Resilience or hope? Incremental and convergent validity of the resilience scale for adults (RSA) and the Herth hope scale (HHS) in the prediction of anxiety and depression

Positive effects of parent-child group emotional regulation and resilience training on nonsuicidal self-injury behavior in adolescents: a quasi-experimental study

Background

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents is a growing global concern. However, effective interventions for treating NSSI are limited.

Method

A 36-week quasi-experimental study design of parent-child group resilience training (intervention group) for adolescents aged 12-17 years was used and compared with treatment-as-usual (control group). The primary endpoint was the frequency of NSSI assessed with the Ottawa Self-Injury Inventory (OSI), and the secondary endpoints were the levels of depression, hope, resilience, and family adaptability and cohesion as assessed by the 24-item Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD-24), Herth Hope Scale (HHS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale, second edition (FACES-II-CV), respectively.

Result

A total of 118 participants completed the trial. Both groups showed a significant reduction in NSSI frequency after 12, 24, and 36 weeks of intervention (p< 0.05), although the intervention group did not differ significantly from the control group. After 12, 24, and 36 weeks of intervention, the CD-RISC, HHS, HAMD-24, and FACES-II-CV scores in the intervention and control groups improved over baseline (p< 0.05). Furthermore, the intervention group had higher scores on the CD-RISC, HHS, and FACES-II-CV and lower scores on the HAMD-24 than the control group after 12, 24, and 36 weeks of intervention (p  < 0.05).

Conclusion

Parent-child group emotional regulation and resilience training showed promise as treatment options for NSSI among adolescents, leading to increased hope, resilience, and improved family dynamics among NSSI teens. Moreover, NSSI frequency significantly decreased in the intervention group compared to baseline.

Feeling hopeful: development and validation of the trait emotion hope scale

While prominent measures of hope are largely cognitive in nature, many scholars and laypeople view hope primarily as an emotion. Although Snyder's Elaborated Hope Theory attempts to theoretically balance these two perspectives, no measure yet exists of hope as a purely emotional process, only as a cognitive process. Overlooking the emotional features of hope limits our ability to more fully and precisely understand this construct. As such, across three studies (N = 2,900), we develop and validate the Trait Emotion Hope Scale (TEHS). In Study 1, we report on item development and piloting of the TEHS, examining internal consistency as well as convergent and discriminant validity. Study 2 includes an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and further examines internal consistency and construct validity. Finally, in Study 3 we report a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to cross-validate the factor structure identified in Study 2 in a large, international sample. Importantly, we find that the TEHS accounts for significant unique variance beyond cognitive hope, indicating that the two constructs are distinct and not redundant. Taken together, these three studies demonstrate that the TEHS is psychometrically sound and provides a valid measure for those interested in examining hope as an emotion in their research.

Impact of the war in Ukraine on resilience, protective, and vulnerability factors

War or armed conflict is one of the most severe human-made adversities. The current study examines the resilience, protective, and vulnerability factors of a sample of Ukrainian civilians, during the current Russian-Ukrainian war. The level of resilience and coping indicators were compared with the responses of an Israeli sample following an armed conflict in May 2021. The data were collected by an internet panel company. A representative sample of Ukrainian residents (N = 1,001) responded to an online questionnaire. A stratified sampling method was employed regarding geographic distribution, gender, and age. The data concerning the Israeli population (N = 647) were also collected by an internet panel company during a recent armed conflict with Gaza (May 2021). Three notable results emerged in this study: (a) The Ukrainian sample reported significantly higher levels of the following: Distress symptoms, sense of danger, and perceived threats, compared with the Israeli sample. However, despite these harsh feelings, the Ukrainian respondents reported substantially higher levels of hope and societal resilience compared, to their Israeli counterparts, and somewhat higher individual and community resilience. (b) The protective factors of the respondents in Ukraine (level of hope, wellbeing, and morale), predicted the three types of resilience (individual, community, and social) better than the vulnerability factors (sense of danger, distress symptoms, and level of threats). (c) The best predictors of the three types of resilience were hope and wellbeing. (d) The demographic characteristics of the Ukrainian respondents hardly added to the prediction of the three types of resilience. It appears that a war that threatens the independence and sovereignty of a country may, under certain conditions, enhance the societal resilience and hope of the population under risk, despite a lower sense of wellbeing and higher levels of distress, sense of danger, and perceived threats.

Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Intervention Combined with the Resilience Model to Decrease Depression and Anxiety Symptoms and Increase the Quality of Life in ESRD Patients Treated with Hemodialysis

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of cognitive behavioral intervention (CBI) combined with the resilience model (CBI + R) vs CBI alone on depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and quality of life of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing hemodialysis replacement therapy.

METHOD

Fifty-three subjects were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. The control group (n = 25) was provided with treatment strategies based on a cognitive behavioral approach, while the experimental group (n = 28) were given the same techniques plus resilience model strategies. Five psychological instruments were applied: Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Mexican Resilience Scale, cognitive distortions scale, and the Kidney Disease related Quality of Life questionnaire. Participants were assessed at baseline (before treatment), eight weeks later (end of treatment), and four weeks after the end of treatment (follow up). The results were analyzed by ANOVA for repeated measures with a Bonferroni-adjusted test method, with p < 0.05 considered significant.

RESULTS

The experimental group had significant differences in total and somatic depression as well as differences in the dimensions of cognitive distortions and a significant increase in the dimensions of resilience. The control group had significant differences in all variables but showed lower scores in the evaluated times.

CONCLUSIONS

The resilience model strengthens and enhances the effectiveness of the cognitive behavioral approach to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in patients with ESRD.

Pastors in Prisons and Correctional Settings, Resilience, and the Propensity for Social Entrepreneurship: Comparing two Continuing Education Programs

This article reports a study on the impact of two continuing education programs for pastors working in prisons and correctional settings. Pastors who did the spirituality refresher training sessions reported greater resilience and social entrepreneurship inclinations posttest compared to those who did the expressive writing sessions. Male pastors, with a postgraduate degree and chaplaincy-focused training, prison pastors, ever-singles, pastors living in religious institutions/seminaries, and with higher intervention compliance, reported higher benefits from spirituality refresher training.

La resiliencia como predictora del impacto negativo (depresión, ansiedad y estrés) del COVID-19 en médicos de atención primaria

Antecedentes

Objetivo

Método

Resultados

Conclusiones

Measurement invariance in gender and age of the Herth Hope Index to the general spanish population across the lifespan

The Herth Hope Index (HHI) is used to measure hope. Assessing the psychometric properties of HHI in Spanish population, exploring its structural validity, the different functionalities of the items and the invariability of this measure according to the gender and age of the population. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to explore the scale's dimensionality and test for strong measurement invariance across sex and age in a cross-sectional, multicenter, prospective study. A new scale was obtained with the structure of one factor with 9 items. Goodness-of-fit indices were excellent. The internal consistency of the one dimension proved high values. The configural invariance on gender shows that both men and women understand the new HHI items, also, this research also shows that there is no scalar invariance across age groups, revealing good levels of adjustment of the item. The Spanish version of the HHI proved to be a valid, reliable instrument to assess the hope in Spanish population.

Variables protecting mental health in the Spanish population affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

The pandemic produced by COVID-19 can lead the population to suffer serious psychological disorders. However, there are several psychosocial variables that can enhance resilient outcomes in adverse situations. The aim would be to establish the level of resilience of the general Spanish population exposed to a traumatic situation by the COVID-19 in order to identify which protective factors predict resilient outcomes. 1227 homebound people (863-70.3% women), aged 18-73 years (M = 28.10; SD = 12.88) reported on sociodemographic and psychological variables such as optimism, hope, self-efficacy and post-traumatic growth. Having a higher academic level (β = .47; CI (95%) = .11-.34; p < .01), being autonomous (β = .29; CI (95%) = 0.1-.09; p < .01), along with self-efficacy (β = .42; CI (95%) = .71-92; p < .01) and to a lesser extent optimism (β = .31; CI (95%) = .63-.84; p < .01) would be the predictive variables of a resilient outcome. A high level of statistical power (1-β = 1) and effect size (f2 = 19.2) is observed. The Spanish population exposed to confinement presents high levels of resilience, but no relevant post-traumatic growth has taken place.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-020-01132-1.

