Investigating information needs and preferences regarding digital mental health services among medical and psychology students in Germany: A qualitative study.

Background: Since 2020, physicians and psychotherapists in Germany can prescribe digital mental health services (dMHSs). However, even future healthcare professionals (HCPs), such as medical and psychology students, remain reluctant to use dMHSs, although they are a risk group for mental health issues themselves. Reasons include scepticism and lacking awareness of dMHSs, which can be addressed by acceptance-facilitating interventions (AFIs) such as information strategies. To date, though, little is known about their information needs. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with n = 21 students were conducted between August and September 2021. Students of legal age studying psychology or medicine at a German university could participate. Interview recordings were transcribed verbatim and content-analyzed according to Mayring, using deductive and inductive coding. Results: Most students reported having little experience with dMHSs. Digital health has barely been raised in their study, even though it was perceived as crucial for personal needs as well as in preparation for their work as HCPs. Students favoured receiving information on and recommendations for dMHSs from their university via, e.g. social media or seminars. Among others, information about data safety, scientific evidence base and application scope were preferred. Additionally, information on costs as well as user reviews seemed to be essential components of information strategies because students were concerned that high costs or low usability would hinder uptake. Conclusions: The results give first insights on how future HCPs would like to be informed on dMHSs. Future research should focus on systematic variations of AFIs' components mimicking real-world decision scenarios to increase the adoption of dMHSs.

Psychology Students' Perceptions of COVID-19 in a Death Education Course.

The systematic removal of death from social life in the West has exposed people living in areas affected by COVID-19 to the risk of being unable to adequately manage the anxiety caused by mortality salience. Death education is a type of intervention that helps people manage their fear of death by offering them effective strategies to deal with loss and anxiety. To that end, a path of death education has been carried out with University students of psychology. The main purpose of the research is to understand how students who participated in the death education course perceive the lockdown experience in light of course teachings. The research was carried out at a University in northern Italy in an area severely affected by COVID-19, during the first year of the pandemic. The group of participants included 38 students, 30 women and 8 men, with an average age of 25.45 years (SD = 7). At the end of the course, the students could respond on an optional basis to the request to comment on the training experience according to what they experienced during the pandemic. A thematic analysis was subsequently carried out on the texts, which made it possible to identify the most relevant thematic areas for the students. The qualitative analyses permitted recognition of three main forms of discovery: the removal of death in contemporary culture; the importance of community, ritual and funeral, and spirituality; and the significance of death education for future health professionals. The texts have highlighted how the removal of these issues exposes people to the risk of being unable to handle extremely painful events such as those related to dying. The results show the positivity of death education pathways conducted at the University level to help students reflect on these issues and manage the related anguish.

Machine Learning in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Education: A Mixed Methods Pilot Survey of Postgraduate Students at a Swiss University.

Background: There is increasing use of psychotherapy apps in mental health care. Objective: This mixed methods pilot study aimed to explore postgraduate clinical psychology students' familiarity and formal exposure to topics related to artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) during their studies. Methods: In April-June 2020, we conducted a mixed-methods online survey using a convenience sample of 120 clinical psychology students enrolled in a two-year Masters' program at a Swiss University. Results: In total 37 students responded (response rate: 37/120, 31%). Among respondents, 73% (n = 27) intended to enter a mental health profession, and 97% reported that they had heard of the term "machine learning." Students estimated 0.52% of their program would be spent on AI/ML education. Around half (46%) reported that they intended to learn about AI/ML as it pertained to mental health care. On 5-point Likert scale, students "moderately agreed" (median = 4) that AI/M should be part of clinical psychology/psychotherapy education. Qualitative analysis of students' comments resulted in four major themes on the impact of AI/ML on mental healthcare: (1) Changes in the quality and understanding of psychotherapy care; (2) Impact on patient-therapist interactions; (3) Impact on the psychotherapy profession; (4) Data management and ethical issues. Conclusions: This pilot study found that postgraduate clinical psychology students held a wide range of opinions but had limited formal education on how AI/ML-enabled tools might impact psychotherapy. The survey raises questions about how curricula could be enhanced to educate clinical psychology/psychotherapy trainees about the scope of AI/ML in mental healthcare.

