Predictors Of Well-being Research Articles

Subjective well-being of children with special educational needs: Longitudinal predictors using machine learning.

Children with special educational needs (SEN) are a diverse group facing numerous challenges related to well-being and mental health. Understanding the predictors of well-being in this population requires the incorporation of diverse factors along with approaches that can uncover complexity in how these factors work together to influence well-being. We longitudinally predicted subjective well-being in a group of children with diverse special educational needs (N = 499; M = 8.4 ± 0.9years). Thirty-two variables - ranging from demographics to various categories of life experiences - were used as predictors for both nonlinear machine learning and classical linear classifiers. Nonlinear machine learning classifiers exhibited much performance in predicting subjective well-being (F1 score = 0.72 to 0.84) compared to traditional linear classifiers. Overall, across all children, prior subjective well-being, numeracy, literacy skills, and interpersonal dimensions played important roles. However, clustering further identified four distinct clusters sharing important predictors: a 'socializer' cluster dominated by interpersonal functioning predictors, an 'analyzer' cluster emphasizing academic skills predictors, and two clusters with more diverse sets of important predictors. Our research highlights the multiple pathways toward well-being in children with SEN as uncovered by machine learning, with implications for understanding and supporting their well-being.

The main predictors of well-being and productivity from a gender perspective

The main predictors of well-being and productivity from a gender perspective

Adolescent close friendships, self-perceived social acceptance, and peer-rated likeability as predictors of wellbeing in young adulthood

IntroductionLinks between interpersonal relationships and physical and psychological functioning have been well-established in the literature. During adolescence, success or distress in peer relationships may have distinct effects on different aspects of wellbeing. The present study aims to examine the ways in which different adolescent peer relationship contexts (i.e., close friendship quality, social acceptance, and likability from peers) can predict outcomes relevant to adult wellbeing (i.e., social anxiety, depression, aggression, social integration, romantic insecurity, job satisfaction, and physical health). Further, the study considers how different developmental stages of adolescence may impact links between peer relationships and wellbeing outcomes.MethodPeer relationship contexts were assessed in early (ages 13–14) and late (ages 17–18) adolescence. Markers of wellbeing were measured in young adulthood (ages 28–30). A path analysis was used to examine whether the developmental timing of adolescent peer relationship contexts could predict wellbeing in young adulthood.ResultsResults suggest that, across adolescence, broader perceived social acceptance may be a more robust predictor of adult wellbeing compared to close friendship quality and peer likability. When examined at early and late adolescence separately, early adolescent social acceptance and late adolescent close friendship quality best predicted outcomes of adult wellbeing.DiscussionImplications and considerations for future research are discussed.

The influence of hope and optimism on trajectories of COVID-19 stress, health anxiety, and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a threat to public health and psychological functioning, with early studies documenting higher rates of psychopathology within the United States and globally. Hope and optimism promote adjustment and are associated with positive physical and mental health outcomes. Thus, individual differences in hope and optimism may also foster resilience during a global health crisis. The current study examined how hope and optimism influenced longitudinal health-focused distress and wellbeing during the pandemic. Data were collected from 788 American adults across three periods during Spring-Summer 2020 using MTurk. Latent growth curve modeling examined whether hope and optimism predicted COVID stress, health anxiety, and wellbeing trajectories. COVID stress and health anxiety decreased after the onset of the pandemic, whereas wellbeing was stable. Individually, hope and optimism predicted lower initial COVID stress and health anxiety, along with greater initial wellbeing. When examining the combined influence of hope and optimism, optimism was more strongly related to health-focused distress, though both were strong predictors of wellbeing. These findings indicate that Americans were resilient and positive expectancies, particularly optimism, predicted better initial adjustment to the early phases of the pandemic. Thus, positive expectancies appear to be protective during a global health crisis.

The Impact of Lifestyle Changes on the Physical and Mental Health of Emergency Medicine Staff and Their Association With Well-Being at a Major Tertiary Hospital.

