The effectiveness of a positive psychological intervention for promoting preschool teachers' well-being and professional competence: EASP intervention program.

The present study investigated the effectiveness of the Early Advancement in Social-Emotional Health and Positivity (EASP) program, a positive psychological intervention promoting preschool teachers' well-being and the motivational aspect of professional competence. Participants were 273 in-service preschool teachers (Mage = 34.56 years, SD = 9.52, range = 22-58; female = 98.90%) who participated in a 2-month randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 143) receiving 1) four online workshops, 2) a smartphone app, and 3) an online activity, or to the wait-list control group (n = 130), which received the intervention materials after all the data collection. Participants reported their well-being dimensions, teaching self-efficacy, and autonomous motivation for teaching before and after the intervention. Results from a path analytic model exhibited excellent fit with the data, χ2 = 37.62, df = 33, CFI = .99, TLI = .98, RMSEA = .02 [90% CI = 0.00, 0.05], SRMR = .02. The intervention had direct effects on changes in well-being dimensions, including positivity, outcome, strength, engagement, and resilience (ß = .14 to .26, ps = .00 to .04), and indirect intervention effects on changes in teaching self-efficacy and autonomous motivation for teaching (ß = .14 to .15, ps = .00 to .01). These findings highlighted the potential value of implementing positive psychological interventions in educational settings to promote the well-being and professional competence among preschool teachers.

Tracking and predicting the treatment adherence of patients under rehabilitation: a three-wave longitudinal validation study for the Rehabilitation Adherence Inventory.

This study aimed to develop and validate a new measurement tool, the Rehabilitation Adherence Inventory (RAI), to measure patients' rehabilitation adherence. We recruited 236 patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures from the United Kingdom (Mage = 33.58 ± 10.03, range = 18 to 59; female = 46.2%). Participants completed a survey, that measured their rehabilitation adherence, rehabilitation volume, psychological needs support, autonomous motivation, and intention at baseline, and at the 2nd and 4th month. Factorial, convergent, discriminant, concurrent, predictive, ecological validity and test-retest reliability of the RAI were tested via exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modelling (SEM). All the EFAs, CFAs, and SEMs yielded acceptable to excellent goodness-of-fit, χ2 = 10.51 to 224.12, df = 9 to 161, CFI > 0.95, TLI > 0.95, RMSEA <0.09 [90%C I < 0.06 to 0.12], SRMR <0.04. Results fully supported the RAI's factorial, convergent, discriminant, and ecological validity, and test-retest reliability. The concurrent and predictive validity of the RAI was only partially supported because the RAI scores at baseline was positively associated with rehabilitation frequency at all time points (r = 0.34 to 0.38, p < 0.001), but its corresponding associations with rehabilitation duration were not statistically significant (p = 0.07 to 0.93). Overall, our findings suggest that this six-item RAI is a reliable and valid tool for evaluating patients' rehabilitation adherence.

Can a multicomponent positive psychological intervention promote well-being in parents of young children? A randomized controlled trial study in Hong Kong.

The present research examined the effects of an Early Advancement in Social-Emotional Health and Positivity (EASP) multicomponent positive psychological intervention on parents' well-being in Hong Kong. Participants were parents of young children (N = 120; Mage = 37.19 years, SD = 4.71, range = 24-53; female = 95.00%) who participated in the one-month randomized control trial. Participants were randomly assigned into the intervention (n = 50) and waitlist control groups (n = 70). Parents in the intervention group received two online workshops and an evidence-based smartphone application that targeted four positive psychological skills: (1) mindful parenting, (2) hope, (3) positive reappraisal, and (4) growth mindset. The results of the multivariate regression analysis revealed that the intervention significantly improved various dimensions of participants' positive psychological skills, subjective well-being, and psychological well-being immediately at the conclusion of the program. The findings of this study underscore the importance of the well-being payoffs linked to cultivating positive psychological skills among parents of young children.

Are General Anxiety, Reading Anxiety, and Reading Self-Concept Linked to Reading Skills Among Chinese Adolescents With and Without Dyslexia?