Can stigmatizing attitudes be prevented in psychology students?

BACKGROUND: Stigmatizing attitudes have been found among psychology students in many studies, and they are becoming more common with time. AIMS: This study examines whether participation in clinical psychology lessons reduces levels of stigmatization in a population of psychology students and whether it leads to any change in stigmatization. METHODS: The study is a pre/post evaluation of the effectiveness of clinical psychology lessons (63 hours of lectures) as a tool to fight stigma. The presence of stigmatizing attitudes was detected using the Italian version of the Attribution Questionnaire-27 (AQ-27-I). Stigmatization was described before and after the lessons with structured equation modeling (SEM). RESULTS: Of a total of 387 students contacted, 302 (78.04%) agreed to be involved in the study, but only 266 (68.73%) completed the questionnaires at both t0 and t1. A statistically significant reduction was seen in all six scales and the total score on the AQ-27-I. The models defined by the SEM (pre- and post-intervention) showed excellent model fit indices and described different dynamics of the phenomenon of stigma. CONCLUSIONS: A cycle of clinical psychology lessons can be a useful tool for reducing stigmatizing attitudes in a population of students seeking a psychology degree.

Support for Gay and Lesbian Rights Among Students of Helping Professions in Crete, Greece: A Comparison between Social Work and Psychology Students.

This study explores the level of support for gay and lesbian rights among social work and psychology undergraduate students (N = 870). While students were generally supportive of gay and lesbian rights, 43% believed that social workers and psychologists should support gay and lesbian rights only 'when lesbians and gay men do not offend or upset others', while 31.3% agreed that these rights should be supported 'as long as they don't contradict the prevalent religion and values of the society they live in'. Social work students were more supportive of all items compared to psychology students; they were also more supportive regarding professionals' obligation to challenge negative discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. Religiosity, gender and having gay and lesbian friends or acquaintances were important correlates of students' level of support for gay and lesbian rights. Findings are discussed in relation to social work and psychology education.

The Emotion of Disgust among Medical and Psychology Students.

The emotion of disgust evolved as a way to protect oneself from illness and is associated with aspects of disease avoidance. Disgust Scale-Revised (DS-R) (Olatunji et al., 2008) measures the disgust propensity of three kinds of disgust (core, animal reminder, contamination). Contextual factors, such as academic background, might influence DS-R scoring, especially among medical students, where the notion of disease is central. We examined DS-R scoring and the choice of postgraduate studies in medical (n = 94) and psychology (n = 97) students. In an anonymous web-based survey, participants completed the DS-R and a questionnaire including plans for postgraduate studies. Females outnumbered males and scored higher in total DS-R score (p = 0.003). Psychology students scored higher in all three kinds of disgust (p < 0.001 for core disgust and animal reminder, p = 0.069 for contamination disgust), indicating a higher level of disease avoidance. Medical students willing to follow Internal Medicine scored higher in core disgust (p < 0.05), while psychology students willing to study Experimental Psychology scored lower in the animal reminder subscale (p = 0.019 and p < 0.001 for the association between these subscales and the orientation of Medical and Psychology Students, respectively). In conclusion, disgust propensity as rated by DS-R is related to academic background and orientation preferences in postgraduate studies.

Detección del nivel de riesgo de consumo de sustancias psicoactivas en estudiantes universitarios de psicología - Perú / Detection of the level of risk of consumption of psychoactive substances in university students of psychology - Perú

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo detectar el nivel de riesgo por consumo de sustancias psicoactivas (SPA) en una muestra de 324 universitarios ingresantes a Psicología en Arequipa ­ Perú, siendo el 73.15% de sexo femenino y 26.85% masculino, con edades que fluctúan entre los 18 y 25 años. Se empleó para ello la prueba ASSIST elaborada por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), hallando que el 33.02%, 22.53% y 10.49% alcanza un nivel de riesgo moderado en el consumo de tabaco, bebidas alcohólicas y marihuana correspondientemente. Además, el 2.78% presentó un nivel de riesgo alto en el consumo de bebidas alcohólicas. Se concluye que las SPA más consumidas por dichos universitarios son bebidas alcohólicas y tabaco, y que aproximadamente 1 de cada 4 tiene un riesgo moderado a alto de tener problemas por el consumo de alcohol y tabaco

