scholarly journals Do Positive Emotions Make You More Prosocial? Direct and Indirect Effects of an Intervention Program on Prosociality in Colombian Adolescents During Social Isolation Due to COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belén Mesurado ◽  
Santiago Resett ◽  
Mariana Tezón ◽  
Claudia E. Vanney

The objectives of this study are to analyze the efficacy of the Virtual Hero Program during the social isolation due to COVID-19 to increase the positive emotions (joy, gratitude, serenity, personal satisfaction, and sympathy) and prosocial behavior of Colombian adolescents. Additionally, we will analyze whether the Hero program, by directly promoting positive emotional states in adolescents, can predispose them to take prosocial actions toward other people (via an indirect or mediated effect). The final sample of the study comprised 100 participants from the intervention group (M age = 13.94, SD = 0.97) and 111 from the control group (M age = 14.39, SD = 0.81). The participants were assigned to the groups using a cluster randomized trial. The positive emotions questionnaire and the Kindness and Generosity subscale of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths were used to measure the variables. The results indicated that the program increased joy, gratitude, serenity and personal satisfaction but not sympathy of those who participated in the intervention. The promotion of these positive emotions predisposed the Colombian adolescents to act prosocially. Furthermore, the program was also effective in directly promoting prosocial behaviors in the adolescents during social isolation, as observed through a statistically significant difference in the pre- and post-test evaluations between the control and intervention groups. The structure of the intervention brought adolescents closer to social situations to which isolation had limited their access, promoting the importance of closeness and solidarity with others within the complexities of the social confinement context. This study is particularly relevant because interventions with proven effectiveness are necessary to counteract the trauma produced by social isolation in young people throughout the world.

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-82
Author(s):  
Widyo Subagyo ◽  
Dyah Wahyuningsih ◽  
Mukhadiono Mukhadiono

This study aimed to determine the effect of the development of horticultural therapy to improve the social skills of mental disorders patients in the community. This research's method is quantitative research with a pre-posttest queasy experimental research design with a control group. The study results the social skills score before and after treatment in the intervention group given horticultural therapy was marked with a p-value of 0.01 (<0.05). In conclusion, there is a significant difference in the mean difference in social skills scores between the intervention and control groups.   Keywords: Mental Disorders, Social Skills, Horticultural Therapy


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-53
Author(s):  
Sofia Tsatsou-Nikolouli ◽  
Stavroula Mavrogeni

Education is not only about the transferring of knowledge, but also about the cultivation of strong social and emotional skills, which are necessary for the strengthening of the social competence of students, their positive self-perception and their success in school. Empathy, which refers to the ability to recognize another person‟s emotional state is one of the basic skills of the 21st century, which helps all students grow up to become active and critically aware citizens. The research/intervention program "Creative Writing and Social Learning Skills", implemented by students of the 5th and 6th grade of elementary schools in Thessaloniki, Greece, explores the enhancement of empathy, through the use of creative writing as an educational tool. Activities used were based on literary texts from Balkan countries and countries of Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The research sample consisted of 573 students, who were divided into the Intervention Group, that implemented the program, and the Control Group, that attended its regular curriculum. The analysis of the level of skills in children, and especially the level of empathy, which is of concern to us in the present study, was carried out using a structured improvised questionnaire, the alpha Cronbach coefficients where of range at very high levels. Study results showed that the Intervention Group exhibited statistically greater improvement in the assessment of empathy compared to the Control Group.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-71
Author(s):  
Pavlína Vaculíková ◽  
Alena Skotáková ◽  
Sylvie Kropáčová ◽  
Roman Grmela

Objective: The major objective of this study was to investigate the influence of six months dance intervention program on the level of functional fitness and postural stability in the elderly.Methods: The exercise program was carried out three times a week and included 60 dance exercise sessions. 60 elderly participated in the study (67.5±5.69 years), 30 in a dance intervention group (weight: 70.32±13.59kg; BMI 25.95±3.79 kg/m2), 30 in a control group (weight: 76. 93±15.45kg; BMI 27.06±3.88 kg/m2). Three subtests were used to determine the level of functional fitness from the Senior fitness test battery; the static posturography method assessed the level of balance abilities in one position.Results: The most meaningful results to emerge from the data are that the intervention dance program led to a post-exercise increase in the level of agility, dynamic balance and reaction speed measured by 8 Foot up Go test in the dance group. The results indicate a statistically significant difference value in the dance group compared to the control group between post-test results (p=0.01). Values of the other monitored parameters were not statistically significant. The Cohen coefficient d reflects the low or medium value of the intervention program's effectiveness.Conclusions: Even if the dance intervention program did not have a more significant effect on the level of the tested parameters, we must state that only a slight improvement or a steady level of functional fitness and postural stability is a positive result in this age. Keywords: aging, dance, Senior fitness test, motor abilities, balance ability


