Dr. Mirko Wegner

Dr. Mirko Wegner erforscht die körperliche Fitness und psychologische Leistungsfähigkeit von Kindern durch systematische Testverfahren. Im Rahmen der MeTA-Zeit-Studie entwickelt er ein sportpsychologisches Evaluationskonzept, das motorische Tests (Koordination, Flexibilität), psychologische Messungen und soziodemografische Datenerfassung kombiniert. Damit können Schulen und Sportverbände den Entwicklungsstand von Kindern objektiv erfassen und gezielt fördern. Die Methodik ist relevant für Bildungseinrichtungen, Sportorganisationen und Gesundheitsbehörden, die evidenzbasierte Aussagen über Kinderwohlbefinden und motorische Entwicklung benötigen.

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• Why does Transformational Leadership Influence Teacher's Health? - the role of Received Social Support, Satisfaction of the Need for Relatedness, and the Implicit Affiliation Motive

  Quelle ↗

  Teachers’ health is an important precondition to fulfil the educational mandate (Nieskens, 2006; Sieland, 2006). However, a great many teachers today see themselves as being subjected to increasing requirements: Forty-four percent reported that they have experienced situations in which the pressures were almost unbearable (Kunz Heim, Sandmeier, & Krause, 2014). Moreover, studies show that a significant number of teachers reach their physical and emotional limits in the course of their work (Bauer, 2009; Hillert & Schmitz, 2004; Schaarschmidt, 2005; Schumacher, Nieskens,& Sieland, 2012). First research findings in the school setting indicate that transformational leadership from the school principals is positively associated with teachers’ health (Gerick, 2014;Harazd & van Ophuysen, 2011). However, most studies do not specify why transformational leadership is positively associated with teachers’ health (cf. Wegge, Shemla, & Haslam, 2014). One exception is the work by Gerick (2014) who suggested several variables such as affective commitment and participation as variables linking transformational leadership and health. Other authors recommended to focus on contextual factors, such as social support to explain the effects of transformational leadership and health (Dost, 2014).The present research project therefore aims at identifying underlying mechanisms of the link between transformational leadership and teachers’ health focussing on the role of social processes. We address this research gap by testing a serial multiple mediation assumption integrating concepts from different theoretical approaches. Moreprecisely, this model includes received social support (Schwarzer &, Knoll, 2010), satisfaction of the need for relatedness (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000), and the implicit affiliation motive (McClelland, 1985b).Transformational leadership is characterised by a respectful and constructive atmosphere with mutual support among employees (Gerick, 2014). Thus, transformational leadership is assumed to benefit teachers’ health via the receipt of social support among teachers. Social support in turn is a key predictor of the satisfaction of the need for relatedness (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000). Satisfaction of the need for relatedness has been found to be positively related to health outcomes (Deci &Ryan, 2008; Kasser & Ryan, 1999). Whereas previous research has focused on parts of this complex process only, a holistic serial multiple mediation model has not been tested so far. Moreover, based on Motive-Disposition Theory (McClelland, 1985a) we further assume that teachers’ implicit affiliation motive moderates the association between satisfaction of the need for relatedness and teachers’ health: Particularly those teachers with a high implicit affiliation motive are expected to benefit from the satisfaction of the need for relatedness with regard to their health. The research questions and hypotheses derived from this theoretically developed serial multiple mediator model will be investigated in a longitudinal online study across one school year. The study participants will be teachers at primary (pupils aged 6 to 12years) and lower-secondary (pupils aged 13 to 15 years) compulsory school level in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Recruitment will be supported by various stakeholders in the field of education. Overall, the proposed research project will make a substantial contribution regarding the effects of school principals’ leadership behaviour on teachers’ health. The study will uncover mediating and moderating mechanisms, based on which theory- and evidence-based interventions for health-promoting leadership can be developed in school principal training and school development programs.

• Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses: Exercise Effects on Depression in Children and Adolescents

  2020

  Frontiers in Psychiatry · DOI

  Background: Depression is a common threat to children and adolescents in terms of affecting psychosocial development and increasing their risk of suicide. Apart from conventional treatments for depression, physical exercise has become a promising alternative. This paper aims to systematically review the existing meta-analyses that focus on the impact of physical exercise on clinical and non-clinical depression in children and adolescents. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, MedLine, PubMed and hand searching. Risk of bias analysis, effect sizes calculations, and evaluation of the methodological characteristics (AMSTAR 2) were carried out. Results: Four meta-analyses met the inclusion criteria. After analysing the overlap, the total sample contained 30 single studies (mostly including gender mixed samples) and 2,110 participants (age range 5-20 years). The medium duration of the interventions was 11.5 weeks. The sessions had a medium length of 41 minutes, and the frequency of implementation was 3 sessions per week. The most implemented intervention type was aerobic exercise, while control groups mainly continued with their regular routine, among other related options. The overall mean effect of physical exercise on depression was medium (d = -0.50). The additional analysis in clinically depressed samples documented a small to medium mean effect (d = -0.48) in favour of the intervention. Conclusion: The small to medium but consistently positive effects that were found in the present study place physical exercise as a promising and helpful alternative for children and adolescents with clinical and non-clinical depression. The limited literature focused on children and adolescents in comparison with adult samples points to the need for further research.

• Teachers’ perceived time pressure, emotional exhaustion and the role of social support from the school principal