Evaluation of mindfulness practice in mitigating impostor feelings in dental students.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined (i) the prevalence of impostor feelings in first-year dental students, (ii) student perceptions of a mindfulness practice as a tool to cope with impostor feelings, and (iii) students' ability to identify their level of impostor feelings. METHODS: Two hundred three D1 students at a single institution participated in a mandatory Mind-Body Wellness Course that included the presentation "Understanding Imposter Phenomenon" (lecture #1) and a second presentation "Impostor Phenomenon and Mindfulness: Tools for Success" (lecture #2) 6 months later. Before lecture #2, all students predicted the level to which they suffer from imposter feelings and then took the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) to determine the actual level. After lecture #2, 155 of the students completed a survey on whether the mindfulness practices in the lecture impact their perceptions on coping with impostor feelings. RESULTS: Fifty-two percent of students were classified as frequent or intense impostors by the CIPS. Fifty-one percent predicted their CIPS classification correctly; 43% underestimated their impostor classification. After lecture #2, 86% reported feeling confident they could recognize their impostor feelings, and 93% reported feeling more aware of how impostor feelings influence their thoughts, behaviors, and actions. Eighty-six percent reported feeling the mindfulness exercise was a helpful tool to build habits to cope with impostor feelings; 83% reported feeling confident they could utilize mindfulness practices to mitigate these feelings when they arise. CONCLUSIONS: Frequent or intense impostor feelings may be common in first-year dental students. Mindfulness practice has potential to mitigate such impostor feelings.

Religiosity, neutrality, fairness, skepticism, and societal tranquility: A data science analysis of the World Values Survey.

Quantitative models of social differences have not only made major contributions to the fields of cross-cultural anthropology, psychology and sociology, but also have allowed for interdisciplinary studies that bring together engineering, life sciences, and social sciences. In this study, the authors use a data science approach to discover a set of quantitative social dimensions based on the World Values Survey, a nationally representative survey covering 60 countries and 90,000 individuals. Five national social dimensions, representing 198 questions and 56 countries are discovered using multidimensional item response theory (MIRT). They are (1) Religiosity, (2) Neutrality, (3) Fairness, (4) Skepticism, and (5) Societal Tranquility. This approach is unique from previous quantitative models because it groups responses by country and analyzes binary, nominal, and ordinal survey questions. It is possible today due to recent advancements in computing power and programming. Furthermore, this methodology tests the validity of previous quantitative dimensions and finds that some of the existing social and cultural dimensions are not clearly discernable. Therefore, this model provides not only more a rigorous methodology but also new social dimensions which more accurately quantify underlying differences across countries in the World Values Survey. Like other quantitative cross-cultural models, this model is a deeply simplified representation of national social differences. However, it is a useful tool for modeling national differences and can be used to help us understand the impacts of social preferences and values on different political, economic, and development variables.

Designing an Internet Intervention for Emerging Adults Who Experience Troubled Relationships.

This article describes how the Internet Intervention Model (IIM) was used as an organizing framework to design a theoretically based Internet intervention for emerging adults who experience troubled intimate partner relationships. In the design process, the team addressed six fundamental questions related to the several components of the IIM. Decisions made regarding the design of the intervention based on the six questions are described. We focus in particular on how the intervention is based on the Theory of Emerging Adulthood and the Theory of Narrative Identity.

Metabolism of the soil and groundwater contaminants, ethylene dibromide and trichloroethylene, by the tropical leguminous tree, Leuceana leucocephala.

Ethylene dibromide (EDB; dibromoethane) and trichloroethylene (TCE) are hazardous environmental pollutants. The use of plants to treat polluted sites and groundwater, termed phytoremediation, requires plants that can both effectively remove the pollutant as well as grow in the climatic region of the site. In this paper, we report that the tropical leguminous tree, Leuceana leucocephala var. K636, is able to take up and metabolize EDB and TCE. The plants were grown in sterile hydroponic solution without its symbiont, Rhizobium. EDB and TCE were both metabolized by the plant, as indicated by the formation of bromide ion from EDB and trichloroethanol from TCE. Each plant organ was independently capable of debromination of EDB. L. leucocephala is being used to treat perched groundwater as part of a remedial alternative to address an accidental EDB spill in Hawaii. Bromide levels of plant tissues from the trees grown in the phytoremediation treatment cells at the Hawaii Site were elevated, indicating uptake and degradation of brominated compounds in the trees. This report is the first evidence of a tropical tree effectively metabolizing these common organic pollutants.