<p>HIV poses considerable social and health challenges in South Africa, particularly among young people aged 15-24. Research indicates a strong link between risky sexual behaviour and alcohol and illicit drugs. In the Western Cape drug-related behaviours is a growing concern among young people because of relatively high prevalence rates of drug abuse, particularly methamphetamine. Previous South African studies have tended to focused on the link between substance use and risky sexual behaviour among commercial sex workers. The theoretical approach of this study is the information motivation behavioural skills model. Participants were selected using non-probability sampling of 279 first year students registered for Psychology I at the University of the Western Cape. This study employed a quantitative research approach using a survey design. Results: Forty-six percent of students do not believe that the use of illicit drugs has an impact on a person&rsquo / s sexual behavior. However, the findings also showed that only 45% of students believed that there was a difference between illicit drug users correctly using condoms when compared to non-users. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Conclusion: Prevention is our best and most effective means of decreasing risk-taking behaviours associated with HIV infection. Information is the first line of intervention that is necessary to reduce risk-taking behaviours / however prevention strategies and interventions of risk-taking behaviours should aim to increase motivation and help young people integrate information in a way that it is personally relatable. This is vital to address the inconsistencies between perceptions of risk and the realities of risk-taking behaviour.</p>

<p>HIV poses considerable social and health challenges in South Africa, particularly among young people aged 15-24. Research indicates a strong link between risky sexual behaviour and alcohol and illicit drugs. In the Western Cape drug-related behaviours is a growing concern among young people because of relatively high prevalence rates of drug abuse, particularly methamphetamine. Previous South African studies have tended to focused on the link between substance use and risky sexual behaviour among commercial sex workers. The theoretical approach of this study is the information motivation behavioural skills model. Participants were selected using non-probability sampling of 279 first year students registered for Psychology I at the University of the Western Cape. This study employed a quantitative research approach using a survey design. Results: Forty-six percent of students do not believe that the use of illicit drugs has an impact on a person&rsquo / s sexual behavior. However, the findings also showed that only 45% of students believed that there was a difference between illicit drug users correctly using condoms when compared to non-users. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Conclusion: Prevention is our best and most effective means of decreasing risk-taking behaviours associated with HIV infection. Information is the first line of intervention that is necessary to reduce risk-taking behaviours / however prevention strategies and interventions of risk-taking behaviours should aim to increase motivation and help young people integrate information in a way that it is personally relatable. This is vital to address the inconsistencies between perceptions of risk and the realities of risk-taking behaviour.</p>

The purpose of this study was to gather more information about the process of internationalization in U.S. counseling psychology programs. Participants included 26 training directors and 83 doctoral students, representing 32 of the 63 APA-accredited, active counseling psychology doctoral programs. Results suggested that the presence of international learning opportunities did not increase from 2007 to 2010, with the exception that internationalism was increasingly being incorporated into the definition of multiculturalism. Results also suggested that training directors perceived opportunities to gain international experience in their programs integrated to a greater extent compared to their doctoral students. Doctoral students, however, perceived greater institutional commitment to international learning opportunities compared to their training directors. Finally, results suggested that both sets of respondents’ attitudes were generally favorable toward internationalization. Implications for counseling psychology training programs, as well as recommendations for improving internationalization efforts are discussed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Affektmedvetenhet avser förmågan att vara medveten om, tolerera och uttrycka affekter. Affektskola är en gruppintervention och avser att öka individers affektmedvetenhet samt förmågan att uppleva och uttrycka affekter. Forskning avseende affektskola har gjorts på kliniska grupper men få studier har utförts på en icke-klinisk population. Psykologstudenter kan argumenteras gynnas av en hög affektmedvetenhet och känsla av sammanhang (KASAM) i sin kommande profession. Även hög KASAM kan ses som fördelaktigt då det korrelerar med psykisk hälsa. Studien syftade att undersöka effekterna av genomförd modifierad version av affektskola med frågeställningen om affektskola leder till ökad affektmedvetenhet och KASAM. 33 psykologstudenter vid Linnéuniversitetet fick förfrågan om deltagande. Deltagarna fyllde i självskattningsformulär (KASAM-29, TAS-20, Affektfobitestet) före affektskolans start, efter affektskolan avslutats samt en månad efter affektskolan avslutats. Resultatet visade på nästintill oförändrade medelvärden mellan mättillfällena och att interventionen affektskola inte ledde till någon mätbar förändring. Resultatet talar för att affektmedvetenhet och KASAM är stabila egenskaper. Korrelationsanalyser visade däremot på medelstarka korrelationer mellan affektmedvetenhet och KASAM. Framtida studier bör vidare undersöka detta samband för att ge en djupare förståelse för dess förhållande till psykisk ohälsa. / Affect consciousness is the ability to be aware of, tolerate and express affects. Affect-school is a group intervention that aims to increase individuals' affect consciousness and ability to experience and express affects. Studies on affect-school have been made on clinical groups but only a few on nonclinical populations. Psychology students are arguable favoured by high levels of affect consciousness in their future profession. High levels of sense of coherence (SOC) is also favorable as SOC correlates with mental health. The purpose of the study was to explore the effects of a modified version of affect-school with the research question if affect-school leads to increased levels of affect consciousness and SOC. 33 psychology students at Linnéaus University were asked to participate. The contestants completed questionnaires (KASAM-29, TAS-20, Affektfobitestet) before the affect-school begun, after the affect-school was terminated and one month after the affect-school was terminated. The results showed almost no changes of the mean values between the different times of measurement which indicates that the intervention did not lead to any changes. The results suggest that affect consciousness and SOC are stable traits. However, correlation analysis indicated moderate correlations between affect consciousness and SOC. This correlation should be further investigated in future studies to provide a deeper understanding of the constructs and their relationship to mental health.

