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Objectives: Being affected by a natural disaster or helping victims can impact mental health. This study aimed to examine whether a digital mindfulness intervention positively affects self-compassion, life satisfaction, and positive affect, and alleviates negative affect, perceived stress, and pathological symptoms in victims and volunteers of the flood disaster in Germany in July 2021. Method: Participants were 146 people affected by the flood (via house, n = 88; friends, n = 100; workplace, n = 54) and/or volunteered after the disaster (n = 86). After the randomized assignment, 74 received a 6-week application-based mindfulness intervention, and 72 were allocated to the wait-control condition. The control group received the same intervention 6 weeks later. Before (T1) and after (T2) the intervention of the first group and after the intervention of the control group (T3), participants filled out questionnaires regarding different aspects of mental health. Results: We found significant interaction effects of time and intervention for all variables (self-compassion, life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, perceived stress, and pathological symptoms), indicating effectiveness of the digital mindfulness intervention. No deterioration were found between T2 and T3 in the intervention group for any of the variables. Conclusions: The 6-week digital mindfulness program positively affected the mental health of both disaster victims and volunteers. Therefore, a digital mindfulness intervention could be a good alternative in situations where group programs or face-to-face meetings are infeasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to adapt the Positive and Negative Affect Scale for Children (PANAS‐C) developed by Laurent et al. into Turkish and to examine its validity and reliability on high school adolescents. The data of the study were analyzed with four different study groups. The first study group consisted of 414 high school adolescents, 262 girls (63.3%) and 152 boys (36.7%), between the ages of 14 and 19, with a mean age of 15.80 (SD = 1.15). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted with the first study group to determine the construct validity of the scale and a 14‐item short form of the scale was obtained. A total of 295 adolescents, 159 girls (53.9%) and 136 boys (46.1%), between the ages of 14 and 19, with a mean age of 16.06 (SD = 1.16), participated in the second study group. CFA was conducted with this group for the construct validity of the short form; a two‐dimensional structure was obtained as in the original form of the scale. In addition, multiple‐group CFA was conducted with the data obtained from the second study group, and cross‐validation of the scale regarding gender was ensured. The internal consistency coefficient, combined reliability values, and average variance extracted values of the scale were examined with both the first and second study groups, and the values obtained were found to be acceptable. The third study group consisted of 69 high school students, 36 girls, and 33 boys, with an average age of 15.67 (SD = 0.82). The criterion‐related validity of the scale was examined with the third group. As a result of the criterion‐related validity study, it was found that there was a moderately positive relationship between positive emotion and life satisfaction and a negative relationship between positive emotion and depression. On the other hand, there was a moderate negative relationship between negative emotion and life satisfaction and a significant positive relationship between negative emotion and depression. The test‐retest reliability of the scale was examined with the fourth study group. For this purpose, 63 students were administered the PANAS‐C at 3‐week intervals. Significant relationships were found for test–retest reliability, r =.70, p <.01 for the positive emotion dimension, and r =.63, p <.01 for the negative emotion dimension. The results of the study were discussed and interpreted and suggestions for researchers were presented. Practitioner Points: It is an adequate psychometric instrument for measuring emotional well‐being in adolescents.The invariance of the measurement of the scale between boys and girls has been confirmed.There were significant relationships between positive and negative emotions, depression, and life satisfaction in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the predictability of satisfaction with life on the basis of subjective happiness, positive and negative affect, psychological disturbance and emotion of gratitude. It also seeks to assess whether the emotion of gratitude is a mediating variable with subjective happiness, affect, and satisfaction with life. Statistical analyses of Pearson's correlation, multiple linear regression tests, and mediation models were conducted on a sample of 1537 Spanish adults, 73.6% were females, 26.4% males, age between 18-88 years old (M = 42.56; SD = 16.29). The emotions of gratitude were found to mediate the relationship between subjective happiness and satisfaction with life and between positive affect and satisfaction with life. Of the variables studied, positive affect is the most related to satisfaction with life, followed by subjective happiness and emotions of gratitude. Male participants are more satisfied with life when they feel the less negative affect. Regarding mediation models, emotions of gratitude mediate the relationship between subjective happiness and satisfaction with life and between positive affect and satisfaction with life. The main difference is that emotions of gratitude are stronger in females than in males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appropriate regulation of emotions is vital to daily functioning. Previous studies have shown that regulating negative emotions can improve health and wellbeing. However, the