Positive Mental Health Indicators Research Articles

Further examination of the dual-factor model: characteristics of emerging adults with non-traditional mental health profiles

Traditionally, the mental health field has focused on psychological symptoms and distress, and health is considered the absence of illness. An alternative view suggests that optimal mental health must include the presence of positive characteristics in addition to the absence of illness. Accordingly, a dual-factor model of mental health includes measures of both psychopathology and positive subjective well-being to determine an individual’s mental health status. The current study investigated this dual-factor model by examining whether subjective well-being and psychopathology combine to produce distinct mental health profiles in emerging adults. A sample of 559 university students completed self-report surveys indicating their life satisfaction and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Cluster analysis yielded four unique mental health groups. The well-adjusted cluster included individuals with high life satisfaction and low internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The dissatisfied cluster consisted of individuals with low externalizing, but also low life satisfaction and slightly above-average levels of internalizing. The externalizing cluster had high life satisfaction but also high externalizing psychopathology, and the troubled cluster exhibited low life satisfaction and high levels of both psychopathology symptoms. The clusters also differed in their personality traits, coping responses, and automatic thoughts, with the most favorable pattern across all three dimensions exhibited by the well-adjusted cluster. These findings highlight the importance of considering positive indicators of mental health in addition to measures of psychopathology and support the use of an empirical classification procedure in determining the mental health status of emerging adults.

Self-compassion promotes positive mental health in women with anorexia nervosa: A two-week daily diary study

ABSTRACT Despite the importance of positive mental health, little is known about its facilitators in people with eating disorders (EDs). Drawing on past research, we hypothesized that self-compassion might be a contributing factor to positive mental health in individuals with EDs. In a two-week daily diary study of women (N = 32) with anorexia nervosa, we investigated whether self-compassion levels—on average, on a given day, and from one day to the next—predicted social safeness (i.e. a sense of social connection and warmth) and positive affect, both indicators of positive mental health. Multilevel modeling revealed that, controlling for ED symptoms, (1) higher daily self-compassion, (2) increases in self-compassion from the previous day, and (3) higher trait self-compassion, were associated with greater positive affect and social safeness. Findings suggest that in addition to reducing ED symptoms in people with EDs, as documented by prior research, the cultivation of self-compassion might facilitate improved emotional and social well-being in this population.

Levels of physical activity, physical and psychological well-being of university students, during the COVID-19 pandemic

The objective of the study was to evaluate the levels of physical activity practice and psychological well-being of university students, of both sexes, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We opted for the cross-sectional experimental design method, when addressing the variables of physical exercise, stress, depression and anxiety that were manipulated and combined to verify a greater change in the responses to be analyzed in the research proposal, that is, that greater levels of physical exercises would be related to minor negative symptoms in the sphere of mental health. The results showed that, according to the sample collected, the proposed relationship was not verified, since the prevalence rates of symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress showed normal rates, without scores that indicate significant severity in the health condition mental health, and thus not proving, in this study, that the time of weekly physical activity had a direct influence on the mental health of the evaluated individuals, either in the improvement or reduction of the negative symptoms. Thus, it was verified that the Brazilian university students of the respective sample, despite not having adequate levels of physical activity practice, presented mental health conditions with a low prevalence of negative symptoms related to the psychological profile, indicating, therefore, little significance regarding the study hypothesis that positive mental health indicators would be directly related to higher levels of physical activity. Key-words: Physical activity. University students. Anxiety. Depression. Mood states. Stress.

The influence of stress on mental health among Chinese college students: The moderating role of psychological suzhi

Depending on its duration, stress can be divided into chronic and acute stress, both of which can be detrimental to an individual's mental health. Psychological suzhi may act as a protective factor that buffers the adverse effects of stress. This study aimed to explore the moderating role of psychological suzhi in the relationship between these two types of stress and mental health based on a dual-factor model of mental health. Study 1 explored the moderating role of psychological suzhi on the relationship between chronic stress and mental health using the Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Check List, College Student Psychological Suzhi Scale Brief Mental Health Version, Satisfaction With Life Scale, and 12-item General Health Questionnaire to investigate 919 Chinese college students. A hierarchical regression model was used to examine the moderating effects. Study 2 examined the moderating role of psychological suzhi on the relationship between acute stress and mental health. Participants (N = 56) were classified into high (N = 30) and low (N = 26) psychological suzhi groups based on the Psychological Suzhi Scale. They completed the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups and a specific control condition, and their state anxiety and happiness levels were assessed. Data were analyzed using a mixed-design repeated-measures ANOVA. The results of Study 1 revealed that psychological suzhi moderated the influence of chronic stress on the negative indicator of mental health (psychological symptoms) (β = −0.18, t = −6.90, p < 0.001). The results of Study 2 showed that psychological suzhi moderated the effect of acute stress on the negative indicator of mental health (state anxiety) [F (1, 54) = 4.79, p < 0.05, η2 = 0.08]. Psychological suzhi can moderate the influence of both chronic and acute stress on the negative indicators of college students' mental health but cannot moderate the influence on the positive indicators of mental health.

