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Burnout is a critical problem among healthcare professionals worldwide, but nationally representative data on psychosocial factors associated with burnout are lacking for Latvia’s hospital system. This study investigated twofold aims: first, it examined the association between job-related demands, psychosocial resources, and burnout in a representative sample of Latvian hospital staff; and second, it tested whether specific resources buffer or amplify the impact of excessive workload. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 4756 healthcare workers across 30 inpatient institutions in Latvia. Participants completed the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire III and the Burnout Assessment Tool; regression and moderation analyses were used. Burnout was positively associated with longer working hours, multiple job-holding, and psychosocial demands such as emotional strain, time pressure, and work–life conflict. Several resources, including support from colleagues, supervisor support, recognition, sense of belonging, supervisor evaluation, and especially resources for quality work, were associated with lower burnout and weakened the relationship between workload and burnout. In contrast, high autonomy, meaning at work, organizational justice, and role conflict amplified this association. These findings suggest that in resource-constrained healthcare systems, some job resources may be associated with increased risk of burnout. Effective interventions should address both structural and relational factors to mitigate burnout among healthcare workers.

How to promote social emotional learning (SEL) at school depends largely on teachers. Mostly teachers implement specific programs, but they have difficulties in incorporating SEL into the regular curriculum. The main aim of the paper is to present the conceptual model of sustainable integration of SEL into everyday teaching practices in every subject. This approach has been developed in the project ìLearning to Be: Development of Practices and Methodologies for Assessing Social, Emotional and Health Skills within Education Systemsî. This initiative is based on the premise that the assessment of learning at school should go beyond grading studentsí knowledge and should include practices for observing young peopleís personal growth, social skills, attitudes and other general competences. The novelty of this conceptual approach is associated with integrating SEL standards, formative assessment and classroom instruction into a single sustainability-oriented model. The relationship between SEL standards (ISBE, 2003) and formative assessment strategies established by Wiliam (2011) is described, providing a detailed description of specific classroom activities. The objective of this approach is, therefore, towards building emotionally strong and flexible individuals who can deal with complex challenges through prosocial behavior that encourages human prospering and the attainment of the United Nationsí Sustainable Development Goals.

Previous research shows that better socio-emotional skills are associated with students’ behavioral adjustment and positive learning outcomes; however, the protective role of socio-emotional skills regarding academic learning during global crises has not been studied sufficiently. This research aims to evaluate longitudinal changes in students’ socio-emotional skills and learning outcomes during the implementation of a universal prevention program Promoting Mental Health at Schools (PROMEHS). The research coincided with lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore allowing an assessment of the protective role of socio-emotional learning even in the face of adverse circumstances. In total, 3166 students (aged 7–17 years) from Latvia and Portugal participated in the research, and a survey of their respective teachers was used to collect data. The SSIS-SEL teacher form and a three-item learning outcomes measure addressing academic motivation, engagement, and performance were applied in the study. It was found that growth in socio-emotional skills has a positive effect on academic outcomes, while a decline in socio-emotional learning has a detrimental effect on academic outcomes. This applies to both experimental and control groups, both genders, all educational levels, and both countries. Additionally, the increase in socio-emotional skills predicted better academic outcomes in upper secondary schools than in primary and lower secondary schools.

The aim of this study was to examine internet use of primary school-aged children in association with child-parent relationship, parenting practices in general and in regard to the child’s internet use, as potential protective or risk factors for the development of child compulsive internet use (CIU). Participating in this study were 261 children (aged 8–11 years old) and one of their parents at the first measurement time, with 236 of these child-parent dyads participating at the second measurement time one year later. At both measurement times the children completed the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (Meerkerk et al. in Cyberpsychol Behav 12:1–6, 2009) and answered questions about the child-parent relationship, as well as parental restrictions on internet use. Parents completed items regarding parenting practices in general, and specific internet-related parenting practices. Correlational analysis showed that child CIU is positively associated with Inconsistent parenting, Forbidding internet access, and Technical Control of internet use. CIU was negatively associated with positive child-parent relationship and internet-related rules set by the parents. Regression analyses further suggested that the optimization of online opportunities and minimization of risks can be facilitated by positive child-parent relationships and consistent parenting practices, both general and internet-related, with appropriately applied internet use limitations.

Despite growing interest in evaluating the social and emotional learning of students and the development of standardized assessment tools for this purpose, there remains a dearth of validated instruments for evaluating teachers’ social and emotional skills. We set out to address this knowledge gap by investigating the psychometric characteristics of the Social-Emotional Competence Teacher Rating Scale (SECTRS) questionnaire, an instrument originally developed and validated in North America. Participants were 572 teachers from Italy (n=324), Latvia (n=139), and Portugal (n=109) ranging from 40 to 59 years of age. We performed confirmatory factor analysis procedures to validate a four-factor model measuring Teacher-student relationships, Emotion regulation, Social awareness, and Interpersonal relationships. The data supported this factorial structure, with a total of 14 items included in the final model. The outcomes of a multi-group comparison indicated that the model exhibited partial invariance, up to and including metric invariance, across the three cultural settings. We discuss these findings in relation to selecting appropriate instruments for assessing the social and emotional skills of teachers in different cultural contexts.

