Adaptability and Social Support: Examining Links With Psychological Wellbeing Among UK Students and Non-students

Students' Well-Being and Academic Engagement: A Multivariate Analysis of the Influencing Factors

This paper aims to identify the factors that are positively or negatively impacting students' well-being and their academic engagement. We used partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using the data collected through a questionnaire from four countries: Romania, Turkey, Slovakia, and Bulgaria. The model includes seven factors that influence the well-being of students and indirectly their academic engagement: stressors in the students' lives; professors' support; social support from family and friends; the students' perceived satisfaction in their lives; engaging in activities during their leisure time; self-exploration regarding their careers; and environmental exploration regarding their careers. The results show that all factors, except for stressors and environmental exploration regarding their careers, positively influence the students' well-being and thus their academic engagement. These findings are useful for university professors and managers in better organizing activities to increase academic performance.

The Role of Social Support and Sleep Quality in the Psychological Well-Being of Nurses and Doctors

Social support enhances the development of adaptive strategies to cope with difficulties, which may affect psychological well-being. Sleep quality has been highlighted as having a relevant role in psychological well-being. The present study aimed to analyse the role of social support and sleep quality in the psychological well-being of health professionals (nurses and doctors) compared to the general population. The sample comprised 466 adults aged between 18 and 75 (M = 43.4; SD = 10.8), of which 272 were the general population and 194 nurses and doctors. Data were collected through a Sociodemographic Questionnaire, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Psychological Well-Being Manifestation Measure Scale. Nurses presented less balance (also doctors), sociability and happiness than other professionals. Less significant sociability was observed in nurses compared with doctors. The results also allowed us to observe the positive role of social support from significant others on social involvement and sociability and the positive role of the family in self-esteem. Social support from friends played a positive role in all dimensions of psychological well-being. Males had a higher prevalence of psychological well-being. Other professionals and sleep quality show high levels of psychological well-being in all dimensions. Data discussion highlights the role of social support, sleep, and sex and the implications of health professions (nurses and doctors) on psychological well-being.

Effect of simulation-based zoom learning on clinical decision-making among undergraduate nursing students and experiences of students and instructors: A mixed methods study

Aim

To determine the effect of simulation-based Zoom learning (SBZL) on perceived capabilities and clinical decision-making skills among undergraduate nursing students and to explore experiences of the instructors and students participating in SBZL.

Background

Nursing is a practice profession and students acquire clinical decision-making skills in clinical settings. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted conventional clinical learning activities. In this study, the outcomes of implementing SBZL in an undergraduate programme to support students' clinical learning were examined.

Design

A mixed methods design was employed.

Methods

This study recruited 195 final-year students to participate in the SBZL programme, which was developed based on the NLN Jeffries Simulation Theory to guide its design, implementation and evaluation. Case scenarios were developed and simulated through Zoom. Students' perceived capabilities, perceptions of the learning environment and clinical decision-making skills were assessed before and after SBZL. A historical control group of 226 previous final year students who had received a clinical practicum was included for comparison. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 instructors and 19 students to explore their experiences of participating in SBZL.

Results

A total of 102 students completed the post-SBZL questionnaire. An increase in perceived creative thinking (mean difference = 0.24, p < 0.001) was observed post-SBZL. After SBZL, the perceptions of the learning environment were significantly improved. However, the SBZL group demonstrated lower perceived problem-solving capability than the control group (mean difference = 0.14, p = 0.007). Clinical decision-making was significantly improved in the SBZL group than in the control group (p < 0.001). Both the instructors and students reported positive experiences with SBZL, and highlighted challenges and factors for improving its implementation.

Conclusions

SBZL showed improvement in perceived creative thinking, perceptions of the learning environment and clinical decision-making. This innovative teaching and learning method can be valuable for nursing education in various regions to prepare students for real-life roles.

Tweetable abstract

Simulation-based Zoom learning is better than traditional teaching in improving clinical decision-making skills among undergraduate nursing students.

