Psychological wellbeing and belief in divine control during the third COVID-19 lockdown among The Episcopal Church

Religiosity in late life has been linked to psychological well-being outcomes. However, there has been insufficient attention to complex associations between different domains of religiosity and domains of psychological wellbeing. We explored associations between religious identity, religious participation, religious coping (trust in God), and mental health indicators of depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, and positive/negative affect among 797 independent, retirement community-dwelling older adults. At baseline, religious identity (expressed as self- concept) and religious participation (church attendance) each were associated with fewer depressive symptoms (b=-0.47, p<0.05; b=-0.19, p<0.05). Religious identity, however, was significantly associated with both life satisfaction and positive affects but not with negative affect. Religious coping was associated with greater life satisfaction and positive affect. Our longitudinal analysis documented a statistically significant decline in depressive symptoms, and increase in life satisfaction and positive affect, with corresponding increase in religious identity over time. However, changes in religious identity did not lead to significant changes in negative affect over time. Religious coping and church attendance fully explained the influence of religious identity on changes in life satisfaction. Although the influence of religious identity on depressive symptoms and positive affect was weakened, its significant influence was maintained even after the consideration of religious coping and church attendance. Beyond religious identity, we also observed a significant increase in positive affect with a corresponding increase in religious coping. Overall, our findings support expectations that religious identification and practices are associated with greater psychological well-being among community dwelling old- old adults.

ANTICIPATED REWARD IN OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER

Belief in divine control is often assumed to be fatalistic. However, the assumption has rarely been investigated in racial/ethnic minorities. This study aims to examine the association between belief in divine control and coping and how the association was moderated by ethnicity/acculturation in a multi-ethnic sample of breast cancer patients. Latina, African American, and non-Hispanic White older women with newly diagnosed breast cancer (N=257) from a population-based survey completed the scale of Belief in Divine Control and the Brief COPE. Belief in divine control was positively related to approach coping (i.e., positive reframing, active coping, and planning) in all ethnic groups. Belief in divine control was positively related to acceptance and negatively related to avoidance coping (i.e., denial and behavioral disengagement) among low-acculturated Latinas. Negative presumptions about fatalistic implications of belief in divine control should be critically reappraised, especially when such skepticism is applied to racial/ethnic minority patients.

The current study examined how intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientations relate to hedonic and eudaimonic well-being and the mediating role of the dimensions of fatalism among Nigerians. Data were obtained from a survey of young Nigerians aged between 17 and 37 years (female = 53.85%; Christian = 88.72%). Results indicated that intrinsic religiosity and the belief in divine control, a dimension of fatalism, were associated with higher eudaimonic well-being and positive affect. Extrinsic religiosity correlated positively with eudaimonic well-being and negative affect. The belief in divine control also had a significant positive mediation effect on the influence of religiosity on eudaimonic well-being and positive affect for females. These findings are consistent with the view that religiosity and fatalism are social values associated with well-being in the Nigerian culture. One critical implication of these findings for both theory and research is that the idea that extrinsic religiosity and fatalism are detrimental to well-being is not universally tenable.

Forgiveness is the framing of a perceived transgression such that one's responses to the transgressor, transgression, and sequelae of the transgression are transformed from negative to neutral or positive. The source of a transgression, and therefore the object of forgiveness, may be oneself, another person or persons, or a situation that one views as being beyond anyone's control (Thompson et al., 2005) Currently, there is great theoretical interest in the possibility that forgiveness is involved in promoting well-being. Various models suggest that forgiveness can offer opportunities for recognizing a deeper meaning in the transgression, developing compassion for others, appreciating social support systems, and discovering a renewed sense of life purpose (Enright, Freedman, & Rique, 1998). Empirical studies suggest that forgiveness have potential benefits for mental health (Toussaint & Webb, 2005), and well-being (Brown, 2003 ; Karremans, Van Lange, Ouwerkerk, & Kluwer, 2003; Karuse & Ellison, 2003).Psychological well-beingPsychological well-being is usually conceptualized as some combination of positive affective states such as happiness (the hedonic perspective) and functioning with optimal effectiveness in individual and social life (the eudaimonic perspective) (Deci & Ryan, 2008). Psychological well-being is about lives going well. It is the combination of feeling good and functioning effectively (Huppert, 2009). Psychological well-being refers to one's positive intrapersonal, interpersonal, and social functioning that is influenced by his or her perception and meaning given to his or her life situations (Ryff & Singer, 1996). Psychological well-being can be measured as emotional well-being in a hedonistic sense (i.e., experiencing more positive affect than negative affect) and positive psychological functioning in a eudaimonic sense (i.e., living a meaningful life and fulfilling one's potentials).Psychological distressPsychological distress is viewed as an emotional condition that involves negative views of the self, others and the environment and is characterized by unpleasant subjective states such as feeling tense, worried, worthless and irritable (Barlow and Durand, 2005). These subjective states can reduce the emotional resilience of individuals and impact on their ability to enjoy life and to cope with pain, disappointment and sadness. Psychological distress can be viewed as a continuum in which people can move from experiencing wellbeing to distress andback at various times throughout their lives (Horwitz and Scheid, 1999; Mechanic, 1999).A link between forgiveness and mental and physical health has attracted much attention in psychological research (McCullough, 2000; Thoresen, Harris, & Luskin, 2000). In forgiveness research, psychological well-being has often been considered equivalent to global satisfaction of life, minimal psychological distress or absence of psychopathology, or a combination of certain positive cognition and affect. Thus, a possible relationship between forgiveness and psychological well-being in the eudaimonic sense has been overlookedPrior research suggested that trait forgiveness is generally more strongly correlated with some aspects or components of psychological well-being and other mental health variables than state forgiveness (McCullough & Witvliet, 2002).HFS was also foundto positively predict satisfaction with life and negatively predict trait anger, state anxiety, and depression among college students (Thompson et al., 2005).Among the wide variety' of protective factors that have been recognized, acceptance, forgiveness, and gratitude appear to be three personal characteristics that have been found to be closely related to psychological well-being (McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, 2002; Nakamura & Orth, 2005).The Human Development Study Group (1991) revealed positive results, indicating that the promotion of forgiveness enhances psychological well-being among individuals coping with a variety of serious offenses. …