In the last two years, a growing number of studies have focused on the promotion of students’ mental health to address the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, less studies have been conducted on sustaining teachers’ mental health which has been affected by the sudden changes in online teaching and the difficulties in keeping and building relationship with students. Even before the pandemic, teaching has long been recognised as one of the most challenging occupations characterized by high levels of stress. Although the research highlighted the key role of mental health promotion among teachers, there is still a lack of programs enhancing teachers’ wellbeing. This study examined the impact of the PROMEHS program, a school-based curriculum, on teachers’ mental health. A total of 687 teachers participated in the study. Applying a pre- and post-training study design with experimental and waiting list groups, teachers were evaluated in social and emotional learning, resilience, and self-efficacy. The results showed that there was a significant improvement in all competences of the teachers in the experimental group compared to those in the waiting list group. The paper discusses the implications of the findings with recommendations for further studies in the area. Keywords: PROMEHS, teachers’ mental health, social and emotional learning, resilience, self-efficacy

The goal of this qualitative study was to explore how adolescents with diagnosed depression describe their social relationships with peers, parents and teachers. Several previous findings have revealed the dual role of interpersonal relationships — as a stressor and contributor to different mental disorders, and also as a source of social support for mental health. Previous studies confirmed the value of a qualitative approach in exploring the self-perceived experiences of adolescents. The research group consisted of 28 adolescents, aged 13–17, with a diagnosis of depression. Individual semistructured interviews (Children's Depression Rating Scale Revised; CDRS-R) were applied in this study, which were analysed using thematic analysis. The results have both scientific and practical value, as well as relevance for the development of preventive interventions targeted at well-being and mental health of adolescents.

This article is focused on the description of the content and the implementation process of an originally developed, culturally appropriate and sustainable social and emotional learning program in Latvia. The article also includes the teachers’ self-reflected experience illustrated through the perspective of the program’s sample activities. The general goal of the program is to develop the emotional and social competencies of pupils, and at the same time to introduce to schoolteachers the principles necessary for combining academic and social emotional learning. As a preventive approach this program is aimed at all ages of pupils (from primary forms to secondary grades). During the school years 2012/ 13 and 2013/14 the social emotional learning program was introduced in 39 schools in Latvia (a total of 12 699 pupils). The participants implementing the program were 630 classroom teachers (614 female and 16 male with the mean age 45.04 years). As a result of the program implementation, social and emotional learning principles became a common approach for the entire school; the teachers became well versed on social emotional issues and received materials for conducting class lessons at each level; regular teacher supervisions were provided; regional supervisors were trained to sustain the pedagogical practice.

The aim of this study was to provide an initial evaluation of the sustainability of the first Social Emotional Learning (hereafter SEL) program in Latvia, which to date is still the only SEL program in our country. Initiated during the 2012/13 academic year, this program has already been implemented in 41 Latvian schools. In order to address the teachersí perceptions of program effectiveness and sustainability seven focus groups were organized. Thematic analysis of the focus group discussions pointed to various benefits of the program, including a general dissemination of SEL principles, and teachersí reflections on the importance of their own active role in the process of social and emotional learning. The value of the support of the school administration for program sustainability was also noted. The views expressed by the teachers were aligned with previous studies, indicating the importance of external support, the teachersí own understanding of SEL principles, and the willingness to be actively engaged in facilitating quality maintenance of the program.

Contemporary psychological theories point to the value of considering both biological and environmental factors in understanding child behavior, including the child’s interactions with modern day digital technology. We adopted a bioecological perspective and examined the child’s level of hyperactivity/inattention (ADHD) symptoms, general parenting practices and Internet-related parenting practices in relation to the child’s problematic use of the Internet (PUI). Parent-child dyads of 691 school-aged children (8–10 years old at the first measurement time) from Latvia ( n  = 236), Lithuania ( n  = 207) and Taiwan ( n  = 248) completed questionnaires at two time points with a one-year interval. Children reported on their Internet use and parental restrictions, as did the child’s parents. The parents also reported on the child’s level of ADHD symptoms, as well as their general and Internet-related parenting practices. Upon adjusting for child’s age, gender, smartphone ownership and country, ADHD symptoms at Time 1 were positive predictors of PUI at Time 2, whereas Time 1 warm parenting and child-reported Internet use rules at home were negative predictors of PUI at Time 2. Cross-lagged analysis of PUI, ADHD symptoms, warm parenting and child-reported rules indicated cross-lagged bidirectional longitudinal associations. Implications for PUI preventive measures are discussed. Highlights Warm parenting practices were linked to lower children’s problematic use of the Internet (PUI). Children’s attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) symptoms were associated with higher PUI. Child reported Internet-use rules at home were linked to lower PUI ratings. Cross-lagged analysis of parenting practices, children’s ADHD symptoms and PUI ratings showed bidirectional associations. Both biological and social factors should be considered in relation to children’s PUI.