Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Development of Educational Resilience Scale and Examining its Relationship with Educational, Mental Health, and Well-being Outcomes(University of Leicester, 2024-03-05) Alzahrani, Najmah A; Maltby, JohnAbstract This thesis aims (i) to develop a new measure of resilience entitled the Educational Resilience Scale (ERS) and (ii) to investigate how the ERS maps onto general resilience , educational outcomes, well-being, and mental health outcomes. seven studies (N total=1,296) were conducted on different aspects of the research questions using cross-sectional and longitudinal research designs. Chapter 2 aims to develop the ERS by testing its factorial structure using two samples. Study 1 yielded a four-factor solution that includes adaptive, contextual, psychosocial, and ecological-competence resilience. Study 2 confirmed the emerging four-factor solution with high internal consistency reliability in both studies. Chapter 3 sought to explore the relationship between the ERS, and the most popular measures of general resilience. The results showed that the ERS was positively related to most aspects of general resilience and personality traits. Chapter 4 endeavoured to test how the ERS was associated with motivation and engagement. The results included that the ERS significantly predicted different aspects of motivation and engagement over and beyond the effects of age, gender, and personality traits. Chapter 5 aimed to examine whether the ERS could predict internalising and externalising problems. The findings revealed that other than contextual resilience, all ERS subscales significantly predicted internalising and externalising problems to some extent after controlling for age and gender. Chapter 6 examined the temporal and longitudinal contribution of the ERS in the prediction of satisfaction with life and mental health outcomes. The results demonstrated that ERS significantly predicted satisfaction with life, depression, anxiety, and stress, but these relationships did not persist longitudinally. These findings suggest that the ERS is a reliable and valid measurement tool that can be applied in the education context. It also can be mapped into educational, well-being, and mental health outcomes. The results have important practical and theoretical implications53 0Item Restricted Anxiety in International Graduate Students with U.S. Education(Florida Institute of Technology, 2023-12-16) Zarraa, Aeshah Turki; Sudhakaran, Sneha; Nur, Nasheennxiety in international graduate students is a significant concern for most students planning to move out of their home country to pursue higher education in the United States. The primary purpose of this research is to identify the prime causes of anxiety triggers in the targetted Graduate students, thereby determining a step-wise methodology development to address the causes. The study initially identified a set of graduate students who were voluntarily willing to collaborate and address their concerns anonymously to identify the significant issues faced by current students and alumni of the Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida. Several questions were identified for collecting data through student surveys, including age, demographics, behavioral issues, and the analysis of educational methodologies. We conducted a meticulous analysis for survey question generation by considering all ethical considerations, including country-specific and religious emotions. The research helped us identify responses from surveys, which gave us an initial idea of how students experience anxiety and what were the significant reasons that triggered the anxiety. Using the survey results, we concluded that academic pressures, diculties with environment and cultural adaptation, and language barriers are three of the most significant causes of anxiety among students. The study in the current progress emphasizes looking further into the causes to expand more on how to de- velop a methodology that would require the university and administrative authorities to include more resources to accommodate students facing these anxieties in the future. Organizations can utilize methodologies to improve upcoming students’ academic experience and general well-being. The value of accommodating methodology to address students with international anxiety extends beyond the classroom because of the beneficial effect it could have on these students’ lives and, thereby, improve their learning environment.21 0Item Restricted Wearable Technology for Mental Wellness Monitoring and Feedback(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-12-31) Alhejaili, Reham; Alomainy, AkramThis thesis investigates the transformative potential of wearable monitoring devices in empowering individuals to make positive lifestyle changes and enhance mental well-being. The primary objective is to assess the efficacy of these devices in addressing mental health issues, with a specific focus on stress and anxiety biomarkers. The research includes a systematic literature review that uniquely emphasizes integrating wearable technology into mental wellness, spanning diverse domains such as electronics, wearable technology, machine learning, and data analysis. This novel systematic literature review encompasses the period from 2010 to 2023, examining the profound impact of the Internet of