scholarly journals The Double Jeopardy of Feeling Lonely and Unimportant: State and Trait Loneliness and Feelings and Fears of Not Mattering

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. McComb ◽  
Joel O. Goldberg ◽  
Gordon L. Flett ◽  
Alison L. Rose
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Double Jeopardy ◽  
Multiple Measures ◽  
Sense Of Mattering ◽  
Harmful Effects ◽  
Health And Well Being

There have been recent concerns about an “epidemic of loneliness” during the pandemic, given the pervasiveness of loneliness in the population and its harmful effects on health and well-being. Therefore, it is important to establish the correlates of loneliness. The purpose of the current study was to explore how loneliness relates to a construct termed mattering, which is the feeling of being important to other people. Mattering was assessed with multiple measures in the current study (e.g., mattering in general, fears of not mattering, and mattering to peers). A sample of 172 female psychology undergraduate students aged 18–25 years completed self-report measures of general mattering, mattering to peers, anti-mattering, fear of not mattering, and state and trait loneliness. As predicted, lower levels of both general mattering and mattering to peers were associated with higher state loneliness. Higher feelings of anti-mattering (feelings of being invisible and insignificant to others) and fears of not mattering were associated with greater trait loneliness, as well as a reduced sense of mattering to friends. The findings illustrate that feeling as though one does not matter to others (i.e., feeling insignificant and unimportant) is associated with increased state and trait loneliness among young women. Implications are discussed for loneliness theory and how these results can enhance both clinical understanding and practice.

Loneliness, college belongingness, subjective vitality, and psychological adjustment during coronavirus pandemic: Development of the College Belongingness Questionnaire

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-31
Author(s):  
Gökmen Arslan
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Psychological Adjustment ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Subjective Vitality ◽  
Healthy Development ◽  
Adverse Experiences ◽  
Health And Well Being

Loneliness is a serious risk factor for healthy development and flourishing. Although loneliness has been revealed to play an important role in psychological health and well-being, little is known about moderating and mitigating mechanisms underlying this association, especially during adverse experiences (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic). The current study purposed to explore whether subjective vitality mediated the association of loneliness with psychological adjustment and whether college belongingness moderated the mediating effect of subjective vitality on students’ adjustment in the context of loneliness. The study sample comprised 333 undergraduate students (69% female) from a public university in Turkey. They ranged in age between 19 and 41 years (M= 21.94, SD= 4.15). Findings from mediation analysis revealed that loneliness had a significant predictive effect on subjective vitality and psychological adjustment challenges. Subjective vitality also mediated the effect of loneliness on the psychological adjustment of college students. Further, college belongingness moderated the mediating effect of subjective vitality on adjustment and had a protective effect on the association between loneliness and subjective vitality in college students. These results indicate that subjective vitality and college belongingness are important mechanisms that may help develop prevention and intervention strategies to foster students’ psychological health and well-being in university settings.

The Relationship Between Physical Activity, Health, and Well-Being

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-70
Author(s):  
Kristine Klussman ◽  
Julia Langer ◽  
Austin Lee Nichols
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Activity Intensity ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract. Background: Most people are comfortable asserting the beneficial effects of physical exercise on mental health and well-being. However, little research has examined how different types of physical activity affect these outcomes. Aims: The current study sought to provide a comprehensive understanding of the differential relationships between different types of physical activity and various aspects of health and well-being. In addition, we sought to understand the role of self-connection in these relationships. Method: One hundred forty-three participants completed a questionnaire designed to measure their current weekly activity as well as their current health and well-being. Specifically, we examined three intensities of activity (walking, moderate, and vigorous) and three types of activity (team-based, community-based, and not team nor community-based) on self-reported health, anxiety, depression, affect, flourishing, job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and meaning in life. In addition, we examined self-connection as a possible moderator of these relationships. Results: Results suggested that physical activity was inconsistently related to health and well-being, and activity intensity and type were important to understanding these relationships. In contrast, self-connection reliably related to health and well-being and moderated the relationship between activity type and the presence of meaning. Limitations: The cross-sectional, self-report nature of the study limits its contribution. In addition, we only examined a subset of all physical activities that people engage in. Conclusion: In all, results suggest that the relationships between physical activity, mental health, and well-being are tenuous, at best. Future research needs to examine these relationships further and continue to examine self-connection to determine how to best increase health and well-being through physical activity.

