Gratitude and Its Relationship with Students’ Psychological Well-Being and Happiness

This study examines gratitude among undergraduate students of a public university in Malaysia and its relationship with psychological well-being and happiness. This study took 149 samples randomly from 235 undergraduate students who were asked to participate in answering Gratitude Questionnaire-6, Ryff's Scale of Psychological Well Being, and Subjective Happiness Scale. Correlation analysis shows a positive relationship between gratitude and students' psychological well-being and happiness. This study supports the previous studies that practicing gratitude is a positive way to enhance students' healthy psychological well-being and happiness in their life. This study recommends the university management to take consideration to cultivate gratitude practice embedded in the curriculum or in the extracurricular activities.

Happiness and Hope for Success in T1DM Patients

Happiness and hope are essential parts of human health. One of the main purposes of health care, including diabetes care, are to achieve happiness and a sense of purpose in life. Material and methodDuring educational workshops a short survey concerning the level of happiness and hope for success in the group of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) patients was carried out. 120 patients anonymously filled in Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) and a Hope for Success Questionnaire (KNS).Results and conclusionsThe level of subjective happiness in T1DM patients was lower than in general population for both sexes, for all age categories apart from people older than 50, who seem to be happy and satisfied with their life with no differences compared to the general population. In terms of hope for success, T1DM teenagers and adults aged 27-50 did not differ from the general population. T1DM patients older than 50 turned out to have higher hope for success in life that other T1DM patients. Special attention should be paid to patients in young adulthood (18-26), who seem to be the most pessimistic group of T1DM patients, with low self-esteem and low believe in their possibilities.

Unhappy While Depressed: Examining the Dimensionality, Reliability and Validity of the Subjective Happiness Scale in a Spanish Sample of Patients with Depressive Disorders

Despite the considerable amount of research evidence on the significant role of subjective happiness on mental health, there is no psychometric study of the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) in psychiatric samples. This study was aimed at exploring the psychometric properties of the SHS in a Spanish sample of patients with depressive disorders. Participants were 174 patients with a depressive disorder (70% diagnosed as major depressive disorder) who completed the SHS, the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report (QIDS-SR16), and the EQ-5D Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-5D VAS). Depressive symptoms were also assessed by means of the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS17) and the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) Scale. Dimensionality, internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness to change of the SHS were examined. Confirmatory factor analysis replicated the original one-factor structure of the scale. The SHS exhibited good-to-excellent results for internal consistency (α = 0.83) and for convergent [EQ-5D VAS (r = 0.71)] and divergent [QIDS-SR16 (r = −0.72), HDRS17 (r = −0.60) and CGI-S (r = −0.61)] construct validity. The ability of the SHS to differentiate between depression severity levels as well as its responsiveness to clinical change were both highly satisfactory (p < 0.001 in both cases). The SHS retained the soundness of psychometric properties showed in non-clinical samples in a sample of patients with depressive disorders, which supports its use as a reliable and valid outcome measure in the treatment of such disorders.

Happiness among Undergraduates: What is the Role of Humour Styles?

Hedonism theory and desire theory assumed that internal factors (humour styles) may explain happiness among undergraduates. In the current study, the assumption is tested among 226 undergraduates of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Ages of the participants were 18-40 years (M= 21.66 years, SD= 3.10). Two scales were used to collect data for the study: Subjective happiness scale (SHS) and humour styles questionnaire (HSQ). The study adopted correlation design and the hypothesis was tested with multiple regression analysis. The results indicated that humour styles; affiliative humour, self-enhancing humour and self-defeating humour significantly predicted happiness while aggressive humour did not. The outcome of the study suggested for the first time a framework for understanding the role of humour styles on happiness. It was suggested that affiliative, self-enhancing and self-defeating humour styles should be encouraged and included in the University’s programs as part of general studies, routine seminars, conferences and orientations of new students.

Relationship between Social Skills and Happiness: Differences by Gender

This study examines the relationship between social skills and happiness in 1st-year Teaching School students, as well as possible gender differences. The sample comprised 243 Teaching School students (Primary Education) in Zaragoza, including 110 men (45.27%) and 133 women (54.73%), aged 18–25 (average age 20.23 years; s.d. = 1.586). In order to analyse the relationship between social skills and subjective happiness, the Scale of Social Skills and Subjective Happiness Scale were used. While men scored higher in all social skills-related factors, women scored higher in all factors related to happiness. The study shows that factors such as self-expression in social settings and the ability to say no and cut off social interactions have a direct and significant effect on happiness among men, while self-expression in social settings and the ability to express anger led to a higher perception of happiness among women. Similarly, situations such as asking for and defending rights have an indirect and significant effect in men, reducing their levels of happiness. In the case of women, no social skills factors were found that led to lower happiness. It may be concluded that significant gender differences exist, although broader and lateral studies are needed in order to examine the relationship between gender identities, social skills and subjective happiness more in depth, and thus, understand the effect of these constructs in the development of personality.

Adaptation of the Steen Happiness Index (SHI) to Brazil: A Comparison of the Psychometric Properties of the SHI and the Subjective Happiness Scale

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Steen Happiness Index (SHI)—a measure of authentic happiness designed for intervention research—in a sample of Brazilian security workers. The SHI has yet to be used in a Brazilian sample and has the potential to assess both eudaimonic and hedonic happiness in Brazil. The psychometric properties of the SHI were also compared with those of the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), a widely used happiness measure, using classical test theory and item response theory. Military police officers, civilian police officers, and military firefighters ( N = 435) completed the SHI, SHS, and measures of well-being, optimism, and psychopathological symptoms. Exploratory factor analysis provided support for a one-factor SHI—rather than the three-factor structure found in previous research. The unidimensional SHI also better discriminated between low, medium, and high levels of happiness, and did not demonstrate a ceiling effect when compared with the SHS. Advantages and disadvantages of both scales are discussed.