scholarly journals Psychological Balance Scale: Validation Studies of an Integrative Measure of Well-Being

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Besika ◽  
Andrea B. Horn ◽  
Mike Martin
Keyword(s):  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Scale Validation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Dynamic State ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Online Study ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
Psychological Balance ◽  
And Behavior

Studies infer Psychological Balance from the absence of psychopathology. In this article, we investigated this construct as an antecedent of well-being. We present empirical evidence toward the validation of a new theoretical model regarding Psychological Balance, a dynamic state with relatively constant characteristics, comprising Consistency and Flexibility and influenced by a Self/Others Ratio. A battery of 31 items, as indicators of Consistency, Flexibility, and Self/Others Ratio, aided this empirical investigation. In an online study (N = 933), we collected cross-sectional data from the United Kingdom. Results of cross-validation analyses provided evidence toward the validity of the proposed model and the psychometric properties of its instrument. There were statistically significant associations between Consistency (i.e., degree of integration of a universal value structure as self-related characteristics that motivate personal goals and behavior), Flexibility (i.e., degree of ability to re-define meaningful and important goals in response to situational challenge), and five well-being variables (e.g., Meaning in Life). Self/Others Ratio (i.e., ratio of motivation to serve self-interest and the interest of others), operationalized as a binary variable (e.g., close and away from 1), moderated some of these associations. Altogether, this work may contribute toward a nuanced understanding of well-being and form the basis of interventions that aim to decrease emotional discomfort and increase meaning, happiness, and life satisfaction.

scholarly journals Predictors of Self-Reported Growth Following Religious and Spiritual Struggles: Exploring the Role of Wholeness

Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 445
Author(s):  
Allison C. Hart ◽  
Kenneth I. Pargament ◽  
Joshua B. Grubbs ◽  
Julie J. Exline ◽  
Joshua A. Wilt
Keyword(s):  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Collaborative Problem Solving ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Spiritual Struggles ◽  
Using Data

Religious and spiritual (r/s) struggles have been robustly linked to negative outcomes, such as greater psychological distress, reduced well-being, and difficulty finding meaning in life. R/s struggles, however, do not inevitably lead to decline. Many people report post-traumatic and spiritual growth through their r/s struggles, even though correlational studies linking r/s struggles to perceptions of growth have produced mixed results. How do we make sense of this overall pattern of findings? Perhaps growth following r/s struggles occurs under certain conditions. Prior conceptual work by Pargament suggests that specific aspects of one’s orienting system (i.e., the confluence of r/s, dispositional, and psychosocial factors which help guide people in their search for significance and purpose) may play a pivotal role in predicting growth or decline in the wake of an r/s struggle. In the present empirical study, we expected to find that among r/s strugglers, those with orienting systems marked by greater wholeness would be more likely to report growth and less decline. Four dimensions of greater wholeness (purposiveness, breadth and depth, life affirmation, cohesiveness) were measured by the presence of meaning in one’s life, self-control, universality, optimism, compassion, openness to change while tolerating doubt, and a collaborative problem-solving relationship with God. We tested these hypotheses using data from a cross-sectional study (N = 1162) of undergraduates at three universities. Results generally supported our hypotheses, with a few exceptions. Greater wholeness was associated with reports of more growth and less decline after an r/s struggle.

scholarly journals Sociodemographic Correlates of Perceived Psychosocial Health in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Community-Based Online Study in China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ganyi Wang ◽  
Shangfeng Tang
Keyword(s):  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychosocial Health ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Sociodemographic Correlates ◽  
Health Situation

