Bakgrund: Nacksmärta är vanligt förekommande bland universitetsstudenter, där över en fjärdedel av studenterna inom vissa utbildningsgrupper uppger att de haft nacksmärta någon gång under det senaste året. Nacksmärta bland unga vuxna är en riskfaktor för minskad arbetsproduktivitet senare i livet och tidigare besvär är en av de tydligaste riskfaktorerna för nacksmärta bland personer i yrkesverksam ålder. Mycket forskning tyder på att fysisk aktivitet kan minska risken för uppkomst av arbetsrelaterad nacksmärta, men vilken dos, det vill säga hur mycket, fysisk aktivitet som behövs är inte klar. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka sambandet mellan fysisk aktivitet på hög intensitet minst 90 minuter i veckan och uppkomst av nacksmärta bland universitetsstudenter, kontrollerat för förväxlingsvariabler. Metod: En registerstudie genomfördes där data från 92 universitetsstudenter utan nacksmärta vid baslinjen analyserades i en multipel logistisk regressionsmodell. Resultat: Resultatet visade inget signifikant samband mellan fysisk aktivitet på hög intensitet minst 90 minuter i veckan och uppkomst av nacksmärta kontrollerat för förväxlingsvariabler, dock indikerar konfidensintervallet att den möjliga förebyggande effekten är större än den möjliga negativa effekten. Resultatet visade ett signifikant samband mellan uppkomst av nacksmärta och depression bland kvinnor. Sambandet mellan ålder och uppkomst av nacksmärta var inte signifikant men låg nära signifikansnivån. Slutsats: Uppkomst av nacksmärta har en multifaktoriell orsak, och behöver därför förebyggas genom ett mångfacetterat tillvägagångssätt. Vilken dos fysisk aktivitet som behövs för att minska risken för uppkomst av nacksmärta bland universitetsstudenter är däremot fortfarande oklar och mer forskning behövs för utformning av riktlinjer och rekommendationer. / Background: Neck pain is common amongst university students and can lead to neck pain later in their working life with effects such as reduced work productivity and high costs for the society. Studies show that physical activity can have a preventive effect on neck pain, but the dose is indefinite.  Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between physical activity at a high intensity at least 90 minutes per week and onset of neck pain amongst university students, controlling for confounding variables.  Method: A register study was conducted and data from 92 university students with no neck pain at baseline was analyzed with a multiple logistic regression model.  Results: The result showed no significant association between physical activity at a high intensity at least 90 minutes per week and onset of neck pain when controlled for confounding variables, although the confidence interval indicates that the possible preventive effect is bigger than the possible negative effect. The result showed a significant association between onset of neck pain and depression amongst women. The association between age and onset of neck pain was not statistically significant but was close to the significance level.  Conclusion: Neck pain has a multifactorial cause and should be prevented through a multifaceted approach. The dose of physical activity that is needed to reduce the risk of developing neck pain amongst university students is still unclear and more research is needed to formulate guidelines and recommendations.

Compared to their white counterparts, college students of color often have to deal with extra stressors associated with racial/ethnic (R/E) discrimination. R/E discrimination has been shown to be associated with a variety of negative outcomes, including increased psychological distress. This study aimed to better understand the negative impacts of R/E discrimination on college students of color by examining an indirect effect model in which discrimination affected psychological distress through perceived social support. Further, the moderating roles of three novel variables: social dominance orientation, collective coping, and internalized racism were explored. We predicted that social dominance orientation and collective coping would weaken the positive association between R/E discrimination and psychological distress whereas internalized racism would strengthen this relation. Participants of this study included 239 students of color recruited from a university in the southern United States who completed a r

