Vocal fatigue perceived in remote working by teachers of different school grades during COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: Teachers have an increased prevalence of voice disorders. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of remote teaching on perceived voice fatigue among Italian teachers of all grades during the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: s The participants were 195 female teachers (Mage=48.77; SDage=9.61) in primary, secondary, and high schools. They completed the Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI) through an online survey. The tool includes 19 items grouped into three dimensions: tiredness of voice and avoidance of voice use (TA); physical discomfort (PD); and improvement of symptoms with rest (IS). The participants reported their perceived voice fatigue during remote teaching. They were also asked to provide data about voice fatigue as perceived in previous classroom teaching. The data were analyzed through two sets of independent one-way ANOVAs, with voice fatigue subscales as criterion variables and school grade as a between-subjects factor. RESULTS: The teachers involved in the study reported higher voice fatigue scores than vocally healthy adults from the general population. Primary school teachers showed higher voice fatigue during remote teaching than both secondary and high school teachers, specifically for the TA and PD dimensions, whereas no difference emerged for IS. The VFI scores of primary school teachers were similar to those of dysphonic individuals. CONCLUSION: The results of the study confirm that primary school teachers are more vulnerable to developing voice disorders and suggest the need for specific vocal health interventions in case of prolonged remote work.

Un estudio longitudinal sobre maternidad y bienestar: Implicaciones evolutivas y clínicas / A Longitudinal Study on Motherhood and Well-Being: Developmental and Clinical Implications

Pregnancy and puerperium are crucial periods at both the biological and psychological levels. The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate women's perceived health and illness during pregnancy and puerperium through the assessment of hedonic and eudaimonic components of well-being, symptoms of peripartum depression, and their relationship. Nineteen women recruited at the Unit of Obstetrics and Gy-necology of a university hospital in Northern Italy were enrolled and answered a set of questionnaires at two time points: 20-22 weeks of gestation and 6 months after childbirth. Results showed a substantial lack of correlation between the dimensions of mental illness and mental health. The analysis of the well- and ill-being components showed low levels of depression as well as good levels of mental health, especially concerning the eudaimonic components of well-being, both during and after pregnancy. Overall, findings attested to a general stability of well-being over pregnancy and puerperium. Key words: positive psychology, hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, peripartum depression.

El embarazo y el puerperio son periodos cruciales tanto a nivel biológico como psicológico. El objetivo de este estudio longitudinal fue investigar la percepción de las mujeres sobre su salud y enfermedad durante el embarazo y el puerperio mediante la evaluación de componentes hedónicos y eudaimónicos del bienestar, síntomas de depresión, y sus relaciones. Participaron 19 mujeres contactadas en la Unidad de Obstetricia y Ginecología de un hospital italiano, quienes respondieron a unos cuestionarios a las 20-22 semanas de la gestación y a los 6 meses tras el parto. Los resultados mostraron una sustancial falta de correlación entre dimensiones de salud y de enfermedad mental. El análisis del bienestar y malestar mostraron bajos niveles de depresión así como buenos niveles de salud mental, especialmente en los componentes eudaimónicos del bienestar, tanto durante como después del embarazo. Globalmente nuestros hallazgos indican una estabilidad general del bienestar en el embarazo y el puerperio.

Academic Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Quality of Experience in Learning.

This study investigated learning activities and associated quality of experience of students with different levels of perceived academic self-efficacy. Two groups were formed out of 130 Italian adolescents (age 15-19), one with high and one with low academic self-efficacy beliefs (31 and 32 participants, respectively). Students provided valuation of academic pursuits and aspirations, and were monitored for one week with experience sampling method (ESM). Attention was paid to the association of learning activities with optimal experience, characterized by high perceived environmental challenges matched by high personal skills, involvement, concentration and intrinsic reward. High self-efficacy students reported higher academic aspirations and pursuits than low self-efficacy students. They also spent more time in homework, and primarily associated learning activities with optimal experience. Results have educational implications in fostering motivation and enjoyment in learning. They also provide empirical support for the combination of self-efficacy beliefs and quality of experience in motivational research.

Deficiência, reabilitação e desenvolvimento do indivíduo: questões psicológicas e trans-culturais / Deficiency, rehabilitation and individual development: psychological and trans-cultural questions

Por meio de uma troca incessante de informação com o ambiente, os humanos atingem progressivamente níveis cada vez mais altos de complexidade comportamental. Eles desempenham um papel ativo na interação com o seu contexto social, reaplicando seletivamente algumas unidades de informação cultural, em termos de atividades, interesses, relacionamentos, fontes de conhecimento. Este processo tem sido chamado de Seleção Psicológica, e é guiado pela qualidade da experiência que o sujeito percebe ao lidar com a informação ambiental e as oportunidades de ação. A Experiência Ótima nutre o desenvolvimento individual, induzindo o sujeito a procurar por oportunidades de ação cada vez mais complexas, de modo a fazer face ao aumento de habilidades. Ela contribui para a identificação e construção de um Fio Condutor da Vida, que compreende metas básicas e objetivos de longo alcance. Esta perspectiva apenas recentemente tem sido adotada no estudo da patologia psíquica e orgânica, e ainda mais raramente na comparação trans-cultural de amostras clínicas. No que diz respeito à deficiência, estudos têm enfatizado a importância da Experiência Ótima no promover o funcionamento físico e social do indivíduo entre os adultos cegos e paraplégicos, como entre crianças deficientes (AU)

Vivendo em família ou em instituição : a experiência ótima, metas e desafios na vida de adolescentes / Living at home or in institution: adolescent's optimal experience and life theme

A influência das relações familiares no comportamento e desenvolvimento de adolescentes tem sido amplamente investigada. Este estudo examina a relação entre a estrutura familiar e a qualidade das experiências de adolescentes nas atividades diárias e contextos sociais, e a percepção que eles têm das influências em suas vidas, de seus desafios e metas. Para atingir estes objetivos, Flow Questionnaire e o Life Theme Questionnaire foram aplicados a 50 adolescentes italianas (15-21 anos), 25 vivendo em famílias com ambos os pais, 25 em Instituições Abrigo. Os dados sugerem que a percepção dos adolescentes de um ambiente familiar positivo e acolhedor incentiva a busca por atividades diárias desafiadoras e agradáveis e o envolvimento em contextos sociais produtivos. Ao contrário, uma percepção negativa da família está relacionada com falta de engajamento e motivação e a prevalência de atividades com baixo índice de desafio como fonte de divertimento e satisfação. Os resultados, apesar de se ter uma amostra pequena que não permite generalizações, confirmam o papel crucial da família no influenciar o desenvolvimento psicológico e comportamental dos adolescentes. (AU)