European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education

Only 20% of children worldwide reach the suggested physical activity (PA) levels, and the COVID-19 restrictions seemed to have worsened this situation. In addition, physical fitness (PF) is a crucial marker of health and combined with PA could predict future health status. The aim of this study was to compare reported PA and PF levels in a sample of Italian adolescents. We administered the International PA Questionnaire and International Fitness Enjoyment Scale to 208 adolescents aged 16.0 ± 1.5 (N = 166 females, 16 ± 2.0 years) recruited from a high school in the province of Milan (Italy). The majority of the subjects were “Minimally active” but reported adequate PF levels. In particular, subjects who reported a “Very good” PF perception, had a lower PA level. The misperception of reported PA and PF from our sample could reduce the future PA level in adolescents and lead to a negative spiral of disengagement in PA. These findings should lead to more attention on and improvements to PA promotion in the adolescent population after the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Full article

In this work, quantitative research is carried out on the importance that educators give to literacy work in early childhood education classrooms and the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of facemasks have had on it. To this end, a survey designed for this purpose has been used, which has been passed on to a set of 112 Spanish early childhood educators. The teachers surveyed occupy different positions in the classroom (tutors, support technicians, specialists in bilingualism, therapeutic pedagogy and speech and hearing), and, in addition, they themselves learned to read from different methods of literacy learning (synthetic or analytical). The results found in this study indicate that educators express intermediate evaluations of the importance of literacy work in the classroom, higher if it is done through digital resources, and higher for the synthetic method than for the analytical method. In addition, the impact of the use of masks on literacy learning was rated as very negative. On the other hand, gaps have been identified in the above perceptions by the position occupied in the classroom and by the method used to learn to read. Finally, some actions are suggested to homogenize the perceptions of the different professionals, and some lines of research are proposed. Full article

(1) Background: During the COVID-19 lockdown, high rates of physical inactivity and dietary imbalances were reported in both adults and adolescents. Physical separation and isolation not only have a significant impact on the performance of physical activity but also affect people’s lives, particularly their dietary habits. In the present study, we aimed to examine whether or not bioelectrical impedance-derived body composition parameters and dietary habits were affected during the pandemic-associated lockdown in postmenopausal Spanish women. (2) Methods: Sixty-six women participated in the study (58.7 ± 5.4 years) before (between July–October 2019) and after (August–October 2020) the lockdown, which occurred as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. Body composition parameters were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis while dietary intake of proteins, fat, carbohydrates, and energy was measured by a food frequency questionnaire. (3) Results Regarding body composition, no differences were observed in fat mass in % (mean increase 0.05 (2.74); p = 0.567), fat mass in kg (mean increase −0.07 (4.137); p = 0.356) or lean mass in kg (mean increase 0.20 (1.424); p = 0.636). Similarly, no statistically significant differences were observed between the two study periods for any of the nutrients studied, nor for energy intake (p > 0.05 in all cases). (4) Conclusions: After comprehensively assessing body composition and dietary intake of protein, fat, carbohydrates, and energy before and after COVID-19 lockdown in healthy adult women in Spain no changes in the parameters studied were observed during the period analyzed in the women examined. Full article

The aim of this qualitative research is to deepen the knowledge in the field of psycho-oncology and the consequences of chronic and persistent pain by listening to patients’ experiences, their emotions and difficulties in facing this hard condition, and assessing their perception of the role of the psychologist in pain management. In this qualitative study, a semistructured interview was used, designed from three research questions: chronic pain and quality of life; chronic pain and psychological well-being; and the role and perception of the psychologist in pain management. The sample consists of 29 women who suffered or have recovered from breast carcinoma, and who currently report having chronic pain due either to the presence of the cancer or as a result of surgery or treatment. Three themes emerged from the thematic analysis: quality of life and psychological well-being, relational well-being, and perception and role of the psychologist. Two subthemes have been identified for each theme: common features of chronic pain and consequences and resilience for the first theme; not feeling understood and willingness to protect loved ones for the second theme; and improvements perceived by users and reasons for not making use of the service for the last theme. In conclusion, the results obtained from the literature and those from the analysis of the interviews are discussed and compared, and reflections are made on possible future implications. Full article