The aim of the study was to understand the effect of virtual expressive arts-based intervention on stress, anxiety, wellbeing, positive and negative affect during covid-19 pandemic among children. The primary objective was to address the impact of covid-19 pandemic on children and further, understand the usefulness of virtual expressive arts-based interventions. A quantitative approach with an intervention protocol of 6 weeks was used and the data was analyzed using SPSS. The sample comprised of 9th grade students, in the age range of 13- 16 and hailed from a low socioeconomic status. The results suggested that there was a significant increase in wellbeing, stress, positive affect and decrease in anxiety and negative affect following the intervention in the group as compared to the control group. Moreover, the post test scores of the experimental group suggest that there was a significant increase in positive affect and decrease in anxiety and negative affect following the intervention when compared with the pre-test scores of the experimental group. However, when the post and pre-test scores of the experimental group were compared, no significant difference was found for well-being and stress.

Introduction The World Health Organization recommends moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for 150 minutes per week to reduce the risk of primary or secondary cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Adherence to these recommendations is only around 30% in the US. Identifying reliable barriers or facilitators of time spent in MVPA is a critical component to primary and secondary CVD prevention. Negative affect, including feelings such as being sad, nervous, and restless, is known to diminish time spent in MVPA, whereas positive affect, which includes feelings such as being calm, happy, or full of life is associated with MVPA increases. Relatedly, variability in positive but not negative affect is associated with poorer physical health. What is unclear is how intra-individual variability of positive and negative affect may influence MVPA. Research question What is the influence of variations (i.e. intra-individual day-to-day) in positive and negative affect on variations in MVPA? Method. Guided by the individual and self-management theory, a secondary analysis was conducted of data from a nationwide US sample of participants. Using data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Refresh Wave Study Daily Diary Project, we analyzed eight consecutive days of affect and MVPA assessments in a sample of 553 healthy participants (54% women, 86% white, mean age = 48.7 years). Latent trajectory models were computed to determine the influence of daily positive and negative affect on daily MVPA. Results Affect variability, calculated as the standard deviation of daily positive and negative affect, was positively correlated with MVPA variability. An autoregressive cross-lagged latent trajectory model provided the best fit to examine relationships between positive affect, negative affect, and MVPA (χ2=946.54, df=379, p&amp;lt;0.001; CFI=0.95; RMSEA=0.05, SRMR = 0.06). Positive, but not negative affect, intercepts were significantly correlated with MVPA trajectories (r=0.19, p&amp;lt;0.05). Individuals who initially begin the eight day time span with a higher reported positive affect show a modest increase in MVPA over the same time period (r=0.19, p&amp;lt;0.001). By contrast, individuals evidencing increases in positive affect over the time span showed a decreased rate of change in MVPA over that same time (r=−0.32, p&amp;lt;0.001). Conclusion The association of positive affect to MVPA necessitates a complex analysis to more fully understand intra-individual-level interactions. Relatively higher positive affect with fewer fluctuations was associated with greater MVPA. These intriguing preliminary findings must be considered in light of important limitations (e.g., only eight days of data; affect and MVPA do not necessarily follow diurnal patterns). Still, findings support the view that beginning with positive affect may lead to stability in time spent in MVPA. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