relationship between positive and negative emotion regulation and their interactions with positive and negative affect, life satisfaction, and health is not well understood. In addition, no studies have investigated the role of attention control and trait mindfulness in positive and negative emotion regulation. This study examined the associations between positive and negative emotion regulation abilities and health, affect, life satisfaction, attention control, and trait mindfulness. A total of 490 participants (284 females and 206 males, mean age = 25.8 ± 2.9 years, range = 20–29 years) completed questionnaires and attention measuring tasks. Multiple regression analyses revealed that negative emotion regulation ability was associated with affect, life satisfaction, and health, whereas positive emotion regulation ability was related to negative affect and mental and physical health. Additionally, negative rather than positive emotion regulation ability was more strongly associated with trait mindfulness and attention control. Positive emotion regulation may benefit those who have difficulty in regulating negative emotions. By focusing on both negative and positive emotion regulation, this study elucidates the relationship between emotion regulation ability, positive and negative affect, life satisfaction, health, mindfulness, and attention control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the possibility of predicting changes in preadolescents’ subjective wellbeing (SWB)indicators, namely life satisfaction (LS), positive (PA) and negative affect(NA), based on how often they engage in different activities using digital technology (DT). Exploratory, it examines whether gender and age moderate links between DT usage and well-being. The study is conducted using self-report measures at two time points, with one year apart. Participants were 1379 elementary school pupils from Croatia (48% were boys), aged from 8 to 13 (M = 11.03, SD = 1.14) at the first time point. LS was assessed using BMSLSS (Seligson et al., 2003). PA and NA were assessed using PANAS-C scale (Ebesutani et al., 2012). Finally, participants indicated how often they engage in different activities using digital technology: use of social media (using social networks, texting with friends, posting online), playing video games, and watching TV. Only social media use predicted a small decrease in LS one year later. Different types of DT use did not predict changes in PA. These models were the same for boys and girls, and for younger and older preadolescents. Changes in NA were not related to any of the DT predictors. However, differential effects were observed for boys and girls with playing video games emerging as a positive predictor of NA for girls only. All observed effects were very small. These findings point to the importance of evaluating individual contribution of different activities that preadolescents engage in with the use of digital technology to their SWB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the introduction of positive psychology, the attention of psychology has shifted from focusing on disorders and psychological problems to the scientific study of positive personal experiences traits and the institutions that evolve these experiences. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship between perfectionism and subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction positive and negative affect). The research design was descriptive-correlational and the sample included 353 students (233 females and 120 males) at Islamic Azad University- South Tehran Branch, Iran. The participants responded to Self-Compassion Scale Short Form (SCS-SF), Life Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and Tehran Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (TMPS). The results of path analysis showed that perfectionism and self-compassion explained 33% of the variance of life satisfaction, 15% of the variance of positive affect, and 22% of the variance of negative affect. Furthermore, 17% of the variance of self-compassion was explained by perfectionism. Thus, the research has some implications for overcoming the destructive effects of perfectionism on subjective well-being through teaching self-compassion.IntroductionPositive psychology is the scientific study of what makes life most worth living, focusing on both individual and societal well-being (Csikszentmihalyi & Seligman, 2000). Subjective well-being is one of the key topics in positive psychology, which has received increasing attention from researchers, politicians, media, and people. It is one of the significant and influential variables in mental health and refers to a feeling of happiness and life satisfaction (Diener, 2021). Subjective well-being (SWB) is the scientific term for happiness and life satisfaction—thinking and feeling that your life is going well (Pavot & Diener, 1993). Research findings indicate that personality is one of the most powerful and stable variables in determining subjective well-being (Steel et al., 2008) and perfectionism is a personality trait can play a vital role in subjective well-being.Perfectionism is a personality characteristic as striving for being flawless and setting exceedingly high standards for performance accompanied by tendencies for overly critical self-evaluations and concerns about negative evaluations by others (Flett & Hewitt, 2002; Frost & Marten, 1990). One of the most widely-researched multidimensional models of perfectionism is Hewitt and Flett's (1991) model, which describes self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed perfectionism.One of the variables that plays a significant role as a mediator in many cases and increases a person's ability to cope with failures and deprivations is self-compassion (Sbarra et al., 2012). Self-compassion is a coping strategy that helps individuals face their fate and the consequence of their deeds (Gerber & Anaki, 2021). It involves three basic components: self-kindness vs self-judgment, a sense of common humanity vs isolation, and mindfulness vs over-identification. These components combine to create a self-compassionate frame of mind (Neff, 2003). The purpose of this study was to know more about the dimensions of perfectionism, the components of subjective well-being and self-compassion, and also to present a model that could account for the relationship between perfectionism and subjective well-being with the mediating role of self-compassion. MethodThe research design of the present study was descriptive-correlational. The criteria for entering the study were the desire to participate in the research and being a student at Islamic Azad University, Southern Tehran Branch in 2021-2022. Due to the online nature of the instruction during the Covid-19 pandemic, the addresses of the online courses and groups were received from the university website. Then. with the permission of the professors, the questionnaires were sent by WhatsApp and Telegram social networks. There was no time limit and obligation for completing the questionnaires. A sample of 353 (233 females and 120 males) students responded to the Self-Compassion Scale Short Form (SCS-SF), Life Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and Tehran Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (TMPS). The data were analyzed by using Pearson's correlation coefficient, path analysis method, and bootstrap methods. To test the hypotheses of the study, path analysis using the bootstrap method was used. the unstandardized and determined estimation of the paths of the model are presented in Table 2 is reflected. Table 2: Summary of Path Analysis Results Based on Bootstrap Methohypotheses (paths)EstimateS.E.C.R.StandardizedEstimateSelf-oriented perfectionism→Self-compassion-.314.058-5.392**-.31Other-oriented perfectionism→Self-compassion-.060.063-.964-.06Socially prescribed Perfectionism→Self-compassion-.217.046-4.751**-.26Self-oriented perfectionism→Satisfaction with life-.093.059-1.581-.09Self-oriented perfectionism→Positive affect.080.0711.124 .07Self-oriented perfectionism→Negative affect.058.067.865.05Other-oriented perfectionism→Satisfaction with life.072.0611.171 .07Other-oriented perfectionism→Positive affect.121.0741.635 .10Other-oriented perfectionism→Negative affect-.013.069-.182 .01Socially prescribed Perfectionism→Satisfaction with life-.095.046-2.082-.11Socially prescribed Perfectionism→Positive affect-.063.055-1.138-.06Socially prescribed Perfectionism→Negative affect.289.0525.579** .28Self-compassion→Satisfaction with life.388.0527.465** .39Self-compassion→Positive affect.442.0637.035** .38Self-compassion→Negative affect-.507.059-8.655**-.42P*

Burnout negatively affects employees' health, life satisfaction, and performance. However, little is known about how burnout shapes employees' resilience process in daily life to produce these adverse effects. Therefore, we present a 30-day diary study among an international sample of 410 employees, studying burnout-related differences in response to an acute stressor (i.e., learning about the COVID-19 diagnosis of a close friend or family member). Specifically, we investigate how this event affects COVID-19-related worrying, positive and negative affect, and work engagement, both on the day itself and across several post-event days. Multilevel analyses with cross-level interactions between individual-level burnout and day-level stressor occurrence reveal that employees high in burnout score significantly higher on negative affect and lower on positive affect and work engagement on the day the stressor occurred. Additionally, discontinuous random coefficient growth modelling with burnout-time interactions shows that employees high in burnout sustain higher levels of COVID-19 worrying, but their negative and positive affect return to pre-event levels in the post-event days. These findings shed important new light on how burnout affects employees' resilience process in response to acute stressors, thereby potentially identifying a key proximal mechanism by which burnout's negative distal effects on health, well-being, and performance emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Yoga based interventions were found to have a positive impact on various indicators of psychological functioning, such as perceived stress, satisfaction with life, positive and negative affectivity. Additionally, such interventions improved bodily or interoceptive awareness and spirituality. Methods: The present study assessed the effects of a 3-month long complex yoga-based intervention compared to a passive control group in a Hungarian community sample. The final sample consisted of 44 intervention (Mage = 47.5, SD = = 8.76) and 29 control participants (Mage = 47.4, SD = 9.47). The aforementioned constructs were measured 1 week before and after the intervention. Results: The intervention reduced participants’ perceived stress (p = <0.001, ηp² = 0.153) and negative affectivity (p = 0.019, ηp² = 0.113), improved spirituality (p = 0.048, ηp² = 0.054) and various aspects of interoceptive awareness such as noticing (p = <0.001, ηp² = 0.169) attention regulation (p = <0.001, ηp² = 0.211), self-regulation (p = 0.002, ηp² = 0.190) body listening (p = 0.010, ηp² = 0.097), trusting (p = 0.026, ηp² = 0.070), but did not impact positive affectivity and satisfaction with life. Conclusion: A 3-months long complex yoga-based intervention has a positive impact on many aspects of healthy psychological functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although extensive research has been conducted to explain what contributes to subjective wellbeing, still a substantial part of its variance remains unexplained. This study investigated whether psychological concepts 'peace of mind' and 'meaningfulness' contribute to SWB beyond the basic and psychological needs while