This study investigated the cross-sectional relationships between reading-related affective and cognitive factors and reading skills among adolescents with and without dyslexia. Participants were 120 Chinese-speaking eighth graders, including 60 adolescents with dyslexia and 60 typically developing adolescents from Hong Kong, China. Adolescents completed questionnaires on general anxiety, reading anxiety, and reading self-concept. They were also assessed on measures of rapid digit naming, verbal working memory, word reading, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. The results showed that readers with dyslexia reported higher levels of general anxiety and reading anxiety and lower levels of reading self-concept than typical readers. They also showed difficulties in rapid digit naming and verbal working memory. Importantly, controlling for rapid digit naming and verbal working memory, reading self-concept was uniquely associated with word reading and reading fluency for readers with and without dyslexia. Furthermore, reading anxiety and reading self-concept were uniquely associated with reading comprehension for the two groups of readers. The findings point to the importance of considering affective factors when examining the reading skills of Chinese readers and the utility of targeting these factors when supporting the learning of adolescents with and without dyslexia.

Effectiveness of a theory-driven mHealth intervention in promoting post-surgery rehabilitation adherence in patients who had anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A randomized clinical trial.

RATIONALE: Patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction often have poor adherence to post-surgery rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE: This study applied the integrated model of self-determination theory and the theory of planned behavior to examine the effects of a smartphone-delivered intervention on the recovery outcomes of patients with an ACL rupture during post-surgery rehabilitation period. Additionally, we explored the effects of the intervention on participants with different beliefs toward rehabilitation at baseline. METHODS: The randomized control trial recruited 96 eligible participants (M age = 27.82 years, SD = 8.73; female = 39%) who underwent ACL reconstruction surgery. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 41), which received standard post-surgical treatment (usual-care) and smartphone application ("ACL-Well"), or a usual-care control group (n = 55). The primary outcomes were recovery outcomes from ACL surgery measured by knee muscle strength and laxity, and subjective knee evaluation completed 4-month post-intervention. Secondary outcomes were the psychological and behavioral outcomes measured at baseline, at 2- and 4-month post-intervention. RESULTS: ANCOVA indicated no significant between-group differences in primary outcomes: knee muscle strength, knee laxity and subjective knee evaluation, Fs(1, 27 to 55) = 0.01 to 1.36, p = .25 to .99, η2 = 0.01 to 0.03. For the secondary outcomes, growth mixture modelling revealed self-determined treatment motivation declined significantly over the intervention period in the control group (M slope = -0.39 to -0.12, p = .01 to .04), but not in the intervention group (M slope = -0.19 to -0.08, p = .06 to .38). CONCLUSIONS: The smartphone application fell short in promoting orthopedic outpatients' recovery outcomes. Yet, it shows some promises as a mean to maintain patients' motivation and adherence to treatment.

Significant others and students' leisure-time physical activity intention: A prospective test of the social influence in sport model.

This two-wave prospective study applied the Social Influence in Sport Model to investigate whether the social influences of parents, physical education (PE) teachers, and peers were predictive of students' intention to engage in leisure-time physical activity (PA). Participants were 2,484 secondary school students (11-18 years old) who completed a questionnaire assessing positive influence, punishment, and dysfunction from the three social agents (parents, PE teachers, and peers) at baseline, and PA intention at a 1-month follow-up. Structural equation modelling (SEM) yielded excellent goodness-of-fit and consistent pathways between the three social agents. Students' leisure-time PA intention (R2 = .103 to 0.112) was positively associated with positive influence (ß = .223 to 0.236, p < .001) and punishment (ß = .214 to 0.256, p < .01), and negatively associated with dysfunction (ß = - 0.281 to -.335, p < .001). Multi-group SEM showed that the predictions were invariant between parents, PE teachers, and peers. Furthermore, no significant differences in students' gender were found between perceived social influence and PA intention. The findings supported the application of the Social Influence in Sport Model in explaining the role of significant others on students' intention to take part in leisure-time PA.

Leveraging technology for pre-service teachers' well-being: The effectiveness of a multicomponent positive psychology intervention in pre-service preschool teachers in Hong Kong.

Effective teacher training programs entail cultivating not only professional teaching competencies but also promoting psychological strengths. However, there is a lack of investigation into how different modes of delivering psychological interventions influence well-being outcomes in the teaching profession, such as preschool educators. This study examines the effects of different technologically driven modes of implementing a PROSPER-based psychological intervention on positivity, relationship, outcome, strengths, purpose, engagement, and resilience. One hundred twenty-eight pre-service preschool teachers were randomly assigned to (1) the full intervention (i.e., online workshop and smartphone app); (2) the online workshop; (3) the smartphone app; and (4) the wait-list control group. The results demonstrated that the online workshop mode yielded the strongest intervention effects on well-being outcomes: positivity, purpose, engagement, and resilience. Although the smartphone app mode did not significantly improve psychological outcomes, combining this approach with the online workshop format appeared to have positive retention effects on positivity at the Time 3 follow-up. The findings suggest that the traditional mode of implementing positive psychological interventions could be more effective than the smartphone app-based mode in bolstering pre-service teachers' well-being.