Responses of 111 doctoral clinical psychology students to Garfield and Kurtz' (1973) Testing Attitude Scale were subjected to a 2 x 2 factorial analysis. Attitudes toward psychodiagnostic testing were found to be related both to academic versus nonacademic professional expectations (academics scoring more negatively, M = 32.69, than nonacademics, M = 37.19), F (1, 107) = 5.994, p < 0.016, and to internship training exposure (non-interns scoring more negatively, M = 34.64, than interns, M = 38.80), F (1, 107) = 10.321, p< 0.002. Results paralleled previous research on academic and nonacademic working psychologists' attitudes. Similarities in students' and role models' attitudes were discussed in terms of Kelman's (1953; 1958), Festinger's (1957), and Bem's (1970) attitude theories. Results seemed to imply continued controversy over both the desirability of producing psychodiagnostically oriented clinicians, and also traditional paradigms of psychodiagnostic training.

Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague, Department of Psychology Richard Lukáš Psychology students' attitudes towards adoption of children by same-sex couples (Master Thesis) Consultant: PhDr. Lenka Krejčová, Ph.D. Praha 2018 Abstract: Same-sex parenting (homoparentality) is new, yet still not well explored phenomena in Czech Republic. Purpose of this study is to explore the attitudes of Czech psychology students (N=337) to homoparentality. The vignettes, i.e. model stories describing the situation of a couple preparing to adopt a child, were used. The sexual orientation of the couple and child's gender varied. After reading one of the six versions of the vignette, participants assessed the parental competences and child's future development after adoption. The factor analysis of dependent variables was performed with 8 scales as a result. Independent variables were traditional and modern homophobia, beliefs about etiology of homosexuality, gender roles attitudes etc. Results indicate that students view homoparentality rather positively. However, the homoparental and heteroparental families were rated differently. The participants were more concerned about normative sexual development and victimization of children from homoparental families. On the other hand, children from heteroparental families...

Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Students who transition from school to tertiary institutions can experience stressors which lead to anxiety and depression. This can be alleviated by exercise. Limited research has been undertaken about exercise and the alleviation of depression amongst tertiary education students in South Africa. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of exercise on depression, anxiety, and self-esteem on first-year students registered at the University of Venda (UNIVEN). A quantitative approach using a cross-sectional survey design was used. The study sample consisted of 320 randomly selected first-year students, 160 students who exercised regularly and 160 students who did not exercise at all. Data was collected using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), The Becks Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Becks Depression Inventory-11 (BDI-11). The study was theoretically underpinned by the trans theoretical model (TTM). Data analysis used both non-inferential and inferential statics that is, descriptive statistics, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and logistic regression analysis. The findings supported those found in previous research, both locally and internationally. The hypotheses of this study were fully supported by the results. Results pertaining to age and gender in this study revealed that there were no significant differences in scores. Additionally, respondents that had higher levels of anxiety, due to not exercising, were linked to pre-contemplation in the TTM. It was determined that these respondents were not aware of exercise as an intervention to enhance their overall well-being and mental health. Generally, the research contributes to understandings of the impact of exercise as an intervention in mental health challenges in first year tertiary education students. The exercise guidelines developed out of this research will help the Department of Education (DoE), UNIVEN and tertiary institutions generally in providing exercise interventions to undergraduate students in the tertiary education sector / National Research Foundation (NRF)

