Common correlates of suicidal ideation and physical assault among male and female university students in Hong Kong

This study examined prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation and dating partner violence in a cohort of 651 university students in social sciences classes at three universities in Hong Kong. A standard questionnaire was completed within one class period to examine the rates of occurrence of physical assault perpetration and suicidal ideation. Separate rates are presented for male and female perpetrators and for severe and overall levels of violence. The differences between subjects having suicidal ideation are compared using t tests. Logistic regression is used to predict the presence or absence of physical assault in the preceding year of reporting and suicidal ideation based on the variables such as Personal Relationship Profile, age, relationship length, and socioeconomic status. Results showed that 55% of suicidal persons had a history of violence, whereas 39% of violent people had a history of suicidal ideation. Logistic regression showed that physical assault shared a total of seven associated factors with suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation seems to have no direct relation to physical and sexual assault, but they do share some common associated factors that are essential for the development of suicide prevention.     

Evaluation of a personal device in reducing the risk of low back disorders during stooped work

Adoption of the stooped posture in the workplace is widespread throughout the world in agriculture, construction, and mining. This type of posture has been established as a risk factor for developing low back disorders (LBDs). The purpose of this study is to evaluate a personal weight transfer device as a possible intervention to reduce the load on the lumbar spine, thereby reducing the risk of developing LBDs. Eighteen healthy subjects performed stooped posture tasks in a laboratory study designed to simulate harvesting of low-growing crops. Results showed that when wearing the device in the static stooped posture, biceps femoris activity was reduced by 17%, lumbar flexion was reduced by 12%, ankle plantar-flexion increased by 5%, and the lumbar erector spinae of those subjects who did not experience flexion-relaxation of the erector spinae was reduced by 26%. Hip and knee flexion were not significantly altered. Therefore, the device may be beneficial for those with existing LBDs, and who use the stooped posture routinely.     

Exhaustion in university students and the effect of coursework involvement

Although researchers have examined exhaustion extensively in occupational studies, this work-specific variable--despite its widespread acceptance and negative outcomes--has received little attention in regard to university students and their coursework. OBJECTIVE: The author examined the severity of exhaustion in students and the relationship between the personal/environmental variable of coursework involvement and exhaustion in university students. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred undergraduate business students from a large state university participated in the study. METHOD SUMMARY: The author used results from other exhaustion studies for comparative purpose and correlation and regression analyses to explore the variables of interest. RESULTS: The author found student exhaustion levels to be extreme when compared with those of traditional high-exhaustion occupations. Coursework involvement was a significant predictor of student exhaustion. CONCLUSIONS: The author discusses implications and recommendations for researchers, educators, and health-care providers.     

Biomechanical and organizational risk and prevalence of low back pain in the old adults caregivers of a nursing home in Joao Pessoa/PB

The objective present study was to investigate the presence of low back pain in caregivers of a nursing home, related with the labored activities executed by these workers. 16 subjects were investigated, 15 female and one male, with 40,8 age average all being caregivers as their profession. It consisted of three phases, where the first concerns the analysis of the collective work, assessed in a perspective of caregivers, Second, a postural assessment to verify the retractions in such workers and the third stage was used Diagram of Corllet to identify the presence of signs and symptoms in caregivers. The study demonstrated that organizational and biomechanical factors are responsible for the high level of physical fatigue and presence of pain in 93,75% of the caregivers in some region of the body. 50% referred pain in the lumbar region. The results of the postural evaluation confirmed that the caregivers had alterations in the postural alignment, presenting retractions of the anterior and posterior chain. The suggestions are to minimize the risk factors of this productive process and the symptoms and signals presented from these workers by adoption ergonomic measures and the realization of a physical program with stretching and muscular strengthening of the muscles of the anterior and posterior body chain based on the method of Reorganization Postural Sensoperceptive.     

国际学生语境中“说中文”“用中文”分析及思考

中国留学生是英、美两国国际学生中最大的组成部分。最近在美国、英国两所名牌大学发生的与使用"中文"相关的事件提示我们:国际学生语境中,学生管理工作者不限制中国学生"说中文"相互交流,也不在意中国留学生的沟通中标签式地刻意"用中文",这是号称尊重多元价值观的名校的管理者应有的文化意识。中国留学生在涉嫌受到歧视时,愤起发声非常必要。随着中国经济的发展,中国综合实力和国际影响力明显提高,中文的国际地位得到了大幅提升,世界上学习中文的人越来越多,中国越来越具有文化自信,国际学生语境中"说中文""用中文"将成为常态。     

