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The present study sought to investigate the mediating effect of the affective balance and resilience on the association between meaningful living and psychological health problems among Turkish young adults in the context of COVID-19. The participants were 359 Turkish young adults, comprising of primarily female (68.2%), and their age ranged between 18 to 43 (age M = 20.67, SD = 3.62). Findings from this study indicated that meaningful living had a positive predictive effect on resilience and positive affect, as well as a negative predicative on psychological health challenges and negative affect. Resilience and affective balance also mediated the effect of meaningful living on psychological health of young adults. These results suggest that resilience and affective balance are important aspects of meaning-focused preventions and interventions designed to build up resilience, positive affectivity, and psychological health., Author(s): Murat Yildirim [sup.1] [sup.2] , Gökmen Arslan [sup.3] [sup.4] [sup.5] , Paul T. P. Wong [sup.6] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.448590.4, 0000 0004 0399 2543, Agri Ibrahim Çeçen University, , [...]

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a zoonotic pathogen that causes illness ranging from mild diarrhea to hemolytic uremic syndrome and death. During 2011, an exceptionally large outbreak caused by [...]

This study aims to examine how authentic leadership (a source external to the individual) and self-efficacy (an internal resource) shape experiences of meaning in work. In addition to examining the individual impact of the above factors on work meaningfulness, the study examines the role of self-efficacy as a mediator and a moderator of the relationship between authentic leadership and work meaningfulness. The sample comprised 350 employees from public and private sector manufacturing firms in India. Process (Hayes 2013 (See CR33)) was used to test the hypotheses with the aid of SPSS 24. Self-efficacy and authentic leadership proved to be important predictors of employees' perceived sense of meaningfulness in work. In addition to the direct pathway, authentic leadership was found to infuse meaning in work indirectly through self-efficacy. Further, self-efficacy moderated the influence of authentic leadership on work meaningfulness in a way that the effect strengthened with decreasing values of self-efficacy. By accommodating multiple sources and mechanisms, representing both situational and personal factors, the study contributes to comprehensive understanding of how and under what conditions work meaningfulness can be increased. Identifying, selecting, and developing employees with authentic leadership qualities is likely to benefit organizations in terms of fostering positive psychological capacities of employees and improving perceived meaningfulness of work. However, leadership goes unnoticed for the employees with high self-efficacy., Author(s): Richa Chaudhary [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.459592.6, 0000 0004 1769 7502, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, , 801106, Patna, Bihar, India Introduction > [...]

People make choices among different options for different reasons. We hypothesized that people will choose the options that they believe will make them happier and that this effect of anticipated happiness on decision-making will be moderated by style of thinking (i.e., intuitive or deliberative). In a two-phase online experiment, 15 pairs of options were randomly presented one at a time, and participants indicated the extent to which each option would contribute to their happiness (i.e. anticipated happiness of a choice option). One week later, participants were randomly assigned to make choices on similar pairs of options either by using deliberative thinking or intuitive thinking. Results of a linear mixed-effects model analysis revealed that anticipated happiness influenced choices significantly. However, this occurred independent of whether participants made the choice in a deliberative or in an intuitive mindset. The implications of these findings for understanding the association between decision-making and happiness are discussed., Author(s): Asteria D. Kumalasari [sup.1] [sup.2] , Johan C. Karremans [sup.1] , Ap Dijksterhuis [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.5590.9, 0000000122931605, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, , 6525 HR, Nijmegen, The [...]

