Decrease In Subjective Well-being Research Articles

The impact of social media use on psychiatric symptoms and well-being of children and adolescents in the Post-COVID-19 era: a four-year longitudinal study.

This longitudinal study examined the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on social media use and its impact on psychiatric symptoms and well-being of 3,697 Israeli children and adolescents aged 8 to 14. Data were collected from October 2019 to June 2023, covering four school years and five measurement points prior to, throughout and post- COVID-19. Social media usage, psychiatric symptoms (depression, anxiety, somatization, and general distress), as well as subjective well-being (positive and negative emotions, and life satisfaction) were assessed. The analysis also probed the extent to which social support and extracurricular activities moderated the associations between social media use and mental health outcomes. The results of the growth mixed-effects models indicated a significant increase in social media use and psychiatric symptoms, and a significant decrease in subjective well-being over time. Greater social media use was related to more psychiatric symptoms and negative emotions, but also to more positive emotions and life satisfaction. Social support buffered the negative effects of excessive social media use on mental health, whereas extracurricular activities increased positive emotions, but also psychiatric symptoms related to social media use. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to regulate social media usage, given its lasting consequences on the mental health of children and adolescents in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chinese Exceptionalism? Folk Religions and Subjective Well-being

Folk religions are reviving in contemporary China. They are distinctive from institutionalized religions and share many qualities with the emerging religious phenomena in the West. Despite their significance, however, the lack of concise frameworks and causal analysis methods has hindered a deeper understanding of these religions. By integrating psychological and sociocultural perspectives, this study concentrates on subjective well-being and tailors a micro model applicable to analyzing Chinese folk religions, along with a novel instrumental variable for causal identification. Empirical evidence suggests that folk religions have negative effects on subjective well-being, resulting in a 17.3 percent decrease in subjective well-being compared to the sample mean. This is primarily due to believers seeing folk religions as mere means for achieving earthly targets, therefore suffering from strengthened negative senses and motivated radical behaviors. Nevertheless, investing in folk religions to a high degree might transform believers’ attitudes from seeing folk religions as means to seeing them as ends, thereby alleviating the negativity. This alleviation is mainly derived from positive senses, self-regulation, and inclusive attitudes towards society. Hence, taking religions more seriously and not utilitarianly, or fulfilling unmet targets more effectively, are two paths to eliminate the negative effects.

Does wealth equate to happiness? an 11-year panel data analysis exploring socio-economic indicators and social media metrics.

The Easterlin paradox questions the link between economic growth and national well-being, emphasizing the necessity to explore the impact of economic elasticity, income inequality, and their temporal and spatial heterogeneity on subjective happiness. Despite the importance of these factors, few studies have examined them together, thus ongoing debates about the impact of economics on well-being persist. To fill this gap, our analysis utilizes 11 years of panel data from 31 provinces in China, integrating macroeconomic indicators and social media content to reassess the Easterlin paradox. We use GDP per capita and the Gini coefficient as proxies for economic growth and income inequality, respectively, to study their effects on the subjective well-being expressed by citizens on social media in mainland China. Our approach combines machine learning and fixed effects models to evaluate these relationships. Key findings include: (1) In temporal relationships, a 46.70% increase in GDP per capita implies a 0.38 increase in subjective well-being, while a 0.09 increase in the Gini coefficient means a 1.47 decrease in subjective well-being. (2) In spatial relationships, for every 46.70% increase in GDP per capita, subjective well-being rises by 0.51; however, this relationship is buffered by unfair distribution, and GDP per capita no longer significantly affects subjective well-being when the Gini index exceeds 0.609. This study makes a synthetic contribution to the debate on the Easterlin paradox, indicating that economic growth can enhance well-being if income inequality is kept below a certain level. Although these results are theoretically enlightening for the relationship between economics and national well-being globally, this study's sample comes from mainland China. Due to differences in cultural, economic, and political factors, further research is suggested to explore these dynamics globally.