A study on the relationship between commitment of club activity and vocational readiness among university students

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between commitment of club activities and the vocational readiness among juniors at university. In this study, organizational commitment questionnaire (Mowday, 1979) and vocational readiness scale (Wakabayashi, Goto, and Shinkai, 1983) were tested with 178 (120 men, 58 women) juniors at one physical education university in the metropolitan area. According to correlation analysis, the relation between commitment of club activities and the vocational readiness was positive significant correlation (r = .303, p < .01). Moreover, we executed t-test. As the combined results, this study provided the following three conclusions; 1) Vocational readiness score of students who belonged to the club were higher than that of other students. 2) Vocational readiness score of students who were committed to club activities were higher than that of students with low commitment to club activities. 3) Students who were committed to club activities tended to increase the score of vocational readiness. It was not able to be declared that there were positive influences of the club activities in university education from the viewpoint of vocational readiness acquisition. Therefore, it is necessary to consider what the club activities should be from the viewpoint of university student's career education.     

Relationships between physical activity and the proximity of exercise facilities and home exercise equipment used by undergraduate university students

The authors used stratified random sampling procedures to investigate the relationships among physical activity (PA), the proximity of exercise facilities, and the quantity of home exercise equipment in a sample of 411 undergraduates. To examine the data they collected from the modified Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire and the Home Environment Questionnaire, the authors used correlational analyses and analysis of variance. Intensity and duration of PA showed a significant relationship to the proximity of exercise facilities. Intensity, frequency, and duration of PA were significantly related to the quantity of students' home exercise equipment. Freshmen and sophomores engaged in PA closer to their residences and participated in 3 more exercise bouts per week than juniors and seniors. These findings suggest that proximity of the activity episode may have an effect on PA behavior of college students.     

The influence of running away on the risk of female sexual assault in the subsequent year

This study explores the sexual risk trajectories of female youths and sheds light on the long-term effects of running away. It evaluates whether running away increases the risk of sexual assault in the following year, which is after runaways return home. The sample consists of 5,387 heterosexual females between the ages of 11 and 18 years from the Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Nearly one quarter (23%) of runaways report a previous sexual assault in contrast to 5% of nonrunaways. In a logistic regression model, childhood neglect increases the risk of sexual assault between Waves 1 and 2 by nearly two times. Poor mental health is statistically significant. Alcohol use doubles the odds of sexual assault. The risk of sexual assault is approximately three-fold for girls with a history of sexual onset and sexual touching in a romantic relationship. Running away increases the risk by nearly two and a half times. There is evidence that alcohol use and sexual onset partially mediates the relationship between running away and sexual assault.     

Likes,dislikes, supports and barriers: the experience of students with disabilities in university in Ireland

There are more students with disabilities going to college than ever before. It is important that colleges understand the experiences of students with disabilities when in university. This research project was carried out by 12 students with intellectual disabilities who are enrolled in an Irish university, under the guidance of their lecturers. The project looked at four research questions: (1) what do we like about going to college; (2) what do we dislike about going to college; (3) what supports do students with disabilities experience to participation in college; and (4) what barriers do students with disabilities experience to participation in college? The results show many interesting findings about what students with disabilities experience in college and this information can be used to help colleges better support students with disabilities.     

The prevalence and nature of child sexual abuse: evidence from a female university sample in the UK

It is well established that child sexual abuse is a considerable international problem, yet evidence regarding its prevalence in the United Kingdom is extremely sparse, with the most comprehensive study conducted over a decade ago. The aim of this study is to establish a current estimate of the prevalence and nature of child sexual abuse in the United Kingdom, using a sample of female university students. Of the 213 female undergraduate students who completed questionnaires, 28 were sexually abused, giving a prevalence rate of 13.14%. Information was also obtained regarding the nature of the abuse. These results show that a substantial proportion of female students in the United Kingdom, who appear to be coping with tertiary education, have been sexually abused in childhood. The implications regarding the benefits of prevalence rates to health practitioners are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Teaching and learning: an exchange of knowledge in the university among students,service users,and professors

The education system's responsibility for social workers to be is a central argument in the academic arena. The purpose of the article is to present an innovative perspective about social work education promoted for several years in the Catholic University in Milan. The education experience with students, social workers to be, gave life to a particular workshop ‘Social Work Orientation’ characterized by different and innovative activities. The experience presented focuses on relational principles such as empowerment, peer facilitation, involvement of service users, and facilitation, following the idea that teaching and learning could be a simultaneous process. Revealing is the experience of ‘service users as professors’, a meeting day in the university between students and service users, a sharing of life stories and relationships. The future social workers learn from the service users, accustoming themselves to considering the service users as people able to cope with their life situations even before enrichment with all the professional tools. The feedback collected about this experience (from students, service users, and professors) shows that the possibility to experiment from the beginning in this approach facilitates the students to become social workers oriented to empowerment and relational processes.     