Women perform about two-thirds of household labor; however, they still find this allocation to be fair (Koster et al., 2021 (See CR28)). Although the perception of fairness in household labor division has been examined frequently, as a contribution to the literature this study aimed to investigate the effect of gender, culture, and relationship dynamics experimentally in a better-controlled environment. Two views, traditional and egalitarian, were compared under various conditions e.g., the household labor division between same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples, and same-sex and opposite-sex friends. As a result, the egalitarian view was supported more likely and found fairer than the traditional view by the participants, particularly by Turkish female participants. Moreover, friends are considered to share the household labor more equally than couples. The misperception of unequal household labor division was the result of multiple conditions such as culture, gender, and relationship dynamics. To create more equal environments all these conditions should be considered carefully, and new policies should be proposed accordingly., Author(s): Sümeyra Tosun [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.456293.f, 0000 0004 0387 6032, Department of Psychology, Medgar Evers College, CUNY, , Brooklyn, NY, USA The inequality in household labor division has [...]

There are credible data that the indirect relationship of sense of coherence with well-being can involve potential mediation and moderation mechanisms related to emotional and meaning-oriented factors. The self-concordance model provides a theoretical framework through which these associations can be examined. The current research explored whether the relationship between sense of coherence and well-being in people with coronary heart disease can be mediated by affect and simultaneously moderated by meaning in life. A total of 176 patients with coronary heart disease completed four questionnaires. Positive and negative affect turned out to mediate, though differently, the relationship between feelings of coherence and well-being. Furthermore, meaning in life moderated the indirect effect of sense of coherence to well-being only through positive affect. This confirmed the validity of a moderated mediation model of affect and meaning in life in associations between sense of coherence and well-being in people with coronary heart disease problems., Author(s): Dariusz Krok [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.107891.6, 0000 0001 1010 7301, Institute of Psychology, Opole University, , Plac Staszica 1, 45-052, Opole, Poland Introduction > Cardiac patients have drawn [...]

Information on personality development (and its linguistic predictors) in the aftermath of a critical life event among depressive patients is relatively limited. The study's aim was to verify two hypotheses: (1) Participants with depression will use concrete rather than abstract language to describe their most recent critical life event and its psychological consequences and (2) The more abstract the language used, the higher the level of personality development. 16 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy patients suffering from depression participated in the study (M = 34 years old; SD = 4.02). Their level of personality development was assessed qualitatively by two independent coders. The coding system was based on the Positive Disintegration Theory (Dabrowski 1964 (See CR21)). We used typology from the Linguistic Category Model (Semin and Fiedler 1991 (See CR53)) to analyse the level of abstractness vs. concreteness. Depressed patients were classified as either abstract language speakers or concrete language speakers. There were equal numbers of both types of speakers. Moreover participants consistently used one type of language, regardless of whether they were describing the critical life event itself or its psychological consequences. As expected, using higher levels of language abstractness when speaking correlated with possessing higher levels of personality development. Our findings provide practitioners with useful knowledge on the benefits of using abstract language to improve supportive strategies when dealing with people in crisis and modify the psychotherapeutic protocols used to treat depression., Author(s): Izabela Kazmierczak [sup.1] , Justyna Sarzynska-Wawer [sup.2] , Aleksander Wawer [sup.3] , Malgorzata Chadzynska [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.445465.2, 0000 0004 0621 398X, Institute of Psychology, Maria Grzegorzewska University, [...]

Although narrative identity researchers have provided various ways of coding narratives, no previous studies aimed to assess identity formation. The present study aimed to fill this gap in the literature by developing a narrative coding system for identity formation. Young Korean adults completed several self-report measures and wrote a story explaining how they had become the persons they were. These narratives were then coded using our coding system. To test the validity of the coding system, we correlated the coded narratives with other variables. Variables that were positively related to identity formation were psychological well-being, self-concept clarity, exploration in breadth, exploration in depth, commitment making, identification with commitment, growth motivation, satisfaction of psychological needs, problem solving coping, social support seeking coping, and resilience. Variables that were negatively related to identity formation were depression, the importance of extrinsic relative to intrinsic values, and avoidance coping. Identity formation was not related to ruminative exploration., Author(s): Sun W. Park [sup.1] , Hyun Moon [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.222754.4, 0000 0001 0840 2678, Department of Psychology, Korea University, , 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, 02841, Seoul, South Korea [...]

