Positive personality: Relationships among mindful and grateful personality traits with quality of life and health outcomes

The moderating role of trait and state mindfulness between daily sleep and physical pain symptoms: an ecological momentary assessment and actigraphy study

Objective: Poorer sleep quality and insufficient sleep increase the risk of physical pain. The current study examined the daily associations between sleep and physical pain symptoms and tested the moderating role of trait and state mindfulness in this relationship. Methods: Sixty hospital nurses (Mage=35.4 ± 11.8 years) completed 14-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and sleep actigraphy. EMA measured physical pain frequency and interference (1×/day) and state mindfulness (3×/day). Multilevel modelling was used to examine the associations at the between-person and within-person levels. Results: After nights with poorer sleep quality, lower sleep sufficiency, and more insomnia symptoms, the frequency of physical pain symptoms and pain interference were greater than usual. Overall, those with poorer sleep quality, lower sleep sufficiency, and more insomnia symptoms reported more physical pain symptoms and greater pain interference. Higher state mindfulness buffered the negative within-person association between sleep efficiency and physical pain frequency. There was evidence that the joint moderating effects of trait and state mindfulness yielded more protective benefits in the relationship between sleep quality and physical pain than trait or state mindfulness alone. Conclusion: Even without mindfulness training, one's mindfulness may be protective against the adverse effects of poor sleep quality on physical pain.

The mechanisms of nature-based therapy on depression, anxiety, stress, and life satisfaction: examining mindfulness in a two-wave mediation model

Background

Nature-based therapy (NBT), which centers around engaging in activities within natural surroundings, has consistently demonstrated therapeutic benefits for mental health. While NBT highlights the potential of nature as a therapeutic resource for promoting mental health, there is limited knowledge regarding its underlying mechanisms.

Methods

Two hundred seventy-six Korean participants (204 women, mean age = 54.99 ± 23.25 years) participated in a 30-session gardening program held twice weekly for 15 weeks. Structural equation modeling with a two-wave autoregressive cross-lagged model was used to investigate the mediating effects of mindfulness.

Results

NBT significantly improved the mean scores of all psychological variables. The mediation model was partially confirmed, with mindfulness at post-intervention (T2) mediating the relationship between baseline (T1) depression and anxiety and post-intervention (T2) life satisfaction. However, no significant indirect effect was observed between the path from stress (T1) to life satisfaction (T2).

Conclusion

Mindfulness is a crucial component for improving mental health outcomes. This study underscores the need to prioritize and emphasize mindfulness practices in NBT.

A Cross-Level Study of the Consequences of Work Stress in Police Officers: Using Transformational Leadership and Group Member Interactions as an Example

Purpose

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of work stress on job burnout and quality of life and the effect of moderating group factors (transformational leadership and group member interactions) on the relationship between work stress, job burnout, and quality of life. This study takes front-line border police as the research object, adopts a cross-level perspective, and takes work stress as a key factor affecting work efficiency and health indicators.

Methods

It collected data through questionnaires, with questionnaires for each research variable adapted from existing research scales, such as multifactor leadership questionnaire developed by Bass and Avolio. A total of 361 questionnaires were filled out and collected in this study, including 315 male participants and 46 female participants. The average age of the participants was 39.52. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to test the hypotheses.

Results

First, it was found that work stress has a significant impact on job burnout and quality of life. Secondly, leadership style and group member interactions have a direct, cross-level effect on work stress. Third, it found that leadership style and group member interactions have an indirect, cross-level effect on the relationship between work stress and job burnout. However, these are not indicative of quality of life. The results of this study highlight the particular impact of the nature of police work on the quality of life, and further enhance the value of this study.

Conclusion

The two major contributions of this study are: 1) it shows the original characteristics of the organizational environment and the social context of Taiwan's border police and, 2) in terms of the research implication, it is necessary to re-examine the cross-level impact of group factors on individual work stress.

Stressful Life Events and Depression During the Recurrent Outbreak of COVID-19 in China: The Mediating Role of Grit and the Moderating Role of Gratitude

Purpose

COVID-19 has been exerting tremendous influence on an individual’s physical behavior and mental health. In China, prolonged isolation may lead to depression among college students during the recurrent outbreak of COVID-19. We conducted this study to explore the relationship among stressful life events, grit, gratitude, and depression in college students during the recurrent outbreak of COVID-19.

Methods

We investigated 953 college students from across China, with an average age of 20.38 (SD=1.39) years. Participants completed four scales (Stressful Life Events Scale, Oviedo Grit Scale, Gratitude Questionnaire, and Patients’ Health Questionnaire Depression Scale-9 item).

Results

The present study found that (1) stressful life events were positively correlated with depression in college students; (2) grit mediated the positive relationship between stressful life events and depression; (3) gratitude moderated the relationship between grit and depression, and such that there was a stronger association between grit and depression for college students with high gratitude.

Conclusion

This study was of great significance for studying the relationship between stressful life events and depression in Chinese college students during the recurrent outbreak of COVID-19. Results indicated that grit and gratitude of college students may be the main targets of depression prevention and intervention. The research conclusion has theoretical and reference value for solving and preventing depression in college students during the recurrent outbreak of COVID-19.

Mindfulness as Moderator Against Emotional Exhaustion Due to Online Teaching During COVID-19 Pandemic: An Investigation Using Job Demands-Resources Model and Conservation of Resource Theory

On the basis of the Conservation of Resource (COR) theory and using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study examines the relationships among job demands and job resources of online teaching (JD-OT and JR-OT), perceived instructional efficacy of OT (PIE-OT), mindfulness in teaching (MiT), and emotional exhaustion (EE) to understand the psychological stress experienced by teachers engaged in OT and how mindfulness has moderating effects on relieving anxiety and preventing burnout. A total of 476 teachers with OT experience completed online a self-report survey with items adapted from related scales. The hypotheses were validated using structural equation modeling. Causal relationships were assessed using path analysis, and multi-group analysis was performed to examine the moderating effect of MiT. JD-OT has significant and negative impact on PIE-OT, JR-OT has significant and positive impact on PIE-OT, and PIE-OT has significant and negative impact on EE. Moreover, PIE-OT mediates the positive relationship of JD-OT with EE and the negative relationship of JR-OT with EE. The moderating role of MiT in the relationship of JD-OT and JR-OT with PIE-OT was also validated. In OT work environments, teachers have great need and desire for JR, which can have a positive impact on PIE. Mindfulness training contributes to improving OT efficacy and reducing EE. Enhancing teachers' MiT enables them to deal with demands from work and their superiors and motivates them to respond with ease to the stressful external environment.