Background: Therapeutic exercise seems to minimize musculoskeletal risk factors related to swimmer’s shoulder. However, there is an absence of a qualitative evaluation of these programs and a great variability regarding the characteristics of exercises. The objective of this review was to identify, evaluate, and compare exercise programs used to minimize musculoskeletal risk factors related to swimmer’s shoulder. Methods: PubMed, CochraneLibrary, ScienceDirect, and Medscape were searched during January 2022. The research was limited to meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and RCTs written in English, Spanish, and Portuguese without publication time. The researched papers had swimmers as the population, compared an exercise program with another program or without intervention, and had as outcomes musculoskeletal risk factor variables. Results: Eleven articles were considered for analysis. There were three positive effects of strength programs on shoulder rotators’ strength and endurance, two positive effects of strength and stretching programs on shoulder posture, and one positive effect of a stretching program on shoulder ROM and a plyometric program on proprioception. Conclusions: There is high heterogeneity and little methodological quality evidence about the theme. However, strength programs with five or fewer OKC exercises performed out of the water seems to lead to better results in the swimmer’s shoulder prevention. Full article

Many studies indicate the importance of the management and nurturing of giftedness. They also focus on talent development, primarily, where the main objective is enhancing academic abilities. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to explore the reality of faculty members’ application of talent development standards; this is necessary for laying the practical foundations to enhance the academic abilities of talented students according to the standards for verifying quality, and for clarifying the skills and concepts that are taught. The current study was based on the opinions of 122 faculty members from Saudi public universities who had experiences with gifted students, whereby they answered the following question: Do faculty members apply the standards for developing gifted students at universities? The data were collected by developing an instrument. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics that mostly showed the reality of the application of the selected gifted development standards. The results of the perceptions of the faculty members participating in the study showed differences in the application of the proposed gifted development standards according to their academic rank. Full article

Sex toys are widely marketed on the Internet. Browsing for, buying, and reviewing sex toys online are popular cybersexual activities. The aim of this study was to investigate consumers’ experiences with different types of realistic sex toys via online product reviews on Amazon.com. Toys were categorized in a 2 × 2 design regarding their representation of the human body (genitalia sex toys representing reproductive organs only versus torso toys representing larger parts of the human body) and their depiction of gender (toys representing female versus male body parts). Informed by feminist discourses on sex toys as well as sexual script theory and consumer research, the study explored the overall evaluations (RQ1), most frequently addressed characteristics (RQ2), usage patterns (RQ3), and perceived effects (RQ4) of the four groups of sex toys. A quantitative manual content analysis of N = 778 online sex toy reviews showed that 79% of consumers gave popular realistic sex toys positive ratings (RQ1). The most frequently mentioned characteristics were quality, material, and shape (RQ2). Most reviewers were men and used sex toys for solo sexual activities (RQ3). An additional qualitative analysis of n = 69 reviews addressing the perceived effects of sex toy use revealed that consumers predominantly mentioned positive effects (RQ4). Genitalia sex toys received better evaluations than torso sex toys and were perceived to be complementary tools to enhance sexual arousal, whereas the use of torso toys entailed anthropomorphization and symbolic social interactions. Implications for future research and design of different types of sex toys are discussed. Full article

