A short version of the reflective functioning questionnaire: Validation in a greek sample

This study aims to validate the Greek version of the 54-item Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ), a measure designed to assess an individual's capacity for understanding themselves and others based on internal mental states. This capacity, also known as Reflective Functioning (RF) or mentalizing, is believed to play a significant role in both typical and atypical development. The validation process examined the factor structure of the RFQ and its relationship with a variety of psychosocial and clinical constructs that have theoretical and empirical links to RF. Additionally, this research investigated the factor structure's invariance across gender and age groups to determine the robustness of the instrument. A unique contribution of this work lies in examining the application of the RFQ to attachment classifications through the use of cluster analysis. The sample consisted of 875 Greek adults from the general community with a mean age of 28.5 and a median age of 22. Participants completed the Greek RFQ along with a series of self-report questionnaires assessing psychosocial constructs, including attachment, epistemic trust, emotion regulation, and psychological mindedness, as well as clinical variables such as anxiety, depression, and borderline personality traits. Our findings suggest that a shorter, 31-item version of the questionnaire provides a robust three-factor structure across a non-clinical Greek adult population. The three identified subscales are (a) excessive certainty, (b) interest/curiosity, and (c) uncertainty/confusion, all demonstrating satisfactory reliability and construct validity. The uncertainty subscale was found to be associated with insecure attachment styles, epistemic mistrust and credulity, emotional suppression, and low psychological mindedness. In contrast, the certainty and curiosity subscales were linked to secure attachment, epistemic trust, emotion reappraisal, and psychological mindedness. Uncertainty was further shown to differ significantly across probable clinical and non-clinical groups, as distinguished by cut-off scores for anxiety, depression, and borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, the certainty and interest/curiosity subscales only varied between the two BPD groups. Our results provide the first evidence supporting the use of a 31-item version of the RFQ with three validated subscales to reliably assess reflective functioning in the Greek population, demonstrating stronger psychometric properties compared to other RFQ versions reported in previous studies. Findings suggest that impaired mentalizing capacity, as measured by the RFQ, is linked to insecure attachment, epistemic mistrust and credulity, poor emotion regulation, and low psychological mindedness, and potentially plays a role in adult mental health symptoms.

Corrigendum: Advances on self-regulation models: A new research agenda through the SR vs ER behavior theory in different psychology contexts

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.861493.].

The exploration of a ‘model’ for understanding the contribution of emotion regulation to students learning. The role of academic emotions and sense of coherence

The present study is exploring a pathway connecting emotion regulation with academic progress. Specifically, the pattern through which emotion regulation is implicated in learning and academic progress through academic emotions and sense of coherence. This cross-sectional study involves of 406 undergraduate social science students recruited from a university in western Greece. Participants anonymously and voluntarily completed a number of self-report measures. The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Sense of Coherence Scale, the Student Experience of Emotions Inventory and the Approaches to Learning and Studying Inventory, were used to measure emotion regulation, sense of coherence, academic emotional experiences and approaches to learning, respectively. Α four-stage model was tested with structural equation modelling techniques. In particular, the model examined associations between emotion regulation, sense of coherence, academic emotions, approaches to learning and academic progress. The analysis revealed pathways through which these associations appear to be maintained and driven by emotion regulation. Emotion regulation is associated with students’ academic emotions that in turn are linked with approaches to learning and academic progress. Both positive and negative emotions appear to play a role in enabling an adaptive approach to learning. Moreover, sense of coherence may serve as an important meta-cognitive factor enabling students to approach the learning process more effectively. The findings are discussed in the light of the recent literature.

Advances on Self-Regulation Models: A New Research Agenda Through the SR vs ER Behavior Theory in Different Psychology Contexts

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (1986) influenced the development of several complementary models of the construct of Self-Regulation. Building on the foundation of Self-Determination Theory, SDT (2000), and Zimmerman's Self-Regulation Theory, SR (2001), with their assumptions, contributions, goddesses, and limitations, we come to the Self- vs. External Regulatory Theory, SR-ER (2021). Finally, we integrate recent evidence demonstrating the explanatory adequacy of the SR vs. ER model for different psychological constructions in different settings related to education, health, clinical practice and social work. Complementary, a new theoretical and empirical research agenda is presented, to continue testing the adequacy of SR vs. ER assumptions, and to better understand the behavioral variability of the different constructs studied.

