La consecución del funcionamiento psicológico pleno: la dimensión de crecimiento personal / Achieving full psychological functioning: the dimension of personal growth

Los grandes avances médicos logrados en las últimas décadas han posibilitado un inusitado aumento de la esperanza de vida en buena parte de la población mundial, especialmente en los países desarrollados. Sin embargo, este notable incremento de la salud física de las personas contrasta con las elevadas cifras de enfermedades mentales que asolan en numerosas sociedades contemporáneas. En aras de prevenir y reducir la alta incidencia de problemas de salud mental, en los últimos años estamos asistiendo a un creciente interés por el estudio científico de los recursos psicológicos personales como garante de un funcionamiento psicológico pleno. En consonancia con este planteamiento, numerosos enfoques psicológicos enfatizan la importancia de promover el desarrollo de las capacidades y potencialidades individuales, en la medida en que esta dimensión de crecimiento personal se erige en uno de los factores más genuinos y representativos del bienestar psicológico. El presente trabajo pretende profundizar en la comprensión de este pilar esencial del bienestar humano. En primer lugar, se realiza un sucinto recorrido histórico del constructo crecimiento personal, desde su pionera concepción aristotélica hasta su operativización por parte de psicólogos relevantes como Maslow, Rogers, Jung o Frankl, entre otros. Estas aportaciones conforman la raíz por la que se nutre la psicología contemporánea a la hora de explicar y definir este tópico. En concreto, y apoyándonos en diferentes teorías, enfoques y corrientes psicológicas ampliamente aceptadas en la actualidad, analizamos en este artículo aquellos recursos más estrechamente asociados al crecimiento personal, entre los que se encuentran la autodeterminación, el estado de fiujo, el mindfulness, la compasión y el capital psicológico.(AU)

The great medical advances achieved in the last decades have allowed an unusual increase in life expectancy in a large part of the world population, especially in developed countries. However, this remarkable improvement in the physical health of people contrasts with the high numbers of mental illnesses that plague in many contemporary societies. In order to prevent and reduce the high incidence of mental health problems, in recent years we are witnessing a growing interest in the scientific study of personal psychological resources as a guarantor of full psychological functioning. In line with this approach, numerous psychological proposals emphasize the importance of promoting the development of individual capacities and potentialities, to the extent that this dimension of personal growth stands as one of the most genuine and representative factors of psychological well-being. This paper aims to deepen the understanding of this core pillar of human well-being. Firstly, there is a brief historical journey of the personal growth construct, from its pioneering Aristotelian conception to its operationalization by relevant psychologists such as Maslow, Rogers, Jung or Frankl, among others. These contributions constitute the root for which contemporary psychology is nourished when explaining and defining this topic. In particular, and relying on different theories, approaches, and psychological currents widely accepted today, secondly, we analyze in this paper those resources most closely associated with personal growth, among which are self-determination, fiow, mindfulness, compassion, and psychological capital.(AU)

Performance of (Instrumental) Activities of Daily Living and Physical Capacity in Spanish Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study.

Performance in basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL; IADL) is an essential indicator of daily functioning and health of people with intellectual disabilities (ID). The aims of this pilot study were to describe the profile of ADL and IADL performance in Spanish adults with ID, and to examine its association with functional physical skills. The Waisman Activities of Daily Living Scale for adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities (W-ADL) scale was administered to the caregivers of twenty adults with ID (mean age = 41.0, SD = 10.1; women = 75.0%). In addition, dynamic balance and maximum walking speed (MWS), lower-body strength, aerobic capacity and manual dexterity of participants were individualized assessed. The results showed that 40% of adults with ID were completely independent in ADL, but all participants reported activity limitations in at least one IADL. Dynamic balance and MWS, lower-body strength and manual dexterity showed significant and moderate-to-strong correlations with daily functioning (r = 0.495-0.814; p < 0.05). Linear regression analysis indicated that lower-body strength and manual dexterity significantly predicted activity performance in adults with ID (adjusted R2 = 0.816, p = 0.004-0.016). This study highlights the need to support the performance of both ADL and IADL and to promote physical fitness in Spanish community-based care centers for adults with ID.