using several needs theories as a theoretical basis and thereby hypothesizing that both concepts are actionable and help enhance SWB. Methods: The cross-sectional data (N = 3770) of the Belgian National happiness study (2018) were used. Three components of SWB (life satisfaction, positive and negative affect) were identified as predicted variables and used in threefold stepwise forward regression analyses. Results: As expected both basic and psychological needs explained a considerable part of the three SWB components. However, including meaningfulness and peace of mind in the last step of the models resulted in a substantially higher total variance that was explained in these components (i.e. 56.7% for life satisfaction, 37.2% for positive affect, and 56.1% for negative affect). More specific, in the final models: basic needs, feelings of autonomy and relatedness, peace of mind and meaningfulness were significantly associated with the life satisfaction component. For the positive affect component: psychological needs, peace of mind, and meaningfulness were the significantly associated factors. Finally, the negative affect component was most significantly associated with basic needs, psychological needs, and peace of mind, while meaningfulness did not play a significant role in explaining negative affect. Discussion: This study reconfirms the value of several needs theories in explaining the components of SWB and the role of universal needs. The final steps of the models also indicate that different needs contribute independently to the different SWB components. This is the first study demonstrating that 'meaningfulness' and 'peace of mind' contribute substantially to SWB beyond the typical basic and psychological needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether perceived parental attitudes and subjective well-being in university students predict narcissistic personality tendencies. The study was conducted with 1377 students studying at various faculties of İnönü University in the academic year of 2014-2015 and participated in the study voluntarily. Of the obtained data, 1146 of which were completely filled were included in the study. The personal information form prepared by the researcher was used as the data collection tool in the study to obtain information about the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, Life Satisfaction Scale, Parent Attitude Scale and demographic variables. The data were analyzed with SPSS 18.0 package program. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the data. Parents' attitudes, which are perceived to be very low predictive levels of subjective well-being and sub-dimensions of narcissistic personality tendencies, were found not to predict sub-dimensions of narcissistic personality tendencies.

In this paper we explain the influence of some economic-social and psychological factors on a higher life satisfaction, as an expression of the subjective state of well-being, on a sample of 32 European countries. In the analysis, we used results of surveys on quality of life conducted during 2011-2012 and 2016 by Eurofound. We opted for estimating spatial models to highlight influences on well-being due to the existence of spatial autocorrelation between variables. The findings reveal that there is consistent positive relationship between life satisfaction and satisfaction in the fields and a significant negative relationships were found in relation to negative emotions, perception of a high degree of corruption in society or, even more importantly, unequal income distribution.

This study examined the association between participation in community organizations and life satisfaction, and relevant mediating and moderating mechanisms among retirees. Positive and negative affect were considered as mediating variables, and family relation as a moderating variable. A total of 1132 community‐dwelling retirees aged 50 years or more were investigated. A self‐developed questionnaire with five items measured the level of organizational participation (OP) based on residential community. The Satisfaction with Life scale (SWLS), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and Family Cohesion sub‐scale of Family Environment Scale (FES) were used to assess life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, and family relation, respectively. Mplus was used to conduct mediating and moderating analyses after controlling for six demographic and socioeconomic factors. First, the results indicated that OP was positively associated with life satisfaction. Second, positive and negative affect partly mediated the relationship between OP and life satisfaction. Third, family relation negatively moderated the relationship between OP and life satisfaction; that is, compared with those retirees with good family relation, the beneficial role of OP in enhancing one's satisfaction was more significant for those retirees with poor family relation; furthermore, family relation also moderated the links of OP‐negative affect. These findings suggested that OP related to life satisfaction of retirees through mediating roles of positive and negative affect, and family relation partly moderated the above direct and indirect processes. In a word, OP based on residential community had a positive role in buffering adverse influence of poor family relation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior evidence suggests that subjective well-being (SWB) remains relatively stable across adulthood. However, longitudinal evidence is sparse except in Western societies such as North America and Western Europe. We examined age-related changes in SWB (life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) among middle-aged and older Japanese. We applied multilevel growth models to 14-year seven-wave longitudinal data of a dynamic cohort study. A total of 3,890 participants aged 40–81 at first assessment were included in the analysis. The longitudinal results demonstrated differential trajectories of SWB. Life satisfaction exhibited an accelerated increase in middle age but decreased and leveled off in old age. Positive affect increased in midlife and declined in late life. Negative affect remained stable in middle age but increased in old age. Demographics, health, and methodological correlates did not fully account for age-related changes in SWB. Of note, increases in negative affect in old age remained evident even after controlling for the correlates. In conclusion, life satisfaction was stable across adulthood, which was not the case with positive and negative affect. We discussed the possible mechanisms in these observed trajectories of SWB, in particular, negative affect in late life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

