The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of rumination and reflection in teachers' classroom stress and burnout, thereby assessing their predictive value per se and their role as moderators between teacher reported job characteristics and stress and burnout. 439 elementary school teachers participated in the study. Dispositional characteristics explained additional variance in teachers' stress and burnout beyond job characteristics. Rumination was a significant predictor of both stress and burnout, whereas reflection was not. However, reflection moderated the relation between job characteristics and stress. These results highlight the importance of simultaneously investigating environmental and dispositional characteristics of teachers' strain. The article examines the role of job demands in predicting stress and burnout within a specific vocational group and may therefore contribute to interventions in terms of teachers’ working conditions. The contribution is one of the first dealing with the role of self-awareness in the context of working conditions and also provides details about who would particularly benefit from such interventions. The results are relevant for all professionals working in the field of workplace health, education policy planners and researchers of working conditions. The article was awarded with “Excellent in Science” for best research achievements in 2016.
COBISS.SI-ID: 21087240
EEG alpha frequency band biomarkers of depression are widely explored. Due to their trait-like features, they may help distinguish between depressive and burnout symptomatology, which is often referred to as "work-related depression". The present correlational study strived to examine whether individual alpha frequency (IAF), power, and coherence in the alpha band can provide evidence for establishing burnout as a separate diagnostic entity. Resting EEG (eyes closed) was recorded in 117 individuals (42 males). In addition, the participants filled-out questionnaires of burnout and depression. Regression analyses highlighted the differential value of IAF and power in predicting burnout and depression. IAF was significantly related to depressive symptomatology, whereas power was linked mostly to burnout. Moreover, seven out of twelve interactions between EEG indicators and gender were significant. Connectivity patterns were significant for depression displaying gender related differences. The results offer tentative support for establishing burnout as a separate clinical syndrome. The article deals with the problem of the discriminant validity of burnout and depression in an original way, thus contributing to the understanding of unique burnout indicators and the key features of the syndrome. Although an increasing number of individuals report burnout symptoms, none of the international classifications of disorders recognizes burnout as a diagnostic entity. This indicates the need for new knowledge in the field. The research findings are of interest to researchers of professional development in adulthood and clinical psychology experts.
COBISS.SI-ID: 21776648
The study investigated associations of Slovene emerging adults' age, gender, living situation, romantic relationship, and employment status with aspects of individuation in relation to mother and father. Controlling for demographic variables and transitional markers of adulthood, we further explored the contribution of individuation measures to individuals' perceptions of achieved criteria for adulthood and life satisfaction. The participants provided self-reports on the Individuation Test for Emerging Adults, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, and the list of Achieved Criteria for Adulthood. Age and living out of parental home were positively associated with self-reliance in relation to both parents, whereas female gender was related to higher levels of connectedness and seeking parental support. Along with age and involvement in a romantic relationship, connectedness and self-reliance predicted adulthood criteria attainment and life satisfaction. The results support the models of individuation that emphasize growing autonomy and retaining connectedness to parents as pathways towards personal adjustments. The findings are particularly important because they point out some of the factors of individuation and its links to developmental outcomes in a country within the European region with a so-called Mediterranean social well-fare system. A vast majority of research in this area has been namely conducted in the U.S.A. and other European regions. The results also suggest the importance of enhancing self-reliance in environments characterized by a very long and profound family support to emerging adults.
