Just Need Some Satisfaction: Examining the Relationship between Passion for Exercise and the Basic Psychological Needs

Individuals often pursue activities for which they are passionate about, and this passion is operationalized as being harmonious (an autonomous desireto engage in the activity) or obsessive (a controlled desire to engage in the activity) in nature (Vallerand et al., 2003). With regard to harmonious passion, Vallerand et al. (2003) suggests that it is fostered in environments that nurture innate needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The purpose of the present study was to explore the nature of the passion-basic psychological needs (competence, autonomy, relatedness) relationship. Kinesiology students (N = 917; Mage = 18.54 SD = 1.66) completed the Passion Scale (Vallerand et al., 2003) and the Psychological Need Satisfaction in Exercise Scale (Wilson et al., 2006). Results from the SEM path analysis indicated that harmonious passion was positively related to competence (SPE = .43) and relatedness (SPE = .43) and obsessive passion was negatively related to autonomy (SPE = -.18)(CFI = .90, RMSEA = .07, SRMR = .07). Implications for exercise participation/enjoyment are discussed.

A Scoping Review of Psychological Interventions for PTSD in Military Personnel and Veterans.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has emerged as a key concern for military and veteran populations. This article describes what is being done programmatically and therapeutically to treat PTSD in military personnel and veterans returning from deployment. This scoping review demonstrates that (1) research published in this area has been rapidly increasing since its inception in the 1980s; (2) the vast majority of articles focus on cognitive-behavioral approaches to treatment, and this area of the literature presents strong evidence for these approaches; and (3) there is a lack of randomized controlled trials for treatments, such as art therapies and group therapies.

COPING STRATEGIES AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG BHUTANESE REFUGEES RESETTLED IN OTTAWA, CANADA

Since 2008, more than 6000 Bhutanese refugees have been resettled in over 21 communities across Canada, with nearly 300 individuals residing in Ottawa. This resettling process is associated with physical and psychological stress, as individuals acclimatize to a new country. A lack of understanding of the impact of this transition exists. This study assessed the relationship between coping strategies and psychological well-being of Bhutanese refugees resettled in Ottawa. A cross sectional survey of a representative sample of Bhutanese adults (n = 110) was conducted between November and December 2015. Coping strategies and psychological well-being were measured using the Brief COPE and General Well-being (GWB) scales. The total GWB mean score of 69.04 ± 12.09 suggests that respondents were in moderate distress. GWB did not significantly differ by sex, marital status, religion, employment, part time or full time job, or length of stay in Canada. Using multiple linear regression, significant independent variables from univariate analysis with GWB (age, education, positive reframing, self-blame and venting) were modeled to determine the best predictors of general well-being (GWB, F (11, 96) = 3.61, p < .001, R² = 21.2%). Higher levels of education and positive reframing were associated with greater GWB scores while self-blame and ages 41-50 were inversely associated with general well-being. It was found that above 66% of the unemployed participants were from age groups 41 and above. This finding suggests that career guidance services and vocational training to address unemployment may benefit this community. Nurses can provide support and counselling to assist refugees to minimize the use of negative coping strategies like self-blame and venting and promote positive coping strategies. Further, collaboration between nurses, other interdisciplinary professionals and community organizations is necessary to address social determinants of health and enhance refugee psychological well-being.

UNDERSTANDING ESSAY RATING AS A SOCIALLY MEDIATED ACTIVITY: THE CASE OF A HIGH-STAKES ENGLISH TEST IN CHINA

Most essay rating research in language assessment has examined human raters’ essay rating as a cognitive process, thus overlooking or oversimplifying the interaction between raters and sociocultural contexts. Given that raters are social beings, their practices have social meanings and consequences. Hence it is important to situate essay rating within its sociocultural context for a more meaningful understanding. Drawing on Engeström’s (1987, 2001) cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) framework with a sociocultural perspective, this study reconceptualized essay rating as a socially mediated activity with both cognitive (individual raters’ goal-directed decision-making actions) and social layers (raters’ collective object-oriented essay rating activity at related settings). In particular, this study explored raters’ essay rating at one provincial rating centre in China within the context of a high-stakes university entrance examination, the National Matriculation English Test (NMET). This study adopted a multiple-method multiple-perspective qualitative case study design. Think-aloud protocols, stimulated recalls, interviews, and documents served as the data sources. This investigation involved 25 participants at two settings (rating centre and high schools), including rating centre directors, team leaders, NMET essay raters who were high school teachers, and school principals and teaching colleagues of these essay raters. Data were analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’s (1990) open and axial coding techniques, and CHAT for data integration. The findings revealed the interaction between raters and the NMET sociocultural context. Such interaction can be understood through a surface structure (cognitive layer) and a deep structure (social layer) concerning how raters assessed NMET essays, where the surface structure reflected the “what” and the deep structure explained the “how” and “why” in raters’ decision-making. This study highlighted the roles of goals and rules in rater decision-making, rating tensions and raters’ solutions, and the relationship between essay rating and teaching. This study highlights the value of a sociocultural view to essay rating research, demonstrates CHAT as a sociocultural approach to investigate essay rating, and proposes a direction for future washback research on the effect of essay rating. This study also provides support for NMET rating practices that can potentially bring positive washback to English teaching in Chinese high schools.