Character strengths intervention for nurturing well-being among Pakistan's university students: A mixed-method study

A Measure for Assessing Academic Virtues and Strengths in the University Setting: Construction and Initial Examination of Structure and Correlates

This research demonstrates the construction and preliminary examination of the structure of a domain-specific measure, namely the Character Strengths Scale for University Students (CSSUS). Reflecting the use of the 24 Values in Action (VIA) strengths in the study domain, the CSSUS likely adds greater specificity to the findings pertinent for devising and implementing meaningful strategies for furthering academic development, student learning, and well-being in higher education. Derived from best practices, the item generation process of the CSSUS was based on four steps: (1) identification of the domain, (2) item generation, (3) content validity, and (4) field pre-testing of the items of the CSSUS. The initial examination of the factors of the CSSUS was based on a sample of 540 undergraduate and graduate students studying in Lahore, Pakistan. Results provided evidence of a four-factor structure of the CSSUS. Furthermore, the CSSUS and its subscales were positively related to academic achievement and the measures of satisfaction with life, positivity, and student self-efficacy. In addition, the CSSUS and its subscales were negatively related to the measure of academic burnout. The correlations provided evidence of the concurrent criterion-related validity of the scale. Moreover, female students reported higher levels of love and spirituality, whereas male students higher levels of leadership, creativity, and bravery. Also, there was no significant difference in the use of academic virtues with regard to gender, level of education (undergraduate and graduate), study discipline (agricultural sciences, humanities, health sciences, and engineering technology), type of university (public and private), and level of academic performance (low, medium, and high). The theoretical contribution and practice implications of the results are discussed. Limitations of the study and prospects for future research are also discussed.

Strengths use and thriving at work among nurses: a latent profile and mediation analysis

BACKGROUND

The ability to thrive at work has been demonstrated to be closely linked to the development of nurses.Effective utilization of strengths and maintaining hope are essential elements for clinical nurses' ability to flourish in their roles. Nevertheless, the relationship between strengths use, hope, and thriving at work remains underexplored. This study aimed to identify distinct subgroups of clinical nurses based on their strengths use and to examine the mediating effect of hope between strengths use and thriving at work. The findings are intended to inform clinical managers on strategies to enhance nurses' work performance and care quality.

METHODS

A convenience sample of 568 clinical nurses from two tertiary hospitals in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China, was recruited between January and March 2024. The survey collected sociodemographic data and included the Adult Dispositional Hope Scale, Strengths Use Scale, and Thriving at Work Scale. Potential categories of nurse strengths use characteristics were identified using potential profile analysis, and potential relationships between variables were determined using Pearson correlation analysis, Bayesian factor robustness analyses, and Mediation analysis.

RESULTS

LPA identified three distinct groups based on strengths use: low (30.8%), moderate (64.9%), and high (13.2%).The significant mediating effect of hope in the relationship between strengths use based on latent profile analysis and thriving at work was observed (SE = 0.61,95%CI = -10.01, -7.62; SE = 0.76,95%CI = -18.91, -15.91, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

There exists heterogeneity in nurses' strengths use. Hope plays a significant role in mediating the relationship between strengths use and thriving at work. It is recommended that nursing administrators or leaders pay attention to differences in individual levels of strengths use, encourage strengths-based practices and design interventions that foster hope, thereby promoting greater thriving in their professional roles.

Develop Your CORE2 for Career Flourishing: A Career Development Workshop for Hospitalists

Introduction

Appreciative inquiry harnesses an individual's strengths to realize positive change, and a flourishing-focused mindset emphasizes engagement, social connectivity, and seeking meaningful work. Though the impact of these models on physician well-being and career planning has been evaluated in graduate medical education, their integration into career development initiatives for faculty has been limited. We designed a workshop to nurture hospitalist career development, based on our CORE2 conceptual framework (character strengths, overall vision, role assessment, explicit goals, and evaluation).

Methods

We presented the workshop at the 2022 and 2023 Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) annual conferences. This 1.5-hour workshop comprised four modules and three small-group activities designed to help participants identify their signature character strengths, draft a professional vision statement, prioritize professional roles, and develop SMART goals aligned with these roles.

Results

At the 2023 SHM annual conference, 36 participants attended the workshop, and 32 (89%) completed pre- and postworkshop surveys. After workshop completion, participants' self-assessed familiarity with their signature character strengths, knowledge of evidence-based principles to develop SMART goals, and confidence in their ability to write a vision statement and SMART goals all increased significantly (p < .05).

Discussion

This workshop provides a valuable framework for self-directed longitudinal career development and reflection. We build on prior curricula on educator identity formation by guiding participants from identity definition to professional vision development to professional role evaluation to aligned goal creation and iterative evaluation. Our workshop's principles are readily generalizable to clinician-educators across medical disciplines.