Introduction The impact of lifestyle changes on the physical and mental health of emergency medicine staff has been a topic of increasing concern due to its effect on healthcare quality. This study aimed to assess the impact of lifestyle changes on emergency medicine staff's physical and mental health and their association with well-being at a major tertiary hospital. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in December 2023 using an online questionnaire targeting Emergency Department (ED) staff in Prince Sultan Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY), with a Spearman correlation test and simple linear regression analysis used to determine the relationship between variables. Results The study included 149 participants, primarily male (59.7%) and predominantly within the age group of 30-39 years (59.1%). The sample consisted of ED nurses, residents, consultants, and paramedics, with over half having more than five years of experience in emergency medicine. Lifestyle changes were evident among participants, with 60.4% reporting worsened sleep patterns, 49.7% engaging in less physical activity, and 56.4% reporting poorer eating habits after joining the ED. Well-being assessments revealed moderate well-being scores (mean = 11.7 ± 5.61), with substantial variability in emotional states. Factors such as night sleep quality, physical activity, and nutrition were significantly correlated with well-being, with night sleep quality showing the strongest positive correlation (rho = 0.349, p < 0.001). Night sleep quality, nutritional intake, and physical activity are significant predictors of well-being, with night sleep quality being the strongest predictor (R2 = 0.122, F = 20.39, p < 0.001). Conclusion The study underscores the need for targeted interventions to address lifestyle challenges faced by ED personnel, particularly focusing on improving sleep quality, promoting regular physical activity, and encouraging healthier nutritional habits.

Robust identification key predictors of short- and long-term weight status in children and adolescents by machine learning.

Early identification of high-risk individuals for weight problems in children and adolescents is crucial for implementing timely preventive measures. While machine learning (ML) techniques have shown promise in addressing this complex challenge with high-dimensional data, feature selection is vital for identifying the key predictors that can facilitate effective and targeted interventions. This study aims to utilize feature selection process to identify a robust and minimal set of predictors that can aid in the early prediction of short- and long-term weight problems in children and adolescents. We utilized demographic, physical, and psychological wellbeing predictors to model weight status (normal, underweight, overweight, and obese) for 1-, 3-, and 5-year periods. To select the most influential features, we employed four feature selection methods: (1) Chi-Square test; (2) Information Gain; (3) Random Forest; (4) eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) with six ML approaches. The stability of the feature selection methods was assessed by Jaccard's index, Spearman's rank correlation and Pearson's correlation. Model evaluation was performed by various accuracy metrics. With 3,862,820 million student-visits were included in this population-based study, the mean age of 11.6 (SD = 3.64) for the training set and 10.8 years (SD = 3.50) for the temporal test set. From the initial set of 38 predictors, we identified 6, 9, and 13 features for 1-, 3-, and 5-year predictions, respectively, by the best performed feature selection method of Chi-Square test in XGBoost models. These feature sets demonstrated excellent stability and achieved prediction accuracies of 0.82, 0.73, and 0.70; macro-AUCs of 0.94, 0.86, and 0.83; micro-AUCs of 0.96, 0.93, and 0.92 for different prediction windows, respectively. Weight, height, sex, total score of self-esteem, and age were consistently the most influential predictors across all prediction windows. Additionally, several psychological and social wellbeing predictors showed relatively high importance in long-term weight status prediction. We demonstrate the potential of ML in identifying key predictors of weight status in children and adolescents. While traditional anthropometric measures remain important, psychological and social wellbeing factors also emerge as crucial predictors, potentially informing targeted interventions to address childhood and adolescence weight problems.

