scholarly journals Why Studies in the Effect of Positive Psychological Interventions Should Use Life-Satisfaction as an Outcome

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruut Veenhoven
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Positive Mental Health ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Psychological Interventions ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Positive Psychological Interventions

The effect of positive psychological interventions (PPIs) is mostly assessed using self-report measures of positive mental health. These measures are problematic because (1) the content addressed is often not clear, (2) different scales are used to assess different notions of positive mental health, which impedes comparability, (3) the concept of positive mental health involves objective capabilities which are not well measurable using subjective self-estimates, and (4) the concept behind the measures denotes presumed chances for adaptation to life rather than adaptation as such. Therefore, we should also measure the effect of PPIs using life-satisfaction, which is (a) a clear-cut concept and as such tells us what an intervention brings about, (b) is well measurable using self-reports, since it is a subjective concept, (c) it allows better comparability across studies, and (d) it indicates actual adaptation to life instead of strengthening of presumed of chances for adaptation.

Positive psychology: resilience and its role within mental health nursing

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Jan Macfarlane
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Psychological Interventions ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Mental Health Nursing ◽  
Mental Health Workforce ◽  
Positive Psychological Interventions ◽  
Health Nursing ◽  
The Individual ◽  
User Friendly

This is the ninth article in a series that explores the meaning of positive psychology and the importance it has on the wellbeing of the mental health workforce. It will focus on positive psychology interventions that help to develop resilience and to consider how the uplifting effect of resilience through contemporary use in the field of mental health nursing can be experienced. This article will explain what the term resilience means and how it is embedded in the practice of positive psychological interventions. Finally, it will emphasise how the application of positive psychological interventions can benefit the individual and the organisation. The practical tasks provided in the boxes throughout the article will help the reader identify what resilience means for them and understand how to further develop its transferability through evidence-based, user-friendly exercises.

scholarly journals Life satisfaction in adolescents: relationship with parental style, peer attachment and emotional intelligence

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (53) ◽  
pp. 51-74
Author(s):  
Alba Guijarro Gallego ◽  
Antonia Martínez Pérez ◽  
Visitación Fernández Fernández ◽  
Mavi Alcántara-López ◽  
Maravillas Castro Sáez
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Peer Attachment ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being

Introduction. Theory and research support the idea that subjective well-being (positive / negative affect and life satisfaction) is a substantial construct in understanding psychological well-being and mental health. The relevance of life satisfaction in variables affecting psychological well-being has been studied. Life satisfaction in adolescents and its association with sex, age, parental educational styles, peer attachment and emotional intelligence was researched. Groups were compared according to degree of life satisfaction and its relationship with these variables. Method. The sample was composed of 285 secondary school students (49.8% male), average age 15.09 years (12 to 19), and self-report measures of variables were applied to be analyzed: Satisfaction with Life Scale-Child (SWLS-C), Parental Educational Style of Adolescents, Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) y Trait Meta-Mood-Scale-48 (TMMS-48). Results. Results showed a significant high level of satisfaction among adolescents. A significant higher score among boys compared to girls was confirmed, as in the younger compared to older. Correlations were statistically significant between life satisfaction and all dimensions from Parental Educational Style analyzed, except Behavioral Control; with Alienation and Confidence of Peer Attachment; and with Emotional Intelligence Clarity and Repair, as well as statistically significant differences among satisfaction groups in 12 of the 19 variables analyzed. Discussion and Conclusion. Promoting life satisfaction in adolescents is increasingly relevant, due to the role it may play in achieving good psychological adjustment, thus contributing to the promotion and prevention of mental health.

scholarly journals The association of positive mental health indicators and normal body weight, Belgian HIS 2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
K De Ridder ◽  
S Drieskens ◽  
S Demarest
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Positive Mental Health ◽  
Normal Body ◽  
Normal Body Weight ◽  
Low Educated

Abstract Background An important health promotion goal is to maintain a normal body weight. However, knowledge about positive mental health indicators that might be associated with normal weight is scarce. The aim is to study positive mental health indicators and normal weight in a cross-sectional national representative population sample. Methods Study participants included adults aged ≥ 18 year (n = 6643) of the Belgian Health Interview Survey (HIS) 2018. Mental health indicators were having no psychological distress (GHQ-12<2), no self-reported anxiety or depression (EQ_5D), medium to high vitality (SF-36 vitality scale) and high to medium level of life satisfaction. BMI was calculated on self-declared height and weight. The associations were assessed through logistic regression taking into account confounding and effect modification by age, gender, educational level, health status, physical activity, daily eating of fruit and vegetables and daily consuming sugared soft drinks or sweet/salty snacks. Results 50.1% had a BMI≥25. In the crude models, all indicators were negatively associated with being obese, but there was no association between having a normal weight (versus overweight and obesity) and absence of psychological distress, absence of anxiety and depression, and medium to high vitality. Medium to high level of life satisfaction was associated with normal weight in the fully adjusted model (OR 1.3; 95%CI 1.0-1.6) but when stratified, medium to high life satisfaction was associated with normal weight only among high educated women (OR 1.8; 95%CI 1.1-2.9), but not among men and low educated women. Surprisingly, among low educated women, having no psychological distress was negatively associated with normal weight (OR 0.7; 95%CI 0.5-0.9). Conclusions These preliminary results showed a variable impact of gender and educational levels on the association between positive mental health indicators and normal weight. Trends and distribution in society should be further explored. Key messages Although unequivocal associations with obesity, positive mental health is not clearly associated with normal body weight in today’s obesogenic society. The effect of a shift towards a higher BMI in society on mental health needs to be further explored.