Art-of-Living Intervention Imparted Through a Blended Learning Approach to Nurture Positivity Among Pakistan's University Students During COVID-19: A Growth Curve Analysis

Art-of-living allows individuals to live a contemplative, mindful, and active life to attain well-being. This study demonstrates the development and implementation of an art-of-living training intervention to nurture positivity among Pakistan's university students during COVID-19. To ensure the efficacy of teaching and learning during the second wave of the pandemic, the intervention was imparted through a blended learning approach comprising two modes: (1) online learning and (2) offline personal and collaborative learning. This approach was based on the emotionalized learning experiences (ELE) format to make learning more engaging, permanent, and gratifying. The study comprised 243 students randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 122) and a wait-list control group (n = 121). Growth curve analysis indicated that positivity together with the components of art-of-living-self-efficacy, savoring, social contacts, physical care, and meaning-and overall art-of-living increased at a greater rate in the experimental group than in the control group from pretest to posttest and from posttest to follow-up measurement. The analysis provided an all-encompassing view of how positivity developed in the two groups over time. There were significant variations in participants' initial status (intercepts) and growth trajectories (slopes). The influence of participants' initial positivity scores suggested that students with high initial positivity scores had a slower increase in linear growth, whereas those with low initial positivity scores had a faster increase in linear growth over time. The success of the intervention may be attributed to the dimensions of ELE-embodied in the two modes-and fidelity to intervention for effectively implementing the blended learning approach.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10902-023-00664-0.

The Effects of an Online Positive Psychology Course on Happiness, Health, and Well-Being

This study investigated the effects of an 8-week online positive psychology course on happiness, health, and well-being. There were 65 undergraduate students in the course and a comparison group of 63 undergraduates taking other online psychology courses. The participants were assessed on positive mental health (e.g., happiness, positive emotions), negative mental health (e.g., anxiety, depression), general health, and personal characteristics (e.g., hope, resilience) during the first and last week of the courses. The anxiety and depression measures had cut-offs for clinically significant symptoms. The hypotheses were that the positive psychology students would have significant improvements on all measures and a reduction in the percent anxious and depressed relative to the comparison group. The hypotheses were supported with large effect sizes for positive and negative mental health (mean ds = 0.907 and - 0.779, respectively) and medium-to-large effects for general health and personal characteristics (d = 0.674 and mean ds = 0.590, respectively). There was a reduction from 49.2 to 23.1% percent anxious and from 18.6 to 6.2% percent depressed with no change in the comparison group. In addition, improvements in the online positive psychology course were compared with a previous study of a similar face-to-face positive psychology course (Smith et al., 2021) showing the effect sizes for improvements relative to the comparison groups were larger in the online vs. face-to-face course (mean ds = 0.878. vs. 0.593). Possible explanations for these differences are discussed along with the implications for maximizing the benefits of positive psychology courses in the future.

Emotional support received moderates academic stress and mental well-being in a sample of Afghan university students amid COVID-19

BACKGROUND

Academic stress experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered high levels of anxiety and depression and other severe mental health issues among university students around the globe. In Afghanistan, there is a paucity of research on the academic and mental health issues of Afghan university students and none pertaining to their academic stress and mental well-being amid the pandemic.

AIM

This research examines the potential stress-buffering role of emotional support received between academic stress and mental well-being in a sample of Afghan university students during the COVID-19 outbreak.

METHOD

The study sample comprised 508 Afghan university students. An online survey was developed for data collection. Model 1 of the PROCESS macro was used to conduct the moderation analysis.

RESULTS

These indicate that moderate and high levels of emotional support received may protect against the negative effects of higher levels of academic stress on mental well-being.

CONCLUSION

This research makes an important contribution to the literature on social support. It may be inferred from the results that Afghan university students who experience academic stress, but have strong emotional support are able to attain greater mental well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak as compared to those with weak emotional support. Results may encourage mental health practitioners, university counselors, education administrators, and faculty to jointly formulate strategies for offering emotional support to Afghan university students.

Testing the Career Construction Model of Adaptation in a Sample of Afghanistan’s Working Adults: A Longitudinal Study

This study tested the Career Construction Model of Adaptation (CCMA) in a sample of Afghanistan’s working adults amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The measures of adaptation were applied at three time points, that is, positive orientation toward future (adaptive readiness) at Time 1, career adaptability (adaptability resources) and competence need satisfaction at work (adapting responses) at Time 2, and meaningful work (adaptation result) at Time 3. Testing the model through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) indicated that the indirect effect of positive orientation toward future at Time 1 on meaningful work at Time 3 via the combination of career adaptability and competence need satisfaction at work at Time 2 was significant and positive. Results support Afghan employees’ career construction over time. Theoretical contribution of the results and strategies for assisting Afghan employees in crafting their careers in the current political situation are discussed. Study limitations and prospects for future research are also discussed.

Strengthening career adaptation among school teachers in Pakistan: Test of strengths-based career intervention imparted through emotionalized learning experiences

This study demonstrated that the Exemplary Teaching intervention offered to Pakistan's school teachers through the emotionalized learning experiences (ELE) format fared better than that offered through the teacher-centered methodology as regards the development of career adaptability, teaching self-efficacy, and work engagement from Time 1 to Time 2. Analyses to explore the development of career variables from Time 2 to Time 4 revealed that only the teachers who were offered the ELE intervention effectively engaged in step-by-step career construction over the academic year. Theoretical contributions of the results and implications for offering future career interventions amid COVID-19 are also discussed.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10775-021-09502-2.