The objective of this study was to detect the level of risk due to consumption of psychoactive substances in a sample of 324 undergraduates entering Psychology in Arequipa - Peru, with 73.15% female and 26.85% male, and ages between 18 and 25 years. The ASSIST test prepared by the World Health Organization (WHO) detected that 33.02%, 22.53% and 10.49% reach a moderate level of risk in the consumption of tobacco, alcoholic beverages and marijuana correspondingly. Besides, 2.78% of a high level of risk in the consumption of alcoholic beverages, concluding that the SPA most consumed by these university students are alcoholic beverages and tobacco; that approximately 1 in 4 has a moderate to high risk of having problems with alcohol and tobacco consumption.

Religião e Espiritualidade no curso de Psicologia: revisão sistemática de estudos empíricos

A revisão apresenta um panorama da literatura nacional que trata da vivência espiritual/religiosa de graduandos no contexto da formação acadêmica do psicólogo. O objetivo foi delinear e analisar pesquisas empíricas sobre a relação entre estudantes, espiritualidade, religião e formação nos cursos de psicologia do país. Realizou-se uma busca nas bases de dados virtuais Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde,SciELO, PePSIC e no Banco de Teses e Dissertações da CAPES, sendo selecionados e analisados 11 estudos, no período de 2002 a 2017. Observou-se número reduzido de publicações, especialmente no formato de artigo. A maioria das pesquisas é oriunda de instituições confessionais e de Programas de Pós-graduação em Psicologia. Estudantes de psicologia tendem a apresentar índices menores de bem-estar espiritual quando comparados a outros estudantes universitários. Formandos de diferentes regiões do país mencionam sentir dificuldade e insegurança quando o assunto se apresenta na clínica. Questionam sobre a postura ética adequada; sentem medo de influenciar o paciente, de revelar a religião pessoal e não saber lidar com suas próprias crenças. Admitem falta de conhecimento e manejo teórico-clínico; e dificuldade ou impedimento de abordar tais questões com professores e supervisores de estágio.

This research presents an overview of Brazilian literature on the spiritual and religious experience of psychology students in the context of the psychologist's scientific and academic education. The purpose of this study was to outline and analyze empirical research that regard the relationship between students, spirituality, religion and education in psychology courses in Brazil. The databases used for this purpose were Virtual Library of Health, SciELO, PePSIC and the Bank of Thesis and Dissertations of CAPES. Ultimately, this resulted in the selection and analysis of 11 studies, stretching in the period from 2002 to 2017. This shows a reduced number of publications, especially in the article format. Most of the research comes from Higher Education Institutions with confessional ties. The analysis indicates that psychology students tend to have lower rates of spiritual well-being when compared to other university students. Undergraduates from different regions of the country mentioned experiencing difficulty and insecurity when the subject appears in the clinical practice. They question the proper ethical stance; they are afraid to influence the patient, to reveal their personal religion, and they fear not knowing how to deal with their own beliefs. They admit lack of knowledge and theoretical-clinical management, as well as the difficulty or hindrance of addressing such issues with teachers and internship supervisors.

"Some University Lecturers Wear Gay Pride T-shirts. Get Over It!": Denials of Homophobia and the Reproduction of Heteronormativity in Responses to a Gay-Themed T-shirt.

This article explores an incident involving a gay pride T-shirt, printed with the slogan "Some people are gay. Get over it!," that I wore during a university lecture, and students' predominantly negative responses to it. I use the lens of modern prejudice research, particularly discursive psychological approaches to modern prejudice, to interpret the students' responses to a qualitative survey about their views on the T-shirt. They related strong feelings of upset and anger, particularly because I had-in their view-implicitly accused them of being homophobic. They passionately refused this supposed accusation on the grounds that "everything's equal now" and "gay people are no different from us." I argue that the ideological themes of cultural heterosexism and compulsory heterosexuality provide a productive framework for making sense of the students' responses, as they sanction a rational neoliberal subject who is both non-homophobic and inculcated into heteronormativity.

