AGGRESSION, EMPATHY, AND LIFE SATISFACTION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AMONG STUDENTS IN PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION

<p>The primary purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between aggression, empathy, and life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main aim was to analyse the contribution of empathy components (empathic concern, personal distress, perspective-taking, and fantasy) above reactive and proactive aggression in predicting life satisfaction.. The Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ), Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Single Item on Overall Life Satisfaction (OLS), and Single Item on Overall Happiness (OH) measures were applied to 418 students in private higher education (232 male, 186 female). The participants’ age ranged from 18 to 34, with a mean age of 21 years (SD = 3.18). Results showed that reactive aggression negatively predicted satisfaction with life and overall happiness, while proactive aggression did not significantly predict indicators of life satisfaction. Empathic concern showed a significant positive effect on satisfaction with life, while personal distress showed a significant adverse effect on all indicators of life satisfaction. Aggression and empathy together accounted for 14% of the variance in the satisfaction with life and 5% of the variance in overall life satisfaction and overall happiness. Empathy added incremental variance in explaining life satisfaction after controlling for aggression. The results highlight the importance of reactive aggression and emotional empathy in the explanation of life satisfaction.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0983/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Understanding the Predictive Factors that Influence the Perceived Burden of Dementia Caregivers

Caregivers of individuals with dementia have increased levels of burden because of their caregiving duties which in turn results in negative effects on their physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. Few studies have examined individual difference-based constructs such as positive and negative affect in relation to caregiver burden. Positive affect is characterized by pleasant emotions and expressions and higher levels of overall life satisfaction whereas negative affect is characterized by more pessimistic emotions and expressions and lower overall life satisfaction. Analyses were performed on dementia caregivers (n=102) using the online data collection tool MTurk Prime. The average caregiver provided 21 or more hours of care with 76.9% of caregivers living with their loved one with dementia. Significant correlations were found between caregiving burden and positive affect (r= -.31, p=.002) and negative affect (r= .56, p=&lt;.001), with higher positive affect related to lower burden and higher negative affect related to greater burden. Results of multiple regression models showed that positive affect (β = -.24, p = .03) and negative affect (β = .35, p = .01) were significant predictors of burden even while controlling for other constructs including types of coping, compassion towards other, and assessment of family dynamics. Understanding the relationship between these constructs will allow for more individualized interventions to be created to help reduce the level of burden that dementia caregivers experience.

Life Satisfaction of Young Female Factory Workers in Developing Countries: A Grounded Theory Approach to Develop a Model

This study explores the determinant factors of life satisfaction of female workers in Free Trade Zones (FTZ) in Sri Lanka by using the grounded theory approach. Observations and in-depth interviews were applied to gather data. Life satisfaction among women in the workplace is requisite in many industries. Compared with all other sectors, life satisfaction issues are more crucial in FTZs. The model formulated in this study shows the employees' overall life satisfaction at FTZs, which many previous studies have ignored. The findings revealed that overall life satisfaction is dependent on seven satisfaction domains: work satisfaction, health satisfaction, financial satisfaction, family satisfaction, leisure satisfaction, housing satisfaction, community satisfaction, and two factors related to participation in life events: happy events and sad events. In addition, seven personal characteristics: age, marital status, number of family members, parents, family income, education, and positions held before joining FTZs were identified as moderator variables. The proposed model is closed the theoretical gap which many previous researchers overlooked. The study provided managerial and policy implications and proposed policies to the government and managers to overcome this issue.

The Relationships among Leisure Motivation, Leisure Attitude, Perceived Value and Happiness for Motorcycle Riders

The purpose of this research is to explore the correlation between leisure motivation, leisure attitude, perceived value and happiness of large heavy motorcycle riders. Taking knights in the central region of Taiwan as the research object, the questionnaire was distributed by intentional sampling. A total of 515 questionnaires were distributed, and 427 valid questionnaires (82.9%) were returned. The questionnaire was verified by descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling. The results found that leisure motivation, leisure attitude, and perceived value significantly positively affect happiness, and leisure attitude significantly positively affects perceived value. In addition, leisure attitude and perceived value also play an intermediary role between leisure motivation and happiness. Large heavy-duty riders choose to participate in self-preferred riding activities to obtain a pleasant experience of their self-demand, subtly improve overall life satisfaction, and effectively promote happiness.

