Psychological Flourishing Research Articles

Effect of Positive Psychology Interventions on Psychological Flourishing, Optimism, and Hope among Depressive Patients

Effect of Positive Psychology Interventions on Psychological Flourishing, Optimism, and Hope among Depressive Patients

Oncologists' psychological flourishing: A driving force for positive attitudes at work

Oncologists' psychological flourishing: A driving force for positive attitudes at work

Social connectedness and well-being among Black women who experienced adolescent sexual trauma.

Sexual violence disproportionately impacts Black girls and women in the United States. The literature documents the long-term mental health outcomes of childhood sexual trauma, but research on resilience-promoting factors for Black women survivors of such trauma is sparse. The present study tests hypotheses about the influence of Black girls' social connectedness (e.g., with mothers, peers, and racial/ethnic community) on the association between adolescent sexual trauma and early adulthood well-being. Participants included 850 Black girls from the Pittsburgh Girls Study. Girls reported prospectively and retrospectively on experiences of sexual trauma between ages 13 and 17. Annual assessments of social connectedness comprised reports of closeness with mother, peer social self-worth, and belonging/affirmation in racial/ethnic identity. In early adulthood (ages 18-21), participants reported on psychological flourishing. Approximately 10% (N = 83) of participants reported having experienced sexual trauma during adolescence. Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that adolescent sexual trauma predicted lower psychological flourishing, whereas peer social self-worth and belonging in racial/ethnic identity predicted higher psychological flourishing in early adulthood. Tests of moderation revealed no significant effects of social connectedness on the association between adolescent sexual trauma and later psychological flourishing. Findings suggest that Black women survivors of adolescent sexual trauma may experience lower psychological flourishing than those without histories of such trauma and support the importance of multiple domains of social connectedness for Black adolescent girls, in general. However, further research is needed on race- and gender-specific contextual factors that enable Black women survivors of sexual trauma to thrive. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The continuum of recovery among Canadians with bipolar disorder: From remission to complete mental health

ObjectivesResearch on recovery from bipolar disorder focuses primarily on symptom remission and diagnostic criteria. Less attention, however, has been paid to other aspects of mental well-being and psychosocial functioning. The current study examines the prevalence of, and factors associated with, recovery from bipolar disorder through three levels: (1) remission from bipolar disorder; (2) the absence of psychiatric disorders (APD); and (3) complete mental health (CMH), which incorporates measures of happiness, life satisfaction, psychological flourishing, and absence of mental illness. MethodsData were drawn from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health. A subsample of 555 adults with bipolar disorder was analyzed using bivariate chi-square analyses and multivariate logistic regression models. ResultsApproximately 1 in 4 (23 %) participants with bipolar disorder achieved CMH, which was significantly lower than the 74 % of those without bipolar disorder who were in CMH. Factors associated with CMH among individuals with bipolar disorder included older age, higher household income, being married, having a confidant, utilizing religion or spirituality for coping, and being free from substance abuse or dependence and debilitating chronic pain. LimitationsAbsence of data on certain mental disorders, exclusion of hospitalized or unresponsive participants, and social desirability, may have biased the results. ConclusionBy identifying factors associated with CMH among those with bipolar disorder, this study provides insight into recovery from bipolar disorder beyond symptom remission, highlights subpopulations who may be at heightened risk of further adverse mental health outcomes, and helps inform interventions that support recovery for individuals affected by bipolar disorder.

Flourishing in Education: Psychometric Properties of the Flourishing Scale in a Sample of Romanian Teachers.

The Flourishing Scale (FS) is one of the most well-known tools for assessing psychological flourishing. However, its psychometric properties have been little analyzed in the case of teachers. This study aimed to examine the validity of the scale in the case of a sample of Romanian teachers and to analyze the latter's level of flourishing. In this regard, 323 Romanian teachers from the pre-university education system were recruited. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the construct validity of the scale, and Cronbach's α and McDonald's ω indices were used to assess internal consistency. The convergent validity was assessed by associating the FS with other instruments related to well-being: the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form and the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience. Network analysis was performed to examine the items that are particularly influential in the scale. As a result of the CFA, the one-factor structure of the scale was certified (χ2/df = 1.39; CFI = 0.99; RMSEA = 0.035). The internal consistency is excellent (both α and ω = 0.89). The FS correlates with both of the scales which operationalize components of well-being. The teachers' flourishing level is above average. The network approach showed that the items related to self-acceptance, optimism, and respect had the highest indicators of centrality, and the item related to supportive social relationships was the least informative in the network. For the male subsample, flourishing means optimism about the future and respect for others, and for the female respondents, it is related to self-acceptance and respect. The results provide support for using the scale in assessing flourishing among teachers.

