Arts students in debt: Concerns,consequences, and interventions

While there are many educational and experiential benefits to attending professional higher arts education programs, students who incur excessive student loan debt during their studies may experience unanticipated or poor professional outcomes either over the course of their artistic careers, shortly after the expiration of a loan grace period, or after they can no longer defer payments. To date, little to no research exists on the effects of an excessive student loan debt burden on professional arts careers. To address this gap in the higher arts education literature, and in an effort to facilitate scholarly discussion on the topic, this article identifies concerns, consequences, and potential interventions.     

医学生学习激情现状及影响因素的研究

目的:测量医学生学习激情现状,探索相关人口学变量差异及影响因素作用机制。方法:通过网络问卷对1793名在校医学生进行问卷调查,回收有效问卷1218份,应用SPSS22.0软件对数据进行统计处理。结果:测量对象的学习激情处于中等偏上水平(4.37±0.91);学习激情平均得分在性别(F=9.097,P<0.05)、生源地(F=14.850,P<0.05)、独生子女情况(F=5.470,P<0.05)方面的差异有统计学意义;成绩水平(β=0.094,P<0.01)、发展规划(β=0.105,P<0.01)、生活满意度(β=0.213,P<0.01)和活力(β=0.253,P<0.01)对医学生学习激情的影响有统计学意义。结论:医学生学习激情水平在性别、生源地、独生与否方面存在显著差异;成绩水平、发展规划、生活满意度、活力是影响医学生学习激情的因素。     

The value of a dog in a classroom of children with severe emotional disorders

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine how a dog's presence in a self-contained classroom of six children diagnosed with severe emotional disorders affected students' emotional stability and their learning. Across an eight-week period of time, the children were observed, the children and their parents were interviewed, and behavioral data were recorded when students went into emotional crisis. Qualitative analysis of all coded data indicated that the dog's placement in this self-contained classroom: a) contributed to students' overall emotional stability evidenced by prevention and de-escalation of episodes of emotional crisis; b) improved students' attitudes toward school; and c) facilitated students' learning lessons in responsibility, respect and empathy.     

Morningness-eveningness preferences,learning approach and academic achievement of undergraduate medical students

ABSTRACT

Several studies have focused on determining the effect of chronotype and learning approach on academic achievement separately indicating that morning types have an academic advantage over the evening types and so have the deep learners over the surface learners. But, surprisingly none have assessed the possible relationship between chronotype and learning approach. So, the current study aimed to evaluate this association and their individual influence on academic performance as indicated by the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) as well as the effect of their interaction on academic performance. The study included 345 undergraduate medical students who responded to reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and Biggs Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire. Morning types indulged in deep learning while evening types in surface learning. Morning and evening types did not differ on academic performance but deep learners had better academic outcomes than their counterparts. The interaction between chronotype and learning approach was significant on determining academic achievement. Our findings gave the impression that chronotype could have an impact on academic performance not directly but indirectly through learning approaches.     

Basic Scale on Insomnia complaints and Quality of Sleep (BaSIQS): Reliability,initial validity and normative scores in higher education students

Based on successive samples totaling more than 5000 higher education students, we scrutinized the reliability, structure, initial validity and normative scores of a brief self-report seven-item scale to screen for the continuum of nighttime insomnia complaints/perceived sleep quality, used by our team for more than a decade, henceforth labeled the Basic Scale on Insomnia complaints and Quality of Sleep (BaSIQS). In study/sample 1 (n?=?1654), the items were developed based on part of a larger survey on higher education sleep–wake patterns. The test–retest study was conducted in an independent small group (n?=?33) with a 2–8 week gap. In study/sample 2 (n?=?360), focused mainly on validity, the BaSIQS was completed together with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). In study 3, a large recent sample of students from universities all over the country (n?=?2995) answered the BaSIQS items, based on which normative scores were determined, and an additional question on perceived sleep problems in order to further analyze the scale’s validity. Regarding reliability, Cronbach alpha coefficients were systematically higher than 0.7, and the test–retest correlation coefficient was greater than 0.8. Structure analyses revealed consistently satisfactory two-factor and single-factor solutions. Concerning validity analyses, BaSIQS scores were significantly correlated with PSQI component scores and overall score (r?=?0.652 corresponding to a large association); mean scores were significantly higher in those students classifying themselves as having sleep problems (p?<?0.0001, d?=?0.99 corresponding to a large effect size). In conclusion, the BaSIQS is very easy to administer, and appears to be a reliable and valid scale in higher education students. It might be a convenient short tool in research and applied settings to rapidly assess sleep quality or screen for insomnia complaints, and it may be easily used in other populations with minor adaptations.     

