L'identité ethnique chez les jeunes contrevenants

La présence accrue de jeunes appartenant à un groupe ethnoculturel minoritaire dans les institutions pour jeunes contrevenants au Québec est une problématique complexe et préoccupante. Lorsque les études scientifiques se penchent sur les questions liées à la délinquance juvénile et aux gangs de rue, l’accent est placé sur l’identification de groupes ethniques plus à risque de s’associer à un gang (van Gemert, Peterson, & Lien, 2008; Wortley & Tanner, 2006). L’association à un gang de rue est régulièrement considérée comme un phénomène qui toucherait principalement les groupes ethnoculturels minoritaires (Perreault & Bibeau, 2003 ; Spergel, 2009), sans toutefois préciser le rôle plus concret de l’ethnicité et de la culture dans l’association aux gangs de rue. Cette thèse, composée d’articles scientifiques, présente les résultats de deux études portant sur l’identité ethnique de jeunes contrevenants, mesurée par le Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure – Revised (MEIM-R) de Phinney et Ong (2007). La première étude explore les effets de l’identité ethnique et de la génération d’immigration sur les comportements délinquants autorévélés de jeunes contrevenants judiciarisés. (N = 71, âge 14-20 ans). Les comportements délinquants ont été mesurés à partir du Self-Report of Offending – Revised (SRO-R) de Huizingua, Esbensen et Weihar (1991). La seconde étude explore le rôle de l’identité ethnique et de l’appartenance à un groupe de minorités racisées dans l’association autorévélée à un gang de rue et dans l’adhésion à la culture de gang (N = 69; âge 14-20 ans). L’adhésion à la culture de gang a, quant à elle, été établie à partir de la Mesure d’adhésion à la culture de gang (MACg) de Fredette (2014). Les résultats indiquent une plus forte identité ethnique chez les jeunes contrevenants issus de la première et de la seconde génération d’immigration que ceux de la troisième génération d’immigration ou plus. Lorsqu’on tient uniquement compte de l’apparence ethnique, les jeunes contrevenants appartenant à une minorité racisée présentent aussi des plus hauts scores d’identité ethnique que ceux appartenant à la majorité caucasienne. Les résultats indiquent également que les jeunes contrevenants de l’échantillon ayant immigré avant l’âge de 6 ans et qui ont tendance à présenter une identité ethnique élevée rapportent davantage de crimes contre la personne. Afin de mieux cerner les mécanismes sous-jacents à l’effet de l’identité ethnique sur les crimes reconnus plus violents, il a été convenu de prendre l’association à un gang de rue comme variable dépendante de la seconde étude. En effet, les délinquants qui se disent associés aux gangs de rue présentent une problématique de délinquance plus sévère que les autres (Laurier, Guay, Lafortune, & Toupin, 2015), notamment en ce qui a trait à la délinquance violente (Guay et al., 2015). Plus un jeune contrevenant rapporte un niveau d’exploration de l’identité ethnique élevé, plus il adhère aux dimensions signes et symboles et règles et rituels de l’adhésion à la culture de gang, et ce, peu importe son âge, ou qu’il appartienne à une minorité racisée. Cette recherche fait ressortir l’importance de s’intéresser aux questions identitaires liées à l’ethnicité, à la race et à la culture lors d’interventions auprès de jeunes contrevenants, et ce, peu importe leurs origines.

Metacognition and executive functioning in Elementary School

This study analyzes differences in metacognitive skills and executive functioning between two groups of students (10-12 years) with different levels of metacognitive knowledge (high n = 50, low n = 64). Groups were established based on students' score on a test of knowledge of strategy use. Metacognitive skills were assessed by means of self-report. Students reported the frequency with which they applied these strategies during the phases of planning, execution, and evaluation of learning. Information about student executive functioning was provided by families and teachers, who completed two parallel forms of a behavior rating scale. The results indicated that: a) the group with high levels of metacognitive knowledge reported using their metacognitive skills more frequently than their peers in the other group. These differences were statistically significant in the phases of planning and execution; b) both family and teachers informed of better levels of executive functioning in the students with high metacognitive knowledge. Statistically significant differences were found in planning, functional memory, focus, and sustained attention. These results show the existence of an association between different levels of metacognitive knowledge, and differences in metacognitive skills and executive functions, and suggest the need to emphasize this set of variables in order to encourage students to acquire increasing levels of control over their learning process.