A comparative study of well-being, resilience, mindfulness, negative emotions, stress, and burnout among nurses after an online mind-body based intervention during the first COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

To mitigate against the possible adverse effects of stress among nurses due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we designed a 12-week mind-body based online intervention program to promote well-being and prevent stress-related disorders such as burnout. Our study aimed to compare the impact of the intervention on perception of stress, negative emotions, burnout, mindfulness, resilience, and well-being at pretest and 6 months post-intervention and to compare the effect among nurses working at two different hospitals. We conducted an uncontrolled trial using a convenience sample of nurses working at two hospitals in Mexico: one designated to treat confirmed COVID-19 patients (COVID-hospital) and the other whose patients had a negative COVID-19 test on admission (Non COVID-hospital). The 12 week online intervention consisted of 36 mind-body based micropractices, with subjective well-being as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were health perception, resilience, mindfulness, negative emotions, stress, and burnout. A pretest survey was completed by 643 nurses. Of the remaining valid responses, 82% were women, with a mean age of 34.8 (SD = 8.95) years old. For the analysis two groups of nurses were sampled by cluster: a COVID-hospital group of 429 (67%) nurses, and a non-COVID Hospital group of 214 (33%) nurses. The proportion lost to follow-up was 71% at postest (n = 188) and 42% at 6 months follow-up (n = 371). At pretest, non-COVID hospital nurses had lower subjective well-being and higher burnout than their COVID hospital counterparts. At postest, non-COVID hospital nurses displayed more negative emotions than their COVID hospital peers. At 6 months post-intervention, nurses experienced improved mindfulness, reduced negative emotions and stress, but a decrease in subjective well-being and resilience. Nurses working at the non-COVID hospital had significantly higher mean scores for burnout than those working at the COVID hospital. The results of our study suggest that our online mind-body interventions can help to reduce stress and negative emotions, yet the effects on subjective well-being and resilience are uncertain. Further research is needed to gain a better understanding of their potential mechanisms and the associated efforts of such online interventions. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05515172.

Compensating income variation in health and subjective well-being for the self-employed

Complementing growing interest in entrepreneurship and well-being, we apply a conceptualization of compensating income variation (CIV) – how much extra income an individual would require offsetting the loss in subjective well-being from a unit decline in health – in health economics to entrepreneurship. We hypothesize and test the extent of the CIV among the self-employed and whether the CIV varies by sex and age. We use a Bayesian vector auto-regression model in the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey data. We find that the CIV for the self-employed (employed) was AUD 10,315 (AUD 6,873) annually for a unit decrease in subjective well-being. We do not find significant differences in the CIV among the self-employed by sex and age. The findings show that the self-employed requires higher compensatory income to accept poorer health.

The Influence of Outdoor Activities and Campus Landscape on University Students’ Subjective Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 is reshaping the relationship between humans and their living environment, potentially generating a profound impact on human physical and mental health and quality of life. The objective of this study was to explore how outdoor activities and the campus landscape impacted the subjective well-being (SWB) of Chinese university students in the pre-COVID-19 era (before December 2019) and during the COVID-19 era (from December 2019 to early December 2022). This study collected 439 valid questionnaires from students at a Chinese university, with the questions focusing on the frequency and length of time that university students of different genders, grades, and abilities to cover their living expenses participated in outdoor activities in the pre- and COVID-19 eras, as well as the changes in their SWB. Paired sample t tests revealed a significant decrease in SWB during the COVID-19 era compared with the pre-COVID-19 era, while independent sample t tests and a one-way ANOVA showed that changes in the SWB of university students pre- and during COVID-19 were not related to their gender or their ability to cover their living expenses, but were related to their grades. Hierarchical linear regression showed that outdoor activities in the COVID-19 era had a significant effect on mitigating the decline in students’ SWB. These results suggest a proactive way to increase resilience to future public health challenges and other crises of human life safety.

Quantifying the extent of climate inequality in China

Using individual-level panel data representative of Chinese residents, this study examines in detail the relationship between temperature and subjective well-being (SWB). We first find that a 1 °C increase in temperature anomalies (difference between current and historical temperature) causes a 0.02 decrease in SWB (2% of 1 S.D.). Second, we present evidence of climate inequality along socioeconomic status (SES) as SWB of better educated, and higher-income Chinese residents are less affected by temperature anomalies compared to their lower SES counterparts. Closer examination reveals that adaptation mechanisms such as ownership of air-conditioners, automobiles, and indoor work help to alleviate adverse impacts of temperature anomalies. Lastly, for better comparison, we express our findings as monetized damages. We compute that a 1 °C increase in temperature anomalies causes damages equivalent to around 6.9% of income. However, these damages are mostly driven by Chinese from the lower-SES stratum as their damages are equivalent to around 9.6% of income compared to no damages for the high-SES group. Similarly, when translated into elasticity, we find that temperature-induced damages reduce by around 2% for every 1% increase in average income.