Psychological Capital and Burnout in Teachers: The Mediating Role of Flourishing.

In keeping with the growth in the development of healthy environments in organizational contexts, in recent years, there has also been increasing interest in the identification of personal psychological resources that contribute to improved worker mental health. From this proactive approach, this study examines the mediating role of flourishing in the relationship between psychological capital (PsyCap) and burnout in teachers, a professional group that is particularly prone to suffering from this syndrome. A total of 1379 teachers from pre-school, primary, secondary, and vocational education systems participated in the study. The mediating effect of flourishing was determined via mediation analysis using the PROCESS macro. The results showed that flourishing partially mediates the negative effect of PsyCap on the three symptoms of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of professional accomplishment). These findings indicate that both PsyCap and flourishing may be effective personal resources in reducing teacher burnout. Therefore, in order to prevent burnout, it is advisable to design interventions that combine PsyCap and flourishing.

Coping Strategies and Self-Efficacy in University Students: A Person-Centered Approach.

In daily academic life, students are exposed to a wide range of potentially stressful situations which could negatively affect their academic achievement and their health. Among the factors that could be weakened by academic stress, attention has been paid to expectations of self-efficacy, which are considered one of the most important determinants for student engagement, persistence, and academic success. From a proactive perspective, research on academic stress has emphasized the importance of coping strategies in preventing harmful consequences. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in discovering the extent to which individuals are able to combine different coping strategies and the adaptive consequences this flexibility entails. However, studies using this person-centered approach are still scarce in the academic context. On that basis, this current study had two objectives: (a) to examine the existence of different profiles of university students based on how they combined different approach coping strategies (positive reappraisal, support seeking, and planning) and (b) to determine the existence of differences in general expectations of self-efficacy between those coping profiles. A total of 1,072 university students participated in the study. The coping profiles were determined by latent profile analysis (LPA). The differences in the self-efficacy variable were determined using ANCOVA, with gender, university year, and degree type as covariates. Four approach coping profiles were identified: (a) low generalized use of approach coping strategies; (b) predominance of social approach coping approaches; (c) predominance of cognitive approach coping approaches; and (d) high generalized use of approach coping strategies. The profile showed that a greater combination of the three strategies was related to higher general self-efficacy expectations and vice versa. These results suggest that encouraging flexibility in coping strategies would help to improve university students' self-efficacy.

Diferenças no envolvimento em tarefas escolares dependendo do desempenho acadêmico / Diferencias en la implicación en los deberes escolares en función del rendimiento académico / Differences in homework involvement depending on academic achievement

El objetivo de este trabajo fue comprobar si hay diferencias en la implicación en los deberes escolares en función de los distintos niveles de rendimiento académico de los estudiantes. Debido al posible efecto que pueden tener el género, curso y la motivación intrínseca, se controlaron sus efectos incorporándolas como covariables en el diseño. La muestra está integrada por 388 estudiantes de Educación Secundaria de centros públicos de A Coruña (España). Los resultados indican que, a medida que los niveles de rendimiento académico de los estudiantes sean más altos, hay un aumento progresivo en la cantidad de deberes realizados y en el aprovechamiento del tiempo. Además, otro resultado destacado es que, según los alumnos van avanzando de curso, realizan una menor cantidad de deberes de los prescritos por el profesor y aprovechan peor el tiempo que dedican a esos deberes. Todo ello debe tenerse en cuenta para la práctica educativa: una mayor motivación intrínseca implicará una mejor gestión del tiempo, una mayor cantidad de deberes realizados y, consecuentemente, un mejor rendimiento.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar se existem diferenças no envolvimento em tarefas escolares dependendo dos diferentes níveis de desempenho acadêmico dos alunos. Devido ao possível efeito que gênero, curso e motivação intrínseca podem ter, seus efeitos foram controlados incorporando-os como covariáveis ​​no design. A amostra é integrada por 388 alunos do Ensino Secundário de centros públicos da Corunha (Espanha). Os resultados indicam que, como os níveis de desempenho acadêmico dos estudantes são maiores, há um aumento progressivo na quantidade de tarefas desempenhadas e no uso do tempo. Além disso, outro resultado marcante é que, de acordo com os alunos que estão avançando, naturalmente, o número de deveres feitos daqueles prescritos pelo professor diminui e também o uso que eles fazem do tempo que dedicam a eles. Tudo isso deve ser levado em consideração para a prática educacional: uma maior motivação intrínseca implicará em uma melhor gestão do tempo, maior quantidade de tarefas realizadas e, consequentemente, melhor desempenho acadêmico.

