Min You

Dans cette thèse, l’objectif est de comprendre les relations entre d’un côté la réussite académique (la performance académique) et le stress perçu subjectif, et d’un autre côté l’influence des différences individuelles (l’intelligence émotionnelle, les traits de personnalité et le chrono-type) sur la réussite académique, également les interactions entre ces différences individuelles et le stress perçu subjectif. 1) L’étude préliminaire est conduite pour clarifier la relation entre l’intelligence émotionnelle et la stratégie de coping chez les étudiants Chinois expatriés en France; 2) ensuite notre première étude a pour objectif de comprendre les différents éléments liés à la expatriation des étudiants Chinois en France : les causes et critères de la réussite d’expatriation subjective, les différentes sources de stress qu’ils ont rencontrées ainsi que leurs stratégies de faire face pendant leur expatriation sont interrogées; 3) avec les éléments ressortis de notre première étude, nous avons pu construire un questionnaire de la réussite d’expatriation subjective pour les étudiants Chinois en France. L’idée de départ est de valider ce questionnaire en comparant avec les autres paramètres des différences individuelles (Intelligence émotionnelle, intelligence culturelle, et de chrono-type). Malheureusement la passation de l’ensemble de ces questionnaires a pris une longueur de temps qui explique que peu de participants sont allés jusqu’au bout, cela ne nous permet pas finalement de valider ce questionnaire de la réussite d’expatriation. 4) Enfin, nous essayons de comprendre chez la population générale, c’est-à-dire les étudiants Français, les relations entre la réussite académique et les différences individuelles.

Breathing techniques, particularly slow-paced breathing (SPB), have gained popularity among athletes due to their potential to enhance performance by increasing cardiac vagal activity (CVA), which in turn can help manage stress and regulate emotions. However, it is still unclear whether the frequency of SPB affects its effectiveness in increasing CVA. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of a brief SPB intervention (i.e., 5 min) on CVA using heart rate variability (HRV) measurement as an index. A total of 75 athletes (22 female; M_age = 22.32; age range = 19–31) participated in the study, attending one lab session where they performed six breathing exercises, including SPB at different frequencies (5 cycles per minute (cpm), 5.5 cpm, 6 cpm, 6.5 cpm, 7 cpm), and a control condition of spontaneous breathing. The study found that CVA was significantly higher in all SPB conditions compared to the control condition, as indexed by both root mean square of the successive differences (RMSSD) and low-frequency HRV (LF-HRVms²). Interestingly, LF-HRVms² was more sensitive in differentiating the respiratory frequencies than RMSSD. These results suggest that SPB at a range of 5 cpm to 7 cpm can be an effective method to increase CVA and potentially improve stress management and emotion regulation in athletes. This short SPB exercise can be a simple yet useful tool for athletes to use during competitive scenarios and short breaks in competitions. Overall, these findings highlight the potential benefits of incorporating SPB into athletes’ training and competition routines.

Introduction: Among the factors influencing academic performance (AP), individual differences at the trait level such as personality and emotional competences (EC) have been found to play a critical role, similarly to state variables such as perceived stress (PS).Material and methods: The aim of this study was to clarify whether the influence of personality (Big Five) and EC on AP (general point average) is direct and/or mediated via PS. 537 undergraduate students from a French university (112 male and 425 female, Mage = 19.84 years, SDage = 1.74 years, range = 18-30 years; first year: n = 293, 55%; second year: n = 162, 30%, third year: n = 82, 15%) filled out the test battery around three weeks before the final examination.Results: Path analysis showed that AP was directly predicted by conscientiousness (+), neuroticism (+), extraversion (–) and perceived stress (–), while perceived stress was predicted by neuroticism (+) and by intrapersonal EC (–).Conclusions: The results illustrate the robust influence of conscientiousness on AP, while EC was not found to influence AP directly, but indirectly via its effect on PS.