Объектом исследования явилась академическая прокрастинация. Предметом исследования стала связь академической прокрастинации со смысложизненными ориентациями и экзистенциальной исполненностью у студентов-психологов. Магистерская диссертация состоит из введения, двух глав, заключения, списка литературы (105 источников) и приложения. Объем магистерской диссертации 81 страница, на которых размещены 11 таблиц и 1 рисунок. Во введении раскрывается актуальность проблемы исследования, разработанность проблематики, ставятся цель и задачи исследования, определяются объект и предмет исследования, формулируются основная и дополнительные гипотезы, указываются методы и эмпирическая база, а также этапы проведения исследования, научная новизна, теоретическая и практическая значимость работы. Первая глава включает в себя обзор зарубежной и отечественной научной литературы по феномену прокрастинации, приведены различные трактовки данного термина, представлено изучение прокрастинации как в рамках различных психологических концепций, так и в современных исследованиях. Показана классификация прокрастинации и рассмотрена, одна из наиболее распространённых её форм, академическая прокрастинация. Выводы по первой главе представляют собой итоги по изучению теоретического материала. Во второй главе проанализированы и проинтерпретированы результаты эмпирического исследования связи академической прокрастинации со смысложизненными ориентациями у студентов-психологов. В главе представлен корреляционный, факторный и регрессионный анализ результатов исследования. Выводы по второй главе включают в себя основные результаты эмпирического исследования. В заключении в обобщенном виде изложены результаты теоретической и эмпирической частей работы, выводы по выдвинутым гипотезам, а также описаны возможные перспективы дальнейшей разработки данной проблематики. / The object of the research was academic procrastination. The subject of the study was the connection between academic procrastination and life-meaning orientations and existential fulfillment in psychology students. The master's thesis consists of an introduction, two chapters, a conclusion, a list of references (105 sources) and an appendix. The volume of the master's thesis is 81 pages, which contain 11 tables and 1 figure. The introduction reveals the relevance of the research problem, the elaboration of the problematics, the goal and objectives of the research are set, the object and subject of the research are determined, the main and additional hypotheses are formulated, the methods and empirical base are indicated, as well as the stages of the research, scientific novelty, theoretical and practical significance of the work. The first chapter includes a review of foreign and domestic scientific literature on the phenomenon of procrastination, various interpretations of this term are given, the study of procrastination is presented both within the framework of various psychological concepts and in modern research. The classification of procrastination is shown and considered, one of its most common forms, academic procrastination. Conclusions for the first chapter represent the results of the study of theoretical material. The second chapter analyzes and interprets the results of an empirical study of the relationship between academic procrastination and life-meaning orientations in psychology students. The chapter presents the correlation, factorial and regression analysis of the research results. The conclusions of the second chapter include the main findings of the empirical study. In the conclusion, in a generalized form, the results of the theoretical and empirical parts of the work, conclusions on the hypotheses put forward, and possible prospects for the further development of this problem are described.

