Oana Alina Apostol

Mrs. Oana Alina Apostol

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

3Years (2024-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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Corina SporeaCorina Sporea
Corina Sporea
MMMaria Veronica Morcov
Maria Veronica Morcov
CVClaudiu-Ionut Vasile
Claudiu-Ionut Vasile
ICIoana Cioca
Ioana Cioca
OAOana Alina Apostol
Oana Alina Apostol
APAntoaneta Punga
Antoaneta Punga
Background: University students often experience significant stress, which may contribute to disordered eating behaviors. Objectives: This study examines the relationship between perceived stress and eating attitudes among physical therapy students in Romania, exploring the impact on overall well-being and identifying predictors of maladaptive eating patterns. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 192 students from the Faculty of Midwifery and Nursing, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Two validated instruments were used: the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) to assess eating behaviors and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) to measure stress levels. Statistical analyses included correlations, ANOVA, and regression models, with a significance threshold of p < 0.05. Results: Among respondents, 15.1% displayed disordered eating behaviors, with stress significantly correlating with EAT-26 subscales. Stress levels were predominantly moderate to high, with younger students reporting higher perceived stress. A significant positive correlation was found between perceived stress and disordered eating behaviors, particularly dieting and bulimia/food preoccupation. Female students reported higher stress levels than males; however, no significant gender differences were observed in disordered eating patterns. No significant associations were found between BMI, weight fluctuations, and EAT-26 scores, suggesting other factors may better explain disordered eating behaviors. Logistic regression identified perceived stress as a significant predictor of disordered eating risk, reinforcing its role in shaping maladaptive eating patterns. Conclusions: Stress significantly impacts eating attitudes, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to reduce stress and promote healthy coping mechanisms. Future research should investigate longitudinal patterns and the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving student well-being. The limited sample size and the absence of sensitivity analyses are notable limitations that constrain the generalizability of the findings.

30 November 2024 in Children
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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ICIoana Elena Cioca
Ioana Elena Cioca
MMMaria Veronica Morcov
Maria Veronica Morcov
Corina SporeaCorina Sporea
Corina Sporea
OAOana Alina Apostol
Oana Alina Apostol
APAngelo Pellegrini
Angelo Pellegrini
EBElena-Nicoleta Bordea Elena-Nicoleta Bordea
Elena-Nicoleta Bordea Elena-Nicoleta Bordea
Background/Objectives: The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence and coping strategies used by adolescents with disabilities, on the one hand to understand how emotional skills influence stress management and everyday challenges and, on the other hand, considering that it could help specialists to develop interventions and educational programs that support the improvement of emotional skills and coping strategies among adolescents with disabilities. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 100 Romanian adolescents with neuromotor disabilities aged 13 to 18 years (M = 15.2) divided into three groups according to the stages of adolescence: Group 1 (13 years—46 respondents), Group 2 (14 to 17 years—26 respondents), and Group 3 (18 years—28 respondents). They completed a questionnaire that assessed the emotional intelligence of the adolescents (positive impression, interpersonal, intrapersonal, stress management, adaptability, and general mood) as well as another one that assessed the possible cognitive emotional coping strategies (e.g., “blame self”, “acceptance”, “rumination”, “positive refocusing”, “refocus on planning”, “positive reappraisal”, “putting into perspective”, “catastrophizing”, and “blaming others”) that they may adopt in managing life situations related to their health problem. Results: Group 3 has significantly higher scores than Group 2 on the Interpersonal subscale and also significantly higher scores than Group 1 on the Stress management. Our analysis also revealed significant correlations between adaptive coping strategies and emotional intelligence domains across all groups, with positive associations between acceptance and stress management, as well as between positive refocusing and adaptability. Regression analysis identified adaptive coping strategies as significant predictors of emotional intelligence, explaining 29% of its variance. Conclusions: Our findings underscore the critical importance of targeted interventions to enhance emotional regulation and adaptive coping strategies in adolescents with neuromotor disabilities. By focusing on strengthening emotional intelligence and tailoring interventions to developmental stages, these programs can promote better emotional and social functioning, particularly in challenging situations.

16 April 2025 in Psychiatry International
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
OAOana Alina Apostol
Oana Alina Apostol
ICIoana Cioca
Ioana Cioca
MMMaria Veronica Morcov
Maria Veronica Morcov
Corina SporeaCorina Sporea
Corina Sporea
CMCristian-Gabriel Morcov
Cristian-Gabriel Morcov
EBElena-Nicoleta Bordea
Elena-Nicoleta Bordea
Background: The present study focuses on the development and validation of the Self-Perceived Anhedonia Scale for Adults (SPAS-A), a novel instrument designed to assess pleasure deficits across multiple dimensions of anhedonia, including social, physical, cognitive, and emotional facets. The study aimed to establish the psychometric properties of the scale, including its reliability and validity. Materials and methods: All the data were collected from a sample of 600 participants between February 2024 and November 2024 via Google Forms. Results: Factorial analysis, including Exploratory Factor Analysis and Principal Component Analysis, revealed a four-factor structure, accounting for 72.4% of the total variance, which demonstrated a coherent and multidimensional representation of anhedonia. The reliability of the scale was further supported by high Cronbach’s Alpha values for each subscale, with social anhedonia showing an exceptional value of 0.916, followed by emotional (0.905), cognitive (0.900), and physical (0.873) anhedonia. Conclusions: These findings indicate that SPAS-A is a reliable and valid tool for assessing pleasure deficits in adults, providing a comprehensive measure of anhedonia that can be utilized in both clinical and research settings. Future studies could benefit from longitudinal designs and more diverse samples to better understand the temporal and cultural variability of anhedonia.

EBElena-Nicoleta Bordea
Elena-Nicoleta Bordea
OAOana Alina Apostol
Oana Alina Apostol
Corina SporeaCorina Sporea
Corina Sporea
CMCristian Gabriel Morcov
Cristian Gabriel Morcov
ICIoana Cioca
Ioana Cioca
MMMaria Veronica Morcov
Maria Veronica Morcov
(1) Background: The present study aimed to develop and validate the Scale for the Identification of Emotional Resilience in Children (SIER-C), a psychometric instrument designed to assess key dimensions of emotional intelligence and resilience among children aged 6 to 12 years. (2) Methods: The sample comprised 367 participants (52.3% male, 47.7% female) drawn from both urban and rural educational settings across Romania, selected through stratified random sampling to ensure demographic representativeness. The SIER-C consists of 30 items distributed across six subscales: Recognition and Understanding of Emotions (RUE), Emotion Regulation (ER), Empathy (E), Attitude Toward Failure (ATF), Coping Strategies (CS), and Perseverance and Self-Motivation (PSM), with items rated on a 5-point Likert scale. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was initially conducted to examine the underlying factor structure, followed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to validate the model. (3) Results: The EFA suggested a six-factor structure consistent with the intended subscales, which was subsequently confirmed by CFA, demonstrating satisfactory model fit indices and confirming the scale’s construct validity. Internal consistency indices and composite reliability coefficients further indicated robust psychometric properties across subscales. (4) Conclusions: The findings underscore the relevance of SIER-C as a reliable and valid tool for identifying nuanced profiles of emotional intelligence and resilience in children. These profiles provide valuable insights for early detection of emotional and adaptive vulnerabilities and for the design of targeted interventions within educational and clinical frameworks. Future research should explore the longitudinal stability of these constructs and examine the integration of SIER-C within social–emotional learning programs to support the development of emotional competencies from a preventive and developmental perspective.