The Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-Being: Psychometric properties, demographic comparisons, and evidence of validity

Differing worldviews: The politics of happiness, meaning, and psychological richness

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND

Conservative ideology, broadly speaking, has been widely linked to greater happiness and meaning in life. Is that true of all forms of a good life? We examined whether a psychologically rich life is associated with political orientation, system justification, and Protestant work ethic, independent of two other traditional forms of a good life: a happy life and a meaningful life.

METHOD

Participants completed a questionnaire that assessed conservative worldviews and three aspects of well-being (N = 583 in Study 1; N = 348 in Study 2; N = 436 in Study 3; N = 1,217 in Study 4; N = 2,176 in Study 5; N = 516 in Study 6).

RESULTS

Happiness was associated with political conservatism and system justification, and meaning in life was associated with Protestant work ethic. In contrast, zero-order correlations showed that psychological richness was not associated with conservative worldviews. However, when happiness and meaning in life were included in multiple regression models, the nature of the association shifted: Psychological richness was consistently inversely associated with system justification and on average less political conservatism, suggesting that happiness and meaning in life were suppressor variables.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that happiness and meaning in life are associated with conservative ideology, whereas psychological richness is not.

Psychological wellbeing in teachers. Study in teachers of early childhood and primary education

Recently, there has been a growing interest in emotional wellbeing, even from the early stages of education. In order to work wellbeing among the students it is essential to analyze the wellbeing of the teachers who are teaching and working with the children. This study examines psychological wellbeing in early childhood (0-6 years) and primary school teachers (6-12 years). The study comprised 236 early childhood and primary school teachers - 76 men (32.2%) and 160 women (67.8%) - with ages ranging from 25 to 61 years (average 37.69 years - s.d.=2.47). The study examined psychological wellbeing (happiness, eudemonic wellbeing, self-esteem, and life satisfaction) and several sociodemographic variables (gender, age, years in the job, type of contract, and educational stage). Participants answered an ad-hoc sociodemographic questionnaire and subjective happiness, eudemonic wellbeing, self-esteem, and life satisfaction standard questionnaires. Early childhood schoolteachers yielded higher wellbeing-related scores. All the wellbeing-related variables were found to be correlated with one another, except for happiness and self-esteem. Teachers working in different educational stages were found to yield significantly different wellbeing-related scores. For the first time, network analysis revealed differences in the associations of the variables under study among Early Childhood Education and Primary Education teachers. Thus, while happiness and satisfaction with life were found to be correlated in both groups, stronger correlations between self-esteem and eudaimonic wellbeing were found in early childhood education teachers, while in primary education teachers the correlation was with satisfaction with life, which indicates that early childhood teachers present greater spiritual and existential understanding, leading to eudaimonic wellbeing. These differences between educational stages are considered greatly significant. It was concluded that more research is needed, ideally with broader and longitudinal studies, to understand and describe the relationship between personal and even structural variables and wellbeing.

A Confidence Interval for the Difference Between Standardized Regression Coefficients

Researchers are often interested in comparing predictors, a practice commonly done via informal comparisons of standardized regression slopes. However, formal interval-based approaches offer advantages over informal comparison. Specifically, this article examines a delta-method-based confidence interval for the difference between two standardized regression coefficients, building upon previous work on confidence intervals for single coefficients. Using Monte Carlo simulation studies, the proposed approach is evaluated at finite sample sizes with respect to coverage rate, interval width, Type I error rate, and statistical power under a variety of conditions, and is shown to outperform an alternative approach that uses the standard covariance matrix found in regression textbooks. Additional simulations evaluate current software implementations, small sample performance, and multiple comparison procedures for simultaneously testing multiple differences of interest. Guidance on sample size planning for narrow confidence intervals, an R function to conduct the proposed method, and two empirical demonstrations are provided. The goal is to offer researchers a different tool in their toolbox for when comparisons among standardized coefficients are desired, as a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, other potentially useful analyses.

Coping and psychological well-being among persons with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: The role of perceived self-efficacy

OBJECTIVE

To explore self-efficacy as a possible mediator in the relationship between adaptive coping and psychological well-being (PWB) in persons with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

METHOD

174 persons with RRMS (91% Female) completed an online survey consisting of psychosocial questionnaires. The COPE Inventory was used to create an adaptive coping composite that accounts for the relative contributions of both active and avoidant coping. Self-efficacy was measured using the General Self-Efficacy Scale. The Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scales captured several domains of PWB: Positive relations with others, autonomy, purpose in life, environmental mastery, self-acceptance, and personal growth. The SPSS PROCESS macro was used to test whether self-efficacy mediated the association between adaptive coping and each PWB subscale, using 5,000 bootstrap samples to estimate confidence intervals.

RESULTS

In each mediational model, adaptive coping was significantly associated with each PWB subscale and self-efficacy (all p's ≤ 0.001). Self-efficacy was also significantly associated with each PWB subscale (p ≤ 0.001). After controlling for self-efficacy, the associations between adaptive coping and positive relations with others (indirect effect = 0.021, 95% CI [0.011, 0.033]) and autonomy (indirect effect = 0.019, 95% CI [0.011, 0.028]) became non-significant. The separate associations between adaptive coping and purpose in life (p = .004), self-acceptance (p = .026), and personal growth (p < .001) remained significant, despite controlling for self-efficacy.

CONCLUSIONS

Self-efficacy fully mediated the relationships between adaptive coping and positive relations with others and autonomy in our sample of persons with RRMS. Interventions aimed at increasing adaptive coping skills and self-efficacy may improve relations with others and autonomy among persons with MS.

Networking trait resilience: Unifying fragmented trait resilience systems from an ecological systems theory perspective

OBJECTIVE

This study reconceptualized trait resilience, defining it as a network of systems; utilizing direct resilience assessments-engineering, ecological, adaptive capacity, social cohesion-and proxy resilience assessments-personality, cognitive, emotional, eudaimonia, and health.

BACKGROUND

The background of the study addresses the fragmented conceptualization of trait resilience by proposing a unifying network model based on ecological systems theory, illustrating the dynamic interplay of resilience factors across varying levels of disturbance.

METHOD

In Study One, four USA or UK samples (total n = 2396) were used to depict the trait resilience network. Study Two (n = 1091) examined the relationship between the network and disturbance at two time-points, using mental health levels as a disturbance metric.

RESULTS

Study One found that adaptive capacity, and sometimes positive emotional processes, were central variables to the network. Study Two found that in lower disturbance groups, adaptive capacity remained important, while in higher disturbance groups, a broader set of variables became central to the network.

CONCLUSIONS

Study One suggests a Broaden-and-Build approach, where adaptive capacity is a foundational resilience capability, reciprocally associated with positive emotional mechanisms. Study Two suggests a new "Dynamic Resilience Spectrum Theory," proposing that increased disturbances necessitate the use of a more diverse set of resilience traits.

