Higher Well-being Research Articles

The Relationship of Aversive and Appetitive Appearance-Related Comparisons with Depression, Well-Being, and Self-esteem: A Response Surface Analysis

PurposeAversive appearance-related comparisons (i.e., threatening one’s own motives) show stronger associations with depression, psychological well-being, and self-esteem than appetitive comparisons (i.e., consonant with or challenging one’s motives). However, the relevance of their congruent (i.e., equal) and incongruent (i.e., unequal) presence remains unknown. MethodsBy using response surface analysis, we investigated differential associations of congruent high levels of aversive and appetitive comparisons with depression, well-being, and self-esteem relative to incongruent high levels of aversive (or appetitive) comparisons. Participants (N = 1112) responded to measures of depression, psychological well-being, self-esteem, and the Comparison Standards Scale for Appearance. The latter assesses aversive and appetitive social, temporal, counterfactual, criteria-based, and dimensional comparisons regarding their frequency, discrepancy to the standard, and affective impact. ResultsResults confirmed our preregistered hypotheses. First, higher levels of congruent frequency, discrepancy, or affective impact were associated with higher depression, and lower well-being and self-esteem. Second, a greater predominance of aversive over appetitive comparisons was associated with higher depression, and lower well-being and self-esteem. Third, a predominance of appetitive over aversive comparison was associated with lower depression, and higher well-being and self-esteem.ConclusionsThe distinct patterns of the (in-)congruence of aversive and appetitive comparisons have important research and clinical implications.

Gender differences in sense of coherence among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.

Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic halted everyday life in higher education along with social and psychological impacts. The objective of our study was to explore the factors related to sense of coherence (SoC) from a gender perspective among university students in Turkey. This is a cross-sectional survey conducted online with a convenience sampling method as part of the international COVID-Health Literacy (COVID-HL) Consortium. SoC was measured by a nine-item questionnaire that was adapted to the Turkish language, including socio-demographic information and health status, including psychological well-being, psychosomatic complaints, and future anxiety (FA). 1595 students from four universities, of whom 72% were female, participated in the study. Cronbach's alpha for the SoC scale was 0.75. Based on the median split of the individual scores, levels of SoC showed no statistically significant difference according to gender. Logistic regression analysis indicated that higher SoC was associated with medium and high subjective social status, studying in private universities, high psychological well-being, low FA, and none/one psychosomatic complaint. While results were similar among female students, type of university and psychological well-being showed no statistically significant association with SoC among males. Our results indicate that structural (subjective social status) and contextual (type of university) factors, along with gender-based variations, are associated with SoC among university students in Turkey.

The Relationship Between Chronic Disease Self-Management and Well-Being in Hemodialysis Patients / Hemodiyaliz Hastalarında Kronik Hastalık Öz Yönetimi ve İyilik Hali Arasındaki İlişki

Aims: To appraise the relation between self-management and well-being and related sociodemographic and clinical features in patients receiving hemodialysis treatment. Methods: The study was carried out with 261 patients who were treated at three hemodialysis centers in Izmir between September and December 2022 and who met the criteria for inclusion. The data of the research; “Sociodemographic Data Form”, “PERMA Scale” and “Chronic Illness SelfManagement Scale” were collected through face-to-face interviews. Ethics committee approval was obtained to conduct the study. Number, percent, mean, standard deviation, Mann Whitney U/Kruskal Wallis H tests and Spearman correlation analysis were used in the statistical analysis of the data. Results: The PERMA Scale mean score was 7.21±1.31 and the self management scale mean score was 3.31±0.35. Patients who have a high perception of psychological well-being, who have no problems with diet and who can cope with physical problems completely have higher levels of both self-management and well-being (p<0.05).There is a positive relationship between self-management and well-being (r: 0.385, p<0.01). Conclusion: Results supported that hemodialysis patients were found to have moderate disease self-management and high wellbeing. In addition, it was determined that as the disease selfmanagement increased, the well-being of the patients increased.

