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This paper postulates that psychology can make an important contribution at an individual level to help children with school failure problems in a context where too little applied research has been conducted on the instructional needs of these children. Some data are analyzed, revealing that, despite some progress, school failure is still a main educational problem in many countries. In this study, Behavioral Skills Training (BST) was applied in Portugal to train children with school failure difficulties. BST is a method based on Applied Behavior Analysis, a teaching package consisting of a combination of behavioral techniques: instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. Two empirical studies are presented. Their main purpose was to develop behavioral diagnostic and training techniques to teach lacking skills. School success was defined in terms of a set of skills proposed by teachers and school failure as a lack of one or more of these skills. The main instrument was a package of training programs to be applied in three areas: basic behavior (precurrents), academic behavior, or social behavior. The second instrument is a package of check-lists, aimed to determine the level of performance of the child in an area. This check-list was applied before (pre-test) and after (post-test) training. In the first study, 16, 7- to 8-year old children were trained. They were attending the second or third grades and having academic difficulties of different origins. The effects of the training programs are evaluated in terms of percentage of attained objectives, comparing a pre- and a post-test. The results showed an increase in correct responses after training in all cases. To provide a sounder demonstration of the efficacy of the training programs, a second study was carried out using a quasi-experimental design. A multiple baseline design was applied to three 10- to 11-year-old children, referred by teachers because of learning difficulties in the fourth grade. Results showed few performance changes without training. Increases in behavior following BST were evident in all cases, indicating that training generated improvement in all three children. In both studies, comparable results occurred across students, demonstrating replication of the effects of the training programs.

Background: Disasters are stressful events not only for individuals who suffer from personal loss but also for the community at large. It seems necessary to study the mental health of the community in disaster situations so as to endorse their health, care planning and prevent disorders. A pure understanding of the community mental health preparedness, based on the experiences and perceptions of involved people is necessary in order to attain this aim. The purpose of this article is to put forth a subjective and comprehensive description of community mental health preparedness in disasters. Materials and Methods:A qualitative inductive content analysis method was exploited since community mental health preparedness is a subjective, context bond and complex phenomenon, which is better described based on in-depth experience and perceptions of involved people. The study consisted of 14 participants including experts and lay people. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. All interviews were transcribed and data analysis was accomplished based on qualitative inductive content analysis principles. Results:From the analysis of the data content, 5 themes were explored including 1) Cultural values and beliefs; 2) Risk beliefs; 3) Mental preparedness in disasters; 4) Psychological process; 5) Trust. Conclusion:Mental health preparedness is a multifactorial phenomenon that requires a clear understanding and definition of perceived threats, public trust on social structure and formal and informal supportive organization. This preparedness involves proportional, mental, social, familial, religious beliefs, and cultural sensitivity along with the ability to handle mentally disastrous situation, which can be measured after concept analysis and tool development process.

Building resilience is a great necessity, especially for adolescents who have spent most of their time at home with their families and have also had to cope with the pandemic situation. Resilience ensures that they persevere, adapt, and rise to the occasion when dealing with difficult circumstances. This study aims to empirically test the role of secure attachment and mindfulness in adolescent resilience in the New Normal era. The subjects were 220 adolescents, students at junior high school in the city of Semarang, selected using the convenience sampling technique. The study is a correlational quantitative research using regression analysis. The instrument employed involved scales, namely the Secure Attachment Scale, the Mindfulness Scale, and the Resilience Scale. The results show a significant and positive relationship between secure attachment and mindfulness in relation to adolescents’ resilience in the New Normal. The results, therefore, indicate that families should emphasize the development of psychological skills in adolescents, especially resilience, across the country.

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