Synaptic Plasticity and Cognitive Enhancement: Bridging Neuropathological Cognitive Disorders to Emerging Neuropharmacological Strategies

This study examines the relationship between cognitive processes and job performance in teachers at the Cruz del Norte Educational Unit, focusing on attention, planning, organization, anxiety, and job stress. A mixed-method design was applied, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques such as psychometric tests, Pearson correlation, multiple regression analysis, Student’s t-test, the Delphi method, and the Ishikawa diagram. The results show that executive functions, particularly planning and organization, have a significant positive impact on job performance. Teachers with higher levels of these skills demonstrate better performance, with strong correlations (r = 0.72, p = 0.001; r = 0.65, p = 0.003). In contrast, anxiety and stress act as limiting factors. Multiple regression analysis indicates that anxiety (β = -0.4946, p < 0.0001) and stress (β = -0.3721, p < 0.001) negatively predict job performance. Additionally, job indiscipline—reflected in absenteeism and lateness—shows a strong negative correlation with performance (r = -0.74, p < 0.000). These findings highlight the importance of time management and organizational commitment, as well as the need to implement training and psychological support strategies to improve teacher performance and educational quality.

این مطالعه به بررسی رابطه بین فرایندهای شناختی و عملکرد شغلی در معلمان واحد آموزشی Cruz del Norte می‌پردازد و بر توجه، برنامه‌ریزی، سازمان‌دهی، اضطراب و استرس شغلی تمرکز دارد. از طرح پژوهشی ترکیبی استفاده شده است که تکنیک‌های کمی و کیفی مانند آزمون‌های روان‌سنجی، همبستگی پیرسون، تحلیل رگرسیون چندگانه، آزمون t استیودنت، روش دلفی و نمودار ایشیکاوا را ترکیب می‌کند. نتایج نشان می‌دهد که کارکردهای اجرایی، به‌ویژه برنامه‌ریزی و سازمان‌دهی، تأثیر مثبت معناداری بر عملکرد شغلی دارند. معلمانی که سطوح بالاتری از این مهارت‌ها را دارا هستند، عملکرد بهتری از خود نشان می‌دهند و همبستگی‌های قوی (r = ۰.۷۲, p = ۰.۰۰۱؛ r = ۰.۶۵, p = ۰.۰۰۳) مشاهده شده است. در مقابل، اضطراب و استرس به‌عنوان عوامل محدودکننده عمل می‌کنند. تحلیل رگرسیون چندگانه نشان می‌دهد که اضطراب (β = -۰.۴۹۴۶, p < ۰.۰۰۰۱) و استرس (β = -۰.۳۷۲۱, p < ۰.۰۰۱) پیش‌بینی‌کننده منفی عملکرد شغلی هستند. همچنین، بی‌انضباطی شغلی—که در غیبت و تأخیر منعکس می‌شود—همبستگی منفی قوی با عملکرد دارد (r = -۰.۷۴, p < ۰.۰۰۰). این یافته‌ها اهمیت مدیریت زمان و تعهد سازمانی و همچنین ضرورت اجرای راهبردهای آموزشی و حمایت روان‌شناختی برای بهبود عملکرد معلمان و کیفیت آموزشی را برجسته می‌کند.

This study examines the relationship between cognitive processes and job performance in teachers at the Cruz del Norte Educational Unit, focusing on attention, planning, organization, anxiety, and job stress. A mixed-method design was applied, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques such as psychometric tests, Pearson correlation, multiple regression analysis, Student’s t-test, the Delphi method, and the Ishikawa diagram. The results show that executive functions, particularly planning and organization, have a significant positive impact on job performance. Teachers with higher levels of these skills demonstrate better performance, with strong correlations (r = 0.72, p = 0.001; r = 0.65, p = 0.003). In contrast, anxiety and stress act as limiting factors. Multiple regression analysis indicates that anxiety (β = -0.4946, p < 0.0001) and stress (β = -0.3721, p < 0.001) negatively predict job performance. Additionally, job indiscipline—reflected in absenteeism and lateness—shows a strong negative correlation with performance (r = -0.74, p < 0.000). These findings highlight the importance of time management and organizational commitment, as well as the need to implement training and psychological support strategies to improve teacher performance and educational quality.