Profiles of Military Medical Students’ Well-being, Burnout, and Retention

ABSTRACT Background Well-being concerns among medical students are more prevalent than their age-matched peers in the United States. It remains unknown, however, if individual differences in well-being exist among U.S. medical students serving in the military. In this study, we sought to identify profiles (i.e., subgroups) of well-being in military medical students and examine the associations between these well-being profiles and burnout, depression, and intended retention in military and medical fields. Methods Using a cross-sectional research design, we surveyed military medical students and then conducted latent class analysis to explore profiles of well-being, and applied the three-step latent class analysis method to assess predictors and outcomes of well-being profiles. Results Heterogeneity in well-being was identified among the 336 military medical students surveyed, portraying medical students’ falling into three distinct subgroups: High well-being (36%), low well-being (20%), and moderate well-being (44%). Different subgroups were associated with different risks of outcomes. Students in the subgroup of low well-being were at the highest risk of burnout, depression, and leaving medicine. In contrast, students in the moderate well-being group were at the highest risk of leaving military service. Conclusions These subgroups may be clinically important as burnout, depression, and intention to leave medical field and/or military service occurred with varying likelihoods among medical students across the different well-being subgroups. Military medical institutions may consider improving recruitment tools to identify the best alignment between students’ career goals and the military setting. Besides, it is crucial for the institution to address diversity, equity, and inclusion issues that may lead to alienation, anxiety, and a sense of wanting to leave the military community.

Toward a new model of human resource management practices: construction and validation of the High Wellbeing and Performance Work System Scale.

The integrated mutual gains model suggests five provisional sets of human resource management (HRM) practices that should benefit both employees and organizations and, as such, be explicitly designed to have a positive impact on wellbeing, which, in turn, can affect performance. An extensive review of the literature on scales that used a high-performance work system to assess HRM practices, as well as an extraction of items related to the theoretical dimensions of the integrated mutual gains model, were performed. Based on these preliminary steps, an initial scale with the 66 items found most relevant in the literature was developed and assessed regarding its factorial structure, internal consistency, and reliability over a two-week period. Exploratory factorial analysis following test -retest resulted in a 42-item scale for measuring 11 HRM practices. Confirmatory factor analyses resulted in a 36-item instrument for measuring 10 HRM practices and showed adequate validity and reliability. Even though the five provisional sets of practices were not validated, the practices that emerged from them were assembled into alternative sets of practices. These sets of practices reflect HRM activities that are considered conducive to employees' wellbeing and, consequently, their job performance. Consequently, the "High Wellbeing and Performance Work System Scale" was created. Nonetheless, future research is necessary to evaluate the predictive capacity of this new scale.

Stressors in hospitalized patients and their associations with mental health outcomes: testing perceived social support and spiritual well-being as moderators

BackgroundAlthough hospitalization can be a burdensome experience for all patients, research into the sources of this distress and potential protective factors has so far been scattered, specifically among the broad hospitalized population across all disease types and inpatient units. The present study explores the frequency and nature of the foremost experienced hassles among a sample of Lebanese hospitalized patients, tracing their correlations with depression and anxiety while also investigating positive coping (i.e., perceived social support and spiritual well-being) as potential moderator of these relationships.MethodsA total of 452 Lebanese inpatients from all medical units filled a survey composed of a list of 38 stressors experienced during hospitalization and other measures assessing depression, anxiety, perceived social support, and spiritual well-being.ResultsPain was the most common stressor experienced by the patients (88.9%), followed by the feeling of being overwhelmed (80.3%). When conducting a factor analysis, 18 stressors loaded on 4 distinct factors, hence yielding 4 main stressor groups (i.e., Illness Apprehension, Hopelessness/Uselessness, Social Isolation, and Spiritual Concerns). The multivariable analysis showed that increased illness apprehension (Beta = 0.69) and hopelessness (Beta = 1.37), being married (Beta = 1.17) or divorced (Beta = 1.38) compared to single, being admitted in a two-bed room compared to one-bed (Beta = 1.59), higher financial burden (Beta = 0.24), and lower socio-economic status (Beta = 1.60) were significantly associated with higher anxiety. Additionally, increased hopelessness (Beta = 0.82) and being married (Beta = 0.79) compared to single were significantly associated with higher depression. However, among patients experiencing high levels of stressors, those with high spiritual well-being and perceived social support had lower depressive/anxiety symptoms.ConclusionOur study characterized the principal stressors encountered during hospitalization, underscoring their associations with Lebanese inpatients’ mental health. On the other hand, as perceived social support and spiritual well-being acted as negative moderators of these associations, intervention programs aimed at enhancing such adaptive coping techniques are strongly called upon to palliate the psychological distress of patients in hospital settings.