Things (IoT) across various sectors, particularly healthcare. The thesis extensively explores wearable technologies capable of identifying a broad spectrum of human biomarkers and stress-related indicators, emphasizing their potential benefits for healthcare professionals. Challenges faced by participants and researchers in the practical implementation of wearable technology are addressed through survey analysis, providing substantial evidence for the potential of wearables in bolstering mental health within professional environments. Meticulous data analysis gathering from biosignals captured by wearables investigates the impact of stress factors and anxiety on individuals' mental well-being. The study concludes with a thorough discussion of the findings and their implications. Additionally, integrating Photoplethysmography (PPG) devices is highlighted as a significant advancement in capturing vital biomarkers associated with stress and mental well-being. Through light-based technology, PPG devices monitor blood volume changes in microvascular tissue, providing real-time information on heart rate variability (HRV). This non-invasive approach enables continuous monitoring, offering a dynamic understanding of physiological responses to stressors. The reliability of wearable devices equipped with PPG and Electroencephalography (EEG) sensors is emphasized in capturing differences in subject biomarkers. EEG devices measure brainwave patterns, providing insights into neural activity associated with stress and emotional states. The combination of PPG and EEG data enhances the precision of stress and mental well-being assessments, offering a holistic approach that captures peripheral physiological responses and central nervous system activity. In conclusion, integrating PPG devices with subjective methods and EEG sensors significantly advances stress and mental well-being assessment. This multidimensional approach improves measurement accuracy, laying the foundation for personalized interventions and innovative solutions in mental health care. The thesis also evaluates body sensors and their correlation with medically established gold references, exploring the potential of wearable devices in advancing mental health and well-being.20 0Item Restricted Factors Influencing mHealth Acceptance: An Empirical Investigation from a Trust-Anxiety Perspective(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-11-23) Alhazmi, Rawan; Dong-Ling, Xu; Yu-Wang, ChenMobile health (mHealth) is an emerging healthcare technology designed specifically for improving individuals’ quality of life. Despite mHealth purported benefits, its acceptance rates have fallen short of industry expectations. Lack of trust and anxiety have been identified as two long-term barriers to successful mHealth acceptance. Yet, little attention has been devoted to understand individuals’ acceptance of mHealth services from a trust and anxiety perspective in the current mHealth acceptance research. The virtuality of mHealth services and the sensitivity of health data are two major issues affecting individuals’ acceptance of mHealth services before the initial interaction stage with the service. In such situations, trust in mHealth service, trust in mHealth service provider, and mHealth use anxiety become central parts of the acceptance decisions formed around the use of mHealth services. Motivated by this fact, this study develops a trust-anxiety model to understand individuals’ acceptance behavior of mHealth services. The developed model draws on innovation attributes (trialability, visibility, relative advantage, and ease of use), external and interpersonal social influence, and facilitating conditions from information systems, innovation diffusion, and social psychology research to understand the factors affecting individuals trust and anxiety when accepting mHealth services from social, technological, and behavioral dimensions. The developed model was empirically validated via a sample of 385 potential adopters in Saudi Arabia and 507 in the United Kingdom using online self-administrated surveys. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to assess the developed research model. The findings in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom showed that potential adopters mHealth acceptance was largely promoted by their level of trust in mHealth service followed by their level of trust in mHealth service provider. The results further indicated that in the United Kingdom, mHealth use anxiety can significantly reduce potential adopters’ acceptance of mHealth services. Moreover, the results in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom showed that trialability can increase individuals mHealth use anxiety, while ease of use can significantly reduce it when accepting mHealth services. However, in Saudi Arabia, the results further showed that trust in mHealth service can significantly reduce potential adopters mHealth use anxiety when accepting mHealth services. The results also suggested that trust in mHealth service can be promoted by relative advantage, ease of use, interpersonal social influence, and trust in mHealth service provider in both countries before the initial interaction stage with the service. On the other hand, the results revealed that trust in mHealth service provider was positively affected by external social influence, relative