Cluster Analysis of the Positive and Negative Indicators of Complete Mental Health State Model

&lt;p&gt;本研究目的在了解正負向指標篩檢心理健康型態集群分佈情形，是否符合Keyes主張以主觀幸福感與憂鬱症狀雙指標區分的完整心理健康模式。研究設計以心理健康BMI幸福感問卷、病人健康狀況憂鬱問卷，做為正負向指標篩檢工具，架構完整心理健康模式；以問卷調查法立意取樣739份樣本，經群集分析法作統計分群。結果能區分出有意義的四群集，包括擁有高幸福低憂鬱之完整圓滿心理健康型態的「心盛型」群集（46.28%）、不完整心理健康型態三個群集:「冷靜型」（低幸福低憂鬱之不完整心理亞健康型態，31.94%）、「奮戰型」（高幸福高憂鬱之不完整心理健康型態，11.10%）、「混沌型」（低幸福高憂鬱之不完整心理健康型態，10.69%）。低憂鬱者佔全體 78.22%，其中59.17%擁有高幸福而處於完整圓滿心理健康型態；高憂鬱者佔全體21.78%，其中50.93%擁有高幸福感。驗證了幸福感、憂鬱傾向作為正負向心理健康指標，篩檢完整或不完整心理健康型態。建議:（1）高憂鬱者參照「奮戰型」這群人高幸福感來源，藉由參與社團獲得人際支持、找到工作及收入來增加自我價值感；（2）「冷靜型」不能單看低憂鬱的心理健康篩檢，需提升「友善人際支持 正念情緒平穩 認同自我價值意義」之正向心理健康BMI幸福感，以獲得完整心理健康；（3）未來研究可依據正負向心理健康指標去發展心理健康素養能力，作為心理健檢與自主管理完整心理健康之用。&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This study aimed to understand the cluster distribution of positive and negative indicators for screening mental health patterns and whether they conform to Keyes’ claim that positive and negative indicators should be included in the complete mental health state model. The positive mental health indicators included social, emotional, and psychological well-being, which should be measured using the Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF). Negative indicators measure the level of symptoms of mental illness concurrently, serving as a complete assessment of whether the individual is in a healthy state of positive and negative mental health indicators. Keyes employed these to distinguish four clusters of people with four mental health modes, of which the incomplete mental health cluster was in the state. Even if they have a negative mental illness, they could have positive mental health and well-being. Although some people do not have negative mental illness, they cannot have positive mental health and well-being. Therefore, Taiwanese scholar Li corresponded to these three well-being developments and selected three operational mental health skills: &amp;quot;&amp;quot;Befriend-Mindfulness-Identity&amp;quot;&amp;quot; as the Mental Health BMI Well-Being Index questionnaire (mBMI). After using them to evaluate 739 people, it was evident that the scores of the above two questionnaires were significantly correlated, and the mBMI questionnaire total score and Questions B, M, and I could effectively predict the total score, social, emotional, and psychological well-being of the MHC-SF, with a total explanatory power of 30.3%. This test should be used as a simple screening for well-being and as a positive mental health screening tool. Additionally, a Depression Scale Screening Tool for Negative Mental Health Depression was combined to explore the complete mental health state model of Taiwanese people. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; Therefore, in this study, the mBMI questionnaire was selected as a simple tool to measure positive mental health well-being, and the patients&amp;rsquo; health questionnaire for depression was used as a screening tool for negative mental health indicators. These are used as positive and negative indicators to test whether a complete or incomplete mental health state model fits. The questionnaire survey method was used to deliberately sample the data from 739 valid samples, and the cluster analysis method was used for statistical grouping to verify its suitability. According to the results of the aforementioned positive and negative indicators, four meaningful clusters were distinguished, including one complete and three incomplete mental health models. One cluster was &amp;quot;&amp;quot;Flourishing type&amp;quot;&amp;quot;(46.28%) of high well-being and low depression, which belonged to the complete mental health state model. The other three clusters were incomplete mental health state models. &amp;quot;&amp;quot;Fighting type&amp;quot;&amp;quot; (31.94%) of high well-being and high depression, &amp;quot;&amp;quot;Calm type&amp;quot;&amp;quot; (11.10%) of low well-being and low depression, and &amp;quot;&amp;quot;Chaos type&amp;quot;&amp;quot; (10.69%) of low well-being and high depression could fight for high well-being. It was verified that well-being and depression could be used as positive and negative mental health indicators to screen for complete or incomplete mental health state models. When we identified people with high depression, we encouraged them to refer to the source of high well-being of the &amp;quot;&amp;quot;fighting type&amp;quot;&amp;quot; group and increase their sense of self-worth by participating in clubs to obtain interpersonal support, find jobs, and earn income. We reminded the &amp;quot;&amp;quot;calm type&amp;quot;&amp;quot; people with low depression to promote their high well-being to have a complete mental health state. Finally, we monitored positive and negative indicators of mental health using screening tools of the Mental Health BMI Well-Being Index and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to screen for complete or incomplete mental health states as a reference for promoting positive and negative mental health. The befriend-mindfulness-identity skills should be improved to promote well-being and adjust depression to achieve complete mental health.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