Dark Triad traits and self-control are considered viable causal precursors to antisocial and criminal outcomes in youth. The purpose of the present study is to concurrently compare how Dark Triad traits and self-control differ in terms of predicting self-reported juvenile delinquency, CD symptoms, proactive overt aggression, and crime seriousness. The sample consisted of 567 (M = 15.91 years, SD = 0.99 years, age range = 14–18 years) Southern European youth from Portugal. Structural-equation-modelling procedures revealed that the psychopathy factor of Dark Triad traits presented the strongest significant hypothetical causal associations with the antisocial/criminal outcomes, followed by self-control. Machiavellianism and narcissism presented the lowest causal associations. Our findings indicate that psychopathy, as operationalized in the Dark Triad, concurrently surpasses self-control and the remaining factors of the Dark Triad in terms of predicting antisocial/criminal outcomes in youth. This suggests that behavioral disinhibition, or a core incapacity to regulate one’s conduct, is central for understanding delinquency and externalizing psychopathology. Comparatively, the interpersonal component of dark personality features, such as Machiavellianism and narcissism, are secondary for understanding crime. Full article

Background: As a result of the increase in older people covered by long-term care insurance (LTCI), prevention of sarcopenia and maintenance and improvement of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have become important themes. This study aimed to clarify both the differences in HRQOL in older people with and without sarcopenia covered by LTCI and the correlation between HRQOL and physical function. Methods: Participants were 101 older people with LTCI at a daycare center in Japan. We investigated clinical factors using the EuroQol five-dimension three-level questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L). Analysis was by unpaired t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, chi-square test, analysis of covariance, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Results: Compared to the no sarcopenia group (n = 40), the sarcopenia group (n = 24) had significantly lower body mass index, skeletal muscle mass index, gait speed, EQ-5D-3L, and adjusted EQ-5D-3L (p < 0.05). The EQ-5D-3L showed a significant correlation with handgrip strength in the sarcopenia group (p = 0.02) and significant correlations with gait speed and one-leg standing time (both, p = 0.01) in the no sarcopenia group. Conclusion: We clarified differences in HRQOL in older people with and without sarcopenia covered by LTCI. This information on the interrelationship between HRQOL and physical function may help maintain and improve HRQOL in these people. Full article

This article discusses possible challenges and potentials in the use of digital geomedia in the context of written and oral argumentation in higher education by examining the perspectives of students and lecturers, especially for the subjects of geography in general and primary school science. To this end, potentials and challenges, as well as competences that have to be promoted among pupils and students in dealing with digital geomedia in the context of written and oral argumentation are first discussed. In the following, we present the results of a mixed methods approach in which we surveyed student teachers with a questionnaire (n = 150) on the one hand and, on the other hand, reflected their view of the issue by analysing qualitative expert interviews (n = 17) with lecturers who teach at the same universities in the corresponding degree programmes. In this way we contextualise the student’s self-assessment in the respective location’s teacher training. Our results show that there is a high degree of commonality between lecturers and students with regard to the importance of argumentation with digital geomedia. At the same time, the assessment of the students’ abilities differs greatly; most students feel capable of dealing with these topics, while lecturers see deficits here. Full article

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, university education and feedback guidance have inevitably moved to online platforms, becoming a global trend. This study focuses on a case of Sookmyung Women’s University in South Korea, which has operated an online discussion clinic for university general education for more than a year as a case study. There are two main research methods. A frequency analysis was conducted to confirm what kind of counseling the students preferred at the discussion clinic based on the answers written in the students’ applications. The students whose applications were used for the analysis were divided into 57 teams, and there were two to six members per team. The results were as follows: In the survey results, students wanted help with the preparation process necessary for the discussion and the practical strategies for facilitating discussions. They wanted personalized counseling, demonstrating that discussion education provided in the foundational curriculum is insufficient. Second, the educational model of the discussion clinic and educational examples were examined. The findings confirmed that online discussion education is effective if the system is technically supplemented. Instructors and researchers are prepared to meet students’ demands for feedback and individual counseling, even if these are not provided through face-to-face discussions. Additionally, face-to-face guidance can be operated more effectively by taking advantage of online systems. The findings also demonstrate that further research on designing and operating online discussion centers is required. This study is a preceding study on developing online systems and educational guidelines for higher educational institutions to present new insights into smart learning. This paper also includes suggestions for educational and scientific discussions. The online discussion instructional model shown in this paper explores methods of scientific communication through a debate on scientific issues. Full article

