Predictors Of Positive Mental Health Research Articles

Demographic Factors and Self-compassion as Predictors of Positive Mental Health in Married Hindu Couples

Demographic Factors and Self-compassion as Predictors of Positive Mental Health in Married Hindu Couples

Psychology of Abortion: A Qualitative Exploration of Women’s Quality of Life after Termination of Pregnancy Service Provision

BackgroundAlthough safe abortion is a human right, some research indicates that abortion can be considered a life event that could trigger an adverse psychological reaction, including mental ill health, particularly in vulnerable women. Unplanned pregnancies and abortions affect women’s mental and physical health while increasing psychological risk; hence, measures are needed to improve the quality of life (QoL) of women post termination of pregnancy (ToP). The purpose of this study was to explore the psychological effects of abortion on women provided with this service in Rwanda, and factors surrounding QoL after service provision.MethodsAn interpretive description design was used. Focus group discussions were used to hear the voices of 30 women and girls who had sought ToP services. The six steps of interpretive description together with framework analysis guided the analysis.ResultsFrom responses provided by the participants with experience of ToP services five themes and six sub-themes were generated, (1) Ambivalence with mixed feelings and uncertainty, anger, wonder, and frustration; (2) Insecurity and abortion stigma, with judgement and inadequacy; (3) Personalized care with respectful care and dignity and self-reliance; (4) Lack of connection with relationships, coping, and a sense of belonging; (5) Wellness and preferences for care with hope and positive physical health. ConclusionThe lack of psychological support post ToP negatively affects QoL and indicates an opportunity to include a psychological support package in the ToP service provision, which is the predictor of positive mental health to improve QoL in Rwanda.Rwanda J Med Health Sci. 2024;7(1):116-130

Sleep Quality and Sleep Hygiene as Predictors of Mental Health among University Students

Sleep is an integral human need. A significant public health issue is getting little sleep, which harms health. University students are one of the groups most at risk for poor sleep quality and chronic sleep loss, which could influence both physical and mental health. Students frequently report having persistent sleep issues and may exhibit poor sleep hygiene habits. However, little research has investigated the role of good sleep habits concerning sleep quality and mental health. The present study explores the relationship between sleep hygiene, sleep quality, and mental health among university students. The research design was cross-sectional, and the sample was chosen using a non-probability convenience sampling strategy. Sample comprised of university students (N= 210). The scale of positive mental health, sleep hygiene index, and general sleep scale were used for data collection. Results revealed a significant correlation between sleep quality, sleep hygiene, and mental health among university students. Both sleep hygiene and quality were found to be significant predictors of positive mental health. A significant gender difference was found between sleep quality, sleep hygiene, and positive mental health among male and female university students. These findings can provide information about the link between the study variables and interventions for developing good sleep hygiene habits and quality of sleep amongst university students. It could help improve mental health among this at-risk population.

Positive mental health and sense of coherence among emergency medical service professionals.