scholarly journals DOES SEXUAL ORIENTATION RELATE TO HEALTH AND WELL-BEING? A PROPENSITY-SCORE MATCHED ANALYSIS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S303-S303
Author(s):  
Christi L Nelson ◽  
Ross Andel
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Propensity Score ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Representative Study ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Around 2.7 million adults over the age of 50 self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) in the United States. Past research suggests that additional stressors caused by being a socially stigmatized minority group can have a negative effect on health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between sexual orientation and self-rated health, memory, and psychological well-being in a 1:3 propensity score-matched subsample from 2016 wave of Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative study of older adults. Each lesbian/gay/bisexual (LGB) participant (n=140) was matched with three straight participants (n=420) on age, sex, and education. The average age was 53.8 years (SD=2.3 years), 54% were men, the average education was 14.3 years (SD=2.4 years). Logistic regression results indicated that LGB participants were almost twice as likely to report ever having depression (OR=1.85, 95% CI=1.23-2.80). Conversely, LGB participants were more likely to report having better health (OR=1.47, 95% CI= 1.04-2.07) than straight participants and the two groups did not differ significantly in memory (OR=1.16, 95% CI= 0.82-1.64) from their straight counterparts. In conclusion, it is possible that the stigma due to sexual orientation plays a role in psychological well-being but may also reflect in better physical health but not cognitive health. It is also possible that the better health in LGB participants reflects self-report bias.

scholarly journals Soothing Your Heart and Feeling Connected: A New Experimental Paradigm to Study the Benefits of Self-Compassion

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 545-565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Kirschner ◽  
Willem Kuyken ◽  
Kim Wright ◽  
Henrietta Roberts ◽  
Claire Brejcha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Response Pattern ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Psychophysiological Response ◽  
Underlying Processes ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Arousal Reduction

Self-compassion and its cultivation in psychological interventions are associated with improved mental health and well-being. However, the underlying processes for this are not well understood. We randomly assigned 135 participants to study the effect of two short-term self-compassion exercises on self-reported-state mood and psychophysiological responses compared to three control conditions of negative (rumination), neutral, and positive (excitement) valence. Increased self-reported-state self-compassion, affiliative affect, and decreased self-criticism were found after both self-compassion exercises and the positive-excitement condition. However, a psychophysiological response pattern of reduced arousal (reduced heart rate and skin conductance) and increased parasympathetic activation (increased heart rate variability) were unique to the self-compassion conditions. This pattern is associated with effective emotion regulation in times of adversity. As predicted, rumination triggered the opposite pattern across self-report and physiological responses. Furthermore, we found partial evidence that physiological arousal reduction and parasympathetic activation precede the experience of feeling safe and connected.

Redefining and assessing emotional understanding based on the componential emotion approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Kefilwe Sekwena ◽  
Johnny RJ Fontaine
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Emotional Understanding ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Black African ◽  
New Instrument ◽  
Student Version ◽  
African Student ◽  
Action Tendencies

This article reports on a redefinition and a new operationalisation of the construct of emotional understanding based on the componential emotion approach. Emotional understanding was redefined as the ability to understand the likely emotional processes (i.e., appraisals, action tendencies, bodily reactions, expressions, and subjective feelings) that emerge when a person encounters goal-relevant events. In all, 10 emotions were identified to represent the variability in the emotion domain. For each emotion, a scenario was constructed that typically elicits that emotion. For each scenario, participants had to rate the likelihood of five emotions, five appraisals, five action tendencies, five bodily reactions, five expressions, and five subjective feelings. The new instrument, the Components of Emotional Understanding Test–South African Student version, was administered to 132 undergraduate students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the expected one-factorial structure. Emotional understanding correlated positively with verbal cognitive ability, self-report emotional intelligence, and well-being and was negatively correlated with somatic complaints. Moreover, women outscored men, and no difference was observed between respondents with Black African and White cultural backgrounds.

scholarly journals Functional health and well-being of relatively young women with peripheral arterial disease is decreased but stable after diagnosis

2003 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisy G.M Bloemenkamp ◽  
Willem P.Th.M Mali ◽  
Bea C Tanis ◽  
Maurice A.A.J van den Bosch ◽  
Jeanet M Kemmeren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peripheral Arterial Disease ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Arterial Disease ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Peripheral Arterial ◽  
Health And Well Being

The Effect of Disaster on the Health and Well-Being of Older Women

1986 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Evans Melick ◽  
James N. Logue
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Mental Status ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Female Victims ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
State Of Mind ◽  
Report Symptom ◽  
Health And Well Being

Relatively little attention has been paid to the post-disaster health status and well-being of older persons. The data discussed in this article were gathered through use of a retrospective cohort survey five years following a major flood in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania. The subsample of women sixty-five years and older used in this analysis is composed of 122 female victims and forty-five controls from the same communities. The instruments used to measure mental status included Langner's 22-Item Scale, Zung's Self-rating Depression Scale, and a modified Self-Report Symptom Inventory (SCL-90). Additional items related to self-perceptions of health status, to influence of the flood on health and well-being, and to other issues. Significant differences occurred in self-perceptions, including state of mind after the flood ( p < .001), distress during recovery ( p < .001), quality of life after the flood ( p < .001), and frequency of thinking about the flood matters ( p < .025). Use of the instruments designed to assess mental status did not indicate greater levels of anxiety or depression in elderly victims as compared to non-victims.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Usability and Acceptability of the InnoWell Platform as Rated by Older Adults: Survey Study

