Primary school teacher interpersonal behavior through the lens of students’ Eysenckian personality traits

The present study investigates the association between students’ Eysenckian personality traits and their perceptions of teacher interpersonal behavior. A sample of 273 Cypriot public primary school fifth and sixth graders, as well as their teachers participated in the study. Students completed a three-part self-report questionnaire of: (a) a demographic questions sheet, (b) the Greek adaptation of the Questionnaire of Teacher Interaction for Primary students and (c) the Greek Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Junior. Teachers rated students’ academic achievement in language and mathematics. Extraversion was associated with cooperative teacher behaviors, (i.e. leadership, helping friendly, understanding, and student responsibility freedom), whereas Neuroticism and Psychoticism, with teacher oppositional behaviors (i.e. dissatisfaction, strictness, and admonishing behavior). Regression analyses, run separately for each dimension of perceived teacher interpersonal behavior, revealed different predictors, with only Extraversion and Psychoticism explaining variance in students’ perceptions, whereas academic achievement was more likely to predict all but one of the dimensions of teachers’ interpersonal behavior.     

Mindfulness,impulsivity, and moral disengagement as parameters of bullying and victimization at school

The aim of the present study was to examine the existing association between mindfulness, impulsivity, moral disengagement, and bullying experiences at school. Longitudinal data were collected in three points in time (T1, T2, T3) with 6 months interval between them. Participants were 558 adolescents attending secondary schools in Cyprus, with their ages ranging from 14 to 17 years (M = 15.3; standard deviation = 0.69). Through structural equation modeling, it was found that mindfulness at T1 had a significant negative effect on both impulsivity and moral disengagement at T2 and these, in turn, had a positive effect on bullying and victimization at T3. Thus, mindfulness had an indirect effect on both bullying and victimization, fully mediated by impulsivity and moral disengagement.     

Religion and health in Mexican Americans

The relationship between religion and health was investigated using data from a three-generation study of mexican Americans. Two measures of religion—religious institution attendance and self-rated religiosity—were correlated with a number of functional health indicators, including self-rated health, activity restriction owing to health, bed disability days, physician utilization, worry over health, a physical symptoms scale, and a depression scale. In addition, prevalence rates were calculated for several major chronic diseases. Many significant associations obtained, as well as an inverse relationship between self-rated religiosity and hypertension. These findings are interpreted in light of the literature on religious attendance and health and on religion and aging.This research was supportive by Grant No. AG04170 of the National Institute on Aging. The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of Laura Ray in teh programming phase of the data analysis.     

Tri-ethnic alcohol use and religion,family, and gender

Nine different behavioral responses to alcohol by over two hundred ninth-graders in Austin, Texas, were examined in a survey designed to identify the relationship between adolescents' alcohol use, religious affiliation, religiosity, and gender. The relationship between alcohol use and family adaptability was also examined. While religious affiliation was found to be mildly predictive of use, religiosity determined only specific behavior. Gender differences in alcohol use appeared to be narrowing. Family adaptability was the most predictive variable, showing a relationship with six of the nine kinds of alcohol behavior. Future studies of family influences on adolescents' alcohol behavior and alcohol use among females are recommended.     

Preliminary report: psychological assessment of Greek women with diabetes during pregnancy

23 Greek pregnant women with type 1 diabetes had a higher mean score on the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy than 13 women with gestational diabetes. Long-term changes in the lifestyle of the former may apparently lead to this higher mean. For those with gestational diabetes, higher scores of alexithymia were correlated with slightly worse glycemic control.     

Validation of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment in Cypriot Clinical and non-Clinical Adolescents

Journal of Child and Family Studies - Being able to assess attachment during adolescence is important for clinical practice and research addressing adolescents’ well-being and mental health....     

Death-Related Attitudes and Behavior among Mexican Americans: A Review

ABSTRACT: A review of the literature on death-related attitudes and behavior of Mexican Americans is presented. Special focus is given to the 1976 study of Kalish and Reynolds which concludes that Mexican Americans are more accepting of death than Anglos and other ethnic groups. Some of the study's findings are found to suggest that the opposite may be true. An alternative interpretation of the findings is given along with suggestions for future research.