هدف این مطالعه، بررسی روابط ساختاری ویژگی‌های شخصیتی و رضایت از زندگی با نقش میانجی عاطفۀ مثبت و منفی و هدف‌های زندگی بود. جامعۀ آماری این پژوهش را همۀ افراد بزرگسال منطقۀ 6 شهر تهران در سال 1395تشکیل می‌دهند. شرکت‌کنندگان شامل 400 نفر (241 زن و 156 مرد) بودند که با روش نمونه‌گیری تصادفی چندمرحله‌ای انتخاب شدند. همۀ آنها پرسشنامه‌های عاطفۀ مثبت و منفی، رضایت از زندگی، پرسشنامۀ پنج عامل بزرگ شخصیت و هدف‌های زندگی را تکمیل کردند. مدل فرضی با تحلیل مسیرْ آزمون شد. یافته‌ها نشان داد توافق‌پذیری، تجربه‌گرایی، برون‌گرایی و وجدان‌گرایی رابطۀ مثبت و معناداری با هدف‌های درونی و عاطفۀ مثبت داشتند. درواقع هدف‌های درونی و عاطفۀ مثبت در رابطۀ میان این متغیرها با رضایت از زندگی نقش میانجی داشتند و بر آن اثر مستقیم می‌گذاشتند؛ اما عواطف منفی و هدف‌های بیرونی نقش میانجی نداشتند و بر رضایت از زندگی اثر مستقیم نداشتند. همچنین، از بین ویژگی‌های شخصیتیْ برون‌گرایی و روان‌رنجوری بر رضایت از زندگی اثر مستقیم داشتند. روان‌رنجوری بر رضایت از زندگی اثر غیرمستقیم نداشت. 21درصد واریانس رضایت از زندگی توسط مدل پیش‌بینی می‌شد؛ درنتیجه می‌توان گفت توجه به هدف‌های درونی و عاطفۀ مثبت در رابطۀ میان ویژگی‌های شخصیتی با رضایت از زندگی بسیار مهم است.

Life satisfaction is an important indicator of quality life of students. The aim of this study is to examine the mediation effect of positive and negative affect on the link between hope and life satisfaction in elementary school students. The sample consisted of 436 (204 female and 232 male) Turkish early adolescents recruited from among elementary school students in Turkey. Students were between 12 and 15 years (M = 13, SD = .84). Data were collected using the Children's Hope Scale, Positive and Negative Experience Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. The results indicated that hope positively predicted positive affect and satisfaction with life and negatively predicted negative affect. The structural equation model results showed that positive and negative affect partially mediated the relationship between hope and satisfaction with life. The study results showed that hope and positive emotions are an important factor for life satisfaction of Turkish elementary school students. The practical implications and limitations of the present study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Values in Action is a classification of 24 character strengths grouped under six virtue categories. This classification is claimed to be universal across cultures and religions (Peterson & Seligman, 2004) and its measure that is, Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) has been translated and validated in many languages. The present study aimed at its Urdu translation and validation on Pakistani adults taken from different educational institutes and workplaces. Study comprised two parts. Part I dealt with the translation and cross-language validation while in Part II, construct validation on a sample of 542 adults and convergent validity on a sample of 210 adult participants were determined. Findings revealed satisfactory alpha coefficients for Urdu version. Significant positive correlations with positive affect and life satisfaction and negative correlations with negative affect were indicators of its convergent validity. Age was negatively associated with five strengths whereas significant gender differences were found on seven strengths. Social desirability effects were nonsignificant. Strength-to-virtue level factor structure exploration resulted in a theoretically meaningful four factor structure. Factors were named as Interpersonal, Cognitive, Vitality, and Transcendence and were comparable to factor structures proposed in studies on VIA-IS from a few other cultures. The study offers a valid Urdu translation for use in future studies with adult Urdu speaking population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accumulating body of literature has confirmed the effect of social networks on the subjective well-being (SWB). However, the relevant mechanism for the relationship between them requires further exploration. This research examined the association between social network size and SWB and the mediating role of future time perspective (FTP) among Chinese retirees. We modeled the relationship between social network size, FTP, and SWB by two sub-studies. SWB was indicated by life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, and meaning in life. FTP comprised two dimensions: focusing on opportunity in future and focusing on limitation of time. Study 1 used the number of Spring Festival greeters, and Study 2 used the size of networks based on common actions (discussion, mutual helping, and social participation) as indicators of network size to examine the association and mediating effect among 1097 and 335 community-dwelling retirees, respectively. Both studies revealed that social network size was positively associated with SWB; FTP-opportunity but not FTP-limitation mediated above associations, when possible confounding variables were controlled for. Findings confirm relevance of social networks in the SWB of retirees, and provide a new insight into the role of FTP as an explanatory mechanism.