Positive mental health (PMH) is a construct used to define and evaluate health from a positive perspective. Healthcare professionals in the emergency ambulance service are more likely to experience mental health disorders than the overall population. The demographic and occupational variables and Sense of Coherence (SOC) can act as predictors of PMH and can serve as protective elements against stress and demanding situations in the work environment. This study aimed to evaluate PMH and its relationship with demographic and occupational variables and determine if SOC is a predictive variable for PMH in health professionals working in the emergency ambulance service. A descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational study was conducted with a sample of 406 healthcare professionals from the emergency ambulance service in eight health regions of Catalonia, Spain. The following variables were analyzed: Age, biological sex, household members, dependents family members, professional category, type of contract, job satisfaction and sense of collaboration with other institutions. The following assessment instruments were used: Positive Mental Health Questionnaire and Sense of Coherence scale. High scores were obtained in Positive Mental Health (PMH). Study participants who reported feeling completely satisfied in their work also showed a significant relationship with all PMH factors: greater satisfaction with their personal life, in their helpful prosocial attitude toward others, in their capability to deal effectively with stress and navigate conflict scenarios, in their ability to solve problems and self-realization, greater empathy and ability to understand the feelings of others, greater ability to establish interpersonal relationships. Comprehensibility, as a dimension of SOC, was identified as a predictor for some factors of PMH: a greater personal satisfaction, self-control, autonomy, interpersonal skills and total PMHQ. More than 43% of positive mental health in health professionals is explained by higher Meaningfulness and Comprehensibility values of the SOC, the absence of dependent family members and having a non-graduate background. Healthcare workers in the emergency ambulance service had high PMH. Meaningfulness (ME) and Comprehensibility (C), dimensions of SOC, were identified as model predictors of greater PMH, showing higher scores in most of PMH factors. To enhance SOC as a mental health promotion measure, resilience programs should be implemented to help professionals develop skills to face and overcome adverse situations. Educating in stress management thought networks are key elements to strengthen SOC. Managers in emergency medical services play a key role in transforming healthcare work environments to promote positive outcomes in the mental health of their healthcare workers.

Resilience and parenting perception as predictors of positive mentalhealth in Mexican adolescents

Resilience and parenting perception as predictors of positive mentalhealth in Mexican adolescents

The brief thriving scale: Assessing the ability to learn, grow, and find benefits in stressful events

While much research has focused on the ability to recover from the negative effects of stress, little has examined our potential for benefitting from stressful events. The current studies validated the Brief Thriving Scale (BTS), which assesses the ability to learn, grow, and benefit from stress. Participants were 855 undergraduate who completed the BTS, a battery of health-related measures, and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS; Smith et al., 2008), which assesses resilience as the ability to bounce back from stress. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated the construct validity of the BTS and correlation analyses supported convergent and divergent validity. Multiple regression analyses showed that the BTS was consistently related to better health when controlling for the BRS. While the BRS was a stronger predictor of negative mental health (e.g., lower negative emotion, depression), the BTS was a stronger predictor of positive mental health (e.g., higher positive emotion, meaning) and general physical health.

Flourishing or Languishing? Predictors of Positive Mental Health in Medical Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical students were burdened with high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. The objective of the present study was to investigate predictors of positive mental health among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an online survey from September 2021 to March 2022. We applied the snowball recruitment technique involving medical students from the University of Catania, Italy. We administered, anonymously, a questionnaire about demographic characteristics, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A), and the short form of the Mental Health Continuum (MHC-SF). Participants showed moderate anxiety, depression, and stress levels, and more than half had positive mental health status overall. This finding was inversely related to age, depression severity, cyclothymic, and depressive temperaments. Our results showed that medical students with depressive and cyclothymic temperaments were more at risk of worsening mental health status during the pandemic. Our findings may allow for further developments about the impact of personological characteristics on students' mental health to enable more efficient support for the most vulnerable.

Too many lemons to make lemonade? Disentangling mental health during the third wave of COVID-19 infections in Spain

The study aimed to analyze the longitudinal change in mental health during the third wave of COVID-19 infections in Spain. Negative (e.g., emotional distress) and positive (e.g., positive functioning variables) outcomes were analyzed. Protective factors (e.g., resilience) as predictors of psychological adjustment (i.e., positive mental health, openness to the future, and low burden due to COVID-19) after ten months of the pandemic were also examined. The sample consisted of 164 participants, and self-reported questionnaires were administered at the beginning of the lockdown (March 2020), at the end of the lockdown (June 2020), and during the third wave (January 2021). Linear mixed models showed that individuals’ emotional distress increased, and positive functioning variables (i.e., meaning in life, gratitude, resilience, and life satisfaction) decreased over time, but an increase was observed in some dimensions of posttraumatic growth. Regression analyses showed that resilience scores at all three data collection time points were significant predictors of positive mental health, openness to the future, and burden during the third wave. Mediation analyses showed that positive mental health and openness to the future were mediators of the effect of resilience on burden. The prolonged situation of the COVID-19 crisis had an important impact on positive and negative mental health. However, resilience may help to build up resources that can act as a buffer against adverse psychological effects.

