of anger (r = −0.154; p < 0.01), depression (r = −0.376; p < 0.001), and anxiety (r = −0.236; p < 0.01). Analysis of the results also revealed the occurrence of significant, positive links between the controlled emotions and their components and the tiredness/fatigue experienced by nursing students. It is important to take action associated with the prevention of tiredness/fatigue among students and to reinforce a positive orientation and the capacity to control emotions to effectively minimize the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing students.

Does Emotional Intelligence Increase Satisfaction with Life during COVID-19? The Mediating Role of Depression

COVID-19 has spread rapidly and become a health crisis around the world, and negatively affected the mental state of individuals. Emotional intelligence (EI) can play an important role in coping with the mental problems experienced due to the pandemic. This study examined how individuals' emotional intelligence levels affect depression and satisfaction with life during the COVID-19 period. The study was designed as quantitative and cross-sectional and reached 578 adult participants online. Emotional intelligence trait scale-short form, depression subscale (DASS-21), satisfaction with life scale, and sociodemographic questions as control variables were used as data collection tools in the study. The data obtained were conducted using SPSS 24, PROCESS-Macro, and Amos 25 statistical programs. The hypotheses established were tested by correlation, multiple regression, mediating, and moderating analyzes. Results confirmed that emotional intelligence had a positive association with satisfaction with life and a negative association with depression. In addition, interaction analyses found that age and family type had a moderating effect on satisfaction with life, and depression had a mediating effect. After discussing the importance of emotional intelligence as a coping mechanism in dealing with problems, some suggestions were made to policymakers and practitioners.