Prospective associations between adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines and mental well-being in Chinese adolescents

ABSTRACT Most evidence regarding the relationships between adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines and adolescent mental health have been derived from cross-sectional studies or have ignored positive mental health indicators. The current prospective study examined the associations between adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines and changes in mental well-being among Chinese adolescents over three months. 816 Chinese adolescents (M age = 14.76 years; SD = 0.81) completed baseline and follow-up scales of 24-hour movement behaviours, mental well-being, and covariates. Linear mixed-effects models were used for data analyses, with adjustments for covariates and mental well-being at baseline. There was a significant improvement in mental well-being across the three months, and the improvement in mental well-being was positively associated with meeting any single guidelines and both physical activity and sleep guidelines but not adherence to all three guidelines. Meeting both physical activity and sleep recommendations appears to exert more significant benefits on mental well-being than meeting one or two other recommendations. An integrative approach to mental health promotion by focusing on 24-hour movement behaviours (at least physical activity and sleep) may be more effective than focusing on a single behaviour alone.

Using Principal Component Analysis to Explore the Influence of Civic Education on Students’ Mental Health in Colleges and Universities

Abstract This paper first explored the implementation steps of principal component analysis, standardized the raw data, and calculated the correlation matrix, eigenvalues and variance contribution ratio. The principal components were identified, the principal component factors were thoroughly evaluated, and the comprehensive scores of the principal components were calculated. Then, the model of this paper was examined, and the principal component factors were extracted using the algorithm. Finally, the analysis of the correlation between Civic Education and Mental Health, as well as the predictive effect of Curriculum Civic Education on the level of cultural self-confidence and mental health were analyzed. The results show that the correlation coefficient between curriculum civic politics and happiness is 7.45. Curriculum civic politics is significantly positively correlated with all positive mental health indicators, r between 0.3-0.4, p&lt;0.01, and with negative mental health indicators, r between −0.4-0.37, p&lt;0.01. This study is important for the active promotion of curriculum civic politics and the enhancement of parenting effectiveness. Promoting the development of college students’ mental health is of great significance.

The relationship between physical activity and mental health: Is more always better?

The current study was designed to examine the relationship between physical activity and mental health. We investigated whether individuals who perceive themselves as physically inactive, recreationists, or active athletes differ in positive (positive affect, subjective well-being, unconditional self-acceptance) and negative mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, stress, negative affect, conditional self-acceptance). Furthermore, we investigated whether the total level of leisure-time physical activity predicted different mental health indicators. Analysis revealed that physically active respondents (recreationists and active athletes) seem to have better overall mental health status than physically inactive ones. Precisely, physically inactive individuals scored higher on all measures of negative mental health indicators, and lower on all measures of positive mental health indicators, compared with the participants from the two other groups. At the same time, there were no significant differences in these measures between recreationists and active athletes. Besides, a positive association was found between the weekly frequency of leisure-time activity and only two positive indicators of mental health (positive affect and subjective well-being)of all tested. The obtained results suggest that it is often more relevant for mental health whether someone is physically active or not, in general, than how frequently they exercise.