Association between companion animal ownership and overall life satisfaction in Seoul, Korea

This study aimed to analyze the association between companion animal ownership, the sub-factors of this ownership (the species and number of owned pets), and overall life satisfaction (OLS). Data was obtained from the publicly available responses to the 2017 Seoul Survey, conducted among Seoul-based Korean locals aged ≥ 15 years (N = 42,687; pet owners = 8,708, non-owners = 33,979). Propensity score was calculated by performing logistic regressions with covariates and data was matched using the nearest-neighbor method. Further, multiple linear regression was performed to analyze this association using the matched data. Additionally, survey-weighted multiple regressions were performed: 1) within pet owners, and 2) after stratifying owners with the number of pets owned. Pet owners in Seoul, South Korea reported higher levels of OLS than non-owners, even after controlling for covariates—age, sex, marital status, family size, family income, job, education, types of housing, housing tenure. Owners with both dogs and cats showed the highest average OLS scores (owners with 2 pets: Mean [M] = 58.05, Standard Deviation [SD] = 0.67; owners with ≥ 3 pets: M = 59.03, SD = 1.02), followed by single pet owners of either a cat (M = 56.64, SD = 0.37) or a dog (M = 56.14, SD = 0.13). Single pet owners reported significantly higher levels of OLS than those with 2 or ≥ 3 pets when pet types were adjusted for. When owners had a single pet, pet types (dog or cat) did not generate a significant difference in OLS scores. Among owners with 2 or ≥ 3 pets, however, owners with both dogs and cats had higher OLS scores than dog owners. This research has significant implications for promoting future study on companion animal effects for improving human health and well-being. Mechanisms of the effect, including cultural factors, should be further investigated.

Investigating the impact of technostress on productivity and overall life satisfaction of managers working at a South African ferrochrome smelting company

Orientation: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) advances such as computers, tablets, and cell phones allow for information flow like never before, both in terms of speed and volume. But, unfortunately, this has resulted in technostress.Research purpose: To investigate the impact of technostress on the productivity and the overall life satisfaction of managers working in ferrochrome smelters.Motivation for the study: Limited research has been conducted on technostress in a South African context. Most of the researches on technostress were conducted amongst computer professionals and Information Technology (IT) consultants and they did not focus on non-ICT specialists such as managers who are exposed to ICT as a regular part of their workday.Research approach/design and method: This study was conducted within a quantitative paradigm using a correlational design.Main findings: The managers experience low levels of technostress, high levels of IT-enabled productivity, and above-average life satisfaction. No practically significant differences exist for any of the research factors between males and females, whilst techno-complexity and techno-uncertainty increase with age. Technostress does not affect productivity, but a negative relationship exists between technostress and life satisfaction.Practical/managerial implications: Techno-uncertainty and techno-complexity are present amongst older managerial employees. Techno-complexity decreases the self-reported levels of productivity. Strategies such as training and assistance to reduce the techno-complexity for older managerial employees should be considered.Contribution/value-add: This study creates an awareness of the potential negative impact of ICT on productivity and life satisfaction. It contributes to the body of knowledge by quantifying the impact of the managers’ perceived technostress on productivity and life satisfaction.

Subjective Well-Being of Indonesian Children: A Perspective of Material Well-Being [Kesejahteraan Subjektif Anak Indonesia: Sebuah Perspektif Kesejahteraan Materi]