Role of Social Support and Spirituality with Subjective Well-being in Husbands/Wives of Healthcare Workers During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Husband/wife of healthcare workers experienced a lot of negative emotions which result in a decrease in subjective well-being (SWB) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research aims to analyze the relationship between social support and spirituality simultaneously and partially with SWB on the husband/wife of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and to determine the effective contribution of social support and spirituality simultaneously and partially to SWB. Using Purposive Sampling, this research involved 384 respondents (55.6% husbands and 44.4% wives) of healthcare workers who work in healthcare facilities and live in the Solo Raya area. Data analysis used the moderating variable regression test with the sub-group method. The result showed that social support and spirituality simultaneously have a role in increasing the SWB of all respondents (husbands and wives) of healthcare workers (p=0.000). Simultaneously, social support and spirituality have a role in increasing SWB for both husbands (p=0.000) or wives (p=0.000) of healthcare workers. Partially, social support has a positive role in increasing the wife’s SWB (p=0.000), but not for husbands (p=0.172). Partially, spirituality has a positive role in increasing the SWB of husbands (p=0.007) or wives (p=0.001) of healthcare workers. Based on the contribution both simultaneously and partially, the female partners of healthcare workers have a higher SWB than the male partners. This research implies that efforts to improve SWB need support from the environment and an increase in spiritual values. Future researchers are expected to be more concerned about data collection procedures and pay more attention to cultural aspects.

Changes in the labor market status during the COVID-19 pandemic and subjective well-being of Russians

This paper investigates the association between changes in the labor market status and subjective well-being of Russians during the COVID-19 pandemic. The materials of the first stage of the international project “Values in crisis” form the empirical dataset. Regression analysis shows that individuals who lost their jobs or closed their business during the initial period of the pandemic are somewhat less satisfied with their lives than those who did not. Being reduced to part-time work and working from home are not directly related to subjective well-being. At the same time, the strength of the association between subjective well-being and possible changes of the labor market status depends on such factors as the presence of children, as well as the value of self-enhancement (according to Schwartz) and conscientiousness (one of the Big Five personality traits). The job or business loss is associated with a decrease in subjective well-being among respondents without children; this association is not observed among those with children. In addition, the negative relationship between life satisfaction and job or business loss is stronger among individuals with high level of self-enhancement and weaker among those with high level of conscientiousness. Among respondents who had to switch to part-time or remote work, having children reduces the level of subjective well-being; among those without such experience, it is positively associated with subjective well-being.

Changes in the labor market status during the COVID-19 pandemic and subjective well-being of Russians

This paper investigates the association between changes in the labor market status and subjective well-being of Russians during the COVID-19 pandemic. The materials of the first stage of the international project “Values in crisis” form the empirical dataset. Regression analysis shows that individuals who lost their jobs or closed their business during the initial period of the pandemic are somewhat less satisfied with their lives than those who did not. Being reduced to part-time work and working from home are not directly related to subjective well-being. At the same time, the strength of the association between subjective well-being and possible changes of the labor market status depends on such factors as the presence of children, as well as the value of self-enhancement (according to Schwartz) and conscientiousness (one of the Big Five personality traits). The job or business loss is associated with a decrease in subjective well-being among respondents without children; this association is not observed among those with children. In addition, the negative relationship between life satisfaction and job or business loss is stronger among individuals with high level of self-enhancement and weaker among those with high level of conscientiousness. Among respondents who had to switch to part-time or remote work, having children reduces the level of subjective well-being; among those without such experience, it is positively associated with subjective well-being.

Adolescent Life Satisfaction Explained by Social Support, Emotion Regulation, and Resilience.

Adolescence is a stage characterized by many biological and psychosocial changes, all of which may result in a decrease in subjective well-being. It is therefore necessary to identify those factors that contribute to increased life satisfaction, in order to promote positive development among young people. The aim of this study is to examine the dynamics of a set of variables that contribute to life satisfaction. A total of 1,188 adolescents (aged between 12 and 16 years) completed the Perceived Social Support from Family and Friends and Perception of the School Environment Questionnaires, the Trait Meta Mood Scale (TMMS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CD-RISC), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) for social support, emotion regulation, resilience, and life satisfaction. By applying structural equation modeling (SEM), the results reveal a direct prediction of family support, emotion regulation, and resilience on life satisfaction. Support from friends and emotion regulation was also found to explain resilience, and support from family and teachers was found to predict emotion regulation. In conclusion, emotion regulation and social support were found to indirectly affect life satisfaction among adolescents through resilience. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Workplace Incivility and Its Effects on the Physical and Psychological Health of Nursing Faculty.