The Effect of using online homework exercises on student achievement in a Quantitative methods course

Abstract: Quantitative Methods (QM) is a compulsory course in the Social Science program in CEGEP. Many QM instructors assign a number of homework exercises to give students the opportunity to practice the statistical methods, which enhances their learning. However, traditional written exercises have two significant disadvantages. The first is that the feedback process is often very slow. The second disadvantage is that written exercises can generate a large amount of correcting for the instructor. WeBWorK is an open-source system that allows instructors to write exercises which students answer online. Although originally designed to write exercises for math and science students, WeBWorK programming allows for the creation of a variety of questions which can be used in the Quantitative Methods course. Because many statistical exercises generate objective and quantitative answers, the system is able to instantly assess students’ responses and tell them whether they are right or wrong. This immediate feedback has been shown to be theoretically conducive to positive learning outcomes. In addition, the system can be set up to allow students to re-try the problem if they got it wrong. This has benefits both in terms of student motivation and reinforcing learning. Through the use of a quasi-experiment, this research project measured and analysed the effects of using WeBWorK exercises in the Quantitative Methods course at Vanier College. Three specific research questions were addressed. First, we looked at whether students who did the WeBWorK exercises got better grades than students who did written exercises. Second, we looked at whether students who completed more of the WeBWorK exercises got better grades than students who completed fewer of the WeBWorK exercises. Finally, we used a self-report survey to find out what students’ perceptions and opinions were of the WeBWorK and the written exercises. For the first research question, a crossover design was used in order to compare whether the group that did WeBWorK problems during one unit would score significantly higher on that unit test than the other group that did the written problems. We found no significant difference in grades between students who did the WeBWorK exercises and students who did the written exercises. The second research question looked at whether students who completed more of the WeBWorK exercises would get significantly higher grades than students who completed fewer of the WeBWorK exercises. The straight-line relationship between number of WeBWorK exercises completed and grades was positive in both groups. However, the correlation coefficients for these two variables showed no real pattern. Our third research question was investigated by using a survey to elicit students’ perceptions and opinions regarding the WeBWorK and written exercises. Students reported no difference in the amount of effort put into completing each type of exercise. Students were also asked to rate each type of exercise along six dimensions and a composite score was calculated. Overall, students gave a significantly higher score to the written exercises, and reported that they found the written exercises were better for understanding the basic statistical concepts and for learning the basic statistical methods. However, when presented with the choice of having only written or only WeBWorK exercises, slightly more students preferred or strongly preferred having only WeBWorK exercises. The results of this research suggest that the advantages of using WeBWorK to teach Quantitative Methods are variable. The WeBWorK system offers immediate feedback, which often seems to motivate students to try again if they do not have the correct answer. However, this does not necessarily translate into better performance on the written tests and on the final exam. What has been learned is that the WeBWorK system can be used by interested instructors to enhance student learning in the Quantitative Methods course. Further research may examine more specifically how this system can be used more effectively.

Conhecimentos e dificuldades das mães face à amamentação

Enquadramento: Devido à elevada prevalência de abandono precoce da amamentação, diversas instituições (e.g., OMS, UNICEF) têm-se preocupado em proteger, promover e apoiar o aleitamento materno um pouco por todo o mundo, defendendo a sua exclusividade durante os primeiros seis meses de vida do bebé, complementado a partir dessa idade pela introdução de alimentos e mantido até aos 2 anos de idade ou mais, se esse for o desejo da mãe. Objetivos: Avaliar os conhecimentos das mães sobre a amamentação; identificar as dificuldades vivenciadas pelas mães em relação à amamentação; analisar a relação entre as variáveis sociodemográficas e obstétricas das mães e os seus conhecimentos e dificuldades sobre a amamentação. Metodologia: Estudo quantitativo, descritivo, analítico, correlacional e de corte transversal, conduzido numa amostra não probabilística de 100 mães de recém-nascidos e/ou lactentes até 1 ano de vida, internadas no serviço de obstetrícia, neonatologia, pediatria e urgência de uma Unidade Local de Saúde do Norte do País. As inquiridas tinham idade mínima de 16 e máxima de 43 anos (M=30,77; Dp=6,356). Foi utilizado um questionário de caraterização sociodemográfica e um questionário de autorrelato da vivência das mães sobre a amamentação, desenvolvido por Sousa (2014). Resultados: Os principais resultados mostraram que 50% das mães consideram possuir bons conhecimentos relativos à amamentação, porém, apenas 39% foram classificadas com bons conhecimentos, enquanto 52% revelaram dificuldades elevadas. Os conhecimentos foram avaliados tendo por base a sinalização correta da importância da amamentação na primeira hora de vida do bebé por 93% das mães, exclusiva até aos 6 meses (28%), a composição do leite materno e composição imunológica 93%, a maioria das mães considerou saber identificar os sinais da pega correta. Relativamente ao horário da amamentação, 62% ainda considera correto amamentar de três em três horas e 14% defende que o bebé deve mamar 10 minutos em cada mama. Os conhecimentos relacionaram-se significativamente com as mães com ensino superior (x2=17,828; p=0,00) e nas que se encontram a amamentar atualmente (UMW=278,000; p=0,01). As dificuldades mais prevalentes associaram-se às fissuras (56,4%), ingurgitamento mamário (38,5%), mastite (3,8%), dor (40%) e dificuldade na pega (60%), tendo-se constatado diferenças estatisticamente significativas associadas ao ingurgitamento mamário, à mastite e abcesso mamário. Exerce influência nas dificuldades das mães, ter sido informada pelo obstetra (UMW=324,000; p=0,02) e não ter expectativas na primeira amamentação (UMW=521,500; p=0,01). Conclusão: O estudo revela bons conhecimentos globais mas dificuldades elevadas, sendo estas as comumente referenciadas noutros estudos. Face a isto, mantem-se necessário apoiar nas dificuldades vividas durante a amamentação, adequando as estratégias de promoção, proteção e apoio ao AM, para que os resultados possam ser bem-sucedidos. Palavras-chave: aleitamento materno, conhecimentos, dificuldades.

