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School alienation is a sense of estrangement from learning and knowledge, which is related with low academic achievement and often influenced by negative relationship with teacher and classmate, negatively affecting the student psychological well-being. In accordance with self-determination theory, the interpersonal context may or may not support the individual, depending on whether it contributes to satisfaction or, conversely, to frustration of the "basic psychological needs". Therefore, it is important to understand the factors that influence students' subjective well-being, in order to prevent the onset of problems that can have negative repercussions on their functioning and health. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating role of the basic psychological needs on the relationship between students' perceptions of teachers' and classmates' need-supportive and need-thwarting interpersonal behaviors and school alienation and academic achievement. A total of 399 students, with an average age of 16.88 years, participated in this study. The results showed the role of basic psychological needs in the relationship between teachers' and classmates' need-supportive and need-thwarting interpersonal behaviors, school alienation, and academic achievement. This study extends the knowledge of the factors that can influence the school functioning of adolescents, with important application implications in school context.

The main purpose of this study is to investigate how students' perceptions of need satisfaction and need frustration at school are indirectly associated with academic achievement through academic engagement. A modified version of the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale was used to assess these needs in a school-based context. The study sample consisted of 551 students, comprising 299 males (54.3%) and 252 females (45.7%), with an average age of 16.19 years (SD = 1.49). The results suggested autonomy satisfaction and relatedness satisfaction are positively correlated with academic engagement, autonomy frustration is negatively correlated with academic engagement, and, moreover, academic engagement is associated with increased academic achievement. The results of this study highlight the importance of developing specific training programs to promote a school environment that pays attention to students' psychological needs.

Studies have shown that the school atmosphere perceived by students can play a key role in promoting their well-being and success in school. No study to date has analyzed whether the students' perceived school atmosphere might contribute to school refusal (SR), which in turn might reduce students' engagement and promote underachievement. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 528 Italian high school students (Mage = 16.08, SD = 1.38; 50.8% males, 47% females, and 2.3% not declared), with the aim of assessing the role of the mediation of SR (Anxious Anticipation, Difficult Transition, Interpersonal Discomfort, and School Avoidance) in the association between students' perceived school atmosphere (Student Relations, Student–Teacher Relations, Educational Climate, Sense of Belonging, and Interpersonal Justice) and school engagement and underachievement. Data were collected using validated instruments, including the SChool REfusal EvaluatioN for school refusal, the Multidimensional School Climate Questionnaire for school atmosphere, and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for school engagement. To evaluate the association between variables, we performed structural equation modeling with latent variables. Mediation analysis indicated that Difficult Transition fully mediates the association between Sense of Belonging and school engagement (β = 0.20, p ≤ 0.05). This study extends the knowledge of school refusal behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As stated by the Goal Orientation Theory, students want to achieve a goal for multiple reasons, with each having a different impact on academic performance. This framework encompasses a three-factor model of goal achievement: a mastery goal, a performance-avoidance (PAv) goal, and a performance-approach (PAp) goal. Students may experience elevated stress levels and burnout due to adopting an ineffective approach to goal achievement. This can lead to a loss of interest in studies and even physical and psychological exhaustion. In severe cases, this may result in students abandoning their studies early. This study aims to integrate these factors into a comprehensive model. A cross-sectional study comprising 1497 Italian university students examined the mediating role of academic burnout (professional efficacy, cynicism, and emotional exhaustion) in the association between achievement goals (mastery, PAv, and PAp goals) and the intention to drop out (ID). The questionnaires were administered from October 2022 to September 2023. Structural equation modeling was employed to evaluate the association between variables. The results of the mediation analysis indicate that cynicism and professional efficacy fully mediate the association between mastery and dropout. Cynicism (β = −0.28, p < 0.001) and professional efficacy (β = −0.17, p < 0.001) were both negatively associated with ID, while they partially mediate the association between PAv goals and ID (cynicism: β = 0.21, p ≤ 0.001; professional efficacy: β = 0.05, p ≤ 0.001), and between PAp goals and ID via professional efficacy (β = −0.04, p ≤ 0.001). This study contributes to the currently limited literature on the relationship between achievement goals, burnout, and ID in a sample of university students. The findings of this study may have useful implications for the application of interventions that impact students' well-being and academic success, potentially limiting their possible dropout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In accordance with the Self-Determination Theory, the interpersonal behavior of others can support or thwart the basic psychological needs and influence the well-being of students. Furthermore, several studies have shown that problematic internet use has a negative influence on the academic field. However, no studies have investigated the impact of need-supportive and need-thwarting interpersonal behaviors (using the SDT theoretical framework) on internet addiction, academic engagement, and academic achievement. For this reason, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between students' perceptions of others' behaviors that supported or thwarted their basic psychological needs, internet addiction, and academic engagement and the impact on academic achievement through two studies. In the first study, 889 students (age: M = 20.26, SD = 3.16), were used to investigate the dimensionality of the Italian version of the Interpersonal Behaviour Questionnaire (IBQ) and the reliability, convergent and concurrent validity. In the second study, 515 students (age: M = 20.26, SD = 3.16) were tested to investigate the mediating role of problematic internet use on the relationship between students' perceptions of others' behaviors that supported or thwarted their basic psychological needs and academic engagement and the impact on academic achievement. The results of the first study suggested that the Italian version of the IBQ shows good psychometric characteristics in the Italian context. The results of the second study confirmed the mediating role of problematic internet use and academic engagement as mediators between students' perceptions of need-thwarting interpersonal behaviors and academic achievement.