Predictors of positive mental health in higher education students. A cross-sectionalpredictive study.

To describe positive mental health (PMH) psychological vulnerability (PV) and identify predictors of PMH in higher education students (HES). A cross-sectional, predictive study was performed with a convenience sample of 3322 students, using an online questionnaire with sociodemographic information, the PMH Questionnaire, and the PV Scale. The majority scored a flourishing level, and 67.7% of the participants scored high levels of PV. The Regression Model found a significant predictive variable for PMH. Gender, age, regular exercise, healthy diet, number of meals per day, and leisure activities are significant positive predictors of PMH. PV is the sole significant negative predictor. Therefore, improving mental health literacy can be a strategy to support HES.

Multiple Capitals as Predictors of Positive Mental Health in Faith Groups

Multiple Capitals as Predictors of Positive Mental Health in Faith Groups

Constructive coping strategies as predictors of positive mental health in young adults

OBJECTIVE The aim of present research was to study the relationship between constructive coping strategies and positive mental health (flourishing) among university students. It also aimed to investigate the predictive role of constructive coping strategies in determining positive mental health. STUDY DESIGN Correlational research design was used for this research. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY The study was conducted in HEC recognized public universities of Lahore during 2016-2017. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A sample of 223 undergraduate and postgraduate students with age range of 19 to 28 years was selected for research. Constructive coping strategies were measured by COPE Inventory and positive mental health was measured by flourishing scale. RESULTS The results showed that, active coping, religious coping positive reinterpretation and growth, and use of instrumental social support were positively correlated with the positive mental health among students. Active coping was the strongest predictor of positive mental health followed by positive reinterpretation and religious coping. The females scored higher on religious coping strategy while males were higher on humor and social-support as coping strategies. CONCLUSION Active coping, religious coping, positive reinterpretation and social support were helpful in enhancing positive mental health among university students. Females made greater use of religious coping strategy whereas males employed humor as coping strategy. The study has important implications in student counselling. It implies how coping can enhance subjective positive mental health among students.

Positive Mental Health in Youth with ADHD: Exploring the Role of Social Support

Positive mental health in youth has important implications for overall well-being. This study examined the extent to which different types of social support are associated with positive mental health among individuals, ages 15–24, diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Compared to respondents without a diagnosis of ADHD, those with a diagnosis had significantly lower scores on measures of positive mental health and on four of five types of social support. Among the five types of social support, social integration and reassurance of worth were found to be significant predictors of positive mental health in respondents diagnosed with ADHD.

Big Five Personality Factors as Predictors of Positive Mental Health

Most studies on mental health have adopted the classical medical model which defines mental health as low scores on measures of psychopathological symptoms and disorders. In contrast, the Arabic Scale of Mental Health (ASMH) was developed on the basis of positive indicators of mental health. The aim of the present study was to examine the associations between ASMH scores and Big-Five (BF) personality trait scores. A convenience sample of Egyptian college students (n = 1,418) responded to the ASMH and the Arabic Big Five Personality Inventory (ABFPI). Both scales have acceptable to good reliability and validity. Men obtained significantly higher mean scores than women on mental health, Extraversion, and Openness, whereas women scored significantly higher than men on Neuroticism. All correlations between mental health and BF scores were statistically significant and positive except for Neuroticism (negative). A principal components analysis extracted two components labeled: positive traits and social adjustment versus negative emotions. Stepwise regression indicated that the predictors of ASMH scores were all the BF scores for men and all the BF scores except Agreeableness for women. This study shows that mental health is associated with, and can be predicted by, personality traits. The Big-Five personality traits have no theoretical basis and it would, therefore, be interesting in future research to explore whether mental health is associated with and predicted by biologically based temperaments.