Abstract The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the ensuing sociopolitical measures to control and curb its spread have been affecting people's psychosocial health and well-being through various complex pathways and in unprecedented ways. The present study aims to assess the sociodemographic correlates of psychosocial health situation of Chinese community-dwelling residents. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey that was carried out online and using a structured questionnaire during April 2020. In total, 4788 men and women with the age range of 11-98 years were included in the analysis. Outcome variables were the change in the experience of hopelessness, loneliness and depression before and during the pandemic, and the explanatory variables included demographic and social capital related variables.Results: Respectively 34.80%, 32.50% and 44.84% of the participants expressed feeling more hopeless, lonely, and depressed during the pandemic. The percentage of all three indicators was comparatively higher among women than among men: hopelessness (50.67% vs 49.33%), loneliness (52.44% vs 47.56%), and depression (56.22% vs 43.78%). Being married was associated lower odds of loneliness among men [Odds ratio= 0.63, 95% CI=0.45,0.90]. Loneliness was negatively associated with smoking [Odds ratio= 0.67, 95% CI=0.45,0.99] and positively with drinking [Odds ratio= 1.45, 95% CI=1.04,2.02]. Compared with those in the lowest income bracket (<10K), men [Odds ratio= 0.34, 95% CI=0.21,0.55] and women [Odds ratio= 0.36, 95% CI=0.23,0.56] in the highest (>40K) had the lowest odds of reporting perceived hopelessness [Odds ratio= 0.35, 95% CI=0.25,0.48]. Smoking also showed negative association with depression only among men [Odds ratio=0.63, 95% CI=0.43,0.91]. Conclusion: More about one-third of the participants reported worsening in the experience of hopelessness and loneliness, with more than two-fifth of worsening depression during the pandemic compared with the time before. Several socioeconomic and lifestyle factors were found to be associated with the outcome variables, most notably participants marital status, household income, smoking, alcohol drinking, existing chronic conditions, and urbanicity.

scholarly journals Migration, Retention and Return Migration of Health Professionals Comment on "Doctor Retention: A Cross-sectional Study of How Ireland Has Been Losing the Battle"

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Latha S. Davda ◽  
David R. Radford ◽  
Jennifer E. Gallagher
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Health Professional ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Continuous Training ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Medical Education And Training ◽  
Shortage Of Doctors

Medical education and training of health professionals are linked with their recruitment and retention. Practising as a competent health professional requires life-long continuous training and therefore training structures in health systems appear to influence doctors job satisfaction, their well-being and their intentions to remain in that health system. The commentary critiques aspects of the paper on doctors retention in Ireland, while drawing some parallels with the United Kingdom. There appears to be an emerging type of health professional migrants ‘education tourists’ who travel to other countries to obtain medical education creating new routes of migration and this presents new challenges to source and destination countries. The global shortage of doctors and other health professionals further exacerbates health inequalities as seen in the present pandemic and therefore the increased need for research into health professionals’ migration and their integration.

scholarly journals Factors Associated with Psychological Health Issues in Diploma Nursing Students: A Cross-sectional Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 117
Author(s):  
Li Kai
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Vocational Nursing Students

Psychological health is the expression of harmonic expression of harmonic expression of human’s personality and is often disrupted by multiple factors. The aim of this study to assess psychological health status and its associated factors among diploma nursing students. A cross-sectional study design was employed. The sample comprised 542 nursing students attending this anonymous survey by completed The Symptom Checklist 90 questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were attempted to analyze overall data. The positive rate of psychological symptoms of diploma nursing students is 20.9%; the total score of SCL-90 and the scores of each factor are higher than the national norm; grade, personality, number of friends, parenting style, love experience, whether it is an only child, and physical exercise are influential. The main factors of the mental health status of secondary vocational nursing students. The contribution of Emotional Intelligence and Spirituality is crucial to the acquisition of well-being, happiness and meaning in life.

scholarly journals Positive Psychology in Times of Pandemic—Time Perspective as a Moderator of the Relationship between Resilience and Meaning in Life

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 13340
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Lasota ◽  
Justyna Mróz
Keyword(s):  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Time Perspective ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Measurement Scale ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Time Perspectives ◽  
Therapeutic Services ◽  
The Relationship