JMIR Aging ◽  
10.2196/25928 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. e25928
Author(s):  
Haley M LaMonica ◽  
Anna E Roberts ◽  
Tracey A Davenport ◽  
Ian B Hickie
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Digital Tool ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
Mental Well Being ◽  
Health And Well Being

Background As the global population ages, there is increased interest in developing strategies to promote health and well-being in later life, thus enabling continued productivity, social engagement, and independence. As older adults use technologies with greater frequency, proficiency, and confidence, health information technologies (HITs) now hold considerable potential as a means to enable broader access to tools and services for the purposes of screening, treatment, monitoring, and ongoing maintenance of health for this group. The InnoWell Platform is a digital tool co-designed with lived experience to facilitate better outcomes by enabling access to a comprehensive multidimensional assessment, the results of which are provided in real time to enable consumers to make informed decisions about clinical and nonclinical care options independently or in collaboration with a health professional. Objective This study aims to evaluate the usability and acceptability of a prototype of the InnoWell Platform, co-designed and configured with and for older adults, using self-report surveys. Methods Participants were adults 50 years and older who were invited to engage with the InnoWell Platform naturalistically (ie, at their own discretion) for a period of 90 days. In addition, they completed short web-based surveys at baseline regarding their background, health, and mental well-being. After 90 days, participants were asked to complete the System Usability Scale to evaluate the usability and acceptability of the prototyped InnoWell Platform, with the aim of informing the iterative redesign and development of this digital tool before implementation within a health service setting. Results A total of 19 participants consented to participate in the study; however, only the data from the 16 participants (mean age 62.8 years, SD 7.5; range 50-72) who completed at least part of the survey at 90 days were included in the analyses. Participants generally reported low levels of psychological distress and good mental well-being. In relation to the InnoWell Platform, the usability scores were suboptimal. Although the InnoWell Platform was noted to be easy to use, participants had difficulty identifying the relevance of the tool for their personal circumstances. Ease of use, the comprehensive nature of the assessment tools, and the ability to track progress over time were favored features of the InnoWell Platform, whereas the need for greater personalization and improved mobile functionality were cited as areas for improvement. Conclusions HITs such as the InnoWell Platform have tremendous potential to improve access to cost-effective and low-intensity interventions at scale to improve and maintain mental health and well-being in later life. However, to promote adoption of and continued engagement with such tools, it is essential that these HITs are personalized and relevant for older adult end users, accounting for differences in background, clinical profiles, and levels of need.

scholarly journals Framing COVID-19 as an Existential Threat Predicts Anxious Arousal and Prejudice towards Chinese People

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nassim Tabri ◽  
Samantha Hollingshead ◽  
Michael Jeremy Adam Wohl
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Chinese People ◽  
Anxious Arousal ◽  
Health And Well Being

We tested the hypothesis that perceived existential threat of COVID-19 elicits anxious arousal, which can manifest in prejudice toward the perceived source of the threat (Chinese people). Americans (n = 474) were randomly assigned to an experimental condition in which COVID-19 was framed as an existential threat to the United States or a non-existential threat control condition. They then completed self-report measures of anxious arousal and blatant prejudice towards Chinese people. As expected, participants in the threat (vs. control) condition reported greater anxious arousal which, in turn, predicted greater blatant prejudice. Threat (vs. control) condition also indirectly predicted greater prejudice via greater anxious arousal. Results suggest that COVID-19 existential threat may diminish social capital, which would further degrade people’s health and well-being.

Mental Health and Well-Being

2017 ◽  
pp. 21-37
Author(s):  
Jean Mockry ◽  
Melissa Martin ◽  
Alison Puliatte ◽  
Denise A. Simard ◽  
Maureen E. Squires
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Social Construction ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Profound Impact ◽  
American Life ◽  
Medical Issues ◽  
Health And Well Being

In this chapter, the authors provide a brief overview of the distinction between flourishing and non-flourishing mental health and well-being for people not diagnosed with a clinical mental disorder. While recognizing that genetics and personality impact the well-being of people, research supports the profound impact of societal constructs in American life. As part of a team of faculty who work with undergraduate students in Teacher Education, the authors feel this distinction is essential to understand as medical issues require diagnostics by people trained in that area. The book's focus is to examine what the college community can do to promote flourishing mental health in its social construction in classrooms, on campus and beyond. Dominant influences for non-flourishing mental health and well-being for college students rest in ideologies, happiness seeking and digitalization within American life, membership in groups that are underrepresented and well-intentioned but enabling parenting that ill prepares children for adult responses in life.

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