School refusal as a representation of questioning normality: Understanding the richness of socio-cultural transitions

The effects of school refusal on one’s life depend on how the adolescent lives their life after refusing school. Previous studies have focused on meaning making for past refusal and have not adequately addressed the changes and transitions after school refusal. The current study elaborates on the richness of the transitions of adolescents who refused to go to school, based on the socio-cultural psychology of life course. By looking at school refusal from the perspective of the life course theory, we found that school refusal was a process of questioning normality. In addition, by using Yamada’s relational model of people and environments (Yamada, 1987, 2010), we found there are three patterns in the adolescents’ transitions: a) expanding their involvement in the here and now by encountering resources and then expanding reality, b) reforming relationships in the here and now by representing an other’s world and then reconstructing reality, and c) blocking their involvement in the here and now by touching resources and then escaping from reality. We discuss formation of resistance and richness of transition which would bring richness to our lives.

Health literacy: exploring disparities among college students

BACKGROUND

Health literacy is a multidimensional concept that is considered a primary public health concern. This concept is often neglected in research, and the evidence regarding health literacy in college students is limited. The aim of this study was two-fold: to determine the needs and limitations of health literacy among college students and to explore the relationships among the nine dimensions of health literacy and sociodemographic factors, including age, gender, nationality, year of study, field of study, smoking status, history of chronic diseases, use of on-campus gym, and the intention to exercise on-campus.

METHODS

This study was conducted using a cross-sectional approach. A total of 520 college students participated in this study. The average age was 21.03 years (SD = 2.29), with 47.5% males and 52.5% females. Data were collected using a demographics questionnaire and the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). In addition to descriptive statistics, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and follow-up analyses were performed to explore any statistically significant mean differences among levels of health literacy and sociodemographic factors.

RESULTS

The levels of health literacy on the nine HLQ scales were lower than the levels reported in the literature. Multivariate analysis showed a significant effect of age, gender, smoking status, year of study, and field of study on the level of health literacy. Follow-up analyses revealed that female students, students from the health-related faculties, and those who do not smoke have higher levels of health literacy compared to their counterparts. A detailed comparison between the levels of the HLQ scales was made based on students' demographic characteristics. The field of study had the most prominent effect on the level of college students' health literacy; mean differences were statistically significant (p < .001), and effect sizes were large (ranging from .66 to 1.35 for the nine scales of the HLQ).

CONCLUSION

College students' health literacy is influenced by demographic characteristics. Such variations could amplify some of the existing health disparities. The implications of the findings on health, health promotion, and interprofessional education are discussed.

The role of “responsiveness” within the self in transitions to university

Entering university is a complex psychosocial phenomenon that can create several new stressful situations that students need to face. The transition into university may be accompanied by some psychosocial problems such as reduced self-esteem and academic achievement, increased social anxiety, and a critical rise in the probability of dropout. How does a person use cultural elements to cope with stress? Responding to this question requires an understanding of the multivocal and ambivalent self. The paper aims at introducing and discussing the concept of Educational Self and the role of the responsiveness for explaining the complexity of the transition to a new educational context in Cultural Psychology perspective. The notion of responsiveness plays a crucial role in the “reconfiguration” of the multivocal and ambivalent self in transition.