Exploring the structure of college students' adaptability by using cross-lagged path analysis: The role of emotional adaptability

Adaptability is an important psychological trait for college students. However, the components of adaptability contained significant inconsistencies in previous studies. On the one hand, there were discrepancies among the adaptability dimensions. On the other hand, significant inconsistencies were found in the connections among different aspects of adaptability. Therefore, the current research aimed to investigate the latent relationship among various components of adaptability. To achieve this, 565 volunteers were recruited to complete a 5-min cross-sectional survey. Subsequently, 402 participants were recruited to complete an 8-min longitudinal survey. The current study comprised two sub-studies: Study 1 utilized a structural equation model to examine the relationship between various dimensions of adaptability in a cross-sectional dataset, while Study 2 employed the cross-lagged panel model to validate the latent relationship between emotional adaptability and other types of adaptability using a longitudinal dataset. Results from the cross-sectional study indicated significant associations between emotional adaptability and other types of adaptability, with coefficients ranging from .231 to .588. The longitudinal study revealed that emotional adaptability at Time 2 and 3 could be predicted by learning adaptability, professional adaptability, and economic adaptability at Time 1 and 2. Consequently, the research concluded that individuals' emotional maladjustment could be predicted by maladaptive difficulties in learning, professional settings, homesickness, interpersonal relationships, and economics.

Functions of music, focused on the context of music listening, and psychological well-being in late adolescence regarding gender differences

Late adolescences, as a developmentally challenging transitional period between childhood and adulthood, provides a number of pressures that impact well-being of youth. Among approaches for facilitating well-being, music is reported to be one of the most effective ones, which was especially proven during Covid-19 pandemic. Given the significance of music and music listening in late adolescence, our study sought to examine the relationship between psychological well-being and music listening among university students (N = 603; Nfemale = 356, Nmale = 247) with a focus on the social, intrapersonal, and sociocultural context of music listening. The RESPECT music scale, the SPWB, and the PANAS were used to measure positive and negative affect as well as the six components of psychological well-being. The findings revealed that, while there were no gender differences in the sociocultural setting, females reported to listen to music more frequently than males in intrapersonal and social contexts. In two areas, female students rated their psychological well-being higher than male students: personal growth and positive relationships with others. They also reported experiencing positive and negative affect more frequently than men. Regression analyses revealed that the functions of music explained only a small amount of the variance in psychological well-being. Specifically, music listening in a social and sociocultural context significantly explained two aspects of psychological well-being: personal growth and positive relations with others. The intrapersonal context of music listening predicted a positive affect, while the social context predicted a negative affect. Our study highlights several implications of music listening in youth regarding gender either in everyday activities or in educational and clinical setting.

Adaptability and emotional, behavioural and cognitive aspects of self-regulated learning: Direct and indirect relations with academic achievement and life satisfaction

BACKGROUND

Adaptability regulates individuals' cognitive, behavioural and emotional responses to new, unexpected and uncertain situations, but to date no study has analysed whether adaptability contemporarily favours cognitive, behavioural and emotional aspects of learning.

AIMS

This study aims to address this gap by examining (i) the direct relations between adaptability and achievement emotions, self-regulated learning strategies and academic self-efficacy and (ii) the direct and indirect relations between adaptability and academic achievement and life satisfaction through and over the other study-related factors.

SAMPLE

A total of 1083 students (415 males, M_age  = 13.37, SD_age  = 1.97, age range = 10-18) in grades 6-12 participated to the study.

METHOD

Questionnaires were used to measure students' adaptability, positive and negative achievement emotions, self-regulated learning strategies, academic self-efficacy and life satisfaction. Schools provided grades obtained by each student at the end of the academic year.

RESULTS

A path analysis based on 1083 students (10-18 years old) confirmed that adaptability directly relates to the three study-related factors considered and to life satisfaction and indirectly relates to academic achievement and life satisfaction-through the mediation of the other variables.

CONCLUSIONS

The results, discussed in accordance with the self-regulated learning theory, enlarge the nomological framework of adaptability and highlight its importance for emotional, behavioural and cognitive aspects of self-regulated learning.

Understanding University Students during COVID-19: A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Analysis of Their Experiences of Online Learning, Mental Health, Academic Engagement, and Academic Self-Efficacy

INTRODUCTION

Research has consistently demonstrated that the COVID-19 pandemic, and resulting sudden shift to online learning (OL), had detrimental impacts on the motivation and mental health of university students. To date however this research has been cross-sectional and quantitative.