Physical activity habits prevent psychological distress in female academic students: The multiple mediating role of physical and psychosocial parameters

Background

Psychological distress is recognised as the most common mental health difficulty in emerging adult (18-to-24-year-old) female academic students. This study aimed to test a novel model positing physical activity habits as a protective factor for psychological distress through the mediating role of physical and psychological parameters. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and self-reported physical health status were included as physical parameters. Self-reported psychological health status and time spent on leisure activities were the psychological parameters considered.

Method

Data were collected between April and May 2021. Correlation analyses and a multiple mediation model were computed on 411 online questionnaires filled out by 18-to-24-year-old female students from the University of blind (Italy).

Results

The multiple indirect effects were significant (β = -0.088; p < 0.001). This means that physical activity habits reduce psychological distress through high adherence to the Mediterranean diet, a good self-assessment of one's physical and psychological health status, and more time spent on leisure activities outdoors, with friends, and with family members.

Conclusions

Results show that academic policies should be adopted so as to design physical activity programmes that may improve the students' healthy behaviours and social interactions, which, in turn, mitigate the detrimental effects of psychological distress.

Towards a multidimensional measure of well-being: cross-cultural support through the Italian validation of the well-being profile

BACKGROUND

The Well-being Profile (WB-Pro) is a multi-item and multidimensional instrument with strong psychometric properties and a solid theoretical grounding. It includes aspects of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being that can be used at the individual and social levels.

METHOD

We developed the Italian version through back-translation procedures. The aim of this study is to validate the WB-Pro in Italian as well as to better understand its multidimensionality through bifactor analysis. A sample of 1451 participants (910 = women, 62.7%; age range: 18-70, M-age = 32.34, SD-age = 13.64) was involved.

RESULTS

The 15-factor structure was confirmed with CFA and ESEM and was invariant across gender, age, and education. We examined convergent and discriminant validity and a bifactorial representation. Short versions of the WB-Pro were tested.

DISCUSSION

Even though a few items of the Italian version of the WB-Pro might benefit from revision (e.g., clear-thinking scale), this study confirms the theoretical and empirical strength of the WB-Pro.

CONCLUSIONS

This study supports the WB-Pro validity and usefulness in studying well-being and for professional psychological applications to assess well-being in both individuals and groups.

Socioeconomic inequalities in mental health and wellbeing among UK students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Clarifying underlying mechanisms

Universities are seeing growing numbers of students with poor mental health and wellbeing. Given that lower socioeconomic status (SES) students typically have poorer mental health and wellbeing than their peers, this may be, in part, caused by an increase in the number of students attending university from lower SES backgrounds. However, less is known about how socioeconomic inequalities in mental health and wellbeing persist within university communities. Research investigating psychosocial factors that contribute to socioeconomic disparities in mental health and wellbeing suggests perceived control, inclusion, and perceived worth to be important underlying mechanisms. However, another strand of research suggests perceived competence may also play a mediating role in this relationship. Consequently, the present research seeks to examine fulfilment of perceived control, inclusion, perceived worth, and competence needs as potential mediators in the relationship between subjective SES and mental health and wellbeing in university students. Below, we report the results of a cross-sectional survey conducted among university students (n = 811) in the UK during a period of COVID-19 restrictions. In line with prior research, we found evidence of socioeconomic inequalities in mental health and wellbeing among students. Further, we found subjective SES predicted perceptions of control, inclusion, and competence. In turn, perceived control and competence predicted both positive and negative mental health and wellbeing, whilst inclusion predicted positive mental health and wellbeing only. Unexpectedly, we found no evidence that perceived worth acts as a mediator in this relationship, independently of perceived control, inclusion, and competence. As academic institutions continue to pursue policies to 'widen participation', they also have a responsibility to understand how socioeconomic inequalities in mental health and wellbeing are perpetuated within the university community. Research in this area marks a first step to improve socioeconomic equality within Higher Education.

Improving Purpose in Life in School Settings

Background and aim: The dimension of purpose in life (PiL) is one of the core features of eudaimonia and plays a crucial role in developmental settings. However, few studies have examined purpose in life in younger generations and verified if it is amenable to improvements following a wellbeing-promoting intervention. The aim of the present investigation is to explore correlates and predictors of purpose in life in school children and to test if it can be ameliorated after school-based wellbeing interventions. Methods: A total of 614 students were recruited in various schools in Northern Italy. Of these, 456 belonged to junior high and high schools and were randomly assigned to receive a protocol of School Well-Being Therapy (WBT) or a psychoeducational intervention (controls). A total of 158 students were enrolled in elementary schools and received a positive narrative intervention based on fairytales or were randomly assigned to controlled conditions. All students were assessed pre- and post- intervention with Ryff scales of eudaimonic wellbeing (short version) and with other self-report measures of anxiety, depression and somatization. Additionally, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was administered to their schoolteachers as observed-rated evaluation. Results: In both elementary and high schools, purpose in life after the intervention was predicted by initial depressive symptoms and by group assignment (positive interventions vs. controls). In older students, PiL was predicted by female gender and anxiety levels, while no specific strengths identified by teachers were associated with PiL. Conclusions: PiL plays an important and strategic role in developmental settings, where students can develop skills and capacities to set meaningful goals in life. Depressive symptoms and anxiety can be obstacles to developing PiL in students, while positive school-based interventions can promote this core dimension of eudaimonia.

Measurement validity of the six-factor model of psychological well-being in a military sample: Implications for measuring well-being in service members

Subjective well-being is a positive psychological construct that has important implications for the U.S. Military's goal to develop service members' strengths and support their overall thriving and downstream resilience. Despite this, the concept of well-being has not been well studied in military populations who have unique work demands, stressors, and autonomy/agency in daily life compared to civilians. To address this shortcoming in the literature, the present study assessed Ryff's measures of psychological well-being (PWB) in 1,333 U.S. service members prior to the deployments in the Middle East. Various methods attempting to validate the theoretical model purported by Ryff were unsuccessful, and exploratory factor analyses did not result in a novel model for this population. Future research should continue to evaluate proposed models of soldier well-being and propose novel theories, as well as measures, to assess this important construct. Implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Flourishing and Self-Control in Adolescence: The Role of Perceived Parenting

Self-control is the ability to control thoughts, emotions, and impulses to pursuit of long-term goals. Adolescents with high self-control experience higher flourishing levels. The latter refers to the fulfillment of needs for competence, relationship, and self-acceptance, as well as the possession of psychological capital such as flow and commitment. High levels of self-control also seem to be linked to a positive relationship with parents, which is crucial in adolescent flourishing. However, few studies investigated the association between flourishing, self-control, and perceived parenting in adolescence. The aim of this study was to investigate how the ability to exert self-control and the need to perceive and preserve a responsive relationship with parents would facilitate adolescents' experience of higher flourishing levels. The relationships among self-control, adolescents' perception of some paternal and maternal dimensions (closeness, communication, and parents' peer approval), and flourishing were analyzed in a sample of 335 Italian adolescents. Self-control was positively correlated with flourishing and the adolescent's perception of maternal and paternal dimensions. The PROCESS model showed that perceived maternal and paternal dimensions mediate the relationship between self-control and flourishing. These findings show the importance of self-control and parenting dimensions in promoting flourishing during adolescence.