Religious norms, norm conflict, and religious identification.

The present research sought to understand how religious identification is associated with normative practices and with norm conflict (the perception that people within the religious group are not all enacting the same standards or rules for behaviour). Using a multi-faith sample (N=400) we replicate positive associations of religious identification with engaging in normative practices such as prayer, and the associations of both identification and normative practices with stronger well-being. Religious norm conflict was associated with lower identification and lower well-being, however. Three coping strategies were examined: 1) engaging in normative ritual practices was protective of identification and well-being; 2) affirming that the conflict occurs on less important (vs core) religious norms was associated with higher well-being, but not with identification; and 3) challenging the religious norm was associated with lower well-being, but did not alter religious identification.

The Influence of Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) on the Productivity and Well-Being of Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO)-Certified Independent Smallholders in Malaysia

Good agricultural practice (GAP) helps increase productivity by producing fresh fruit bunches (FFBs), and selling FFBs will increase Independent Smallholders’ (ISH) income. However, although GAP promotes increased productivity, the effectiveness of GAP in delivering the well-being of the ISH in oil palm production areas remains to be determined. To that end, this study (i) measures the smallholder’s well-being index, (ii) compares the well-being index by states in Malaysia, and (iii) maps the relationship between GAP implementation, productivity, and well-being. The study selected respondents using purposive sampling (PS). PS identifies and selects individuals with Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification and knowledge and experience of GAP. As a result, the research interviewed 564 ISHs with MSPO certification from 162 Sustainable Palm Oil Clusters (SPOC). The study used Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and the Structural Equation Model (SEM) framework to achieve the objectives. The study found that the average ISH well-being index was 0.62, and ISHs in Sabah had the highest well-being, with 0.73 compared to other states. The study also found that GAP influences productivity and is positively and significantly related to well-being. Therefore, it indicates to ISHs and the government the importance of GAP implementation to increase ISHs’ productivity and well-being.

A Multi-Country Study Assessing the Mechanisms of Natural Elements and Sociodemographics behind the Impact of Forest Bathing on Well-Being

Interventions such as forest bathing (slow, mindful nature walks) have been shown to increase our connection to nature and be an effective intervention for improving health and well-being. However, there is variation in the activities delivered during forest bathing and the guidance given. Few researchers have evaluated which activities, elements of nature, and senses are responsible for improvements in well-being. The current evaluation addresses this gap and also monitors the emotional state and nature connection following guided forest bathing walks. Participants (N = 1142) across 35 countries completed post-walk evaluation surveys online. Results suggest that well-being and nature connection were rated very highly following forest bathing activities. Experiencing happy feelings and trusting emotions were especially highly rated. The natural elements perceived as contributing the most to well-being were sound-related elements. In terms of sociodemographics, women had higher well-being and nature connection ratings than men; ratings were higher in specialised nature resort areas, with little difference between natural and urban park areas; higher scores were seen in the southern hemisphere and during hot or long-day seasons. This has implications for forest bathing, forest therapy, and nature-based training organisations and their guides who want to improve their method of intervention delivery, maximise well-being, and enhance nature connection.