Today, performing automatic language analysis to extract meaning from natural language is one of the top-notch directions in social science research, but it can be challenging. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count 2015 (LIWC2015; Pennebaker et al. 2015 (See CR46)) is one of the most versatile, yet easy to master instruments to transform any text into data, meeting the needs of psychologists who are not usually proficient in data science. Moreover, LIWC2015 is already available in multiple languages, which opens the door to exciting intercultural quests. The current article introduces the first Romanian version of LIWC2015, Ro-LIWC2015, and thus, contributes to the line of research concerning multilingual analysis. Throughout the paper, we describe the challenges of creating the Romanian dictionary and discuss other linguistics aspects, which could be useful for new adaptations of LIWC2015. Also, we present the results of two studies for assessing the criterion validity of Ro-LIWC2015. The first study focuses on the consistency between the Romanian and the English dictionaries in analyzing a corpus of books. The second study tests whether Ro-LIWC2015 can acquire linguistic differences in contrasting corpora. For this purpose, we analyzed posts from help-seeking forums for anxiety, depression, and health issues, and leveraged supervised learning to address several classification problems. The selected algorithm allows feature ranking, which facilitates more thorough interpretations. The linguistic markers extracted with Ro-LIWC2015 mirrored a number of disorder-specific features of depression and anxiety. Given the obtained results, this research encourages the use of Ro-LIWC2015 for hypothesis testing., Author(s): Diana Paula Dudau [sup.1] , Florin Alin Sava [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.14004.31, 0000 0001 2182 0073, Department of Psychology, West University of Timisoara, , 4 Vasile Pârvan Blvd., [...]

Meaning in life is an important aspect of wellbeing for young adults transitioning into new roles. While research suggests young adults' quality of family environments is associated with meaning, few studies have examined mechanisms that explain how early parental support may facilitate young adults' sense of meaning. Understanding factors that contribute to the development of meaning can shape helping practices for young adults, particularly those lacking in earlier parental support. The present study explored the relationship between young adults' appraisals of childhood parental support and present meaning in life, through mediation effects of dispositional optimism and identity commitment. A sample of 120 young adults aged 18-25 completed assessments of early parental support, optimism, identity commitment, and meaning in life. Parallel mediation was used to examine the hypothesized model, controlling for neuroticism. Analyses supported the association between early parental support and meaning in life being mediated by optimism and identity commitment. The findings may inform prevention and intervention practices in support of healthy development and wellbeing among youth., Author(s): David Kealy [sup.1] , Shelly Ben-David [sup.2] , Daniel W. Cox [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.17091.3e, 0000 0001 2288 9830, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, , Vancouver, [...]

Mindfulness has shown beneficial relationships with well-being and self-regulation. We aim to improve the understanding of the effects of between- and within-person differences in mindfulness when dealing with situations of motivational conflict. For this purpose, we conducted an experience sampling study with 56 university students who replied to a total of N = 1889 short questionnaires, which they received via their smartphones over a period of eight consecutive days. In addition to a state mindfulness questionnaire with the facets presence and non-judgment (focusing attention on the experience of the current action and a momentary non-judgmental stance towards these, respectively), the participants received questions about their current affective well-being and perceived intensity of want or should conflict experiences. Multi-level analyses revealed that want conflicts were predicted by both state mindfulness facets, even after momentary affect was controlled. In addition, to be non-judgmental (as a trait), and having momentary presence (as a state), related to lower intensity of should conflicts. The results suggest that being mindful might be a particularly beneficial way of dealing with daily motivational conflicts, which is an essential and frequent task of self-regulation., Author(s): Kerstin Senker [sup.1] , Stefan Fries [sup.1] , Axel Grund [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.7491.b, 0000 0001 0944 9128, Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, , P.O. Box 10 01 [...]