advantage, facilitating conditions, and visibility in Saudi Arabia. However, in the United Kingdom, trust in mHealth service provider has been found to be positively associated with external social influence, facilitating conditions, and relative advantage. From a theoretical perspective, this study contributes to existing mHealth acceptance literature by providing a comprehensive understanding of mHealth acceptance behavior from a trust-anxiety perspective. From a practical perspective, the study offers valuable information for mHealth participants that can help them in promoting their mHealth services acceptance rates.16 0Item Restricted Analysing affective factors in relation to students’ achievement and behaviour in EFL in Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-11-22) Alnemari, Aeshah; Pons-Sanz, SaraThis study investigates the relationships between attitude, motivation and anxiety in relation to students’ effort and achievement in learning English as a foreign language (EFL). It examines the influence of affect on the foreign language learning of Saudi secondary students (years 10– 12, aged 16–18 years) to elucidate the obstacles that hinder successful English language learning in Saudi Arabia. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, which combines data from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. One hundred and thirty-three students completed a questionnaire that was created with input from Gardner (2004) and Dörnyei (2001) to measure attitude, Noels (2003) and Aljasir (2016) to measure motivation, and Horwitz et al. (1986) to measure anxiety. Descriptive statistics and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) were employed to analyse data collected from the questionnaire. In addition, 18 interviewees participated in this study and the data collected were analysed qualitatively. The analysis produced interesting results, which highlight the significant role of affective factors in language learning. All affective factors, albeit to varying degrees, predict students’ effort and achievement. Examining students’ effort in addition to their achievement helps to gain better insights into the relationships between the study variables. Moreover, the year of study and the education situation influence the relationship between affective factors and learning outcomes, resulting in increasing controlled motivation with age and increased anxiety for year 11 students. In addition, language attitude is more effective when it is related to the importance of learning the language for pragmatic values independent of the classroom experience. When attitude is related to learning English only as a school requirement, they will have less effect on the learning process. The findings highlight the significant role of teachers to enhance students’ autonomous motivation for more effective learning. Based on these results, the study has much to offer stakeholders in the Saudi context as regards developing language teaching and learning practices in Saudi Arabia.17 0Item Restricted The Relationship between Depression, Stress-Related Neurobiology, and Incident Heart Failure: Understanding the Neurobiological Mechanisms Underlying Exercise as a Preventive Measure(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-04) Alhamam, Abdulaziz Arif Abdulaziz; Tawakol, AhmedBackground: Depression is associated with risk of developing heart failure (HF). Also, higher stress-related neural activity (SNA) associates with subsequent risk of cardiovascular disease. We investigated whether depression predicts subsequent HF through heightened SNA. Methods: Individuals (N=102,028; median age 57 years; 42.6% male) enrolled in the Mass General Brigham Biobank were identified to study the association of depression and incident HF, subset of 1,227 who underwent clinically indicated 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) imaging were retrospectively identified. SNA was measured using validated methods, as amygdalar metabolic activity corrected for regulatory brain (i.e., medial prefrontal cortical) activity. Depression and subsequent development of HF was determined via medical record review using International Classification of Diseases 10 (ICD-10) codes. Survival analyses using Cox and Kaplan-Meier models were performed. Results: Over a median follow-up period of 3.5 (IQR 2.0-5.0) years, 2,631 (2.6%) individuals developed HF (717 Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), 1,214 Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)). Individuals with subsequent HF (versus no HF) had higher baseline SNA (mean Z-score 0.19 ± 1.07 versus -0.08 ± 0.99; p=0.005, adjusted for age and sex). SNA associated with subsequent HF when divided into tertiles (Figure 2B) and as a continuous measure (standardized HR [95% CI]: 1.40 [1.13-1.74], p=0.002, adjusted for age, sex, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and smoking). The association between depression and HF subtype was stronger for HFpEF (1.46 [1.28-1.65], p<0.001) than for HFrEF (1.09 [0.92 -1.3], p=0.32). Conclusion: In this retrospective study of individuals with depression have higher risk of incident HF through heightened SNA with a somewhat stronger association for HFpEF. Understanding the link between depression and subsequent HF may provide important insights into better HF prevention and management strategies.16 0