Prediction of Hope and Morale During COVID-19

The current study uses a repeated measures design to compare two-time points across the COVID-19 pandemic. The first was conducted at the end of the “first wave” [T1] and the second was carried out on October 12-14 2020 (the last period of the second total general lockdown) in Israel. The participants (N = 805) completed the same questionnaire at both time points. The study examined the predictions of hope and morale at T2 by psychological and demographic predictors at T1. Results indicated the following: (a) The three types of resilience (individual, community, and national) significantly and positively predicted hope and morale. (b) Well-being significantly and positively predicted hope and morale. (c) Younger age significantly and positively predicts higher hope, but not morale. (d) A higher level of religiosity significantly and positively predicts higher hope and morale. (e) More right-wing political attitudes significantly and positively predict higher hope, but not moral. (f) More economic difficulties due to the pandemic, significantly and negatively predict hope and morale. We concluded that hope and morale can serve as significant indicators of the population's ability to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, they can serve as a “thermometer” for the general mood of the population and can be used by decision-makers to assess coping ability at varied stages of the pandemic.

The impact of resilience on anxiety and depression among grass-roots civil servants in China

Background

The grass-roots civil servants are the final implementers and executors of a series of government policies and the fundamental force for social stability and harmonious development. However, the mental health problems of grass-roots civil servants have not got full attention. This study aimed to assess the impact of resilience on anxiety and depression among grass-roots civil servants in China.

Method

From Oct to Dec 2019, 302 civil servants completed a series of questionnaires. The Civil Servants Stress Scale (CSSS) was used to assess the stress of civil servants. The Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were used to evaluate the depression and anxiety of participants, respectively. The resilience of civil servants evaluates by the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RSCI). We conducted the moderating and mediating analysis on the impact of resilience on depression and anxiety in grass-roots civil servants.

Results

There were significant differences in gender, education, position, relationship with coworkers, physical exercise, and monthly income for stress in grass-roots civil servants (P < 0.05). Resilience can negatively regulate the stress of grass-roots civil servants, and an effective mediator and moderator in the relationship between stress and anxiety and depression and the mediating effect ratios of 7.77 and 22.79%.

Conclusion

Resilience has moderating and mediating effects on the relationship between stress and depression, and anxiety. The negative effects of stress on depression and anxiety of grass-roots civil servants can be buffered by resilience as a dynamic moderator directly and indirectly. These findings contribute to society and government better understand the mental health status of grass-roots civil servants and provide references and guidance for the formulation of corresponding management and prevention measures.

Mental health and childhood memories among rural Kenyan men: Considering the role of spirituality in life-course pathways

Globally there is high morbidity due to mental illnesses, necessitating research on positive mental health and new models of mental health promotion. This study investigates the mediating role of spirituality to known pathways between childhood social exposures and adult mental health outcomes-hope, meaning in life and depression among young Kenyan men. Using the "religion as attachment" framework, we investigate whether childhood attachment conditions predict lower scores of daily spiritual experiences, and whether this pathway mediates associations between childhood attachment conditions and current depression, meaning in life, and hope. Spirituality significantly mediated associations between childhood attachments and adult mental health.

Gender-specific predictors of generalized anxiety disorder symptoms in older adults: Results of a large population-based study

BACKGROUND

Anxiety in older age is common. In comparison with men, older women experience higher levels of anxiety and show different patterns of co-occurring mental disorders. The aim of this study is to investigate gender-specific biopsychosocial predictors associated with GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) symptoms after a period of three years in the elderly population.

METHODS

Data were derived from the third (2008-2010) and the fourth follow-up (2011-2014) of the large population-based German ESTHER study. 2254 participants ages 55-85 were included in the study (52.3% female; 47.7% male). Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms were measured using the GAD-7 questionnaire at both follow-ups. Linear regression analyses were performed to predict GAD severity after three years; the analyses were separated by gender and adjusted for demographic variables, biopsychosocial health, cognitive impairment, loneliness, and psychosocial resources.

RESULTS

In women, GAD severity after three years (t1) was positively associated with younger age, depression symptoms, loneliness, and GAD severity at t0. In men, GAD severity was positively associated with somatic symptoms as well as with GAD severity at t0. In both genders GAD severity at baseline was the strongest predictor of elevated future anxiety symptoms.

LIMITATIONS

GAD was examined by the use of questionnaires rather than by personal assessment; underreporting of GAD symptoms is therefore possible.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study shows that an increase as well as a decrease of GAD severity in older women and men can be predicted by several biopsychosocial variables.