Resilience and meaning in life are significant indicators of psychological well-being and health, which are particularly important in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, they have been explored by a growing number of scientists. There has been a research gap, however, that fails to show that time perspectives also have a significant impact on the perception and building of different life aspects. The current study investigated the associations between resilience, time perspectives and meaning in life and examined the moderating role of time perspective in the relationship between resilience and meaning in life. Methods: Participants of this cross-sectional study were 363 adults aged 18-70. Resilience Measurement Scale (SPP-25), the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI), and the Purpose in Life Questionnaire (PIL) were used. Results: The findings confirmed a positive relationship between resilience, meaning in life, and positive time perspectives (Present Hedonistic and Future) and a negative link with Past Negative and Present Fatalistic perspectives. The linear regression analyses showed that Past Negative and Past Positive perspectives significantly moderated the relationship between resilience and meaning in life. The moderating effect was also confirmed in the case of past time perspectives only. Conclusions: The findings indicate the relevance of positive resources, such as resilience and positive perception of the past, in keeping the meaning in life. Understanding the effect of psychological strengths in the context of the pandemic time can be a key to providing intervention and therapeutic services fostering mental health and well-being.

scholarly journals Perceived psychosocial health and its sociodemographic correlates in times of the COVID-19 pandemic: a community-based online study in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gan-Yi Wang ◽  
Shang-Feng Tang
Keyword(s):  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychosocial Health ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Western China ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression Model ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Sociodemographic Correlates

Abstract Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been affecting people's psychosocial health and well-being through various complex pathways. The present study aims to investigate the perceived psychosocial health and its sociodemographic correlates among Chinese community-dwelling residents. Methods This cross-sectional survey was carried out online and using a structured questionnaire during April 2020. In total, 4788 men and women with the age range of 11–98 years from eight provinces in eastern, central and western China were included in the analysis. We adopted a tactical approach to capture three key domains of perceived psychosocial health that are more likely to occur during a pandemic including hopelessness, loneliness, and depression. Multiple regression method, binary logistic regression model and variance inflation factor (VIF) were used to conduct data analysis. Results Respectively 34.8%, 32.5% and 44.8% of the participants expressed feeling more hopeless, lonely, and depressed during the pandemic. The percentage of all three indicators was comparatively higher among women than among men: hopelessness (50.7% vs 49.3%), loneliness (52.4% vs 47.6%), and depression (56.2% vs 43.8%). Being married was associated with lower odds of loneliness among men (odds ratio [OR] = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.45–0.90). Loneliness was negatively associated with smoking (OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.45–0.99) and positively associated with drinking (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.04–2.02). Compared with those in the lowest income bracket (< CNY 10 000), men (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.21–0.55) and women (OR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.23–0.56) in the highest level of annually housed income (> CNY 40 000) had the lowest odds of reporting perceived hopelessness (OR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.25–0.48). Smoking also showed negative association with depression only among men (OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.43–0.91). Conclusions More than one-third of the participants reported worsening in the experience of hopelessness and loneliness, with more than two-fifth of worsening depression during the pandemic compared with before the outbreak. Several socioeconomic and lifestyle factors were found to be associated with the outcome variables, most notably participants' marital status, household income, smoking, alcohol drinking, existing chronic conditions. These findings may be of significance to treat patients and help them recover from the pandemic.

The Relationship between Presence of Meaning, Search for Meaning, and Subjective Well-Being: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis based on the Meaning in Life Questionnaire

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Bin Li ◽  
Kai Dou
Keyword(s):  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Life Meaning ◽  
Search For Meaning ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cross Sectional Studies ◽  
Meaning In Life Questionnaire

Meaning in life can be understood as how much people experience life meaning, i.e., presence of meaning (POM) and how intensely they seek life meaning, i.e., search for meaning (SFM). Previous research has related POM and SFM to the subjective well-being (SWB) of individuals, but the findings are inconsistent. This meta-analysis investigates the overall relationship between POM/SFM and SWB by examining previous studies that have used Steger et al.’s (2006) Meaning in Life Questionnaire to assess POM and SFM. Results of 148 studies, reporting 726 effect sizes (N=92,169), suggest the effect size for the “POM–SWB” relationship is close to medium (ESz=0.418, p&lt;.001, 95% CI=[0.390,0.446]). The effect is larger in life satisfaction and cross-sectional studies. The effect size for the “SFM–SWB” association is small (ESz=-.121, p&lt;.001, 95% CI=[-0.155,-0.817]), with the effect being larger for negative affect, cross-sectional studies, and older participants. Interestingly, SFM is positively related to SWB for participants from countries with a high collectivism index, suggesting a stronger association for people from such countries. This study shows a robust link between presence of life meaning and greater SWB, and that while searching for life meaning may be adverse to SWB, the effect is small and conditional.