Defense Styles, Academic Procrastination, Psychological Wellbeing, and Approaches to Learning: A Person-Oriented Approach

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the relationships among defense styles, academic procrastination, psychological well-being, and approaches to learning. The questionnaires Defense Style Questionnaire-88, Procrastination Assessment Scale Questionnaire, Flourishing Scale, and HowULearn are used to measure the aforementioned variables, respectively. Social science students (N = 628) take part in the study. A hierarchical cluster analysis is used for clustering students into homogeneous groups. Three groups of students are identified: "psychologically stable and adaptive" (n = 285), "immature and unstable at risk" (n = 134), and "defensively dissonant" (n = 209) students. A decision tree model is used with the grade point average (GPA) score as an outcome variable to further examine interactions between the three clusters and the years of study on GPA. "Psychologically stable and adaptive" students report the highest GPA. Our findings bridge mental health variables with learning shedding light on our understanding of the use of defense styles when it comes to learning.

The Contribution of Learning and Mental Health Variables in First-Year Students' Profiles

International studies focus on the successful transition into higher education, which is considered crucial for both the students and the educational institution in the context of students' learning and adjustment in higher education. The aim of the current study was to identify student profiles that include cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational aspects of learning, but also aspects of resilience, emotion dysregulation, and anxiety. The sample consists of 316 Greek undergraduate students (18.7% males and 81.3% females). The results showed four different (meta)-cognitive-emotional learner profiles: the emotionally stable and highly adaptive learner; the emotionally dysregulated and at risk learner; the emotionally dysregulated and highly adaptive learner; the emotionally stable and at risk learner. Emotionally dysregulated and at risk learner has a lower GPA than the emotional stable and highly adaptive learner, the emotionally dysregulated and highly adaptive learner and the emotionally stable and at risk learner.

The relationship between causes of procrastination and sociodemographic factors

Background

In recent decades there has been keen research interest in the concept of procrastination and its impact on the student population with few studies being conducted in the Greek student population. The present study aimed to contribute to our knowledge regarding the causes that bring about academic procrastination and to further explore participants’ characteristics regarding these causes.

Methods

A cross-sectional study conducted in Greece with 628 college students at the University of Ioannina. Specially designed instruments were used to record students’ sociodemographic characteristics and causes of procrastination (CP). Factor Analysis (FA) with principal components (PCA) was used to derive the main students’ causes of procrastination, though Analysis of Covariance was used to examine the effect of their characteristics on these causes.

Results

5 main causes of procrastination were identified explaining 48% of the total variation. Students’ lack of duty/ low tolerance for frustration was significantly associated with their gender (p = 0.005), year of study (p = 0.048) and grades (p = 0.008), while their dependency/difficulty of claim was significantly affected by students’ gender (p = 0.042), way of living (p = 0.034), place of residence (p = 0.001) and their age (p = 0.006). Moreover, their place of residence was significantly associated with their

fear of failure (p = 0.001) and their difficulties in time management and decision making (p = 0.049), with those not living in the place of origin presenting greater values in relation to the aforementioned factors.

Conclusions

Procrastination is a widespread phenomenon in academic settings that affects differently each gender and is also affected by the sociodemographic factors. This study demonstrates the importance of investigating the causes of procrastination as a concept that helps us understand students’ behaviour and patterns associated with it.

Key messages

There is a great need for further studies on the causes of procrastination in order to help Universities to design learning environments that will be helpful for their students. The college instructors should train students not to procrastinate via preventing interventions.

Association among defense mechanisms, causes of procrastination and well- being; Gender differences

Background

Defense mechanisms have been a central concept in the field of mental health and psychotherapy. Recently, there has been some research interest in defence mechanisms in empirical psychology. Causes of procrastination are shown to be related to defence mechanisms in terms of students’ dilatory behaviour. Furthermore, the causes of procrastination seem to affect students’ well-being. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of defence mechanisms and causes of procrastination on well-being, separately for each gender.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Greece with 628 college students at the University of Ioannina (490 females and 138 males). Specially designed and validated instruments were used to record students’ sociodemographic characteristics, defence mechanisms (DM), causes of procrastination (CP) and well-being (WB). Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to investigate the effect of DM and CP on students’ WB separately for each gender.