This study aims to explain the subjective well-being of Indonesian children in terms of material well-being. Indonesia is still considered a developing country, and several studies reveal the correlation between economic status and subjective well-being of adults. However, only a very limited number of studies focus on Indonesian children’s material well-being from their own perspective. This study used data from the third wave of the Children’s Worlds survey conducted in Indonesia. The sample (N = 14,576; 49.35% boys; 50.65% girls) was composed of children aged 10 years and 12 years. Subjective well-being (SWB) was measured using the Children’s Worlds Subjective Well-Being Scale (CW-SWBS) and a single-item Overall Life Satisfaction (OLS) scale. Material well-being was measured using family economic status, material deprivation, frequency of being worried about family’s money situation, and frequency of having enough food to eat each day. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Cummins’ theory of subjective well-being (SWB) was used to explain the results. Results showed that children from families with high economic status who reported no material deprivation, never worrying about the family’s money, and always having enough food to eat each day displayed higher subjective well-being (SWB) mean scores on both subjective well-being (SWB) scales compared to children in families from middle and lower economic status. However, children from middle and lower economic status showed rather high subjective well-being (SWB) scores, suggesting that children are able to maintain positive feelings about themselves and their level of subjective well-being (SWB) despite belonging to a less fortunate economic situation. These results will hopefully encourage Indonesian scholars and researchers to elaborate deeper in future studies. Penelitian ini bertujuan menjelaskan kesejahteraan subjektif (subjective well-being; SWB) anak Indonesia terkait kesejahteraan materi. Indonesia masih dikategorikan sebagai negara berkembang, dan beberapa penelitian terdahulu mengungkapkan korelasi antara status ekonomi dan kesejahteraan subjektif orang dewasa. Namun, studi yang memfokuskan pada kesejahteraan materi anak Indonesia dari perspektif mereka sendiri masih sangat terbatas. Studi ini menggunakan data dari survei Children’s Worlds gelombang ketiga yang dilakukan di Indonesia. Sampel penelitian terdiri dari anak-anak usia 10 tahun dan 12 tahun (N = 14.576; 49,35% laki-laki; 50,65% perempuan). Kesejahteraan subjektif diukur dengan menggunakan dua skala: Children’s Worlds Subjective Well-Being Scale (CW-SWBS) dan Overall Life Satisfaction (OLS) dengan butir pertanyaan tunggal. Kesejahteraan materi diukur berdasarkan dimensi status ekonomi keluarga, kekurangan materi, frekuensi kekhawatiran tentang situasi keuangan keluarga, dan frekuensi ketersediaan makanan untuk dikonsumsi setiap hari. Data kemudian dianalisis dengan menggunakan statistik deskriptif. Teori Cummins tentang kesejahteraan subjektif digunakan untuk menjelaskan temuan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa anak-anak dari keluarga dengan status ekonomi tinggi yang tidak melaporkan kekurangan materi, tidak pernah khawatir tentang keuangan keluarga, dan selalu memiliki cukup makanan untuk dikonsumsi setiap hari menunjukkan skor rata-rata kesejahteraan subjektif yang lebih tinggi pada dua skala kesejahteraan subjektif dibandingkan anak-anak dari keluarga dengan status ekonomi menengah dan rendah. Namun, anak-anak dari status ekonomi menengah dan rendah menunjukkan skor kesejahteraan subjektif yang relatif tinggi, yang mengungkapkan bahwa anak-anak dapat menjaga perasaan positif tentang diri mereka sendiri dan tingkat kesejahteraan subjektifnya meskipun tergolong ke dalam status ekonomi yang kurang mapan. Hasil penelitian diharapkan dapat mendorong para ilmwuan dan peneliti di Indonesia untuk lebih mendalami fenomena ini pada studi-studi selanjutnya.

A first glance into the black box of life satisfaction surrounding childbearing

The vast majority of studies looking into the relationship between childbearing and subjective well-being use overall measures where respondents either report their general level of happiness or their life satisfaction, leaving substantial doubt about the underlying mechanisms. However, life satisfaction and happiness are intuitively multidimensional concepts, simply because there cannot be only one aspect that affects individuals' well-being. In this study, by considering seventeen specific life satisfaction domains, these features come out very clearly. Whereas all the domains considered matter for the overall life satisfaction, only three of them, namely satisfaction with leisure, health and satisfaction with the partnership, change dramatically surrounding childbearing events. Even though we cannot generalise (since these results stem from one particular panel survey, i.e., Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia data), it appears that the typical anticipation and post-child decrease of life satisfaction, so often found in existing studies, stems from changes in these three domains.

A Study of the Financial Crisis and its Effect on Psychological Well-Being, Health, Satisfaction, and Financial Incapability

This study explores the effect of the financial crisis on the consumer and its impact on psychological well-being and life satisfaction with the core question investigating what effect the financial crisis has on United Kingdom household heads psychological well-being and life satisfaction. The reversed model approach used in the study analyzed from two perspectives before and after the financial crisis. One is to investigate the psychological well-being using the general health questionnaire and its effect on health, life satisfaction and financial incapability. Two is to investigate financial incapability and its effect on health, life satisfaction and psychological well-being based on the British Household Panel (1991 - 2009) and Understanding Society (2010) Surveys. The surveys which are two integrated large nationwide panel survey commissioned by the United Kingdom government as an instrument to measure social and economic indicators at the individual and household level. The result of the analysis indicates that overall life satisfaction and financial incapability are important determinants of psychological well-being. The paper further explored the impact of the financial crisis on a household head before and after the crash. The results suggest that satisfaction with life, health implications, psychological well-being, and financial capability were significantly lower after the financial crisis. In conclusion, the results explain why overall life satisfaction generally affects individuals psychological well-being and financial capability, and why those with high financial incapability have poor psychological well-being.