Depression in Medical School: The Influence of Morningness‐Eveningness

Medical students are at higher risk for depression, affecting not only their lives but also patient care. This article studied a population of medical students engaged in lecture‐based learning regarding the presence of depressive symptoms and its relation to morningness‐eveningness. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Beck Depressive Inventory scale (BDI>10), and diurnal preference was assessed by the Horne & Östberg Morningness/Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). Family history of depression and involvement in regular physical activity were also investigated. A total of 161 students, 77 (47.8%) males, aged 19 to 30 yrs (22.1±2.1) living in a city close to the equator were evaluated. Fifty‐three individuals (32.9%) had depressive symptoms. Depressive individuals showed a trend to be female (p=0.07). Also, female gender showed a non‐significant shift toward morningness. Fifty‐eight (36.0%) subjects participated in regular physical activity. In 57 cases (35.4%), there was a history of depression in the family. Fifteen individuals (9.3%) were definitely evening type, 42 (26.1%) were moderately evening type, 44 (27.3%) were indifferent, 42 (26.1%) were moderately morning type, and 18 (11.2%) were definitely morning type. Family history of depression (OR=0.29, 95% CI=1.37–6.12) and sedentary life (OR=0.28, 95% CI=0.12–0.65) were associated with depressive symptoms. Eveningness was associated with depressive symptoms (OR=0.66, 95% CI=0.50–0.88), and this association remained significant after adjusting for the presence of familial depression and physical activity (OR=0.71, 95% CI=0.52–0.95). In conclusion, depressive symptoms are independently associated with “eveningness” in medical students. These results should be confirmed by future studies involving a larger number of subjects.     

Interrelationships between distinct circadian manifestations of possible bruxism,perceived stress,chronotype and social jetlag in a population of undergraduate students

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the recently hypothesized association between distinct circadian manifestations of possible bruxism in subjects with different chronotype profiles, social jetlag and levels of perceived stress. A cross-sectional study was performed by surveying dental students’ of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. A survey instrument was designed and pilot tested for reliability and validity prior to full-scale administration. The instrument consisted of four sections: socio-demographic questions, bruxism-related items, the Perceived Stress Scale and the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire. The study included 228 students (82.5% females; mean age 22.67 ± 2.27). Awake grinding was significantly associated with later chronotype values (p = 0,039). Despite the lack of significance, binary regression models demonstrated that students with later chronotypes report higher rates of possible bruxism, especially as far as awake grinding (p = .170; OR = 1.89) and sleep grinding (p = .140; OR = 1.60) are concerned. There were no significant associations between perceived stress, social jetlag and bruxism. The scores of perceived stress did not correlate with chronotype values, although a high positive correlation was found between chronotype and social jetlag (r = 0.516, p = .000). It can be concluded that later chronotypes increase the odds for self-reported bruxism, and are significantly associated with higher rates of awake grinding and social jetlag. No interrelationships were found between perceived stress, possible bruxism and social jetlag.     

Effect of Birth Season on Circadian Typology Appearing in Japanese Young Children Aged 2 to 12 Years Disappears in Older Students Aged 18 to 25 Years

Several studies suggest that season of birth differentially affects the physiological characteristics of humans. Those living at relatively high latitude, such as Canada, Spain, and Italy (44°N–45°N), and born in the fall tended to be “morning-type” persons in comparison to those born in other seasons. There are relatively little data on the affect of season of birth on people residing at low latitude. Here the authors show that at low latitude, Kochi, Japan (33°N), the effect of season of birth on the morningness chronotype is confined to young children aged 1–12 yrs, disappearing in elderly persons. Only female participants aged 2–12 yrs born in the fall, especially in November, were significantly morning-typed (p < .001) in comparison to those born in the other seasons, whereas there were no such significant season-of-birth differences in morningness-eveningness preference among male participants. Moreover, both female and male participants aged 13–25 yrs showed no significant seasonal differences in morningness-eveningness preference. The small effects detected in this study might be due to smaller seasonal change in day length at the relatively lower latitude of Kochi. (Author correspondence: haratets@kochi-u.ac.jp)     

Forward head posture is associated with pressure pain threshold and neck pain duration in university students with subclinical neck pain

Abstract

Objective: The aims of this study are to investigate the association between: (i) forward head posture (FHP) and pressure pain thresholds (PPTs); (ii) FHP and maladaptive cognitive processes; and (iii) FHP and neck pain characteristics in university students with subclinical neck pain.

Materials/methods: A total of 140 university students, 90 asymptomatic and 50 with subclinical neck pain, entered the study. Demographic data, anthropometric data, FHP, and PPTs were collected for both groups. In addition, pain characteristics, pain catastrophizing, and fear of movement were assessed for participants with neck pain. FHP was characterized by the angle between C7, the tragus of the ear, and the horizontal line. Correlation analysis and multivariate regression analysis were conducted.

Results: Participants with subclinical neck pain showed significantly lower PPTs than participants without neck pain (p?<?.05), but similar FHP (p?>?.05). No significant association was found between FHP and PPTs in the asymptomatic group. In the group of participants with subclinical neck pain, PPTs at the right trapezius and neck pain duration explained 19% of the variance of FHP (R²?=?0.23; adjusted R²?=?0.19; p?<?.05).

Conclusion: This study suggests that FHP is not associated with PPTs in asymptomatic university students. In university students with subclinical neck pain, increased FHP was associated with right trapezius hypoalgesia and with neck pain of shorter duration. These findings are in contrast with current assumptions on the association between neck pain and FHP.