Association between driving frequency and well-being among older adults

Objectives Research on driving in older adulthood suggests that driving is a form of independence for older adults and is often associated with increased social capital and overall-being. However, few studies have examined whether the frequency of driving, and not driving alone, affects likelihood of having well-being among older adults. This study aimed to examine the association between frequency of driving and well-being among older adults, guided by the activity theory of aging, Methods Data were drawn from the 2018 National Health and Aging Trends Study, a longitudinal panel survey of Medicare beneficiaries living in the United States. Bivariate analyses were conducted using Chi-square tests and the association between frequency of driving and well-being was tested with a multivariable logistic regression model. Well-being was determined by 11 items measuring positive and negative affect and asking participants if they agreed with certain statements about their lives. Results After controlling for other factors that could influence well-being among older adults, results showed that those who drove every day were the most likely to have high well-being, followed by those who drove most days, those who drove some days, those who drove rarely, and those who never drove. Discussion The study results indicate that as frequency of driving increases, the chance of having well-being increases among older adults. This supports the activity theory of aging and highlights the importance of productive aging.

The role of motivational interviewing training in supporting the practice of COVID-19 contact tracers

PurposeTo explore how motivational interviewing (MI) training might benefit the practice of COVID-19 contact tracers.Design/methodology/approachFollowing co-production of a MI training package, with a United Kingdom (UK) track and trace organisation, training was delivered virtually to 101 volunteer participants involved in contact tracing. Data were captured via an online survey, incorporating questions from recognised measures of occupational self-efficacy and workplace wellbeing, prior to the training. Open data fields were used to gather feedback about participants' reasons for attending, and views about the training afterwards.FindingsAlthough the contact tracers reported high occupational self-efficacy and workplace wellbeing, both quantitative and qualitative data suggested participants saw practitioner value and utility in MI.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample was self-selecting and typically involved contact tracers from UK local authorities. The study did not measure impact on compliance with self-isolation guidance and/or providing details of contacts, and larger-scale research would be needed to establish this. This was not a pre-post-test evaluation study, and measures of occupational self-efficacy and workplace wellbeing were gathered to give insight into the sample and to test the feasibility of using this survey for a future large-scale study. The research was conducted during the height of the pandemic. While UK COVID-19 contact tracing services have since been reduced, there are potential implications for infection control more generally.Practical implicationsMI is potentially a useful approach for enhancing contact tracing practice. However, implementation factors should be carefully considered, to ensure effective and sustainable practice.Social implicationsImproved practice in contact tracing could have potential benefits in infection control, through improving compliance with central guidance, although this requires more widespread investigation.Originality/valueThis is the first empirical study to investigate how MI training could benefit COVID-19 contact tracing practice.

Singing and Well-Being Indicators

Previous studies have indicated that there are positive effects of music and singing on well-being in adults. The aim of our study was to examine the associations between singing characteristics and well-being indicators (positive affect, negative affect and life satisfaction). The study participants were 221 people (75.1% female) between 18 and 70 years (M = 31.94, SD = 12.89) who were at the time actively involved in any kind of singing activities. Singing characteristics, namely, frequency of singing, singing alone or with others and importance of singing were measured by a questionnaire designed for the purpose of this research. Croatian adaptation of the shortened form of The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson & Clark, 1994) was used for measuring positive and negative affect, while The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener et al., 1985) was used for general life satisfaction. We examined the associations between singing characteristics and well-being indicators using correlational and regression analyses. Results of both analyses showed that people who considered singing highly important had higher life satisfaction, and that singing with others was associated with less negative affect. However, these associations were small in size, explaining 2.7% and 6.3% of well-being variance after controlling for age. In line with previous research, when there are significant effects of singing on well-being, they are in direction that singing is associated with higher well-being.