An accumulating body of literature has confirmed the effect of social networks on the subjective well-being (SWB). However, the relevant mechanism for the relationship between them requires further exploration. This research examined the association between social network size and SWB and the mediating role of future time perspective (FTP) among Chinese retirees. We modeled the relationship between social network size, FTP, and SWB by two sub-studies. SWB was indicated by life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, and meaning in life. FTP comprised two dimensions: focusing on opportunity in future and focusing on limitation of time. Study 1 used the number of Spring Festival greeters, and Study 2 used the size of networks based on common actions (discussion, mutual helping, and social participation) as indicators of network size to examine the association and mediating effect among 1097 and 335 community-dwelling retirees, respectively. Both studies revealed that social network size was positively associated with SWB; FTP-opportunity but not FTP-limitation mediated above associations, when possible confounding variables were controlled for. Findings confirm relevance of social networks in the SWB of retirees, and provide a new insight into the role of FTP as an explanatory mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer survivors are at risk for poor subjective well-being, but the potential beneficial effect of daily spiritual experiences is unknown. Using data from the second and third wave of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, we examined the extent to which daily spiritual experiences at baseline moderate the association between subjective well-being at baseline and approximately 10 years later in cancer survivors (n = 288). Regression analyses, controlled for age, educational attainment, and religious/spiritual coping, showed that daily spiritual experiences moderated the association between life satisfaction at baseline and follow-up. Specifically, high spiritual experiences enhanced life satisfaction over time in cancer survivors with low life satisfaction at baseline. Also, daily spiritual experiences moderated the association between positive affect at baseline and follow-up, though this moderating effect was different for women and men. No moderating effect emerged for negative affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to war and ongoing political violence increases mental health risks among children, especially in terms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depressive or somatic symptoms. However, an exclusive focus on negative functioning can lead to underestimating the coping abilities and natural potential for adjusting to trauma of war-affected children at different developmental phases. Using structural equation modelling, we tested the extent to which data gathered in a predominantly nonclinical sample of Palestinian children (N = 1276) living in refugee camps supported a conceptual model in which the relationship between subjective wellbeing and the effects of trauma is mainly top-down in direction. The cross-sectional design adopted showed that feelings of life satisfaction contributed to better affect balance in children (aged 6–11 years), which in turn, mitigated the impact of traumatic events. These findings point up the importance of dimensions of subjective well-being in children involved in traumatic events and may inspire intervention and treatment focused on the ability to activate positive emotions as a crucial resource for dealing with traumatic reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much attention has been paid to the psychological processes underlying the improvement in mood states and human well-being, particularly during adolescence. Theoretical and empirical research suggests that emotional skills may play a role in enhancing perceived well-being; however the mechanisms involved in during adolescence are unclear. The purpose of this study was to extend understanding by investigating the potential mediators of the relationship between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction in a two-year study. Participants were 269 high school students (145 girls and 124 boys) who completed the self-report Perceived Emotional Intelligence Scale (PEIS), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) three times at one-year intervals. The three-step longitudinal design corroborated earlier research indicating that positive and negative affect mediate the relationships between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction. Students with high PEI tended to have more positive experiences and fewer negative experiences, which contributed to their greater life satisfaction. No sex differences were found in the multi-group analyses, suggesting that the causal relationships are similar in both sexes. These findings extend our understanding of the complex network of relationships involving perceived emotional intelligence and life satisfaction in adolescence. Implications and limitations of the findings are discussed.