scholarly journals Positive mental health and perceived change in mental health among adults in Canada during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin A. Capaldi ◽  
Li Liu ◽  
Raelyne L. Dopko
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Canadian Community Health Survey ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Positive Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Community Health Survey ◽  
Community Belonging ◽  
Perceived Change ◽  
Second Wave

Introduction Canadian surveys from spring/summer 2020 suggest the prevalence of some positive mental health (PMH) outcomes have declined compared to pre-pandemic levels. However, less is known about the state of PMH during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We compared adults’ self-rated mental health (SRMH), community belonging and life satisfaction in Fall 2020 versus 2019 in the overall population and across sociodemographic characteristics using cross-sectional data from the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health (September–December, 2020) and the 2019 Canadian Community Health Survey. We also conducted regression analyses to examine which sociodemographic factors were associated with reporting in Fall 2020 that one’s mental health was about the same or better compared to before the pandemic. Results Fewer adults reported high SRMH in Fall 2020 (59.95%) than in 2019 (66.71%) and fewer reported high community belonging in Fall 2020 (63.64%) than in 2019 (68.42%). Rated from 0 (very dissatisfied) to 10 (very satisfied), average life satisfaction was lower in Fall 2020 (7.19) than in 2019 (8.08). Females, those aged under 65 years, those living in a population centre, and those absent from work due to COVID-19 had lower odds of reporting that their mental health was about the same or better in Fall 2020. Conclusion The PMH of adults was lower during the pandemic’s second wave. However, the majority of individuals still reported high SRMH and community belonging. The findings identify certain sociodemographic groups whose mental health appears to have been more negatively impacted by the pandemic. Continued surveillance is important in ensuring mental health builds back better and stronger in Canada after the pandemic.

scholarly journals Positive mental health in outpatients with affective disorders: Associations with life satisfaction and general functioning

2016 ◽  
Vol 190 ◽  
pp. 499-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Seng Esmond Seow ◽  
Janhavi Ajit Vaingankar ◽  
Edimansyah Abdin ◽  
Rajeswari Sambasivam ◽  
Anitha Jeyagurunathan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Affective Disorders ◽  
Positive Mental Health ◽  
General Functioning

scholarly journals The Language of Positive Mental Health: Findings From a Sample of Russian Facebook Users

SAGE Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 215824402092437
Author(s):  
Olga Bogolyubova ◽  
Polina Panicheva ◽  
Yanina Ledovaya ◽  
Roman Tikhonov ◽  
Bulat Yaminov
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Mental Health ◽  
Self Report ◽  
World Health ◽  
Inverse Association ◽  
Linguistic Data ◽  
Health Organization

Positive mental health is considered to be a significant predictor of health and longevity; however, our understanding of the ways in which this important characteristic is represented in users’ behavior on social networking sites is limited. The goal of this study was to explore associations between positive mental health and language used in online communication in a large sample of Russian Facebook users. The five-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) was used as a self-report measure of well-being. Morphological, sentiment, and semantic analyses were performed for linguistic data. The total of 6,724 participants completed the questionnaire and linguistic data were available for 1,972. Participants’ mean age was 45.7 years ( SD = 11.6 years); 73.4% were female. The dataset included 15,281 posts, with an average of 7.67 ( SD = 5.69) posts per participant. Mean WHO-5 score was 60.0 ( SD = 19.1), with female participants exhibiting lower scores. Use of negative sentiment words and impersonal predicates (“should statements”) demonstrated an inverse association with the WHO-5 scores. No significant correlation was found between the use of positive sentiment words and the WHO-5 scores. This study expands current understanding of the association between positive mental health and language use in online communication by employing data from a non-Western sample.

scholarly journals State of Mind Ireland-Higher Education: A Mixed-Methods Longitudinal Evaluation of a Positive Mental Health Intervention

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (15) ◽  
pp. 5530
Author(s):  
Niamh O’Brien ◽  
Martin Lawlor ◽  
Fiona Chambers ◽  
Wesley O’Brien
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Positive Mental Health ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Education Student ◽  
State Of Mind ◽  
The Impact

