External locus-of-hope, well-being, and coping of students: A cross-cultural examination within Asia

Hope across cultural groups

Over the past 30 years, there has been an increasing amount of research about hope and culture. While early studies focused on looking at differences in hope between racial groups, recent research has focused more broadly on the measurement of hope and how hope operates in diverse contexts and nations. Many translations of the adult and child versions of the hope scale now exist, though questions about the structure of hope (e.g., pathways and agency) have been raised in certain groups. Paradoxically, recent research suggests that higher levels of hope are associated with less well-being for those experiencing racial discrimination. Finally, hope has started to be explored in other aspects of identity including disability, religion/spirituality, and sexual orientation, emphasizing the importance of context when understanding hope.

The Psychology of Well-Being in the Margins: Voices from and Prospects for South Asia and Southeast Asia

Research and publications on the psychology of well-being have steadily increased in recent decades, but research on the peoples of South Asian and Southeast Asian is quite underrepresented in the research literature. Even as people from the regions comprise one third of the current global population, studies on well-being of individuals and groups from countries in the two regions are disproportionately fewer compared to other countries and regions. The special issue is a modest attempt to call attention to this underrepresentation, and to individuals and groups that are in the margins of these societies. The special issue features 11 empirical studies focused on well-being of people who either face economic hardships, have low-status occupations, experience discrimination due to gender, or experience physical disabilities. The studies highlight how well-being can be conceptualized as an adaptive process, which involves finding meaning and coping and drawing from one’s agency and resources. The studies in the special, while limited in scope, will hopefully serve as catalyst for further research on the psychology of well-being in the two regions in ways that will enrich global theory and research.

Bent, But Not Broken: Locus-of-Hope and Well-Being Among Malaysians Facing Economic Challenges Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hope is conceptualized as a cognitive set that has often been studied in the context of adversity. No studies, however, directly examine how locus-of-hope (LOH) influences psychological outcomes among vulnerable populations within collectivist cultural contexts. We address this gap by assessing the relationships between LOH and well-being among Malaysians facing financial struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized that LOH will predict well-being but that external LOH will more strongly predict well-being than internal LOH. One-hundred and fifty-two (152) Malaysians (63 men, 89 women, average age 29.69 years old) who have (1) experienced loss of employment status (2) decrease in salary earnings or (3) earn below the lower 40% threshold of national household incomes completed a series of questionnaires assessing their LOH and well-being. Results indicate that controlling for age, perceptions of government efforts and trait optimism, LOH significantly predict well-being. Findings also show that internal LOH and LOH-family were the strongest predictors of well-being. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in light of these findings.

Heritage Culture Detachment Predicts Hope and Well-Being of Filipino Migrant Workers: A Study of Low- and Semi-skilled Filipino Workers in Macau

Heritage culture detachment occurs when migrants tend to distance themselves from their own cultural norms and values as they engage their host culture; research suggests that this approach to acculturation is often associated with psychological distress. We explore heritage culture detachment and well-being among Filipino migrant workers in Macau. Participants (N = 249) were recruited to answer a questionnaire that inquired into heritage culture detachment and several measures of well-being. The relationships between well-being and heritage culture detachment were examined by testing two structural equation models: Model 1: well-being predicts heritage culture detachment; Model 2: heritage culture detachment predicts well-being. The results show better fit between the data and Model 2; in particular, heritage culture detachment positively predicted satisfaction with life, external-peer locus-of-hope, but also negative self-esteem, and goal disengagement. Heritage culture detachment also negatively predicted external-spiritual locus-of-hope. The results are interpreted as possibly indicating how heritage culture detachment reflects efforts to adjust and cope in a new sociocultural environment. Unlike other migrants, international migrant workers may see their foreign work environment as temporary contexts and circumstances, wherein subordinating their cultural norms may have some utility. The discussion highlights how sources of well-being need to be understood within the specific temporal and sociocultural context of individuals’ life experiences.

"A New Hope" for Positive Psychology: A Dynamic Systems Reconceptualization of Hope Theory

In this review of the central tenets of hope theory, we examine the meta-theoretical, theoretical, and methodological foundations of the literature base. Our analysis moves from a broad examination of the research landscape in hope theory across disciplines, to a deeper investigation of the empirical literature in university students. This review highlights the significant impact of this body of research in advancing our understanding of aspects of thriving characterized by hope. However, we also evidence several limitations that may impede the advancement of the next wave of growth in this field. To address these limitations, we argue for an interdisciplinary approach to expanding the meta-theoretical, theoretical, and methodological horizons, enabling a more dynamic systems approach to the study of hope. Drawing on the intersection of positive psychology with systems thinking, we describe a methodological approach that enables a deeper examination of the processes and interactions through which hope emerges, using an analysis of the lived experience of young people. It is proposed that this research agenda will bring to life an alternate story about the resourcefulness of our youth through their own voice, enabling us to leverage this in the design of more effective strategies to facilitate hope in the future. This research agenda provides a roadmap that will provide alternative methodologies that address the current limitations in the field of hope research and, importantly, can provide fuel to spur on the acceleration of the next wave of research and practice in the field of positive psychology more broadly.