METHOD

This study employed a mixed-methods design to examine the experiences of students at a large national Australian University both at the outset of the pandemic in 2020 (n = 824) and again 6 months later (n = 254) at the conclusion of their academic year.

RESULTS

Key findings from this study highlighted that despite quantitative findings suggesting poorer attitudes toward learning during the pandemic, qualitatively students perceived both positives and negatives to studying online. The qualitative results further highlighted that this experience was not the same for all and suggests the need to reconsider the standard approaches to offering support for students.

CONCLUSION

Students reported poor mental health in both time points, but outlined avenues which improved not only their mental health but also their motivation for studying such as increased peer engagement and self-care activities. Students reported that OL negatively impacted on both their engagement with studies and their mental health, highlighting the need for universities to prioritize supporting their students' mental health as much as their development of academic skills.

University students in COVID-19 lockdown: The role of adaptability and fluid reasoning in supporting their academic motivation and engagement

This study drew on Job Demands-Resources theory and data from 500 Australian university students to investigate the role of COVID-related lockdown, perceived adaptability, and fluid reasoning in students' self-efficacy-and the role of these factors in students' engagement and disengagement. Lockdown was associated with higher disengagement; perceived adaptability was associated with higher self-efficacy; and both perceived adaptability and fluid reasoning were significantly and positively associated with engagement. Self-efficacy significantly mediated the relationship between perceived adaptability and engagement and disengagement, while moderation tests revealed that fluid reasoning yielded a significant positive role for the self-efficacy of students in lockdown. These findings shed light on factors during COVID-19 that are implicated in students' academic development and provide direction for psycho-educational interventions.

The Relationship between Subjective Well-being and Social Support among Jordanian University Students

Background

Although the interest in subjective well-being has flourished during recent decades, there is a general lack of research into this subject throughout the Arab world, and in the Jordanian academic environment in particular.

Objective

The present study aimed to identify any significant gender differences in the level of subjective well-being, and to examine the relationship between subjective well-being and social support among a sample of Hashemite University students.

Design

The study sample comprised 679 male and female undergraduate students from the Hashemite University chosen by purposive method. The College Student Subjective Well-being Questionnaire and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were used to collect the data.

Results

The results showed no significant differences in the level of subjective well-being due to the gender variable, but indicated significant differences between genders in satisfaction with academics and school connectedness. The results also showed a positive relationship between subjective well-being and social support.

Conclusion

The current study contributes to enriching the theoretical literature related to gender differences in the level of subjective well-being of Jordanian university students and to examining the relationship between subjective well-being and social support.

'You're on the waiting list': An interpretive phenomenological analysis of young adults' experiences of waiting lists within mental health services in the UK

Waiting lists in mental health services are currently considered too long. Lengthy waits of up to 18 weeks are commonly reported in the UK. Waiting lists have long been associated with a variety of negative psychological responses, however there is little understanding behind young adults’ personal experiences of such delays within mental health services. The current study aimed to explore young adults’ experiences of waiting lists in mental healthcare in the UK. Seven young adults were interviewed in the current study (aged 19–22). Interpretive phenomenological analysis was utilised to explore participant accounts. Three super-ordinate themes were generated: Reliance on Alternative Methods of Support; Inability to Function Sufficiently; and Emergence of Negative Beliefs, Emotions and Thoughts. Participants primarily reported a variety of negative psychological and behavioural consequences associated with waiting lists in mental health services, as well as exacerbated existing physical and psychological health issues. In accordance with the limited number of previous studies, waiting lists are considered by patients to be barriers to mental health support and intervention. Future direction is advised.

Flourishing Scale: Adaptation and Evidence of Validity in a Chilean High School Context

This study aimed to adapt the Flourishing Scale to a Chilean high school context and provide evidence of its validity. Data were collected from 1,348 students (52% girls) from three different Chilean schools. The results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported a one–factor solution, multiple–group CFA supported gender invariance, and structural equation model indicated that the FS is related to positive and negative academic feelings. Overall, the evidence indicates that the Flourishing Scale adapted to the high school context is an instrument that produces valid and reliable scores in our high school Chilean sample.

