Proactive coping and social-emotional adjustment among students with and without learning disabilities in Kerala, India.

The current study compared the level of proactive coping and social-emotional adjustment of students with and without learning disabilities. In addition to the relationship, influence of proactive coping on social-emotional adjustment of students with and without learning disabilities was also explored. Using a multistage random sampling method researcher selected students with and without learning disabilities in the age group of 15-17 years; each group consists of 150 participants from different high schools in Kerala. The instruments employed in this study were the Proactive Coping Inventory and the Adjustment Inventory for School Students-AISS. Correlation, t-test, and regression analysis were used to analyses the data. The students with learning disabilities have found to have lower levels of proactive coping and social emotional adjustment than those without learning disabilities. Further, a positive correlation between social emotional adjustment and proactive coping was also observed. The regression analysis has revealed that proactive coping of students with and without learning disabilities was significantly predicting their adjustment. As students with learning disabilities showing lower proactive coping skills, the study emphasizes the need to enhance proactive coping among students with learning disabilities. Improving proactive coping in both students with and without learning disabilities may help to mitigate social emotional adjustment issues.

Techno Trend Awareness and Its Attitude Towards Social Connectedness and Mitigating Factors of COVID-19.

While COVID-19 has taken a toll on many professions and livelihood of all walks of lives, technology has amplified its intrusion to ease the necessities. Innovative technology, therefore, has improved the glitches and provided the software to adhere to these new normal. However, individuals' awareness and attitude toward the advancements of these technological trends need to be addressed. Although the government has taken measures to prevent and curb the growing cases for COVID-19 with the help of technology, the support from the individuals would depend mostly on their level of awareness and the attitude toward those measures. The present qualitative study explored the techno trend awareness, perception and attitudes of techno experts and technical professionals toward social connectedness and mitigating factors of COVID-19. Besides, it also explained individuals' shift toward virtual interaction to maintain social connections during the pandemic. The thematic analysis generated four prominent themes. Social Connectedness, emphasized on the emotional connections that created a positive feeling of belongingness. Technological Advancement provided three sub-themes highlighting perception, techno trend awareness and desirable attitudes toward the mitigation of COVID-19. The categories under Treatment and Preventive Measures indicated the enhanced self-care of individuals and also the tendencies to minimize the spread of diseases. The emergence of the theme Inclination toward Indigenous Knowledge, which is an important finding, indicated the techno-experts inclination toward the indigenous knowledge amid vague scientific shreds of evidence.

Do Social Connections and Digital Technologies Act as Social Cure During COVID-19?

Although COVID-19 pandemic has re-orientated humans to be more physically healthy and hygienic, it has also persuaded humans to create affiliations and experience a sense of belongingness through social networks and digital technologies. However, amidst these changes, experiences of COVID-19 patients and their perception of the outside world's attitudes toward them appears to be less attended in literature which formed the basis for the current study's objectives. Using qualitative methodology, the present study explored the experiences, perceptions and attitudes of patients and their care-givers' toward COVID-19. The thematic analysis emerged with four major themes. Psychological Experiences of People was generated prominently with sub-themes indicating the perceived experiences like fear of spreading diseases to others, and the need for psychological counseling. Attitude of others toward patients and caregivers revealed that family members and relatives played a major positive role on the patient's mental health, however, the neighbor's stigmatized attitude led to several undesired behaviors. Social Connectedness was another major theme derived from the study. Altruistic volunteers, a sub-theme of Social connectedness have indicated that amidst these negative factors, one can spread social harmony by motivating and supporting the victims with basic needs, financial support, hope and social empathy. Opinions of participants for digital technology through technological aids and preventive measures emphasized an overall positive attitude as it helped the society, in general to maintain social connections as well to curb the rate of COVID-19 cases.