Community Social Capital Enhances the Subjective Well-Being of Urban Residents: The Mediating Role of Psychological Flourishing and Moderating Effect of Educational Attainment

Community Social Capital Enhances the Subjective Well-Being of Urban Residents: The Mediating Role of Psychological Flourishing and Moderating Effect of Educational Attainment

Further exploring the impact of cumulative lifetime adversity on life satisfaction, psychological flourishing, and depressive symptoms

Current research provides conflicting views of the relationship between cumulative lifetime adversity and dispositional functioning. We examined this relationship in a sample of adults (N = 1009), conducting the analysis three ways: by utilizing a sum score of adversity across all ages; examining events that occurred before and after age 18 separately; and assessing this relationship using empirically-derived domains of adversity. Results indicate that the type of adversity has a unique impact on future well-being. These findings underscore that adversity’s unique impact on well-being is influenced by the way in which adversity is operationalized, more so than by the timing of adverse events. Results highlight the importance of clarifying the nuanced relationship between adverse life events and mental health in future research.

The rewards of spreading positivity: Positivity resonance relates to greater relatedness and flourishing in Filipino early adults

Individual differences in one's capacity to co-experience positive affect with other people –a construct recently coined as positivity resonance (Fredrickson, 2013, 2016)– has been associated with optimal psychological functioning among undergraduate students, adults, and couples in the United States. However, its psychological benefits remain unknown in non-Western cultural contexts. This brief report examined the associations of positivity resonance with relatedness needs satisfaction and psychological flourishing among early adults (n = 218; Mage = 21.0, SDage = 3.01) in the Philippines via a cross-sectional design. An online survey containing scales to assess positivity resonance, relatedness needs satisfaction, and flourishing was administered to participants. Results showed that positivity resonance was linked to greater flourishing through its positive association with relatedness needs satisfaction. This study enriches our understanding of interpersonal processes underpinning the links of positive resonance to mental health functioning.

Does Psychological Flourishing Have the Potential to Mitigate Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors? A Preliminary Analysis of the Protective Influence of Flourishing

Aim The purpose of this article was to examine whether psychological flourishing, a multi-dimensional construct of well-being, has the potential to play a preventative role in suicidal and nonsuicidal thoughts and actions. Methods This two-part study utilized cross-sectional survey data from college students across the United States, assessing levels of psychological distress, loneliness, and psychological flourishing. Frequencies of suicidal ideation, intent, previous suicidal attempts, and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) were also assessed. Data collected in 2019 were used for Study 1 (n = 38,679) and data collected in 2020 were used for Study 2 (n = 50,307). Results Psychological flourishing is significantly inversely related to suicide and NSSI risk when controlling for loneliness and psychological distress. There were two-way interactions between flourishing and distress, whereby under conditions of high distress, the inverse effect of flourishing on suicidal ideation, intent, and attempts and NSSI was more pronounced. These results were consistent across both studies. Subgroup analyses revealed similar results regardless of participants’ race, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Conclusion Inverse associations between flourishing and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors suggest that flourishing may buffer risk of suicide and NSSI, and these findings may have important implications for developing evidence-based therapeutic interventions. Additional research, including longitudinal and clinical work, is warranted.

Effects of the positive Interpersonal and life orientation training (PILOT) program among elementary school students in Taiwan

This study aimed to investigate the intervention effects of the Positive Interpersonal and Life Orientation Training (PILOT) program on various positive psychological outcomes across two levels of intervention exposure. Most life skill-based intervention programs have been proven to be effective in preventing substance use behaviors and mental illness. However, the effects of these programs on positive psychological competence still needs to be explored. Additionally, the influence of intervention exposure on effectiveness has rarely been considered in most studies. Eight hundred and sixty-eight elementary school students participated in the PILOT program. Analysis of covariance and PROCESS were conducted to investigate the effects of PILOT on the outcome indicators. The results revealed that students exposed to high-level PILOT reported higher levels of resilience, psychological flourishing, substance resistance self-efficacy, cognitive reappraisal, lower levels of depressive symptoms, and internet addiction tendency than students in low-level PILOT in the post-test. The findings indicate that students with a low level of cognitive reappraisal and a high level of depressive symptoms can benefit more from PILOT. The effects of PILOT and their implications in helping students encounter the COVID-19 pandemic in an East Asian context and the influence of fidelity are discussed.