Older women’s constructions of equality over the lifecourse

Abstract Gender and age are central organising principles of social relations, with socially constructed gendered and age-based norms influencing patterns of social behaviour, power and inequality. Despite recent literature highlighting the importance of subjective measures of equality, including as a significant predictor of wellbeing, there is a gap in studies focused on subjective equality in research on ageing. Drawing on an equality ranking exercise and life herstory interviews with 20 older-aged women (65+) in Aotearoa New Zealand, this article focuses on the intersectionality of age and gender, analysing the ways in which participants constructed their experiences of equality over the lifecourse from their standpoint as older-aged women. The analysis reveals a significant rise in subjective equality from childhood to older age, with more varied responses in childhood and a convergence of responses from adolescence onwards. Participants’ constructions of equality differed: age was the dominant construct of equality women ascribed to their childhood years, while gender inequality came to the fore during their teenage years. In early to mid-adulthood, women found ways to navigate gendered inequality in various life domains, while in older adulthood equality was constructed as freedom and life satisfaction. This trajectory suggests that the frames individuals use to make sense of equality and their personal experiences are not fixed; they are fluid and shift throughout the lifecourse.

Do resilience and socio-demographic characteristics predict university lecturers' well-being? A cross-sectional study.

A substantial proportion of lecturers in higher education experience low levels of well-being. The aim of this work was to examine the predictive role of resilience and demographic variables such as gender, working hours, nationality, teaching experience and faculty in relation to the well-being of university lecturers. An online survey was sent to a sample of 684 lecturers at a Dutch university. A multiple linear regression showed that nationality, working hours and resilience were significant predictors of well-being. The results of this study highlight the importance of assessing predictors of university lecturers’ well-being and the need for resilience-enhancing initiatives.

Academic motivation and contextual influences in well-being for students with disabilities in higher education

Objective: The purpose of this study was to utilize self-determination theory (SDT) incorporating the person-environment contextual factors as a framework to examine how the SDT factors may interact with functional disability and contextual factors to influence well-being for students with disabilities in higher education. Methods and participants: A quantitative descriptive design utilizing a convenience sample of 210 students with disabilities in higher education was used. Results: The final regression model accounted for 64% of the variance in well-being. When controlling for all other predictor variables in the model, functional disability, autonomy, learning competence, and relatedness were found to be predictive of well-being, with autonomy being the strongest predictor of well-being, followed by relatedness, learning competence, and functional disability. Conclusion: This study offers critical insights for higher education institutions, emphasizing the need for fostering environments that prioritize autonomy, competence, and relatedness to promote the well-being of students with disabilities.

Beyond the battle: A cross-sectional study on cancer-related fatigue and predictors of quality of life in female adolescent and young adult survivors.

The study delves into the intricacies of cancer-related fatigue (CRF), the quality of life (QoL), and other demographic variables of female adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (AYACS) in the landscape of Kerala, India. The cross-sectional study included 288 female AYACS who were selected through purposive sampling and completed self-reported questionnaires on CRF, QoL, and demographic and clinical data. Statistical analyses were applied, including correlation, one-way ANOVA, and regression. and discussion: The temporal dimension is particularly interesting, as individuals three to five years post-treatment report heightened CRF and QoL scores. Furthermore, the research unveils the pivotal role played by predictors such as marital status, educational attainment, and employment status in shaping QoL. Marital status and education emerge as positive predictors of well-being. The study unveils compelling insights into AYA cancer survivorship, revealing a profound impact of CRF on the quality of life dimensions. The role of spirituality, sometimes affecting social connectedness, adds intrigue. The findings provide insights into the complex world of female AYACS, compelling researchers to ponder the significance of addressing CRF and tailoring rehabilitation systems during the critical post-treatment phase, with recognition of gender-specific challenges.

