Variations in subjective wellbeing: the mediating role of a psychological resource

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
GILL WINDLE ◽  
ROBERT T. WOODS

This study examines the mediating role of psychological resources on life satisfaction, an indicator of subjective wellbeing. The evidence identifies several life events and changing circumstances that can be potentially detrimental to the wellbeing of older adults. Based on the literature, a theoretical model was developed with the hypothesis that adaptation to potentially adverse events draws on psychological resources central to the self. The study participants were a random sample of 423 community-dwelling people aged 70 years and over. All respondents were interviewed in their own homes using a structured schedule. Quantitative data were obtained on age, gender, social support, marital status, physical functioning, bodily pain, loneliness, isolation and housing difficulties. Subjective well-being was assessed by the life satisfaction index, and the psychological mediator was conceptualised as a measure of environmental mastery. The first round of analyses found that variations in well-being were associated with housing difficulties, isolation, loneliness, physical functioning, pain, support networks and marital status. The full model established perfect mediation by environmental mastery occurred for the variables housing problems and physical functioning, and partial mediation occurred for the variable loneliness – supporting the original hypothesis. The results add to the evidence from an increasing number of studies that demonstrates how psychological resources underlie the processes of adaptation to the changing situations that accompany increasing age and prevent negative outcomes.

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasida Ben-Zur

Abstract. The current study investigated the associations of psychological resources, social comparisons, and temporal comparisons with general wellbeing. The sample included 142 community participants (47.9% men; age range 23–83 years), who compared themselves with others, and with their younger selves, on eight dimensions (e.g., physical health, resilience). They also completed questionnaires assessing psychological resources of mastery and self-esteem, and three components of subjective wellbeing: life satisfaction and negative and positive affect. The main results showed that high levels of psychological resources contributed to wellbeing, with self-enhancing social and temporal comparisons moderating the effects of resources on certain wellbeing components. Specifically, under low levels of mastery or self-esteem self-enhancing social or temporal comparisons were related to either higher life satisfaction or positive affect. The results highlight the role of resources and comparisons in promoting people’s wellbeing, and suggest that self-enhancing comparisons function as cognitive coping mechanisms when psychological resources are low.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 787
Author(s):  
Daniela Almeida ◽  
Diogo Monteiro ◽  
Filipe Rodrigues

The purpose of this study was to analyze the mediating role of life satisfaction in the relationship between fourteen coping strategies and depressive symptoms in the Portuguese population. To undertake this work, 313 Portuguese adults aged 18 to 70 years (M = 30.73; SD = 10.79) were invited to participate in this study. Their participation was completely voluntary, and participants granted and signed informed consent previously to the filling of the validated Portuguese questionnaires. These questionnaires measured depressive symptoms, coping, and life satisfaction. The results revealed that life satisfaction displayed a mediating role in the relationship between adaptive coping mechanisms, specifically between active coping, planning, reinterpretation, and acceptance and depressive symptoms, showing a negative and significant indirect effect. Maladaptive coping mechanisms of self-blame, denial, self-distraction, disengagement, and substance use had a significant positive association with depressive symptoms, considering the mediating role of satisfaction with life. Current investigation provides initial evidence of how each coping mechanism is associated with satisfaction with life and depressive symptoms. This study clearly demonstrates that not all coping strategies are capable of influencing well-being indicators and that health professionals should focus on endorsing those that are significantly associated with lowering depressive symptoms and increasing overall satisfaction with life.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13225
Author(s):  
Grace B. Yu ◽  
Najung Kim

Under the continuous spread of COVID-19 infection, individuals are finding their own ways to manage their stress and subjective wellbeing. The main objective of this research is to test the role of leisure life satisfaction on one’s subjective wellbeing in the era of COVID-19 as mediated by stress relief. Individuals’ satisfaction with leisure life is hypothesized to both directly and indirectly affect their subjective wellbeing as mediated by relieved stress. The positive impact of stress relief on one’s subjective wellbeing is hypothesized to be moderated by the perceived seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from a large-scale social survey in South Korea (N = 40,085) were used to test the hypotheses and the results confirmed them. Theoretical and managerial implications that stress the importance of the strategic management of one’s leisure life are discussed.


Author(s):  
Kiran Sakkar Sudha ◽  
M. Ghazi Shahnawaz

AbstractNarcissism is imbued with emotional dynamism and there is a strong need to assess the linkages with outcomes by analyzing their fusion. The present study examined the relationship between grandiose narcissism and performance through analyzing the mediating role of subjective wellbeing (positive affect, negative affect and life satisfaction). The wholesome assessment of performance was done by considering task performance, team-work and cognitive motivational effectiveness among 293 senior-level Indian employees of a big public sector organization. Data were analyzed by using SPSS 22 and Smart PLS 2.0. The correlation results showed that grandiose narcissism was negatively related to performance, life satisfaction and positively related to negative affect. The indirect pathways (through mediation analyses) revealed that negative affect and life satisfaction mediated the relationship between grandiose narcissism and performance. The study effectively contributes to the narcissism and performance literature by presenting clearer pathways of grandiose narcissism (through self-regulated emotions and subjective wellbeing). Practical implications were also highlighted beside the theoretical concerns.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Maryam Taherpour ◽  
Masoumeh Niaghiha ◽  
MoradiMohammad Baglooei ◽  
Maryam Mafi

