Profiles and Developmental Transitions of Educational Future Orientation among Senior High School Students in China.

Adolescent future orientation is highly relevant to the sociocultural context in which they are situated. However, adolescents in non-Western cultures are underrepresented in literature. This study investigated the profiles and developmental transitions of adolescent educational future orientation, as well as the roles of adolescent academic achievement and perceived parental educational expectations within the context of Chinese culture. The sample was 605 (54.5% boys) urban and rural senior high school students followed for one and a half years. Three distinctive profiles were identified: the concentrated-committed profile characterized by the concentrated goals (i.e., hopes and fears for future education) and the highest level of planning and evaluation components, the low profile scoring the lowest on each component, and the tentative profile characterized by the highest level of hopes and fears density and mean levels of planning and evaluation components. Latent transition analysis revealed high stabilities for the concentrated-committed and the low profiles but very low stabilities for the tentative profile, and transitions were more common in ways from low or tentative profiles to the concentrated-committed profile rather than vice versa. Greater academic achievement predicted the concentrated-committed profile. Perceived parental educational expectations increased adolescent educational future orientation, particularly for urban adolescents or those in the tentative profile. Urban adolescents were more likely to be in or transition into the concentrated-committed profile, particularly for those with higher academic achievement or parental expectations. These findings demonstrate the heterogeneities of adolescent thinking about future education, reveal how the Chinese sociocultural factors contribute to shaping the development of adolescent future orientation, and provide implications for the promotion of adolescent future orientation in education.

Psychometric validation of Social Network Sites Use Motivation (SNSUM) Scale among Chinese adolescents and undergraduates.

Research into the motivations for using social network sites has greatly increased in recent years. However, few studies have examined the psychometric validation of scales measuring these motivations. This research revised the Social Network Sites Use Motivations (SNSUM) Scale for application in a Chinese context. A total of 931 Chinese adolescents and undergraduates, aged 16-23 years, completed the adapted SNSUM scale and assessments of life satisfaction. Item analysis indicated all items in the SNSUM scale were retained for exploratory factor analysis (EFA). EFA results revealed a five-factor solution, explaining 75.37 % of the total variance, with factor loadings exceeding 0.40. This factor structure aligns with theoretical expectations and previous studies. Confirmatory factor analysis (χ2 = 415.633; df = 92, CFI = 0.934, TLI = 0.914, RMSEA = 0.080) and measurement invariance indicate robust construct validity of the scale across diverse gender and age cohorts. It also showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.950) and excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.952). Notably, SNSUM demonstrated a significant positive correlation with life satisfaction (r = 0.531). The findings confirm that the scale has robust psychometric properties among Chinese adolescents and undergraduates, suggesting its applicability within the context of Chinese culture.

Quantifiable design and comparative evaluation of straight-line minimally invasive endodontic cavity based on the anatomical features of the coronal part of root canal.

Background/purpose: Minimally invasive endodontics has recently become popular in research. This study aimed to develop a new quantifiable straight-line minimally invasive endodontic cavity (SMIEC) for 3-rooted maxillary first molar based on the anatomical features of the coronal part of root canal. Materials and methods: Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of 80 teeth were converted into models in Mimics Research software. Anatomical features of the coronal part of root canal were measured to develop SMIECs with straight-line accesses to root canals in 3-matic Research software. Twenty models were randomly sampled and each was duplicated for 8 simulation groups: non-treated (NT), traditional endodontic cavity (TEC), ninja endodontic cavity (NEC) and 5 SMIECs. Post-simulation models were subjected to finite element analysis to detect von-Mises stresses in ABAQUS software. Results: Distributions of straight-line accesses to protogenetic root canals had certain manners, hence we developed 5 SMIECs. NEC and SMIECs had less hard tissue loss than TEC and presented different numerical rankings in different structures (P < 0.05). NEC had a less narrow surgery field than SMIECs except SMIEC2/4 (P < 0.05). The peak pericervical stresses of SMIECs were similar, lower than TEC and higher than NEC and NT (P < 0.05). The stress distributions of the 8 groups had certain manners. Conclusion: Five SMIECs with straight-line accesses to root canals were developed, whose biomechanical properties were worse than NEC but better than TEC. Having appropriate structure preservation and surgery field, SMIEC2/4 was a preferred SMIEC.

The Efficacy of Psychological Capital Intervention (PCI) for Depression From the Perspective of Positive Psychology: A Pilot Study.

Extensive psychological interventions primarily target the negative symptoms of depression and the deficits in positive resources have been systematically neglected. So far, little attention has been devoted to psychological capital (PsyCap) intervention from the perspective of developing positive resources. The aim of the present pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy of psychological capital intervention (PCI) for depression in a randomized controlled trial. A total of 56 patients were randomized to either care as usual (CAU) for normal medication or psychological capital intervention (PCI) group, where the normal medication was supplemented with the PCI. Participants were assessed at pre- and post-treatment, as well as 6-month follow-up, on measures of depressive symptoms and PsyCap. The PCI group displayed significantly larger improvements in PsyCap and larger reductions in depression symptoms from pre- to post treatment compared to control group. Improvements were sustained over the 6-month follow-up period. Targeting the positive resources intervention in the PCI may be effective against the treatment of depression.