The Impact of Coping Strategies on the Operations in the Jungle Course of the Brazilian Army

The aim of this study is to investigate which coping strategies can predict success or failure in the Brazilian Army’s Jungle Operations Course. To achieve this, the sample included 36 military volunteers (18 who quit and 18 who completed the course) from a total of 63 candidates (57.14%), all male career officers and sergeants of the Brazilian Army. Results indicate that completers (n = 18) show significantly higher scores in 2 of the 8 different coping strategy factors—self-control and positive reappraisal—than those in the quitters group (n = 18). In general, emotion-focused strategies were prominent in relation to problem-focused ones. The findings of this study suggest that coping strategies focused on emotion, especially self-control and positive reappraisal, can influence individuals’ performance in situations of intensive military training, which possibly makes them more resilient, preparing them for a more successful training.     

Long-term meditation: the relationship between cognitive processes,thinking styles and mindfulness

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between meditation and cognitive functions. More in depth the purpose is to demonstrate that long-term meditation practice improves attention skills and cognitive flexibility. Eighteen long-term meditation practitioners were compared to a matched control group, who never practiced meditation. Each subject was tested, using computerized software (Presentation Software 9.90), which measured: attention, visual search abilities, working memory and Stroop’s interference tasks. Furthermore, we examined the relationship between long-term meditation practice, mindfulness skills and thinking styles, namely styles of processing information. The results showed significant differences between the two groups, demonstrating that long-term meditation is linked to improvements of attentional functions, working memory and cognitive flexibility.     

Effectiveness of the career interest profile

This study examined the effectiveness of group‐based career counseling using the Career Interest Profile (CIP). The study used an experimental design involving 2 groups of Italian university students: an experimental group (42 participants) who received narrative career counseling and a control group (47 participants) who did not. Results indicated more specific life and occupational goals after the intervention among members of the experimental group in addition to a decrease in career decision‐making difficulties and an increase in career decision‐making self‐efficacy, thus suggesting the value of group‐based career counseling on the basis of the principles embodied in the CIP.