By means of a longitudinal design the authors sought to determine the role of students’ self-determined motivation in reducing the intention to drop out of high school over time, while taking into account the impact of academic performance and of socioeconomic status. The effects of students’ self-efficacy and perceived support from parents and teachers were examined. A total of 426 students of grades 9–13 completed self-report estimates and their official school grades were also taken into consideration. Results showed that the level of self-determined motivation in students, which was directly related to the perception of teachers’ autonomy support, was the best predictor of the intention to drop out of school. Self-efficacy had a significant impact both on self-determined motivation and academic performance.

School situations trigger affective states that influence students’ achievement and well-being. In the present study, we investigated, on the basis of a sample of 26,470 high-school students and 1,472 classrooms, the relationship of individual characteristics (immigrant background, gender, socioeconomic status, and achievement) as well as classroom characteristics (group composition and size) with students’ feelings at school. The results showed that females, low achievers, immigrants, and low-SES students are more at risk of psychological distress at school, with gender and achievement being the most important factors. A doubly latent model analysis revealed that whereas individual socioeconomic status and achievement have a positive impact on students’ feelings, the effect of the two variables at the classroom level is negative. The impact of immigrant classroom composition seems to be limited to positive affect and dependent on students’ immigrant generation. Finally, students in smaller classrooms show more psychological well-being at school.

Sensory processing disorders (SPDs) can be described as difficulty detecting, modulating, interpreting, and/or responding to sensory experiences. Because SPDs occur in many individuals with autism spectrum disorder and in other populations with neurodevelopmental disorders, it is important to distinguish between typical and atypical functioning in sensory processes and to identify early phenotypic markers for developing SPDs. This review considers different methods for diagnosing SPDs to outline a multidisciplinary approach useful for developing valid diagnostic measures. In particular, the advantages and limitations of the most commonly used tools in assessment of SPDs, such as caregiver reports, clinical observation, and psychophysical and neuroimaging studies, will be reviewed. Innovative treatment methods such as neuromodulation techniques and virtual reality will also be suggested.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a media literacy intervention targeting, for the first time, the specific topic of Performance and Appearance Enhancing Substances (PAESs) use in high-school students. Overall, 389 students (52% male) aged between 13 and 19 years (mean = 16.56 year;SD= 1.26) participated to a media literacy intervention (i.e., “intervention group”) while 103 students aged between 14 and 19 year (mean = 16.10 year;SD= 1.38) were considered as the control group (i.e., “control group”). In two separate occasions over the course of six consecutive months, students in both groups filled out a set of questionnaires which included measures of social-cognitive beliefs (i.e., attitudes, subjective norms, intentions) and a self-reported measure of retrospective use of doping (Yes/No) and supplements (Yes/No). Compared to students in the control group (Mean_(time1)= 1.96; SD_(time1)= 0.85; and Mean_(time2)= 2.09; SD_(time2)= 0.94), intervention students on average expressed relatively stronger attitudes against doping use over time (Mean_(time1)= 2.2; SD_(time1)= 0.85; and Mean_(time2)= 2.05; SD_(time2)= 0.82). Students in the latter group also showed a statistically significant decrease in self-reported supplement use (Use_(time1)= 6.7%; Use_(time2)= 3.8%;p= 0.05, McNemar Test). Interestingly, albeit marginally significant, students in the control group showed a relative increment in the self-reported use of supplements over time (Use_(time1)= 4.9%; Use_(time2)= 8.7%;p= 0.22, McNemar Test). Overall, the media literacy intervention investigated in the present study was effective in decreasing adolescent student’s positive attitudes toward doping use and in reducing the use of legal PAES. These findings supported the generalizability and the usefulness of a media literacy approach in the specific field of PAES.