Minne, stress och sömn är tre faktorer som påverkar en individs välbefinnande, hälsa och prestation. Sömn- och stressproblematik har under de senaste åren ökat såväl hos vuxna som hos universitetsstudenter. Sömnbesvär och stress är en negativ bidragande faktor till studenters studieresultat. Retrospektiva minnen (RM) är en typ av bakåtriktade minnen medan prospektiva minnen (PM) är en typ av framåtriktade minnen. Det finns tidigare forskning som visar att vuxna tenderar att ha större minnesproblem kopplat till PM än till RM. En anledning till detta kan vara att de använder sig av olika perceptuella och kognitiva processer. Samtidigt finns det forskning som visar att stress påverkar både RM och PM negativt. Studier har visat att sömnproblem har ökat hos studenter under de senaste åren. Studenter utsätts för höga krav i form av föreläsningar, lektioner och examinationer under deras studietid som i sin tur kan leda till ökad stress. Ökad stress kan därmed leda till ökade sömnsvårigheter och försämrade resultat vid minnestester. Föreliggande studie hade som syfte att undersöka sambandet mellan prospektivt minne, retrospektivt minne, stress och sömn hos 90  universitetsstudenter. Den ämnade också undersöka om det fanns några skillnader mellan RM och PM och om dessa skillnader kunde bero på stress och sömn. Samtliga faktorer i studien var baserade på självskattade enkätsvar. Det fanns ett medelstark samband mellan stress och minnessvårigheter samt mellan sömnbesvär och stress. Studenterna upplevde sig ha något sämre PM än RM. Stress och sömn låg inte bakom skillnaden mellan PM och RM. / Memory, stress, and mind are three factors affecting an individual's well-being, health, and performance. In recent years, problems related to sleep and stress have increased both for adults and for university students. Problems related to sleep and stress are a negative contributing factor to a students' study results. Retrospective memories (RM) are a type of backward memories while prospective memories (PM) are a type of forward memories. There is previous research showing that adults tend to have greater memory problems linked to PM rather than to RM. One reason for this may be that they use different perceptual and cognitive processes. On the other hand, there is research showing that stress affects both RM and PM negatively. There are studies showing increased sleeping problems for students in recent years. Students are exposed to high demands because of lectures, lessons, and examinations during their studies, which in turn can lead to increased stress. Increased stress can thus lead to increased sleep difficulties and impaired results in memory tests. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between prospective memory, retrospective memory, stress, and sleep in 90 university students. It also aimed to investigate whether there were any differences between RM and PM and whether these differences could be due to stress and sleep. All factors in the study were based on self-reported questionnaire responses. There was a medium-strong relationship between stress and memory difficulties and between sleep problems and stress. The students felt that they had slightly worse PM than RM. Stress and sleep were not a reason behind the difference between PM and RM.

There are numerous ways to measure or estimate parental attachment, from which can be deduced a positive, neutral, or negative relationship between adult child and parent. A standardized measure of parental attachment was administered to participants in this study, in order to determine a rating scale that can be worked with statistically to determine possible connections between the attachment measure and GP A. To that end, this study used the Revised Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, (IPPA-R). The relationship between parent and child has profound effects on an individual throughout their life. Even in adulthood, the attachment of adult children to their parents affects their attitudes and achievement. It is a relationship common to all. Even if the person is orphaned or abandoned, if this relationship between parental attachment and adult achievement can be demonstrated statistically, it may lead the way in learning to focus the positive power of parental attachment into measurable achievement for the adult child. It is hoped that this research may lead to further study about parental attachment and the impact it may have on academic achievement, and perhaps extrapolated to increasing achievement in other areas. The goal of this study was to measure the influence of parental attachment upon the academic achievement of adult children, measured by the Revised Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA-R) developed by Amsden and Greenberg (2009). The IPPAR is a revision to the original Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, first developed by Amsden and Greenberg in 1987. The original version had questions that were directed toward both parents together, such as "My parents respect my feelings ... " (Amsden & Greenberg, 1987). In the IPPA-R, the same question was broken down into questions for both father and mother. The same question in the IPPA-R would be, "My mother respects my feelings ... " and "My father respects my feelings ... " (Amsden & Greenberg, 1987). Participants for this study were recruited from a junior level Psychology class at the University of Central Florida. Extra credit was awarded for participation. A total of 106 students participated in this study. Of the total 106 surveys submitted, 3 surveys were incomplete, thereby reducing the number of participants to 103. Informed consent was provided by participants at the beginning of the survey. Along with the mother and father sections of the IPPA-R, the questionnaire included demographic inquiries, such as race, age and gender. Along with these questions, the request for grade point average (GPA) was included. Academic achievement was measured by GPA at the university level. GPA was recorded on a 1-4 scale, using 2 decimal points. The independent variable in this study was parental attachment with seven levels. GPA served as the dependent measure. Data were analyzed using a one way between subject Analysis of Variance, (ANOV A). GPA did not significantly differ as a function of parental attachment, F(6,97)= 1.758, p=0.116. Previous research using the IPPA-R as a psychometric tool has shown significant effects when parental attachment is compared to psychological well-being (Gullone & Robinson, 2005), as well as other, more diverse variables, such as tendencies toward drug abuse among female teenagers (Renes & Strange, 2009) and commitment to career choices (Ward, 2003). This study made use of the IPPA-R measure, as the above mentioned research did, but the dependent variable of GPA was different than other research using the IPPAR. Most research with the IPPA-R seeks to measure psychological well being, or some aspect of it. The present research differed from previous studies in that this project used academic achievement as the dependent variable. Academic achievement at the university level can be extremely important to life and career directions adult children may choose. Despite the lack of statistical evidence, several interesting issues were raised. These issues, as well as possible directions for future research, are discussed.