Effect of certified personal trainer services on stage of exercise behavior and exercise mediators in female college students

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the effect of certified personal trainer services on exercise behavior by using the transtheoretical model of behavioral change. PARTICIPANTS: Female college students (n = 449) completed surveys during the first week (T1) and last week (T2) of the fall semester. METHODS: Students receiving personal trainer services during the fall semester (experimental group, n = 31) were cross-matched with students who had not received services (control group, n = 31). RESULTS: The control group demonstrated a statistically significant regression in stage of exercise change scores; the experimental group did not. The authors found the 2 groups to have a statistically significant difference in the pattern of exercise behavior change over the course of the semester, with more active maintainers and progressors in the experimental group. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive and behavioral processes of change, decisional balance, and scheduling self-efficacy significantly decreased in the control group, whereas cognitive processes of change, decisional balance, and scheduling self-efficacy remained statistically unchanged in the experimental group.     

Erectile dysfunction,loss of libido and low sexual frequency increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in men with low testosterone

Introduction: Testosterone deficiency increases the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of erectile dysfunction (ED), sexual frequency and hypogonadal symptoms on CVD risk.

Methods: A total of 395 hypogonadal men aged 45–74 years were surveyed using the Androgen Deficiency in the Aging Male and the International Index of Erectile Function.

Main outcome measures: The 10-year CVD risk was measured with the Framingham Risk Score. Logistic regression was performed to obtain the odds ratios of sexual function and hypogonadal symptoms for a 10-year CVD risk ≥20% (high risk).

Results: The mean age was 56.1?±?6.7 years. The mean 10-year CVD risk of the whole cohort was 18.1%?±?11.4%, while 131 subjects (33.2%) were classified as high risk. Logistic regression revealed that ED severity was associated with CVD risk [OR?=?2.37 (CI 1.24–4.51) for mild-to-moderate ED, OR?=?4.39 (1.78–8.43) for moderate ED and OR?=?12.81 (4.65–26.11) for severe ED]. Compared to sexual frequency <1 per month, sexual frequency?≥4 decreased the risk of high CVD risk [OR?=?0.35 (0.23–0.780)]. Loss of libido [OR?=?2.95 (1.91–4.12)] and less strong erection [OR?=?3.87 (CI 2.11–4.95)] increased the risk of high CVD risk. All remained significant after adjustment for age and testosterone.

Conclusions: ED, decreased sexual frequency and loss of libido predict a high 10-year CVD risk in hypogonadal men.     

Using structural equation modeling to assess the impact of factors on sexual risk and delinquent behavior in Dutch female offenders

Research shows that juvenile female offenders have a higher prevalence rate of sexual risk behaviors than girls from the general population and that similar factors underlie both SRBs and delinquent behavior. Contributing to findings derived from young female delinquent samples, this study examines the impact of risk factors on delinquent behaviors and sexual risk behaviors in 146 delinquent girls (12 to 18 years) in outpatient forensic treatment. While controlling for ethnicity, results from structural equation modeling through bootstrapping showed that sexual risk behaviors (explained variance 26%) were predicted by the number of negative life events, peer rejection, and substance use, whereas the number of previous convictions and treatment dropout were predictive of delinquent behavior (explained variance 14.1%). Affiliation with deviant peers, parental monitoring, and conduct problems did not contribute to the explained variance in both outcome measures. These findings will be elaborated on in the discussion.     

Binge drinking in female college students: the association of physical activity, weight concern, and depressive symptoms

As an initial step in building gender-specific binge drinking intervention programs, the authors investigated the relation of potentially modifiable factors (physical activity level, weight concern, and depressive symptoms) to binge drinking while controlling for the effects of previously established correlates of binge drinking (tobacco and marijuana use, GPA, and perception of peer alcohol use). Four-hundred-twelve college women completed an in-class survey. Multivariate analyses revealed that tobacco and marijuana use, GPA, and physical activity were significantly associated with binge drinking, whereas tobacco use and perception of peers' alcohol use were associated with more frequent binge drinking. The findings suggested that the variables associated with any binge drinking and frequency of binge drinking may differ and that binge drinking can be associated with positive health behaviors (ie, greater physical activity) as well as risky health behaviors (eg, tobacco use).