scholarly journals PERCEPTIONS OF THE LOCKDOWN: CURRENT AND RETROSPECTIVE ASSESSMENTS

Author(s):  
Marina Egorova ◽  
◽  
Oxana Parshikova ◽  
Daria Tkachenko ◽  
Yulia Chertkova ◽  
...  

"This article presents data from a study conducted over the course of two weeks: the last week of the lockdown and the first week after the lockdown was lifted. The study participants (undergraduate and graduate students, n=227, mean age of 21.8, 71.7% females) rated their perceptions of various aspects of the pandemic (online COVID-19 Questionnaire), as well as the problems that they experienced in the beginning and middle of the lockdown (retrospective assessments) and at the end of the lockdown (current assessments). A brief HEXACO inventory was used to measure personality traits. The results were compared with data obtained in the study conducted during the first three weeks of the lockdown. Its participants (undergraduate and graduate students, n=617, mean age of 20.4, 74.2% females) had filled out an online COVID-19 Questionnaire and a brief HEXACO inventory. The objective of the study was to identify changes in the respondents’ well-being and behavior during the lockdown, and the role of personality traits in this process. The main results of the study were as follows: Retrospective assessments of the Danger of COVID-19 and the Fear of Getting Sick relating to the beginning of the lockdown did not contradict the current assessments from that period. The perception that the lockdown brought not only restrictions but also new opportunities dropped sharply between the beginning and the middle of the lockdown and continued decreasing; concurrently, the significance of negative factors increased. Various aspects of disorganization in life were most evident around the middle of the lockdown; disorganization at the end of the lockdown declined, but remained higher than at the start of the lockdown. Perceptions of the Negative Aspects of the Lockdown, Fear of Getting Sick, and Disorganization had a positive correlation with Emotionality and a negative correlation with Conscientiousness at all stages of the lockdown."

Author(s):  
Yeun-Joo Hur ◽  
Joon-Ho Park ◽  
MinKyu Rhee

This study was conducted to evaluate the competency to consent to the treatment of psychiatric outpatients and to confirm the role of empowerment and emotional variables in the relationship between competency to consent to treatment and psychological well-being. The study participants consisted of 191 psychiatric outpatients who voluntarily consented to the study among psychiatric outpatients. As a result of competency to consent to treatment evaluation, the score of the psychiatric outpatient’s consent to treatment was higher than the cut-off point for both the overall and sub-factors, confirming that they were overall good. In addition, the effect of the ability of application on psychological well-being among competency to consent to treatment was verified using PROCESS Macro, and the double mediation effect using empowerment and emotional variables was verified to provide an expanded understanding of this. As a result of the analysis, empowerment completely mediated the relation between the ability of application and psychological well-being, and the relation between the ability of application and psychological well-being was sequentially mediated by empowerment and emotion-related variables. Based on these findings, the implications and limitations of this study were discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-81
Author(s):  
Masoud Bagheri ◽  
◽  
Kazem Nematollah Zadeh Mahani ◽  
Maryam Pour Amrollahi ◽  
◽  
...  

Aims: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the severe psychological health problems imposing considerable social and economic costs on society. OCD debilitating symptoms can disrupt interpersonal relations, job performance, and life quality. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating role of alexithymia in the relationship between coping strategies and personality traits with OCD. Methods & Materials: This is a descriptive correlational study. The study population consists of all people with OCD referred to psychiatric clinics in Kerman City, Iran, during 2018-2019. Of this population, 200 patients were selected using a convenience sampling method. Research instruments included the ways of coping questionnaire, NEO five-factor personality inventory, Toronto alexithymia scale, and Maudsley obsessive-compulsive test. The obtained data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation test and simultaneous and hierarchical regression in SPSS v. 23. Findings: Personality traits had a negative significant correlation with alexithymia (r=0.523, P<0.000) and OCD (r=0.253, P<0.000). Alexithymia had a significant positive correlation with OCD (r=0.272, P<0.000). There was no correlation between problem-focused coping and alexithymia (r=-0.045, P<0.531). There was a positive correlation between emotion-focused coping and OCD (r=0.198, P<0.000). The fit indices indicated a good fit of the proposed model (P<0.005). Conclusion: Alexithymia, as a mediator of the relationship between coping styles and personality traits with OCD, plays an essential role in improving the psychological health of people with OCD.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 280-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Gandy

