Learning climate, academic competence, and anxiety during the transition to middle school: Parental attachment as a protective factor

Insecure Parental Attachment and Anxiety in Vocational College Students: The Mediating Role of Subjective Well-Being and the Moderating Role of Self-Esteem

Purpose

Although insecure parental attachment (IPA) has been shown to play an important role in anxiety, little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship.

Patients and Methods

In the present study, we examined the mediating role of subjective well-being (SWB) in the association between IPA and anxiety and the moderating role of self-esteem. 947 Chinese vocational college students completed the measures of IPA, anxiety, SWB, and self-esteem.

Results

The results indicated that IPA was significantly and positively associated with anxiety, and SWB partially mediated this relationship. Moreover, the results indicated that self-esteem moderated the relationship between IPA and anxiety. The higher the level of self-esteem, the weaker the effect of insecure attachment on the anxiety of vocational college students.

Conclusion

This study highlights the significance of identifying the mechanisms of mediating and moderating paths between IPA and anxiety in vocational college students.

Children's anxiety, academic self-efficacy, and intergenerational transmission of worries regarding the transition to middle school

BACKGROUND

Worries about school transition were related to poor academic adjustment during middle school. However, limited studies simultaneously investigated individual and contextual factors that may shape the children's reaction related to transition.

AIMS

The first aim of this present study was to assess how children's anxiety and academic self-efficacy, including the parents' worries about school transition, are related to children's worries regarding the transition from primary to middle school. Our second aim was to explore the moderating role of children's academic self-efficacy in the relation to children's anxiety symptoms and children's worries.

MATERIALS & METHODS

A sample of 292 fourth-grade children (M_age  = 10.43; 53.4% girls) completed scales assessing their anxiety, academic self-efficacy and worries about the transition to middle school. Parents also filled out a scale assessing the worries regarding their children's transition from primary to middle school.

RESULTS

The results show that children's anxiety is positively related to their worries about the transition to middle school, whereas children's academic self-efficacy is negatively related to their worries. Parents' worries regarding their children's school transition are positively related to their children's worries regarding the transition. Furthermore, academic self-efficacy moderates the relation between children's anxiety and their worries about school transition.

CONCLUSION

Children with lower levels of anxiety reported lower worries for the transition when their academic self-efficacy was higher, whereas children with higher anxiety reported higher worries for school transition at every level of self-efficacy. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings for successful school transition are discussed.

Downward Spiral of Bullying: Victimization Timeline From Former Victims' Perspective

The present study aimed to investigate how those who had been chronic victims of bullying perceive their bullying experience from their initial attacks to their bullying exit, how they understood processes and actions causing a situation to become progressively worse, and how they interpreted their own coping behaviors. Nine individuals who were victimized for at least 6 years were interviewed. The grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data, which generated a grounded theory of the downward spiral of bullying, demonstrating hidden aspects of bullying-the victim's inner process as a response to external victimizing and accompanying events. The interdependence of those processes is presented in a timeline to show their cumulative nature as new vicious circles of bullying involving maladaptive coping strategies (e.g., self-blame), which form an overriding pattern of behavior that renders victims unable to break it even if they enter a new peer group. In terms of policy implications, the findings suggest the need to introduce school transition programs supporting school adaptation, identify chronic victims, and take every victimhood narrative seriously.

Parent-Child Attachment and Social Adaptation Behavior in Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of School Bonding

Family and school are two main places for adolescents to develop socialization, which can be contributed by good parent-child attachment and school bonding. Earlier studies suggested that parent-child attachment played an important role in promoting the formation of high-level school bonding, which is also likely to influence social adaptation. This study aimed to explore the relationship between parent-child attachment and social adaptation, and the mediating role of school bonding. Using stratified cluster sampling, 1,440 college students were first randomly selected from four universities and then stratified by specialty with a balance between genders and grades. Participants voluntarily participated in this study and completed questionnaires including the Parent-Child Attachment Scale, School Bonding Scale, and Social Adaptation Scale. Finally, a total of 1,320 college students were included in the analysis (59.5% female; aged 18-24years, Mage=20.39±1.52years). Data analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted using SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 23.0. The results indicated that the overall level of parent-child attachment in females (M=75.72, SD=12.36) was significantly higher than that of males (M=73.71, SD=12.68; F=8.22, p<0.01). Difference was also found between sibling status (F=13.90, p<0.001), and the only-child (M=76.16, SD=12.72) scored significantly higher than their counterparts (non-only children, M=73.60, SD=12.19). Parent-child attachment was positively correlated with social adaptation (p<0.01) and school bonding (p<0.01), while school bonding was also positively correlated with social adaptation score (p<0.01). School bonding played a partial intermediate role in the relationship between parent-child attachment and social adaptation (β=0.15). Our research identified a direct influence of parent-child attachment and an indirect influence via school bonding on social adaptation among college students.