Considering the importance of cognitive processes in controlling behavior and emotion, and also individuals' different reactions toward traumatic events; the current study was carried out to compare self-compassion and cognitive flexibility in trauma-exposed individuals with and without post-traumatic stress disorder. In this cross-sectional study, subjects were recruited among individuals exposed to at least one traumatic event in Gilan-Gharb city (Iran). Through the available sampling method, the numbers of 400 people were selected, and after exerting inclusion and exclusion criterions, 252 individuals concluded the final sample of the study. Subjects were divided into two groups of with and without post-traumatic stress disorder based on clinical interview and the cut-off scores higher than 103 in the Civilian Mississippi Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder scale; Then responded to the demographic questionnaire, Self-Compassion Scale and Cognitive Abilities Questionnaire individually. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Multivariate Analysis of Variance test. Results revealed that the mean scores of the group with post-traumatic stress disorder were significantly lower than the group without post-traumatic stress disorder in variables of Cognitive Flexibility, Self-Compassion, and components of self-compassion including Self-Kindness, Common Humanity, and Mindfulness; the mean scores of the group with post-traumatic stress disorder were significantly higher than the group without post-traumatic stress disorder in components of self-compassion including Self-judgment, Isolation, and Over-Identification. Findings of the present study suggest that self-compassionate attitude toward shortcomings and failures of self, and cognitive flexibility is lower in people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder than those trauma-exposed individuals without post-traumatic stress disorder., Author(s): Somayeh Daneshvar [sup.1] , Sajjad Basharpoor [sup.2] , Masumeh Shafiei [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.412573.6, 0000 0001 0745 1259, Department of Psychology, Shiraz University, , Shiraz, Iran (2) grid.413026.2, [...]

Remote work, understood here as a working environment different from the traditional office working space, is a phenomenon that has existed for many years. In the past, workers voluntarily opted, when they were allowed to, to work remotely rather than commuting to their traditional work environment. However, with the emergence of the global pandemic (corona virus-COVID-19), people were forced to work remotely to mitigate the spread of the virus. Consequently, researchers have identified some benefits and adverse effects of remote work, especially in the age of COVID-19, ranging from flexible time and environment to technostress and isolation. In this paper, using a phenomenological approach, specifically, the sub-Saharan African experiences, I contend that remote work in the age of advanced technologies has obscured the value of relationality due to the problem of isolation in sub-Saharan African workplaces. For sub-Saharan Africans, relationality is a prerequisite moral value to becoming a person. In addition, relationality contributes to meaningfulness in the workspace. Obscuring the value of relationality in the aforementioned locale leads to meaninglessness in the workspace. Furthermore, this paper contributes to the existing literature on meaningful work by critically showing the importance of the value of relationality as a key element that adds meaning to work in sub-Saharan Africa., Author(s): Edmund Terem Ugar [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.412988.e, 0000 0001 0109 131X, Department of Philosophy, University of Johannesburg, , Johannesburg, South Africa (2) grid.412988.e, 0000 0001 0109 [...]

Synchronicity refers to the psychological process of meaningful coincidences. Despite its deep roots in early psychological theory, little systematic scientific research has been conducted on synchronicity experiences as an everyday phenomenon. This study is an exploratory qualitative attempt to characterize experiences of meaningful coincidences through a bottom-up approach. Based on a phenomenological analysis of indepth interviews of 45 adults, the findings suggest a dynamic model of three major building blocks (REM): receptiveness (R) or increased attention and openness to feelings and cognitions and to the external environment; viewed as a precondition for an exceptional encounter (E), a sudden unexpected event that echoes an inner feeling or thought, commonly evoking memorable and distinctive emotions; and meaning detecting (M), a conscious process of connecting the event to oneself while revalidating a sense of coherence, purpose and control in life. Findings also point to the multidimensional and complex nature of synchronicity experiences and reveal some positive outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and study limitations and directions for future research are suggested., Author(s): Pninit Russo-Netzer [sup.1] [sup.2] , Tamar Icekson [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.18098.38, 0000 0004 1937 0562, Department of Counseling and Human Development, University of Haifa, , Haifa, Israel (2) [...]