Maximizing tendency predicts university adjustment and academic performance

Introduction

Decision-making characteristics that contribute to university adjustment and academic performance have been important topics in the research on success in higher education. This study proposes a new perspective that maximizing tendency, as a decision-making style, influences adaptive outcomes in college life.

Materials and methods

Two studies were performed to investigate the positive effects of maximizing tendency on university adjustment and academic performance. In Study 1, we engaged in multistage data collection and surveyed 552 students in four universities. In over a span of 4 years, Study 2 was designed as a time-lagged survey with 309 students.

Results

The results revealed that maximizers among students have better university adjustment after their first year at school and achieve higher GPAs when they finished their bachelor's degree. Furthermore, eudaimonic well-being mediated the relationship between maximizing tendency and university adjustment (Study 1), whereas university adjustment mediated the relationship between maximizing tendency and college student's academic performance (Study 2).

Conclusion

These consistent results imply that maximizing tendency as a predictor of university adjustment and academic performance, showing its long-term positive impacts on adaptability and wellbeing.

The Importance of Measuring Mental Wellbeing in the Context of Psychological Distress: Using a Theoretical Framework to Test the Dual-Continua Model of Mental Health

The dual-continua model of mental health suggests that psychological distress and mental wellbeing operate on two distinct yet related continua, both uniquely contributing to overall mental health. Previous literature provides support for the dual-continua model; however, inconsistent methodologies lacking a common theoretical underpinning have led to findings that are difficult to compare across studies. Using archival data, this study aimed to test the following three theoretically derived criteria proposed to accurately examine the dual-continua model: (1) confirming independent existence, (2) disconfirming bipolarity, and (3) quantifying functional independence.

METHOD

In total, 2065 participants (female n = 1193; 57.8%) completed two online assessments (minimum 30 days apart) measuring psychological distress, mental wellbeing, and demographic information.

RESULTS

In total, 1.1% of participants experienced high distress as well as mental wellbeing confirming that psychological distress and mental wellbeing exist independently (Criterion 1). Bipolarity (Criterion 2) was partly disconfirmed: mental wellbeing consistently decreased as symptom severity increased for depression; however, anxiety and stress did not meet bipolarity requirements. Functional independence (Criterion 3) was established: longitudinal analysis found that participants reliably and simultaneously increased (2.7%) or decreased (4.2%) in distress and mental wellbeing, while cross-sectional analysis showed that psychological distress only explained 38% of the variance in mental wellbeing.

DISCUSSION

Findings provide further support for the dual-continua model through analysis of the proposed assessment criteria, suggesting a further need to measure the dual-continua model at the subdomain level, e.g., depression, anxiety, and stress, as opposed to global psychological distress. Validation for the proposed assessment criteria provides important methodological foundations for future studies.

Reasons for participating in musical activities and their relationship with well-being during and before Covid-19

People tend to participate in musical activities-whether it is making or listening to music-for reasons that are related to basic psychological needs. This study explored whether the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) has changed the reasons for participating in musical activities and examined the relationship between these reasons and well-being during as well as before the pandemic. In total, 246 people (between 18 and 35 years) completed a survey during the pandemic, which contained questions relating to the reasons for participating in musical activities-namely the promotion of identity and agency, mood regulation, relaxation and company, enjoyment-and to subjective and eudaimonic well-being before and after the outbreak of the pandemic. Results showed that during the pandemic compared with before, people more often chose music to promote identity and agency, mood regulation, and relaxation and company. Two of the reasons that were invoked more often-namely identity and agency and mood regulation-positively predicted eudaimonic and subjective well-being, respectively, during the pandemic as well as before. Thus, people's reasons for participating in musical activities during the pandemic compared with before changed in a direction consistent with increasing both eudaimonic and subjective well-being.

Well-being as Need Fulfillment: Implications for Theory, Methods, and Practice

The most prominent concept championed by human resource professionals, point solution providers, and the mental health care industry is the construct of holistic well-being. Despite the tremendous attention focused on well-being, the concept lacks theoretical consensus among its proponents. Like the concept of engagement, this field cries out for clearly stated definitions that embed the concept within a theoretical framework, allowing theory development to avoid the prolific category errors of the past 50 years. This paper argues for a more sophisticated approach to the concept of well-being, grounding it in the vast psychological literature on human motivation. Herein lies the contribution of our paper; we argue that the apparent diversity of operational definitions employed by academics and practitioners can be understood as tentative attempts to draw ever nearer to key motivational concepts, without ever quite getting there. We review the leading definitions of well-being in the literature and find that they are reducible to a core set of human motives, each backed by full research traditions of their own, which populate a comprehensive model of twelve human motivations. We propose that there is substantial value in adopting a comprehensive motivational taxonomy over current approaches, which have the effect of "snowballing" ever more dimensions and elements. We consider the impact of setting well-being concepts in existing motivational constructs for each of the following: (a) theory, especially the development of well-being frameworks; (b) methods, including the value of applying a comprehensive, structural approach; and (c) practice, where we emphasize the practical advantages of clear operational definitions.

Go, go …. You'll be happier. Psychological variables among cyclists during COVID-19 lockdowns

COVID-19 lockdowns involved radical changes in the habits and lifestyles of many. Notably, athletes saw their training routines altered. The relationship between lockdown effects and psychological variables was analysed using a sample comprising 1032 cyclists (average age: 42.97 years, s.d. = 8.94), taking part in the first cycling competition after lockdown. The target variables included psychological variables such as frustration tolerance, subjective vitality, autonomy self-determination, and affective status, as well as sociodemographic and training habits-related variables. The results showed that the constructs under analysis are related. Pre- and post-competition psychological variables were measured, and no significant differences were detected, except concerning subjective vitality. A regression analysis model was designed to analyse the impact of frustration tolerance, autonomy self-determination, and affective status on subjective vitality. The results reveal a lineal relationship (F = 71.789, p < .001) between subjective vitality and a set of independent variables: positive affects; health status; km of training per year; and frustration tolerance, which explain 46.7% of variance. Finally, since the variable that measures subjective vitality was shown to be significant, mediation analyses were undertaken to answer our hypothesis, following the results of the exploratory analysis. The results suggest that frustration tolerance has a direct effect on subjective vitality, and that this relationship is mediated by positive affects, health status, and km of training per year. It is concluded that exercising increases subjective vitality, which is affected by frustration tolerance, positive affects, health status and km of training per year. In addition, it can be argued that these three variables mediate the relationship between frustration tolerance and subjective vitality. Finally, it is worth stressing that, given the positive effects of exercise not only in physical health but also in psychological, social and personal wellbeing, self-determined attitudes in training should be encouraged, as this promotes self-efficacy and self-satisfaction, in both training and competition settings.

