Assertive skills: a comparison of two group interventions with Brazilian university students

The improvement or acquisition of socioemotional skills contributes to the academic and personal adaptation of university students. The way students think about themselves and others influence their social skills and well-being. Considering the importance of social competence for professional practice in the face of new social realities, the university must invest in programs that promote the socio-emotional development of students. This study compared the effects of interventions based on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and Psychoeducation on assertive skills and subjective well-being. This study involved 25 undergraduate students of a public university. The students were randomly allocated to three groups, including the Control group, and they were evaluated by means of questionnaires, inventories, scales, and written evaluation of the group process. The program consisted of 10 meetings and a 6-week follow-up. Irrational beliefs were reduced and their assertive skills' scores increased in the post-intervention and follow-up evaluations, regardless of the group. Only verbal reports from participants indicated an increase in well-being. The students' written reports after the end of the meetings indicate that the two forms of intervention were evaluated as promoting change by the students. One of the limitations of the study is the size of the groups. Despite the very small sample size, the study highlights that developing a set of flexible beliefs is fundamental to the exercise of assertiveness. (AU)

Aculturación y Diferencias Generacionales en las Creencias Irracionales sobre el Papel Femenino Tradicional en Madres e Hijas Ecuatorianas Residentes en Ecuador y en Estados Unidos / Aculturação e Diferenças Geracionais nas Crenças Irracionais sobre o Papel Feminino Tradicional em Mães e Filhas Equatorianas Residentes no Equador e nos Estados Unidos / Acculturation and Generational Differences in the Irrational Beliefs about Traditional Female Roles in Ecuadorian Mothers and Daughters Living in Ecuador and the United States

La edad cronológica, variable central en la definición de diferencias generacionales en las representaciones del papel del género femenino, se ha cuestionado como resultado de la desaparición de dichas diferencias en función de la experiencia bicultural migratoria, que es compartida por madres e hijas colombianas en los Estados Unidos. Este estudio explora el nivel de generalización de este proceso de cambio a otras poblaciones hispanas, con muestras ecuatorianas residentes en Ecuador y otras en Estados Unidos. Los resultados de comparaciones post-hoc confirmaron los hallazgos previos en mujeres colombianas, en el sentido de que las diferencias entre madres e hijas parecen desaparecer en ecuatorianas residentes en los Estados Unidos, pero no en las residentes en Ecuador.

Chronological age as the central criterion in the definition of generational differences in women's beliefs about traditional female roles has been questioned on the basis of the disappearance of said differences as a result of the shared bicultural experience of immigrant Colombian mothers and daughters living in the United States. This study explores the degree to which these results may be generalized to other"Hispanics" in the US, by comparing a sample of Ecuadorian women living in Riobamba, Ecuador, to a sample of Ecuadorian women living in New Jersey, USA (50 mother-daughter pairs in each sample). Results of post hoc comparisons confirm equivalency to those previously reported in Colombian women, in the sense that mother-daughter differences disappear in those women residing in the USA but not in those residing in Ecuador.

A idade cronológica, variável central na definição de diferenças geracionais nas representações do papel do gênero feminino, vem sendo criticada como resultado do desaparecimento dessas diferenças em função da experiência bicultural migratória, que é compartilhada por mães e filhas colombianas nos Estados Unidos. Este estudo explora o nível de generalização desse processo de mudança a outras populações hispânicas, com amostras equatorianas residentes no Equador e outras nos Estados Unidos. Os resultados de comparações post-hoc confirmaram as descobertas prévias em mulheres colombianas, no sentido de que as diferenças entre mães e filhas parecem desaparecer em equatorianas residentes nos Estados Unidos, mas não nas residentes no Equador.

The effects of rational emotive behavior therapy in the rehabilitation ot patients with spinal cord injury / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective To study the effects of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) in the rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI).MethodsA total of 300 SCI patients from six institutions were divided into a research group and a control group. Systematic rehabilitation was given to the patients of the control group, while systematic rehabilitation and REBT were given to the patients of the research group. All patients were followed up for 1 year. Psychological state, activities of daily living (ADL), and quality of life (QOL) were evaluated with a symptom check list (SCL-90), a modified version of the Barthel index (MBI) and the World Health Organization's quality of life assessment (WHOQOL-100).ResultsOne year after treatment, the improvement in QOL of patients in the research group was better, on average, than that in the control group. The differences were primarily in mental items. The ADL ability of patients in both groups improved, and any differences were not significant. The psychological state of patients in the research group had improved significantly 1 year after treatment, while the improvements in the control group were not significant on average, except in terms of interpersonal sensitivity.ConclusionREBT had little effect on the ADL ability of SCI patients, however, it improved their psychological state significantly, and thus improved their QOL.

Aculturación y diferencias en las creencias irracionales sobre el rol femenino tradicional (O’Kelly Women Beliefs Scale) en mujeres colombianas residentesen su país de origen y en Estados Unidos / Acculturation and differences in the irrational beliefs about traditional female roles (O’Kelly Women Beliefs Scale) in Colombian women living in Colombia and U. S. A

La Escala de Creencias de las Mujeres de O’Kelly (O’Kelly Women Beliefs Scale., O’Kelly, en prensa; Ellis, 1985) fue aplicada a colombianas residentes en Cali, Colombia, colombianas residentes en el noreste de los Estados Unidos y sus contrapartes estadounidenses (20 madres y 20 hijas mayores de 17 años en cada grupo). Se encontró que existen diferencias transculturales en los puntajes totales de los tres grupos. Comparaciones posthoc (LSD) indicaron que las diferencias significativas se encuentran en las hijas colombianas residentes en Estados Unidos, comparadas con las madres colombianas residentes en Colombia y las madres e hijas estadounidenses. No existen diferencias entre madres e hijas colombianas residentes en Estados Unidos. Los resultados sugieren que el patrón deaculturación de los colombianos en los Estados Unidos es el de asimilación al país de adopción conservando aspectos de la tradición y la cultura del país de origen.

The O’Kelly Women Beliefs Scale (O’Kelly, in press) was given to 120 females: Colombians living in Colombia, and Colombians, and their non- Hispanic US counterparts living in the USA (20 mother-daughter pairs in each group). An ANOVA indicated significant cross-cultural differences among the groups, where posthoc comparisons (LSD) revealed they were largely due to differences between Colombian daughters in the USA and three subgroups: Colombian mothers inColombia, non- Hispanic US mothers, and non- Hispanic US daughters. Results suggest that the acculturation patternof Colombians to the USA seems to be one of assimilation to the new culture keeping several aspects of the traditions and costumes of the country of origin.