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 2022-2028
Author(s):  
Eman Asran Mohamed ◽  
Enayat Abd El Wahab Khalil ◽  
Zeinab Abd El Halim Osman ◽  
Mona Rakhawy ◽  
Naglaa Mostafa G

Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic disease characterized by distortions in thinking, perception, emotions, language, sense of self and behavior. Humor could be used as an alternative to conventional treatment with the goal of helping patients with schizophrenia cope with symptoms, enhance recovery through its emotional, cognitive, social and physiological effects. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of humor intervention program on positive and negative symptoms among schizophrenic patients. Design: Randomized control trial (RCT) design was used. Sample: Purposive sample consisted of 40) schizophrenic patients, the study group (n= 20) and control group (n= 20). The patients were selected and allocated randomly into two groups, intervention group (received the humor interventions program) and control group (received traditional care). The study conducted in the Psychiatry and Addiction Prevention "El Kasr AlAini University Hospital and al Rakhawy Hospital for Mental Health. Tools: three tools were used for data collection were; the Socio Demographic Data Sheet, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale (MSHS). Results: revealed that, there was a statistical significant difference between total score of PANSS between study and control groups post intervention. Conclusion: The present study emphasizes the importance of humor intervention program in reducing severity of symptoms of patients with schizophrenia. Key words: schizophrenia, humor intervention, positive symptoms, negative symptoms


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Bakhtari ◽  
Nader Alizadeh ◽  
Haidar Nadrian ◽  
Christoph Augner ◽  
Asghar Mohammadpoorasl

Abstract Background The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a multi-level intervention based on the social ecological model on the frequency and duration of hookah smoking among a sample of Iranian adults. Methods In this study, two comparable cities in Iran were selected to participate in an intervention program based on a social ecological model (SEM). In each city, 133 hookah smokers in coffee houses were selected. Environmental changes in coffee houses such as serving light foods and games were conducted. A virtual group named "no hookah" was established on the Telegram application to train participants in the intervention group. Messages, pictures and short videos were sent to the participants through that virtual network. The frequency and duration of hookah consumption were assessed in both groups at baseline and after the intervention. Results The frequency of hookah consumption decreased in 72.6% of participants in the intervention group (vs. 6.3% in the control group); and the duration of hookah consumption per session decreased in 39.5% of participants in the intervention group (vs. 5.5% in the control group). Conclusions Using multi-level interventions through a social ecological model can reduce hookah consumption in young people.


Aquichan ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Clementina Prazeres Fernandes Sousa ◽  
Célia Samarina Brito Santos

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a stoma nursing care program on the personal adjustment to an ostomy. Materials and methods: A quasi-experimental study with a control group. The sample of 105 patients with stoma was divided into two groups (intervention group and control group), with assessments in the first and sixth month after hospital discharge. Information was collected using the Elimination Ostomy Adjustment Scale. Student’s t-tests analysis were performed. Results: One month after hospital discharge, the adjustment to the stoma was satisfactory and similar (p > 0.05) in both groups, and in the sixth month, statistically more favorable in the intervention group (p < 0.001); a statistically significant difference between the two assessments (p < 0.001) is found in the intervention group only. Conclusions: The intervention program has a positive influence on the adjustment to the stoma, and its contribution is significant six months after hospital discharge. Systematic interventions of an ostomy care specialized nurse have shown positive effects on ostomy adjustment, which is recommended since the preoperative period.