Music, Pleasure, and Meaning: The Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motivations for Music (HEMM) Scale

Many people listen to music that conveys challenging emotions such as sadness and anger, despite the commonly assumed purpose of media being to elicit pleasure. We propose that eudaimonic motivation, the desire to engage with aesthetic experiences to be challenged and facilitate meaningful experiences, can explain why people listen to music containing such emotions. However, it is unknown whether music containing violent themes can facilitate such meaningful experiences. In this investigation, three studies were conducted to determine the implications of eudaimonic and hedonic (pleasure-seeking) motivations for fans of music with violent themes. In Study 1, we developed and tested a new scale and showed that fans exhibit high levels of both types of motivation. Study 2 further validated the new scale and provided evidence that the two types of motivations are associated with different affective outcomes. Study 3 revealed that fans of violently themed music exhibited higher levels of eudaimonic motivation and lower levels of hedonic motivation than fans of non-violently themed music. Taken together, the findings support the notion that fans of music with violent themes are driven to engage with this music to be challenged and to pursue meaning, as well as to experience pleasure. Implications for fans' well-being and future applications of the new measure are discussed.

Validation and Psychometric Properties of the Turkish Version of the Riverside Eudaimonia Scale

The Riverside Eudaimonia Scale (RES) has been recently developed to measure psychological measures of eudaimonia. Currently, there is no evidence regarding its psychometric properties in Turkish. Therefore, this study, for the first time, examined the validation and psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the RES. Participants included 336 undergraduate students from a public university in Turkey. The results showed good internal consistency of the RES suggesting a good measure to assess eudaimonic flourishing. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded a one-factor structure as a good fit with strong reliability evidence. The results indicated that the RES was correlated with life satisfaction and flourishing, and the RES explained a significant amount of variance in the prediction of life satisfaction and flourishing after controlling for age and gender. The results suggest that the RES has sound psychometric properties, is culturally and linguistically acceptable, and is equally fruitful in measuring eudaimonic flourishing in Turkish population.

Attachment style, religiosity, and well-being among Indonesian Christians

This study examines attachment styles, religiosity as measured by religious coping, and church activities, for their possible impact on feelings of well-being in an Indonesian Christian community. This cross-sectional study was conducted on both purposive and snowball samples of 264 Christians from Bandung and Semarang, Indonesia. The study hypothesized that a more positive Self-Other Model of attachment, greater positive religious coping, and higher church involvement would predict greater well-being as measured by flourishing/eudaimonic, affective, and subjective well-being scales. Pearson correlation and multiple regression methods were used to analyze data. Results indicated that 15% of the total variance in affective well-being is attributable to positive self-model attachment, positive religious coping, and higher subjective religiosity/spirituality. The study also found that 9.9% of the total variance in flourishing or eudaimonic well-being is counted for the self-model. However, neither predictor was correlated to hedonistic or subjective well-being. Greater religiosity, as measured through the church activities, was also not correlated with greater measures in the three types of well-being. This study concluded that the predictive power of religiosity such as church activities and attachment to well-being may depend on the characteristics of the culture.

Exploring adolescents' perspectives on social media and mental health and well-being - A qualitative literature review

Many quantitative studies have supported the association between social media use and poorer mental health, with less known about adolescents' perspectives on social media's impact on their mental health and wellbeing. This narrative literature review aimed to explore their perspectives, focusing on adolescents aged between 13 and 17. It reviewed qualitative studies published between January 2014 and December 2020, retrieved from four databases: APA Psychinfo, Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar. The literature search obtained 24 research papers. Five main themes were identified: 1) Self-expression and validation, 2) Appearance comparison and body ideals, 3) Pressure to stay connected, 4) Social engagement and peer support and 5) Exposure to bullying and harmful content. This review has highlighted how social media use can contribute to poor mental health - through validation-seeking practices, fear of judgement, body comparison, addiction and cyberbullying. It also demonstrates social media's positive impact on adolescent wellbeing - through connection, support and discussion forums for those with similar diagnoses. Future research should consider adolescent views on improvements to social media, studying younger participants, and the impact of COVID-19 on social media use and its associated mental health implications.

Cultural Identity Configurations: A Latent Profile Analysis of Ethnic/Racial and U.S. Identity Process and Content

Cultural identity, which represents the degree to which individuals define themselves with the cultural groups to which they belong, is a particularly salient developmental task for ethnic/racial minoritized youth. Two important identity domains of cultural identity, ethnic-racial and U.S. identity, have been consistently associated with psychological and academic adjustment. That said, the majority of this research has been variable centered, limiting the capacity to understand the specific developmental configurations of ethnic/racial and U.S. identity. Addressing this gap, the current study utilized latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify unique profiles of ethnic/racial identity and U.S. identity across process and content dimensions among a sample of 376 Hispanic/Latinx college students (M_age = 20.58, SD = 2.69) and examine the separate and joint links between ethnic/racial and U.S. identity profile membership and adjustment. The LPA identified three similar profiles for ethnic/racial identity (i.e., Diffused/Negative, Diffused/Neutral, and Developed/Positive), U.S. identity (Diffused/Negative, Diffused/Positive, and Developed/Positive), and ethnic/racial and U.S. identity (i.e., Diffused/Negative, Diffused/Neutral, and Bicultural), highlighting that ethnic/racial and U.S. identity not only share parallel dimensionality but manifest themselves remarkably similar in their configuration across process and content dimensions. Separately, individuals classified in a Developed/Positive profile reported the highest levels of adjustment. Jointly, individuals classified as Bicultural (60.49%) exhibited the highest levels of adjustment. The findings highlight the benefit of a positive bicultural identity that embraces both domains of cultural identity.

Internal and External Causal Explanations of Happiness

The present study extends previous research on the folk concept of happiness by investigating people's causal attributions toward the things that make them happy. Six hundred ten Italian adults (18–55 years old) took part in a questionnaire study. Respondents were asked to report five happiness sources and to provide ratings for both the attainment of these sources and the internal and external factors potentially causing them (self, other people, luck, chance). We also measured the participants’ levels of psychological well-being. Results showed that the participants’ happiness conceptions incorporated 27 categories of happiness sources referring to four semantic domains: relational life, personal life, hedonic psychological sources, and eudaimonic psychological sources. Multilevel analyses showed that internal attributions exceeded external attributions across all these domains; moreover, internal attributions positively predicted happiness attainment, whereas the latter was negatively associated with attributions to other people. Findings were interpreted in the Italian cultural and linguistic context.