The present study aims to identify the role of a Ministry of Education in meeting the challenges faced due to distance education as emergency education. The study participants were nine officials working at the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education. We used interviews to collect data and inductive content analysis to analyze these data. The study result indicates that the ministry carried out action related to the different educational aspects to meet distance education challenges. It is recommended that ministries of education strengthen their collaboration with the local community. The aim of this collaboration is two-fold: encouraging parents’ support of technology integration in education and encouraging their role in positively influencing their students’ perceptions of the use of ICT in learning. Teachers also need to engage in the change of students’ perception towards a more positive one regarding the influence of ICT on learning. Full article

The Sociocultural Adaptation Scale (SCAS) measures the degree of sociocultural competence in new cultural settings, and, despite its popularity, research aiming at evaluating its dimensionality is lacking and has incongruent results. Moreover, the dimensionality of the scale has been mainly tested on different samples adjusted to Eastern culture. We administered the SCAS to 266 international students sojourning in Los Angeles to test which underlying dimensionality emerges if the measure is used to assess sociocultural adaptation to Western culture, also verifying its measurement invariance across sex. Findings from EFA showed a three-factor solution: Diversity Approach, Social Functioning, and Distance and Life Changes, and the CFA indicated a plausible goodness-of-fit to the empirical data. The examination of MGCFA suggested that the questionnaire showed an invariant structure across sex. Our results suggest that the dimensionality of the SCAS may differ according to the sojourners’ country of settlement, emphasizing Western–Eastern differences. Full article

Nowadays, a multitude of scientific publications on health science are being developed that require correct bibliographic search in order to avoid the use and inclusion of retracted literature in them. The use of these articles could directly affect the consistency of the scientific studies and could affect clinical practice. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the capacity of the main scientific literature search engines, both general (Gooogle Scholar) and scientific (PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Web of Science), used in health sciences in order to check their ability to detect and warn users of retracted articles in the searches carried out. The sample of retracted articles was obtained from RetractionWatch. The results showed that although Google Scholar was the search engine with the highest capacity to retrieve selected articles, it was the least effective, compared with scientific search engines, at providing information on the retraction of articles. The use of different scientific search engines to retrieve as many scientific articles as possible, as well as never using only a generic search engine, is highly recommended. This will reduce the possibility of including retracted articles and will avoid affecting the reliability of the scientific studies carried out. Full article

The research was aimed at finding relations between mathematical knowledge and cognitive individual variable. We realized the experiment with 162 students of the Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovakia. We had two variables—the personal need for structure (PNS) as a cognitive-individual variable and knowledge of the fraction as a mathematical variable. The relationships between the factors of the personal need for structure scale and the knowledge of fractions were determined by the IRT model. We have proven a negative correlation between the successful solving of fraction test and score in the PNS scale. This means that the higher the success rate of solving the fraction tasks, the lower the overall score on the personal need for structure scale and its subfactors. Full article

Background: There is a growing attention toward the construct of courage from a psychological point of view; recently, courage has been related with numerous positive individual behaviors and outcomes, such as coping strategies and subjective wellbeing, and an increasing number of studies explore the role of courage in the working and organizational environments. The present study is aimed to analyze the effect that individual courage—together with risk intelligence—and workplace social courage have on working performance; Methods: The participants are 961 Italian workers, balanced by gender; the measures used are: Courage, Subjective Risk Intelligence Scale, Workplace Social Courage Scale, and Performance Scale. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Models; Results: The results show the effect of subjective risk intelligence and courage on working performance, both directly and through the mediation of workplace social courage; Conclusions: Suggestions for further research and practical implications are discussed. Full article