Prevalence of physical activity in European adults — Compliance with the World Health Organization's physical activity guidelines

Background. Adults are recommended to engage in at least 150 min/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (PA). Purpose. This study aimed to examine the level of compliance with PA recommendations among European adults. Methods. Using data from European Social Survey round 6, PA self-report data was collected from 52,936 European adults from 29 countries in 2012. Meeting PA guidelines was assessed usingWorld Health Organization criteria. Results. 61.47% (60.77% male, 62.05% female) of European adults reported to be engaged in moderate to vigorous PA at least 30 min on 5 or more days per week. The likelihood of achieving the PA recommended levels was higher among respondents older than 18–24. For those aged 45–64 years the likelihood increased 65% (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.51–1.82, p b 0.001) and 112% (OR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.94–2.32, p b 0.001) for males and females, respectively. Those who were high school graduates were more likely to report achieving the recommended PA levels than those with less than high school education (males: OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.12–1.27, p b 0.001; females: OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.06–1.20, p b 0.001). Conclusion. Although about 60% of European adults reported achieving the recommended levels of PA, there is much room for improvement among European adults, particularly among relatively inactive subgroups.

Glasgow Psychosis Screening tool for use in adults with Intellectual Disabilities (GPS-ID): development and psychometric properties

Background: Prevalence of psychosis is known to be higher in adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) than in the general adult population. However, there have been no attempts to develop a psychosis screening tool specifically for the adult ID population. The present study describes the development and preliminary evaluation of a new measure, the Glasgow Psychosis Screening tool for use in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities (GPS-ID). Method: An item pool was generated following: 1) focus groups with adults with ID and psychosis, and their carers and/or workers; 2) expert input from clinicians. A draft scale was compiled and refined following expert feedback. The new scale, along with the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales was administered to 20 adults with ID (10 with and 10 without psychosis) and their relative or carers. Results: The GPS-ID total score, self-report subscale and informant rating-subscale differentiated psychosis and non-psychosis groups. The tool had good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.91), and a cut-off score ≥4 yielded high sensitivity (90%) and specificity (100%). The method of tool development supports face and content validity. Criterion validity was not supported. Conclusions: Preliminary investigation of the tool’s psychometric properties is positive, although further investigation is required. The tool is accessible to adults with mild to moderate ID and can be completed in 15-30 minutes. The GPS-ID is not a diagnostic tool, therefore any adult exceeding the cut-off score of ≥4 should receive further assessment.

A preliminary examination of the relationship between compulsive exercise and shame in individuals with an eating disorder: and clinical research portfolio

Objective: To explore the relationship between compulsive exercise and shame in a clinical sample of eating disorder patients. Method: In a cross-sectional study, individuals with an eating disorder (n=21) completed self-report measures of compulsive exercise, internal shame, external shame, bodily shame, anxiety and depression. Results: Internal shame was moderately associated with compulsive exercise (r=.496, p<.05). No further variables were significantly related to compulsive exercise. Individuals with Anorexia-Nervosa and Bulimia-Nervosa did not significantly differ on any of the study variables. Discussion: Hypotheses regarding the possible nature of the relationship between compulsive exercise and shame are suggested. For instance, that compulsive exercise may serve a role in the regulation of internal shame. That compulsive exercise may act as a compensatory behaviour and be a consequence of high levels of shame. Or that internal shame may result as a response to negative perceptions of one’s exercise habits. The results are discussed in line with current literature.