Parental Influence on Child and Adolescent Physical Activity Level: A Meta-Analysis.

Parents are often regarded as one of the significant social agents who are important to the participation of physical activity (PA) among children and adolescents. However, within the literature, the relationships between parental influences and child and adolescent PA have been inconclusive and discordant. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to quantify and synthesize the associations between parental social influences (positive parental influence, punishment, and discouragement) and the PA level of children and adolescents. Through a systematic literature search using PsycINFO, Web of Science, PubMed, ProQuest, and SPORTDiscus databases, we identified 112 eligible studies and subsequently extracted 741 effect sizes for our analysis. Multilevel meta-analysis showed that the corrected zero-order correlation of positive parental influence was positive and statistically significant, r = 0.202, SE = 0.014, t = 14.975, p < 0.001, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [0.176, 0.228]. Further moderation analysis also found that this was significantly moderated by parental gender (maternal vs. paternal), respondent of influence measure (parent-reported vs. child-reported), and type of PA measure (subjective vs. objective). The corrected zero-order correlations of negative parental influences (i.e., punishment and discouragement) were not statistically significant, and no significant moderation effects were observed. The findings of our meta-analysis showed that children and adolescents had higher PA levels when their parents supported PA participation by exerting positive social influence. Punishment and discouragement against PA by parents did not appear to be significantly associated with the PA level of children and adolescents. The findings of negative parental social influence were mixed and required further investigations.

Linking University Students' Mindfulness to Positive Adjustment Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic: a 6-month Cross-Lagged Panel Design.

Objectives: In the face of a global pandemic, research on wellness-fostering resources is urgently needed, especially with longitudinal designs and diverse samples. According to the mindfulness-to-meaning theory and broaden-and-build theory, this study examined the reciprocal associations among a group of Chinese university students' trait mindfulness, positive and negative affect, and use of positive coping strategies, including positive reappraisal, planning, and seeking of emotional support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Participants were 247 Hong Kong university students (M age = 20.96, SD = 2.38; female = 86%) who completed survey measures of mindfulness, positive and negative affect, and positive coping strategies at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Data were analysed using a cross-lagged panel design, controlling for participants' age. Results: The proposed reciprocal model exhibited an excellent fit with the data. There was a reciprocal association between trait mindfulness and positive affect over time. However, no significant reciprocal effect was found among mindfulness, negative affect, and positive coping strategies. Conclusions: Theoretically, the current findings extended the two theories to a non-Western population during a critical time and suggested a long-term reciprocal association between positive affect and mindfulness. Our study provided important insight into university students' positive well-being during COVID-19 and demonstrated the wellness-fostering effect of mindfulness.

Well-Being Profiles of Pre-service Teachers in Hong Kong: Associations with Teachers' Self-Efficacy During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The present study aims to (1) identify the profiles of subjective well-being (SWB) and psychological well-being (PWB) in a sample of pre-service teachers during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, and (2) explore how different profiles are linked with teachers' self-efficacy. Participants were 291 pre-service teachers (Mage = 21.295, SD = 2.812, female = 89.903%) who were invited to complete self-report measures of SWB, PWB, and teachers' self-efficacy. Latent profile analysis with maximum likelihood estimation was conducted to identify well-being profiles that emerged in this sample. The results suggested a 3-class model with a high, moderate, and low well-being group. The findings also revealed that the pre-service teachers' well-being profiles as reflected by SWB and PWB indicators were consistent. Moreover, the pre-service teachers in the higher well-being group reported higher teaching self-efficacy than those in the lower well-being group. Findings highlighted the benefits of supporting pre-service teachers' well-being (i.e., SWB and PWB) to maintain their teachers' self-efficacy during the COVID-19 pandemic when teacher education and practicum are significantly disrupted. Interventions targeting various positive psychological skills (e.g., mindfulness, self-compassion, and positive reappraisal) are warranted. Future investigation is needed to examine the longitudinal relationship between pre-service teachers' well-being and self-efficacy.