Objectives The aim of this study was to examine whether informal caregiving affects subjective well-being (SWB) of the caregivers in the long run. Methods The German Ageing Survey (DEAS) is a nationwide, representative longitudinal study of community-dwelling individuals living in Germany aged 40 and older. The surveys in 2002, 2008, and 2011 were used (11,264 observations). Several components of SWB were used, covering functional and mental health, and affective (positive affect and negative affect) as well as cognitive well-being. Although functional health was quantified by the subscale “physical functioning” of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), mental health was assessed by using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Life satisfaction (cognitive well-being) was quantified by using the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and positive and negative affect (affective well-being) was assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Results Longitudinal regressions revealed that informal care affected (1) mental health in the total sample and in both sexes as well as (2) cognitive well-being in women. The effect of informal care on mental health was significantly moderated by self-efficacy in the total sample. Conclusion Our findings emphasize the role of informal caregiving for mental health and cognitive well-being (women). Moreover, our findings highlight the role of self-efficacy in the relation between informal care and mental health. Thus, to prevent declines in mental health due to informal care, it might be a fruitful approach to strengthen self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much attention has been paid to the psychological processes underlying the improvement in mood states and human well-being, particularly during adolescence. Theoretical and empirical research suggests that emotional skills may play a role in enhancing perceived well-being; however, the mechanisms involved in during adolescence are unclear. The purpose of this study was to extend understanding by investigating the potential mediators of the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and life satisfaction in a 2-years study. Participants were 269 high school students (145 girls and 124 boys) who completed the self-report perceived emotional intelligence (PEI) Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale three times at 1-year intervals. The three-step longitudinal design corroborated earlier research indicating that positive and negative affect mediate the relationships between EI and life satisfaction. Students with high PEI tended to have more positive experiences and fewer negative experiences, which contributed to their greater life satisfaction. No sex differences were found in the multi-group analyses, suggesting that the causal relationships are similar in both sexes. These findings extend our understanding of the complex network of relationships involving PEI and life satisfaction in adolescence. Implications and limitations of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the mediating effects of affect (positive and negative affect) and loneliness on the relationship between core self-evaluations (CSE) and life satisfaction among two groups of Chinese adolescents. Three hundred adolescents (169 males and 131 females) from Shenzhen and Xi'an in China completed the Core Self-evaluations Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, UCLA Loneliness and Satisfaction with Life Scale. Research revealed that positive and negative affect, and loneliness fully mediated the relationship between CSE and life satisfaction. The relationship between CSE and loneliness was partially mediated by positive and negative affect. Loneliness partially mediated the relation between positive and negative affect and life satisfaction. The final model also indicated two significant paths from CSE through positive and negative affect and loneliness to life satisfaction. Furthermore, a multi-group analysis found that the paths did not differ across gender. Limitations of the study are considered and implications of the results for enhancing adolescents' life satisfaction are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Ethnolinguistic diversity provides the opportunity to study the relation between the native language, the emotional state, and the well-being of a person. Representatives of different linguistic groups may have psychological advantages in specific socio-cultural situations. Objectives: We investigated the interrelation between mental wellbeing, emotional state, life satisfaction, and belonging to different ethnolinguistic categories in the Russian society. Methods: The measuring instruments included the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (Tennant et al., 2007), the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) (Diener et al., 2009), the questionary on life satisfaction. The research project included 894 respondents aged from 14 to 80 (M=24.0; SD=11.7), residents of eight regions, where there are one or several official languages along with Russian. Results: The results indicate that mental well-being (F = 1.167; p = 0.312) is independent of the respondents' native language, while the ratio of positive and negative affect is significantly higher (F = 3.164; p = 0.008) among people who indicated the regional language as the native one, compared to those who have two native languages - Russian and regional (MD = -1.529; p = 0.039). Moreover, the general life satisfaction is higher (F = 7.427; p = 0.001) among native speakers of the regional language as compared to those who indicate both Russian and regional languages as their native languages (MD = 0.638; p <0.001). Conclusions: Differences in the emotional state and life satisfaction along with the absence of differences in mental well-being were revealed in respondents of different ethnolinguistic categories. The reported study was funded by RFBR, project number 17-29-09167. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers often debate about whether there is a meaningful differentiation between psychological well-being and subjective well-being. One view argues that psychological and subjective well-being are distinct dimensions, whereas another view proposes that they are different perspectives on the same general construct and thus are more similar than different. The purpose of this investigation was to examine these two competing views by using a statistical approach, the bifactor model, that allows for an examination of the common variance shared by the two types of well-being and the unique variance specific to each. In one college sample and one nationally representative sample, the bifactor model revealed a strong general factor, which captures the common ground shared by the measures of psychological well-being and subjective well-being. The bifactor model also revealed four specific factors of psychological well-being and three specific factors of subjective well-being, after partialling out the general well-being factor. We further examined the relations of the specific factors of psychological and subjective well-being to external measures. The specific factors demonstrated incremental predictive power, independent of the general well-being factor. These results suggest that psychological well-being and subjective well-being are strongly related at the general construct level, but their individual components are distinct once their overlap with the general construct of well-being is partialled out. The