Self-reported versus measured weight and height by adolescent girls: a Croatian sample

Self-reported and measured weight and height of 234 Croatian girls in Grades 5, 8, and 11 were used to explore the validity of these measures for calculating Body Mass Index. For both weight and height, the correlations between self-reported and measured values were over .93. Overweight girls underreported their weight and overreported their height.     

Does stimulant medication decrease the lower extremity response times of children with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder?

In 2005 Pedersen and Surburg reported that stimulant medications reduced the lower extremity response times of 16 boys with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. However, as boys without ADHD and girls with and without ADHD were not studied, one cannot conclude that reported effects represent a medication effect unique to children with ADHD. An alternative hypothesis is presented: that stimulant medications produce an excitatory effect in the central nervous system by increased occupancy of postsynaptic dopamine receptors to reduce the lower extremity response times of children in general. Well-designed controlled clinical trials are needed to evaluate this hypothesis.     

The good,the bad (and the ugly): The role of curiosity in subjective well‐being and risky behaviors among adolescents

Previous studies have shown that enhanced trait curiosity has positive influence on well‐being. It remains an open question, however, whether curiosity has any detrimental effects on behavioral outcomes in adolescence. The main aim of this research was to investigate the role of trait curiosity in the prediction of risky behavior engagement and subjective well‐being (SWB) among adolescents. A total of 371 Serbian adolescents (mean age 15.5, SD = 0.57) participated in the 5‐month follow up study. The results showed that the embracing component of curiosity (but not stretching) predicted risky behavior engagement, while the stretching component of curiosity (but not embracing) predicted positive affect. In addition, neither embracing nor stretching was a significant predictor of negative affect and life satisfaction. The results of this study call into question the conceptualization of curiosity as a completely positive emotional‐motivational system, and suggest that curiosity can contribute to negative outcomes in adolescence.     

When Less is More: A Short Version of the Personal Optimism Scale and the Self-Efficacy Optimism Scale

The past few years have seen increased theoretical and applied research on the relations between constructs related to positive expectations. However, instruments capable of distinguishing positive expectancy constructs are still lacking. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the 18-item Personal Optimism Scale and Self-Efficacy Optimism Scale. Two student samples from the University of Novi Sad in Serbia were recruited for the present research, with a total of 728 participants. The results of the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses did not support the theoretically expected structure. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis and content validity support shortening the scale to 9 items. The short versions of the scales demonstrated adequate reliability in internal consistency and adequate concurrent and convergent validity by significant correlations with dispositional optimism, general self-efficacy, hope, resilience and subjective well-being. The analyses lead us to conclude that a shorter 4-item Personal Optimism Scale and a 5-item Self-Efficacy Optimism Scale provide a clear, precise measures of two types of positive expectations. The authors argue that the limitations of the original scales emanate from their vague theoretical-substantive validity, and call for future research to replicate these findings.     

Proactive Coping as a Mediator Between Resources and Outcomes: A Structural Equations Modeling Analysis

Proactive coping is a recent construct in the field of positive psychology. It refers to the efforts aimed at building general forces to facilitate the path toward challenging goals and personal growth. The current study adopted a theoretical model of proactive coping as a mediator of resources with positive and negative outcomes. Our aim was to examine two separate models with satisfaction with life and depression as the proposed outcomes of proactive coping. The proposed models presumed direct relationships between self-efficacy, optimism and social support with life satisfaction or depression, as well as indirect paths through proactive coping. We administered a set of questionnaires that consisted of demographic data, the Proactive Coping Scale, the General Self-efficacy Scale, the Life Orientation Test-Revised, the Perceived Social Support Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Data were obtained from a sample of high school graduates (N?=?485, age 17 to 19, 174 males and 311 females). Our analyses confirmed presumed direct and indirect relationships between resources and outcomes. The results showed that the data fit well in the model with life satisfaction as an outcome, while the data did not fit well in the model with depression as an outcome. A subsequent model was formed in which satisfaction with life was used as a full mediator between proactive coping and depression; this model provided a good fit to the data. Theoretical implications, as well as suggestions for future research, are discussed.     

Readiness to accept Western standard of beauty and body satisfaction among Muslim girls with and without hijab

The purpose of this paper was to determine whether there is a difference in the readiness to accept Western standards of beauty in which thinness is an ideal of beauty and attractiveness, as well in body and appearance satisfaction between Muslim adolescent girls attending madrassa and dressing in accordance with tradition, that is to say wearing hijab, and Muslim adolescent girls who do not wear hijab and who follow contemporary Western‐influenced fashion trends. Both of these groups were also compared to a non‐Muslim group of adolescent girls. The sample consisted of 75 Muslim adolescent girls with hijab, 75 Muslim adolescent girls without hijab and 75 Orthodox adolescent girls. The following instruments were used: the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT‐26), the Sociocultural Attitudes towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ‐3) and the Contour Drawing Rating Scale (CDRS). The highest level of body satisfaction (despite this group having the highest body weight in the sample) was evident among Muslim adolescent girls attending madrassa and wearing hijab. They also showed significantly less pressure to attain the Western thin‐ideal standards of beauty than adolescent girls who accept Western way of dressing. Research results indicate a significant role of socio‐cultural factors in one's attitude towards the body image, but also opens the question of the role of religion as a protective factor when it comes to the body and appearance attitude among Muslim women who wear hijab.