COBISS.SI-ID: 54421602
The role of personality traits in 674 emerging adult students (aged 18 to 28; 80% female) individuation in relation to parents was investigated cross-sectionally. Self-reports were obtained by the Big Five Inventory and the Individuation Test for Emerging Adults. Personality was predictive of measures of individuation, over and above the students' background characteristics, suggesting that personality can be viewed as an inner resource shaping experiences of individuation. Agreeableness contributed to support seeking, and connectedness with both parents, and Extraversion predicted connectedness with mothers. Conscientiousness was related negatively to both perceptions of parental intrusiveness and fear of disappointing the mother, whereas Neuroticism was predictive of perceptions of maternal intrusiveness, and fear of disappointing the parents. Openness was associated with self-reliance in relationships with both parents, and demonstrated negative links with support seeking and connectedness with mothers. Few moderating effects of age and gender on Extraversion-individuation associations were revealed. The work presents an important foundation for longitudinal, dimension-centered and person-centered research on factors of individuation, as well as its (un)healthy outcomes. The findings influence counseling to emerging adults and their parents because they expose personality risk factors in relational difficulties, which can be buffered by developing (learning) case-specific behavioral strategies in relational partners.
COBISS.SI-ID: 53678178
In our study, we aimed to analyse the effect of child gender on parental and child interactive play behaviour, as well as to determine relations between parental general knowledge of child development and parental play behaviour in two developmental periods, namely toddlerhood and early childhood. The sample included 99 children (50 toddlers 1-3 years-old; 49 preschoolers 3-5 years-old) and their parents. Parent-child interactive play with a standard set of toys wasobserved and assessed in the home setting. We found that parental and child play behaviours were closely related in both age groups. In addition, child's gender affected child, but not parental, play behaviour such that girls more frequently established the content of play, sustained play frame, and used more symbolic transformations during play than boys did. Parents' general knowledge of child development was associated with both parental education and parental play behaviour. The findings are applicable to different professionals working with children and their parents in the preschool period. This research is important to developmental science in suggesting that boys and girls differ significantly in their playing behavior, particularly in meta-cognitive capability, although parental engagement in their play appears comparable across gender. The differences may shape implicit theories of parents and professionals, which affect child socialization practices, and have implications for early family and pre-school socialization/education.
COBISS.SI-ID: 63317090
The study investigated longitudinal relations between teacher-perceived children's personality traits and teacher aide-assessed children's adjustment. Questionnaire data on 5-year-old kindergarteners' (N=240; 47 % boys) Extraversion, Neuroticism, Disagreeableness, Conscientiousness, Social Competence, Internalizing Problems, and Externalizing Problems were collected. One year later, the children's schoolteachers and their aides completed identical assessments. Using a cross-lagged design, the results showed that the trait- and adjustment measures from age 5 to age 6 were moderately and modestly stable, respectively. Simultaneous testing of the vulnerability and the scar model provided support to the vulnerability model for Social Competence. The children's Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and low Neuroticism predicted subsequent Social Competence, but not vice versa. Consistent with the vulnerability model, low Extraversion and low Conscientiousness also predicted later Internalizing Problems. Further results for problem behavior suggested bidirectional associations of Neuroticism and Disagreeableness with Internalizing and Externalizing Problems, respectively, supporting both the scar and the vulnerability model. Identifying and accounting for child personality traits in prevention and intervention programs targeting emotional and behavioral problems would increase their effectiveness and help to break the malicious circle between children's relatively stable propensities representing risk factors in their adjustment and dis-functional social interactions. The findings have implications in educational and psychological work with children and their parents.
COBISS.SI-ID: 62208610
In this study we developed a short version of the Individuation Test for Emerging Adults (ITEA-S) and tested its measurement invariance across Slovene and U.S. samples of emerging adults. The item reduction process resulted in retaining 21 out of 36 items. The content analysis of the retained and discarded items revealed that the ITEA-S adequately measures the 5 individuation domains (support seeking, connectedness, intrusiveness, self-reliance, and fear of disappointing the parent). In our samples, the ITEA-S demonstrated evidence for construct validity and its 5 scales showed adequate internal consistency. The scale scores were also meaningfully associated with the relevant demographic variables in both countries, as well as the three scales of the Psychological Separation Inventory (Hoffman, 1984; the Slovene sample), and the scales of the Differentiation of Self-Revised questionnaire (Skowron & Schmitt, 2003; the U.S. sample). The results of multiple group confrmatory factor analyses supported the hypothesis of full metric and partial scalar invariance for both ITEA-S forms (in relation to mother and father) across the 2 country groups. The development of a short version is important to research, particularly for cross-cultural comparisons and longitudinal studies because it has good metric characteristics, is brief, and shows measurement invariance across two social-cultural environments with different patterns toward adulthood. The same was later demonstrated in two other countries.