Unboxing the therapeutic community for addictions: a locus-of-hope theory perspective

Purpose

The therapeutic community (TC) is a widely used treatment approach for substance use disorders. Several psychological theories have been used to explain its processes but have put less emphasis on the specific contributions of the person’s cognitive resources. This paper aims to offer a theoretical conceptualization using the locus-of-hope theory which expounds on the person’s goal-directed thinking and how it bolsters the TC process.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviewed contemporary theoretical perspectives on TCs and studies on locus-of-hope theory to provide arguments for locus-of-hope’s utility in understanding TCs. From this review, this paper discusses a formal conceptualization of TCs using the locus-of-hope model.

Findings

In this conceptualization, the authors explained that the TC becomes a co-agent in the person’s goal-pursuit by strengthening the individual’s beliefs regarding one’s capability to develop goals together with the will and strategies to attain these important recovery goals. The person’s hopeful thinking boosts the TC protocols in a dynamic fashion.

Originality/value

This paper offers a locus-of-hope perspective that considers the person’s contributions in bolstering the TC process. Reflections on clinical and research implications were provided. This paper aids further in unboxing of the TC.

The Mental Health Benefits of Kindness-Oriented Schools: School Kindness is Associated with Increased Belongingness and Well-Being in Filipino High School Students

Prior research has demonstrated the role of kind school climate in students' academic and social-emotional learning outcomes. However, there is sparse literature showing the link of school kindness to mental health functioning. This study examines the association of school kindness with well-being dimensions such as positive emotions and depressive symptoms among 1287 Filipino high school students. It also explored whether school kindness would have indirect effects on well-being via school belongingness. Structural equation modeling via maximum likelihood estimation approach showed that school kindness was linked to higher positive emotions and lower depressive symptoms after controlling for demographic covariates such as age and gender. Further, results of bias-corrected bootstrapping analyses demonstrated that school kindness had indirect effects on positive emotions and depressive symptoms via school belongingness. This research underscores the mental health benefits associated with fostering kindness in school contexts.

Social participation and posttraumatic growth: The serial mediation of hope, social support, and reappraisal

In light of the global crisis created by the outbreak of the coronavirus and the disease it causes, coronavirus disease 2019, the goal of the study was to detect factors that might enhance people's ability to experience positive psychological change during traumatic events. As such, this study examined the relationship between social participation and posttraumatic growth (PTG) during the coronavirus outbreak and tested the mediating role of hope, social support, and cognitive reappraisal in explaining this relationship. The sample consisted of 275 participants (21.8% male, and 78.2% female, with an average age of 33.42, SD = 13.63), subjected to social-distancing regulations during this period. Results demonstrated a serial mediation model in which social participation predicted PTG directly and indirectly through hope (pathways and agency), social support, and cognitive reappraisal. The importance of social participation in nourishing personal resources and practical implications including the need for prevention programs are discussed.

Exploring Locus-of-Hope: Relational Tendencies, Self-Esteem, Attachment, and Gender

BACKGROUND

As little research has been devoted to examining associations between the four locus-of-hope dimensions (internal, external-peer, external-family, and external-spiritual) and individual differences, the current study explores the correlations with individual-level individualist and collectivist relational tendencies, self-esteem, insecure attachment, and gender within a culturally diverse sample of university undergraduate students.

METHODS

questionnaires were completed by a culturally diverse sample of undergraduate students measuring locus-of-hope, individualist and collectivist relational tendencies, self-esteem, insecure attachment, and gender.

RESULTS

State and trait locus-of-hope were significantly correlated. Individualism showed positive correlations with internal and external-family locus-of-hope. Collectivism positively correlated with internal locus-of-hope and the three external locus-of-hope dimensions. Internal locus-of-hope was significantly predicted by self-esteem, relational self-esteem, individualism, and collectivism. External-spiritual locus-of-hope was not significantly predicted by the variables. External-family locus-of-hope was significantly predicted by relational self-esteem and collectivism and external-peer locus-of hope was significantly predicted by relational self-esteem, collectivism, and avoidant attachment style. No significant gender differences in locus-of-hope were found.

CONCLUSIONS

The results provide further understanding about the construct of locus-of-hope and provide a foundation for future research to continue exploring the role of locus-of-hope in the development and expression of self-esteem and attachment profiles.

