International YMCA University of Applied Sciences

BackgroundHealth-related quality of life (HRQOL), depressive symptoms, disability, and social support show complex interdependences after stroke, which cannot be sufficiently depicted by commonly used uni- or bivariate analyses. Applying a network analysis, we aim to disentangle these multivariate relationships and deduce meaningful starting points for interventions. MethodsStroke survivors (N = 202) were recruited from two inpatient rehabilitation clinics. Participants self-reported mental and physical HRQOL, depressive symptoms, disability, and social support. We computed a partial correlation network and included these five variables as separate nodes. We estimated edge weights, node centrality (expected influence), node predictability, and clusters. Bootstrap methods were applied to assess network stability. ResultsDepressive symptoms and mental HRQOL were the most central and interconnected nodes in the network. Depressive symptoms built its own cluster. Social support showed a high association with depressive symptoms. Disability had no significant associations with other nodes in the network. Physical HRQOL was significantly connected only to its mental equivalent. LimitationsThe cross-sectional design limits the findings to the setting of inpatient rehabilitation few weeks after stroke and allows no longitudinal inferences. The relatively small sample size and varying metrics of applied measures are counterbalanced by a high stability of estimations. ConclusionsDepression and social support show stronger associations with HRQOL than physical aspects during stroke inpatient rehabilitation. This underscores the significance of mental aspects shortly after stroke. Development and implementation of early interventions targeting depressive symptoms and social support may sustainably mitigate the burden on HRQOL after stroke.

Abstract Despite evidence that the gender gap in the labour market favours men, aggregate findings from correspondence studies show that women are more likely than men to be invited for a job interview. We hypothesize that the predominance of women among recruiters may explain this somewhat puzzling finding; recruiters may favour applicants of their own gender. We use the data from a large‐scale correspondence study to test this hypothesis. As expected, we find that female applicants are more likely to receive callbacks for interview. We also see that in our sample the majority of contact persons responsible for the recruitment process are female. More importantly, we find that if recruiter and applicant are of the same gender, then the likelihood that the applicant will be invited for an interview increases. These findings reveal the gender favouritism at the selection stage in the labour market.

Wichtige und innovative Prüfungsformate im Überblick Das Buch stellt 53 unterschiedliche, neue Prüfungsformen vor. Dazu werden die Formen in ihrer Anlage und Funktion aufgezeigt und ihre Verwendung in der Hochschullehre erörtert. Der Blick „über den Tellerrand“ klassischer Prüfungsformate hin zu Formen wie Pecha Kucha, Blogbeitrag oder 24-Stunden-Hausarbeit helfen, das eigene Prüfungsportfolio zu erweitern. Die Methoden sind systematisch und übersichtlich dargestellt und lassen sich auf eigene Lehr- und Lernkontexte in der Praxis übertragen.

Scarcely anything influences today’s young generation as intensely as global and digital developments. Confusing real places in everyday life and virtual places in online communities leads to an acting out of their hybrid identity in the context of globalisation. These new opportunities consequently create new, often ambivalent, forms of identity in adolescents. Thus the boundaries between the virtual and the real world coalesce, the two can no longer be separated. What significance does spirituality have for this generation? How can youth ministry react? This article aims to link the intersection of globalisation, digital networks and virtual reality with the spirituality of adolescents, and to find out what a contextualisation of a Christian youth ministry could look like in these intersections.

Videospiele sind traditionell Orte voller Mythen, Ratsel, Sagen und Religion. Erste Spiele stellen Spieler vor moralische Entscheidungen. Inhalte und Erfahrungsrahmen ergeben sich nicht mehr durch vordefinierte Skripte sowie technische Bedingungen und Begrenzungen, sie sind immer mehr das Ergebnis freier menschlicher Entscheidungen und Handlungen in ansonsten zunehmend umfangreichen Spielwelten. Die traditionellen Begrenzungen zwischen (fiktivem) Spiel und (realer) Lebenswelt verschwimmen. So gut wie alle technischen Gerate erlauben heute eine Form von Spiel. Computer- oder Videospiele melden sich selbsttatig zuruck und informieren beispielsweise uber das Smartphone uber gegenwartige Vorgange in der Spielwelt. Wenn Spiele also in die Lebenswelt ubergreifen und Verhalten und Denken beeinflussen konnen, ist es an der Zeit zu berucksichtigen, wer eigentlich mit welchen Intentionen diese Spiele entwickelt. In einer 2012 an der Berliner Games Academy durchgefuhrten Studie wurden erstmals Spieleentwicklerinnen und -entwickler nach ihren weltanschaulichen Ansichten befragt. English Stefan Piasecki: Bearing the Cross with the Game: Why Religious Content in Computer Games Deserves Greater Attention Traditionally, computer games are places full of myths, riddles, magic and also religion. Newer games confront players with the need to make moral decisions. Content and the overall range of experiences are no longer determined by predefined scripts or technical requirements and boundaries, but through the results of human and individual decisions made and actions freely taken in increasingly complex gaming worlds. Games are also no longer isolated places of entertainment, as the traditional boundaries between the (fictional) gaming environment and the “real world” begin to merge. Almost all technical appliances include and offer some form of games. Many computer and video games independently “report back” to players concerning ongoing events in their gaming world via smartphone apps, for instance. If the gaming experience now overlaps into the “real world” and is capable of influencing behavior and thinking, it is time to consider by whom and with which intentions these games are being developed. In a study conducted by the Berliner Games Academy in 2012, game developers were surveyed for the first time regarding their world view and opinions.