A dyadic perspective on genito-pelvic pain : trauma antecedents and treatment effectiveness

La vestibulodynie provoquée (VP) est la forme la plus répandue de douleur génito-pelvienne/trouble de la pénétration et la cause la plus fréquente de douleur vaginale chez les femmes pré-ménopausées. Les femmes qui en souffrent rapportent plus de détresse psychologique ainsi qu’un fonctionnement sexuel appauvri, une diminution de la fréquence des activités sexuelles et du plaisir, et plus d’attitudes négatives à l’égard de la sexualité. Les recherches portant sur les couples souffrant de VP ont montré le rôle prépondérant des variables relationnelles dans la modulation des conséquences sexuelles et psychologiques pour les femmes et leurs partenaires. Cependant, aucune analyse dyadique n’a été appliquée au facteur de risque étiologique le plus robuste, soit la maltraitance durant l’enfance. Par ailleurs, malgré des recommandations répétées pour inclure le partenaire dans le traitement psychologique pour la VP, aucune étude à ce jour n’a examiné l’efficacité d’une psychothérapie qui inclut systématiquement le partenaire et dont la cible est le couple. L’objectif général de cette thèse a été d’utiliser une perspective dyadique afin d’examiner les antécédents de maltraitance et l’efficacité d’une intervention conçue pour améliorer les issues des couples souffrant de VP. Le premier article vise à examiner les liens entre la maltraitance durant l’enfance des femmes souffrant de VP et leurs partenaires, et leur fonctionnement sexuel, leur ajustement psychologique, leur satisfaction conjugale et enfin avec la douleur rapportée par les femmes durant les relations sexuelles. Quarante-neuf couples souffrant de VP ont complété des questionnaires auto-rapportés. La maltraitance durant l’enfance chez les femmes était associée à un fonctionnement sexuel plus faible chez les femmes et les hommes, une augmentation de l’anxiété chez les femmes seulement, et une douleur affective accrue durant les relations sexuelles. La maltraitance durant l’enfance chez les hommes était associée à un fonctionnement sexuel plus faible, moins de satisfaction conjugale, plus d’anxiété chez les femmes et les hommes, et une douleur affective accrue durant les relations sexuelles rapportée par les femmes. En se basant sur les recommandations issues des études empiriques, une thérapie cognitive et comportementale pour les couples (TCCC) souffrant de VP a été développée. Le deuxième article présente les résultats d’une étude pilote testant son efficacité, fidélité et faisabilité potentielles. Neuf couples ont complété des questionnaires auto-rapportés pré- et post-traitement. La TCCC de 12 rencontres était manualisée. Les femmes ont rapporté une amélioration significative de la douleur, du fonctionnement et de la satisfaction sexuels, et les partenaires ont rapporté une amélioration significative de leur satisfaction sexuelle. Les couples ont rapporté des niveaux élevés de satisfaction quant à la psychothérapie, et les psychothérapeutes ont rapporté suivre le manuel de traitement de manière fidèle. Le troisième article, s’appuyant sur les résultats prometteurs de l’étude pilote, décrit le protocole de recherche pour un essai clinique randomisé mesurant l’efficacité de la TCCC comparée à une intervention médicale de première ligne, la lidocaïne topique, pour le traitement de la VP. Enfin, les implications cliniques et théoriques de la thèse sont discutées.

A Social Cognitive Approach to Coping with Acculturative Stress in International Students

The present study employed a cross-sectional design to test a model of coping with acculturative stress in an international student sample. Drawing from Lent’s (2004) social cognitive model of restorative well-being, several direct and mediated paths were hypothesized to predict (negatively) acculturative stress and (positively) life satisfaction. Behavioral acculturation and behavioral enculturation (Kim & Omizo, 2006) were also examined as predictors of coping with acculturative stress among international students. Using a self-report survey, participants’ ratings of acculturative stress, life satisfaction, social support, behavioral acculturation, behavioral enculturation, and coping self-efficacy were assessed. The results revealed that the variables of the model explained 16% of the variance in acculturative stress and 27% of the variance in life satisfaction. A final model, including the use of modification indices, provided good fit to the data. Findings also suggested that coping self-efficacy was a direct predictor of acculturative stress, and that behavioral acculturation and coping self-efficacy were direct predictors of students’ life satisfaction. Limitations, future research, and practical implications are discussed.

