Examining the Exercise and Self-Esteem Model Revised with Self-Compassion among Hong Kong Secondary School Students Using Structural Equation Modeling

Individual and Work-Related Psychological Characteristics Contributing to Subjective Well-Being in Air Rescue Employees

OBJECTIVE

Air rescue staff are subject to stressors, including frequent traumatic events, shift work, and unfavorable conditions during rescue missions. We investigated subjective well-being among employees of the Swiss Air-Rescue organization and the potential determining factors, such as sense of coherence, self-esteem, coping, stress, and mental health status.

METHODS

All employees (N = 142) received a questionnaire battery composed of the Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress, the Salutogenic Subjective Work Analysis, the Stress Coping Questionnaire, the Health and Stress Questionnaire, the Sense of Coherence Scale 13-item scale, the Inventory for the Measurement of Self-Efficacy and Externality, the Brief Symptom Inventory, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, and the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale. A discriminant analysis was conducted (input: subjective well-being, output: potential determining factors). A total of 48 participants provided complete data.

RESULTS

The discriminant analysis was significant (χ² = 40.80, P < .001; correct classification: 89.4%) and revealed that sense of coherence (F_1,45 = 40.46) and self-esteem (F_1,45 = 36.20) were the most important discriminating factors for subjective well-being.

CONCLUSION

Sense of coherence and self-esteem play an important role in the subjective well-being of emergency and rescue personnel. Fostering these traits should be included in preventive programs.

The Association between Physical Activity, Self-Compassion, and Mental Well-Being after COVID-19: In the Exercise and Self-Esteem Model Revised with Self-Compassion (EXSEM-SC) Perspective

During the great life-altering challenges brought by Coronavirus 2019, school closures and lack of access to exercise and social interactions may have increased students' negative emotions. The current research acts as a follow-up study to the development of the EXSEM-SC, using the Repeated Measures Panel Analysis Framework (RMPAF) to examine the stability of the model in revealing the relationship between physical activity, self-compassion, and mental well-being among Hong Kong adolescents. It is also aimed at examining the changes in physical activity, self-compassion, and mental well-being among Hong Kong adolescents between, before, and after the peak of COVID-19 using the EXSEM-SC Model. The RMPAF has involved 572 (60% Female, Mage = 13.63, SD =1.31) Hong Kong secondary school students. Furthermore, using the abductive qualitative approach, a total of 25 (Mage = 14.84, SD = 1.40) students were involved in the in-depth interviews to further investigate the relationships within the EXSEM-SC. The quantitative results showed that the relationship between physical activity and self-compassion could be demonstrated by the EXSEM-SC, with a satisfactory goodness-of-fit index in the SEMs, as well as satisfying model construct consistency. Moreover, it showed no significant differences in the level of physical activity, self-compassion, and mental well-being during and after the peak of COVID-19. The qualitative results demonstrated two new categories within the EXSEM-SC variables, which are personality traits and injuries experiences. With the stability of the EXSEM-SC model among adolescents, it is expected that the physical activity intervention, which is based on the EXSEM-SC model, could also aim at easing Hong Kong adolescent's mental health issues. In addition, in terms of generating a long-term impact among students, the physical activity and self-compassionate intervention should be promoted among schools. However, the quantitative properties of the two new categories in the qualitative outcomes should be involved in future investigation.

Impact of Activity Tracker Usage in Combination with a Physical Activity Intervention on Physical and Cognitive Parameters in Healthy Adults Aged 60+: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Regular physical activity (PA) is of central importance for healthy aging and has a well-known impact on helping older adults maintain their cognitive and physical health. Thus, we aimed to compare the effectiveness of two physical activity interventions primarily conducted at home (print-based or web-based vs. web-based plus the use of an activity tracker) on cognitive and physical health parameters in older adults. Data of participants (n = 551, 60–80 years) were analyzed after being randomly allocated to a waitlist control group (CG), a web-based or print-based intervention group (IG) or a web-based intervention group that also included the use of an activity tracker (AG). Measured parameters were grip strength, endurance (two-minute step test), gait speed (four-meter walk test), cognition (Simon task; balanced integration score (BIS), reaction time and accuracy) and physical self-concept (Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ)). We found the highest effect sizes in all measured dimensions for AG (grip strength, endurance, gait speed, reaction time, physical self-concept), followed by IG (endurance, gait speed, reaction time, physical self-concept) and CG (endurance, gait speed, BIS). Findings suggest that a combined web-based and activity tracker intervention may improve physical functions, physical self-concept, and cognition in community-dwelling older adults.

The Influence of Chinese College Students' Physical Exercise on Life Satisfaction: The Chain Mediation Effect of Core Self-evaluation and Positive Emotion

Physical exercise is an important way for college students to maintain their physical health, and life satisfaction is one of the important indicators of college students' mental health. Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationship between physical exercise and life satisfaction of college students. Additionally, we also seek to demonstrate the chain mediating effects of core self-evaluation and positive emotion on this relationship. A total of 794 Chinese college students, 324 men and 470 women, participated in the study. The participants were 17-25years old (M=19.96±1.54). They completed the Exercise Adherence Questionnaire, Core Self-evaluation Scale, Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. Results showed a strong positive relationship between physical exercise and life satisfaction and verified the mediating effect of core self-evaluation and positive emotion on this relationship. The results also confirmed the chain mediating model between physical exercise, core self-evaluation, positive emotion, and life satisfaction. It enlightens us that we should pay more attention to the organic combination of students' physical activities and mental health education.

The Effect of Changes in Physical Self-Concept through Participation in Exercise on Changes in Self-Esteem and Mental Well-Being

The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of the changes in physical self-concept induced by exercise participation on the changes in global self-esteem and mental well-being using a structural model analysis. A total of 189 university students in Seoul, Korea, participated in the present study for two waves. The participants responded through a survey measuring physical self-concept, self-esteem, and mental well-being before and after a six-week exercise course. Regression analysis was used to calculate the amount of change in each variable, and the calculated residual scores were used for correlation analysis and structural model analysis. The amounts of changes in the variables are significantly correlated with each other and there was a complementary mediating effect of the changes in self-esteem on the pathway from the changes in physical self-concept to the changes in mental well-being. Physical self-concept changed by exercise participation might directly and positively influence mental well-being, and it can indirectly influence the changes in mental well-being via the improvement of self-esteem.