The Pemberton Happiness Index: Validation of the Universal Portuguese version in a large Brazilian sample

Development of a Multiplatform Tool for the Prevention of Prevalent Mental Health Pathologies in Adults: Protocol for a Randomized Control Trial

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of depression and anxiety has increased in recent years, with many individuals having trouble accessing mental health support. Smartphones have become an integral part of modern life, with apps offering new ways to deliver evidence-based self-help strategies to cope with common mental health symptoms. However, most of them do not have empirical evidence of their overall effectiveness or the effectiveness of their components, which could pose a risk for users.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the modules of evaluation, psychoeducation, and emotional regulation strategies in a multiplatform self-help mental health mobile app in the Maule region of Chile.

METHODS

A sample of 196 adults will be selected, who will be randomly assigned to different components of the app for a fixed period to assess its ability to reduce symptomatology.

RESULTS

The trial is not yet recruiting and is expected to end in October 2024. The first results are expected in April 2024.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study in Chile to develop and test the effectiveness of a mobile app to manage anxiety and depression symptoms in adults. The intervention proposed is based on evidence suggesting that the internet or remote intervention tools and self-management of prevalent symptomatology could be the future of mental health care systems in the digital era. If the effects of the intervention are positive, wide implementation in Chile and other Spanish-speaking countries could be possible in the future.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/52324.

Level of happiness among medical students in Bihar-An online survey

BACKGROUND

Happiness is a state of mental well-being and influences the learning and performance of an individual. Medical education due to its academic culture and longer course duration affects the performance and happiness of the students. So, this study was done to assess the level of happiness and the factors associated with it among medical students in Bihar.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 321 medical students of all academic years from various medical colleges in Bihar. This study used a self-administered study tool using the online Google Form platform for data collection and assessed the level of happiness using Oxford Happiness Questionnaire. A multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was done to find out the predictors of happiness.

RESULTS

A total of 34.6% (95% CI: 29.5-39.9%) medical students were happy. Male (38.2%) students were found to be happier than female (29.2%) students. Age, place of stay, physical activity, meditation and yoga, frequent socialization, absence of psychiatric illness, and stressful situation in the family were the independent predictors of happiness. Around 42.4% of students had another career option, and 32.1% had a second thought about a career due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The presence of any psychiatric illness had a significant effect on the happiness level of the students.

CONCLUSION

Only one in three medical students is happy. Promotion of physical activity, meditation and yoga, and socialization will improve the happiness and thereby learning among medical students.

Factors of life satisfaction and happiness among dentists: A cross sectional study

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Predictors of happiness and satisfaction with life in individuals from the Brazilian general population who use social networks: a cross-sectional study

This study aimed to identify possible conditions associated with the perception of happiness and satisfaction with life in a sample of the Brazilian population who use social networks. This was a cross-sectional study with participants recruited online in five regions of Brazil via Facebook and WhatsApp. Data were collected from October 2015 to October 2016. The instruments used were the Pemberton Happiness Index, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and a questionnaire regarding sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and issues potentially associated with the feeling of happiness. In total, 2,151 participants were included. A total of five variables exerted the greatest influence on higher levels of happiness and satisfaction with life in the multiple linear regression model, in the multiple logistic regression analysis, and in the decision tree model. Being satisfied with financial circumstances, having a positive self-evaluation of health, having frequent family gatherings, engaging in physical activity ≥ 3 times a week, and having no previous psychological/psychiatric diagnosis are variables that "seem" to positively influence Brazilians' perception of happiness and satisfaction with life. We identified some predictors of happiness and satisfaction with life, which were mainly related to the social activities and personal satisfaction of the participating individuals. Encouraging people to seek strategies for increasing levels of happiness and life satisfaction based on modifiable variables, such as those found, can be helpful in this context.

Assessing the Real-time Influence of Racism-Related Stress and Suicidality Among Black Men: Protocol for an Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

BACKGROUND

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among Black adults aged 18-35 years. Although men represent a majority of suicide deaths among Black adults, less is known regarding the extent to which unique cultural stressors, such as racism-related stress (eg, racial discrimination), are salient in exacerbating suicide risk among Black men. Moreover, few studies examine the daily influence of racism-related stressors on suicide outcomes using real-time smartphone-based approaches. Smartphone-based mobile health approaches using ecological momentary assessments (EMA) provide an opportunity to assess and characterize racism-related stressors as a culturally sensitive suicide risk factor among Black young adult men.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study is to describe a protocol development process that aims to capture real-time racism-related stressors and suicide outcomes using a smartphone-based EMA platform (MetricWire).