Prospering in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: The effects of PROSPER-based intervention on psychological outcomes among preschool teachers.

The growing concerns regarding the risks of transmitting the COVID-19 virus have intensified the job-related stressors commonly encountered by teachers in various cultural contexts. Evidence shows how the COVID-19 crisis has negatively impacted teachers' mental health outcomes such as stress, depression, and quality of life, which highlights the significance of designing psychological programs to boost teachers' well-being. This study examined the effects of a well-being intervention based on the Positivity, Relationship, Outcomes, Strength, Purpose, Engagement, and Resilience (PROSPER) framework on well-being outcomes among 76 in-service teachers (Mage = 26.05 years, SD = 4.71, range = 20-45; female = 93.4%) in Hong Kong. Participants completed survey measures associated with the seven PROSPER outcomes at baseline and 2-month follow-up. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that there were statistically significant multivariate effects for intervention conditions, Wilks' Lambda F(7, 58) = 4.50, p = .01. Results demonstrated that teachers who were assigned to the intervention condition (n = 36) had significantly higher scores than those in the control condition (n = 40) on positivity (b = 0.41, 95% CI [0.16, 0.65], p = .01), strength (b = 0.62, 95% CI [0.23, 1.01], p = .01), purpose (b = 0.61, 95% CI [0.18, 1.04], p = .01), and resilience (b = 0.57, 95% CI [0.07, 1.07], p = .04). Our findings provide evidence on the mental health benefits of the PROSPER-based psychological intervention program for preschool teachers.

Applying the trans-contextual model to promote sport injury prevention behaviors among secondary school students.

The current study tested the effects of an intervention based on the trans-contextual model (TCM) on secondary school PE students' sport injury prevention behavior and on theory-based motivational and social cognition mediators. Participants were PE students (N = 1168; Mage  = 13.322 ± 1.045, range = 12-16; female = 51.721%) who participated in a 3-month cluster-randomized controlled trial. Schools were randomly assigned to a treatment group, in which PE teachers received training to be more supportive of psychological needs in teaching sport injury prevention, or a control group, in which PE teachers received no training. Participants completed survey measures of TCM variables and self-reported sport injury prevention behavior at baseline and at 3-month post-intervention follow-up. The proposed TCM model exhibited adequate fit with the data, χ2  = 143.080 (df = 19), CFI = 0.956, TLI = 0.916, RMSEA = 0.078 (90% CI = 0.066-0.090), and SRMR = 0.058. We found positive, statistically significant direct intervention effects on changes in perceived psychological need support (ß = 0.064, p = 0.020). We also found positive, significant direct (ß = 0.086-0.599, p < 0.001) and indirect (ß = 0.002-0.027, p = 0.020-0.032) intervention effects on changes in TCM variables and behaviors to prevent sport injuries. Our findings support the TCM as a useful framework for building an intervention for promoting sport injury prevention behaviors among secondary school students.

Predictors of in-school and out-of-school sport injury prevention: A test of the trans-contextual model.

The current study aimed to predict secondary school students' motivation toward sport injury prevention in "in-school" and "out-of-school" contexts, and their sport injury prevention behavior at 3-month follow-up using the trans-contextual model (TCM). Hong Kong secondary school students (N = 1566; mean age = 13.34 years, range = 11 to 19; female = 49.42%) were recruited. Participants were asked to complete a survey comprising previously validated scales measuring TCM constructs at baseline and a measure of sport injury prevention behavior at follow-up three months later. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the hypothesized paths among TCM constructs. A SEM specifying hypothesized paths among TCM variables showed acceptable fit with the data (χ2 (29) = 418.55, CFI = .93, TLI = .90, and RMSEA = .09, 90% CI [.09, .10], and SRMR = .05). Findings supported tenets of the TCM: the effects of perceived autonomy support from PE teachers on in-school autonomous motivation toward injury prevention, the trans-contextual relationship between students' "in-school" and "out-of-school" autonomous motivation toward injury prevention, and the effects of autonomous motivation toward injury prevention on social cognitive variables and subsequent sport injury prevention behaviors. Results supported the tenets proposed within the TCM in predicting students' "in-school" and "out-of-school" autonomous motivation toward sport injury prevention. Findings underscore the potential importance of autonomy support from PE teachers in facilitating students' sport injury prevention behaviors. Further longitudinal and intervention research is warranted to establish temporal and causal effects of TCM variables in sport injury prevention.