این مطالعه به بررسی رابطه بین فرایندهای شناختی و عملکرد شغلی در معلمان واحد آموزشی Cruz del Norte می‌پردازد و بر توجه، برنامه‌ریزی، سازمان‌دهی، اضطراب و استرس شغلی تمرکز دارد. از طرح پژوهشی ترکیبی استفاده شده است که تکنیک‌های کمی و کیفی مانند آزمون‌های روان‌سنجی، همبستگی پیرسون، تحلیل رگرسیون چندگانه، آزمون t استیودنت، روش دلفی و نمودار ایشیکاوا را ترکیب می‌کند. نتایج نشان می‌دهد که کارکردهای اجرایی، به‌ویژه برنامه‌ریزی و سازمان‌دهی، تأثیر مثبت معناداری بر عملکرد شغلی دارند. معلمانی که سطوح بالاتری از این مهارت‌ها را دارا هستند، عملکرد بهتری از خود نشان می‌دهند و همبستگی‌های قوی (r = ۰.۷۲, p = ۰.۰۰۱؛ r = ۰.۶۵, p = ۰.۰۰۳) مشاهده شده است. در مقابل، اضطراب و استرس به‌عنوان عوامل محدودکننده عمل می‌کنند. تحلیل رگرسیون چندگانه نشان می‌دهد که اضطراب (β = -۰.۴۹۴۶, p < ۰.۰۰۰۱) و استرس (β = -۰.۳۷۲۱, p < ۰.۰۰۱) پیش‌بینی‌کننده منفی عملکرد شغلی هستند. همچنین، بی‌انضباطی شغلی—که در غیبت و تأخیر منعکس می‌شود—همبستگی منفی قوی با عملکرد دارد (r = -۰.۷۴, p < ۰.۰۰۰). این یافته‌ها اهمیت مدیریت زمان و تعهد سازمانی و همچنین ضرورت اجرای راهبردهای آموزشی و حمایت روان‌شناختی برای بهبود عملکرد معلمان و کیفیت آموزشی را برجسته می‌کند.

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic created social disruptions, leading to high levels of mental health problems for adolescents. Interpersonal stressors, such as lack of familial support, peer victimization, and discrimination, may have further exacerbated teen mental health issues. Yet, the psychological impact of interpersonal stressors and their interactive effects with high levels of loneliness remains unknown. In this pre-registered study , conducted in November and December 2020 (approximately eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic), we used a diverse sample of adolescents from across 43 U.S. states with elevated depressive symptoms (n = 2,452, ages 13–16) to examine how familial support, peer victimization, and discrimination are concurrently associated with mental health outcomes. Results indicated that perceived discrimination was the strongest standardized correlate across continuous internalizing outcomes (depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and hopelessness), whereas lack of familial support was the primary correlate of suicidal ideation; if youth reported a lack of familial support, they were over three times as likely to report suicidal ideation. Loneliness significantly moderated the cross-sectional links between lack of familial support and depressive symptoms, as well as perceived discrimination and hopelessness. Simple slope probing demonstrated a distress ceiling effect: interpersonal stressors were most strongly associated with elevated distress among youth reporting low baseline loneliness, whereas youth experiencing high loneliness exhibited consistently elevated distress regardless of stressor exposure. These findings underscore interpersonal stressors and loneliness as high-priority targets for youth prevention and intervention programs, particularly during periods of widespread social disruption.

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the internalised stigma and self-esteem in adult outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) attending a psychiatric outpatient clinic in Iraq, and to explore the relationship between these variables. Methods: A cross-sectional correlational study among 120 adults with MDD who attended psychiatric outpatient clinics of Azadi Teaching Hospital in Kirkuk, Iraq. All participants filled out a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, the Internalised Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMI), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient and simple linear regression. Results: The overall mean ISMI score was 2.90 (SD = 0.42), with the highest scores for stereotype endorsement (M = 3.16) and alienation (M = 3.14) and the lowest for stigma resistance (M = 2.19). The overall mean RSES score was 2.29 (SD = 0.38). There was a negative correlation between internalised stigma and self-esteem (r = −0.338, p < 0.001). Self-esteem was statistically associated with internalised stigma (β = −0.338, t = −3.897, p < 0.001), explaining 11.4% of the variance (R² = 0.114) in simple linear regression. Conclusions: In this single-centre sample of adults with MDD, internalised stigma and self-esteem were inversely related. Since the study is a cross-sectional design, the association observed cannot be considered a causal relationship. The results provide a basis for consideration of the psychosocial aspects of routine psychiatric care (stigma and self-esteem) and for further longitudinal and multicentre research to establish temporal relationships and to determine potentially modifiable factors.

Reading achievement is influenced by a variety of cognitive and affective elements, with reading motivation and metacognitive awareness identified as two of the most important. This study examined (1) the relationship of students' reading motivation and reading achievement, (2) the relationship between metacognitive awareness and reading achievement, and (3) the combined contribution of reading motivation and metacognitive awareness to reading achievement among eleventh-grade students at SMAN 1 Sungai Lilin. Employing a quantitative correlational research design, The population for this research comprised 344 students enrolled in the eleventh grade from ten classes. Cluster random sampling was then applied to obtain a sample of 106 students. Data were gathered through the Motivation for Reading Questionnaire (MRQ), the Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS), and a reading achievement test. The obtained data were processed and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25, which included descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, partial correlation, and multiple regression. The findings showed that a positive relationship of moderate strength was associated with reading achievement (r = .600, p < .001), whereas metacognitive awareness demonstrated a strong positive relationship with reading achievement (r = .791, p < .001). In addition, the partial correlation analysis revealed a significant but weak positive association between reading motivation and metacognitive awareness after controlling for reading achievement (r = .304, p = .002). Reading motivation and metacognitive awareness explained 64.5% of the variation associated with reading achievement (R² =.645), according to the multiple regression analysis. These findings underscore the important roles of both reading motivation and metacognitive awareness in supporting students' reading achievement and suggest that both factors should be explicitly integrated into reading instruction to enhance students' reading performance