Climate change poses the most significant threat to sustainable tourism in the 21st century, impacting destinations globally with abnormal weather phenomena. Climate change not only affects the environment but also our mental health. Extreme weather events linked to climate change increase the risk of anxiety, depressive disorders, and other mental health issues, particularly among young people such as Gen-Z. Nevertheless, climate change anxiety has shown potential to motivate eco-friendly actions, including travel choices. The current research gap exists concerning how climate change anxiety influences travel decision-making. Understanding this relationship is crucial for comprehending the psychological factors driving environmentally responsible decisions. In the present study, the protection motivation theory offers the theoretical lenses for understanding responses to fear stimuli and the motivation for protective actions. This study utilized a nonequivalent quasi-experimental design with focus groups to investigate the impact of climate change anxiety on travel choices among Gen-Z university students. Two groups, a treatment group and a comparison group, were exposed to different climate change videos designed to evoke higher or lower levels of anxiety. While the video shown to the treatment group successfully heightened climate change anxiety, the study found that increased anxiety did not necessarily result in sustainable travel choices. Instead, it often led to feelings of apathy and desensitization. The research identified lack of self-efficacy, cost and time as the main barriers for university students to consider more environmentally travels. It highlights the need for better climate change communication to inspire positive action, emphasizing a vision of a better future. The study’s results offer a baseline for future research aimed at understanding effective climate change communication strategies that prompt pro- environmental actions. Interventions aimed at reshaping travel decision-making, which take into account climate change anxiety and evolutionary biases influencing travel choices, can offer valuable insights for public campaigns promoting sustainable consumption among Gen Z. By nudging tourists and making sustainability the default choice, these interventions could effectively encourage more eco-friendly travel decisions.

This study was designed to identify the unique shaping of the university/student relationship through the lens of the in loco parentis concept. The questions asked were to what extent has in loco parentis defined the relationship of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and its students through the institution's history as framed by: (a) the institution's mission, (b) university governance, (c) the definition of in loco parentis, and (d) institutional culture? Has in loco parentis found its sustenance at this institution through legal or cultural justification, or both? Qualitative case study methodology was utilized to examine in loco parentis within four time periods: (a) Shaping of a Land Grant University, 1891-1907, (b) Expansion of VPI Post World War II, 1945-1955, (c) Establishing the University, 1945-1955, and (d) Framing the Present, 1988- 1992. The research concluded that in loco parentis was historically grounded in the legal interpretation provided by the court. In loco parentis was sustained within this study by the culture of one particular land grant university grounded in its original charge of structuring a military lifestyle. The legal system provided a steady and constant external sustenance of in loco parentis and the institutional culture provided internal justification for in loco parentis as demonstrated within the history and tradition of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Each time period studied provided a view of the University that defined its role to its students in place of parent under the dominant influence of presidential leadership. / Ph. D. / incomplete_metadata

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on nearly all people. Vaccines provide an effective tool to combat the pandemic, however, vaccination hesitancy remains an issue. This study aims to investigate (a) students' attitudes toward the pandemic, (b) potential differences in attitudes between university students and the general population, and (c) to examine predictors of vaccination intention in both samples. Methods: In this cross-sectional study data from two research projects were analyzed and compared. First, attitudes toward the COVID-19 pandemic in German university students were assessed within a cross-sectional anonymous online survey (March-April 2021, N = 5,639) and analyzed quantitatively and also qualitatively (free text field answers examined positive and negative aspects of the pandemic). Second, data from a cross-sectional survey within the COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring project (COSMO; 29th wave of data collection, December 2020, N = 1,387) in the German general population was analyzed. Both samples, were compared in sharedly used variables, regarding attitudes toward the pandemic and vaccination intention, and factors associated with vaccination (logistic regression analyses). Results: In comparison to the general population, university students were significantly more likely to report being worried about/thinking about the coronavirus and to perceive the coronavirus as overrepresented in the media (all p < 0.001). University students reported a more supportive attitude toward vaccinations in general (students: M = 4.57, SD = 0.85; general population: M = 3.92, SD = 1.27) and a significantly higher vaccination intention (students: n = 4,438, 78.7%; general population: n = 635, 47.7%) than the general population (p < 0.001). Regression analyses revealed that in university students, vaccination intention was significantly predicted by not having children, a supporting attitude toward vaccinations in general, the belief that the coronavirus is overrepresented in the media, and less thinking about/worrying about the coronavirus (all p < 0.05). In the general population, vaccination intention was significantly associated with male gender, higher age, not having children, a supporting attitude toward vaccinations in general, and the belief that the coronavirus is overrepresented in the media (p < 0.05). The qualitative analysis among university students revealed that the most frequently stated positive aspect of the pandemic was to be more flexible due to digitalization (n = 1,301 statements, 22.2%) and the most frequently stated negative aspect was restriction in social life (n = 3,572 statements, 24.2%). Conclusion: The results indicate differences in the attitudes toward the pandemic between university students and the general population. In addition, differences regarding factors associated with vaccination intention were found in both samples. These results could be important to be considered when designing and targeting vaccination campaigns aiming at informing different population or age groups.