Measurement of psychological inflexibility: an examination of the psychometric properties of the AAQ-3 compared to AAQ-II

Due to the limitations of the existing measurements of experiential avoidance, we would like to check the validity of the improved version of Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II (AAQ-II), i.e., Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–3 (AAQ-3), in Chinese content. The present study was aim to examine the construct and validity of the Chinese version of AAQ-3 in college students and provide an initial validation of this instrument to promote future cross-cultural examination of the psychological flexibility. Totally 1,572 college students were invited to complete the Chinese AAQ-3 and the related questionnaires at the same time. After one month, 380 participates were assessed with same questionnaires to examine the test-retest reliability. The results indicated a similar one-factor solution in the Chinese AAQ-3 to the original version by exploratory factor analysis, parallel analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability were good. According to the testing of the measurement invariance, the one-factor model was acceptable across gender (Man = 875, Girl = 697). Additionally, Chinese AAQ-3 was significantly negatively correlated with positive mental health (life satisfaction, mindful attention awareness), significantly positively correlated with negative emotions (depression, anxiety, stress), and significantly positively correlated with AAQ–II and Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ). Besides, Chinese AAQ-3 was the strongest predictor of depression, anxiety, stress and life satisfaction compared to the AAQ-II and BEAQ. However, according to the exploratory structural equation model, the Chinese AAQ-3 demonstrated excellent discriminate validity from negative emotions. Overall, the AAQ-3 modified the limitations of the existing measurements of experiential avoidance (i.e., AAQ-II and BEAQ) as it showed better convergent validity with positive mental health indicators, better discriminant validity with negative emotions, and higher incremental validity. Therefore, the Chinese AAQ-3 is a valid measurement tool for assessing the level of experiential avoidance or psychological flexibility in Chinese college students.

Racism hurts, can antiracism heal?: Positive mental health correlates of antiracist engagement.

Racism can hurt by negatively impacting mental health. For instance, large-scale events tied to racism like the May 2020 police-involved murder of George Floyd have been linked to poor mental health indicators (e.g. depression and anxiety). Notably, racism can spark antiracist engagement-support for addressing systemic racism. For example, Floyd's murder sparked unprecedented antiracist engagement, including heightened Black Lives Matter (BLM) support and protest participation. The present research explored the potential that antiracist engagement can heal: be positively associated with well-being. First, study 1 found that state-level BLM engagement (i.e. protest numbers, antiracism information-seeking on Google/YouTube) during an 8-week period following Floyd's death was associated with positive mental health indicators (i.e. lower depression and anxiety, higher self-rated health). It found these effects among racial/ethnic minorities (e.g. Black/African Americans, Hispanics, N = 161,359) and Whites (N = 516,002). Then, study 2 examined social media data (i.e. tweets) and emotional well-being. It used a measure of happiness indexed across 144,649,285,571 tweets from 2019 through 2021. It found a positive correlation between the volume of tweets with antiracist engagement content (e.g. referenced efforts to address systemic racism) and the happiness measure. Finally, study 3 examined antiracism protest data/information-seeking and a sample of BLM tweets (N = 100,321) posted between April and July 2020. Conceptually replicating studies 1-2, study 3 found that antiracist engagement was associated with greater positive emotion/sentiment (e.g. happiness) relative to negative emotion/sentiment (e.g. anxiety). Relevant to theory and policy, the observed results suggest that antiracist engagement can be associated with benefits for well-being across racial/ethnic groups.

The mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, many experts pointed to potential adverse mental health effects for older adults. By contrast, many studies in young to middle-aged adults found older age to be associated with reduced mental burden. However, a systematic review on older adults is missing. To comprehensively assess the pandemic's mental health impact on older adults. We searched nine databases from December 2019 to April 2022. We included longitudinal and repeated cross-sectional studies assessing pre- and/or peri-pandemic mental distress and/or positive mental health indicators (e.g. wellbeing) on at least two occasions. We identified 108 studies comprising 102,136 participants (≥60years). After removal of outliers, there was a small increase in mental distress from pre-to-peri-pandemic assessments, standardised mean difference (SMD) = 0.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.01, 0.18]. Furthermore, a small peri-pandemic decrease in anxiety symptoms was observed, whereas other symptoms remained unchanged. For positive mental health indicators, wellbeing and quality of life showed an initial decrease, whereas overall positive mental health increased during the pandemic, SMD = 0.08, 95% CI [0.01, 0.15]. Being female was related to larger peri-pandemic increases in mental distress. Based on many studies, this review demonstrated small decreases in mental health during early stages of the pandemic in older adults, with evidence for later recovery. These findings are similar to those for younger adults and correct earlier claims that older adults are at particular risk for negative mental health consequences. The results ask for further research into resilience and adaptation processes in older adults.

