How Indonesians Cope with Chronic Pain: Does Seeking Help and Comfort from God Work?

Chronic pain is a significant health problem in many countries including Indonesia, with high prevalence and the possibility to increase in the future. Individuals experiencing chronic pain elicit cognitive and behavioral responses, including pain catastrophizing which can cause high pain interference. Effective coping ability can help reduce the impact of pain catastrophizing on pain interference. Previous research focused on emotion-focused and problem-focused coping in dealing with chronic pain. However, Indonesia as a country with a strong influence from religious values and practices encourages the exploration of positive religious coping. A part of a longitudinal study on psychological factors in chronic pain development, this study aimed to examine the moderating role of three coping styles on pain catastrophizing and pain interference associations. Results from 368 participants male and female with chronic pain showed that positive religious coping and problem-focused coping significantly moderated the effects of pain catastrophizing on pain interference. Seeking help from God helped individuals deal with chronic pain problems, as well as actively resolving difficulties. The use of these two coping styles in the Indonesian population can be useful for managing chronic pain.

Effect of Environmental Optimism on Responsible Electricity Consumption with Price Concern as a Moderator

The study aimed to determine the effect of environmental optimism, as a cognitive–emotional factor, on the responsible use of electricity. Furthermore, it investigated the moderating effect of consumer concern on the price of electricity. An online survey was conducted on 345 young adults in Jakarta selected through the snowball sampling method. Data were analyzed using JASP version 15.0 and IBM SPSS Statistics version 23 reinforced with PROCESS macro. Simple linear regression analysis demonstrated that environmental optimism significantly explains the variance in electricity conservation behavior. The moderating effect of price concern was also substantiated by the result of the data analysis, thus the interaction between environmental optimism and dichotomous predictors of price concern (i.e. high vs low) was found to be statistically significant in moderating the effect of environmental optimism toward electricity conservation behavior. In conclusion, when consumers are initially dominated by price concern (a rational extrinsic motivator), then it reduces the effect of environmental optimism (an emotional intrinsic motivator) on responsible electricity consumption.

Your Gadgets, Stress, and Performance: The Influence of Technostress on Individual Satisfaction and Performance

The Covid-19 pandemic changes the way employees work, and the use of technologies to support their work is increasing. The aim of this study is to investigate whether technologies can harm employee satisfaction and performance. The hypothesis developed stated, that the technostress creator predicted each individual role performance differently. Job satisfaction also became a mediator, whereas the technostress inhibitor was a moderator of the relationship between the technostress creator and job satisfaction. Two hundred and forty-four online responses were collected from employees in cities during the Covid-19 pandemic. Technostress (Ragu-Nathan et al., 2008), job satisfaction (Hackman & Oldham, 1976), and individual work performance (Griffin et al., 2007) questionnaires were used. The data were analyzed using path analysis. The results suggested that the technostress creator only statistically predicted individual task proficiency (ß = –0.124, SE = 0.060, and p = 0.039) and proactivity (ß = 0.134, SE = 0.060, and p = 0.026). The results found no effects from the mediator or moderator on the prediction of job satisfaction and individual role performances. Therefore, the technostress creator only increased employee stress if the technologies used disrupted their work. However, to some extent, the technostress creator can increase employee innovation when finishing work.

The Relationship Between Stress and Well-being: The Mediating Roles of Students’ Psychological Flexibility and Loneliness During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has greatly impacted people‘s lives, including those of students in higher education, who have experienced drastic changes causing high levels of stress and decreased well-being. The relationship between stress and well-being can be viewed through the lens of psychological flexibility and loneliness. Individuals who experience high stress tend to be psychologically inflexible and have avoidant/maladaptive coping strategies. As a result, they are also vulnerable to loneliness, which ultimately results in decreased in well-being. In this study, of 945 student-participants, 43.28% met the criterion for high loneliness, 21.9% reported high perceived stress, 69.8% reflected high psychological inflexibility, and their mean score for well-being was 54.45. Serial mediation analysis found that psychological flexibility and loneliness partially mediate the relationship between stress and well-being. However, stress can affect well-being directly but also indirectly through psychological inflexibility and loneliness. A high level of stress, with a low level of psychological flexibility, results in a high level of loneliness; hence well-being decreases. Interventions promoting psychological flexibility can help individuals adapt and cope with difficult situations during the pandemic.

Adolescent Women with Experience of Dating Violence: Self-compassion and Posttraumatic Growth

The most frequently reported cases of violence in Indonesia are against women, and the second highest are dating violence. Similar to other traumatic events, violence leads to negative impacts. Conversely, previous research suggests that trauma survivors might experience positive changes, that is, posttraumatic growth (PTG). In fact, this study aims to determine self-compassion’s contribution to PTG among Indonesian adolescent women who have experienced dating violence; to ensure that all participants had experienced dating violence, we used the trauma and life events (TALE) checklist for screening. Self-compassion helps trauma survivors increase positive thoughts and seek meaning. Therefore, in this study, we argue that self-compassion augments PTG. The study is quantitative, with three questionnaires used: self-compassion scale-short form to measure self-compassion (α = .759), posttraumatic growth inventory-short form to measure posttraumatic growth (α = .643) and trauma and life events checklist as the screening tool to ensure participants had experienced a traumatic event. A simple regression test revealed that among participants (n = 306), self-compassion significantly contributed to PTG by 12% (p = .000, R2 = .120). These findings can be used as a reference in establishing preventive programs or interventions to improve self-compassion and increase awareness about healthy relationships, especially among adolescents.