Representaciones sociales de la psicología del trabajo en estudiantes de licenciatura en psicología en Argentina / Social representations of work psychology in psychology students of argentine universities

La investigación analiza las Representaciones Sociales de la Psicología del Trabajo (RSPT) en estudiantes de psicología de universidades argentinas. Se plantea que las RSPT estructuran una injerencia procedimental y de gestión en detrimento de la investigación científica, y que se encuentra limitada y modelada por la adherencia al ámbito clínico. Se realizó un estudio de diferencia de grupos, de diseño no experimental, transversal con una muestra intencional no probabilística de 128 estudiantes de psicología de universidades públicas y privadas, 78,9% mujeres y 21,1% varones, con una edad media de 25 años (DT: 7, Max=59, Min=19).Ambas hipótesis se confirman parcialmente, dado que las evocaciones muestran a la investigación científica por fuera del núcleo central, en el cual se observan los procedimientos y la organización; mientras se denotan diferencias en las estructuras en torno al área de inserción entre los que tienden al ámbito clínico y los que no

The research analyzes the Social Representations of Work Psychology (SRWP) in students of private and public universities of Argentina considering different differential anchorages related to socio-psychological and socio-demographic variables. A study of group differences, non-experimental design, cross-sectional, was carried out based on a non-probabilistic intentional sample of 128 psychology students from public (50%) and private (50%) universities (78.9% women and 21.1% males) with an average age of 25 years (SD: 7 years, Max= 59, Min= 19). The evocations fix its performance in organizations or companies in the HR, in areas of personnel selection and training, or in external offices.The major tasks assigned are related with implementing diagnostic evaluations, personnel selection processes, and interventions to encourage motivation or mediate in conflicts.Respect to role abilities, assertivity, empathy, and attitudes towards leadership, with a great knowledge about his interference in the area

Experiencia Educación de la sexualidad desarrollada con estudiantes de primer año de la carrera Psicología / Sexuality Education Experience Developed with First-Year Students of Psychology

Introducción: En la Facultad de Psicología de la Universidad de la Habana se inició en el curso escolar 2015-2016 una experiencia de educación de la sexualidad con un grupo de estudiantes de 1.er año de la carrera. Objetivo: Implementar una asignatura optativa que contribuya a la satisfacción de necesidades básicas de aprendizaje sobre la sexualidad que poseen estudiantes de primer año de la carrera de Psicología, de la Universidad de la Habana. Método: La investigación se sustenta en una metodología alternativa, participativa y desarrolladora, en la pedagogía de la diversidad y la equidad y el enfoque humanista crítico. El grupo lo constituyeron 26 estudiantes de primer año de la carrera de Psicología de la Universidad de La Habana, quienes eligieron la asignatura La sexualidad de los/las jóvenes y su educación como optativa. El rango etario de la muestra fue de 19 a 24 años. Se aplicó un cuestionario diagnóstico para explorar sus saberes, experiencias y creencias en torno a la sexualidad. Se realizaron un total de 24 sesiones grupales con un 80 por ciento o más de asistencia. Resultados: Tanto los resultados diagnósticos como los obtenidos al finalizar el programa coinciden con investigaciones precedentes. En estos se muestran la carencia de saberes que tienen las personas jóvenes en torno a la sexualidad, sus componentes, funciones y dimensiones, especialmente, las relacionadas al vínculo de pareja y la relación con los progenitores. Conclusiones: Se implementó una asignatura optativa valorada de manera muy positiva, por la mayoría de los/las estudiantes que la cursaron. Fueron resaltadas como fortalezas sus contenidos, la metodología y el aprendizaje personal obtenido(AU))

Introduction: At the Psychology School oh Havana University, in 2015-2016 academic year, there was an experience of teaching sexuality education to students of 1st year. Objective: To implement an optional subject that will contribute to the satisfaction of basic needs of learning about sexuality that Psychology first-year students have. Method: The research is based on an alternative methodology, participatory and developmental, in the pedagogy of diversity and equity and the critical humanist approach.Twenty-six first-year students of the Psychology at Havana University formed the group. They chose the optional subject Sexuality of young people and their education. The sample age ranged from 19 to 24 years. A diagnostic questionnaire was used to explore their knowledge, experiences and beliefs about sexuality. A total of 24 group sessions were conducted with 80 percent or more of assistance. Results: Both the diagnostic results and those obtained at the end of the program matched with previous investigations. These showed the lack of knowledge that young people have about sexuality, its components, functions and dimensions, especially those related to the couple's relationship and the relationship with parents. Conclusions: An optional subject was implemented. It was very positive valued by the majority of students who took it. Its contents, methodology and personal learning obtained were highlighted as strengths(AU)

Career Ambition as a Way of Understanding the Relation Between Locus of Control and Self-Perceived Employability Among Psychology Students.