Associations of sleep duration and sleep quality with indicators of mental health among youth and adults: findings from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey

A growing number of Canadian studies have examined the link between sleep and mental health. This research builds upon that work by investigating associations of sleep duration and quality with positive mental health (PMH) and mental illness and suicidal ideation (MI/SI) outcomes among youth and adults from threeCanadian provinces (i.e. Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan). Using cross-sectional data from respondents 12 years and older (n = 18 683) who were asked questions on their sleep in the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey - Annual Component, we conducted unadjusted and adjusted logistic regressionswith self-reported measures of sleep duration and sleep quality as independent variables and a range of PMH (e.g. high self-rated mental health) and MI/SI indicators (e.g. mood disorder diagnosis) as dependent variables. Analyses were conducted of allcomplete cases and also stratified by sex and age group. Good sleep quality was associated with higher odds of PMH indicators (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.52-4.24) and lower odds of MI/SI indicators (aOR: 0.23- 0.47); associations remained significant when analyses were stratified. Meeting sleep duration recommendations was positively associated with PMH indicators (aOR: 1.27- 1.56) and negatively associated with MI/SI indicators (aOR: 0.41-0.80), but some associations did not remain significant when stratified. This study provides support for associations between sleep duration and quality and indicators of PMH and MI/SI. Findings can inform future research and surveillance efforts that monitor sleep behaviours and indicators of PMH and MI/SI.

Mental-health profiling with person-centred analysis: A study of adolescents in Sweden.

Studies that have examined time trends in adolescents' mental health have frequently been based on analyses of adolescents' psychosomatic symptoms. Adolescents' reports of psychosomatic complaints need to be seen in the light of their overall evaluations of their health. The objectives of this study were to apply a person-centred approach to identifying adolescents' mental-health profiles based on evaluations of their overall health and psychosomatic complaints. The relationships between these mental-health profiles and indicators of positive mental health and psychological and social-adjustment problems are examined. A dual-factor approach was used for nationally representative adolescent samples and examined adolescents' self-rated psychosomatic complaints and perceived overall health simultaneously. Cluster analyses of data from the Swedish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) 2017/18 survey, including 3222 children aged 11, 13 and 15, were used to identify mental-health profiles. Four mental-health profiles were identified by cluster analyses in all age groups. The profiles showed good construct validity in relation to mental well-being, life satisfaction and self-esteem. The poorest psychological adjustment was found among the adolescents with high levels of psychosomatic symptoms together with low levels of perceived overall health. Adolescents with high levels of psychosomatic symptoms only or with low levels of overall health only showed considerably better psychological adjustment. Cluster analyses identified distinct, valid and consistent mental-health profiles based on differing levels of perceived health and psychosomatic complaints. The dual-factor model in population health research may increase our potential to understand the mental health of adolescents better.

Temporal associations between depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and satisfaction with family life: A 15-year study.

In South Korea, depression has significant economic and social impacts, including increased healthcare costs and a relatively high suicide rate. Reducing the prevalence of depressive symptoms in the general population is therefore an important public health goal in this country. To achieve this goal, it is essential to identify the factors that may increase or decrease the risk of depression. This study examined the association between depressive symptoms and two indicators of wellbeing: self-esteem and satisfaction with family life. A primary objective was to examine whether higher self-esteem and satisfaction with family life could predict a decrease in depressive symptoms in the future. A large representative sample was used, collected over a 15-year period with annual lags. The random intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to examine reciprocal associations between the 3 variables at the within-person level. All within-person effects were found to be reciprocal, significant, and in the expected direction. Thus, within-person deviations in any of the variables are associated with future within-person deviations in the other variables. These results suggest that indicators of positive mental health (self-esteem and satisfaction with family life) are protective factors against future depressive symptoms. In addition, depressive symptoms are risk factors for lower self-esteem and lower satisfaction with family life.