Positive identity predicts psychological wellbeing in Chilean youth: A double-mediation model

Positive youth development (PYD) allows the youth to be comprehended from their potential, strengths and assets, in contrast to the traditional deficit view that focuses on their weaknesses. The PYD model promotes constructive behaviours in youth by highlighting the positive attributes usually found during the transition from childhood to adulthood to achieve healthy and optimal development in later life. Overall, PYD comprises five key competence (5C), the flourishing models and forty developmental assets. In the present study, a structural equation model is tested with the Chilean dataset of the PYD project on the premise that Positive Identity is the core internal developmental asset explaining Psychological wellbeing and that Confidence and Character are mediators of the relationship between Positive Identity and Psychological Wellbeing. The sample comprised 261 participants (n _Women = 189, n _Men = 72), Mean _Age = 22 years old, who were approached by an online survey uploaded to Qualtrics. The measures of the study included: The Developmental assets Scale, the Short-form of the Five Cs included in the PYD and the Mental Health Continuum Short-Form. The results indicated a good model fit (β = 1.74, Z _total = 10.63, χ ² = 424.95, df = 277, χ²/df = 1.53, p < 0.001, Robust CFI = 0.945, Robust RMSEA = 0.049, 90% CI (0.040, 0.058), AIC = 17689.91, saBIC = 17719.08 and SRMR = 0.061), highlighting the relevance of studying Latin-American adolescents and young 's wellbeing in times of COVID-19, as the participants' Positive Identity significantly predicted their Psychological Wellbeing, and simultaneously, this relationship was mediated by both their level of Confidence and Character.

"Doing good and feeling good" Relationship between authentic leadership with followers' work engagement: The mediating role of hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing

The positive behavioral style of authentic leadership has attracted academicians' and practitioners' attention to focus more on a healthy workplace environment and its influence on followers' valued workplace relationship outcomes, such as employees' work engagement. From the lens of social exchange perspective, we tested a unified model of authentic leadership and its influence on the followers' wellbeing (hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing) and work engagement. We also examined the mediating role of hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing on followers' work engagement. Using a time-lagged design, we collected data from 250 telecom sector workers employed in the capital city of Islamabad, Pakistan. The results indicate the positive influence of authentic leadership on followers' work engagement and employees' hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing. Hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing also positively mediated the relationship between authentic leadership and followers' work engagement. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are also discussed.

Questioning Contemporary Universalist Approaches to Human Flourishing

This article takes stock of the growing interest in flourishing measurement. The focus is on three challenges in this domain: the degree of coherent theorizing, the overreliance on psychometric validation, and the questionable universality of the measures. A rigorous process identified the eight most widely documented flourishing measures. All eight measures struggled with the three challenges. First, all measures were constructed on intuitive grounds, whether those bases were existing literatures, personal conceptualizations, or the intuition of an opposition of mental illness and flourishing. Second, all measures were assessed almost exclusively with psychometric studies, with little evidence of theoretical or cultural validity. Finally, all eight measures implicitly or explicitly assume cultural universality without providing theoretical argument or empirical evidence for that assumption. This stock-taking resulted in two main conclusions. First, there are areas of both consensus (e.g., that flourishing is a measurable, multidimensional construct) and dissensus (e.g., the components of flourishing) that can provide bases for future theory and research. Second, systematic theoretical argument is necessary to better understand what flourishing is, how it can be validly measured, and the degree to which it can be considered a universal human experience. It is time to address these theoretical and cultural questions.

Personality Traits, Personal Values, and Life Satisfaction among Polish Nurses

Nurses' life satisfaction (LS) predicts their health and the level of care they provide to patients, thus policies for promoting quality of nurses' work require actions to increase their LS. The aim of this study was to examine relations between LS and two levels of personality (traits and values) among Polish nurses, including joint effects of traits and values in a model integrating all variables to check whether meta-values can mediate trait-LS relationships. Nurses (N = 155) aged 23-64 completed the NEO-FFI, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and PVQ40. LS correlated with all traits, with openness higher than usual (0.34), and positively associated with meta-values: openness to change (0.23), self-transcendence (0.30), and ('unhealthy') conservation (0.19). Trait-value consistency was insufficient to explain some trait-value associations. In the SEM analysis, 23.3% of LS variance was explained. LS was related directly to neuroticism negatively and positively not only to extraversion, but also to openness, and self-transcendence meta-value (that increased value-environment congruence), and indirectly positively (through self-transcendence) to openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and even neuroticism. These results indicate that promoting nurses' health and quality of work by enhancing their LS requires supporting and increasing their identification with self-transcendence values and encourage research on factors that can increase it.

Examining the Relationship between Death Anxiety and Well-Being of Frontline Medical Staff during the COVID-19 Pandemic

To examine the well-being of medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted a survey of 705 medical staff who were involved in anti-epidemic work in China from 20 February to 16 March 2020. The findings of the present study showed a "psychological typhoon eye" effect in which the medical staff in areas with a high contagion rate showed a significantly lower level of death anxiety than those in low-contagion regions. We also found a significant negative relationship between death anxiety and hedonic well-being, but there was no relationship between death anxiety and eudaimonic well-being. Moreover, the results revealed that a narcissistic personality moderates the relationships between death anxiety and the two types of well-being. For those who had higher narcissistic personality scores, death anxiety had no negative effect on their well-being. The findings of the present study can help us to better understand the life profiles of medical staff and can also provide some practical implications for understanding the life conditions of medical staff when facing a great health crisis.

An Adaptive Motivation Approach to Understanding the 'How' and 'Why' of Wellbeing

A new model provides insight into the 'how' and 'why' of wellbeing to better understand the 'what'. Informed by evolutionary psychology and neuroscience, it proposes that systems for adaptive motivation underpin experiential and reflective wellbeing. The model proposes that the brain learns to predict situations, and errors arise between the predictions and experience. These prediction errors drive emotional experience, learning, motivation, decision-making, and the formation of wellbeing-relevant memories. The model differentiates four layers of wellbeing: objective, experiential, reflective, and narrative, which relate to the model in different ways. Constituents of wellbeing, human motives, and specific emotions integrate into the model. A simple computational implementation of the model reproduced several established wellbeing phenomena, including: the greater frequency of pleasant to unpleasant emotions, the stronger emotional salience of unpleasant emotions, hedonic adaptation to changes in circumstances, heritable influences on wellbeing, and affective forecasting errors. It highlights the importance of individual differences, and implies that high wellbeing will correlate with the experience of infrequent, routine, and predictable avoidance cues and frequent, varied, and novel approach cues. The model suggests that wellbeing arises directly from a system for adaptive motivation. This system functions like a mental dashboard that calls attention to situational changes and motivates the kinds of behaviours that gave humans a relative advantage in their ancestral environment. The model offers a set of fundamental principles and processes that may underlie diverse conceptualisations of wellbeing.