The Privilege of Well-Being in an Increasingly Unequal Society

This article provides an overview of a model of psychological well-being put forth over 30 years ago. The intent was to advance new dimensions of positive functioning based on integration of clinical, developmental, existential, and humanistic thinking along with Aristotle’s writings about eudaimonia. The operationalization and validation of the model are briefly described, followed by an overview of scientific findings organized around (a) demographic and experiential predictors of well-being, (b) well-being as predictors of health and biomedical outcomes, (c) pathway studies that examine intervening processes (moderators, mediators), and (d) underlying mechanistic processes (neuroscience, genomics). Much prior work underscores the benefits of well-being, including for longevity. Widening socioeconomic inequality is, however, increasingly compromising the well-being of disadvantaged segments of the population. These problems have been exacerbated by recent historical stressors (Great Recession, COVID-19 pandemic). Cumulative hardships from these events and their implications for health are critical targets for future science and practice.

The role of coping and positivity in shaping mental health among Portuguese informal caregivers

The role of informal caregivers is increasingly relevant in the current sociodemographic context, with Portugal having an estimated 1.3 million caregivers. This study explores the relationship between coping strategies, Positive Life Orientation (PLO), and mental health among 133 Portuguese informal caregivers. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional methodology, results show a significant association between specific coping strategies, PLO, and variables related to distress and well-being. PLO and instrumental support positively predict well-being, while duration of care and self-blame and PLO positively predict depression, and positive reappraisal and positivity negatively predict depression. Religion, self-blame, and seeking emotional support are positively associated with anxiety, while religion, self-blame, and seeking emotional support positively predict stress, and positivity negatively predicts stress. PLO emerges as the strongest predictor of well-being. These findings underscore the importance of coping strategies and PLO in understanding informal caregivers' mental health, informing the development of personalized interventions tailored to their unique needs.

Examining the Factors Affecting Psychological Well-Being in Certified Nurse Aides Working at Long-Term Care Institutions.

The demand for certified nurse aides (CNAs) in long-term care institutions is gradually increasing. Factors such as well-being that positively influence the work of CNAs have been inadequately explored in the literature. This study was designed to examine the relationships among social support, self-efficacy, demographics, and psychological well-being in CNAs during the recent COVID-19 pandemic and to assess the moderating role of social support on self-efficacy and well-being in this population. In this quantitative correlational study, CNAs from 24 legally registered long-term care institutions were recruited as participants. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Social Support Scale, and the Chinese Happiness Inventory. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the research hypotheses model. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklist was followed in this cross-sectional study. A total of 148 CNAs were enrolled as participants. The mean age of the participants was 46.48 years. Social support and having children were identified as being significantly and positively correlated with well-being, and self-efficacy was identified as having no significant impact on well-being. Importantly, social support was found to moderate the relationship between self-efficacy and well-being. Overall, social support and having children were important predictors of well-being, with a combined explanatory power of 41.6% ( Q2 = .28, f2 = 0.40). Self-efficacy was found to be less predictive of well-being in the presence of higher levels of social support. Being a parent was also identified as an important factor affecting the well-being of CNAs under stress. Managers of long-term care institutions should intervene to improve the CNA's social support. Also, CNAs who do not have children should pay more attention to their well-being.

Longitudinal associations between time perspective and life satisfaction across adulthood

Time perspective is an important predictor of well-being. How time is represented, is itself subject to developmental change. A time perspective dominated by the future is increasingly replaced by one focused on the present and past as remaining lifetime decreases. These age-related changes supposedly are associated with higher subjective well-being. Previous studies yielded heterogeneous results. However, these studies mostly investigated one dimension of time perspective and did not include younger and/or middle-aged adults. Thus, we investigated how changes in four facets of time perspective (past-orientation, concreteness of future time, obsolescence, and attitudes towards finitude) were related to changes in life and domain-specific satisfaction and if these relations were moderated by age. We used 10-year longitudinal data from an age-diverse sample comprising 459 participants (30–80 years). Concreteness was most consistently related to satisfaction. Individuals with overall higher concreteness reported higher life satisfaction and higher life satisfaction was reported on measurement occasions with higher concreteness. An age moderation was only found for satisfaction with mental fitness. Among younger but not older adults, satisfaction with mental fitness was higher on measurement occasions with higher concreteness. Our study provides a deeper understanding of the relation between time perspective and well-being across adulthood.

