The Relationship Between Character Strengths and Subjective Well-Being Among Chinese Impoverished College Students: The Chain Mediating Roles of Perceived Social Support and Positive Emotions

Background and Objective

The mental health of economically disadvantaged college students in China is notably inferior to that of their non-disadvantaged peers. As such, these students necessitate a broader spectrum of psychological support beyond mere financial assistance. Seligman's PERMA theory has established a compelling association between social support and positive emotions with subjective well-being. However, there is a scarcity of research focusing on character strengths within this framework, particularly the mechanisms that underlie their relationship. Hence, this study aims to examine the relationship between character strengths and subjective well-being among Chinese impoverished college students, while also delving into the chain mediating roles of perceived social support and positive emotions.

Methods

A convenience sampling method was employed to collect cross-sectional data from impoverished college students. Participants (N=336, Mean age=20.67) were assessed using four instruments: the Chinese Virtues Questionnaire (CVQ-96), the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS).

Results

Character strengths, perceived social support, positive emotions, and subjective well-being were all significantly positively correlated with each other (p<0.01). In addition, regression analysis indicated that character strengths positively predicted perceived social support (β=0.71, p<0.001), positive emotions (β=0.44, p<0.001), and subjective well-being (β=0.52, p<0.001). Perceived social support positively predicted positive emotions (β=0.34, p<0.001), and subjective well-being (β=0.44, p<0.001). Positive emotions positively predicted subjective well-being (β=0.88, p<0.001). Furthermore, chain mediation analysis revealed that character strengths influenced subjective well-being both directly and indirectly through perceived social support and positive emotions.

Conclusion

Perceived social support and positive emotions play a chain mediating role between character strengths and subjective well-being among impoverished college students.

A compact diamond shaped ultra-wide band antenna system for diagnosing breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Antennas for the microwave imaging system are large which results in higher radiation, manufacturing cost, poor radiation characteristics and it will be difficult to locate on breast tissues.

OBJECTIVE

We propose a wearable ultra-wide band antenna for use in the diagnosis of breast cancer bio-medical applications.

METHODS

The antenna has been fabricated on 1.6 mm FR4 substrate with a dimension of 28 × 14.4 mm2 and can operate between 2 GHz-12 GHz with S11<-10 dB with best radiation characteristics. The prototype of the proposed antenna was fabricated and practically tested and the results were found to be consistent with the simulated results. The proposed UWB antenna is intended to radiate and receive information covering the entire spectrum from 3 GHz to 13 GHz. For good impendence matching throughout the larger spectrum, the defected ground structure (diamond shape) was exploited. All the dimensions of the proposed design are confirmed by parametric study and optimization.

RESULTS

The maximum simulated efficiency was ranging from 80 to 84% in the desired operating frequency. The maximum Specific Absorption Rate of the proposed antenna was 0.98 W/Kg. Therefore, the proposed UWB antenna could be the right structure for breast cancer diagnosis in terms of SAR. The antenna was found to have a substantial radiation efficiency of around 78%-84% in the desired operating bandwidth. The overall realized gain of the proposed UWB antenna was seen ranging from 1.8-4.2 dB which is sufficient for bio-medical applications.

CONCLUSION

The breast phantom was modeled for the validation of the performance of the antenna and SAR was analyzed. The value of SAR of the designed antenna was observed at about 0.98 W/Kg, which is suitable for medical applications.