The role of mental health, academic stress, academic achievement, and physical activity on self-rated health among adolescents in Iran: A multilevel analysis

Creativity as a Positive Factor in the Adolescence Stage: Relations with Academic Performance, Stress and Self-Esteem

Creativity is a construct that aids in conflict resolution. Through the development of creative skills in adolescence, young people can carry out a series of strategies to make decisions or respond to a problem. The possession of creative skills helps students' personal wellbeing. The aim of this research is to analyze the relationships established between creativity and other individual variables such as academic performance, self-esteem and stress in adolescent students. The following descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out with a total sample of 743 adolescent students, between 14 and 19 years of age, from different educational centers in the province of Almería (Spain). The results obtained indicate a positive correlation between creativity and self-esteem and significant differences in the level of creativity among students who have repeated an academic year. Regression analyses indicate that both stress and creativity are two predictor variables of self-esteem. On the other hand, another of the findings obtained is that creativity acts as a mediating variable between self-esteem and repeating an academic year. It is discussed how creativity is a beneficial element in adolescence and, therefore, how its promotion can help the optimal development of adolescent students.

Investigation of the psychometric properties of children's somatization inventory in Iranian adolescents

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of children's somatization inventory (CSI-24) in a sample of Iranian school adolescents.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, after translating and back-translating CSI-24, comparisons were made with the original version. The study population consisted of 394 school adolescents. Cronbach's alpha method was used to examine the reliability of the scale. Furthermore, the correlation of the scale with the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised was evaluated to determine its criterion validity, using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods were applied for construct validity.

RESULTS

Investigation of the psychometric properties of the Iranian version of CSI-24 showed its high reliability and confirmatory factor analysis results show the model's satisfactory fitting.

CONCLUSION

The Persian version of CSI-24 is a useful self-report tool for evaluating the physical complaints of Iranian school adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years.

Associations of fruit & vegetable intake and physical activity with poor self-rated health among Chinese older adults

BACKGROUND

Despite the existing literature highlights the central roles of sociodemographic factors, fruit & vegetable (F&V) intake, and physical activities for maintaining good health, less is known about the associations in the Chinese context. This study attempted to explore the associations of servings of F&V intake and levels of physical activities with poor self-rated health (SRH) among Chinese older adults.

METHODS

Data were drawn from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health-China (SAGE-China) issued by the World Health Organization and included 7560 respondents aged ≥60 years in China. After screening out the potential confounding factors, multiple logistic regression models were adopted to explore the associations of sociodemographic factors, servings of F&V intake, and levels of physical activities with poor SRH.

RESULTS

Among the sample, nearly a quarter reported poor health status. There were significant gender differences in the case of servings of F&V intake and levels of physical activities. Logistic regressions indicated that higher fruit intake was associated with lower likelihood of vigorous level of physical activity as compared to zero intake. Likewise, higher vegetable intake (≥10 servings) was associated with a higher likelihood of vigorous & moderate level of physical activity when compared to lower intake (≤ 4 servings). Higher fruit intake was associated with a lower likelihood of poor SRH. Similarly, vegetable intake (5 servings: AOR = 0.69, 95%CI: 0.58-0.83; 6-9 servings: AOR = 0.72, 95%CI: 0.59-0.87) was significantly associated with poor SRH. Additionally, vigorous level of physical activity (AOR = 0.79, 95%CI: 0.65-0.97) and vigorous fitness/leisure (AOR = 0.57, 95%CI: 0.39-0.84) were significantly associated with poor SRH.

CONCLUSION

This study suggested that older adults with high fruit intake had lower probability of performing vigorous & moderate level of physical activity, while those with high vegetable intake had higher probability of performing vigorous & moderate level of physical activity. Likewise, the older adults with high F&V intake and higher probability of performing vigorous level of physical activity, walk/bike activity, and vigorous/moderate fitness/leisure had less likelihood to face the risk for poor SRH outcomes. The appropriate servings of F&V intake and levels of physical activity should be highlighted.

Gender Self-Perception and Psychological Distress in Healthcare Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The aim of this study was to analyze university Health Sciences students’ self-perception regarding gender stereotypes, and to explore whether there was any association between gender stereotypes and clinical/socio-demographic variables. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 252 university students who completed a self-administrated online questionnaire (18.3% males, 81.7% females). We evaluated the self-perception of gender stereotypes as determined using the BSRI-12 questionnaire and explored the association of this measure with the impact of perceived stress measured using a modified scale (PSS-10-C) as well as anxiety and depression according to scores on the Goldberg scale (GADS). Results: According to the students’ self-perception of gender stereotypes, 24.9% self-perceived themselves as feminine, 20.1% as masculine, 24.9% as androgynous, and 30% as undifferentiated. The degree determines self-identification with gender stereotypes. Nursing and Occupational Therapy are studied mostly by women, 28.4% and 45%, respectively, while Physiotherapy is studied mainly by men (71.2%). Females indicated more anxiety (75.7%) and depression (81.7%) than males (52.9% and 67.3%, respectively). In contrast, males developed more stress (88.5%) than females (74.1%). Conclusions: University degree, anxiety, depression, and stress determined self-identification with gender stereotypes. The results of this study indicate that gender roles influence the possibility of developing mental disorders and should be taken into account in future studies.