Pandemic-related impacts and suicidal ideation among adults in Canada: a population-based cross-sectional study.

Recent evidence has suggested an increase in suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our objectives were to estimate the likelihood of suicidal ideation among adults in Canada who experienced pandemic-related impacts and to determine if this likelihood changed during the pandemic. We analyzed pooled data for 18 936 adults 18 years or older who responded to two cycles of the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health collected from 11 September to 4 December 2020 and from 1 February to 7 May 2021. We estimated the prevalence of suicidal ideation since the pandemic began and conducted logistic regression to evaluate the likelihood of suicidal ideation by adults who experienced pandemic-related impacts, and by factors related to social risk, mental health status, positive mental health indicators and coping strategies. Adults who had adverse pandemic-related experiences were significantly more likely to experience suicidal ideation; a dose-response relationship was evident. People who increased their alcohol or cannabis use, expressed concerns about violence in their home or who had moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety or posttraumatic stress disorder also had significantly higher risk of suicidal ideation. The risk was significantly lower among people who reported high self-rated mental health, community belonging or life satisfaction, who exercised for their mental and/or physical health or who pursued hobbies. The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced suicidal ideation in Canada. Our study provides evidence for targeted public health interventions related to suicide prevention.

Turning to Religion During COVID-19 (Part II): A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis and Meta-regression of Studies on the Relationship between Religious Coping and Mental Health throughout COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic and the many associated socio-economic changes constitute a stressful event that required adaptation to new, dynamic, and often threatening conditions. According to the literature, coping strategies are one of the factors that determine a person’s degree of adaptation to stressful situations. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed on the relationship between religious coping and selected indicators of mental health. Due to the large amount of data, this work has been divided into two parts: Part I discussed the positive mental health indicators (Pankowski & Wytrychiewicz-Pankowska, 2023), while this Part II discusses negative mental health indicators. A systematic review of the databases of Science Direct, EBSCO, Cochrane, PubMed, and Google Scholar identified 33 articles related to the severity of depressive symptoms: 30 to anxiety, 23 to stress, 1 related to PTSD symptoms and peritraumatic stress, and 5 related to general negative mental health. The limitations of the research as well as further directions for exploration are discussed.Clinical trial registration This Review was pre-registered at OSF: osf.io/54ygr (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/GMNFV).

Turning to Religion During COVID-19 (Part I): A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis and Meta-regression of Studies on the Relationship Between Religious Coping and Mental Health Throughout COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic and the many associated socio-economic changes constitute a stressful event that required adaptation to new, dynamic, and often threatening conditions. According to the literature, coping strategies are one of the factors that determine a person’s degree of adaptation to stressful situations. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed on the relationship between religious coping and selected indicators of mental health. Due to the large amount of data, this work has been divided into two parts: this first part discusses positive mental health indicators, while the second discusses negative mental health indicators (Pankowski & Wytrychiewicz-Pankowska, 2023). A systematic review of PubMed, Science Direct, the Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, the Database of s of Reviews of Effects, and Google Scholar databases was carried out. In addition to the synthesis of information obtained from the research, a meta-analysis of correlation was also performed to determine the strengths of the relationships between the analysed variables, and selected moderators were assessed using meta-regression. Quality of life, well-being, satisfaction with life, happiness, and post-traumatic growth were the positive mental health indicators considered. Meta-analyses indicated a statistically significant relationship between positive religious coping and flourishing (well-being) with overall correlation values of 0.35 [0.30; 0.40]. Further calculations also indicated a relationship between negative religious coping and flourishing − 0.25 [− 0.34; − 0.15]. Data synthesis shows associations between religious coping and such indicators as satisfaction with life and post-traumatic growth, but these issues require further investigation.

Students' happiness and ranking of its dimensions in Mazandaran University of Science and Technology during the COVID-19 crisis.