The Relationship between Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy, and Career Decision-Making Difficulties: Psychological Flourishing as a Mediator.

Well-being associated with optimism, social support, and self-esteem is positively correlated with career decision. In this perspective, a rather recent concept of flourishing as an integrative notion incorporating these different resources, positive affect, and positive experience is particularly relevant to better understand the relations and correlations between self-evaluation, well-being, and career decision-making difficulties. The present study then examines the relationship between these possible difficulties, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and flourishing. One hundred and seventy-two higher education students participated in the study and completed a four-part questionnaire with the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire, the Flourishing Scale, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. The results highlight the mediation of psychological flourishing between personality dimensions-self-esteem and self-efficacy-and career decision difficulties and the fact that those who are most flourishing in their lives will also have the least difficulty in making a career decision. As for the practical implications, guidance counselors for students and young adults need to identify resources and difficulties they have to cope with. This study emphasizes the importance of guiding students in three areas: self-esteem, the perceived quality of social relations, and the meaning attributed to one's existence. Finally, the contribution of positive psychology to career development will be discussed.

Interpersonal Strengths, Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction at School, and Well-Being Outcomes Among High-Ability Adolescents in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This brief report explores the associations of interpersonal strengths with subjective well-being and psychological flourishing among high-ability adolescents ( M = 13.08, SD = 2.17) in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. It also examines the indirect effects of strengths on well-being outcomes via satisfaction of basic psychological needs at school. Results demonstrated that love and leadership served as the most robust predictors of basic psychological needs satisfaction. Love was consistently associated with higher well-being outcomes. Whereas leadership was linked to higher levels of satisfaction with all dimensions of basic needs, this strength was related to lower levels of emotional well-being. Further, love, social intelligence, leadership, and kindness had indirect effects on life satisfaction, positive emotions, and flourishing via the satisfaction of basic needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. This research showcases the mental health benefits of selected interpersonal strengths during the pandemic outbreak.

Psychological Flourishing Among University Teachers

Psychological Flourishing Among University Teachers

(047) Hope and Flourishing: The Effect of Hope on Psychological Flourishing in Participants with Chronic Pain

Abstract Introduction Patients living with chronic pain conditions, especially conditions for which there is no cure, may experience feelings of hopelessness and mental health challenges with the continuation of health issues. This study explored the relationship between hope for a cure to a condition and psychological flourishing, with exploratory variables such as age, whether participants were told that their chronic condition might be curable, and whether they believed their condition to be curable. Objectives The hypothesis was that participants with chronic pain who score high in hope, operationalized by the Herth Hope Index, would also score high in psychological flourishing, measured by Diener’s Psychological Flourishing Scale. Methods Participants were 116 females with chronic conditions including endometriosis and fibromyalgia between the ages of 18 and 50-years-old recruited online via Facebook to complete a Qualtrics survey. Results In the testing of exploratory variables, there was a significant correlation between participant belief that their pain was curable and participant scores on the Psychological Flourishing Scale, r=.203, N=101, p<0.05, two tails. A Pearson product-moment calculation explored the relationship between total scores on the Herth Hope Index (M=23.901, SD=4.072) and the Psychological Flourishing Scale (M=33.087, SD=11..372). This relationship was found to be statistically significant, r=.736, N=102, p<0.01, two tails, indicating a strong positive relationship between scores on the Herth Hope Index and scores on the Psychological Flourishing Scale. Higher belief that pain was curable was associated with higher scores on the Psychological Flourishing Scale. There was not, however, a significant correlation between being told that one’s condition is incurable or participant age and scores on the Psychological Flourishing Scale. A finding of note was that believing one’s condition to be incurable was distinct from and more significant than being told by a physician that a condition was incurable. Conclusions Further studies should include more diverse samples, or into other factors that might promote psychological flourishing in patients with chronic pain. In particular, future studies could investigate how the discussions clinicians may have with their patients in regard to outcomes for their health conditions could affect psychological outcomes for the patients. A better understanding of language that could be detrimental for the psychological flourishing of patients with chronic conditions would be important to inform best practices for clinician-patient interactions. Disclosure No.

