Background
The Covid‐19 pandemic has created significant challenges for the global higher education community. Understanding of students' perception has important implications for the quality of the ...learning process, as it affects students' engagement in learning, helps educators rethink the principles of the learning design and further improve the developed programs.
Objectives
Understanding of how rapid and necessary changes of learning caused by the pandemic are related to students' intrinsic motivation and awareness.
Methods
There were 832 participants in this study. Quantitative and qualitative research methods employing relevant statistical techniques were used to research students' opinions regarding the distance learning process.
Results and Conclusions
Our analysis showed that first‐year students were significantly less motivated during the learning process than older students, they saw distance learning as less valuable and less interesting than the others. Our research found several positive consequences of the pandemic: working according to students' own schedule in a relaxed environment, looking at the lecture again if necessary, feeling free to ask questions and communicate with teachers and saving travel time.
Implications
Teachers should have more understanding for the first‐year students who are threatened when it comes to developing motivation to learn and help them cope with learning anxieties, encourage their self‐belief and give them extra support during the learning process.
Lay Description
What is already known about this topic
Intrinsic motivation is an important predictor of learning success, satisfaction and outcome in higher education.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid‐19) outbreak has rapidly shifted classrooms to the Internet and distance learning.
What this paper adds
The paper provides empirical evidence on how different demographic factors can be linked to students' motivation for learning in a changed educational environment.
The paper also analyse students' perceptions of distance learning in regards to the positive and negative aspects of educational environment.
Implications for practice and/or policy
Previous students' online learning experiences influence positively motivation for learning in a changed educational environment.
First‐year students were less motivated during distance learning than older students.
Students with a higher academic performance have put more effort in distance learning than other students.
Benefits of distance learning perceived by students were: (a) working by their own schedule; (b) re‐watching the lecture; (c) feeling free to ask question and (d) saving travel time.
Negative traits were: (a) lack of motivation and study focus; (b) anxiety as the change was unexpected and (c) lack of social and socio‐emotional aspect of learning.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Purpose: Carcinogenic effects of radiation are often assumed to be universally understood, more often than, for example, carcinogenic effects of many different chemicals. This in turn leads to an ...assumption that any dose of radiation, delivered at any dose rate, poses a serious health challenge. This remains an issue of dispute and low dose radiation research is focused on understanding whether these exposures contribute to cancer incidence. This review is focused on the low linear energy transfer (low LET) radiation exposures for which the data is the most abundant in recent years.
Materials and methods: Review of the literature between 2008 and today, highlighting some of the most diverse studies in low dose research.
Results: Low dose and low dose rate, low LET ionizing radiation animal studies suggest that the effects of exposure very much depend on animal genotype and health status.
Conclusions: Only the integration of all of the data from different models and studies will lead to a fuller understanding of low dose radiation effects. Therefore, we hope to see an increase in international archival efforts and exchange of raw data information opening the possibilities for new types of meta analyses.
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DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background: In the ICD-11 hierarchical classification structure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) are separate and distinct but also 'sibling' disorders, meaning that the ...diagnoses follow from the parent category of traumatic stress disorders.
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of CPTSD in treatment-seeking war veterans with PTSD more than 20 years after the exposure to cumulative war-related trauma(s). The second aim was to examine if there was an association between demographic and psychosocial variables and CPTSD or PTSD.
Method: A sample of 160 male war veterans with PTSD referred to the outpatient service of the PTSD Referral Centre at the Clinical Hospital Centre (CHC) Rijeka participated in a cross-sectional study. Psychiatric comorbidity was assessed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and participants completed validated self-report measures: The Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5), International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ).
Results: In total, 80.63% of the sample met criteria for a probable diagnosis of CPTSD. The study revealed that there was no significant difference in the length of deployment, in the intensity of the PTSD symptoms, types of trauma exposure and pharmacotherapeutic treatment between PTSD and CPTSD group. It was found that veterans with PTSD were more likely to be divorced and to participate in PTSD clubs. On the other hand, veterans with CPTSD were significantly more likely to have higher levels of functional impairment and comorbidity with general anxiety disorder (GAD) compared to the PTSD group.
