Research on mental health demonstrated important relations between individuals' masculinity and attitudes and intentions towards mental help-seeking. Less research has examined public stigma regarding seeking mental help in both men and women and its relation with masculinity and masculinity-related issues. Previous studies have shown that social dominance orientation, right-wing authoritarianism, and ambivalent sexism (composed of hostile and benevolent sexism) are constructs that are theoretically related to masculinity, as well as attitudes regarding mental health. This study examined the independent roles of conforming to masculine norms, social dominance orientation, right-wing authoritarianism, and ambivalent sexism in public stigma regarding seeking help for mental health problems in a total sample of 569 men and women. Moderation analyses were conducted to determine differential relations for men and women. For both men and women, right-wing authoritarianism was significantly negatively related to public stigma, and hostile sexism was significantly positively related, while social dominance orientation was not related. Of the various Conformity to Masculine Norms subscales, only self-reliance was significant. There was a significant Benevolent Sexism & times; Gender interaction effect such that the relationship between public stigma and benevolent sexism was significant and positive for women but nonsignificant for men. Masculinity's influence on public mental health stigma extends beyond men, suggesting that gendered norms shape these attitudes. Addressing masculine norms of self-reliance and sexism may be key to reducing stigma and improving public stigma across genders.
Funeral rituals are widely acknowledged as playing a crucial role in the grieving process by helping individuals express pain, mark symbolic separation, and support emotional reconstruction. This scoping review aimed to analyze studies published since 2000 that document funeral rituals and their effects on grief in NATO countries. Based on nine databases, 95 studies (mostly qualitative) were included. The studied populations primarily consisted of bereaved adults, as well as children, migrants, and professionals. Four types of rituals were identified: collective (funerals, viewings), individual (farewells, body washing), commemorative (memorials, services), and alternative in COVID-19 pandemic times (virtual ceremonies, home-based memorials). Their effects are ambivalent: while they may provide support, emotional expression, and continuity, they can also generate stress, guilt, or feelings of unreality-especially during the pandemic. Some methodological limitations-such as selection bias and unclear definitions-limit the generalizability of the findings.
Despite its normative nature, the experience of romantic relationship dissolution can be very distressing. In men in particular, the severity of psychological distress associated with a relationship dissolution can lead to an elevated risk of using harmful behaviours towards oneself and others, including the ex-partner-a form of intimate partner violence (IPV). Therefore, many men will seek professional help in organizations specializing in IPV in this specific context. Yet, we know little about the factors that explain the severity of their psychological distress and, as a result, about the factors that should be emphasized in prevention and intervention strategies aimed at reducing the risk of self- and other-harming behaviours. This study sought to identify the psycho-relational factors that are associated with the severity of psychological distress reported by men who are experiencing a relationship dissolution and who are seeking help in IPV-specialized organizations. A sample comprised of 759 men entering treatment in Qu & eacute;bec community organizations specialized in IPV that were experiencing a relationship dissolution was recruited and completed an online self-report questionnaire. Results of structural equation modelling revealed that men with higher levels of childhood trauma exposure, attachment-related anxiety, affect dysregulation, and identity impairments reported more severe psychological distress. Implications for prevention and intervention programs targeted for men who are undergoing a relationship dissolution are discussed.
Test anxiety is a prevalent concern among students, affecting both their well-being and academic achievement. This underscores the need for brief, well-validated assessment tools. The present study aimed to validate the short version of the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI-5; Spielberger et al., 1980) in French, a concise and reliable measure of test anxiety. Data were collected at two time points from two distinct samples in Quebec: high school students (n = 474; 72% female) and university students (n = 388; 92% female). Results confirmed the TAI-5's strong construct validity, internal consistency, and measurement invariance across educational levels and time points. The TAI-5 also demonstrated good convergent validity, showing positive correlations with other anxiety symptoms and negative correlations with academic achievement. These findings establish the French TAI-5 as a reliable, valid, and time-efficient tool for assessing test anxiety in diverse student populations, offering researchers and practitioners a valuable instrument to address this important issue.
Does children's school readiness in kindergarten predict their math achievement throughout elementary and secondary grades? While American longitudinal research suggests that readiness does indeed have persisting impacts, similar knowledge is less developed in Canada due to a lack of comparable national-level data. This study uses a unique, linked, and large-scale Ontario data set that includes a holistic measure of school readiness in kindergarten and tracks math achievement through Grades 3, 6, and 9 for over 25,000 students, along with controls for student demographics and school contexts. Descriptive statistics, nested multiple regression models, and multilevel growth models show that children's language and cognitive readiness in kindergarten, along with some noncognitive forms of readiness, are powerful and robust predictors of math scores in each of Grades 3, 6, and 9 and also predict achievement trajectories over those grades, though gaps between children with higher versus lower levels of cognitive readiness diminish over time. Since these findings show that disparities in math skills are present by Grade 3 and persist across elementary into secondary education, we speculate that they underscore the need for early and universal interventions that can nurture cognitive and other forms of school readiness.
Many studies have assessed alcohol use disorder recovery using dichotomous relapse indicators, which suffer from several limitations. This study tested an alternative approach based on a multidimensional assessment of heavy drinking, alcohol-related consequences, and dependence, using the French versions of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption, Short Inventory of Problems-Revised, and Short Alcohol Dependence Data. One hundred sixty-six alcohol use disorder patients (M-age = 47.17, SD = 11.26; 25.9% of women) completed a baseline including the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption, Short Alcohol Dependence Data, and Short Inventory of Problems-Revised; received an intervention to promote change; and completed again those questionnaires at a 2-month follow-up. Additionally, 80 nonclinical participants (M-age = 50.05, SD = 16.79; 25% of women) also completed the baseline assessment. Results established cutoffs for the three investigated questionnaires, demonstrated their sensitivity to change at follow-up, and highlighted their interrelationship. Finally, it showed that a typical relapse indicator often misaligns with the proposed cutoff to those questionnaires. This study suggests that the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption, Short Inventory of Problems-Revised, and Short Alcohol Dependence Data offer valuable and complementary insights into alcohol use disorder recovery, with significant clinical and research implications.