What constitutes a fulfilled life? A mixed methods study on lay perspectives across the lifespan

Recently, we initiated a new research line on fulfillment in life by developing a conceptual framework and a self-report measure. To enhance conceptual clarity and complement theoretical considerations and empirical findings, we investigated lay conceptions of a fulfilled life in German-speaking participants at different life stages. First, we selected a qualitative approach using an open-ended question asking participants to describe a fulfilled life. Second, for a more comprehensive understanding, quantitative data were collected about the relevance of sources in providing fulfillment and ratings on a fulfilling life in the present and a fulfilled life in retrospect. Qualitative content analysis was used to assess the responses to the open-ended question. One-fifth of the data was double coded, and intercoder reliability was high (Kappa = 0.89). Responses comprised a variety of descriptions, and we grouped them into seven themes, three of which overlapped with the prior conceptualization, namely the core elements of (a) general description, (b) cognitive appraisals, and (c) affective appraisals. Cognitive evaluations related to intrapersonal aspects, particularly having lived life fully, attained personally significant goals, and developed oneself, as well as interpersonal, generative aspects, such as having made a contribution and been able to leave something of value. These categories are mostly in line with what the Fulfilled Life Scale (FLS) measures. Further themes referred to correlates—including (d) sources—and antecedents, including (e) resources, (f) personal characteristics, and (g) quality of life, all considered worthy to be the subject of empirical investigation but which were not included in the conceptual model. Qualitative and quantitative results suggest that individuals derive fulfillment from different sources. Fulfillment from a profession and having a life task was strongly associated with longer-term fulfillment. Only a few age and sex differences were found. The overarching framework developed from the qualitative results can stimulate further investigation. Our findings underscore that a fulfilled life as a distinct construct should be measured directly rather than via a proxy. Insights into the constituents, sources, and antecedents of a fulfilled life can inform practice to promote a life well lived.

Assessing the Impact of Marine Tourism and Protection on Cultural Ecosystem Services Using Integrated Approach: A Case Study of Gili Matra Islands

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) are intangible benefits people obtain from an ecosystem through physical and cognitive interactions. Understanding CES provides vital insights into how activities impacting ecosystem services also impact people. Gili Matra Islands, a set of three small tropical islands located in West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, are an increasingly busy marine tourism destination and a marine protected area. By integrating a hedonic monetary value model with a eudaemonic non-monetary value model, this study examines the impacts of tourism and marine protected area management on cultural ecosystem services in the Gili Matra Islands. Results showed that the distance had significantly influenced property prices to coastlines, beach spots and coastlines with sunset views. In addition, the property prices of each individual island showed significant correlations with particular marine tourism and protection features. Less restricted marine protected zones and coastlines were the most significantly influencing variables to the strong eudaemonic well-being dimensions expressed by residents. The Spiritual dimension produced the highest score and was most significantly affected by several features. This study utilised higher accuracy of properties and residents' location, enabling more accurate assessments of interaction between CES and the features. This study also discusses how these novel insights in the small island's CES case can inform vulnerability assessments, reviews of recreation taxes, and spatial planning for marine protected areas and help optimise beach nourishments.

Interventions to enhance eudaemonic psychological well-being: A meta-analytic review with Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-being

This meta-analysis enhances our insight into the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving eudaemonic well-being. The focal outcome of these interventions is Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-being. We summarized experimental studies and concluded whether a specific intervention approach improves individual positive functioning by assessing the six dimensions of psychological well-being and the composite score of well-being. Our study confirmed that eudaemonic well-being can be improved. The strongest influence is seen in integral programs that link directly to Ryff's conceptual model. Breaking down to dimensional scores, existing interventions had the strongest influence on Environmental Mastery, Personal Growth, and Self-Acceptance. The weakest influence was on Autonomy and Positive Relations with Others. Overall, our result is an important contribution to the well-being literature in that it shows, more convincing than previous meta-analyses due to its exclusive and comprehensive focus on Ryff's model, that psychological eudaemonic well-being can be enhanced by targeted intervention programs.

Genetic, Social, and Lifestyle Drivers of Healthy Aging and Longevity

Purpose of Review

"Healthy aging" is the state of the aging process in which a person can maintain physical, social, mental, and spiritual wellness. This literature review presents an overview of recent studies that explore how biological, social, and environmental factors contribute to healthy aging.

Recent Findings

A number of genome-wide association studies have been conducted recently for traits related to healthy aging, such as frailty index, healthspan, muscle strength, and parental longevity, leading to the discovery of dozens of genetic variants associated with these traits. In parallel, associations between healthy aging measures and multiple non-biological environmental elements have been identified as key moderators of the aging process, indirectly influencing day-to-day homeostatic processes.

Summary

Individual variations in lifespan and healthspan are influenced by genetic factors, with a heritability of ~ 25% in developed countries. Non-genetic risk variance is explained in part by social, cultural, and lifestyle conditions. Altogether, these factors contribute to a multifaceted state of wellness over time, shaping individual risk to frailty and resilience during the aging process. Notably, "Blue Zone" populations, which are characterized by an abundance in healthy lifestyles across generations, share some commonalities regarding determinants of health.

Chinese international students’ conceptualizations of wellbeing: A prototype analysis

Wellbeing can mean different things to different people, even in the same culture with the same language. People living at the intersection of two languages and cultures, such as Chinese students studying in an English-speaking nation, not only speak a different language than their host country, but also may have different conceptualizations of wellbeing itself. This study investigated Chinese international students’ (aged 18–39, N = 123) conceptualizations of wellbeing using a modified prototype analysis, which provided insights on people’s underlying structure of the construct as revealed through language. Chinese international students’ conceptualizations of wellbeing were prototypically structured; key components of wellbeing included positive relationships, security, positivity/optimism, physical health, and self-strength. The findings broaden the understanding of layperson wellbeing conceptualizations, provide insights into the wellbeing related concepts and language that are most used by international Chinese students, and inform strategies that tertiary education institutions might adopt to effectively support Chinese international students’ wellbeing.