The objective of this work was to check if there are differences in homework involvement depending on the different levels of academic achievement of students. Due to the possible effect that gender, course and intrinsic motivation can have, their effects were controlled by incorporating them as covariates in the design. The sample is integrated by 388 students of Secondary Education of public centers of A Coruña (Spain). The results indicate that as the levels of academic achievement of the students are higher, there is a progressive increase in the amount of homework done and in the use of time. In addition, another outstanding result is that as the grade progresses, not only decreases the amount of homework, but also the use they make of time is becoming less and less. All this should be taken into account for the educational practice: a greater intrinsic motivation will imply a better management of time, a greater amount of homework and, consequently, a better academic achievement.

Associations between Profiles of Self-Esteem and Achievement Goals and the Protection of Self-Worth in University Students.

The high demands of academia and the fear of failure lead some university students to prioritize defending their personal worth through the use of complex strategies such as self-handicapping or defensive pessimism. Adopting a person-centered approach, this study established two objectives: First, to analyze the conformation of different motivational profiles based on the combination of self-esteem and achievement goals (learning, performance approach, and performance avoidance); and second, to determine if the identified profiles differ from one another in the use of self-handicapping and defensive pessimism. A total of 1028 university students participated in the research. Four motivational profiles were obtained: (a) High self-esteem, low learning goals, high performance approach goals, and high performance avoidance goals; (b) high self-esteem, high learning goals, low performance approach goals, and low performance avoidance goals; (c) low self-esteem, low learning goals, high performance approach goals, and high performance avoidance goals; and (d) low self-esteem, high learning goals, high performance approach goals, and medium performance avoidance goals. Profiles (c) and (d) were significantly related to self-handicapping and defensive pessimism, respectively. These results suggest that students with low self-esteem are more vulnerable to self-protection strategies. Additionally, under self-handicapping and defensive pessimism, the achievement goals are slightly different.

Relationship Between Students' Prior Academic Achievement and Homework Behavioral Engagement: The Mediating/Moderating Role of Learning Motivation.

The interest of assigning homework is frequently discussed due to its alleged low impact on student achievement. One of the current lines of research is to emphasize the quality of student homework engagement rather than the amount of time spent on homework. The aim of this study was to determine (a) the extent to which students' prior achievement affects their homework engagement (i.e., time spent, time management, and amount of teacher-assigned homework done), and (b) how students' intrinsic motivation toward homework may mediate or moderate the relationship between prior achievement and the homework engagement variables. A large sample of students from the first 4 years of Secondary Education (N = 1899) completed questionnaires. The results showed that intrinsic motivation partially mediates, but does not moderate, the effect of prior achievement on the three variables related to homework engagement (time spent, time management, and amount of teacher-assigned homework done). These results highlight the importance of considering both students' current level of achievement and their motivation toward homework engagement when assigning homework.

Eudaimonic Well-Being and Coping with Stress in University Students: The Mediating/Moderating Role of Self-Efficacy.