METHODS

Guided by the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (ITS), we developed a brief EMA protocol using a multiphased approach. First, we conducted a literature review to identify brief measures previously used in EMA studies, with special emphasis on studies including Black participants. The identified measures were then shortened to items with the highest construct validity (eg, factor loadings) and revised to reflect momentary or daily frequency. Feasibility and acceptability of the study protocol will be assessed using self-report survey and qualitative responses. To protect participants from harm, a three-tier safety protocol was developed to identify participants with moderate, elevated, and acute risk based on EMA survey response to trigger outreach by the study coordinator.

RESULTS

The final EMA protocol, which will be completed over a 7-day period, is comprised of 15 questions administered 4 times per day and a daily questionnaire of 22 items related to sleep-related impairment and disruption, as well as racism-related stress. Study recruitment is currently underway. We anticipate the study will be completed in February 2023. Dissemination will be conducted through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

CONCLUSIONS

This protocol will address gaps in our understanding of Black men's suicide outcomes in the social contexts that they regularly navigate and will clarify the temporal role of racism-related stressors that influence suicidal outcomes.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/31241.

Exploratory Study of the Relationship Between Happiness and the Rise of Media Consumption During COVID-19 Confinement

The confinement of the population into their homes as a result of COVID-19 has entailed a notable increase in the consumption of diverse media. This exploratory study aimed to examine how the increase in media consumption was related to subjective happiness and psychological well-being. For this purpose, a questionnaire was administered to a sample of Spanish adults (n = 249; 53.8% women; aged between 18 and 75, M_age = 42.06, SD = 12.37) to assess their consumption of different media before and during confinement. Moreover, participants were evaluated for hedonic, eudaimonic, social, and experienced happiness by using the Pemberton Happiness Index (PHI). The results underlined the great increase in the consumption of TV for entertainment and social networking sites (SNS) during confinement. Furthermore, it was found that higher consumption was negatively correlated with the level of happiness, so that, people who reported greater well-being, both subjective and psychological, spent less time watching TV and using SNS. In contrast, no association was found between the level of happiness and the consumption of news (regardless of the media) and radio. Therefore, it seems that far from cultivating greater happiness, those who engaged in heavy consumption of TV entertainment and SNS during confinement were less happy than those who did so more moderately and spent more time using other media or performing other activities.

Association of social participation, perception of neighborhood social cohesion, and social media use with happiness: Evidence of trade-off (JCOP-20-277)

Social participation and neighborhood social cohesion are positively associated with health and wellbeing. Given that in-person social interactions have generally dwindled over the past several decades at least in Western countries and social media use has become more common, in this study, we examined whether and how social media use interacts with social participation and neighborhood social cohesion in influencing happiness. Data were gathered from a representative sample of adults in Massachusetts, USA. General linear model was used to estimate the main and interaction effects of social participation, perception of neighborhood social cohesion and social media use on happiness, controlling for sociodemographics, marital status, employment, and self-rated health. Results indicated that both social participation and perception of neighborhood social cohesion were positively associated with happiness whereas social media use was not. However, there was a significant interaction effect of social media use and perception of neighborhood social cohesion on happiness. Compared with people with a high perception of neighborhood social cohesion, those with low perception were more likely to be happy as their social media use increased, suggesting that social media use may be helpful to promote happiness among people who perceive their neighborhoods as less supportive, trustworthy, and close-knit.

An explorative analysis of the differences in levels of happiness between cancer patients, informal caregivers and the general population

Background

Although cancer patients experience distressing symptoms and health-related changes in their quality of life, they may report positive emotional states. The lives of informal caregivers of cancer patients may also be affected by the patient’s cancer diagnosis; however, they may also find benefits in their experiences. Noticeable changes are reported in personal priorities after an oncologic diagnosis that can lead individuals to restructure their values and the way they perceive life. This study aims to assess happiness/satisfaction with life and positive and negative affect in cancer patients and informal caregivers compared with healthy people in the general population.

Methods

A cross-sectional study with participants recruited online in five regions of Brazil through the social network site Facebook® and the application WhatsApp®. Surveys were completed using the SurveyMonkey® platform. A different sample of cancer patients and informal caregivers that was personally interviewed with the same forms was also grouped in the present analysis. Variables with p-values < 0.05 in the univariate analysis were included in linear regression models (stepwise, backward).

Results

A total of 2580 participants were included, of whom 2112 were healthy representatives of the general population, 342 were cancer patients, and 126 were informal caregivers of cancer patients. In the multivariate analysis, the cancer patients and informal caregivers were happier than the healthy people in the general population, even after controlling for age, sex, educational level, and income. The patients and caregivers had lower scores for positive affect and higher scores for negative affect.

Conclusions

Overall, the conditions related to happiness, satisfaction with life and positive affect are similar for all groups. However, cancer patients and informal caregivers report increased rates of happiness and satisfaction with life compared with theoretically healthy people, although they have lower positive affect scores and higher negative affect scores. It is suggested that cancer patients and caregivers of cancer patients experience more difficulties (suffering) on ​​a daily basis. However, given the increased difficulties, they perceive life differently, reporting that they are happier.