COBISS.SI-ID: 60597346
A four-dimensional typology of work-family balance (WFB) that has previously been reported was tested in four samples: Finnish nurses (n=662), Slovenian nurses (n=667), Finnish health and social care workers (n=1493) and Finnish service sector employees (n=827). Latent profile analyses identified three rather than four types of WFB in each sample. In line with the four-dimensional typology, a Beneficial type (56% to 70% of the participants), experiencing high work-to-family and family-to-work enrichment (WFE and FWE) and low work-to-family and family-to-work conflict (WFC and FWC), and an Active type (15% to 20%), experiencing high WFC, FWC, WFE and FWE, emerged; however, the Harmful and Passive types were not identified. Instead, a Contradictory type (16% to 53%), experiencing high WFC and low WFE in combination with low FWC and high FWE, was found. The Beneficial type showed higher subjective well-being than the Contradictory and Active types, the latter showing higher vigour at work but also higher psychological strain and lower life satisfaction than the Contradictory type. These findings support the view that WFB is not a single state or continuum, but manifests itself in diverse combinations of WFC, FWC, WFE and FWE. As one of the first, the article uses a person-oriented research approach, in which it examines groups of individuals with similar characteristics in terms of reconciling work and family. It is additionally focused on the differences between groups that have a more favorable balance between work and family and those with a less favorable balance in burnout and other aspects of well-being. As it presents a relatively new statistical approach, it is primarily relevant to researchers and statisticians. However, it also has many practical implications for planning family-friendly measures in work organizations.
COBISS.SI-ID: 19868168
The monograph overviews contemporary approaches and techniques designed to increase general cognitive ability in healthy individuals. First, it summarizes the history of attempts to raise intelligence, describes the intelligence construct and the cognitive mechanisms thought to be at the core of intellectual functioning, and provides an overview of the neurobiological underpinnings of intelligence. Next, the content covers behavioral training and different electrical stimulation methods, such as TMS, tDCS, tACS, and tRNS, along with alternative approaches ranging from neurofeedback to cognitive-enhancing drugs. It explains crucial brain features that underlie intelligent behavior and discusses theoretical and technical shortcomings of the reported studies, then goes on to suggest avenues for future research and inquiry. Furthermore, the efficacy and limitations of behavioral training approaches, and brain stimulation methods aiming to increase performance on working memory and intelligence tests are discussed. Finally, the work examines the effects of neurofeedback, exercise, meditation, nutrition, and drugs on cognitive enhancement. The monograph represents a comprehensive overview of current trends in investigating and facilitation intelligence that has been absent from the field for a long time. It is a valuable work for researchers, students and experts in the field of psychology, neuroscience and cognitive science, and suggests ways to enhance, maintain cognitive functioning, or buffer negative effects of aging on cognitive effectiveness that can be applied into practice.
COBISS.SI-ID: 22979592
The present study explored gender differences in emerging language skills in 13,783 European children from 10 non-English language communities. It was based on a synthesis of published data assessed with adapted versions of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs) from age 0.08 to 2.06. The results showed that girls are slightly ahead of boys in early communicative gestures, in productive vocabulary, and in combining words. The difference increased with age. Boys were not found to be more variable than girls. Despite extensive variation in language skills between language communities, the difference between girls and boys remained. This suggests that the difference is caused by robust factors that do not change between language communities. The results have an impact on developmental assessment and change in professional practice. They significantly contribute to understanding early development in different language/cultural environment.
COBISS.SI-ID: 45891426