Prevalence and predictors of positive mental health among adolescents in rural Puducherry, South India.

Most of the adult mental health disorder occurs either during childhood or adolescent stage. Assessment of positive mental health among adolescents will help in predicting the future physical and mental health outcome. Hence, this study was done to determine the prevalence and factors associated with positive mental health among adolescents in rural Puducherry. A cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents (10-19 years) during April and May 2018. Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF), a validated questionnaire was used for the assessment of positive mental health. Prevalence of positive mental health was expressed as proportion with 95% confidence interval. Of the total 245 adolescents interviewed, almost half of them belonged to the age group of mid-adolescence (14-16 years). Majority (66.5%) were boys and more than one third were studying in secondary class.Prevalence of positive mental health was 51.8% (95% CI: 45.6-58.1). Mother's education between primary and secondary (aPR-0.77 95% CI: 0.60-0.98), upper middle (aPR-1.74 95% CI: 1.03-2.94) and middle socioeconomic status (aPR-1.80 95% CI: 1.11-2.87) were significantly associated with positive mental health. Current study found that more than half of the rural adolescents had positive mental health. Maternal education and upper socioeconomic status were found to be significant predictors of positive mental health. Our findings on the burden and risk factors as well as protective factors of mental health can contribute to the mental health strategy in public health action.

Social predictors of positive mental health in adult population of Tehran

ABSTRACTMental health as a state of wellbeing is beyond not having a mental disorder. An important aspect of mental health is positive mental health (PMH), but still little is known on its determinants, especially in less developed countries. In this regard, the relations of positive mental health with social capital and socioeconomic status (SES) as two main social factors were investigated on 250 adults of Tehran. The PMH score was moderate (PMH = 44.4), subjective dimension of SES and three dimensions of bonding social capital including trust, empathy, and participation explained 44% of the PMH variations. It seems necessary for policymakers and experts who work in the mental health field to pay more attention to social predictors of PMH.

Contribution of self‐compassion to positive mental health among Korean university students

Although evidence suggests self-compassion can serve as an important predictor of positive mental health, few studies have examined the contribution of self-compassion to mental health. This study examined the relations between six components of self-compassion and three dimensions of positive mental health (Psychological, Emotional and Social Well-being) in young Korean adults. A sample of 689 Korean college students were administered the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) and the Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF) to evaluate self-compassion and positive mental health. A multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) analysis revealed that Self-Kindness significantly predicted all dimensions of positive mental health. Additionally, Over-Identification significantly contributed to Emotional Well-being, Common Humanity to Social Well-being and Isolation to Psychological Well-being. These results suggest Self-Kindness is a key predictor of positive mental health and that specific components of self-compassion are strongly related to specific dimensions of mental health in Koreans.

Cognitive benefits of walking in natural versus built environments

ABSTRACTLeisure time physical activity can be a robust preventer of physical and mental illness. The health benefits of exercise have been well-documented, including decreased risk for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, and increased mood, life-satisfaction and cognitive performance (An, Xiang, Yang, & Yan, 2016; Blair & Morris, 2009). Time spent outdoors is also emerging as a predictor of positive mental health, though the outcomes are often conflated with heightened levels of physical activity. This study sought to confirm the cognitive benefits of exercise in outdoor environments using established cognitive tests while measuring brainwave activity throughout the process using portable electroencephalograph (EEG) headsets. Participants completed cognitive performance tests before and after walking indoors, then again on a different session while walking outdoors. Repeated-measures analyses of variance revealed significant cognitive improvement after both walking sessions, with elevated mental restoration observed for the outdoor walking session, as measured by a Stroop Test. EEG measures revealed a significantly higher level of meditative state during the outdoor walking session, as compared to indoors. In addition, the gains in relaxed and meditative mental states were retained longer after walking outdoors. Results are discussed within the context of growing support for leisure time exposure to natural environments and outdoor prescriptions. Implications for planning, health policy, and public education are proffered in light of these findings.