The importance of personal psychological resources in preventing academic stress has enjoyed little attention to date, despite the high rates of stress that exist among university students. This article analyzes the effect of eudaimonic well-being on the use of adaptive strategies for coping with academic stress. Moreover, it analyzes the role of self-efficacy as a mediator and moderator of this relationship. In the mediation model, gender is included as a co-variable; in the moderation model, gender is included as a moderator. A total of 1402 university students participated in the study. The data were gathered through validated self-report instruments. The mediation analyses were performed using the PROCESS module of the statistical package, SPSS. The moderating effects of self-efficacy and gender were analyzed through hierarchical regression analysis. The results indicate that self-efficacy partially mediates but does not moderate the relationship between eudaimonic well-being and adaptive coping strategies. This finding reveals the benefits of using these two personal resources to enhance effective coping with academic stress while attending university.

Perfiles de self-handicapping y autoestima y su relación con las metas de logro / Profiles of self-handicapping and self-esteem, and its relationship with achievement goals

El presente trabajo pretende profundizar en el conocimiento del self-handicapping académico. Dos son los objetivos de este estudio: (a) identificar posibles perfiles de estudiantes a partir de la combinación del self-handicapping (conductual y alegado) y la autoestima; y (b) analizar las diferencias entre estos perfiles en cuanto a sus metas de logro (aprendizaje, aproximación al rendimiento, evitación del rendimiento y evitación del trabajo). Participaron en la investigación 1028 estudiantes universitarios. Para la obtención de los perfiles se realizó un análisis de perfiles latentes. Las diferencias entre perfiles en las metas de logro se analizaron mediante un MANCOVA, tomando como covariables el género y el curso. Se obtuvieron cinco perfiles de estudiantes: BA/ASH (baja autoestima y alto self-handicapping); BA/ASHA (baja autoestima y alto self-handicapping alegado); BA/ASHC (baja autoestima y alto self-handicapping conductual); MA/MSH (moderada autoestima y moderado self-handicapping); y MA/BSH (moderada autoestima y bajo self-handicapping). Estos perfiles se diferenciaron entre sí significativamente en cuanto a sus metas de logro. Los resultados de este trabajo contribuyen a la comprensión de las características motivacionales de los estudiantes self-handicappers. Dado lo disfuncional que resultan estas estrategias, se plantean algunas pautas psicoeducativas dirigidas a la prevención del self-handicapping en el contexto académico

The present work aims to deepen the knowledge of academic self-handicapping. This study has two objectives: a) to identify different profiles of students according to the combination of self-handicapping (behavioral and claimed) and self-esteem; and (b) to analyze the differences between these profiles in the use of achievement goals (learning, performance-approach, performance-avoidance, and work-avoidance). 1,028 university students participated in the research. Latent profile analysis was applied to obtain the profiles. We conducted a MANCOVA to examine the differences between profiles in achievement goals. Gender and course were estimated as covariates. Five student profiles were obtained: LSE/HSH (low self-esteem and high self-handicapping); LSE/HCSH (low self-esteem and high claimed self-handicapping); LSE/HBSH (low self-esteem and high behavioral self-handicapping); MSE/MSH (medium self-esteem and medium self-handicapping); and MSE/LSH (medium self-esteem and low self-handicapping). These profiles differed significantly from each other in terms of their achievement goals. The results of this study contribute to understanding the motivational characteristics of self-handicappers students. Given the dysfunctional nature of these strategies, some psychoeducational guidelines are proposed for the prevention of academic self-handicapping

Coping flexibility and eudaimonic well-being in university students.

Despite the growing interest in the relationship between coping strategies and eudaimonic well-being, few studies have examined this issue from the perspective of coping flexibility. Therefore, the present study aimed to: (1) identify approach coping profiles in the university context and (2) analyze the differences between these profiles in terms of eudaimonic well-being. A prospective ex post facto design was used and 1,402 university students were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using validated self-reported instruments. A latent profile analysis was conducted to identify the participants' coping profiles. The relationship between profiles and eudaimonic well-being was determined using a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), with gender, age, and university degree as covariates. Six student profiles were identified based on the degree to which they combined positive reappraisal, support seeking, and planning strategies. The profiles that involved the use of these three strategies to a greater extent experienced more eudaimonic well-being, and vice versa. To analyze the impact of coping on eudaimonic well-being, it is necessary to consider students' ability to combine different approach coping strategies.