Background. An important outcome from the debate on whether wellness equals happiness, is the need of research focusing on how psychological well-being might influence humans’ ability to adapt to the changing environment and live in harmony. To get a detailed picture of the influence of positive and negative affect, the current study employed the affective profiles model in which individuals are categorised into groups based on either high positive and low negative affect (self-fulfilling); high positive and high negative affect (high affective); low positive and low negative affect (low affective); and high negative and low positive affect (self-destructive). The aims were to (1) investigate differences between affective profiles in psychological well-being and harmony and (2) how psychological well-being and its dimensions relate to harmony within the four affective profiles.Method. 500 participants (mean age = 34.14 years, SD. = ±12.75 years; 187 males and 313 females) were recruited online and required to answer three self-report measures: The Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule; The Scales of Psychological Well-Being (short version) and The Harmony in Life Scale. We conducted a Multivariate Analysis of Variance where the affective profiles and gender were the independent factors and psychological well-being composite score, its six dimensions as well as the harmony in life score were the dependent factors. In addition, we conducted four multi-group (i.e., the four affective profiles) moderation analyses with the psychological well-being dimensions as predictors and harmony in life as the dependent variables.Results. Individuals categorised as self-fulfilling, as compared to the other profiles, tended to score higher on the psychological well-being dimensions: positive relations, environmental mastery, self-acceptance, autonomy, personal growth, and purpose in life. In addition, 47% to 66% of the variance of the harmony in life was explained by the dimensions of psychological well-being within the four affective profiles. Specifically, harmony in life was significantly predicted by environmental mastery and self-acceptance across all affective profiles. However, for the low affective group high purpose in life predicted low levels of harmony in life.Conclusions. The results demonstrated that affective profiles systematically relate to psychological well-being and harmony in life. Notably, individuals categorised as self-fulfilling tended to report higher levels of both psychological well-being and harmony in life when compared with the other profiles. Meanwhile individuals in the self-destructive group reported the lowest levels of psychological well-being and harmony when compared with the three other profiles. It is proposed that self-acceptance and environmental acceptance might enable individuals to go from self-destructive to a self-fulfilling state that also involves harmony in life.

Positive and negative affect play critical roles in depression and anxiety treatment, but the dynamic processes of how affect changes over treatment in relation to changes in symptoms is unclear. The study goal was to examine relationships among changes in positive and negative affect with changes in depression and anxiety symptoms. This secondary analysis used a combined sample (N = 196) of two trials (Craske et al., 2019, 2023) comparing positive affect treatment (PAT) to negative affect treatment. Longitudinal cross-lag panel models explored whether changes in positive and negative affect (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule; Watson et al., 1988) predicted subsequent changes in depression and anxiety symptoms (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995), whether symptoms predicted subsequent changes in affect, and whether treatment condition moderated these relationships. Increases in positive affect predicted subsequent decreases in depression and anxiety symptoms, regardless of treatment condition. Symptoms did not reciprocally predict changes in positive affect. For individuals in PAT, decreases in negative affect predicted subsequent decreases in symptoms. Moreover, decreases in symptoms predicted subsequent decreases in negative affect, regardless of treatment condition. Results did not support a reciprocal relationship between positive affect and symptoms of depression and anxiety since positive affect predicted depression and anxiety symptoms but not vice versa. Results supported a reciprocal relationship between negative affect and symptoms of depression and anxiety since negative affect predicted depression and anxiety symptoms in PAT, and depression and anxiety symptoms predicted negative affect in both treatment conditions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to add to the understanding of ethical viewpoints in a corpus of accounting student literature, by using mediation and moderation models to examine the interaction between belief in divine control, moral detachment, gender, and ethical insight. Methodology/approach: A total of 324 students contributed to the study by completing a two-stage online survey. Findings: Using hierarchical moderated regression analysis, the findings underscore a substantive correlation between belief in divine control and moral detachment and ethical acumen. Practical implications: Moral detachment showed a negative correlation with ethical insight and served as an intermediary in the relationship between belief in divine control and ethical acumen. Originality/value: Furthermore, this study illustrates that gender acts as a condition variable affecting the correlation between belief in divine governance and moral disengagement, as well as the relationship between moral disengagement and ethical understanding, indicating that the dynamics of these relationships are affected by gender differences.