We are in the midst of a psychedelic research renaissance. With research examining the efficacy of psychedelics as a treatment for a range of mental health indications still in its early stages, there is an increasing body of research to show that careful use of psychedelics can yield a variety of benefits in “healthy normals” and so lead to “the betterment of well people.” Psychedelics have been found to modulate neuroplasticity, and usage in a supportive setting can result in enduring increases in traits such as well-being, life satisfaction, life meaning, mindfulness, and a variety of measures associated with prosocial behaviors and healthy psychological functioning. The effect of psychedelic experience on measures of personality trait openness and is potential implications is examined, and the potential role of awe as a mediator of the benefits of the psychedelic experience is discussed. Special attention is given to the capacity of psychedelics to increase measures of nature relatedness in an enduring sense, which is being correlated with a broad range of measures of psychological well-being as well as a key predictor of pro-environmental awareness and behavior. The effects of particular classical psychedelic compounds on healthy people are discussed, with special attention given to the mystical-type experiences occasioned by high doses of psychedelics, which appear to be an important mediator of long-term benefits and psychotherapeutic gains. Research looking at the potential benefits of psychedelic microdosing is discussed. Potential future research avenues are explored, focusing on the potential development of psychedelics as agents of ecotherapy.


SAGE Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 215824402091796
Author(s):  
Iva Burešová ◽  
Martin Jelínek ◽  
Jaroslava Dosedlová ◽  
Helena Klimusová

In line with the current psychological approach to health in general, mental health is perceived not only as the absence of psychopathological disorders, but also the presence of well-being. The study contributes to the identification of possible sources affecting mental health in adolescence. This cross-sectional study focuses on the role of personality traits, dispositional optimism, and perceived social support in predicting mental health in adolescence. Mental health was assessed using Mental Health Continuum, personality traits using Big Five Inventory, dispositional optimism using Life Orientation Test—Revised and social support by Close Relationships and Social Support Scale. The research sample consisted of 1,239 respondents aged 12 to 19 years (mean age 15.56 years), 54.3% females and 45.7 % males. Sequential regression analysis revealed that demographic variables and personality characteristics together explained 33.5% of mental health variance, the strongest predictors being extraversion and neuroticism. Including dispositional optimism and perceived social support resulted in a significant increase of the explained variance. All predictors together explained 46.0% of the mental health variance.


2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 693-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guido M. Cavallera ◽  
Andrea Passerini ◽  
Alessandro Pepe

We used the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ; Caprara, Barbaranelli, & Borgogni, 1993) with swimmers engaged in indoor practice at the leisure level (50 male, 50 female) to measure whether personality traits are associated with swimming. We also examined the concept that scores on some personality traits can have a reciprocal closely intermingled influence on other personality traits, and that gender can play a role in modulating personality. We found that the swimmers were characterized by evidence of personality traits distributed within moderate middle scores in personality factors, contributing to well-being and satisfaction with life. We also found correlations within factors and subfactors, showing a close relationship among personality traits. Gender also plays a role in the measurement of personality traits as gender has a statistically significant effect on extraversion.


Author(s):  
Deane H. Shapiro

Spiritual, religious, and secular traditions emphasize the importance of control over one’s thoughts, feelings and behavior, and the relevance of meditation in achieving this control. Meditation practices, in particular, can be understood as one strategy amongst others for achieving self-regulation. While the main focus in Western psychology has been on active instrumental control, other traditions have emphasized the importance of a more accepting/yielding mode of control. This chapter distinguishes between different forms of control and how some of these may be enhanced by meditation practices. While over-control and passive resignation can have negative consequences for a person’s well-being, there is evidence for the beneficial role of the active/assertive and positive accepting/yielding modes of control. Selecting the most appropriate meditation strategy for a particular person is dependent upon a wide range of factors, including the person’s control profile, their sensory orientation, and their belief systems. The chapter concludes with the description of the author’s personal journey in exploring meditation and theories and practices of control—and a note of gratitude.