Cognitive failures represent everyday task failures that individuals are normally capable of completing. While cognitive failures measured with the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire can be considered a trait, the psychophysiological states associated with cognitive failures are yet to be fully understood. The aim of this paper was to investigate the extent to which the perception of experiencing cognitive failures in daily life is associated with both psychological (i.e., perceived emotional valence, emotional intensity, and stress), as well as physiological (i.e., vagally-mediated heart rate variability, vmHRV) variables. A total of 69 participants were involved in this study (47 male, 22 female; Mage = 22.4 years). Participants underwent a 5-min heart rate variability measurement and filled out the self-report psychological variables, before completing the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire, providing scores for Distractibility, Forgetfulness, and False Triggering. When combining the predictors together into a hierarchical regression analysis, only the model related to the Distractibility subscale was found to be significant (unique significant negative predictor: resting vmHRV). Further research should investigate whether influencing resting vmHRV, with interventions such as slow-paced breathing, may decrease the perception of cognitive failures related to distractibility.

The practice of slow-paced breathing (SPB) has been linked to a range of positive outcomes, such as decreasing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as increasing well-being. Among the suggested mechanisms of action, SPB has been shown to increase cardiac vagal activity (CVA). The present study aimed to investigate whether there is a dose-response relationship modulating the effects of SPB on CVA. A total of 59 participants were involved in this study. In a within-subject design, participants attended the lab five times, and realized SPB at six cycles per minute with different durations (5, 10, 15, and 20 min), as well as a control condition without SPB. CVA was indexed via the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD). During SPB, findings showed an increase in RMSSD in all conditions compared to the control condition. However, no differences were found in RMSSD among the different session durations, during SPB or during the resting measurement completed immediately after SPB. Noteworthily, session duration showed an influence on the spontaneous respiratory frequency in the resting measurement occurring immediately after SPB. Specifically, respiratory frequency appears to decrease with session duration, thus potentially contributing to additional relaxing effects.

Slow-paced breathing has been shown to enhance the self-regulation abilities of athletes via its influence on cardiac vagal activity. However, the role of certain respiratory parameters (i.e., inhalation/exhalation ratio and presence of a respiratory pause between respiratory phases) still needs to be clarified. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the influence of these respiratory parameters on the effects of slow-paced breathing on cardiac vagal activity. A total of 64 athletes (27 female; M_age = 22, age range = 18–30 years old) participated in a within-subject experimental design. Participants performed six breathing conditions within one session, with a 5 min washout period between each condition. Each condition lasted 5 min, with 30 respiratory cycles, and each respiratory cycle lasted 10 s (six cycles per minute), with inhalation/exhalation ratios of 0.8, 1.0, 1.2; and with or without respiratory pauses (0.4 s) between respiratory phases. Results indicated that the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), a marker of cardiac vagal activity, was higher when exhalation was longer than inhalation. The presence of a brief (0.4 s) post-inhalation and post-exhalation respiratory pause did not further influence RMSSD. Athletes practicing slow-paced breathing are recommended to use an inhalation/exhalation ratio in which the exhalation phase is longer than the inhalation phase.

Designing emotional intelligence training programs requires first testing the effectiveness of techniques targeting its main dimensions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a brief slow-paced breathing (SPB) exercise on psychophysiological variables linked to emotion regulation, namely cardiac vagal activity (CVA), as well as perceived stress intensity, emotional arousal, and emotional valence. A total of 61 participants completed a 5-min SPB exercise and a control condition of a 5-min rest measurement. CVA was indexed with the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD). Participants were also asked to rate their perceived stress intensity, emotional arousal, and emotional valence. Results showed that CVA was higher during SPB in comparison to the control condition. Contrary to our hypothesis, perceived stress intensity and emotional arousal increased after SPB, and perceived emotional valence was less positive after SPB. This could be explained by experiencing dyspnea (i.e., breathing discomfort), and the need to get acclimatized to SPB. Consequently, we may conclude that although physiological benefits of SPB on CVA are immediate, training may be required in order to perceive psychological benefits.

This study aimed to investigate the associations between individual difference factors (chronotype, Big Five, emotional competences) and perceived stress in French university students. In total, 362 students agreed to take part (M_age = 20.19 ± 1.75 years). Participants completed the Caen Chronotype Questionnaire, Big Five Inventory, the Profile of Emotional Competences, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Results showed that chronotype amplitude (+), eveningness chronotype (+), neuroticism (+), conscientiousness (-), and intrapersonal emotional competences (-) were important for perceived stress. These findings have theoretical and practical implications in terms of identifying students who might benefit most from stress management interventions.