Promotion of Meaning in Life and Wellbeing Among University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic via a Service-Learning Subject

Utilizing the principle of “learning by doing,” service-learning (SL) course provides a platform for university students to apply academic knowledge in serving the community, reflecting on the serving experiences, deepening their understanding of the knowledge, and further improving their competence, responsibility, wellbeing, and meaning in life (MIL). This study reported university students' changes in psychological wellbeing (positive youth development attributes), subjective wellbeing (life satisfaction), and MIL after taking a SL subject during the COVID-19 pandemic through a one-group pretest-posttest design. Based on the data collected from 229 students (mean age = 20.86 ± 1.56 years, 48.0% females), repeated-measures multivariate general linear model (GLM) analyses revealed that students showed significant positive changes in wellbeing and MIL. In addition, pretest MIL scores positively predicted posttest scores of the two wellbeing measures but not vice versa. As predicted, improvement in MIL among students was closely associated with the positive changes in both psychological and subjective wellbeing measures. These findings suggest that SL participation during the pandemic may promote students' life meaning and foster their wellbeing. Furthermore, MIL and wellbeing may improve simultaneously, and MIL enhancement may further contribute to improvement in psychological and subjective wellbeing. The findings further prove that SL is an effective pedagogy in higher education settings in promoting youth positive development.

Response to TMS treatment for depression associated with higher levels of psychological well-being

Treatment resistant depression (TRD) is a complex condition associated with a great deal of disability and suffering. The relationship between TRD and psychological well-being (PWB) appears to be more complex than a simple antithesis. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a well-tolerated treatment for TRD. However successful, a drawback for TMS is that it has a lack of predictive biomarkers for treatment response. Our study focuses on the relationship between PWB and treatment resistant depression, and how PWB relates to TMS treatment response. We hypothesized that TMS treatment responders would have higher levels of PWB at baseline. In this study of 21 patients with TRD, we used the Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-Being and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). We found a significant relationship between environmental mastery, purpose in life, self-acceptance, and total PWB with baseline depression but no significant correlation between autonomy, personal growth, and positive relations with others and baseline PHQ-9 scores. No Ryff domain of PWB significantly predicted change in PHQ-9 score. Interestingly, however, we found that TMS responders had higher levels of autonomy (M(SD) = 62.10(10.46), p = 0.022) and personal growth (M(SD) = 65.00(11.04), p = 0.007) than non-responders at baseline. These specific aspects of well-being appear to be distinct from depression and particularly important in treatment response. This discovery suggests that assessing PWB might prove clinically useful when assessing future candidates for TMS treatment of TRD. Further research is necessary to evaluate the effects of TMS on PWB since these may be distinct from its effect on depression symptomology.

Education for Sustainable Development and Meaningfulness: Evidence from the Questionnaire of Eudaimonic Well-Being from German Students

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD, SDG 4) and human well-being (SDG 3) are among the central subjects of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this article, based on the Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-Being (QEWB), we investigate to what extent (a) there is a connection between EWB and practical commitment to the SDGs and whether (b) there is a deficit in EWB among young people in general. We also want to use the article to draw attention to the need for further research on the links between human well-being and commitment for sustainable development. A total of 114 students between the ages of 18 and 34, who are either engaged in (extra)curricular activities of sustainable development (28 students) or not (86 students), completed the QEWB. The students were interviewed twice: once regarding their current and their aspired EWB. Our results show that students who are actively engaged in activities for sustainable development report a higher EWB than non-active students. Furthermore, we show that students generally report deficits in EWB and wish for an improvement in their well-being. This especially applies to aspects of EWB related to self-discovery and the sense of meaning in life. Our study suggests that a practice-oriented ESD in particular can have a positive effect on the quality of life of young students and can support them in working on deficits in EWB.

Authenticity as Best-Self: The Experiences of Women in Law Enforcement

Law enforcement poses a difficult work environment. Employees’ wellbeing is uniquely taxed in coping with daily violent, aggressive and hostile encounters. These challenges are compounded for women, because law enforcement remains to be a male-dominated occupational context. Yet, many women in law enforcement display resilience and succeed in maintaining a satisfying career. This study explores the experience of being authentic from a best-self perspective, for women with successful careers in the South African police and traffic law enforcement services. Authenticity research substantiates a clear link between feeling authentic and experiencing psychological wellbeing. The theoretical assumption on which the study is based holds that being authentic relates to a sense of best-self and enables constructive coping and adjustment in a challenging work environment. A qualitative study was conducted on a purposive sample of 12 women, comprising 6 police officers and 6 traffic officers from the Western Cape province in South Africa. Data were gathered through narrative interviews focussing on experiences of best-self and were analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. During the interviews, participants predominantly described feeling authentic in response to work-related events of a conflictual and challenging nature. Four themes were constructed from the data to describe authenticity from a best-self perspective for women in the study. These themes denote that the participating women in law enforcement, express feeling authentic when they present with a mature sense of self, feel spiritually congruent and grounded, experience self-actualisation in the work–role and realign to a positive way of being. Women should be empowered towards authenticity in their world of work, by helping them to acquire the best-self characteristics needed for developing authenticity.

Further Investigation of the Dimensionality of the Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-Being

The dimensionality of the Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-Being (QEWB) has been a topic of debate and divergent findings in the literature up to date. This study investigated the factor structure and measurement invariance of the QEWB in four culturally diverse South African samples using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), bifactor CFA, exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM), and bifactor ESEM. Three student samples completed the English (n = 326), Afrikaans (n = 478), or Setswana (n = 260) version of the QEWB. An adult sample (n = 262) completed the English version. The one-factor structure revealed poor fit for the student samples. Although the four-factor models generally showed slightly better fit than the three-factor models, the latter was preferred for parsimony. The bifactor ESEM model displayed good fit for the student samples, with the general factor and some specific factors attaining sufficient reliability scores, pointing to the potential use of the scale in these samples. Configural invariance between the student samples was supported, but not metric nor scalar invariance. For the adult sample, none of the models displayed good fit and the use of the QEWB in this sample is not recommended. The results point towards the existence of a global eudaimonic well-being factor and, at the same time, the interrelatedness of facets of eudaimonic well-being. It suggests that eudaimonic well-being may be represented by the same items across the three student groups. The influence of developmental phase on the manifestation and measurement of eudaimonic well-being should be explored in future.

Eudaimonic Well-Being for Lesbian and Bisexual Women: The Roles of Religion and Social Connectedness

Understanding how religion and well-being are related for lesbian and bisexual women provides important context for clinical interventions. Current literature in the field diverges on whether the relationship between religious commitment and well-being is positive for those in the queer community. The current study examines whether an independent or interdependent self-construal explains the relationship between religious commitment and eudaimonic well-being (EWB) for lesbian and bisexual women. This empirical study used data from the Multi-Site University Study on Identity and Culture, a research collaboration amongst 30 colleges and universities in the United States. Findings suggest that although self-construal does not mediate the relationship between religious commitment and well-being, there are significant effects between religious commitment and EWB as well as an independent self-construal and EWB. These findings provide a deeper understanding of variables associated with greater well-being and are important for the advancement of research and practice with queer women.