Happiness and life satisfaction are positive indicators of mental health that should be considered by higher education and health officials. The aim of this study was to investigate the status of happiness and life satisfaction in students of Mazandaran University of Science and Technology during the outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This research is practical in terms of purpose and descriptive survey in terms of nature. The statistical population of this research was 2500 people. A total of 333 samples were selected by stratified random sampling. Data collection was performed using the standard Oxford Happiness Questionnaire and data analysis was performed by Friedman test, mean, and ranking. All dimensions of happiness of students of Mazandaran University of Science and Technology at the time of the outbreak of COVID-19 were in a relatively favorable situation. The dimensions of happiness were positive mood (3.57), positive energy (3.56), satisfaction (3.02), self-esteem (2.80), and life satisfaction (2.04). There was a significant difference between the dimensions of happiness and the variables of family income status (students with better financial status had a higher average), field of study (civil engineering students had a higher average), and gender (women had a higher average). No significant difference was found among the variables of marriage, educational level, semester, or rank in terms of several family children, with the dimensions of happiness. Examining the dimensions of students' happiness during the COVID-19 crisis will help the officials of the higher education system, in addition to planning to maintain the personal health and safety of students and curriculum appropriate to the time of crisis, and implement appropriate programs to maintain and promote the mental health and happiness of students.

Measuring self-as-context in Chinese college students: Validity and reliability of the Chinese version of self-as-context scale (C-SACS).

To examine the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the Self-as-Context Scale (SACS) in college students. We used convenience sampling to recruit 708 Chinese college students. All participants completed the SACS and 343 of them were asked to complete the validation questionnaires (Satisfaction with Life Scale, Peace of Mind Scale, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire-Fusion, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21) at the same time. We conducted items analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), measurement invariance test, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and internal consistency reliability analysis. After 3 weeks, 217 participants filled out the SACS again to assess the test-retest reliability. The exploratory factor analysis showed that the SACS consisted of two factors (Centering and Transcending), with a total of 9 items. The confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the two-factor structure fit well (χ 2 = 55.40, df = 22, CFI = 0.977, TLI = 0.963, RMSEA = 0.065, SRMR = 0.032). According to the results of the measurement invariance tests, configural invariance, metric invariance, scalar invariance, and strict invariance of the 2-factor model, the C-SACS scores were comparable across genders. Additionally, the C-SACS total score and its subscale scores were significantly positively correlated with positive indicators of mental health (life satisfaction, affective well-being), significantly negatively correlated with negative emotions (depression, anxiety, stress), significantly negatively correlated with experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion (except for the Transcending factor), and significantly positively correlated with mindful attention and awareness. Regression analysis results revealed that the C-SACS surpasses the incremental effectiveness of AAQ-II and CFQ-F in predicting different psychological health indicators. The Cronbach's α coefficients of the C-SACS and two subscales were 0.88 [0.71, 0.90], 0.80 [0.87, 0.90] and 0.85 [0.83, 0.88] and McDonald's ω = 0.88 [0.87, 0.90], ω = 0.80 [0.78, 0.83], ω = 0.85[0.83, 0.88]. The test-retest reliability (ICC) was 0.73 and 0.72, respectively. The results of our study suggest that the Chinese version of SACS has good reliability and validity in Chinese college students.

The meaning of resilience in adulthood

The aim of this article is to present an extensive description of resilience in adulthood in the modern times. Taking into account resilience’s definition problems, the differences and similarities between the concepts of resilience and resiliency were taken into account. The article discusses a broad definition of resilience, referring to many scientific perspectives. The conclusion is drawn that resilience should be conceptualized as a dynamic process. The meta-analysis of the relationships between the factors indicates the presence of many factors directly and indirectly related to the resilience, but only some of them are characterized by strong scientific evidence.The article reviews the literature on the importance of selected factors of resilience, especially in the context of adulthood and contemporary challenges. In the presented considerations, the mental health topic in the period of SARS-CoV-2 virus and the consequences of the global COVID pandemic in the world-wide population context should claim our attention. The wide social-economic crisis experience, as well as the high level of anxiety level that comes along society, prompts us to continue searching for resources that will act as protective factors. The ongoing war In Ukraine is also not without significance, as it leaves its mark on the daily mental functioning of both, refugees, witnesses, and individuals, who provide selfless help.The article aims to discuss the importance of resilience in adulthood in the context of health, pointing to a negative relationship with negative mental health indicators, a positive relationship with positive mental health indicators, and a relationship between resilience and personality traits. In the considerations on resilience importance, the ability of emotional disengagement, patterns of physiological reactions and the comparison of resilience to the somatic immune system were discussed. The aim of this article is also to indicate the cognitive component, namely the cognitive resilience. In this regard, the relationship between immunity and cognitive functions was discussed on the basis of experimental studies.