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Depuis 1998, differents programmes nationaux d’action contre le suicide ont ete promulgues afin de reduire le nombre de personnes mettant fin « volontairement » a leurs jours. Ces 15 annees ont aussi permis de considerer le suicide et la tentative de suicide autrement. Si l’Organisation mondiale de la sante definit le suicide comme un « acte delibere », la modelisation de la crise suicidaire en 2000 a permis de mettre l’accent non plus seulement sur le passage a l’acte, mais sur la periode de crise qui conduit le sujet a considerer le suicide comme la solution ultime pour mettre fin a une tension psychique elevee, a une vie devenue insupportable.

According to self-determination theory, when the social context is autonomy supportive, people are motivated to internalize the regulation of important activities, and whereas when the context is controlling, self-determined motivation is undermined. A model that incorporates perceptions of coaches' interpersonal behaviors (autonomy support vs. control), 5 forms of regulation (intrinsic motivation, identified, introjected and external regulation, and amotivation), and persistence was tested with competitive swimmers (N = 369) using a prospective 3-wave design. Analyses using structural equation modeling revealed that experiencing relationships as controlling fostered non–self-determined forms of regulation (external regulation and amotivation). Greater levels of self-determined motivation occurred when relationships were experienced as autonomy supportive. Individuals who exhibited self-determined types of regulation at Time 1 showed more persistence at both Time 2 (10 months later) and Time 3 (22 months later). Individuals who were amotivated at Time 1 had the highest rate of attrition at both Time 2 and Time 3. Introjected regulation was a significant predictor of persistence at Time 2 but became nonsignificant at Time 3. External regulation was not a significant predictor of behavior at Time 2, but became negatively associated with persistence at Time 3. The findings are discussed in light of the determinants of the internalization process and the consequences of different forms of self-regulation for psychological functioning.

One major problem with research conducted on sportsmanship is the absence of an accepted definition. The purpose of this study was to attempt to derive a definition of sportsmanship by applying premises from social psychological theories and research. A major assumption of this perspective is that sportsmanship meanings and labels attached to given behaviors are learned through interpersonal interactions with various sport participants and that eventually a consensual agreement develops regarding the nature of sportsmanship. It thus follows that a meaningful definition of sportsmanship should be obtained through the athletes themselves. In this study, 1056 male and female athletes completed a questionnaire which contained various items pertaining to sportsmanship. Results from a factor analysis revealed the presence of 5 factors corresponding to the respect and concern for: a) one's full commitment toward sport participation, b) the rules and officials. c) social conventions, d) the opponent, as ...

A new measure of motivation toward education has been developed in French, namely the Echelle de Motivation en Education (EME). The EME is based on the tenets of self-determination theory and is composed of 28 items subdivided into seven sub-scales assessing three types of intrinsic motivation (intrinsic motivation to know, to accomplish things, and to experience stimulation), three types of extrinsic motivation (external, introjected, and identified regulation), and a motivation. The purpose of this investigation was to cross-culturally validate in English the EME. The EME was translated in English through appropriate methodological procedures and completed by university students. Results revealed that the English version of the scale renamed the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS), has satisfactory levels of internal consistency (mean alpha value = .81) and temporal stability over a one-month period (mean test-retest correlation = .79). In addition, results of a confirmatory factor analysis (LISREL) confirmed the seven-factor structure of the AMS. Finally, gender differences obtained with the EME were basically replicated with the AMS. In sum, the present findings provide adequate support for the factorial validity and reliability of the AMS and support its use in educational research on motivation.

Recent research has shown that individuals high in private self-consciousness generally make more self-attributions following hypothetical outcomes than those low in private self-consciousness. The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend past research in assessing the attributional responses of such individuals in real outcome and no-outcome conditions. French-Canadian female college students (N = 62) performed an achievement task and were then informed that they had done well (success outcome) or were not informed at all (no outcome). The subjects then rated the perceived causal dimensions of the attributed cause of the outcome. Results of an ANOVA revealed the presence of an interaction. Subjects high in private self-consciousness who had been informed that they had done well (success outcome) made more internal, stable, and controllable attributions than subjects low in private self-consciousness. Subjects low in private self-consciousness tended to make more internal, stable, and co...

The purpose of this study was to assess the significance and structure of life domains of college students and to explore the patterns of gender differences on different indices of significance. Four hundred fifty-seven college students rated 21 life domains in terms of degree of importance, frequency of involvement, and level of impact. They also responded to a measure of global life satisfaction. Gender differences on significance indices were investigated by means of three types of analyses. First, gender mean ratings on 21 life domains were compared via one-way multivariate analyses of variance. Second, the underlying dimensions of the 21 domains for each gender were compared via exploratory factor analyses. Third, the correlation patterns between perceived positive impact of each life domain and life satisfaction were calculated separately for men and women. Within-group comparisons revealed that men and women shared the same nine most significant domains: education, friends, biological needs, leisure, family, health, couple, esthetics, and physical activities. However, several gender differences were consistently found in the three types of analyses. The results indicated that although traditionally feminine domains are rated as more significant to women than men, traditional masculine domains were rated as equally significant by men and women. Domains considered sex role neutral (e.g., personal planning) were rated as more significant by women than men. In general, women appear to experience greater cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects of significance in a wider spectrum of activities and as well perceive their general life satisfaction as deriving from a broader range of sources. Results also highlight the importance of assessing the degree of significance of life domains as an initial step in the development of multidimensional self-related constructs.

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR) can be used to study skeletal muscle metabolism. The mdx mouse is a unique animal for studies of muscle regeneration, and models the disease of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The goals of this study were to determine the potential of 1H NMR spectroscopy as an alternative to conventional histology in monitoring: (1) normal growth in control muscle and the progression of dystrophy in mdx muscle, and (2) beneficial treatments (glucocorticoids) on mdx dystrophy. Ex vivo 1H NMR spectra of limb and diaphragm muscles were obtained from different ages of control and mdx mice, and from mice which were treated with prednisone or deflazacort. Peaks with contributions from creatine, taurine and lipids were examined. Lower levels of taurine and creatine characterized predystrophy and active dystrophy intervals in mdx muscle compared to control. Levels of taurine increased with stabilization of the disease by repair. A measure of accumulated muscle repair, fiber centronucleation and many spectral peaks were highly and significantly correlated. Greater amounts of lipids were found in the diaphragm compared to limb spectra. Treatment of dystrophy, which improved muscle phenotype, resulted in greater levels of taurine and creatine, especially in the limb muscle. Therefore, 1H NMR differentially discriminates: (1) control and mdx muscle; (2) the progression of mdx dystrophy and developmental stages in normal growth; (3) mild and severe dystrophic phenotypes (diaphragm vs limb); and (4) changes associated with improved muscle phenotype and regeneration (due to treatment or injury). The results focus on monitoring muscle repair, not degeneration. We conclude that 1H NMR is a reliable tool in the objective investigation of muscle repair status during muscular dystrophy.

Staphylococcus aureus is the most common pathogen cultured from diabetic foot infection including diabetic foot osteomyelitis. This French multicentre study determined the genetic content of S. aureus isolated from 157 consecutive cases admitted to 12 diabetic foot centres between 2008 and 2011. We describe for the first time the emergence of the CC398 methicillin-susceptible S. aureus clone, the main clone in diabetic foot osteomyelitis, and its tropism for bone. This clone spreads to humans from an animal source through its intrinsic virulence. This adaptation of S. aureus isolates looks to be a worrisome problem and should be carefully monitored.