What Predicts the Mood of Athletes Involved in Preparations for Tokyo 2020/2021 Olympic Games During the Covid - 19 Pandemic? The Role of Sense of Coherence, Hope for Success and Coping Strategies

The aim of the study was to identify coherence, hope for success and coping strategies as predictors of mood among this year's Olympians in the context of coronavirus events. The relationships between the above variables and the mood of athletes were analysed. The study group consisted of 57 athletes - women (29) and men (28) between 18 and 39 years of age - representing various sports disciplines who were preparing for the Tokyo Olympics. The research was conducted in the period of April 7-28, 2020 during the first threat of COVID-19 pandemic, following the decision to move the Summer Olympics to the year 2021. It was time of the greatest national restrictions and information about the postponement of the games had been received. As a result of the step regression analysis, three predictors of vigour were established: sense of meaningfulness, coping with stress through positive reframing, and not using the self-blaming strategy. A positive predictor of anger was the use of substances. Confusion was predicted based on the frequency of behavioral disengagement. Behavioral disengagement predicted the severity of depression. Predictors of fatigue were the sense of meaningfulness, and the strategies of positive reframing and self-blaming. The results obtained emphasize the importance of positive reframing as a factor contributing to maintaining a positive mood state. In contrast, behavioral disengagement and self-blaming were strategies that lowered the mood of elite athletes. The results confirm the importance of factors included in the salutogenic model (sense of coherence, coping strategies) as predictors of athletes' mood during a pandemic.

Strategies for Coping With Stress in Athletes During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Predictors

The aim of the study was to compare the strategies of coping with stress during the COVID-19 epidemic in athletes involved in Olympic preparations (57 potential Olympians) and students of physical education (54 extramural students), and to determine their depending on the variable gender. The research was conducted in the form of an on-line survey in the period of April 7–28 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four standard psychological questionnaires were used. Elite athletes and physical education students practicing sports most often dealt with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic using cognitive and behavioral coping strategies. The sports level depended on the strategies of coping with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic more strongly than gender. The relationship between the sense of coherence (mainly comprehensibility) and the hope for success treated as a generalized immune resource with coping strategies in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic postulated by Antonovsky was confirmed.

Measuring hope during the COVID-19 outbreak in the Philippines: development and validation of the state locus-of-Hope scale short form in Filipino

Various adaptations of the Dispositional Hope Scale have been validated and used for specific research and applied purposes. The Locus-of-Hope Scale was developed as a cultural adaptation that measures internal and external aspects of agency related to goal-pursuit that are typical in collectivist cultures. The scale has been used to account for variations in well-being-related factors in collectivist societies but still assumes that hope-related thoughts are dispositional. A State Locus-of-Hope Scale was developed to assess hope-related thinking concerning ongoing events and experience during the COVID-19 outbreak in the Philippines in March 2020. The 16-item scale in Filipino was adapted from a short version of Locus-of-Hope Scale. Using data from 3128 respondents, confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit between the four-factor model (compared to one-factor and two-factor models), supporting the scale's structural validity. There was also good evidence for the subscales' convergent and discriminant validity. Preliminary evidence for construct criterion validity was demonstrated by examining associations with well-being and anxiety. The results indicate the viability of the State Locus-of-Hope scale for assessing temporal hope-related thoughts that can inform efforts to understand how individuals engage in goal-related processes and maintain well-being in specific personal and social situations.

The Moderating Role of Hope in the Relationship Between Maladaptive Perfectionism and Anxiety Among Early Adolescents

The aim of the study was to examine correlations among maladaptive perfectionism, hope, and anxiety and the moderating role of hope in the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and anxiety among early adolescents. The sample of the study consisted of 639 early adolescents (354 female/285 male; Mean_age = 12.8, SD_age = .65, range: 11-14). In line with this purpose, the cross-sectional model was conducted. The findings of the study showed that there were significant correlations among maladaptive perfectionism, hope, and anxiety. Moreover, the findings found that hope moderated the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and anxiety. More specifically, the findings suggested that among early adolescents with lower hope, the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and anxiety was stronger than those with higher hope.

Perceived Stress, Hope, and Health Outcomes Among Medical Staff in China During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study investigated the buffering role of hope between perceived stress and health outcomes among front-line medical staff treating patients with suspected COVID-19 infection in Shenzhen, China. In the cross-sectional study with online questionnaires, medical staff's perceived stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and hope were measured by the 10-item Chinese Perceived Stress Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Locus-of-Hope Scale, respectively. A total of 319 eligible front-line medical staff participated. The prevalence of anxiety (29.70%), depression (28.80%), poor sleep quality (38.90%) indicated that a considerable proportion of medical staff experienced mood and sleep disturbances during the COVID-19 pandemic. Internal locus-of-hope significantly moderated the effects of stress on anxiety, depression, and sleep quality. Moreover, external family locus-of-hope and external peer locus-of-hope significantly moderated the association between perceived stress and depression. The prevalence of symptoms indicates that both mental and physical health outcomes of front-line medical staff deserve more attention. Internal and external locus-of-hope functioned differently as protective factors for medical staffs' health and might be promising targets for intervention.

Psychological capital is associated with higher levels of life satisfaction and school belongingness

Psychological capital (PsyCap) has been associated with key organizational and well-being outcomes. However, limited investigations have been carried out regarding the role of PsyCap in the educational settings. The present study assessed the association of PsyCap with life satisfaction and school belongingness in the academic context. Four hundred and sixty-two Filipino high school students participated in the current investigation. Structural equation modeling showed that PsyCap was positively linked to school belongingness via the intermediate variable life satisfaction. An alternative structural model also provided evidence of the indirect effects of PsyCap on life satisfaction via school belongingness. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.