Mindfulness among lebanese university students and its indirect effect between mental health and wellbeing

BackgroundUniversity students are a high-risk population for developing mental health issues. Mindfulness, the non-judgmental awareness of the present moment, has an effective role in numerous psychological contexts among students. However, no previous studies have investigated the association between mindfulness, mental health and wellbeing among Lebanese university students. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the mediating effect of mindfulness in the association between mental health and wellbeing in this population.MethodsThis cross-sectional study enrolled 363 Lebanese university students recruited through convenience sampling (July-September 2021). The Wellbeing Index Scale, Lebanese Anxiety Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire and Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory were used to assess subjective well-being, anxiety, depression and mindfulness respectively.ResultsOur findings showed that higher mindfulness (Beta = 0.18; p < 0.001) was significantly correlated with a higher wellbeing, whereas more depression (Beta=-0.36; p < 0.001) was significantly associated with a lower wellbeing. The results of the indirect effect analysis showed that mindfulness mediated the association between anxiety and wellbeing and between depression and wellbeing. Higher anxiety/depression were significantly associated with lower mindfulness and a lower wellbeing (direct effect). Moreover, higher mindfulness was significantly associated with a higher wellbeing.ConclusionMindfulness is associated with improved wellbeing and plays an indirect role between mental health issues and wellbeing. Our results suggest that mindfulness presents an adaptive approach and coping method associated with improved students’ wellbeing.

Investigating Employees’ Concerns and Wishes Regarding Digital Stress Management Interventions With Value Sensitive Design: Mixed Methods Study

Work stress places a heavy economic and disease burden on society. Recent technological advances include digital health interventions for helping employees prevent and manage their stress at work effectively. Although such digital solutions come with an array of ethical risks, especially if they involve biomedical big data, the incorporation of employees' values in their design and deployment has been widely overlooked. To bridge this gap, we used the value sensitive design (VSD) framework to identify relevant values concerning a digital stress management intervention (dSMI) at the workplace, assess how users comprehend these values, and derive specific requirements for an ethics-informed design of dSMIs. VSD is a theoretically grounded framework that front-loads ethics by accounting for values throughout the design process of a technology. We conducted a literature search to identify relevant values of dSMIs at the workplace. To understand how potential users comprehend these values and derive design requirements, we conducted a web-based study that contained closed and open questions with employees of a Swiss company, allowing both quantitative and qualitative analyses. The values health and well-being, privacy, autonomy, accountability, and identity were identified through our literature search. Statistical analysis of 170 responses from the web-based study revealed that the intention to use and perceived usefulness of a dSMI were moderate to high. Employees' moderate to high health and well-being concerns included worries that a dSMI would not be effective or would even amplify their stress levels. Privacy concerns were also rated on the higher end of the score range, whereas concerns regarding autonomy, accountability, and identity were rated lower. Moreover, a personalized dSMI with a monitoring system involving a machine learning-based analysis of data led to significantly higher privacy (P=.009) and accountability concerns (P=.04) than a dSMI without a monitoring system. In addition, integrability, user-friendliness, and digital independence emerged as novel values from the qualitative analysis of 85 text responses. Although most surveyed employees were willing to use a dSMI at the workplace, there were considerable health and well-being concerns with regard to effectiveness and problem perpetuation. For a minority of employees who value digital independence, a nondigital offer might be more suitable. In terms of the type of dSMI, privacy and accountability concerns must be particularly well addressed if a machine learning-based monitoring component is included. To help mitigate these concerns, we propose specific requirements to support the VSD of a dSMI at the workplace. The results of this work and our research protocol will inform future research on VSD-based interventions and further advance the integration of ethics in digital health.

