Objective: Whereas several studies have predicted academic achievement (AA) as a function of favorable cognitive factors and low negative emotional functioning (such as depression and anxiety), little is known about its associations with cognitive-emotional states of positive emotional functioning, such as social satisfaction. The present study sought to evaluate associations of AA with dimensions of negative and positive emotional functioning. Method: This cross-sectional study enrolled 275 students (mean age, 21.24 years; 66.1% females), who completed questionnaires covering sociodemographic parameters and AA scores, as well as measures of loneliness and depression (representing negative emotional functioning) and social satisfaction (representing positive emotional functioning). Results: Lower scores for negative and higher scores for positive emotional functioning were associated with higher AA scores. Multiple regression analysis showed that AA was predicted independently by both low negative and high positive emotional functioning. No gender differences were observed. Conclusions: The pattern of results observed in this study suggests that opposing dimensions of emotional functioning are independently related to AA. Students, educators, and health professionals dealing with students should focus both on increasing social satisfaction and on decreasing feelings of loneliness and depression.

Background and Objectives: In the acute treatment of acute psychiatric patients coercive measures are often required and therapeutic relationships can be affected by such measures. In this study we assessed whether opening the entrance door of an acute psychiatric ward influences absconding behaviour. Methods: An acute psychiatric ward was primarily closed (91.4%) for six months and primarily open (75.6%) for six months over the time period of one year. In this one year period, 337 patients were treated (206 male, age: 40 ± 16 years): 60.2% of the patients had schizophrenia, 13.6% had affective disorders, 11.6% suffered from addiction and 14.5% displayed other diagnoses. Results: In terms of age (t = 0.026, df = 335, p = 0.979), gender (chi² = 1.6, df = 1, p = 0.13), diagnoses (chi² = 7.337, df = 1, p = 0.062) and duration of stay (t = -0.90, df = 335, p = 0.928), we found no significant differences between the patients admitted in the closed and those admitted in the open ward period. Absconding (df = 1, chi² = 5.107, p = 0.029), aggressive incidents (chi² = 4.46, df = 1, p = 0.050) and coercive medications (chi² = 4.646, df = 1, p = 0.037) were observed significantly more often in the closed door period. Moreover, the duration up to readmission was reduced in the closed time period (t = 2.314, df = 54, p = 0.025). Conclusions: We hypothesize that open doors reduce patient's discomfort, improve ward atmosphere and aggressive acts and do not appear to increase the risk of absconding.