Linking social reward responsiveness and affective responses to the social environment: An ecological momentary assessment study.

Social support is a key predictor of well-being, but not everyone experiences mental health benefits from receiving it. However, given that a growing number of interventions are based on social support, it is crucial to identify the features that make individuals more likely to benefit from social ties. Emerging evidence suggests that neural responses to positive social feedback (i.e., social reward) might relate to individual differences in social functioning, but potential mechanisms linking these neural responses to psychological outcomes are yet unclear. This study examined whether neural correlates of social reward processing, indexed by the reward positivity (RewP), relate to individuals' affective experience following self-reported real-world positive social support events. To this aim, 193 university students (71% females) underwent an EEG assessment during the Island Getaway task and completed a 10-day ecological momentary assessment where participants reported their positive and negative affects (PA, NA) nine times a day and the count of daily positive and negative events. Experiencing a higher number of social support positive events was associated with higher PA. The RewP moderated this association, such that individuals with greater neural response to social feedback at baseline had a stronger positive association between social support positive events count and PA. Individual differences in the RewP to social feedback might be one indicator of the likelihood of experiencing positive affect when receiving social support.

Workplace Well-Being and Classroom Space: An Exploratory Survey of K–12 Music Teachers

Abstract Kindergarten through 12th-grade (K–12) music teachers spend much of their professional lives occupying physical workspaces like classrooms and offices. Given that teachers occupy these spaces for extended periods of time, the impact of these spaces on teacher well-being should be considered. This exploratory survey study examined the relationships between K–12 music teachers’ workplace well-being and perceptions of the physical classroom spaces. A questionnaire was completed by 484 music teachers who were members of the National Association for Music Education. The questionnaire included the Workplace PERMA Profiler (a measure of workplace well-being) and the Structural, Physical, and Campus Environment Survey (a measure of teachers’ perceptions of their classrooms). Higher levels of well-being were positively correlated with favorable perceptions of classroom space. Scale and aesthetics, the visual environment, and spatial environment elements were the strongest predictors of well-being. Taking statistical and textual data together, specific features including windows, good natural light, quality and controllable lighting, aesthetically pleasant (e.g., decorations and colors) rooms, ample space and storage, comfortable temperatures, good organization, and control over the classroom space had the largest positive impact on well-being among the participating teachers.

The psychological impact of SARS-COV-2: assessing anxiety and wellbeing within university students in Bangladesh during the pandemic

The main focus of this study was to explore the emotional experiences of Jahangirnagar University students amid the COVID-19 pandemic, shedding light on their well-being and anxiety levels during this unprecedented time. Using a multidimensional approach, our descriptive and exploratory statistics reveal the demographic characteristics of the diverse group of students, including a skewed gender ratio attributed to the pandemic. Notably, living arrangements significantly influence emotional states, as students residing with their families report lower anxiety levels, indicating the potential protective role of familial support during crises. Online class attendance emerges as a pivotal factor impacting emotional well-being, with regular participation associated with higher levels of well-being, while sporadic or non-attendance correlates with heightened anxiety. The study further reveals the impact of part-time job loss during the pandemic on student emotional states, highlighting the economic strain experienced by many students. A substantial proportion of students’ report both moderate to severe anxiety and sufficient well-being, underscoring the complexity of emotional experiences during this tumultuous period. Binary logistic regression identifies gender-based disparities and social support as predictors of well-being and anxiety, while factor analysis illuminates the underlying structures of these constructs. In conclusion, these insights call for prioritizing mental health support and fostering conducive environments within academic institutions, particularly Jahangirnagar University, thereby facilitating student resilience and academic success during uncertain times. Jahangirnagar University J. Biol. Sci. 12(1 &amp; 2): 55-71, 2023 (June &amp; December)

Mentalizing as a Predictor of Well-Being and Emotion Regulation: Longitudinal Evidence from a Community Sample of Young Adults.

