The Relationship Between Frustration Intolerance,Unhealthy Emotions,and Assertive Behaviour in Italian Students

The aim of the present research was to investigate the relationship between frustration intolerance and emotional-behavioural problems. Specifically, the study explored whether frustration intolerance beliefs were associated with difficulties in assertive behaviour, anxiety, depression, and anger in a non-clinical student sample (N = 250). For this purpose an Italian version of the Frustration Discomfort Scale (FDS) was developed. The findings supported a multidimensional model of frustration intolerance and the relationship between specific frustration intolerance beliefs and emotional-behavioural problems. Regarding unhealthy emotions, structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses (model A) indicated that discomfort intolerance and emotional intolerance had a significant relationship with state anxiety, trait anxiety, and depression. The discomfort intolerance and entitlement sub-scales had a significant relationship with state anger and trait anger, while entitlement directly predicted trait anger. Regarding assertiveness, SEM analyses (model B) indicated that emotional intolerance had a significant relationship with distress when being assertive. More generally, the FDS full scale score (model C) was significantly related to unhealthy emotions and (model D) unassertive behaviour (distress). The present study provided evidence of the cross-cultural applicability of the FDS.     

Problematic internet use and academic achievement: a focus on interpersonal behaviours and academic engagement

In accordance with the Self-Determination Theory, the interpersonal behavior of others can support or thwart the basic psychological needs and influence the well-being of students. Furthermore, several studies have shown that problematic internet use has a negative influence on the academic field. However, no studies have investigated the impact of need-supportive and need-thwarting interpersonal behaviors (using the SDT theoretical framework) on internet addiction, academic engagement, and academic achievement. For this reason, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between students’ perceptions of others’ behaviors that supported or thwarted their basic psychological needs, internet addiction, and academic engagement and the impact on academic achievement through two studies. In the first study, 889 students (age: M?=?20.26, SD?=?3.16), were used to investigate the dimensionality of the Italian version of the Interpersonal Behaviour Questionnaire (IBQ) and the reliability, convergent and concurrent validity. In the second study, 515 students (age: M?=?20.26, SD?=?3.16) were tested to investigate the mediating role of problematic internet use on the relationship between students’ perceptions of others’ behaviors that supported or thwarted their basic psychological needs and academic engagement and the impact on academic achievement. The results of the first study suggested that the Italian version of the IBQ shows good psychometric characteristics in the Italian context. The results of the second study confirmed the mediating role of problematic internet use and academic engagement as mediators between students’ perceptions of need-thwarting interpersonal behaviors and academic achievement.

     

Need-supportive and need-thwarting interpersonal behaviors by teachers and classmates in adolescence: The mediating role of basic psychological needs on school alienation and academic achievement

Social Psychology of Education - School alienation is a sense of estrangement from learning and knowledge, which is related with low academic achievement and often influenced by negative...