Australian retirement village residents: wellbeing profiles and factors associated with low wellbeing

Abstract The characteristics of Australian retirement village residents, an under-researched population, are not well understood. Knowledge of their wellbeing and modifiable factors associated with low wellbeing would aid in the introduction of health promotion measures and supports to facilitate healthy ageing-in-place. A novel approach utilising latent class analysis (LCA), a statistical method not previously employed to study this population, was undertaken to analyse cross-sectional survey data from 871 participants aged ≥65 years from retirement villages in Queensland, Australia. LCA identified latent, i.e. unobserved, underlying and often difficult to measure, groups within this population based on the responses of individuals to multiple observed variables. Survey participants were divided into groups, each with a distinct profile associated with a wellbeing state, as determined by responses to questions about physical health, unplanned hospitalisations, cognitive health and social connectedness. Multinomial logistic regression explored the relationship between modifiable health and lifestyle characteristics and membership of a particular wellbeing group. The median age of participants was 82 years (interquartile range = 76–88). While 69.0 per cent reported good to excellent health, polypharmacy was evident with 45.6 per cent of participants taking five or more prescription medications. In the previous 12 months, 33.3 per cent had experienced one or more falls and 30.6 per cent an unplanned hospitalisation. Distinct profiles were identified for three wellbeing groups: high (57.7% of participants), moderate (20.6%) and low wellbeing (21.7%). Injurious falls, limited ability to prepare meals and debilitating pain were associated with the moderate and low wellbeing groups. Physical activity significantly lowered the probability of a retirement village resident being in the low wellbeing group. Our findings highlight falls prevention, maintaining adequate nutrition, pain management and regular physical activity as actions that may optimise wellbeing, mitigate functional decline and support the independence of retirement village residents into later years of life.

Occupational well-being and teamwork in Finnish early childhood education

The study examined Finnish early childhood education professionals’ (ECEP) (n = 107) experiences of occupational well-being and systems intelligent teamwork. Occupational well-being was measured with basic psychological job satisfaction, work engagement and burnout. In the analysis of variances by rank, the ECEPs’ had high work engagement, felt competent and relatedness in a working community. By contrast, their autonomy was low, and they felt exhausted, even though the overall burnout level was low. Extensive working experience increased work-related well-being and perceiving socioemotional systems in work. The ECE teachers had the highest work engagement, basic psychological need satisfaction and lowest burnout, but didn’t feel strongly competent in perceiving systemic interaction structures. On the other hand, the ECE social pedagogues felt most competent in systems intelligence behavior. The ECE childcarers valued the support of the systems intelligence team. In the cluster analysis, we identified two different clusters representing the level of occupational well-being and systems intelligence. The solution presented a connection between the ECE teachers with high work-related well-being and systems intelligence. We suggest that the multi-professional teamwork should be developed according to the ECEPs’ diverse educational background and that professional responsibilities be made more consistent with their education.

Communicative Perfectionist Strategy in the Representation of Industrial Companies Performance

The article considers verbal elements of perfectionism as a communicative strategy of promotional discourse in annual reports of large industrial companies for the representation of outstanding company performance aimed at developing a positive public image. A sampling of 2882 contextual occurrences of keywords with the perfectionist semantics served as the material for the research (best, maximum, high, improvement, increase, increase, growth). The keywords characterized inherent corporate activities. Research methods – statistical sampling and content analysis. According to the obtained results, perfectionism penetrates through the key company activities – production of high quality products, socially responsible corporate governance, improvement of financial management, implementation of best practices for the use of energy resources, increase in personnel involvement by means of effective monetary compensation and nonmonetary benefits, ensuring a high level of social protection for employees. Less numerous data were obtained in business process management, health, safety and environmental protection, digital technologies. Perfectionism in annual reports accentuates needs and interests of the target audience – high quality products, social well-being, including customers, investors, stakeholders, employees, and citizens of presence regions.