2013 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 387-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Theberge ◽  
W. Patrick Neumann

Definitions of ergonomics reference its application to both productivity and well-being. Discussions in the ergonomics literature consider the correspondence between these goals in ergonomic practice and make the case for a robust conception that advances the twin agendas of safety and productivity, contrary to the dominant understanding that ergonomics is primarily concerned with safety. This article examines the professional practices as reported from a sample of 21 ergonomists from across Canada with a combined experience of 296 years. The analysis aims to understand the reported intersection of safety and productivity in the ergonomists’ work and the broader conditions that structure this negotiation. Results provide strong support for the view that ergonomics is primarily associated with safety. This is evident in the structural location of ergonomics within health and safety units of workplaces and in ergonomists’ reports that the main focus of their work is safety concerns. A minority of study participants indicated that they addressed productivity concerns in their work, either as secondary or primary outcomes of ergonomic applications. In either instance, efforts to highlight the contribution of ergonomics to production did not significantly disrupt the dominant safety-oriented perception of the field. Financial considerations were major determinants of whether recommendations were accepted and implemented. The argument for the more robust vision of ergonomics advanced within the profession reflects an effort to overcome the organizational divide between safety and productivity by stressing that, in effective ergonomics applications, safety and productivity are joined in the production process and ergonomists have a main role to play in advancing both agendas. The analysis provided here has identified significant challenges to the adoption of this position. An irony of the dominant understanding of ergonomics as oriented to safety is that this provides the main basis for its growing presence in workplaces but also limits its applications.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 492-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liisi Kööts–Ausmees ◽  
Monika Schmidt ◽  
Tõnu Esko ◽  
Andres Metspalu ◽  
Jüri Allik ◽  
...  

Self–ratings of health (SRH) are widely used in large surveys and have been shown to predict mortality over and above more objective health measures. However, the debate still continues about what SRH actually represents and what the processes underlying people's assessments of their health are. The main aim of this study is to examine the role of the Five–Factor Model personality traits in general SRH assessment while controlling for the effects of objective health indicators, health–related quality of life and subjective well–being in a large population–based dataset of Estonian adults. A hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that only self–rated, but not informant–rated, neuroticism explained additional variance in SRH when the other aforementioned variables were taken into account. Our findings indicate that people's general SRH is a relatively good reflection of their objectively measured health status, but also that the way in which people experience and evaluate the quality of their lives—both in terms of subjective well–being and more specific aspects of health—plays a significant role in general SRH assessments. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Personality Psychology


Author(s):  
Martin S. Hagger ◽  
Cleo Protogerou

Self-determination theory has been applied to understand the role of affect in motivation and behavior in health contexts. According to self-determination theory, autonomous forms of motivation, reflecting self-endorsed reasons for acting and the satisfaction of psychological needs, are related to participation and persistence in health behavior. Research examining the role of affect in determining health behavior from the perspective of the theory is relatively sparse. Affect has served as both an outcome and process in applications of the theory to health behavior. Positive affect and psychological well-being have been identified as important outcomes of participating in behaviors for autonomous reasons. Affect is inextricably linked to motivational processes through eudaimonic and hedonic well-being, the passionate pursuit of activities, and the regulation of behavior through active management of aversive emotional responses. The chapter outlines how support for autonomous motivation by significant others may lead to adaptive behavioral engagement and affective responses in health behavior.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin S Hagger ◽  
Cleo Protogerou

Self-determination theory has been applied to understand the role of affect in motivation and behavior in health contexts. According to self-determination theory, autonomous forms of motivation, reflecting self-endorsed reasons for acting and the satisfaction of psychological needs, are related to participation and persistence in health behavior. Research examining the role of affect in determining health behavior from the perspective of the theory is relatively sparse. Affect has served as both an outcome and process in applications of the theory to health behavior. Positive affect and psychological well-being have been identified as important outcomes of participating in behaviors for autonomous reasons. Affect is inextricably linked to motivational processes through eudaimonic and hedonic well-being, the passionate pursuit of activities, and the regulation of behavior through active management of aversive emotional responses. The chapter outlines how support for autonomous motivation by significant others may lead to adaptive behavioral engagement and affective responses in health behavior.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document