The Echelle de vocabulaire Mill Hill (Set B ; Deltour, 1998) is the French adaptation of the Raven Mill Hill Vocabulary Scale (Raven, 1965), a multiple-choice, paper-and-pencil vocabulary test. In the present study, the psychometric properties of the scale were assessed in student samples from two Canadian universities tested in group administration (N = 959, N = 480), and individually (N = 72). Item analyses revealed discrepancies in item difficulties but supported the test's unidimensional structure and the reliability of the total score. Separate normative data are provided for each of the two primary samples. The substantial correlation (r = 0.72) observed between the Mill Hill and a similar test, the Binois-Pichot Vocabulary Test, also supported the convergent validity of the Mill Hill. Overall, the results indicated that the Echelle de vocabulaire Mill Hill's psychometric properties are adequate for both group and individual administrations when used with students at French-speaking Canadian universities.
Recent studies highlighted the importance for parents to apologize to their adolescents for their mishaps. Building on previous apology studies, researchers identified 13 apology elements that parents can communicate to their adolescents when addressing their mishaps, including eight victim-centred and five defensive, to develop the Parental Apology Quality Scale-Adolescent Version. Preliminary evidence suggests that this scale has strong psychometric properties; however, its outreach remains limited in that it has yet to be developed and validated into a parent version. To address this gap, we developed the Parental Apology Quality Scale-Parent Version and assessed its psychometric properties among parents of 14- to 18-year-old adolescents living in the United States (Study 1; N = 300; 48.12% fathers) and Canada (Study 2; N = 300, 40.94% fathers). Results from exploratory (Study 1) and confirmatory (Study 2) factor analyses converged, supporting a two-factor structure for the scale (with victim-centred and defensive apology elements loading onto distinct factors). The scale also showed configural and metric invariance across genders, highlighting its validity for mothers and fathers. Finally, the scale showed good external validity through associations with coded apology behaviours and expected correlates (i.e. parents' attachment style to their adolescents and parents' gender). Overall, results provide evidence for the validity of the scale within North American samples.
This study examined whether preschoolers' (Mage = 52.12 months) episodic memory and their parents' reminiscing style were related to their episodic future thinking (EFT) abilities. To this end, 50 French-speaking parent-child dyads were recruited. Children completed an EFT task (requiring the description of activities they would do the next day) and memory tasks assessing the accuracy of their memories about previously experienced standardized events and their ability to memorize new associations of factual and contextual information. Parental reminiscing style was analyzed through parent-child discussions of a prior event (an aquarium visit). The results showed that preschoolers' EFT was related to both their memory performance on the task assessing their ability to memorize new information and a specific component of parental reminiscing style (i.e., repetitive parental behaviours that introduce regularities into the conversation). These findings are a first step towards a better understanding of how parental behaviours and cognitive processes are involved in the acquisition of EFT.
There is a dearth of research on the role of teachers' interpersonal behaviors on the occurrence of depressive symptoms in adolescents, as well as on the mechanisms liable to explain this relationship. To remedy this lacuna, the main goal of the present study was the evaluation of the potential sequential mediating effect of students' satisfaction of three psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) and school motivation, on the relationship between teachers' interpersonal behaviors and students' depressive symptoms. It was hypothesized that: (a) Teachers' constructive interpersonal behaviors would be positively associated with student's satisfaction of the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness; (b) Satisfaction of all three psychological needs would be positively associated to self-determined motivation; (c) Self-determined motivation would be negatively associated with depressive symptoms; and (d) Students' satisfaction of all three psychological needs and self-determined motivation would be potential sequential mediators of the relationship between teachers' interpersonal behaviors and students' depressive symptoms. During class time, participants (N = 346 students from Secondary 1 to 5) completed a questionnaire package that included four measures: the Interpersonal Behavior Inventory, the Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale; the Academic Motivation Scale; and the Brief Screen for Depression. Results of a structural equations modeling analysis corroborated all hypotheses. Model fit was satisfactory. Results are discussed in terms of their fundamental and applied implications.
Shame and guilt are emotions that every human being experiences at one time or another. While for some they are merely passing feelings, for others they become deeply ingrained in their personality. Within this context, the present study aims to translate the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 and validate its Canadian French version by examining gender differences, internal consistency, temporal reliability, factorial structure, and convergent and discriminant validity. A total of 742 French Canadian participants completed an initial series of online questionnaires, and on average 4 weeks later, 436 of them completed again a subset of these questionnaires to assess reliability. The results show gender differences for shame, guilt, detachment, and beta pride. Internal consistency is good for all subscales except those for pride. Temporal reliability is good. Unidimensional factor analyses confirm the validity of the subscales of shame, guilt, externalization, and detachment, unlike the multidimensional model. Finally, these subscales correlate with similar constructs (Personal Feelings Questionnaire-2, Internalized Shame Scale, Experience of Shame Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) while showing clear distinctions (Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Defense Mechanisms Rating Scale Self-Report-30, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale). In conclusion, the Canadian French version of the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 can be used with confidence.