Introduction: Despite the rising availability and use of medical marijuana (MM) in the USA, little is known about the demographics, clinical characteristics, or quality of life of MM patients. This study describes the demographic characteristics and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of MM patients who are initiating treatment in Pennsylvania. Methods: Two-hundred adults naive to MM and referred for any of the 23 state-approved qualifying conditions were recruited at three MM dispensaries in Pennsylvania between September 2020 and March 2021. All participants consented to the study; completed semi-structured interviews that included demographic questionnaires, the Short Form-36 (SF-36), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7); provided height and weight measurements; and allowed access their dispensary medical records. Results: Participants had a mean age of 48.5 ± 15.6 years, predominantly identified as female (67.5%), and were most commonly referred for chronic pain (63.5%) and/or anxiety (58.5%). Additionally, 46.0% were living with obesity as determined by BMI. Relative to a normative sample, participants reported diminished HRQoL in several domains, most notably in role limitations due to physical health (M = 46.0 ± 42.0), role limitations due to emotional problems (M = 52.5 ± 42.3), energy and fatigue (M = 39.8 ± 20.2), and pain (M = 49.4 ± 26.0). Discussion/Conclusion: Patients initiating MM treatment experienced low HRQoL in multiple domains. Future studies could evaluate the relationship between HRQoL and patients' decisions to pursue MM treatment, as well as changes in HRQoL with MM use over time. Keywords: Medical marijuana, Health-related quality of life, Clinical characteristics, Author(s): Lydia S. Buonomano [a]; Matthew M. Mitnick [a]; Thomas R. McCalmont [a]; Paulina Syracuse [a]; Karen L. Dugosh [b]; David S. Festinger [a]; Michelle R. Lent [a] Introduction Medical [...]

Background & aim In the wake of COVID-19, organizations all over India have closed their premises and shifted to work from home policy to curb the further spread of the virus. This has led to increased stress and anxiety among employees, which explicably affects their satisfaction with life. Thus, the present study analyses the effect of COVID-19 induced stressors (role overload, lifestyle choices, family distraction, and occupational discomfort) on employees' distress levels and job performance. Subsequently, the impact of such distress and job performance on the employees' life satisfaction is analyzed during the lockdown period. Methodology Data was collected from 433 working professionals of private and public organizations in the Delhi and NCR region of India during India's third and fourth phase of lockdown via a survey, which was distributed online. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was applied first to establish the validity of this study's model (measurement model validity) and subsequently test the hypothesized relationships in the model (structural model). Results The COVID-19 induced stressors, i.e., role overload, lifestyle choices, and occupational discomfort, were significant predictors of distress during the lockdown. It has been found that role overload and change in lifestyle choice did not significantly affect job performance. Family distraction, occupational discomfort, and distress were significant in impacting job performance, with distress being the most significant one. During the COVID-19 pandemic, life satisfaction has reduced due to a significant increase in distress levels and lowered job performances., Author(s): Parul Kumar [sup.1] , Neha Kumar [sup.2] , Priti Aggarwal [sup.3] , Jasmine A.L. Yeap [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Business Administration, Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Management Studies, [...]

The high volume of deployments related to military operations in southwest Asia over the past two decades have generated interest in research on factors that may influence mental health among service members with a history of deployment. Identifying key risk and protective factors for mental health disorders in military populations is an integral step towards developing or improving policies and programs aimed at enhancing resilience to deployment stress. In line with the growing consideration of research on social determinants of health, the objectives of the present study were to i) examine the characteristics of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members' economic and social environment and ii) examine the associations between these characteristics and mental health. Participants included 6,040 CAF members who were deployed at least once in support of a mission and completed the 2013 Canadian Forces Mental Health Survey (CFMHS). A range of economic and social environmental characteristics were examined, including education, income, marital status, household composition, and social support. Accounting for various other demographic and military characteristics, results indicated that living as a single parent was associated with increased odds of reporting any past year anxiety or mood disorder. Additionally, those with a Bachelor's degree or higher appeared to have decreased odds of reporting any past year anxiety or mood disorder. The results underline at risk groups and reinforce the value of considering the personal and social circumstances of military personnel in research on their mental health and well-being., Author(s): Christine Frank [sup.1] , Jennifer E. C. Lee [sup.1] , Mark A. Zamorski [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.1463.0, 0000 0001 0692 6582, Director General Military Personnel Research and Analysis, [...]

