Abstract
Research on applying signature character strengths demonstrated positive effects on well-being, health and work behavior. Future health care professionals represent a group at risk for impaired well-being due to high study demands. This study investigates potential long-term protective effects on well-being. In total, 504 medical students participated in a longitudinal online study, with at least 96 providing complete data at all three time points (time lag: 1 year). Data on individual signature character strengths and their applicability, thriving (subjective and psychological well-being), work engagement, burnout, mental and physical health were collected. Longitudinal relations of signature character strengths’ applicability and well-being, mental and physical health were tested with cross-lagged panel analyses. Moreover, indirect longitudinal mediation effects via work engagement and emotional exhaustion were considered. Cross-lagged panel analyses demonstrated significant positive effects of thriving on signature character strengths’ applicability at later time points (β = 0.20 to 0.27) indicating that higher levels of well-being might be mandatory first to have access to one’s own signature character strengths in a naturalistic setting. Disentangling thriving, the effect was only significant for psychological well-being (t1-t2: β = 0.23; t2-t3: β = 0.27). Across all three time points, significant indirect effects via work engagement on the relation of the applicability of signature character strengths and well-being were identified (r = 0.15), whereas significant indirect effects on mental and physical health were only evident at t2 (both: r = 0.06) and t3 (mental health: r = 0.11). A longitudinal mediation analysis via work engagement revealed a significant indirect effect (a∗b = 0.13). These results call for further research as previous studies showed that the applicability of signature character strengths affected well-being, not vice versa. The ‘broaden-and-build’ theory (positive emotions broaden one’s consciousness and hereupon individuals build new enduring resources and skills) and the assumption of well-being in a “top-down” model (trait-like predisposition to interpret life experiences in positive ways coloring one’s evaluation of satisfaction in various domains accordingly) could possibly explain these novel results.
Highlights
Being mentally healthy depends not merely on the absence of harm, sorrows or mental problems but is more about experiencing autonomy, self-control and -determination, meaning in life, and a process of continuous growing and personal development (Ryff, 1995)
The lowest internal consistencies with regard to individual signature character strengths were found for humility (t1: α = 0.60; t2: α = 0.59), self-regulation (t1: α = 0.60), and teamwork (t3: α = 0.60) indicating low reliability of the respective character strengths at that time point
According to the Applicability of Character Strengths Rating Scales’ (ACS-RS), medical students perceived the highest applicability in their study life for fairness, hope, kindness, perseverance, and zest in total
Summary
Being mentally healthy depends not merely on the absence of harm, sorrows or mental problems but is more about experiencing autonomy, self-control and -determination, meaning in life, and a process of continuous growing and personal development (Ryff, 1995). Future health care professionals like medical students as an at-risk group for impaired well-being (e.g., Dyrbye et al, 2008, 2014) could benefit from potential protective effects of applicable individual character strengths This applicability might function as a health-promoting factor being positively mediated by work engagement or negatively by the burnout dimension ‘emotional exhaustion.’. This observational study aims to close the gap of missing empirical information on long-term effects of the applicability of character strengths on well-being and health in a naturalistic setting including three measurements (time lag: 1 year) This applicability might function as a health-promoting factor being positively mediated by work engagement or negatively by the burnout dimension ‘emotional exhaustion.’ this observational study aims to close the gap of missing empirical information on long-term effects of the applicability of character strengths on well-being and health in a naturalistic setting including three measurements (time lag: 1 year)
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