Validity and reliability of the Cyber-aggression Questionnaire for Adolescents (CYBA)

Cybercrime is a growing and worrisome problem, particularly when it involves minors. Cyber-aggression among adolescents in particular can result in negative legal and psychological consequences for people involved. Therefore, it is important to have instruments to detect these incidents early and understand the problem to propose effective measures for prevention and treatment. This paper aims to design a new self-report, the Cyber-Aggression Questionnaire for Adolescents (CYBA), to evaluate the extent to which the respondent conducts aggressions through a mobile phone or the internet and analyse the factorial and criterion validity and reliability of their scores in a sample of adolescents from Asturias, Spain. The CYBA was administered to 3,148 youth aged between 12 and 18 years old along with three self-reports to measure aggression at school, impulsivity, and empathy. Regarding factorial validity, the model that best represents the structure of the CYBA consists of three factors (Impersonation, Visual-sexual Cyber-aggression, and Verbal Cyber-aggression and Exclusion) and four additional indicators of Visual Cyber-aggression-Teasing/Happy Slapping. Regarding criterion validity, the score on the CYBA correlates positively with aggression at school and impulsivity and negatively with empathy. That is the way cyber-aggression correlates with these three variables, according to previous empirical evidence. The reliability of the scores on each item and factor of the CYBA are adequate. Therefore, the CYBA offers a valid and reliable measure of cyber-aggression in adolescents.

Maternal history of early adversity and child emotional development : investigating intervening factors

L’objectif de cette thèse était de contribuer à l’avancement des connaissances quant aux circonstances permettant une transmission intergénérationnelle du risque émanant de l’adversité maternelle et aux mécanismes sous-tendant cette transmission, dans quatre articles empiriques. Le premier visait à explorer la relation entre un historique d’adversité maternelle, la sécurité d’attachement mère-enfant et le tempérament de l’enfant. Les mères ont complété une entrevue semi-structurée portant sur leurs représentations d’attachement avec leurs parents, à 6 mois, et ont évalué le tempérament de leur enfant à 2 ans. La sécurité d’attachement fut également évaluée à 2 ans. Les résultats ont démontré que les enfants dont les mères rapportaient des niveaux supérieurs d’adversité présentaient de moins bons niveaux d’activité comportementale, uniquement lorsqu’ils avaient un attachement sécurisant avec leur mère. Ces résultats suggèrent une transmission intergénérationnelle des effets d’un historique d’adversité maternelle sur le tempérament des enfants. Le deuxième article visait à investiguer si le transporteur de sérotonine (5-HTTLPR) module la transmission de risque intergénérationnelle de l’adversité maternelle sur le tempérament des enfants. L’historique d’adversité maternelle fut évalué en combinant deux mesures auto-rapportées. Les mères ont également évalué le tempérament de leur enfant à 18 et à 36 mois. Le génotype des enfants fut extrait à 36 mois. Les résultats ont révélé un effet d’interaction entre l’adversité maternelle et le génotype de l’enfant sur le tempérament, suggérant une transmission intergénérationnelle des effets de l’adversité maternelle sur le fonctionnement émotionnel des enfants. Le troisième article visait à explorer la relation entre les difficultés d’adaptation psychosociale des mères, la sensibilité maternelle et les symptômes intériorisés de leurs enfants. Les mères ont complété plusieurs questionnaires desquels un score composite de difficultés d’adaptation psychosociale fut extrait. La sensibilité maternelle fut observée à 12 mois. Les symptômes intériorisés des enfants furent évalués par les deux parents à 2 et à 3 ans. Les résultats ont démontré qu’une augmentation des difficultés maternelles d’adaptation psychosociale étaient associée à davantage de symptômes intériorisés chez les enfants, mais seulement chez ceux dont les mères étaient moins sensibles. Ces résultats ont été observés par les mères à 2 ans et par les deux parents à 3 ans. Ces résultats suggèrent que les enfants peuvent être différemment affectés par l’adaptation émotionnelle de leur mère tout en mettant l’emphase sur le rôle protecteur de la sensibilité maternelle. Le quatrième article visait à investiguer les rôles médiateurs de la dépression et de la sensibilité maternelle dans la relation entre un historique d’adversité maternelle et le tempérament de l’enfant. L’historique d’adversité maternelle fut évalué en combinant deux mesures auto-rapportées. Les mères ont également rapporté leurs symptômes dépressifs à 6 mois. La sensibilité maternelle fut évaluée de façon concomitante. Les mères ont évalué le tempérament de leur enfant à 36 mois. Les résultats ont révélé une transmission intergénérationnelle des effets d’un historique d’adversité maternelle à la génération suivante suivant une médiation séquentielle passant d’abord par la dépression maternelle et ensuite par la sensibilité maternelle. Finalement, les résultats des quatre articles ont été intégrés dans la conclusion générale.