School alienation is a complex phenomenon that has recently attracted considerable attention from psychologists because of the negative consequences that may result from it, such as poor academic performance, learning difficulties, school disengagement, behavioral problems, and withdrawal from the educational system, which interfere with students' well-being and academic achievement. However, the behaviors engaged in (i.e., mastery or helplessness) by students who experience feelings of school alienation and the associated impact on their academic performance have been overlooked in research. For this reason, the aim of this study was to investigate the roles played by mastery orientation and learned helplessness in the relationship between school alienation and academic achievement. The study sample consisted of 1,316 Italian students, 504 male (38.3%) and 812 female (61.7%). All participants ranged from age 13 to 20 years, with an average age of 16.27 (SD = 1.45). The results highlighted the roles of mastery orientation and learned helplessness in the relationship between students' perceptions of school alienation and academic achievement. The findings contribute to the literature on school alienation, highlighting the potential implications for schools.

The aim of this manuscript is to examine the perceived parental perfectionism in undergraduate Italian students. Study 1 aimed at exploring the factorial structure, reliability, and construct validity of the Italian version of the Family Almost Perfect Scale (FAPS). The aim of Study 2 was to cross-validate the FAPS structure with a different sample and to examine the relationship of family perfectionism with personal perfectionism, self-esteem, and academic engagement. In Study 2, we compared different profiles of perceived perfectionistic families on these stated psychological indicators. Results provided evidence for the applicability of the FAPS in an Italian sample. Participants of Study 2 were classified by latent profile analyses into four different profiles of perceived perfectionistic families and compared on psychological indicators. The results confirm that family discrepancy is the most detrimental aspect of perceived parental perfectionism, which warrants attention through psychological counseling.

Although several studies have investigated the roles of teaching practices during the learning process on students, the role of school learned helplessness (LH) and mastery orientation (MO) has not been deeply examined. The present study aimed to verify the dynamics between academic achievement and the perception of the students of their teacher's psychological control and autonomy support by examining the mediating role of school LH and MO. Results confirmed that perceived teacher psychological control can predict school LH, whereas perceived teacher autonomy support can predict school MO. Additionally, academic achievement was positively predicted by school MO, whereas it was negatively predicted by school LH. Finally, analyses have shown that school LH and MO play a mediating role in the relationship between academic achievement and the perceived teacher autonomy support and psychological control. Limitations and implications are discussed.

The purpose of this research was to conduct an exploratory study to investigate any differences in the risk of developing school refusal in students with low academic achievement and students with specific learning disorder (SLD), and moreover to compare both groups to students with high academic achievement. Furthermore, we want to investigate whether or not school self-esteem, interpersonal self-esteem, and psychological control are predictive of risk of developing school refusal. The sample consisted of 125 students, 66 males and 59 females, with an average age of 12.05 (SD=0.85), divided into a 36 students with low academic achievement, 58 with high academic achievement, and 31 with LSD. The results show differences in the manifestations of school refusal among the three groups. Furthermore, regression analysis has shown the relevant role played by self-esteem and perceived parental psychological control in the prediction of risk of school refusal. Educational and practical implications are discussed.