Objective: This study evaluates the impact of the State of Mind Ireland-Higher Education (SOMI-HE) Mental Fitness intervention on student wellbeing, resilience, and physical activity (PA) participation. Design: A mixed-methods research design, comprising of a self-report questionnaire, and semi-structured focus group interviews at pre, post and follow-up phases were employed. Participants were a sample of 134 higher education students (29% male: 71% female; mean age range 18 to 25 years old). The quantitative outcome measures of wellbeing, resilience and PA data were analysed using SPSS version 26.0, (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) with appropriate statistical analysis. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis to capture the long-term outcomes and impact of the intervention. Results: The results indicate a significant intervention effect on participants’ wellbeing (t (120) = −4.27, p < 0.001), PA levels (t (126) = 3.91, p < 0.001) and motivational readiness for exercise change (χ2 (1, n = 131) = 6.9, p < 0.009 (2–sided). Qualitative findings suggest a sustained long-term increase in PA and resilience skills for positive mental health, and reduced stigma and barriers to positive mental health. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the SOMI-HE evidence-based intervention, and beneficial outcomes of a salutary approach to higher education student mental health.

scholarly journals A looming mental health pandemic in the time of COVID-19? Role of fortitude in the interrelationship between loneliness, anxiety, and life satisfaction among young adults

2021 ◽  
pp. 008124632199103
Author(s):  
Tyrone Pretorius ◽  
Anita Padmanabhanunni
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis

This study investigates loneliness, anxiety, and life satisfaction among a sample of young adults in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the role of fortitude in the interrelationship between these variables. Fortitude refers to the psychological strength to manage stress and stay well, and it is derived from positive appraisals of self, family, and support from others. Participants included 337 young adults who completed four self-report questionnaires: the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Scale, the Satisfaction with Life scale, and the Fortitude Questionnaire. Stepwise regression analysis was performed to determine the direct, indirect, mediating, and moderating role of fortitude on psychological outcomes. The results demonstrated unprecedented levels of anxiety, loneliness, and reduced life satisfaction among the sample. These levels were significantly higher than those encountered in previous studies in other contexts, as well as in studies of similar populations conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Women reported higher levels of psychological distress than men. The results confirmed the mediating role of fortitude; however, they also suggested that the predictors (loneliness and anxiety) are the mediated pathways and fortitude is causally antecedent to loneliness and anxiety. These findings suggest a looming mental health crisis among young adults in South Africa and identify potential targets for intervention efforts. A strengths-based approach that focuses on enhancing individuals’ appraisals of coping and support may serve to build fortitude and potentially mitigate adverse mental health outcomes.

scholarly journals Feasibility of "CopeSmart": A Telemental Health App for Adolescents

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. e22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Kenny ◽  
Barbara Dooley ◽  
Amanda Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Positive Mental Health ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Telemental Health ◽  
Self Monitoring

Background Early intervention is important in order to improve mental health outcomes for young people. Given the recent rise in mobile phone ownership among adolescents, an innovative means of delivering such intervention is through the use of mobile phone applications (apps). Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of “CopeSmart”, a telemental health app developed to foster positive mental health in adolescents through emotional self-monitoring and the promotion of positive coping strategies. Methods Forty-three adolescents (88% female) aged 15-17 years downloaded the app and used it over a one-week period. They then completed self-report questionnaires containing both open-ended and closed-ended questions about their experiences of using the app. The app itself captured data related to user engagement. Results On average participants engaged with the app on 4 of the 7 days within the intervention period. Feedback from users was reasonably positive, with 70% of participants reporting that they would use the app again and 70% reporting that they would recommend it to a friend. Thematic analysis of qualitative data identified themes pertaining to users’ experiences of the app, which were both positive (eg, easy to use, attractive layout, emotional self-monitoring, helpful information, notifications, unique) and negative (eg, content issues, did not make user feel better, mood rating issues, password entry, interface issues, engagement issues, technical fixes). Conclusions Overall findings suggest that telemental health apps have potential as a feasible medium for promoting positive mental health, with the majority of young people identifying such technologies as at least somewhat useful and displaying a moderate level of engagement with them. Future research should aim to evaluate the efficacy of such technologies as tools for improving mental health outcomes in young people.

scholarly journals Adolescents’ Mental Health at School: The Mediating Role of Life Satisfaction

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Cavioni ◽  
Ilaria Grazzani ◽  
Veronica Ornaghi ◽  
Alessia Agliati ◽  
Alessandro Pepe
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
School Connectedness ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Gender Invariance ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Student Teacher Relationship ◽  
And Gender

In this study, we further developed prior research on risk and protective factors in adolescents’ mental health. More specifically, we used structural equation modelling to assess whether relationships at school with teachers and peers, and life satisfaction predicted mental health in a large sample of adolescents, while also testing for age and gender invariance. The sample comprised 3,895 adolescents (Mage = 16.7, SD = 1.5, 41.3% girls), who completed self-report instruments assessing their perceived life satisfaction, student-teacher relationship, school connectedness and mental health. Overall, the results suggested that life satisfaction acted as a mediator between adolescents’ positive school relations and their mental health. Outcomes were invariant across genders, while quality of school relations and mental health declined with age. Limitations of the study and futures lines in mental health research among adolescents are briefly discussed.

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