Influence of Professional Identity on the E-Learning Adaptability Among Chinese Nursing Students During COVID-19

Background

The traditional face-to-face education methods have been altered to E-learning due to the outbreak, and the E-learning adaptability of nursing students will directly affect the effectiveness of online education. The professional identity of nursing students refers to the positive perception, evaluation, and emotional experience of the nursing profession and identity to be undertaken, which may affect the E-learning adaptability of nursing students during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to explore the impact of professional identity on the E-learning adaptability of the Chinese nursing students during COVID-19.

Methods

This study was conducted in three medical schools in Yunnan Province, China from August to October 2020. Data collection consisted of three sections: participants' characteristics, learning adaptability, and professional identity.

Results

A total of 585 nursing students had a moderate level of E-learning adaptability. There was a positive correlation between E-learning adaptability and professional identity (r = 0.316~0.505, p &lt; 0.001). In addition, the professional identity was associated with predictors of the E-learning adaptability among nursing students (p &lt; 0.001).

Conclusion

There was a moderate level of E-learning adaptability among the Chinese nursing students during the COVID-19 crisis. Enhancing the professional identity is critical in improving the E-learning adaptability among nursing students.

Adaptability and High School Students' Online Learning During COVID-19: A Job Demands-Resources Perspective

The present study investigated the role of adaptability in helping high school students navigate their online learning during a period of COVID-19 that entailed fully or partially remote online learning. Drawing on Job Demands-Resources theory and data from a sample of 1,548 Australian high school students in nine schools, we examined the role of adaptability in predicting students’ online learning self-efficacy in mathematics and their end of year mathematics achievement. It was found that beyond the effects of online learning demands, online and parental learning support, and background attributes, adaptability was significantly associated with higher levels of online learning self-efficacy and with gains in later achievement; online learning self-efficacy was also significantly associated with gains in achievement—and significantly mediated the relationship between adaptability and achievement. These findings confirm the role of adaptability as an important personal resource that can help students in their online learning, including through periods of remote instruction, such as during COVID-19.

Effects of Social Media Use on Psychological Well-Being: A Mediated Model

The growth in social media use has given rise to concerns about the impacts it may have on users' psychological well-being. This paper's main objective is to shed light on the effect of social media use on psychological well-being. Building on contributions from various fields in the literature, it provides a more comprehensive study of the phenomenon by considering a set of mediators, including social capital types (i.e., bonding social capital and bridging social capital), social isolation, and smartphone addiction. The paper includes a quantitative study of 940 social media users from Mexico, using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings point to an overall positive indirect impact of social media usage on psychological well-being, mainly due to the positive effect of bonding and bridging social capital. The empirical model's explanatory power is 45.1%. This paper provides empirical evidence and robust statistical analysis that demonstrates both positive and negative effects coexist, helping to reconcile the inconsistencies found so far in the literature.

The Effect of College Students' Adaptability on Nomophobia: Based on Lasso Regression

Smartphones can improve our lives, but also consume our lives. It is known that problematic mobile phone use, such as nomophobia, can lead to some mental health problems. So far, psychological factors behind nomophobia were yet to be fully discovered. Previous studies showed that individuals' adaptability was closely related to nomophobia. However, adaptability was a complex construct that contains various components, and it was unclear whether these components contributed equally to nomophobia. This study investigated 678 college students by using Chinese versions of the nomophobia questionnaire, mobile phone addiction tendency scale, and freshmen adaptability scale. Lasso regression was used to further explore the key factors that could affect nomophobia. Model results showed that the value of λ+1se was [0.303, 0.423] at the minimum mean squared error in the training data. Emotional adaptability significantly predicted the fear of being unable to access information (β = -0.022, p < 0.001), losing convenience (β = -0.067, p < 0.001), and losing Internet connection (β = -0.003, p < 0.01) after λ+1se was included in the testing data, and the R ² were 0.496, 0.483, and 0.493. Homesickness adaptability significantly predicted the fear of losing contact (β = -0.056, p < 0.05), and R ² was 0.508. In addition, similar results were obtained by using datasets of mobile phone addiction and adaptability. Therefore, we concluded that the emotional adaptability has an important effect on nomophobia. Additionally, we also found that homesickness adaptability has an important role in predicting fear of losing contact.