Tailoring motor activities to the unique needs of children with special educational requirements has shown considerable efficacy. Our study aimed to develop a structured program specifically designed to enhance psychomotor abilities, focusing on balance and motor–cognitive skills among 28 students (aged 12–14) from two institutional centers in Romania. The program spanned 36 weeks, with biweekly 30 min sessions. Psychomotor skills were assessed through tests measuring balance, speed of movements, and upper limb motor laterality. Initial and final data were collected for evaluation. A statistical analysis, employing the Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Wilcoxon Z tests, compared the assessments. The results indicated significant improvements in movement speed, with a notable increase in stimulus identification (averaging from approximately 13 to 14) (p < 0.05) and reduced processing time (decreasing from about 28.7 to 28 s) (p < 0.05). However, while the structured program demonstrated substantial enhancements in specific motor and cognitive–motor skills, it did not yield significant changes in dynamic balance, maintaining values close to 0.9 (p > 0.05) for open-eyed balance and 0.88 (p > 0.05) for closed-eyed balance. Additionally, an analysis of the processing speed in pulses per second showcased a marginal decline, from approximately 0.46 to 0.45, revealing notable disparities between the initial and final measurements (p < 0.05).

Introduction: This research explores the intricate relationships between mental health indicators (depression, stress, and anxiety) and various dimensions of quality of life among first-year law students. The study aims to understand how affective valence, mood states, physical activity, body image perception, and social relations influence mental health outcomes. Methods: Data were collected from 75 first-year law students (46 females, 29 males), a group predominantly composed of young adults with limited financial means, living in various housing situations, primarily within urban environments, and generally reporting low levels of physical activity. Standardized questionnaires were used to assess mental health and quality of life, including the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21), Feeling Scale (FS), Exercise-Induced Feeling Inventory (EIFI), Modified Baecke Physical Activity Questionnaire (MBPAQ), World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), and Contour Drawing Rating Scale (CDRS). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression analysis were employed to analyze the data. Results: The analysis revealed significant correlations between depression (mean = 5.97, SD = 4.21), stress (mean = 7.81, SD = 4.80), and anxiety (mean = 6.17, SD = 4.58) with affective valence (p < 0.05), mood states (p < 0.05), physical activity (p < 0.05), body image perception (p < 0.05), and social relations quality (p < 0.05). Additionally, mood states (mean = 20.73, SD = 10.60), physical activity (mean = 8.43, SD = 1.35), body image perception (mean = 4.21, SD = 1.91), and social relations quality (mean = 12.46, SD = 2.33) were identified as significant predictors of mental health outcomes (p < 0.05). Conclusions: These findings underscore the complex interplay between mental health indicators and various dimensions of quality of life, emphasizing the necessity for a comprehensive approach to mental health care. By identifying these predictors, we have gained a clearer understanding of the factors that impact mental health in this specific population. The insights gained highlight the value of interventions aimed at improving mood, increasing physical activity, enhancing body image, and strengthening social connections. These targeted strategies could effectively address mental health issues and promote well-being among law students. Future research should further investigate these relationships and develop tailored interventions to better support students’ mental health. This study contributes to understanding the complex interplay between mental health and quality of life, offering a foundation for both practical interventions and future research.

The aim of our research is to introduce Kin Ball for the first time in Romania and assess its impact on the motor capacities of practitioners, particularly focusing on its potential contribution to developing motor skills in young students within the academic sphere, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: A retrospective, case–control study with a focus on four distinct research groups. Setting: The research was conducted in a camp setting, situated in the mountainous region of Bughea de Sus, Romania. Participants: The study included 94 students, comprising 54 boys and 40 girls, with an overall average age of 20.85 ± 2 years. All participants were classified as non-athletes based on their level of sports practice. Interventions: The Kin Ball initiation program, a key component of the study, comprised 20 training sessions conducted in 10-day stages, systematically evaluating participants’ motor skills. Main outcome measures: The study assessed palmar muscle strength, endurance, and co-ordination function. Results: Statistical analyses, including the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, revealed notable differences in the initiation process and significant variations (p < 0.05) in all measurements performed in 2022. In 2019, the tests recorded both significant and statistically insignificant differences, as indicated by the calculation of Cohen’s d indicator. Conclusions: The study underscored the influence of reduced movement during the pandemic on motor skills and highlighted Kin Ball’s potential as an alternative sport within physical education curricula. Despite lower baseline motor capacities observed in 2022, participants exhibited significant progress, emphasizing Kin Ball’s capacity to improve physical skills. These findings underscore the importance of alternative sports such as Kin Ball in fostering holistic personal development and mitigating the impact of pandemic-induced disruptions on motor skills.

Background: Emotion regulation (ER) difficulties are closely linked to maladaptive coping strategies, including impulsive and emotional eating, which undermine health and well-being in young adults. Technical university students are particularly vulnerable due to factors such as a high academic workload, sedentary behavior, and performance-related stress. This study evaluated the effects of a four-week structured physical activity intervention on ER and eating behaviors among engineering students. Methods: Seventy first- and second-year computer science and engineering students (40 males and 30 females, aged 19–25 years) from Politehnica University of Bucharest participated in the study. The intervention included three weekly supervised training sessions and a daily step count requirement (≥6000 steps), verified via weekly smartphone submissions. Pre- and post-intervention assessments employed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-36) and the Adult Eating Behavior Questionnaire (AEBQ-35). Data were analyzed using Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and paired-sample t-tests. Results: Significant improvements were observed in five ER domains—non-acceptance of emotional responses, goal-directed behavior, impulse control, access to regulation strategies, and emotional clarity (all p < 0.01). No change occurred in emotional awareness (p > 0.05). Eating behaviors (restrained, emotional, and external eating) showed no significant differences pre- and post-intervention (all p > 0.05). Conclusions: A short-term, structured physical activity program enhanced emotion regulation capacities but did not alter eating behaviors in the short run. These findings highlight the feasibility of embedding low-cost, exercise-based modules into higher education to strengthen students’ psychological resilience. Longer and multimodal interventions may be required to produce measurable changes in eating behaviors.

The research deals with the particularities of the initiation in the sport of kin ball, of 94 students (54 boys and 40 girls), without a history of practicing the sport intensively, and the measure of the influence of some components of the motor capacity. Kin ball is a sport that appeared in Canada, in an academic setting and can become an alternative sport in the common university curricula in Romania. The research was carried out in 4 research groups in 2019 and 2022, two of boys and two of girls, similarly, before and after the declaration of the acute phase of the Covid-19 Pandemic, generating physical activity constraints. The originality of the research refers to the initiation, unprecedented in Romania, in the Kin ball sport, through 20 training sessions, carried out in 10-day stages and the evaluation of some motor skills on the subjects. During the experiment, the following components were tested pre- and post-intervention Kin-Ball: palmar muscle strength using the dynamometer, general resistance by running as long as possible for 2 min and general coordination function - body balance, by the Matorin test. The statistical calculation included the application of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, depending on which parametric or non-parametric statistical significance tests were applied and the estimation of the size of the intervention effect. The results highlighted particularities of initiation in Kin ball, but also significant differences (p<0.05) in all measurements performed in 2022. The tests in 2019 recorded both significant and statistically insignificant differences, also highlighted by the calculation of the d indicator of to Cohen. The lower initial level of all motor components measured in 2022 and their significant improvement represent aspects that can be understood as collateral effects of the lack of movement during the pandemic.