Emotional intelligence and coping with stress in foster parents

Although much research on emotional intelligence (EI) and coping with stress has been performed in recent years, little is known about these dimensions of individual differences in both foster and biological parents. The main purpose of this study is to examine emotional intelligence and coping styles in foster parents in comparison to biological parents. The study included 124 individual participants aged between 30 and 64 years old (M = 45.18, SD = 8.72), including foster parents (n = 63, 50.81%) and biological parents (n = 61, 49.19%). The cross-sectional survey study was conducted using the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS). In comparison to biological parents, foster parents demonstrated significantly higher levels of emotional intelligence (EI), more frequently used task-oriented coping styles, and less often pursued emotional and avoidant coping strategies to deal with stress. EI was positively correlated with task-oriented coping and negatively so with emotional coping. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that EI was a strong predictor of task-oriented coping. Training focused on the enhancement of both EI and coping with stress should be considered as an effective way to improve parents’ competence.

Experiencing Stress among Different Professional Groups in the Context of Their Age

The subject of this article is the identification of coping with stress and experiencing stress in three groups of the same number of people, different in terms of their occupation: professional soldiers of the Polish Army with the rank of an officer, people employed in managerial positions, and specialists working in independent positions in the context of their age. The analysis of the literature and the research carried out refer to the concept of sustainable development. This indicates the need to take care of limiting excessive stress and improving the mental well-being of all employees, regardless of the demographic characteristics and nature of the work performed. In order to identify possible differences, three types of questionnaires meeting the criteria of psychometric correctness were used (CISS, KPS, PSS-10). The obtained results were subjected to statistical analysis using the FUZZY TOPSIS method based on multi-criteria decision-making and the fuzzy logic, which was first applied in the social science. The obtained data confirmed some differentiation within the three studied groups, as well as the modifying role of age in coping and experiencing stress.

Prevalence of Headache and Related Factors in Erciyes University Medical Faculty Students

Headache is one of the oldest known symptoms in humans and headache disorders are among the most common diagnoses in neurology clinics. More than 90% of people experience a headache at least once in their lifetime. Medical students may frequently experience headache triggering situations such as insomnia, fatigue, and stress. The purpose of this research; The aim of this study is to examine the frequency of headache in Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine students, the nature of the pain in patients with headache and related factors.Materials-Methods: This descriptive study; It was conducted with medical faculty students studying at Erciyes University. In March 2019, 1602 students were enrolled in the medical faculty and all of them were planned to be included in the study and the sample size calculation was not made, and a total of 1296 people could be reached when the data collection phase was completed. The obtained data were evaluated in computer environment and p <0.05 values were accepted as significant in statistical analysis. Results: 46.5% of the participants in the study were men and 53.5% were women. 6.9% of the participants stated that they had a diagnosed headache disease, 31.7% stated that they had a headache at least once a week. The triggering factors were mostly; insomnia (77.4%), stresssadness (72.4%), fatigue (%70.0), noise (%59.4), study (%44.5). The frequency of headache is significantly higher in women, those with a family history and those living with their families. The mean severity score of those who describe sharp and throbbing pain, which is mostly seen in migraine, is significantly higher than the feeling of tension and heaviness. Conclusion: One-third of the participants stated that they experienced a headache once or more per week. A significant relationship was found between headache and the factors of gender, family history and place of residence. It has been determined that the factors that trigger pain are mostly insomnia, stress-sadness and fatigue. Medical students can be informed about the examination of headache complaints by the physician and the arrangement of necessary treatments, as well as training on sleep hygiene and coping with stress, and social support can be provided.

