RESUMO
Recent studies suggest that the optimal adaptation of exchange students to the host-university is associated to students personality, and suggest that lowering anxiety, higher sociability and higher sensation seeking is observed in students with successful adaptations. However, this pattern has only been studied in American or German universities. Accordingly, this study aimed to replicate previous results using a sample of Euro-pean-international undergraduates of the Erasmus Exchange Programme studying in Barcelona. Analyses of variance showed that exchange-students scored higher than locals in Sociability, Activity and in Boredom Susceptibility, but no differences were seen in Anxiety levels. Regression analyses reported that the persona-lity variable that best predicted studying abroad in Barcelona was, on a broad level, Sociability; on a narrower level, Parties and Friends and Boredom Susceptibility accounted for 38% of the study abroad variance. Results confirm that exchange students show a differential personality profile, but it differs in some traits when com-pared to American samples. It is discussed how the destination or university allocation and cultural characte-ristics might mediate the observed differences among samples. It is also discussed the relevance of including both students personality and destination characteristics in the study-abroad assessment programmes to facilitate students adaptation and avoid stress-related or adaptation problems.
Estudios recientes en universidades estadounidenses sugieren que la adaptación óptima de los estudiantes de intercambio a la universidad de destino está asociada, en parte, a su personalidad, sugiriendo que los es¬tudiantes internacionales más aventureros, sociables y emocionalmente estables se adaptan mejor a su des¬tino. El presente estudio pretende constrastar los resultados anteriores en una muestra de universitarios del Programa Europeo de Mobilidad Erasmus, estudiando en una universidad de Barcelona. Los análisis de va-rianza mostraron que los estudiantes de intercambio obtuvieron puntaciones más altas que los locales en sociabilidad, actividad y susceptibilidad al aburrimiento, pero no se observaron diferencias en los niveles de ansiedad. Los análisis de regresión informaron que la dimensión de personalidad que mejor diferenciaba a los estudiantes Erasmus de los locales fue la Sociabilidad; en un nivel más específico, el rasgo Fiestas y Amigos y la Susceptibilidad al Aburrimiento explicaron el 38% de la varianza de la personalidad característica de los alumnos internacionales. Los resultados confirman que los estudiantes de intercambio muestran un perfil de personalidad diferente respecto a los locales, pero difiere en algunos rasgos en comparación con las muestras estadounidenses. Se discute cómo el destino o la asignación de la universidad y las características culturales pueden mediar las diferencias observadas respecto estudios anteriores. También se destaca la relevancia de in¬cluir tanto la personalidad del estudiante como las características del destino en los programas de evaluación de estudios en el extranjero para facilitar la adaptación de los estudiantes y evitar problemas de adaptación relacionados con el estrés.
Assuntos
Humanos , Adulto Jovem , Ciências da Saúde , Estresse Psicológico , Adaptação Psicológica , Personalidade , Determinação da Personalidade , Desenvolvimento da PersonalidadeRESUMO
Individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) have the perception of memory problems without showing impairment on standardized cognitive tests. SCD has been associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Neuroticism and openness personality dimensions have also been associated with SCD and AD. From the aforementioned, we aimed to ascertain whether the dimensions and traits defined by the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ) differentiate between individuals with SCD and the general population (GP). A total of 187 participants with SCD and mild affective symptomatology recruited from the Fundació ACE Health Brain Initiative (FACEHBI) project completed the ZKPQ. Each SCD participant was matched by sex and age to an individual from the GP. Both samples included 71 men and 116 women with a mean age of 65.9 years. Results indicated that the SCD group scored significantly lower in Neuroticism-Anxiety and Activity than the GP group. Only Activity remained statistically significant in a multivariate analysis. These findings suggest that individuals with SCD have a low energy level and a dislike for an active and busy life. From the obtained results and knowing additional physical activities may delay the conversion from normal aging to cognitive impairment, we encourage promoting this lifestyle in daily routine. The assessment of personality may result in an SCD plus feature, which may serve as an upgrading strategy for future research.