Conclusions: This study supports the proposition that a prolonged trauma of severe interpersonal intensity such as war is related to high rates of CPTSD among treatment-seeking veterans, years after the war. The distinction between PTSD and complex PTSD may help the selection of person-centred treatment interventions that would target specific mental health and functional problems in patients.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Karst groundwater-dependent ecosystems (KGDEs) in the Mediterranean region are important in terms of ecosystem services and biodiversity but are increasingly under anthropogenic pressures and ...climate-change constraints. For this study, the ecohydrological characteristics, threats, and protection status of 112 selected KGDEs around the Mediterranean Sea, including caves, springs, rivers and wetlands, were evaluated, based on local expert knowledge and scientific literature. Results demonstrate that KGDEs contribute considerably to regional biodiversity. The diversity of karst landscapes, combined with the groundwater emergence at springs, leads to exceptional habitat diversity, particularly in arid climates, where KGDEs serve as a refuge for species that could not thrive in the surrounding environment. The most common threats identified among the selected sites are direct human disturbances, such as mass tourism or overfishing, water-quality deterioration and water shortage from aquifer overdraft and/or climate change. Although most of the selected sites are under protection, conservation measures are frequently insufficient. Such shortcomings are often caused by poor data availability, little knowledge on conservation needs of invertebrate species, and conflicts of interest with the local population. For this purpose, it is necessary to raise environmental awareness and promote interdisciplinary research, in order to monitor water quality and quantity in addition to the status of the biocenoses.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Research on the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sexual dysfunctions (SD) has clearly recognized the association among these conditions. The main objective of this ...research was to compare the levels of the overall and the level of certain domains of sexual functioning among veterans with and those without PTSD.
Two hundred and fifty veterans with PTSD and 187 veterans without PTSD were included in the comparative study. The following assessments were conducted: LEC-5, PCL-5, ITQ, IIEF, PEDT, and MINI.
Veterans with PTSD had significantly higher levels of all types of SD in the PTSD group compared with the non-PTSD veterans. Veterans with PTSD more frequently experienced psychiatric and somatic comorbidities and use of medication that may contribute to the occurrence and severity of SD.
The present study emphasized that SDs are an important issue among patients with PTSD. The study comprehensively accounted for conditions that may contribute to the occurrence and severity of SD among veterans with PTSD. Future directions of the research that could further improve the healthcare of the patients were indicated.
In this paper, we start with the research question of how business process
orientation influences employee engagement with job autonomy as a mediator.
We found that process orientation improves job ...autonomy, which then leads to
higher employee engagement. The empirical research study was conducted in
the IT (information technology) industry as an example of a digital
environment where organisation design is often process oriented. The findings
of the study highlight the significance of business process orientation, not
only for company performance, as most of the existing literature has already
suggested, but for employee well-being as well. The paper indicates that
employees in process-oriented organisations usually have greater control
over their work, feel empowered, and, therefore, develop more enthusiasm and
dedication towards their work role.
Consequences of war-related traumatisation have mostly been investigated in military and predominant male populations, while research on female civilian victims of war has been neglected. ...Furthermore, research of post-war posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women has rarely included early-life trauma in their prediction models, so the contribution of trauma in childhood and early youth is still unexplored.
To examine the relationship of early-life trauma, war-related trauma, personality traits, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress among female civilian victims of the recent war in Croatia.
The cross-sectional study included 394 participants, 293 war-traumatised adult women civilians, and 101 women without war-related trauma. Participants were recruited using the snowball sampling method. The applied instruments included the Clinician-Administrated PTSD Scale (CAPS), the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R), the War Stressors Assessment Questionnaire (WSAQ), and the Early Trauma Inventory Self Report-Short Form (ETISR-SF). A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the prediction model of PTSD symptom severity measured by CAPS score for current PTSD.
