Problematic Internet Use among University Students and Its Relationship with Social Skills.

Internet use has been steadily and unstoppably gaining ground in all areas of life, from recreational activities to the establishment of social relations. However, addictive use of the Internet is a problem that seriously affects some people. Factors that may influence the occurrence of inappropriate internet use include age and social skills. For this reason, the aim of this study is to analyze the influence of social skills and age on the development of problematic internet use in university students. The study involved 514 students enrolled at a university in Spain, who filled in two questionnaires, one on problematic internet use and the other on social skills. Multivariate multiple linear regression models revealed that some social skills variables (conversation and social ease, empathic and positive feeling skills, risk coping) predicted problematic internet use. In addition, age played a role in preference for online social interaction and deficient self-regulation. Younger students were more at risk of having obsessive thoughts related to internet use and of engaging in compulsive internet use compared to older students.

Efecto del programa Aprender a Convivir en la competencia social y en los problemas de conducta del alumnado de 3 años / Effect of the "Aprender a Convivir" program on social competence and behavioral problems in three-year-old children

La competencia social facilita el ajuste social y escolar del individuo siendo un importante factor de protección frente a la aparición de problemas de conducta. La adquisición de habilidades relacionadas con esta competencia depende en gran medida del ambiente y la estimulación temprana, cobrando gran importancia los programas de intervención educativa. El objetivo de este estudio consiste en analizar los efectos de un programa de intervención temprana (Aprender a Convivir) dirigido al desarrollo de la competencia social del alumnado de 3 años. Para valorar el impacto del programa se tomaron medidas pretest y postest entre los participantes y se realizó la comparación entre el grupo control (n=151) y el grupo experimental (n=162) a través de un ANOVA mixto de medidas repetidas. Por otro lado, se llevó a cabo un ANCOVA para eliminar las diferencias pretest entre los grupos en el caso de que fuesen significativas. Los resultados de la investigación señalan una mejora del grupo experimental con respecto al grupo control en todas las variables de competencia social (cooperación d=0.32; interacción d=0.65; e independencia social d=0.35) y de problemas de conducta (interiorizados d=0.63; y exteriorizados d=0.57) analizadas. También se hallaron diferencias de sexo en cada una de las variables

Social competence facilitates social and school adjustment of the individual and has emerged as one of the most important protective factor against the development of behavioral problems. Acquiring skills related to this competence depends largely on the environment and early stimulation, gaining importance the educational intervention programs. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of an early intervention program (Aprender a Convivir) directed towards social competence development of three-year old children. Pretest and postest measures were taken among the participants and the comparison was performed between the control group (n=151) and the experimental group (n=162) through a repeated-measures mixed ANOVA. On the other hand an ANCOVA was carried out in order to eliminate the pretest differences between groups in the case that would be significant. The results indicate a significant improvement in the experimental group compared with the control group in all the social competence (cooperation d=0.32; interaction d=0.65; and social independence d=0.35) and conduct problem (internalizing d=0.63; and externalizing d=0.57) variables analyzed. Sex differences were also found

Factor structure of the self-regulation questionnaire (SRQ) at Spanish Universities

The Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ) has been used in psychology research during the last decade. The instrument has been used in a variety of life domains: psychological well-being, dispositional happiness, depressive symptoms and career adaptability. This investigation studies the factor structure and internal consistency of the SRQ, extracting a short version in the Spanish context and examining its relation to academic variables (self-regulated learning and grades). The analysis started from a version with 63 items, representing seven conceptual dimensions. This version was administered to a sample of 834 students from Education and Psychology. The data from the above-mentioned sample were randomly divided into two sets, each containing 50% of the students (n = 417): exploratory and confirmatory. In the exploratory sample, exploratory factor analysis findings suggested a more parsimonious measurement model, with 17 items and 4 first-order factors. The confirmatory sample was used in the confirmatory factor analysis. The results show evidence for the internal consistency of the Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SSRQ) in the Spanish context, with indices greater than .90 and errors around .05. Regarding academic variables, both versions are related to self-regulated learning (r = .40, p < .01) and students’ grades (r = .15, p < .01). Differences from other studies done in North America are discussed, as well as similarities to a study from North-West University (in South Africa) (AU)

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Factor structure of the Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ) at Spanish universities.

The Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ) has been used in psychology research during the last decade. The instrument has been used in a variety of life domains: psychological well-being, dispositional happiness, depressive symptoms and career adaptability. This investigation studies the factor structure and internal consistency of the SRQ, extracting a short version in the Spanish context and examining its relation to academic variables (self-regulated learning and grades). The analysis started from a version with 63 items, representing seven conceptual dimensions. This version was administered to a sample of 834 students from Education and Psychology. The data from the above-mentioned sample were randomly divided into two sets, each containing 50% of the students (n = 417): exploratory and confirmatory. In the exploratory sample, exploratory factor analysis findings suggested a more parsimonious measurement model, with 17 items and 4 first-order factors. The confirmatory sample was used in the confirmatory factor analysis. The results show evidence for the internal consistency of the Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SSRQ) in the Spanish context, with indices greater than .90 and errors around .05. Regarding academic variables, both versions are related to self-regulated learning (r = .40, p < .01) and students' grades (r = .15, p < .01). Differences from other studies done in North America are discussed, as well as similarities to a study from North-West University (in South Africa).