2021 ◽  
pp. 62-67
Author(s):  
Sofia Tsatsou-Nikolouli ◽  
Stavroula Mavrogeni

Education is not only about the transferring of knowledge, but also about the cultivation of strong social and emotional skills, which are necessary for the strengthening of the social competence of students, their positive self-perception, and their success in school. Empathy, which refers to the ability to recognize another person’s emotional state is one of the basic skills of the 21st century, which helps all students grow up to become active and critically aware citizens. The research/intervention program "Creative Writing and Social Learning Skills", implemented by students of the 5th and 6th grade of elementary schools in Thessaloniki, Greece, explore the enhancement of empathy, through the use of creative writing as an educational tool. Activities used were based on literary texts from Balkan countries and countries of Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The research sample consisted of 573 students, who were divided into the Intervention Group, that implemented the program, and the Control Group, that attended its regular curriculum. The analysis of the level of skills in children, and especially the level of empathy, which is of concern to us in the present study, was carried out using a structured improvised questionnaire, the alpha Cronbach coefficients where of range at very high levels. Study results showed that the Intervention Group exhibited statistically greater improvement in the assessment of empathy compared to the Control Group.


Author(s):  
Cheila Aparecida Bevilaqua ◽  
Sandra Marisa Pelloso ◽  
Sonia Silva Marcon

ABSTRACT Objective: to ascertain the effectiveness of an intervention program in relation to anthropometric measurements and stage of readiness for behavioral change in women with excess weight. Methods: the intervention group (IG) was made up of 13 women, and the control group (CG), by 20. The intervention lasted 16 weeks, and included the practice of guided physical activity three times a week, and health education once a week. The application of the questionnaire on stage of readiness for behavioral change, and the anthropometric evaluations, were undertaken at two points - before and after the period of intervention. The statistical analysis involved tests of comparison and association. Results: in general, at the first point, the participants in the two groups were predisposed to make changes in what they ate and in their physical activity. However, significant difference was only observed in relation to weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and waist-hip ratio and readiness for change among the members of the intervention group. Conclusion: the intervention programmed was effective in weight loss, reduction of waist circumference and waist-hip ratio, and in changing behaviors related to the practicing of physical exercise and eating habits.


2021 ◽  
pp. 135910452110095
Author(s):  
Zakiye Ghelbash ◽  
Ladan Zarshenas ◽  
Zobeydeh Dehghan Manshadi

Aims: As a vulnerable group in society, orphaned and abandoned adolescents are faced with various social issues as well as lack of healthy social skills that can lead to high-risk behaviors. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of emotional intelligence skills training on the social skills of orphaned and abandoned adolescents. Methods: The present study was an interventional research with a pretest-posttest design. The sample included 30 orphaned and abandoned male teen-agers, residing in a care center, who were randomly selected and divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group had four emotional intelligence-based training sessions. In this study, the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) was used to evaluate the variables. The results were analyzed, using SPSS Statistics 22. Results: The results showed significant difference between the mean MESSY scores in the intervention group before and after the intervention ( p < .05). There was also a significant difference between the mean scores of the intervention and control group, following the intervention. Conclusion: An emotional intelligence-based training program can be effective in improving the social skill levels amongst orphaned and abandoned adolescents as a vulnerable social group.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy P.L. Or ◽  
Patricia T.Y. Ching

Abstract Background To test whether parents’ awareness of antimicrobial resistance could be improved through the education programme with peer support on social media Methods A cluster randomized controlled trial with two-arms were implemented. The intervention program consisted of two weekly sessions and each session lasted for 90 minutes. A total of 48 parents had participated in the program. Parental knowledge, attitude, and their social network were measured before and after the program using the Parental Perception on Antibiotics (PAPA) scale and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) to assess differences between and within the intervention and control groups. Results All parents would have a sense that antibiotics could be effective at treating some infections and not others, as compared to 40% in the control group. All parents in the intervention group and 85% of the control group disagreed that they should reduce the dose of antibiotics when their children were recovering. The test was statistically significant (p = 0.039) with a p value < .05. There was a significant difference and a strong negative correlation between peer support in Facebook and the parents’ belief that antibiotics could be stopped when their children felt better, with Pearson coefficient of -0.78 and p = 0.001. In general, there was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to the GSE scale. Conclusions Based on the findings in this pilot study, a further study based on the education program with enhancement and peer support can be implemented in a large scale with a positive expectation of increasing parental awareness of antimicrobial resistance and potentially influencing patient prescribing expectations when seeking healthcare.


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