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain a serious global health challenge, which if left untreated, may threaten an individual’s health. The challenge regarding the prevention of STI transmission is the asymptomatic nature of STIs during their early stages. Hence, STI testing is vital in tackling the devastating impact of STIs. The Health Belief Model (HBM) provided a lens through which to understand the study as it provides a basis upon which to predict health behaviours. The study employed a qualitative research method. The study aimed to explore University of Limpopo students’ perceptions towards STI testing. The objectives of the study were (1) to establish the perceptions of second-year Psychology students at the University of Limpopo towards STI testing, and (2) to determine the importance of testing for STIs among second-year Psychology students at the University of Limpopo. The study purposively sampled 15 second-year Psychology students at the University of Limpopo. It was found that the participants were knowledgeable about STI testing. The study revealed psychological effects associated with STI testing ranging from anxiety-related attacks, stress, depression, and insomnia, among others. It further revealed important aspects learned about STI testing, i.e. that some STIs are curable, early detection facilitate early treatment, and STIs are not a myth. The importance of STI testing was also determined. It was also noted that it is important to know one’s health status to prevent mother-to-child transmission and health consequences. The study further established the experiences of STI testing, such as anxiety, stress, feeling embarrassed, ashamed, and overwhelmed. In addition, it was found that students are reluctant to test for STIs because of low-risk perception of contracting STIs, the fear of receiving positive test results, lack of knowledge, stigma, and the judgemental attitude of health professionals. The findings also revealed that students consider testing to be a good health behaviour, although the majority of them rarely consult for STI testing. Constructive counselling is highly recommended for those who consult for STI testing. It is further recommended that future research should be conducted in other universities with broader sample size.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:39:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AndressaMO_DISSERT.pdf: 496864 bytes, checksum: 8aeadc642d4848ec83bc437bd672cdfb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-08-23 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The undergraduate courses in Psychology have been historically pointed as defective in aspects related to the critical education and the integration between theory and practice. Hence, the scientific education has been considered a possibility to overcome those lacks. Therefore, this study has investigated the undergraduate education process of Psychology students with PIBIC (Portuguese acronym for Undergraduate Scientific Research Scholarships Institutional Program) scholarships from CNPq (Portuguese acronym Brazilian National Council of Scientific and Technological Development). The scholarship program has been a strategic tool for the undergraduate scientific research. Electronic questionnaires have been sent to all the PIBIC scholarship students of Psychology in Brazil (622; 104 have answered), containing questions about the program developed activities, tutoring and advising, PIBIC evaluation and other ones. The students scientific and academic production has also been investigated through their Lattes (CNPq s Platform in which researchers have their academic r?sum?s). The major part of the participants (70%) has stated that the first motivation to be in the program had been their interest in the research or in the academic career. Furthermore, 60% of the scholarship students has worked as volunteers before receiving PIBIC scholarship. Among the students who have answered the research, 65,4% has reported they are tutored directly by their advisors, and 80% of them attends one or more than one advising meeting every fifteen days. It has been identified that the Psychology scholarship students do not participate in all the research activities and that the proximity with the advisor is related to the accomplishment of tasks which contributes with the student critical and reflexive education. Finally, less than 25% of the students has published scientific articles or book chapters during the scholarship, what XI demonstrates a possible exclusion of them in that phase of the process. In general, the scholarship students evaluate the program positively by revealing that it contributes with their professional and academic education. For those reasons, it is observed PIBIC s potential role for the undergraduate education in order to develop more critical psychologists able to propose innovations and contextualized practices. However, the results obtained in programs like the studied one denounce the disqualification of the provided undergraduate education for the major part of the university students, who do not have a PIBIC scholarship. As a result, it is emphasized that it there should be more investment for improving the quality of the undergraduate education itself and not only for programs which are available for few students / A gradua??o em Psicologia tem sido, historicamente, apontada como deficit?ria em aspectos relacionados ? forma??o cr?tica e integra??o entre teoria e pr?tica. Nesse sentido, a forma??o cient?fica ? indicada como uma possibilidade para suprir essas lacunas. Dessa forma, este trabalho investigou como acontece a forma??o dos alunos de Psicologia bolsistas do PIBIC/CNPq, iniciativa estrat?gica para a forma??o inicial em pesquisa na gradua??o. Foram enviados question?rios eletr?nicos para todos os bolsistas em Psicologia do Brasil (622, 104 responderam), com quest?es sobre atividades desenvolvidas, orienta??o, avalia??o sobre o programa, entre outras. Investigou-se tamb?m a produ??o acad?mico-cient?fica, por meio de consulta aos curr?culos Lattes dos respondentes. A maioria dos participantes (70%) afirmou que a principal motiva??o para entrar no programa foi o interesse na pesquisa ou na carreira acad?mica. 60% dos bolsistas exerceram atividade como volunt?rios antes de serem contemplados com a bolsa. Dos respondentes, 65,4% s?o de fato acompanhados diretamente pelo orientador e 80% t?m orienta??es uma ou mais vezes a cada 15 dias. Identificou-se que os bolsistas de Psicologia n?o participam de todas as atividades da pesquisa e que a proximidade com o orientador est? relacionada ? realiza??o de tarefas que favorecem a forma??o cr?tico-reflexiva do aluno. Por fim, menos de 25% dos alunos publicaram artigos ou cap?tulos de livros, demonstrando poss?vel exclus?o do aluno dessa fase. No geral, os bolsistas avaliam positivamente o programa, acreditando que esse contribui para sua forma??o acad?mica e profissional. Diante disso, assinala-se o potencial do PIBIC para a forma??o de psic?logos mais cr?ticos e capazes de propor inova??es e pr?ticas contextualizadas. Contudo, resultados obtidos em programas como esse denunciam a desqualifica??o da forma??o que a maior parte dos alunos, n?o bolsistas, recebem. IX Assim, ressalta-se que deve haver maior investimento para melhoria do ensino de gradua??o e n?o apenas para programas que atingem poucos alunos