findings thus indicate that both perspectives have merit, depending on the level of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a sample of youth with a Turkish background living in Germany, the study aimed to identify their cultural identifications and acculturation attitudes, and test the effects of cultural identifications together with background variables on cognitive and affective aspects of subjective well-being. Measures of identification with the Turkish and German cultures, Turkish identity, German identity, dual identity, life satisfaction, and positive and negative affect were used. The most favored acculturation strategy was integration followed by separation. Whereas heritage-culture identification and mainstream-culture identification were found to be independent of each other, both contributed to the well-being of immigrants, with the former predicting affective and the latter predicting cognitive well-being. Turkish identity, German identity, as well as dual identity as both Turkish and German contributed to the well-being of the youth. Besides, dual identification had a unique contribution to well-being outcomes above and beyond other acculturation variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is considerable evidence that two higher order factors underlie the Big-Five dimensions and that these two factors provide a parsimonious taxonomy. However, not much empirical evidence has been documented as to the extent to which these traits relate to certain psychological constructs. In this study, we tested a structural model to investigate the individual differences in well-being and ill-being by examining the mediating effects of autonomy, relatedness, and competence on the extent to which two higher order factors of personality, namely Stability and Plasticity, are linked to life satisfaction and depression. In testing the model, we controlled for the effects of current affect. A large community sample participated and responded to self-measures of The Big-Five personality, basic psychological needs satisfaction, satisfaction with life, depressive symptoms, and positive and negative affect. The results revealed that satisfaction of basic psychological needs fully mediated the relationship between Plasticity and life satisfaction, as well as depression. It also fully mediated the relationship between Stability and life satisfaction, and partially mediated the relationship between Stability and depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has shown that major life events can have short- and long-term effects on subjective well-being (SWB). The present meta-analysis examines (a) whether life events have different effects on affective and cognitive well-being and (b) how the rate of adaptation varies across different life events. Longitudinal data from 188 publications (313 samples, N = 65,911) were integrated to describe the reaction and adaptation to 4 family events (marriage, divorce, bereavement, childbirth) and 4 work events (unemployment, reemployment, retirement, relocation/migration). The findings show that life events have very different effects on affective and cognitive well-being and that for most events the effects of life events on cognitive well-being are stronger and more consistent across samples. Different life events differ in their effects on SWB, but these effects are not a function of the alleged desirability of events. The results are discussed with respect to their theoretical implications, and recommendations for future studies on adaptation are given [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the research reported in this article was to develop a model describing how positive and negative affect associated with specific experiences of a travel trip influence tourists’ overall sense of well-being (life satisfaction). The model is based on the theoretical notion that a travel trip influences life satisfaction through tourists’ experiences of positive and negative affect associated with a recent tourist trip couched within various life domains (e.g., social life, leisure life, family life, cultural life, health and safety, love life, work life, and financial life). We conducted two studies. The first study was qualitative, designed to identify specific sources of positive and negative affect generated by the most recent tourist trip experiences in the context of various life domains. The second study involved a survey of tourists ( N = 264) to test the model in a formal manner. The data provided support for the overall model; the data also helped identify specific sources of positive and negative affect that play a significant role in tourists’ overall sense of well-being. Specific managerial recommendations are made for tourist operators based on the study findings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present study examined age and cultural differences in cognitive and affective components of subjective well-being. A sample of 188 American and Chinese young and older adults completed surveys measuring self-life satisfaction, perceived family's life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect. Across cultures, older adults reported lower negative affect than did young adults. Americans reported higher self-life satisfaction, perceived family's life satisfaction, and positive affect than did Chinese. In addition, perceived family's life satisfaction was more related to self-life satisfaction for Chinese than for Americans. Findings are discussed in light of socioemotional selectivity theory and theories on culture and self-construal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We studied subjective well-being (SWB) as a dynamic system, focusing on change processes in women who faced mid-life challenges of poor health. To examine both general and age-specific effects, we focused on two groups of ill women and compared each of them to healthy controls: the early-onset ill experienced their health challenge at 52 (i.e., normatively early) and the late-onset ill later at 61. Our 20-year longitudinal design combined quantitative and idiographic life data, testing hypotheses about frequent handicaps of ill people, how SWB can be recovered, and how the nature of stresses and recovery processes varies with period of life. Results suggest that processes of aging and development helped the early-onset ill to overcome handicaps through emphasis on generativity and the late-onset ill to regain involvement in life. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study examined the contributions of orientations to happiness (pleasure, engagement and meaning) to subjective well-being. A sample of 12,622 adults from the United States completed on-line surveys measuring orientations to happiness, positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction. A sample of 332 adults from Australia also completed these surveys as well as a measure of the big five factor personality traits. Hierarchical regressions generally supported the hypothesis that the three orientations to happiness predict subjective well-being (satisfaction with life, positive affect and negative affect) beyond sociodemographic variables and personality. Meaning and engagement explained the greatest variance in all three components of subjective well-being. Overall, these findings support the importance of a eudaimonic approach in addition to the hedonic approach to achieving happiness. Moreover, findings were relatively consistent in both the Australian and US samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]