Influence of personality and emotional competences on academic performance: direct and indirect pathways mediated by perceived stress.

BACKGROUND: Among the factors influencing academic performance (AP), individual differences at the trait level such as personality and emotional competences (EC) have been found to play a critical role, similarly to state variables such as perceived stress (PS). Participants And Procedure: The aim of this study was to clarify whether the influence of personality (Big Five) and EC on AP (general point average) is direct and/or mediated via PS. 537 undergraduate students from a French university (112 male and 425 female, Mage = 19.84 years, SDage = 1.74 years, range = 18-30 years; first year: n = 293, 55%; second year: n = 162, 30%, third year: n = 82, 15%) filled out the test battery around three weeks before the final examination. RESULTS: Path analysis showed that AP was directly predicted by conscientiousness (+), neuroticism (+), extraversion (-) and perceived stress (-), while perceived stress was predicted by neuroticism (+) and by intrapersonal EC (-). CONCLUSIONS: The results illustrate the robust influence of conscientiousness on AP, while EC was not found to influence AP directly, but indirectly via its effect on PS.

Associations of chronotype, Big Five, and emotional competences with perceived stress in university students.

This study aimed to investigate the associations between individual difference factors (chronotype, Big Five, emotional competences) and perceived stress in French university students. In total, 362 students agreed to take part (Mage = 20.19 ± 1.75 years). Participants completed the Caen Chronotype Questionnaire, Big Five Inventory, the Profile of Emotional Competences, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Results showed that chronotype amplitude (+), eveningness chronotype (+), neuroticism (+), conscientiousness (-), and intrapersonal emotional competences (-) were important for perceived stress. These findings have theoretical and practical implications in terms of identifying students who might benefit most from stress management interventions.

Influence of a screening navigation program on social inequalities in health beliefs about colorectal cancer screening.

The aim of the study was to test whether a screening navigation program leads to more favorable health beliefs and decreases social inequalities in them. The selected 261 noncompliant participants in a screening navigation versus a usual screening program arm had to respond to health belief measures inspired by the Protection Motivation Theory. Regression analyses showed that social inequalities in perceived efficacy of screening, favorable attitude, and perceived facility were reduced in the screening navigation compared to the usual screening program. These results highlight the importance of health beliefs to understand the mechanism of screening navigation programs in reducing social inequalities.