Profiles of Psychological Well-being and Coping Strategies among University Students.

In the transactional model of stress, coping responses are the key to preventing the stress response. In this study, the possible role of psychological well-being as a personal determinant of coping strategies in the academic context was analyzed. Specifically, the study has two objectives: (a) to identify different profiles of students according to their level of psychological well-being; and (b) to analyze the differences between these profiles in the use of three coping strategies (positive reappraisal, support-seeking, and planning). Age, gender, and degree were estimated as covariables. A total of 1,072 university students participated in the study. Latent profile analysis was applied to four indices of psychological well-being: self-acceptance, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth. An optimal four-profile solution, reflecting significant incremental shifts from low to very high psychological well-being, was obtained. As predicted, the profile membership distinguished between participants in positive reappraisal, support-seeking, and planning. Importantly, the higher the profile of psychological well-being was, the higher the use of the three coping strategies. Gender differences in coping strategies were observed, but no interaction effects with psychological well-being were found. Age and degree were not relevant in explaining the use of coping strategies. These results suggest that psychological well-being stands as an important personal resource to favor adaptive coping strategies for academic stress.

Academic Goals and Self-Handicapping Strategies in University Students.

In highly competitive settings like university, the fear of failure leads some students to protect their self-worth using self-handicapping strategies. The present investigation examines to what extent academic goals are related to those tactics in university students. Specifically, MANCOVA was applied to estimate statistical differences linked to behavioral and claimed self-handicapping strategies according to the level (high/medium/low) of four types of academic goal (achievement approach, achievement avoidance, mastery approach, and work avoidance). Degree, year in school, and gender were entered as covariates. 940 students (86.5% women) from University of A Coruña (M = 20.44; SD = 1.73) participated. Results show that: (a) both behavioral and claimed self-handicapping are promoted by ego-oriented goals (achievement avoidance, F(2, 937) = 23.56, p < .001, η p 2 = .048; achievement approach, F(2, 937) = 7.49, p < .001, η p 2 = .016); (b) work avoidance goals are related to behavioral self-handicapping (F(2, 937) = 9.09, p < .001, η p 2 = .019), but are not statistically linked to claimed self-handicapping; and (c) mastery approach goals are significantly, negatively related to both types of self-handicapping (F(2, 937) = 20.09, p < .001, η p 2 = .041). Psychological and educational implications of the findings are discussed.

Academic goals and self-handicapping strategies in university students

In highly competitive settings like university, the fear of failure leads some students to protect their self-worth using self-handicapping strategies. The present investigation examines to what extent academic goals are related to those tactics in university students. Specifically, MANCOVA was applied to estimate statistical differences linked to behavioral and claimed self-handicapping strategies according to the level (high/medium/low) of four types of academic goal (achievement approach, achievement avoidance, mastery approach, and work avoidance). Degree, year in school, and gender were entered as covariates. 940 students (86.5% women) from University of A Coruña (M = 20.44; SD = 1.73) participated. Results show that: (a) both behavioral and claimed self-handicapping are promoted by egooriented goals (achievement avoidance, F(2, 937) = 23.56, p < .001, ηp 2 = .048; achievement approach, F(2, 937) = 7.49, p < .001, ηp 2 = .016); (b) work avoidance goals are related to behavioral self-handicapping (F(2, 937) = 9.09, p < .001, ηp 2 = .019), but are not statistically linked to claimed self-handicapping; and (c) mastery approach goals are significantly, negatively related to both types of self-handicapping (F(2, 937) = 20.09, p < .001, ηp 2 = .041). Psychological and educational implications of the findings are discussed (AU)

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