The prevalence of current PTSD (CAPS cut-off score=65) in this cohort was 20.7%. The regression model that included age, early-life trauma, war-related trauma, neuroticism, and extraversion as statistically significant predictors explained 45.8% of variance in PTSD symptoms.
Older age, exposure to early-life trauma, exposure to war-related traumatic events, high neuroticism, and low extraversion are independent factors associated with higher level of PTSD symptoms among women civilian victims of war.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
During the current COVID-19 pandemic, the people in Europe are exposed to self-isolation, quarantine, job loss, risk of contracting COVID-19, or grief of loved ones. Such a complex array of stressors ...may lead to symptoms of adjustment disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder. This research protocol describes a study launched by the European Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS) to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on symptoms of adjustment disorder across European countries.
The longitudinal online cohort study aims (1) to explore psychosocial reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic across ten European countries; (2) to examine the relationships between risk and resilience factors, stressors and symptoms of adjustment disorder during the pandemic; and (3) to investigate whether these relationships are moderated by coping behaviours.
In ten countries (Austria, Croatia, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden), between 1,000 and 2,000 participants will be recruited, depending on the size of the country. Participants will be assessed at two timepoints with a six-month interval. Following a conceptual framework based on the WHO's social framework of health, an assessment of risk and resilience factors, COVID-19 related stressors and pandemic-specific coping behaviours will be measured to estimate their contribution to symptoms of adjustment disorder. The Adjustment Disorder New Module 8 (ADNM-8) will be used to assess symptoms of adjustment disorder. As a secondary measure, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder will be measure using the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5).
The relative contribution of risk factors, resilience factors, and stressors on symptoms of adjustment disorder or symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder will be estimated using multilevel analysis. To determine the moderating effects of different types of coping behaviours on these relationships, a multilevel mediation analysis will be carried out.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The problems in sexual functioning among patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are often overlooked, although scientific research confirms high rates of sexual dysfunctions (SD) ...particularly among veterans with PTSD. The main objective of this study was to systematically identify predictors of SD among veterans with PTSD.
Three hundred veterans with PTSD were included in the cross-sectional study. The subjects were assessed by the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and self-report questionnaires: PCL-5, i.e., PTSD Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) with Criterion A, International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT), and Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS). Several hierarchical multiple regressions were performed to test for the best prediction models for outcome variables of different types of SD.
65% of participants received a provisional diagnosis of SD. All tested prediction models showed a good model fit. The significant individual predictors were cluster D (Trauma-Related Negative Alterations in Cognition and Mood) symptoms (for all types of SD) and in a relationship status/relationship satisfaction (all, except for premature ejaculation (PE)).
The most salient implication of this study is the importance of sexual health assessment in veterans with PTSD. Therapeutic interventions should be focused on D symptoms and intended to improve relationship functioning with the aim to lessen the rates of SD. Psychotropic treatment with fewer adverse sexual effects is of utmost importance if pharmacotherapy is applied. Appropriate prevention, screening, and treatment of medical conditions could improve sexual functioning in veterans with PTSD.
To compare the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and of particular PTSD clusters among help-seeking veterans before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. The second aim was to ...identify the main coping strategies used.
Male war veterans (N=176) receiving outpatient treatment at the Referral Center for PTSD were assessed at baseline (12-18 months before the pandemic declaration in March 2020) and during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown (March-June 2020). The Life Events Checklist for DSM-5, PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, and The Brief COPE were used.
Direct exposure to the virus in our sample was low, and the majority of participants followed the preventive measures. The severity of the overall PTSD symptoms and of clusters of symptoms significantly decreased compared with the first assessment. At the second assessment, all participants still fulfilled the PTSD diagnosis criteria. During the lockdown, the participants used emotion-focused and problem-focused coping rather than dysfunctional coping.
The severity of PTSD symptoms decreased during the lockdown. Further research is needed to study the trajectories of long-term psychopathology.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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