The main purpose of this study was to examine the use of mobile phones by Generation Y students in the city of Johannesburg in order to increase understanding of this segment's consumer behaviour. Generation Y is an important market segment in that it is making more independent purchase-related decisions and has a large amount of disposable income. The primary data for this study is based on focus group interviews and a quantitative study of a sample of 200 Generation Y tertiary students. Some of the findings are as follows: * Generation Y's use of mobile phones: Generation Y respondents have owned a mobile phone for between three to five years; the majority own Nokia mobile phones, are on prepaid packages and are not big spenders on airtime; furthermore, SMS is seen as the most cost-effective way to communicate. * Competition in the mobile phone market: The perceptions of this segment are that Vodacom is the "cool" operator, MTN is the most "expensive" network operator and Cell C is "cheap and youthful". * Mobile phone brand awareness: Nokia was the most cited brand of mobile phone and was found to be the first choice of many of the respondents. Samsung was reported as the second most cited brand with Motorola, Siemens and Sony Ericsson following. The results have implications for network providers, handset manufacturers and marketers alike as they will ultimately improve these stakeholder's chances of marketing effectively to this dynamic youth market. / Business Management / M. Comm. (Business Management)

This study focused on the 16PF (SA 92), a personality questionnaire that was developed in the USA and adapted for South African conditions. The main aim of the study was to determine whether the scores of the 16PF are comparable in a cross-cultural setting in South Africa. The influence of age, language, socio-economic status and gender on the scores were also determined. The sample consisted of black, white, coloured, and Indian university students and were drawn from the University of Western Cape, University of Pretoria, University of DurbanWestville, and University of Natal. To achieve the aims outlined construct comparability studies and item comparability studies were conducted. In addition, descriptive statistics were also calculated to provide a general picture of the performance of the various sub-samples. A qualitative study was also conducted to determine some of the reasons for the occurrence of item incomparability of the racial sub-sample. The results showed that the racial variable had the greatest influence on the scores obtained. Problems existed with the construct and item comparability of the 16PF when the different race groups were compared. In addition, significant mean differences were also found on the majority of factors when the scores of the different race groups were compared. The results of the qualitative study showed that participants whose home language was not English or Afrikaans had difficulty in understanding many of the words and the construction of sentences contained in the 16PF. The implications of using the 16PF in South Africa, with its multicultural population was outlined, taking the new labour legislation pertaining to selection into consideration. Finally, a number of options for test users, and users of the 16PF in particular were presented. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D.Com. (Industrial Psychology)

Many students have difficulty of learning abstract and complex topic in chemistry. This study investigated how students develop their understanding of abstract and complex topics of chemistry with the aid of visualizing tools: animation, simulation and video. A particular focus of this investigation was to assess to what extent the uses of pedagogy based technology (PBT) is effective in learning chemistry. The combined effect of animation, simulation and video clips enable learning by doing and provide opportunity to explore the abstract and complex lessons of chemistry. The research was conducted with sequential embedded mixed research (quasi experimental and Explanatory) case study design. The experiment was carried out with second year chemistry students include 90(14 female and 76 male) students, 12 male chemistry lecturers and the college heads. The students were constituted 45 Control group and 45 Treatment groups. The groups were non-equivalent (convenient samples), suggesting that randomization was not possible as the students were in intact classes. To apply animation, simulation and video in supporting student-centered learning activities of electrochemistry for second year students flash and micro media player were used. The treatment group was trained for two weeks how to operate and use animation, simulation and video software. Pre and Post tests were administrated to the target groups. The effectiveness of PBT was also evaluated by administrating separate Schedule containing open and closed ended questions. The comments and ratings obtained from the learners‟ and lecturer insights provided the basis for the learning impact of the study. The result obtained from the vi experiment and responses of the schedule shows that PBT improves the performance of students. Therefore, to make the abstract and complex concepts of chemistry easy and clear Electrochemistry learning should be supported by animation simulation and video. An extended study may help to understand the multi sensory benefit of Pedagogy-Based-Technology. Thus, a possible extension to this study should cover a variety of universities and should aim at evaluating its effectiveness in various context and subjects‟. / Science and Technology Education / D. Phil. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (Chemistry Education))