The aim was to explore 1) the relationship between nursing faculty attributes and their experiences with workplace incivility and 2) the impact of experiences with workplace incivility on the physical and psychological health of nursing faculty. Qualitative evidence suggests that workplace incivility impacts the physical and psychological health of nursing faculty. This has not been explored in a quantitative manner. A cross-sectional, correlational survey was distributed to nursing faculty teaching in the southeastern United States. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression and hierarchical multivariate multiple regression. Faculty age, full-time status, highest degree earned, orientation programs, and program type were significantly related to experiences with workplace incivility. Workplace incivility was significantly related to an increase in headaches, sleep disturbances, and digestive problems and a decrease in subjective well-being. Workplace incivility significantly impacts the physical and psychological health of nursing faculty.

The effect of the Brexit Referendum Result on Subjective Well-being

AbstractWe study the effect of the Brexit referendum result on subjective well-being in the United Kingdom. Using a quasi-experimental design, we find that the referendum’s outcome led to an overall decrease in subjective well-being in the United Kingdom compared to a control group. The effect is driven by individuals who hold an overall positive image of the European Union and shows little signs of adaptation during the Brexit transition period. Economic expectations are potential mechanisms of this effect.

Energy poverty, children's wellbeing and the mediating role of academic performance: Evidence from China

Using data from the China Family Panel Studies, we examine the effects of energy poverty on children's subjective wellbeing. We find that energy poverty reduces children's subjective wellbeing: a standard deviation increase in energy poverty is associated with 0.353 standard deviation decrease in subjective wellbeing. This general conclusion is robust to alternative ways of measuring subjective wellbeing and energy poverty, a suite of estimation techniques, and other sensitivity checks. Additionally, we find that academic performance is an important channel through which energy poverty lowers children's subjective wellbeing. Our findings point out the need to involve children both in household practices and policy decisions that seek to address energy poverty, especially when it pertains to the children's wellbeing.

Physical Activity Changes and Its Risk Factors among Community-Dwelling Japanese Older Adults during the COVID-19 Epidemic: Associations with Subjective Well-Being and Health-Related Quality of Life.

Psychological distress caused by decreased physical activity (PA) is a growing concern among the elderly due to public health measures since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). We aimed to (1) assess how public health restrictions impact PA, subjective well-being (SWB), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of community-dwelling elderly, and (2) investigate risk factors that lead to a decline in PA. Self-administered questionnaires assessed the changes in PA, SWB, HRQoL. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify significant associated risk factors for decreased PA. Of 165 participants (valid response rate, 41.3%; mean age, 78.5 ± 8.0 years), 47.3% became less active, 23.0% became more active, and 29.7% maintained PA levels. There was a significant decrease in SWB at baseline and follow-up after COVID-19 restrictions in the less active group (p < 0.01). Higher levels of moderate or strenuous exercise/sports activity at baseline (odds ratio [OR], 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–1.24), and lower mental component HRQoL scores at baseline (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93–0.99) were associated with an increased risk of decreased PA. Public health restrictions impact the PA of the elderly, especially those who had higher levels of exercise/sports activity and lower HRQoL before COVID-19. Decreased PA was strongly associated with lower SWB.

Life at a Stop Sign: Narrative Plots of the Transition to Adulthood During Unemployment Among South African Graduates

Compared to older cohorts, emerging adults are more susceptible to unemployment as they enter the labor market. In the context of increasing higher education access, an unstable economic climate is leaving a growing number of South African graduates unemployed. After the exploration that is typically part of higher education, unemployment could influence emerging adult graduates’ ability to make adult commitments. The aim of the current study was to gain both a detailed and a holistic perception of the developmental impact of unemployment during the transition to adulthood. A sample of 12 participants were recruited to partake in individual interviews. A narrative analysis revealed six common plotlines of progression and regression as the participants approached the goals they had set to achieve as adults. The findings illustrate the inability to accomplish adult commitments as a contributing factor in explaining the decrease in subjective well-being associated with unemployment specific to emerging adults.

