The purpose of the study was to explore the possibility of creating a valid and reliable model and instrument for measuring physical and health education teachers’ competences in classroom education process, perceived from the perspective of secondary schools students. Also, the goal was to explore to what extent official legislative documents as well as official curriculum of the Faculty of sport, health and physical education in Sarajevo represent a sufficient background for creating such a measuring instrument with satisfactory metric characteristics. The sample in this study were N=831 students from fourteen secondary shools in the urban parts of Sarajevo. The students attended third (N=422 or 50.8%) and fourth class (N=409 or 49.2%) at the time of the research. There were N=452 (54.4%) females and N=379 (45.6%) males in this sample, both aged from sixteen to eighteen. An analysis of legislative documents and the official curriculum was conducted by a group of education experts in order to establish the indicators of psysical and health education teachers’ competences and to design an instrument to register and measure these competences. Finally, a 28-item Teachers’ Competences Perception Questionnaire was constructed (TCPQ)and applied on the given sample. The results of Exploratory and Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the questionnaire measured five distinct and correlated factors and they are (1) teaching competences, (2) communication and empathy, (3) health care instruction, (4) pedagogical competences and (5) physical appearance of a teacher; these five factors explained 57.726% of total variance indicating a solid factor structure of the instrument. Oblimin rotation also yielded a meaningful factor solution following the frame of the Curriculum and Legislative documents’ content related to physical, health and sports teachers’ competences. Reliability analysis showed satisfactory reliability of the most of the factor scales. Implications for the use of the questionnaire on the students’ populations, as well as the possibilities for further instrument development and curriculum modification are stated on the account of the research results.

BACKGROUND Long-term posttraumatic outcomes such as quality of life are dependent on a series of factors from the very exposure to traumatic events and stress appraisals, personality traits, posttraumatic growth, symptoms of Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and different coping strategies to religiousness and religious coping styles. Except of exposure to traumatic events and related stress, all other variables may have indirect mediating effects on long-term posttraumatic outcomes. The main aim of this cross-sectional study is to explore relative independent contribution of these variables in the explanation of quality of life among war trauma survivors, with a special emphasis on the variables of religiousness and religious coping. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The research was conducted on 353 subjects who experienced war related traumatic events during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). The data was collected through several self-report measuring instruments: Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life, Stressors Check List (SCL); Religiousness Scale, Social Support Resources Scale; Religious Problem-Solving Scale, Brief RCOPE, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory and Mississippi Scale for PTSD. RESULTS According to the results of the study, experience of loss and frequent exposure to war trauma and high levels on the primary stress appraisals, self-directing coping style and PTSD-symptoms were associated with lower perceived quality of life among the subjects. High levels of extrinsic religious orientation, effect of religiousness on social behavior, positive religious coping and posttraumatic growth were associated with higher perceived quality of life among subjects. These variables showed significant independent contribution to the prediction of the values on quality of life. CONCLUSIONS Results of the study have a scientific significance in understanding the importance and mediating role of religiousness and religious coping for quality of life perception as one of long-term posttraumatic outcomes. Effects of religiousness on social behavior and positive religious coping showed particularly significant contribution across all prediction models for the quality of life.

AIM To test the differences in serum lipid concentrations between veterans with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and veterans without PTSD. METHODS We determined plasma lipid parameters and calculated risk factors for 50 veterans in the PTSD group and 50 veterans in the non-PTSD group. Trauma exposure, coping strategies, and quality of life were assessed with Life Stressor List, Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life Scale, and Folkman-Lazarus Coping Strategies Questionnaire. RESULTS There was no difference between the groups in the exposure to combat trauma. PTSD group had significantly lover education than non-PTSD group (10.6+/-1.8 vs 12.4+/-2.6 years, P=0.007) and lower monthly income per family member (euro67.8+/-51.3 vs euro281.9+/-208.2, P<0.001). PTSD group had significantly higher levels of all plasma lipid parameters (cholesterol: 6.54+/-1.24 vs 5.40+/-1.09 mmol/L, P<0.001; triglycerides: 2.55+/-0.68 vs 1.73+/-0.77 mmol/L, P<0.001; very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol: 1.14+/-0.32 vs 0.78+/-0.35 mmol/L, P<0.001; low density lipoprotein-cholesterol: 4.49+/-1.06 vs 3.46+/-0.93 mmol/L, P<0.001). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration was significantly lower in PTSD group (0.96+/-0.18 vs 1.15+/-0.24 mmol/L, P<0.001). Established risk factor for arteriosclerosis (6.96+/-1.19 vs 4.71+/-0.88, P<0.001) and Adult Treatment Panel III ten years risk for coronary disease (19.44+/-7.27% vs 9.74+/-4.10%, P<0.001) were significantly higher in the PTSD group. Secondary traumatization was significantly more frequent in the PTSD group (3.8+/-5.7 vs 1.3+/-4.7 events; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Chronic PTSD is associated with dyslipidemia, leading to an increased risk of coronary artery disease. Environmental factors and coping strategies should be considered as important factors for the occurrence and persistence of PTSD.

The traditional response to gang activity in the United States has been to employ social control mechanisms and physical coercion to stop “anti-social” behavior. Similar efforts often come in the form of “get tough” strategies or anti-gang legislation focused on removing the “bad elements” so that the community can then develop in a healthy way. These traditional responses treat the fever of gang violence and not the underlying infection, and therefore, lack long-term effectiveness in promoting peaceful communities; the traditional responses need transformation. First we must understand and address the root causes of the violence. Law enforcement officials define a gang as a group gathered together on a continuing basis to commit “anti-social behavior.” Gang behavior is also referred to as “criminal” or “delinquent.” It is important to note that gangs are not inherently bad. In fact, gangs possess many positive characteristics. For instance, they encourage values such as mutual respect, acceptance, and the dedication to a common cause and way of being. Gangs are “anti-social” insofar as they are cultural outlets for youth to meet needs not otherwise met in “socially acceptable” ways. Gang delinquent behavior is a response to the structural violence of the society in which they live.

: Acquiring mastery in reading is considered one of the primary academic skills during the early years of elementary school. Additionally, attaining proficiency in reading during the early grades of elementary school serves as a strong predictor for future academic achievements and overall success in life. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the effect of several linguistic and cognitive variables on decoding abilities in the Bosnian language. The sample consisted of 153 children in the 2nd to 5th grades of elementary school. To assess decoding abilities, we employed tasks involving reading real words and non-words (pseudowords). The key predictors for both tasks included phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming of letters, working memory, and processing speed. Both models accounted for approximately 64% of the variance in the scores, signifying a substantial advancement compared to existing models of reading in the Bosnian language. The results of this study may contribute to the development of targeted and effective reading interventions in early elementary education