The present study aims to investigate the relation between perceived parental psychological control, school learned helplessness and mastery orientation, and also to test frustration intolerance as a mediator in the relation between perceived psychological control and school learned helplessness. The sample consisted of 214 (86 male and 128 female) high school students with an age range between 17 and 19 years (M = 18.20; DS = 0.98). Results indicated that maternal psychological control positively predicts frustration intolerance, and that in turn, frustration intolerance positively predicts school learned helplessness. Furthermore, there was a significant indirect effect of frustration intolerance in the link between maternal psychological control and school learned helplessness, pointing to an important mediating role for frustration intolerance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Background/Objectives: Burden Syndrome, also known as Caregiver Syndrome, particularly affects those who serve in the role of informal caregiver in the presence of family members with conditions. The ABCX dual model examines the impact on the caregiver of the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on the family. This model considers the severity of the stressor (A), the additional demands of life stress (aA), the family's internal resources (B), the family's external resources (bB), the family's assessment of the situation (C), coping strategies (cC), and outcome (X). The purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationships between resilience, guilt, and burden of care in caregivers of children with ASD. Methods: Various assessment instruments were used, including the "Caregiver Burden Inventory" to measure burden, the "Brief Resilience Scale" to assess resilience, the "Guilt Sensitivity Questionnaire" to examine guilt sensitivity, and the "DA.L.I.A." to collect information on parent and child characteristics. A total of 80 parents/caregivers participated in the research, including 53 women (Age M = 41.72; SD = 7.8) and 27 men (Age M = 43.35; SD = 6.29). Results: The findings indicate that individuals' resilience to stressful events correlates negatively with burden, a developmental subtype. However, guilt seems not to play a significant role in the overall perception of burden. In contrast, it was found that the use of informal supports is associated with higher levels of guilt and emotional burden, whereas the use of formal supports is correlated with higher emotional burden, but not higher perceptions of guilt. Conclusions: This study provides important information about the support needed by caregivers and suggests how to address emotional burdens to prevent burnout and support families with children with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the extensive research on parental psychological control, no study has explored the relation between parental and teacher psychological control, maladaptive perfectionism and learned helplessness (LH). The purpose of this study was to investigate (1) whether perceived teacher psychological control predicts positively LH, (2) whether perceived parental psychological control predicts maladaptive perfectionism, and (3) whether the association between perceived parental and teacher psychological control and LH is mediated by maladaptive perfectionism. In a sample of 433 participants, 268 females (61.9%) and 165 males (38.1%), ranged in age from 13 to 19 years (M = 15.38, standard deviation (SD) = 1.18), it was found that teacher psychological control has a more relevant role in the prediction of LH than parental control. Moreover, maladaptive perfectionism was a full mediator of the relationship between perceptions of teacher psychological control and LH. These results extend previous studies on teacher psychological control and, for the first time, provide evidence for the relation with LH, identifying maladaptive perfectionism as a variable that accounts for the relation between teacher psychological control and LH.