The Effects of Family Functioning Dimensions on the Subjective Well-Being among High School Students

Subjective well-being in school offers myriad benefits for the overall development and well-being of students and is thus crucial. This study examines the effects of the family functioning dimensions of cohesion, flexibility, and communication on subjective well-being displayed by students on school premises. An aggregate of 475 students from five high schools in Greater Jakarta participated in this study. The Brief Adolescents’ Subjective Well-Being in School Scale was administered to measure subjective well-being in school. The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale and the Family Communication Scale were employed to measure family functioning. The results revealed that family flexibility and family communication positively and significantly affected the subjective well-being of students. Family communication exerted a more substantial influence than the other dimensions of family functioning because it could enhance the other dimensions. Prospective studies should investigate more specific student characteristics, such as living independently without parents or living with a single parent.

The Search for Mediating and Moderating Effects in Psychological Research on Urban Society

The Search for Mediating and Moderating Effects in Psychological Research on Urban Society

Less Stress, More Satisfied in Online Learning During COVID-19 Pandemic: The Moderation Role of Academic Resilience

The COVID-19 outbreak triggered a sudden transformation in all aspects of life. Inevitably, educational environments were also affected. Previous studies found a sharp drop in student satisfaction and a simultaneous corresponding increase in academic stress when online learning was instituted due to the pandemic. Conversely, academic resilience is considered psychological capital; it enables students to overcome stress and stimulates satisfaction. The interactions of these three variables must thus be collectively examined. This study used the convenience sampling technique to investigate the moderating role of academic resilience vis-à-vis academic stress and student satisfaction with online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected via an online questionnaire from a sample of 337 Indonesian undergraduate students aged 18‒32 years recruited for this study. The questionnaire encompassed three measurement instruments: Stressor Scale for College Students (α =.85), Academic Resilience Scale-Indonesian version (α =.89), and Student Satisfaction with Online Learning (α =.90). Linear regression analysis revealed that academic stress exerted a significant negative effect on satisfaction with online learning. Academic resilience was a significant moderator, dampening the effects of academic stress on satisfaction with online learning. The theoretical and practical implications of the research results are also discussed.

Insomnia and HRQoL of Indonesians with Chronic Pain: The Role of Catastrophizing

Insomnia and chronic pain share the same catastrophizing cognitive tendency. The high prevalence of insomnia and chronic pain was found in the urban population. Seeing the interaction between both in influencing individuals is imperative. Most studies in insomnia and pain are conducted in the Western population, with little to no research conducted in Indonesian urban population. As a part longitudinal chronic pain study, this research explored (a) the mediating role of pain catastrophizing in linking insomnia with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and (b) the moderating role of anxiety trait in influencing the mediation within Indonesian adults with chronic pain. The data were gathered through self-administered online questionnaires, and the moderated-mediation analyses were conducted at the beginning phase of the longitudinal study. The results from 415 participants validated that pain catastrophizing partially mediated the relationship between insomnia and HRQoL. Furthermore, no significant moderating effect of anxiety trait was found. People with insomnia showed rumination, worry, and dysfunctional beliefs regarding their sleep, which generalized into catastrophic thoughts regarding their pain experience. This pain catastrophizing in turn influenced the HRQoL. Interventions that simultaneously target both catastrophic thoughts in insomnia and pain would prove to be beneficial in mitigating pain among Indonesian adults.

Positive parenting, career aspirations, and exploration: A study of third-year urban undergraduate students

Career exploration reflects activities conducted to collect information about oneself and potential occupations to become self-aware and understand the job market. Career exploration guides the realization of career aspirations and is thus crucial for young adults. It helps the youth make appropriate career-relevant decisions. However, it is unknown whether career aspirations mediate the links between positive parenting and career exploration activities undertaken by urban third-year undergraduate students. This study aimed to bridge this gap in the literature, and to this end, a survey was administered to 125 third-year undergraduate students attending a state university in Semarang, Central Java. The Career Exploration Scale, Career Aspirations Scale, Positive Parenting Subscale, and questions on demographic characteristics were employed for data collection. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that career aspirations fully mediated the path between positive parenting and career exploration. The findings of this study underline the importance of career aspirations in translating the effects of positive parenting into specific career exploration activities undertaken by college students. Finally, suggestions based on the study results are offered for third-year undergraduate students, parents, and practitioners.