Insights Into Sibling Relationships and Longevity From Genetics of Healthy Ageing Nonagenarians: The Importance of Optimisation, Resilience and Social Networks

Understanding how to “Age Longer and Age Well” is a priority for people personally, for populations and for government policy. Approximately ten percent of nonagenarians reach 90 years and beyond in good condition and seem to have a combination of both age-span and health-span. However, the factors which contribute to human longevity remain challenging. Culture is a shared system of learning ideas, feelings, and survival strategies. It has a strong influence on each person’s psychological development, behavior, values and beliefs. Nonagenarians have rich life experiences that can teach us much about aging well; they are rich reservoirs of genetic, lifestyle and psychological information which can help understanding about how to live longer and better. Sibling or trio nonagenarians are important sources of family beliefs and behaviors upon which individual personalities may have been built. Their personal family histories and narratives are powerful tools that help to determine familial traits, beliefs and social behaviors which may help establish factors important in the siblings’ longevity. Using purposefully selected subjects, recruited to the Genetics of Healthy Ageing (GeHA) project in four European countries, this research used the simple life story and qualitative research methods to analyze contrasting and distinctive questions about the interface between the psychological and social worlds as presented in the nonagenarian siblings’ insights about their longevity. Their stories aimed to give better understanding about which psychological aspects of their common life journey and the degree of emotional support in their sibling relationships may have supported their paths to longevity. The most universal finding in each of the four European countries was that nonagenarians demonstrated high positivity, resilience and coping skills and were supported in social networks. Around this theme, nonagenarians reported “being happy,” “always cheerful,” “never melancholy” and having a contentment with a “rich life” and family relationships which fits with accumulating evidence that life satisfaction comes from a perceived self-efficacy and optimism. Most sibling relationships in this study, when analyzed according to the Gold classification, fit the “congenial” or “loyal” relationship type – demonstrating a healthy respect for the others’ opinion without overt dependence, which may help individual coping and survival mechanisms.

Hot Yoga Leads to Greater Well-being: A Six-week Experience-sampling RCT in Healthy Adults

Practicing hot yoga may bring significant psychological benefits, but it is largely unstudied. We examined the effects of hot yoga on multifaceted well-being indicators with 290 healthy yoga-naïve volunteers partaking in a six-week randomized controlled trial. Participants completed questionnaires pre- and post-intervention, and reported their emotional experiences four times per day throughout an experience-sampling study. Results revealed that the hot yoga group (n = 137) improved their well-being from pre- to post-treatment, comparing to the wait-list control group (n = 153). These improvements included life satisfaction, general health, mindfulness, peace of mind, and eudaimonic well-being (ΔR² ranging from .01 to .08)-but not flourishing, which describes major aspects of social-psychological functioning. Multilevel analyses demonstrated that momentary positive emotional experiences increased significantly throughout the trial in the yoga group only (conditional R² = .68), particularly when attending a yoga class (conditional R² = .50). Interestingly, this increase in momentary positive emotion explained the improvement in post-intervention mindfulness, peace of mind, and general health by 21%, 31%, and 11%, respectively. Finally, the benefits of hot yoga were more notable in individuals with lower levels of baseline eudaimonic well-being (conditional R² = .45), flourishing (conditional R² = .61), and mental well-being (conditional R² = .65), even after ruling out any possible ceiling effects. To sum up, this study demonstrated multiple psychological benefits of hot yoga and its potential to be an effective positive psychology intervention. Future research-especially considering an active control group-is warranted.

Heard, valued, supported? Doctors' wellbeing during transitions triggered by COVID-19

INTRODUCTION

Supporting doctors' wellbeing is crucial for medical education to help minimise negative long-term impacts on medical workforce retention and ultimately patient care. There is limited study of how doctors' transitions experiences impact wellbeing, particularly socially and culturally. Multiple Multidimensional Transitions (MMT) theory views transitions as dynamic, incorporating multiple contexts and multiple domains. Using MMT as our lens, we report a qualitative analysis of how transitions experienced by doctors during the pandemic impacted on social and cultural aspects of wellbeing.

METHODS

Longitudinal narrative inquiry was employed, using interviews and audio-diaries. Data were collected over 6 months in three phases: (i) interviews with doctors from across the career spectrum (n = 98); (ii) longitudinal audio-diaries for 2-4 months (n = 71); (iii) second interviews (n = 83). Data were analysed abductively, narrowing focus to factors important to social and cultural wellbeing.

RESULTS

Doctors described experiencing multiple interacting transitions triggered by the pandemic in multiple contexts (workplace, role, homelife and education). Patterns identifiable across the dataset allowed us to explore social and cultural wellbeing crosscutting beyond individual experience. Three critical factors contributed to social and cultural wellbeing both positively and negatively: being heard (e.g., by colleagues asking how they are); being valued (e.g., removal of rest spaces by organisations showing lack of value); and being supported (e.g., through regular briefing by education bodies).

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first to longitudinally explore the multiple-multidimensional transitions experienced by doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our data analysis helped us move beyond existing perceptions around wellbeing and articulate multiple factors that contribute to social and cultural wellbeing. It is vital that medical educators consider the learning from these experiences to help pinpoint what aspects of support might be beneficial to trainee doctors and their trainers. This study forms the basis for developing evidenced-based interventions that ensure doctors are heard, valued and supported.

Happy Hosts? Hedonic and Eudaimonic Wellbeing in the Sharing Economy

Sharing economy platforms mediate exchanges between service providers and consumers. The experiences of service providers in the sharing economy have been extensively studied. Nevertheless, our knowledge in regard to the extent to which providers’ participation influences their wellbeing remains incomplete. This study focuses on the peer-to-peer accommodation platform Airbnb and explores why and how different aspects involved in hosting can contribute to or hinder hosts’ hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing. To that end, I conducted a netnography and depth interviews with Airbnb hosts. Based on a qualitative analysis of the overall dataset, I identify three sources of positive affect associated with hosting, namely, the sociability involved in the host-guest interaction, the act of providing hospitality, and positive feedback from guests. However, I also identify four conditions, which can turn hosting into a source of negative affect, namely, customer misbehavior, high volumes of guests, negative reviews, and income dependency. In addition, I elaborate on the relationship between hosting and life satisfaction in regard to the income that hosts generate through hosting and the working conditions of Airbnb hosts. Last but not least, I show that being a provider on Airbnb can contribute to (and in some cases hinder) eudaimonic wellbeing, focusing on four dimensions of eudaimonia, namely, self-realization, personal growth, a sense of purpose and meaning, and relationships. Theoretical and managerial implications for service providers and sharing economy platforms are discussed.