Spirituality for Mental Health and Well-Being of Adult Refugees in Europe.

This article reports on a pre- and post-test experimental study with 4504 refugees in 38 camps across nine destination countries. The aim was to examine the role of spirituality and a specially designed spiritual education programme in promoting mental health of refugees. A pre- and post-test experimental design has been used with three scales to examine the outcome measures: (1) the trauma screening questionnaire (2) life orientation test-revised and (3) mental health inventory-38. Results showed that compared with pre-test scores, the average post-test scores of the refugees on the trauma questionnaire were lower, and higher on optimism measure, and mental health inventory. Voluntary participation, full attendance and self-practice willingness were favourable predictors of refugee mental health. Hierarchical regression model showed that self-practice willingness was the most important predictor of positive mental health of refugees. Findings make a case for interventions for refugees grounded in cultural competency and spirituality.

A cross-sectional examination of psychological distress, positive mental health and their predictors in medical students in their clinical clerkships

BackgroundMedical students can experience the transition from theory to clinical clerkships as stressful. Scientific literature on the mental health of clinical clerkship students is scarce and mental health is usually defined as absence of psychological distress without assessing psychological, emotional and social wellbeing, together called ‘positive mental health’. This cross-sectional study examines the prevalence of psychological distress and positive mental health and explores possible predictors in a Dutch sample of clinical clerkship students.MethodsFourth-year medical students in their first year of clinical clerkships were invited to complete an online questionnaire assessing demographics, psychological distress (Brief Symptom Inventory), positive mental health (Mental Health Continuum- SF), dysfunctional cognitions (Irrational Beliefs Inventory) and dispositional mindfulness skills (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire). Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore relationships between psychological distress, positive mental health (dependent variables) and demographics, dysfunctional cognitions and dispositional mindfulness skills (predictors).ResultsOf 454 eligible students, 406 (89%) completed the assessment of whom 21% scored in the clinical range of psychological distress and 41% reported a flourishing mental health. These proportions partially overlap each other. Female students reported a significantly higher mean level of psychological distress than males. In the regression analysis the strongest predictors of psychological distress were ‘acting with awareness’ (negative) and ‘worrying’ (positive). Strongest predictors of positive mental health were ‘problem avoidance’ (negative) and ‘emotional irresponsibility’ (negative).ConclusionsThe prevalence of psychopathology in our sample of Dutch clinical clerkship students is slightly higher than in the general population. Our results support conclusions of previous research that psychological distress and positive mental health are not two ends of one continuum but partially overlap. Although no conclusion on causality can be drawn, this study supports the idea that self-awareness and active, nonavoidant coping strategies are related to lower distress and higher positive mental health.

Predictors of positive mental health among refugees: Results from Canada's General Social Survey.

Do refugees have lower levels of positive mental health than other migrants? If so, to what extent is this attributable to post-migration experiences, including discrimination? How does gender affect the relationships between post-migration experience and positive mental health? To address these questions, the current study uses data from Statistics Canada's 2013 General Social Survey (GSS), a nationally representative household study that included 27,695 Canadians 15 years of age and older. The study compares self-reported positive mental health among 651 refugees, 309 economic immigrants, and 448 family class immigrants from 50 source countries. Immigration-related predictors of mental health were examined including sociodemographic characteristics, discrimination, acculturation variables, and experiences of reception. Separate analyses were carried out for women and men. Refugees had lower levels of positive mental health than other migrants. Affiliative feelings towards the source country jeopardized refugee, but not immigrant mental health. A sense of belonging to Canada was a significant predictor of mental health. Perceived discrimination explained refugee mental health disadvantage among men, but not women. Bridging social networks were a mental health asset, particularly for women. The implications of anti-refugee discrimination net of the effects of anti-immigrant and anti-visible minority antipathies are discussed, as well as possible reasons for gender differences in the salience of mental health predictors.