Results

Students’ defence mechanisms and causes of procrastination had a statistically significant effect on their well-being. More specifically, female students with a lower percentage of fear of success/ influence of peers (p < 0.001) and maladaptive defense style (p < 0.001) as well as those with higher image-distorting (p < 0.001), self-sacrificing (p = 0.004) and adaptive defense styles (p < 0.001) seemed to have a significantly higher percentage of well-being. On the other hand, male students with a lower percentage of lack of duty/ tolerance of frustration (p = 0.039) and maladaptive style (p < 0.001) but a higher percentage of image distorting (p < 0.001) and adaptive defence styles (p < 0.001) had a significantly higher percentage of well-being.

Conclusions

Students’ causes of academic procrastination in the combination with the use of defence mechanisms significantly affect their well-being despite, being differentiated according to their gender.

Key messages

Defense mechanisms play a crucial role in students’ adaptation at the university as well as in their mental health. Emphasis should be given on the design of intervention on students’ procrastination involving non-conscious processes and more structural elements of personality.

Students' Learning Characteristics, Perceptions of Small-Group University Teaching, and Understanding Through a "Meeting of Minds"

Previous research has described some of the main characteristics of university teachers who teach in different ways, using a variety of methods and conceptions. What is generally missing from previous research is the impact of contrasting teaching approaches on students with different learning characteristics. The present investigation builds on a previous case study that identified the potential influence of a “meeting of minds” between tutors and students in developing personal understanding and also suggested contrasting perceptions of differing forms of teaching. Twenty-one in-depth interviews were used to identify distinctive perceived ways of teaching and groups of students with contrasting learning intentions, looking in particular at the perceptions of tutors who were seen to encourage a “meeting of minds.” The main characteristics of these tutors were found be tolerating ambiguity, showing authenticity and empathy, which led to providing opportunities for discussion in breaks, and offering thinking spaces within class. The analyses identified contrasting perceptions of teaching among students who differed in their learning characteristics and suggested how cognitive and affective elements in students’ experiences of teaching might be intertwined in influencing the development of personal understanding.

Can the Factor Structure of Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) Contribute to Our Understanding of Parental Acceptance/Rejection, Bullying, Victimization and Perceived Well-Being in Greek Early Adolescents?

Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ) is a self-report instrument designed to measure defense mechanisms. Although commonly used, the DSQ-40 has not been validated in early adolescent populations. The present study sought to determine the factor validity of the DSQ-40 in a sample of Greek primary school students (N = 265). Further, it aimed to investigate the relationship between defense mechanisms and perceived parental acceptance/rejection, the participation in bullying (either as bully or victim) as well as self-reported well being. Participants completed the Greek version of DSQ-40, adapted for use by this particular age group as well as measures in order to examine its convergent and discriminant validity. The findings support a four-factor solution as the most adequate for our data. Further, it was found that defense mechanisms are related to perceived parental acceptance and rejection. Finally, the results showed that the DSQ-40 can effectively discriminate participants with high/low bullying/victimization and perceived well-being. Our results indicate that the DSQ-40 is appropriate for use in late childhood. Implications for clinical practice and future studies that would confirm the appropriateness of the scale’s use in younger populations are also discussed.

Validation of a Newly Developed Instrument Establishing Links Between Motivation and Academic Hardiness

The purpose of the study was to establish the reliability, the structural and the convergent validity of the "Dimensions of Academic Hardiness Questionnaire" for late elementary school children. A sample of children (N = 1264) aged 10-12 years completed the questionnaire and the "Athens Coping Scale". Multiple fit indices provided support that the 9-factor model had a good fit to the data. Reliability coefficients ranged from .68 to .83. The study provided also preliminary evidence of convergent validity of the "Dimensions of Academic Hardiness" scores with one theoretically related measure, the "Athens Coping Scale". The results enrich the notion of Academic Hardiness in late elementary school children as the role of awareness and the role of children's previous experiences has been distinguished. The relation between the "Dimensions of Academic Hardiness" and achievement goal orientations in children learning is also noted. These findings are discussed in the context of the relevant literature.