Background: In recent years, mentalizing - the capacity to understand one's own and others' intentional mental states in social contexts - has been considered to be a protective capacity that enables adaptive processing of stress-related emotional arousal, benefits general well-being and underpins adaptive emotion regulation. Objective: Several studies using cross-sectional research designs have demonstrated the potential health-promoting effect of mentalizing in non-clinical samples. However, longitudinal evidence is scarce. The present study aimed to investigate whether mentalizing predicts well-being and emotion regulation strategies in a non-clinical sample of mainly young adults using a prospective longitudinal design. Methods: In a prospective research design, 135 participants completed questionnaires assessing well-being, psychological symptom severity and mentalizing capacity at baseline (T1). Twelve months later (T2), emotion regulation strategies (suppression and cognitive reappraisal), well-being and psychological symptom severity were assessed by self-report. The data were analyzed using multivariate linear regression analysis. Results: Impairments in mentalizing were a significant negative predictor of well-being 12months later. Furthermore, impairments in mentalizing positively predicted suppression of emotional states at T2. No association was found between deficits in mentalizing and cognitive reappraisal of emotional states over the course of 1year. Conclusion: The findings indicate that mentalizing is longitudinally associated with mental health indicators in a non-clinical adult sample. Specifically, ineffective mentalizing was associated with impaired psychological well-being and a tendency to suppress intense emotional states over a period of 1year. Future research should replicate these findings using multiple measurement timepoints to etablish causality.

Individual differences in goal adjustment: convergence and divergence among three theoretical models.

Individual differences in dealing with unattainable goals or resource-consumptive goal pursuit are conceptualized as goal adjustment processes in three theoretical approaches: accommodative coping (two-process model of developmental regulation), compensatory secondary coping (motivational theory of life-span development), and goal disengagement and goal reengagement (goal adjustment theory). The aim of this paper is to conceptually and empirically analyze convergences and divergences between the three approaches as well as their relationship with indicators of well-being and their intersections with cognitive emotion regulation. The empirical study is based on a cross-sectional online survey (N = 433; M = 28.9 years, SD = 8.4 years; 50% female). The conceptual analysis yields clear convergences, but also differences. Empirically, clear but partially non-redundant relationships between the concepts are found in structural equation models. Accommodative coping showed the strongest correlations with measures of well-being and cognitive emotion regulation. When all goal adjustment measures are included simultaneously as predictors of well-being, accommodation remains as the strongest predictor (and partly goal reengagement as well), while goal disengagement shows opposing relationships with most measures of well-being. We discuss the lessons learnt from these findings and conclude by proposing future avenues to examine goal adjustment processes.

The role of resilience and coping strategies as predictors of well-being in breast cancer patients

PurposeThis study investigated the role of resilience and coping strategies on breast cancer patients' well-being using a structural equation model. To achieve this objective, a model previously developed by Mayordomo's group was partially replicated using a longitudinal study design in an oncological sample. MethodsThe study was a longitudinal observational survey. Patients with breast cancer were recruited (N = 166). Resilience was measured with the Mexican Resilience Measurement Scale, coping strategies with the Forms of Coping and Dimensions Scale and perception of the psychological well-being with a short-form of Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being at the start and end of adjuvant chemotherapy (T1 and T2 respectively). ResultsThe results showed stability in the variables over time and revealed differences with respect to Mayordomo's model. The best predictor of well-being at T2 was well-being at T1. In addition, the model indicated that resilience had a direct impact on well-being through problem-focused coping. Indeed, resilience and problem-focused coping best explained well-being at T2. ConclusionsBoth at the start and end of adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer, problem-focused coping positively predicted resilience, which in turn was a positive predictor of well-being. On the other hand, emotion-focused coping showed no association with resilience or well-being. As part of the multidisciplinary cancer team, oncology nurses have a key role to play in promoting resilience and problem-focused coping as an important goal of psychosocial interventions in breast cancer patients.