ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between anxiety, self-esteem, happiness index and primary school students' academic performance in Chilean adolescents from the Biobío province. METHODOLOGY: 733 (46.1% girls; 12 (1.3 years)) public primary school students that completed the 2018 Health and School Performance Survey carried out in the Biobío province were included in this cross-sectional analysis. The BECK Anxiety Inventory (BAI) was used to measure anxiety while happiness index and self-esteem were measured using the subjective happiness scale and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale, respectively. School performance was measured by grade point average (GPA) of language, math, physical education and cumulative GPA, and behavior associated with cognition in the school context was also considered. The relationship between mental health indicators and school performance was investigated using a one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation. RESULTS: In comparison to students with low anxiety levels and high self-esteem and happiness levels, students with higher anxiety levels, lower self-esteem and happiness levels perceived themselves as having memory problems. They were also slower to solve math problems, had a shorter attention span in class and presented more difficulties in solving complex tasks, as well as being more nervous during testing. These students also got the lowest grade point average in math, language and physical education. CONCLUSIONS: High anxiety levels, low self-esteem and low happiness levels were associated with lower school performance and weaker behavior associated with cognition in Chilean adolescents. Implementing plans of emotional education and mental health could improve academic achievement.
Subject(s)
Anxiety Disorders , Happiness , Adolescent , Anxiety/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Schools , Self ConceptABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Sexual education has become increasingly important as unhealthy sexual practices and subsequent health risks become more prevalent during adolescence. Traditional sex education teaching methodologies are limiting for digital natives exposed to various digital technologies. Harnessing the power of technology applications attractive to the younger generation may be a useful approach for teaching sex education. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to improve sexual health knowledge and understanding of the problems associated with unhealthy sexual practices and address sexual and reproductive health challenges experienced in a low-tech setting. METHODS: A participatory design approach was used to develop the digital gamified methodology. A sample of 120 secondary school students aged 11-15 were randomly assigned to either experimental or control group for each of the 3 teaching approaches: (1) gamified instruction (actual serious games [SG] in teaching); (2) gamification (GM; making nongames, such as game-like learning); and (3) traditional teaching (TT) methods. RESULTS: The SG and GM approaches were more effective than TT methods in teaching sexual health education. Specifically, the average scores across groups demonstrated an increase of mean scores from the pre- to posttest (25.10 [SD 5.50] versus 75.86 [SD 13.16]; t119=41.252; P<.001 [2 tailed]). Analysis of variance indicated no significant differences across groups for pretest scores (F2,117=1.048, P=.35). Significant differences across groups were evident in the posttest scores. Students in the SG and GM groups had higher average scores than the TT group (F2,117=83.98; P<.001). Students reported increased learning motivation, attitude, know-how, and participation in learning (P<.001) when using SG and GM approaches. CONCLUSIONS: Digital health technologies (particularly teaching and learning through gamified instruction and other novel approaches) may improve sexual health education. These findings may also be applied by practitioners in health care settings and by researchers wishing to further the development of sex education.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCCIÓN: La extensión del consumo de inhalables hacia distintas poblaciones de México ocurre en el macrocontexto de la legalidad y la deficiente regulación sanitaria y policial de dichas sustancias, así como su gran disponibilidad y bajo costo, en combinación con los efectos placenteros de su inhalación, los cuales varían según el contexto y los usuarios. OBJETIVO: Aquí se describen las prácticas de coconstrucción de los contextos de consumo de inhalables. También, los efectos de éstos en dos grupos de estudiantes mexicanos de educación secundaria. MÉTODO: Se utilizó la metodología de la photo elicitation, analizando, en grupos de discusión, dos videograbaciones producidas por los mismos estudiantes, en las que consumen inhalables. RESULTADOS: Se realizó la categorización teórica de los datos con el software Atlas.ti. Se encontró que, a pesar de que los estudiantes inhalan tolueno, sólo una de las estudiantes experimentó mareo y dolor de cabeza, en tanto que otra compañera se sintió somnolienta. Sin embargo, el segundo video muestra que los estudiantes experimentaron la prendidez (euforia, desinhibición afectiva) y alucinaciones. El mareo, el dolor y la somnolencia parecen determinados mayormente por el consumo de tolueno y alcohol, pero los efectos disímiles, por la socialidad de los contextos de consumo del inhalable, la subjetivación de los estudiantes y su veteranía en el consumo. DISCUSIÓN Y CONCLUSIÓN: Se discute que los estudiantes prefieren el consumo de inhalables porque la "prendidez" fortalece su socialidad. Se concluye que conviene desalentar el consumo de inhalables incorporando la agencia y la subjetivación juvenil, sin desatender los factores macrosociales de la producción, comercialización y regulación de los inhalables.
INTRODUCTION: Inhalant use among various populations in Mexico occurs within the context of its legality, inadequate health regulation and supervision of its production and sales, high availability and low cost, combined with the pleasurable effects of inhaling, which vary according to the context and users. OBJECTIVE: This paper describes the social practices involved in the co-construction of inhalant use contexts of two groups of Mexican middle school students and their reported effects. METHOD: Photo elicitation methodology was used, with two videotapes produced by students on school sociality practices where inhalants we are used and then analyzed in discussion groups. RESULTS: The theoretical categorization of the data was performed using Atlas.ti software. It was found that although the students inhaled toluene, only one of the students experienced dizziness and headaches, while another classmate felt sleepy. The other video was different; students got high, experiencing euphoria, emotional disinhibition and hallucinations. Dizziness, pain and drowsiness seem largely determined by toluene and alcohol use, whereas the different effects appear to be caused by the sociality of the contexts of inhalant use, students' subjectivity and their length of consumption. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: It is argued that students enjoy inhalant use because getting high reinforces their sociality. The article concludes that inhalant use should be discouraged by incorporating the agency and subjectivity of youth, without neglecting the macro-social factors involved in the production, marketing and regulation of inhalants.