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marijke Veenstra ◽  
Svein Olav Daatland ◽  
Marja Aartsen

Abstract Subjective age (SA) is a core indicator of the individual ageing experience, with important consequences for successful ageing. The aim of the current study was to investigate the directions of the longitudinal associations between domains of SA and subjective wellbeing and physical functioning in the second half of life. We used three-wave survey data (2002, 2007 and 2017) spanning 15 years from the Norwegian Lifecourse, Ageing and Generation Study, including 6,292 persons born between 1922 and 1961. SA was measured with felt-age and ideal-age discrepancies, wellbeing with the Satisfaction of Life Scale and physical functioning with the Short-Form 12. Three-wave cross-lagged panel models were applied to assess the temporal relationships between the different domains of SA, life satisfaction and physical functioning, adjusted for age, gender and education. Findings indicated that wanting to be younger was negatively associated with life satisfaction and physical functioning over time. Felt-age discrepancies did not predict subsequent wellbeing or physical functioning. The results did not reveal any evidence for reversed effects, i.e. from functioning or life satisfaction to SA. Our findings support the psychological pathway from satisfaction with age(ing) to subjective wellbeing and physical functioning over time. Small ideal-age discrepancies reflect positive self-perceptions of ageing, which may help to accumulate psychological resources, guide behavioural regulation and support health.


2019 ◽  
pp. 135910531987395
Author(s):  
Nutifafa Eugene Yaw Dey ◽  
Benjamin Amponsah ◽  
Charles Brenya Wiafe-Akenteng

The study explored the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between spirituality and subjective well-being of 107 Ghanaian biological parents raising children with special needs. Results from mediational analyses revealed that spirituality indirectly influenced life satisfaction, positive affect and negative affect through resilience. Specifically, greater levels of spirituality predicted greater resilience, which successively led to greater life satisfaction, greater positive affect and reduced negative affect. These findings emphasize the necessity of targeting parents’ well-being through resilience to help them deal with the burden of providing care for their children with special needs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 485-485
Author(s):  
Kent Jason Cheng ◽  
Darcy McMaughan ◽  
Matthew Smith

Abstract Limitations on activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) can be deleterious to an older person’s life satisfaction and overall feelings of wellbeing. This study explored the possible mediating role of optimism on relationship between changes in ADL/IADL and life satisfaction over time. Using 2006-2016 data from the Health and Retirement Study (n=11,869), growth curve modelling was used to account for intra-individual and inter-individual changes in life satisfaction trajectories. All models controlled for age, sex, marital status, years of education, self-rated health, labor force status, log of household income, and attrition. In the baseline model without optimism and with all controls, coefficients for ADL (Beta=-0.13, P<0.01) and IADL (Beta=-0.12, P<0.01) were negatively significantly associated with life satisfaction. When optimism was introduced to the model, coefficients for both ADL and IADL increased by 0.01 and remained statistically significant, which suggests some mediating effects. When interaction terms between ADL/IADL and optimism were introduced, coefficients for ADL and IADL became statistically insignificant. However, the interaction between ADL and optimism (Beta=-0.02, P<0.05) was negatively significantly associated with life satisfaction. Findings suggest that optimism may protect against the negative impact of ADL/ IADL on life satisfaction. While changes in physical functioning and mobility may influence mental health status (e.g., depression, feelings of isolation), such consequences are not inevitable. Efforts are needed to highlight the positive aspects of aging and opportunities for life enrichment to increase morale and optimism among older adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-50

Studies have shown that corruption may adversely affect the functionality of the law and institutions; and may frustrate socio-economic development. Most developing countries focus the fight against corruption on the deterrence perspective, which emphasizes the promptness and severity of punishment as a way of preventing and discouraging corrupt behaviors. Punishment may not adequately deter corruption, especially when employees are less satisfied with life or feel unjustly treated and may, therefore, engage in corruption as a justice-restoring act. This study, therefore, adopted a justice-focused approach to investigate the extent to which perception of organizational injustice and life satisfaction correlated with corrupt tendencies in public sector employees. The participants were 285 public sector employees (188 males; 97 females), whose ages averaged 39.09 years (SD = 8.40) with a range of 20 to 58 years. They were selected across large sections of two public sector organizations in Nigeria. Results of the 3-step hierarchical regression showed that perception of organizational injustice was significantly related with increased level of corrupt tendencies. As the participants’ level of life satisfaction increased, their tendencies of engaging in corruption reduced. Results of the mediation tests showed that, despite an increased perception of organizational injustice, life satisfaction was significantly related with low tendencies of engaging in corruption among employees. In order to reduce corrupt tendencies, organizations should efficiently handle perceived wrongdoing among employees and institute programmes that promote employees’ happiness and well-being.


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