TRANSIÇÃO ESCOLAR NOS ANOS FINAIS DO ENSINO FUNDAMENTAL: REVISÃO INTEGRATIVA DA LITERATURA

RESUMO A transição escolar no Ensino Fundamental interessa a pesquisadores do desenvolvimento, que buscam identificar seus efeitos no ajustamento escolar, intra e interpessoal dos alunos. Com o objetivo de mapear a produção científica acerca das repercussões da transição escolar dos anos iniciais para finais do Ensino Fundamental sobre o desenvolvimento socioemocional e acadêmico dos estudantes, realizou-se revisão integrativa da literatura, desde 2013 a junho de 2018, nos bancos de dados SciELO, PsycINFO, ERIC e Science Direct. Mediante critérios de inclusão e exclusão foram incorporados e analisados na perspectiva de proteção/risco ao desenvolvimento 30 artigos. A maioria dos estudos investigou fatores de proteção/risco conjuntamente, com predominância de fatores protetivos contextuais. Os desfechos positivos se sobressaíram na transição para os anos finais do Ensino Fundamental. A perspectiva de risco/proteção se mostrou pertinente para integração dos resultados, evidenciando que a transição escolar é um fenômeno dinâmico e multifacetado.

Effects of Motivation, Basic Psychological Needs, and Teaching Competence on Disruptive Behaviours in Secondary School Physical Education Students

Currently, disruptive and aggressive behaviours of a physical and verbal nature are a reality among adolescent students and a concern in the educational context. Therefore, the main objective of this research was to analyse the effects of perceived teaching competence, motivation and basic psychological needs on disruptive behaviours in secondary school PE students. The sample was composed of 758 adolescent students from seven public secondary schools. The following instruments adapted to physical education were used: The Disruptive Behaviours Questionnaire, The Evaluation of Teaching Competencies Scale, The Sport Motivation Scale, and The Basic Psychological Needs Scale. Multilevel regression models with the MIXED procedure were performed for data analysis. The results show that misbehaviour is more likely among male students and that disruptive behaviours decrease when a teacher is perceived as competent. Students with greater self-determined motivation are more likely to exhibit fewer behaviours related to low engagement and irresponsibility while amotivation increases the different disruptive behaviours in the classroom. In conclusion, it is proposed that educators work in line with the students’ needs by responding to their interests and that this will increase self-determined motivation.

Measurement of heart rate variability and cognitive abilities based on attachment styles in children with chronic medical conditions

Recognizing the biopsychosocial dimensions of chronic medical conditions in children and preparing them to adapt to medical processes is one of the most significant issues in the field of health psychology. The aim of this study was to measure heart rate variability and cognitive abilities based on attachment style in children with chronic medical conditions. To this end, 45 children aged 12-15 years who had received a diagnosis of a chronic medical disease and were matched with the inclusion/exclusion criteria, were entered the study using available sampling method. These children were assigned to three groups of secure, avoidance and anxiety attachment style based on the Collins and Reid Attachment Scale. These groups had been demographically homogeneous. Then heart rate variability and cognitive abilities were measured. One-way ANOVA results showed a significant difference between the three groups in the heart rate variability and cognitive abilities. Post hoc test showed that children with secure attachment style had higher efficiency in heart rate variability and cognitive abilities. These results indicate that attachment style is one of the factors influencing the health status of children with chronic medical illness. These findings highlight the importance of paying attention to psychological factors, especially attachment and its role in the health status of children with chronic medical conditions.

A Review of the Academic and Psychological Impact of the Transition to Secondary Education

The transition from primary to secondary education is one of the most stressful events in a young person's life (Zeedyk et al., 2003) and can have a negative impact on psychological well-being and academic achievement. One explanation for these negative impacts is that the transition coincides with early adolescence, a period during which certain psychological disorders (i.e., anxiety disorders) become more salient (Kessler et al., 2005) and marked social, biological, and psychological development occurs (Anderson et al., 2000). This review evaluates the existing literature on the psychological and academic impacts of the transition to secondary education on young adolescents. We examine the factors that plausibly increase or mitigate the risk of developing mental health issues and/or a decline in academic performance during the transition to secondary education. We also review the interplay between psychological health and academic achievement across and beyond the transition. We conclude with a summary of what schools and parents can learn from these findings to support children in a successful transition into secondary education.

Meeting the Needs of Young Adolescents: ABBL Anti-Bullying Program During Middle School Transition

This article introduces ABBL, the anti-bullying program for the transition to middle school, which was designed as a free, feasible, and easily applicable solution for teachers who, for any reason, cannot take advantage of comprehensive anti-bullying school-based programs. The ABBL, based on the identification of the causal risk factors and mechanisms that lead to bullying, aims to influence the peer group in such a way that students do not reward antisocial behaviors and are, instead, able to create supportive class atmospheres and strong networks of personal attachments. The evaluation of the program effectiveness showed that it reduced bullying in the classroom. Indications for wider implementations are presented together with the ready-to-use ABBL anti-bullying program (see http://blizej.org/abbl-antibullying-program/ ).