Immigration has become a global phenomenon as part of modern life. However, immigrants often demonstrate negative emotional states following the immigration process, which may destabilize one's existing values and standards which provide meaning to life. Meaning in life is considered to be a protective factor against life adversities, and previous research has linked acculturative stress with reduced meaning in life. Yet, little is known about the differential utility of meaning in life among immigrants and non-immigrants in a given society. Thus, the current study examined whether meaning in life mediates the connection between negative affect and life satisfaction, and whether this mediation differs among immigrants and non-immigrants in Israel. Results demonstrated a significant mediation of meaning in life for the negative affect - life satisfaction connection, but only among native Israelis. The role of meaning in life in the context of acculturation is discussed, and future directions are suggested., Author(s): Pninit Russo-Netzer [sup.1] , Gabriel Horenczyk [sup.2] , Yoav S. Bergman [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.18098.38, 0000 0004 1937 0562, Department of Counseling and Human Development, University of Haifa, [...]

In 2017, a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report comprehensively evaluated the body of evidence regarding cannabis health effects through the year 2016. The objectives of this study are to identify and map the most recently (2016-2019) published literature across approved conditions for medical cannabis and to evaluate the quality of identified recent systematic reviews, published following the NASEM report. Following the literature search from 5 databases and consultation with experts, 11 conditions were identified for evidence compilation and evaluation: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, autism, cancer, chronic noncancer pain, Crohn's disease, epilepsy, glaucoma, human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease, and posttraumatic stress disorder. A total of 198 studies were included after screening for condition-specific relevance and after imposing the following exclusion criteria: preclinical focus, non-English language, abstracts only, editorials/commentary, case studies/series, and non-U.S. study setting. Data extracted from studies included: study design type, outcome definition, intervention definition, sample size, study setting, and reported effect size. Few completed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified. Studies classified as systematic reviews were graded using the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews-2 tool to evaluate the quality of evidence. Few high-quality systematic reviews were available for most conditions, with the exceptions of MS (9 of 9 graded moderate/high quality; evidence for 2/9 indicating cannabis improved outcomes; evidence for 7/9 indicating cannabis inconclusive), epilepsy (3 of 4 graded moderate/high quality; 3 indicating cannabis improved outcomes; 1 indicating cannabis inconclusive), and chronic noncancer pain (12 of 13 graded moderate/high quality; evidence for 7/13 indicating cannabis improved outcomes; evidence from 6/7 indicating cannabis inconclusive). Among RCTs, we identified few studies of substantial rigor and quality to contribute to the evidence base. However, there are some conditions for which significant evidence suggests that select dosage forms and routes of administration likely have favorable risk-benefit ratios (i.e., epilepsy and chronic noncancer pain). The body of evidence for medical cannabis requires more rigorous evaluation before consideration as a treatment option for many conditions, and evidence necessary to inform policy and treatment guidelines is currently insufficient for many conditions. Keywords: Medical marijuana, Cannabis, Cannabinoids, Cannabidiol, Marijuana efficacy, Commonly recommended conditions for marijuana treatment, Marijuana clinical outcomes, Author(s): Sebastian Jugl [a,b]; Aimalohi Okpeku [a,b]; Brianna Costales [a,b]; Earl J. Morris [a,b]; Golnoosh Alipour-Haris [a,b]; Juan M. Hincapie-Castillo [a,b]; Nichole E. Stetten [c]; Ruba Sajdeya [d]; Shailina Keshwani [...]