The Implementation of Teachers’ Humor in The Classroom

This research aims to investigate what types of teachers’ humor in teaching English, find out the function of teachers’ humor, and analyze the effect of teachers’ humor on students’ enthusiasm in learning English. This research applied a qualitative research design. The subjects of this research were English teachers of the English Language Center (ELC). In collecting the data, this research took place in the classroom for six meetings during the classroom interactions, particularly in 90 minutes of English lesson for each teacher. The data of the study were obtained by observing the learning and teaching activity in the classroom and interviewing the teachers and some students to know more about their perception of the learning process. The data were analyzed to identify the data from the observation, recorder, and interview. The result showed that the teacher used seven types of humor during the teaching and learning process: joke, pun, funny story, humorous comment, physical humor, satire, and riddle. In this research, the researcher found that the teachers used humor for three functions: coping with stress, drawing students’ attention, and facilitating communication. And there were five effects of teachers’ humor related to students’ enthusiasm in the classroom; the first one, telling humor could reduce boredom in learning in the classroom; the second, humor could break the stuck condition in the classroom; the third, students were feeling enthusiastic in learning when a teacher told humor in explaining the material; the fourth, students could easy to understand the lesson; and the last one, humor could maintain a social relationship. Keywords: Teachers’ Humor, Students’ Enthusiasm, Humor’s Functions.

The Changes in Stress Coping, Alcohol Use, Cigarette Smoking and Physical Activity during COVID-19 Related Lockdown in Medical Students in Poland

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has significantly limited social contacts, thus contributing to deepening isolation. Therefore, SARS-CoV-2 exerted on humanity not only a physical impact but also a psychological one, often increasing the feeling of stress. The long-term effects of such a state could include the management of depression, so our study aimed to analyze groups of medical students in different periods of the pandemic (at the beginning of the pandemic, after half a year of the pandemic, after one year of the pandemic) in order to assess the impact of this situation on coping with stress. The impact of the pandemic on the development of stress factors such as alcohol consumption and smoking was also studied. The level of physical activity in the context of coping with an uncertain situation was also assessed. The impact of the above-mentioned factors on the behavior of students, including the Mini-COPE questionnaire, AUDIT test, the Fagerström test and the IPAQ questionnaire was analyzed. It has been shown that as the pandemic and the lockdown progressed, patients consumed more often or larger amounts of alcohol, smoked more cigarettes, and levels of physical activity decreased. All these factors may have had some impact on the deterioration of coping with stress among the respondents, which would indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly contributed to an increase in the sense of stress among the students.

The outlook rejuvenation activity as coping with stress of aging in middleaged women

The article is presenting the results of middle-aged women`s experiencing the stress of aging coping study. The article provides data on the coping strategies of various flexibility in aging women who perceive an attractive (youthful) outlook as the value. Correlations between the choice of coping strategies and external factors of rejuvenation activity in women, regular clients of an aesthetic medical centre, have been revealed. This data is associated with the previously obtained facts of the influence of the use of anti-aging manipulations on the self-concept traits (self-acceptance). From methodological point the interplay of different data is used: the content-analysis of categories of a semi-structured interview with women with their coping with stress of aging strategies and types of coping flexibility. The results of comparing the data of content analysis, the author`s longitudinal observation, questionnaires` scores and analysis of external / objective factors of rejuvenation activity helped reveal that women`s rejuvenation activity is a successful, effective way of coping with the stress of aging, contributing to self-esteem enhancement, interpersonal communication improvement, life satisfaction increase in general.

International Chinese Students in the UK: Association between Use of Green Spaces and Lower Stress Levels

The health benefits of urban green spaces have been found to vary for different populations, such as people of different socio-demographics or different cultures. Among these populations, one remains understudied although its numbers are growing: Chinese international students. Indeed, more and more Chinese students choose to go abroad for higher education but face specific challenges, often resulting in them experiencing high levels of stress and poor health. This study explores the link between Chinese international students’ use of local green spaces and the effect on their perceived stress and health. An online survey was created to collect data from 186 Chinese international students studying in Edinburgh, Scotland (UK). The data covered the participants’ reported health status and their perceived stress levels, the strategies they use when coping with stress, their awareness of the benefits of visiting green spaces as well as their self-reported use of and access to local green spaces. The findings show a significant correlation between access to and use of urban green spaces and the self-reported wellbeing indicators. Some of the barriers experienced by participants in visiting green spaces were also explored. By investigating the specific behaviors of this emerging and vulnerable population, this study expands the corpus of existing evidence for the role played by urban green spaces in supporting wellbeing. Some recommendations to support the health of this community using urban green spaces can therefore be proposed.