Emotion control beliefs reflect the extent to which people believe their emotions can and should be controlled and have been linked to psychological well-being. However, research has yet to examine age-related differences in these beliefs and their daily associations with well-being. Accordingly, the present research examines age differences in daily emotion control beliefs and their within-person associations with positive and negative affect. To do so, we used 14-day daily diary data from an adult community sample (younger adults: 18-36 years old, N = 72; older adults: 66-92 years old, N = 66). The results revealed that older adults reported higher average can emotion control beliefs than younger adults, but no age differences were observed for average should emotion control beliefs. Further, multilevel models revealed that, in general, having stronger beliefs that one can control their emotions was associated with higher positive affect and lower negative affect across age, whereas having stronger beliefs that one should control their emotions was only associated with higher negative affect in younger adults. Examining daily variations, while both age groups also experienced significant increases in positive affect and decreases in negative affect on days they believed they could control their emotion more than usual, the daily association with positive affect was stronger among young adults. Further, younger, but not older, adults experienced decreases in positive affect and increases in negative affect on days in which they believed they should control their emotions more than usual, while older adults' affect did not significantly change. These findings add to theory and research on lifespan development and emotional aging by highlighting that emotion control beliefs are differentially associated with well-being, and these associations change across the adult lifespan. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

The balanced affect model of psychological well-being conceptualises positive and negative affect as two separate continua and well-being as the function of these two entities. The COVID-19 pandemic lasted over two years in the United Kingdom and initially caused widespread declines in mental health and well-being. This paper tests whether such declines continued or stabilised as the pandemic lockdowns persisted. The psychological well-being of a religiously committed sample was assessed by perceived changes in affect balance (a function of negative and positive affect) using The Index of Affect Balance Change (TIBACh) from the first to the third COVID-19 lockdowns in the Church of England. The 2020 sample in the first lockdown comprised 792 stipendiary parochial clergy and 2,815 laity who were not in licensed ministry in the Church of England. A repeat survey in the third lockdown in England in 2021 collected responses from 401 equivalent clergy and 1027 equivalent laity. Both clergy and lay people showed increased proportions reporting lower positive affect and increased proportions reporting higher negative affect in the second survey, suggesting psychological well-being had continued to deteriorate as lockdowns persisted.

People with chronic pain often report greater reactivity to stress than those without pain. This finding is consistent with the kindling hypothesis, which states that continued exposure to stressors only heightens negative affect and dampens positive affect. Yet, people with chronic pain may also respond more positively to enjoyable activities, or uplifts, as well. Chronic pain is related to lower levels of well-being, and the fragility of positive affect model explains how individuals with lower levels of well-being often exhibit stronger, more positive responses to daily uplifts than their less distressed peers. Our study used the National Study of Daily Experiences to assess daily stressors, positive uplifts, and positive and negative affect across eight days among those with and without chronic pain. Participants (nChronicPain=658, nNoPain=1,075) were predominately Non-Hispanic White (91%), 56% female, and averaged 56 years old. Results revealed that people with chronic pain had lower levels of daily positive affect and higher levels of negative affect, yet the two groups did not vary in their stressor-related negative and positive affect. In contrast, having chronic pain was related to a greater increase in positive affect and greater decreases in negative affect on days with positive uplifts. Findings suggest that intervention efforts focusing on uplifts may be particularly helpful for people who report chronic pain.

Background:Prosocial behaviors are considered important moral and social behavior. Various researchers have found that prosocial behavior increases well-being; research is scarce on the effects of prosocial behavior on psychological well-being, positive and negative affect among adults.Aim:The present study investigated the relationship between prosocial behavior, psychological well-being, and positive and negative affect on adults.Materials and Methods:The study included 80 adults (19–25 years) males and females. Snowball and incidental sampling method is used for data collection. The tools used for the study are the Prosocial Personality Battery, Ryff's psychological well-being scale, and the positive and negative affect scale.Results:A positive correlation was found between prosocial behavior and psychological well-being (0.396 which is significant at 0.01 level). A positive correlation was also observed between prosocial behavior and positive affect (0.274 which is significant at 0.01 level). A negative correlation was found between prosocial behavior and negative affect (−0.191 which is significant at 0.05 level).Conclusion:People involved in Prosocial behavior showed a positive correlation with Psychological well-being and positive affect and a negative correlation with negative affects.

The practice of Shinrin-Yoku or Forest Bathing is an outdoor therapeutic modality with mounting evidence suggesting positive effects on individuals’ psychological wellbeing and overall health. However, its benefits have mainly been studied in Asian biomes and more research is needed to evaluate if its benefits are also generalizable to other regions such as European-Mediterranean forests. To preliminarily explore this issue, 16 healthy adults (87.5% women, mean age 47.5) were assessed before and after a 3-hour session of Forest Bathing with meditation exercises in a Mediterranean forest near Barcelona (Spain). Changes in state anxiety, negative affect, positive affect and state mindfulness were assessed. Results show significant increases in positive affect, vigour, friendship and mindfulness, and decreases in negative affect, anxiety, anger, fatigue, tension, and depressive mood. Effect sizes observed for all the outcomes were significant and large, ranging from d = 1.02 to d = 2.61. This study encourages more applied research of the forest therapy model and the practice of Shinrin-Yoku in Mediterranean forests to increase the general population’s psychological wellbeing and to deal with the growing prevalence of the psychological side-effects generated by the COVID-19 in European countries such as Spain.