Employability is one of the core concepts for the future career. Students' self-perceived employability is the concept that connects students' present context of education with their future professional engagement. Students' self-perceived employability is defined as the capacity to gain and keep employment in line with their future qualification level. Locus of control is a concept that explains where the person situates the causation of various life events. It is found that internal locus of control was related to different aspects of career success. Career ambition is regarded as a proxy for students' future career success. Both internal locus of control and ambition lead to proactive behaviors that are relevant for employability and consequently result in securing a sustainable job. The aim of this mixed-method study was to investigate the relations among locus of control, ambition and students' self-perceived employability. Firstly, we tested mediating role of career ambition in relation of internal locus of control and students' self-perceived employability, then we turned to qualitative analysis of students' career self-SWOT analyses in order to deepen and enrich quantitative findings. The sample consisted of 124 undergraduate psychology students that filled out Levenson's Internality subscale from IPC locus of control scale, Rothwell et al. (2008) Ambition subscale, and three items extracted from the Self-perceived employability subscale. Majority of the survey participants (N = 100) filled out personal career SWOT analysis. The mediation analysis showed that career ambition had a mediating role in the relation between the locus of control and employability. Students perceived personal capabilities and ambition as internal strengths and lack of ambition as a major internal weakness. As external opportunities students perceived various chances for developing professional skills, whereas as external threats they perceived limited opportunities in job market. In order to support university students to develop employability and future career success, university curricula should support developing future work skills that, in addition to functional competences and personal resources, entail career ambition, ways of utilizing external opportunities and dealing with job market threats.

The "Wholesome Contact" non-pharmacological, volunteer-delivered multidisciplinary programme to prevent hospital delirium in elderly patients: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: In hospital settings, delirium affects as many as 50% of older patients, aggravating their symptoms and worsening their condition, and therefore increasing the risk of in-hospital complications and death. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of structured, non-pharmacological care, delivered to older hospitalised patients by trained volunteers (students of medical fields), on the reduction of incidence of adverse health-related outcomes. METHODS/DESIGN: This trial will be a randomised, investigator-blind, controlled trial conducted in an internal medicine and geriatric ward in Poland. We aim to include 416 patients who are 70 years of age and have been hospitalised for medical reasons. Eligible patients will be randomised 1:1 to receive structured, non-pharmacological care delivered by students of medicine, psychology and nursing, together with standard medical treatment or standard medical care alone. The protocol of interventions has been designed to cover nine main risk factors for delirium, with the scope of multidisciplinary interventions being individualised and tailored. The protocol will be aimed at immobilisation, vision and hearing impairment, cognitive impairment and disorientation, stress and anxiety, sleep-wake cycle disturbances, dehydration and malnutrition, and pain. A structured evaluation of patients' cognition, mood, anxiety and functional performance is planned to be carried out twice, on the day of group allocation and at discharge; structured screening assessment for delirium will be conducted daily using the Confusion Assessment Method. The primary outcome will be the incidence of delirium in hospital; secondary outcomes will be in-hospital changes in cognition, mood and anxiety, and functional status, occurrence of falls and death. DISCUSSION: Delirium prevention programmes are being introduced worldwide. A particular novelty of our project, however, is that invitations for voluntary work with older patients at risk for delirium will be addressed to medical students. With the use of the service learning method, the students will shape their attitudes, increase their knowledge and understanding of hospital care, and master competencies to work within interdisciplinary teams, which establishes the originality and practicality of the project. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Polish Science Database, 317484 . Registered on 23 October 2016.