scholarly journals Sociodemographic Predictors of Health Risk Perception, Attitude and Behavior Practices Associated with Health-Emergency Disaster Risk Management for Biological Hazards: The Case of COVID-19 Pandemic in Hong Kong, SAR China

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 3869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Ying Yang Chan ◽  
Zhe Huang ◽  
Eugene Siu Kai Lo ◽  
Kevin Kei Ching Hung ◽  
Eliza Lai Yi Wong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Disaster Risk Management ◽  
Behavior Patterns ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
And Behavior

In addition to top-down Health-Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (Health-EDRM) efforts, bottom-up individual and household measures are crucial for prevention and emergency response of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). There is limited scientific evidence of the knowledge, perception, attitude and behavior patterns of the urban population. A computerized randomized digital dialing, cross-sectional, population landline-based telephone survey was conducted from 22 March to 1 April 2020 in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. Data were collected for socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude and risk perception, and various self-reported Health-EDRM behavior patterns associated with COVID-19. The final study sample was 765. Although the respondents thought that individuals (68.6%) had similar responsibilities as government (67.5%) in infection control, less than 50% had sufficient health risk management knowledge to safeguard health and well-being. Among the examined Health-EDRM measures, significant differences were found between attitude and practice in regards to washing hands with soap, ordering takeaways, wearing masks, avoidance of visiting public places or using public transport, and travel avoidance to COVID-19-confirmed regions. Logistic regression indicated that the elderly were less likely to worry about infection with COVID-19. Compared to personal and household hygiene practices, lower compliance was found for public social distancing.

Presence of Meaning, Sources of Meaning, and Subjective Well-Being in Emerging Adulthood

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siu-ming To ◽  
Wai-leung Sung
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Presence Of Meaning

In this study, we aimed to examine whether and how presence of meaning and sources of meaning interact and contribute to the subjective well-being of emerging adults. Results from a cross-sectional survey of 251 Chinese community college students in Hong Kong revealed that presence of meaning was positively associated with life satisfaction and positive affect. The findings also showed that ascriptions to self-preoccupating and individualistic sources of meaning were associated with positive affect, while ascriptions to individualistic and self-transcendent sources of meaning were associated with life satisfaction. Furthermore, ascription to the individualistic source of meaning amplified the strength of a positive relationship between presence of meaning and life satisfaction. These findings can provide a knowledge base for initiating further research on how different components of meaning in life cooperate to affect emerging adults’ subjective well-being.

Finding Meaning in Life After a Cancer Diagnosis: What Is the Role of Financial Strain?

2021 ◽  
pp. 105413732110074
Author(s):  
Sarah Alonzi ◽  
Laura M. Perry ◽  
Michael Hoerger
Keyword(s):  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Financial Strain ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Finding Meaning ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Mental Well Being

Finding meaning in life is important for maintaining physical and mental well-being. Obtaining a deeper understanding of activities that patients with cancer find meaningful is essential in improving cancer care and increasing meaning in life in these individuals. The sample of the present study consisted of patients with cancer ( N = 61) who reported their levels of financial strain and listed types of activities that they found most meaningful as a part of an online study. Participants engaged in activities that could be grouped into four broad domains (companionship, personal responsibility, recreation, and existential). In addition, results showed that financial strain was associated with higher preference for activities in the existential domain and lower preference for activities in the recreation domain. Future researchers could extend this study by exploring why certain activities are found to be more meaningful and how to combat the influence of financial strain in cancer.

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