Effects of older adults’ social identification on psychological flourishing and exercise program adherence

Background With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many exercise programs moved online. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which older adults’ social identification with other exercise program members contributed to their psychological flourishing and exercise program adherence. Methods The study represented a secondary analysis of data derived from the Seniors COVID-19 Pandemic and Exercise (SCOPE) Trial, in which older adults were randomized to a waitlist control condition or one of two online (personal v group) exercise programs. Only data from participants in the trial intervention conditions (N = 162; Mage = 73.52 years; SD = 5.61) were utilized in this secondary analysis. We assessed psychological flourishing and social identification at baseline and every two weeks, as well as program adherence over each 2-week block, for 12 weeks. Results Based on stepwise multilevel modeling the results revealed that older adults’ social identification with others in their respective exercise program had a direct effect on psychological flourishing (ΔR2 Unique Marginal = 0.063, p < .001) and program adherence (ΔR2 Unique Marginal = 0.014, p = .03). Conclusions The results highlight the value of bolstering older adults’ social identification with others in an online exercise program to support adherence and well-being.

Parental Control, Self–Construal and Well-Being: Evidence from Individualistic and Collective Culture

The aim of this study is to examine the associations of perceived parenting, self-construal and psychological flourishing within a cross-cultural perspective. Instruments tapping into four types of perceived parenting style (psychological control, behavioural control, autonomous support, and responsiveness), positive and negative affect, relational self and flourishing were administered to a sample of 579 university students from France (n = 325) and Turkey (n = 324). Latent profile analysis (LPA) and ANOVA tests were performed. The results showed that French university students presented lower levels of positive affect, negative affect and psychological flourishing compared to Turkish university students. Differences were found between these two groups in terms of psychological and behavioural control, and their respective consequences on self-construal and psychological flourishing. Turkish parents present higher levels of psychological and behavioural control in their relationships with their children compared to French counterparts.

COVID-related stress, risk for suicidal behavior, and protective factors in a national sample of college students

Objective: This study’s purpose was to determine if COVID-related stress predicted suicide risk among college students and if this risk was attenuated by higher levels of social and psychological resources. Participants: The sample included 65,142 college students who participated in the National College Health Assessment survey in Spring 2021. Methods: SPSS PROCESS was used to test the association between COVID-related stress and suicide risk while controlling for demographic covariates and to determine the potential stress-buffering roles of social connectedness, resiliency, and psychological well-being. Results: Higher levels of COVID-related stress predicted increased suicide risk yet this risk was attenuated when social connectedness, resiliency, and psychological flourishing were greater. Conclusions: Findings indicate that efforts to increase social connectedness, resiliency, and psychological flourishing could help reduce the risk of college students’ suicidality under conditions of high COVID-related stress.

Psychometric Properties of the Portuguese Version of The PERMA-Profiler

AbstractThis study evaluates the psychometric properties of a Portuguese version of The PERMA Profiler in a sample of 1258 Portuguese adults (72.3% females) with a mean age of 36.74 years (SD = 11.313). The PERMA Profiler is a questionnaire that assesses the five dimensions of psychological flourishing, according to Seligman’s well-being theory. According to this theory, the well-being pillars known by the acronym PERMA are positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test Seligman’s model. Results support a reasonable model fit for the five-factor model, but based on the results of bootstrap sample analysis the model was not confirmed. There is also a lack of discriminant validity between PERMA constructs and a lack of validity and reliability of engagement factor. Internal consistency was satisfactory for all five sub-scales, except for engagement. Concurrent validity was demonstrated through the strong and very strong correlations between the PERMA factors and Flourishing Scale. A Portuguese version of The PERMA Profiler is a new tool to assist researchers to refine the measurement and understanding of well-being in Portuguese cultures. Future recommendations and limitations are highlighted.

Professional immigrants and high-functioning anxiety: assessing some interventions

ABSTRACT Professional immigrants from South Asian countries make a rapidly growing percentage of the US workforce. High-functioning anxiety is a latent mental state coupled with challenges faced due to their intersectional identities. This study examines the effectiveness of an online meditation lessons (OML) intervention in mitigating anxieties, enabling socio-cultural adaptation and wellbeing of professional US-based Indian immigrants as compared to online support group sharing sessions (OSGSS). OML attendees reported lower anxieties, better socio-cultural adaptation, self-construal, wellbeing, and psychological flourishing. OSGSS participants also reported statistically significant gains in socio-cultural adaptation scores. Latent class analysis revealed eight subgroups of participants likely to gain the most from OML: men, with doctoral and postdoctoral qualifications, university academics, medical professionals, currently married, cohabiting, above benchmark OML attendees and regular homework doers. With some refinements addressing specific issues of women, banking, and IT sector professionals, and singles, OML would be impactful for professional Indian immigrants to the US.

The Mediating Role of Passion in the Relationships Between Academic Identity and Psychological Flourishing of University Students

The Mediating Role of Passion in the Relationships Between Academic Identity and Psychological Flourishing of University Students