Backgrounds: Perfectionism is a multifaceted personality disposition characterized by striving for perfection, pursuing exceedingly high standards, and making highly critical self-evaluations. This disposition can impact mental and behavioral health and influence learning behavior in students. Perfectionism can foster a mastery orientation, where students commit to challenges and maintain confidence despite failures, or lead to learned helplessness, where students give up in the face of failure, attributing it to a lack of ability. Perfectionistic pressures from the environment, such as those perceived from teachers, may influence students' personal perfectionism and learning behavior, and, in turn, their academic achievement. Methods: A structural equation modelling approach with latent variables was used to investigate the sequential mediating role of personal perfectionism (standard, order, and discrepancy) and learned helplessness/mastery orientation in the relationship between students' perceptions of teacher perfectionism and their school achievements. We hypothesize that a mismatch between teachers' expectations or evaluations and students' actual performance (Teacher Discrepancy) may lead to students experiencing a gap between their self-perception and their actual abilities (Personal Discrepancy). This misalignment could result in feelings of helplessness and reduced achievement. On the other hand, if students perceive their teachers as having high standards and maintaining good order (adaptive perfectionism), this could encourage students to develop similar high standards and organizational skills (adaptive perfectionism), fostering a mastery-oriented mindset and ultimately enhancing their achievement. The study included 505 Italian high school students (Mage=16; SD =1.35). The instruments used were the Teacher Almost Perfect Scale, the Italian version of the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised, and the Learned Helplessness Questionnaire. Results: The SEM analysis revealed significant indirect effects. From Teacher Standards to school achievement via Personal Standards and mastery orientation (β = .12, p ≤ .01); from Teacher Discrepancy to School Achievement via Personal Standards and mastery orientation (β = -.04, p ≤ .01); from Teacher Discrepancy to School Achievement via Personal Discrepancy and mastery orientation (β = -.04, p ≤ .01). Conclusions: The findings highlight the roles of personal perfectionism (standards and discrepancy) and learning behaviors (learned helplessness/mastery orientation) in mediating the relationship between students' perceptions of their teachers' perfectionism and their academic achievement. This suggests that both the positive and negative dimensions of perceived teacher perfectionism can significantly impact students' learning outcomes, mediated through their own perfectionistic tendencies. This study extends knowledge of factors that can impact students' mental health, with important practical implications for prevent internalizing psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During adolescence, parental and peer support and emotional intelligence (EI) may play a protective role against the risk of becoming a victim of bullying. This study aims to assess the role of perceived parental and peer support in promoting individual EI, reducing the risk of victimisation. The sample consisted of 348 Italian middle and high school students. Victimisation risk, perceived parental and peer support, and EI were measured using questionnaires. A cross-sectional study and a Structural Equation Model with latent variables were conducted to assess the mediating role of EI in perceived parental and peer support and victimisation risk. Results indicated that EI fully mediated the association between perceived parent (β =.20, p ≤.001) and peer support (β =.10, p ≤.01) and victimisation risk. These data suggest the need to structure training to promote support in the social and family context to increase students' EI and thus reduce the risk of victimisation among students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has not yet been deepened in the link between personality factors and risk of school refusal. Furthermore, previous studies fail to verify the direct relation between trait EI and the risk of school refusal. The present study examined personality traits, emotion regulation and trait EI for the contributory role they may play in predicting the risk of school refusal. The sample consisted of 311 participants, 112 males (36%) and 199 females (64%) with an average age of 14.19 (SD = .60), from a high school in the city of Messina (Sicily, Italy). Results show that the risk of school refusal is positively related to neuroticism and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, while it is negatively related to the extroversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness and trait EI. Moreover, trait EI can be considered as a strong incremental negative predictor of risk of school refusal over and above personality traits and emotion regulation.

Instagram is an image-sharing social networking service (SNS) particularly enjoyed by young adults. It excessive and problematic use impacts users' body image (BI). Individuals with negative BI feel dissatisfied with their appearance and body, and perceive a discrepancy between their current and ideal image. Instagram, in contrast to other SNS, focused uniquely on image-based content. As such, it is likely that Instagram differs from other social media in term of mediating processes linking its use to BI, reflecting the need to understanding the relationship between maladaptive Instagram use and body dissatisfaction. The main purpose of this study is to investigate, through a self-determination theory (SDT) framework, the mediating role of basic psychological needs (BPN) satisfaction/frustration and needs-supportive/needs-thwarting interpersonal behaviors on the relationship between maladaptive Instagram use and body dissatisfaction. The results showed the role of BPN satisfaction/frustration (autonomy, competence and relatedness) in the relationship between maladaptive Instagram use and body dissatisfaction. The sample comprised 525 young adults from several Italian university. This study extends the knowledge of the factors that can be related to the BI of young adults, with important application implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the contribution of personality traits and academic beliefs (e.g. school self-efficacy, quality of life as a student) that may exert a role in predicting mastery orientation (MO) and learned helplessness (LH). The sample consisted of 196 students (111 males, 85 females) from a middle school (Mage = 12.22; SD = .98) in the city of Messina in Sicily, Italy. Results show that the traits of conscientiousness, extraversion, openness to experience, and agreeableness correlate positively with high school self-efficacy, quality of life as a student, and MO, whereas they correlate negatively with LH. The trait of emotional instability correlates positively with LH and negatively with school self-efficacy, quality of life as a student, and MO. In addition, regression analyses showed that personality traits and academic beliefs (in particular, school self-efficacy) play an important role in explaining helpless behavior and mastery-oriented behavior. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]