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Background: The COVID-19 lockdowns have led to social detriments and altered learning environments among university students. Recent research indicates that such ramifications may engender various impairments to students'mental health. However, such research has major limitations, such as the lack of a prepandemic control measure, the focus on singular well-being parameters, or the investigation of only the early phases of the pandemic. Objective: To address these research gaps, this comprehensive and nationwide study compared 3 student cohorts (aged 17-48 years) in Germany: a prepandemic cohort (January-February 2020), a postlockdown cohort (May 2020-July 2020), and an intralockdown cohort (January-February 2021) regarding students' general emotional well-being and academic functioning. It was hypothesized that, because of rigorous lockdown-related restrictions, students in the intralockdown cohort would report diminished general emotional well-being compared with the other cohorts. Furthermore, because of ongoing remote learning since the beginning of the pandemic, it was expected that students' academic functioning would decrease across all 3 cohorts. Methods: The data collection was performed over 3 consecutive semesters (fall semester 2019-2020, spring semester 2020, and fall semester 2020-2021). Students were surveyed on the web on various aspects regarding their general emotional well-being (eg, stress and general well-being) and academic functioning (eg, concentration and study-related flow). Data analyses were performed using multivariate ANOVAs. Results: A total of 787 students participated in this study. Results indicated higher general well-being in the postlockdown cohort than in the intralockdown cohort (P=.02). As for students' academic functioning, our results revealed that students in the prepandemic cohort reported higher study-related flow (P=.007) and concentration (P=.001) than those in the intralockdown cohort. In addition, students reported higher flow (P=.04) and concentration (P=.04) in the postlockdown cohort than those in the intralockdown cohort. No cohort effects were revealed for other aspects of general emotional well-being (eg, perceived stress) and academic functioning (eg, procrastination). Conclusions: This study indicates that students' general emotional well-being as well as motivational and attentional components of academic functioning can be impaired owing to the COVID-19 lockdowns and ongoing remote learning formats. The necessity and design of interventional programs remedying such effects in light of the ongoing crisis need to be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Conceptual notions and empirical evidence suggest that the intraindividual correlation (iCorr) of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) is a meaningful characteristic of affective functioning. PA and NA are typically negatively correlated within-person. Previous research has found that the iCorr of PA and NA is relatively stable over time within individuals, that it differs across individuals, and that a less negative iCorr is associated with better resilience and less vulnerability. However, little is known about how the iCorr of PA and NA relates to cognitive aging. This project examined how the association between PA and NA in everyday life is associated with long-term cognitive aging trajectories. To do so. we linked microlongitudinal data on PA and NA obtained on up to 33 occasions over 6 consecutive days with macrolongitudinal data on fluid and crystallized cognitive abilities obtained over 15 years from a subsample of Berlin Aging Study participants {N = 81, mean age at the microlongitudinal study = 81 years, range 73-98; 41% women). Over and above age, gender, education, overall levels of PA and NA, and number of health conditions, a less negative iCorr of PA and NA was associated with lower levels of cognitive ability and steeper cognitive declines, particularly for fluency and knowledge abilities. We discuss possible mechanisms for this finding and argue that a less negative iCorr of PA and NA may be indicative of deficits in emotional integration that are tied to changes in crystallized aspects of cognitive abilities. [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]

This paper examines the associations between different forms of support, who provides the support and the wellbeing of older adults in Germany. Particular attention is paid to the wellbeing differences associated with kin and non-kin providers and with emotional support and instrumental support. In addition, the quality of relationships with kin and non-kin is examined as a moderator of the association between social support and wellbeing. Data for 1,146 respondents to the German Ageing Survey in 2002 were analysed to determine the combinations of emotional or instrumental support, kin or non-kin providers and relationship quality that best predicted wellbeing. Emotional support from kin and instrumental support from non-kin were both found to associate positively with wellbeing. Emotional support from non-kin providers did not associate with wellbeing, whereas instrumental support from kin providers had a negative association with one aspect of wellbeing. Higher relationship quality, whether with kin or non-kin, positively related to wellbeing. Interestingly, the negative impact of instrumental kin support was qualified by relationship quality. In other words, for people with high-quality relationships, receiving instrumental support from kin did not decrease wellbeing. When the relationship with a family carer or supporter is characterised by high quality, the challenges of frailties in old age, such as decreasing capacities and an increasing need for social support, can be met without compromising wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]