Estudio de las actitudes hacia la ética profesional en estudiantes de grado y posgrado de psicología / Study of attitudes towards professional ethics in undergraduate and graduate students of psychology

El objetivo del estudio es realizar un relevamiento y estudio sobre las actitudes hacia la ética en estudiantes de grado y posgrado de psicología. A fin de comparar competencias más valoradas y menos valoradas en cuanto a ética profesional, se aplica a una muestra intencional (n=273) de estudiantes de grado (n=193) y posgrado (n=80) la Escala sobre Actitudes hacia la Ética Profesional (Hirsch Adler, 2005, adaptación de Ormart, Esteva y Navés, 2012), cuenta con 55 proposiciones que miden 4 competencias: cognitivo-técnicas, sociales, éticas y afectivo-emocionales. Los resultados obtenidos evidencian que, tanto para los estudiantes de grado como de posgrado, la competencia más valorada es la de ética y no se presentan grandes diferencias en el resto de las competencias.

The present investigation has as objective to make a survey and a study of the attitudes from grade and postgraduate students of the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Aconcagua (UDA), in what regards to professional ethic. With the purpose of being able to compare between the grade and postgraduate students, the most valued competences and those less valued towards professional ethic are weighted, it has been applied to an intentional sample: 193 volunteer students from grade and 80 from postgraduate level, The Ethical Attitudes Scale (Hirsch Adler, 2005, adaptation by Ormart, Esteva y Navés, 2012), which consists of 55 propositions relating to four skills: technical-cognitive, socials, ethics and affective-emotional. The results obtained in this research show that for both, grade and postgrad students, the most valued skill is Ethics and in the rest of the competences there are not major differences.

Conflicts of Interest in Medicine. A Systematic Review of Published and Scientifically evaluated Curricula.

Objective: Conflicts of interests resulting from interactions with pharmaceutical companies are pervasive in medicine and can result in an undue influence on physicians' decision-making. The objective of this systematic review is to analyze published and scientifically evaluated curricula for medical students and residents regarding such conflicts of interest. We begin by describing the covered topics and teaching methods; afterwards we analyze the quality of the curricula using the published data on their evaluations and comparing the content with content recommended for such curricula. Methods: We searched Pubmed, PsycInfo, EMBASE, OECD, WISO, SOWI and googlescholar up to and including the 5th of September 2016. Publications describing curricula for residents or medical students on the topic of conflicts of interest in medicine and evaluating them for their effects on the participants' learning were included. We analyzed the covered topics and the teaching methods used and compared them with recommendations by the American Medical Students' Association (AMSA) and Health Action International (HAI). Results: The literature search resulted in 20 publications that fulfilled our search criteria. In five trials, a control group was used, in no trial the participants were randomized to intervention or control group. 16/20 published curricula primarily covered marketing strategies by pharmaceutical companies, especially the interaction with pharmaceutical sales representatives (PSRs). Most curricula only covered a limited number of topics recommended by AMSA/HAI. The most frequent teaching method was a group discussion, which was used in 18/20 curricula; all curricula used at least one interactive teaching method. The evaluation of the curricula was heterogeneous in results as well as design. Some publications described a change of attitudes toward a stronger skepticism regarding interactions with pharmaceutical companies. Four publications described improved knowledge, one publication described a change in behavior toward a reduction of the acceptance of gifts. Conclusion: The trials conducted to this date regarding curricula on conflicts of interests are methodologically flawed and the described curricula lack important topics beyond marketing strategies of pharmaceutical companies. In addition, there are no data so far on the sustainability of the courses' effects on participants' behavior. It is therefore necessary to develop a model curriculum that covers a broader variety of topics and to evaluate it using a well thought-out methodology to create a foundation for the further improvement of teaching conflicts of interest in medicine.

Building Beautiful Minds: Teaching Through Movies to Tackle Stigma in Psychology Students in the UAE.