I feel you: Prepandemic physiological synchrony and emotional contagion during COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has a major impact on mental well-being and interpersonal relationships. Nonetheless, little is known about the complex interactions between one's overall perceived interpersonal closeness and physiological or psychological aspects of interpersonal functioning. This study aimed to understand the interaction between perceived interpersonal closeness during COVID-19 and interpersonal mechanisms in predicting well-being. We focused on two interpersonal mechanisms, one physiological and the other psychological: (a) prepandemic physiological synchrony, a physiological measure of interpersonal coupling, and (b) peripandemic emotional contagion, one's tendency to "catch" others' emotions. One hundred fifty-five participants took part in the study. Cardiological interbeat interval synchrony was collected 1.5 to 3 years prior to the beginning of the COVID pandemic in two previous lab studies. Participants were recontacted during the pandemic, this time to complete several questionnaires tapping into perceived interpersonal closeness, tendency for emotional contagion, and psychological well-being during COVID. As hypothesized, overall perceived interpersonal closeness was positively related to well-being. Moreover, this effect was moderated by one's tendency for emotional contagion or by physiological synchrony. Thus, individuals with higher emotional contagion scores or higher physiological synchrony had higher well-being if their interpersonal closeness was perceived as greater. Conversely, their well-being was lower if they perceived their interpersonal closeness as weaker. These results emphasize that individuals may be differentially susceptible to the effects of their relationships on their well-being. Future mental health interventions should consider both the quality of one's perceived interpersonal closeness and the extent to which one is sensitive to others' emotional experiences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

EXAMINING THE REPERCUSSIONS OF EMOTIONAL LABOR AMONG MEDICAL DOCTORS - AN EXPLANATORY SEQUENTIAL MIXED-METHOD DESIGN

Emotional labor prevails in a variety of fields. However, degree of emotional labor practiced by medical professionals, during the COVID-19 pandemic, is considerably higher. This study adopts an explanatory sequential mixed-method approach, where a survey-based quantitative study was conducted on 406 doctors working across Pakistan; followed by an interview-based qualitative study, conducted on 15 doctors. Quantitative analysis reveals that surface and deep acting both lead to high emotional exhaustion and low well-being, whereas genuine emotions lead to low emotional exhaustion and high well-being. No significant impact of emotional job demands is found on well-being via emotional exhaustion. Results from qualitative study reaffirm that due to high emotional job demands, doctors tend to heavily engage in emotional labor, which leads to emotional exhaustion, and compromises their well-being. The research highlights the contextual nature of emotional labor construct and investigates lesser-explored facets of psychological and physical well-being. The study also adds to the scant mixed-method literature, specifically an explanatory sequential design entailing structural equation modeling and thematic analysis. Keywords: Emotional Job Demands, Emotional Labor, Emotional Exhaustion, Psychological/Eudaimonic Well-being, Physical Well-being, COVID-19.

Neural Processing of Odors with Different Well-Being Associations-Findings from Two Consecutive Neuroimaging Studies.

Much is known about the effect of odors on mood, cognition and behavior, but little is known about the relationship between odors and well-being. We investigated the neural processing of odors with different degrees of association with well-being (WB) through two large independent datasets. The study encompassed pre-testing and fMRI. During pre-testing, 100 and 80 (studies 1 and 2) young, healthy subjects participated, rating intensity, valence, and WB association for 14 (study 1) and 8 (study 2) different odors. Pre-testing resulted in the selection of two odors with high WB association (WB-associated) and two odors with lower WB association (neutral odors) for each study. Odors were delivered intranasally to the subjects who underwent fMRI scanning (44 and 41 subjects, respectively, for studies 1 and 2). We assessed brain activity for subjects when they experienced WB-associated versus neutral odors. In study 1, WB-associated odors showed increased activation in the right angular gyrus whereas in study 2, increased activity in the left angular gyrus existed, together with increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and posterior orbitofrontal cortex. The increased activity of higher-order cognitive and emotional regions during the processing of WB-associated odors in the two independent studies suggests a role of odors in influencing individual well-being. Moreover, the consistent activation of the angular gyrus might suggest its key role in shifting attention toward relevant emotional stimuli.