Subjective Well-Being and the 2008 Recession in European Regions: The Moderating Role of Quality of Governance

How can we explain why some regions experienced large decreases in subjective well-being during the 2008 recession, while in other regions, the changes were only very modest? Building on the literature on resilience in subjective well-being during periods of crisis, this article explores a related but undervalued factor that moderates the localized relationship between macroeconomic developments and life evaluation: regional quality of governance. We use individual-level data on life satisfaction and personal information taken from Eurobarometer for 89 European regions in the EU-28 for the period of 2005–2014, combined with macroeconomic variables and regional quality of governance data to test for the hypothesized moderating effect of quality of governance. The results demonstrate that increased regional unemployment and financial stress have a less aggravating effect on subjective well-being in regions characterized by a high quality of governance. These results support the capacity of quality of governance to buffer the negative effects of adverse macroeconomic conditions, most likely through generating trust and providing a safety net.

The Role of Positive Expectations for Resilience to Adverse Events: Subjective Well-Being Before, During and After the Greek Bailout Referendum

Can positive expectations help foster resiliency against adversity? In this study, we used high-frequency panel data, to examine how positive as compared to neutral and negative expectations can buffer the negative impact on subjective well-being generated by an adverse event, the announcement of the Greek bailout referendum in July 2015. Results show that individuals with more positive expectations for the future before the referendum announcement experienced smaller decreases in subjective well-being and adapted quicker to this adverse event. In addition, we found evidence that individuals who shifted from positive to negative expectations before and during the adverse event, respectively, had significantly lower subjective well-being than individuals who had consistent positive expectations. This finding supports the view that optimism, or consistent positive expectations, and even positive mindsets, as indicated by lacks of shifts to negativity, can be a source of resilience that helps individuals cope and adapt quicker to adverse events.

The Effect of Becoming Disabled on the Subjective Well-Being of Religious and Nonreligious People.

Positive associations between religiosity and subjective well-being (SWB) have been found in a multitude of studies. However, there has been little effort in documenting the role that religion plays in helping people during the onset of adverse circumstances in their lives. This study investigates the effect of religion on the SWB of the disabled. We utilized secondary data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging from 2006 to 2016 with a sample size of 36,484. Starting with nondisabled participants, we applied a difference-in-differences approach to a fixed-effects model and compared the magnitude of the decrease in SWB resulting from disability between religious individuals and their nonreligious counterparts. The empirical results show that following a religion increased SWB by 0.94 (p < 0.01) and the onset of a disability reduced SWB by 3.57 (p < 0.01) out of 100. Furthermore, there is a significant gap in happiness levels between religious and nonreligious individuals when they are diagnosed with a disability. Becoming disabled reduces SWB for nonreligious people more than that for religious people by 2.62 (p < 0.01). This study confirms that following a religion helps people cope with adverse circumstances such as the onset of a disability.

Changes in subjective wellbeing of prisoners on remand.

Low levels of subjective wellbeing in prisoners may relate to mental health problems and difficulties in reintegration after imprisonment. The development of subjective wellbeing during imprisonment is mostly unclear. The purpose of this paper is to explore this development in a longitudinal study in association with mental disorders and socioeconomic factors. Subjective wellbeing was assessed via a visual analogue scale and retrieved at admission to remand prison and then again after four and eight weeks. Changes in subjective wellbeing between time-points were analyzed taking into account mental disorders and socioeconomic factors, which were assessed by use of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview - Plus and the Camberwell Assessment of Need - Forensic Version, respectively. On average, subjective wellbeing declined directly after remand prison admission, but differences between individuals were found. At remand prison admission, subjective wellbeing significantly improved rather than declined in prisoners with alcohol and substance use disorders, housing problems, unemployment prior to incarceration and in relatively older prisoners. Other related factors did not add significance to this model. In contrast, during remand imprisonment subjective wellbeing displayed an overall increase. For this increase, no predicting factors were found. However, prisoners with an antisocial personality disorder are more at risk of experiencing a decrease in wellbeing during remand imprisonment. In general, the Dutch prison system appears not to result in a decrease in subjective wellbeing in prisoners suffering from a mental disorder during remand imprisonment.