Psychological processes of ACL-patients' post-surgery rehabilitation: A prospective test of an integrated theoretical model.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this prospective study was to examine the utility of an integrated model comprising constructs from self-determination theory (SDT) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in predicting adherence to a post-surgery rehabilitation program in patients receiving anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Constructs of the integrated model measured at baseline were expected to predict patients' rehabilitation adherence two months later. METHOD: Patients (N = 121, M age = 27.62, range = 18-53; 36.66% female) scheduled to have ACL reconstruction surgery within two months were recruited from a Hong Kong public hospital. At baseline and two-month follow-up, patients completed measures of perceived autonomy support from doctors and physiotherapists and treatment motivation from SDT, social cognition constructs from the TPB factors, and adherence to the postsurgery rehabilitation program recommended by their surgeon. RESULTS: Path analysis displayed good goodness-of-fit of the proposed model with the data (χ2 = 11.47 (df = 9), CFI = 0.98, TLI = 0.93, RMSEA = 0.06 [90% CI = 0.00; 0.10]) after controlling for age, gender, time of surgery, post-surgery rehabilitation, and injury severity. Consistent with hypotheses, perceived autonomy support from physiotherapist and autonomous treatment motivation directly and indirectly predicted the TPB constructs and treatment adherence. However, there was no association between perceived autonomy support from doctors and autonomous motivation. CONCLUSION: The integrated model was effective in explaining the psychological processes that relate to medical adherence. Findings also highlight the importance of the autonomy support from physiotherapists and provide evidence for potential intervention targets.

Sport injury prevention in-school and out-of-school? A qualitative investigation of the trans-contextual model.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate junior secondary school students' experiences and perspectives of in-school and out-of-school sport-safety, with a particular focus on the meaning and content that they applied to the motivational and social cognitive factors of sport injury prevention. DESIGN: Focus-group interview. METHOD: Participants were 128 junior secondary school students (Form 1 to Form 3) aged between 12 and 16 years from two secondary schools. We organised focus-group interviews by class (group size = six to nine students). Seventeen groups completed semi-structured interviews regarding their experience, beliefs, and motives for injury prevention in-school and out-of-school. We analysed data by thematic content analysis using a typological approach. RESULTS: Higher order themes (N = 7) including in-school and out-of-school motives and social cognitive factors and associated lower-order themes (N = 16), emerged from the analysis corresponding to constructs from trans-contextual model tenets. CONCLUSIONS: The current study is the first qualitative study to explore junior secondary school students' experience and perspectives on sport injury prevention, using trans-contextual model as a framework for investigation. The findings contribute to a better understanding on their motivational and social cognitive factors in adopting sport injury prevention. The content of the theme behavior also indicated the inadequacy of students' knowledge of effective sport injury prevention techniques, and underscored the importance of sport safety education.

Toward a better assessment of perceived social influence: The relative role of significant others on young athletes.

The purpose of this three-study paper was to develop and validate the Perceived Social Influence in Sport Scale-2 (PSISS-2) that aimed to resolve the limitations of PSISS-1 in assessing the relative social influence of significant others in youth sport. In Study 1, a pool of 60 items generated from revisiting a qualitative dataset about significant others of young athletes were examined by two expert panel reviews in terms of content validity, clarity, coverage, and age-appropriateness, leading to the development of 16 items of the PSISS-2. In Study 2, multi-group exploratory structural equation model for PSISS-2 was conducted among 904 young athletes, and the results supported a model comprising positive influence (ie, conditional and unconditional positive influence combined), punishment (ie, conditional negative influence), and dysfunction (ie, unconditional negative influence) as three factors. The goodness of fit of the three-factor model was acceptable and invariant across the coach-, father-, mother-, and teammates-versions of PSISS-2. In support of the criterion validity of PSISS-2, the three factors explained substantial variance of young athletes' perceived competence, effort, enjoyment, and trait anxiety in sport. Study 3 examined the relationship between PSISS-2 factors, psychological need support, and controlling behaviors in a subsample of 452 young athletes, and the findings supported the concurrent validity and discriminant validity of the scale. In conclusion, the data are supportive of PSISS-2. The three factors of the scale (ie, positive influence, punishment, and dysfunction) may form a new framework for understanding and comparing the relative role of significant others in youth sport.