OBJECTIVE: The use of movie-based educational interventions has been used widely and is considered an effective method aiming at changing the stigmatizing attitudes of future mental health professionals. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a 10-week intervention that combined movies and related discussions in a sample of 26 psychology students in the United Arab Emirates, where the opportunities for real contact with patients with mental illness are limited. METHODS: By means of mixed methods approach, students were assessed at two time points by the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers [OMS-HC] (T1-T2) and by qualitative questions only at the end of the intervention (T2). RESULTS: The results corroborated changes to some of the students' attitudes, namely agency, compassion, and proximity, but did not prove a general attitudinal change. Additionally, students acknowledged the benefit obtained by their participation with regard to their learning experience, pointing out the importance of combining theory with practical examples of mental illness for spreading awareness and tackling stigma. CONCLUSION: The results are discussed in the light of their importance for the United Arab Emirates educational context.

Formal and Informal Learning and First-Year Psychology Students' Development of Scientific Thinking: A Two-Wave Panel Study.

Scientific thinking is a predicate for scientific inquiry, and thus important to develop early in psychology students as potential future researchers. The present research is aimed at fathoming the contributions of formal and informal learning experiences to psychology students' development of scientific thinking during their 1st-year of study. We hypothesize that informal experiences are relevant beyond formal experiences. First-year psychology student cohorts from various European countries will be assessed at the beginning and again at the end of the second semester. Assessments of scientific thinking will include scientific reasoning skills, the understanding of basic statistics concepts, and epistemic cognition. Formal learning experiences will include engagement in academic activities which are guided by university authorities. Informal learning experiences will include non-compulsory, self-guided learning experiences. Formal and informal experiences will be assessed with a newly developed survey. As dispositional predictors, students' need for cognition and self-efficacy in psychological science will be assessed. In a structural equation model, students' learning experiences and personal dispositions will be examined as predictors of their development of scientific thinking. Commonalities and differences in predictive weights across universities will be tested. The project is aimed at contributing information for designing university environments to optimize the development of students' scientific thinking.

Dimensiones del Perfeccionismo y Sintomatología Depresiva en Universitarios de Psicología

Se indagó la relación entre las dimensiones del perfeccionismo y la sintomatología depresiva en universitarios de Psicología de una universidad privada de Asunción. Se llevó a cabo un estudio no experimental, con un diseño descriptivo, de enfoque cuantitativo y corte transversal; se aplicó la Escala Multidimensional de Perfeccionismo (EMP) y el Inventario de Depresión de Beck (BDI-II) a 300 estudiantes: 253 mujeres y 47 hombres. Los resultados indican una relación entre la sintomatología depresiva y las dimensiones del perfeccionismo. La relación con la sintomatología depresiva fue directa en cuanto al Perfeccionismo Auto Orientado y Perfeccionismo Socialmente Prescrito; e inversa en cuanto a la dimensión de Perfeccionismo Orientado hacia los demás. Se encontraron diferencias significativas entre las siguientes variables: Sexo y Perfeccionismo Auto Orientado, escolaridad y depresión, edad y Perfeccionismo Orientado hacia los Demás, edad y depresión. Se resalta la importancia de identificar estas tendencias perfeccionistas antes de que se conviertan en conductas patológicas, y desarrollar estrategias preventivas

The following study focuses on the correlation between dimensions of perfectionism and symptoms of depression in a population of psychology students from a private university in Asuncion. The instruments Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (EMP) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) were applied to 300 students, 253 of which were women, and 47 men. The results indicate a relationship between symptoms of depression and traits of perfectionism. The relation was direct regarding self-oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism. The relationship was inverse regarding other-oriented perfectionism. Significant differences were found between the following: sex and self-oriented perfectionism, education and depression, age and other-oriented perfectionism, age, and depression. It ́s important to identify this perfectionist tendency before they become pathological behaviors and develop preventive strategies.

Running to well-being: A comparative study on the impact of exercise on the physical and mental health of law and psychology students.

Research indicates that, in comparison to other university students, law students are at greater risk of experiencing high levels of psychological distress. There is also a large body of literature supporting a general negative association between exercise and stress, anxiety and depression. However, we are not aware of any studies exploring the impact of exercise on the mental health of law students specifically. This article reports evidence of a negative association between exercise and psychological distress in 206 law and psychology students. Compared to psychology students, the law students not only reported greater psychological distress, but, in addition, there was a stronger association between their levels of distress and their levels of exercise. Based on the results of this study, we suggest a simple yet effective way law schools might support the mental health of their students.