Comparison levels, test anxiety, ongoing affect, and complex verbal learning.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the extent of eating problems and their association with self-esteem in girls aged 15-16. METHOD: Six hundred and nine schoolgirls aged 15-16 completed a questionnaire examining eating behavior, self-esteem, and general psychological well-being. A subsample of 31 girls was subsequently interviewed in terms of eating behavior and self-esteem. RESULTS: The questionnaire findings revealed that 56% of girls felt too fat and had used some form of weight control strategy. In addition, 32% scored above the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) threshold for anxiety and 43% reached the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale criterion for low self-esteem. Interviews confirmed that those showing abnormal eating behavior in the questionnaires did indeed show greater eating pathology as well as lower self-esteem. Interviews also revealed that those with high levels of eating concern showed greater levels of global self-dissatisfaction and higher dissatisfaction with their physical appearance and family relationships. DISCUSSION: The results suggest that preventative interventions targeted at girls with low self-esteem may be appropriate.

Achievement↗

PubMed1997

The relationship between peer, social, and school factors, and delinquency among youth.

This article examines the relationships between self-reported delinquency and peer, social, and school factors among junior and senior high school students in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, using both cross-tabulation and multiple-regression analyses. A greater number of ninth grade students were delinquent compared to students in the other grades studied. Predictably, peers' level of delinquency correlated strongly and positively with students' level of delinquency. Strong, positive correlations with delinquency also were found for students reporting high levels of involvement in sports, and high levels of involvement in commercial/entertainment activities. Multivariate analyses indicated the strongest predictor of delinquent behavior within the group of peer and social variables was peer delinquency. Within the group of school variables, the strongest predictors of delinquent behavior were how often classes were skipped and the number of times students were suspended from school. However, students' grades in school did not significantly increase the accuracy of the regression equation.

Achievement↗

PubMed1996

Negative labelling of individuals with first episode schizophrenia: the effect of premorbid functioning.

This study examines the hypothesis that negative labelling of individuals with a first episode of schizophrenia is related to the length and intensity of behavioural disturbance prior to first hospitalization. Forty-five individuals with first episode schizophrenia were assessed at admission to hospital for the presence and severity of symptoms, duration of untreated illness and premorbid social and occupational functioning. Negative labelling was assessed from ratings obtained from individuals designated as a significant other by the individuals with schizophrenia. Identical measures of labelling were obtained from individuals designated as a significant other by a comparison group (n = 70) who had no history of psychiatric disorder. The results indicated that the individuals with schizophrenia received more negative labels than the asymptomatic individuals. The negative attributions were associated with older age at onset of psychosis, a long period of deterioration before the onset of psychosis, and poor occupational functioning in the 9 months prior to hospitalization. These findings are consistent with results from studies that have examined expressed emotion (EE) in first episode schizophrenia and suggest that the reported association of high EE with relapse in first episode schizophrenia may be confounded with premorbid functioning that is typically associated with poor outcome.

Achievement↗