Subjective Vitality Research Articles

The preference for and tolerance of exercise intensity: An exploratory analysis of intensity discrepancy in health clubs settings

Health clubs are considered one of the most relevant contexts of exercise. However, they suffer from high dropout rates and struggle to keep exercisers enrolled in the long run. Considering the exercise intensity-affect relation, the main objective of this exploratory study was to test the relation of the discrepancy between the intensity traits and current exercise training intensity, and possible differences in subjective vitality, habit, and weekly exercise frequency. A total of 485 participants (female = 274) aged between 18 and 63 years (M = 39.9) enrolled in several activities participated in this study. Descriptive, correlational, and group comparison analyses were developed for study hypothesis testing. Results tend to support that different levels of agreement between the intensity traits and current training intensity have differentiated outcomes. Particularly, having both intensity traits in agreement with current training intensity depicted the most relevant scores for vitality, habit, and exercise frequency. Both traits in disagreement presented the worst scores.

Restorative experiences across seasons? Effects of outdoor walking and relaxation exercise during lunch breaks in summer and winter

This study aimed to explore whether a walk outdoors during a lunch break would promote restorative experiences for a sample of office workers (N = 52), compared to following instructions from an online video of progressive muscle relaxation. Furthermore, the study aimed to compare the impact of a walk during winter to a walk in a summer landscape. Compared to baseline measures, walking in winter and summer were both associated with significantly increased subjective vitality and psychological detachment from work, but there were no significant differences in these specific wellbeing indicators between winter and summer conditions. The indoor muscle relaxation exercise had no effect on psychological detachment from work, but participants who had the relaxation session during summer reported a significant increase in subjective vitality. Active outdoor restoration seems to have a beneficial impact on mental wellbeing, while indoor muscle relaxation may also have some benefits.

The VIVA Sustainable Work Engagement Model: A Conceptual Introduction and Preliminary Test Over Three Years

Vital engagement has been described as a focused, meaningful, and active relationship with work across one’s lifetime (Nakamura, 2001, 2014). Theoretically, vital engagement goes beyond short-term interest and engagement in one’s work, representing instead an ongoing, homeostatic sense of engagement that sustainably occurs across years and decades. However, it is unclear how vital engagement manifests in the modern workplace. In the footsteps of Nakamura (2014), we present the VIVA model, which conceptualizes sustainable work engagement as comprised of four mutually reinforcing elements: virtue, involvement, vitality, and acceptance. We first describe the rationale and conceptual underpinnings of the model. Then, we provide a preliminary empirical test of the model using archival data collected from a panel of school staff (N = 327) assessed five times over a three year period. Based on available data, the VIVA domains were operationalized as strengths use, work-related flow experiences, subjective vitality, and a sense of meaning in life. Using structural equation modelling, results provided preliminary support for the hypothesized model, which was relatively stable over time despite changes and challenges occurring in the school. The construct was strongly correlated with but distinct from other wellbeing measures. Although additional testing with measures that specifically align with the four theoretical dimensions is needed, the results support the relevance of the VIVA model in defining specific domains that can be supported in the workplace to help employees sustainably thrive.

Subjective Vitality: A Benefit of Self-Directed, Leisure Time Physical Activity

Subjective Vitality: A Benefit of Self-Directed, Leisure Time Physical Activity

Assessing the organizational commitment, subjective vitality and burnout effects on turnover intention in private universities

Research background: Faculties of private universities are under immense working pressure, which causes stress and burnout. The job burnout triggers the psychological pressure, which increases the turnover intention. Purpose of the article: The undertaken study aims to evaluate the scale of burnout with its three-element model, which affects faculty members of private universities of Pakistan. This research also aims to examine the mediating effect of organizational commitment (e.g., affective, normative & continuance commitments), and moderating influence of subjective vitality in a relationship of job burnout and its constituents, for example exhaustion, efficacy & cynicism, and the turnover intention. Methods: The 712 responses were collected through a structured questionnaire from the junior and senior faculty members of private universities of Pakistan. The data was examined by using second order partial least square ? structural equation approach ? PLS-SEM. Findings & value added: The research findings exhibited that emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy have a direct significant influence on job burnout. The findings further demonstrated that the job burnout has a cogent and negative impact on faculty turnover intention. The findings demonstrated that elements of organizational commitment (e.g., normative, affective & continuance commitments) have a forceful serial mediating influence between burnout & its constituents for example exhaustion, efficacy & cynicism, and turnover intention. Finally, the findings have revealed that subjective vitality has a significant and positive impact as a moderating variable in a relationship between job burnout and turnover intention. This research has a long-term theoretical contribution, as it provides a novel conceptual framework, which can be replicated in different industries. Thus, this unique model provides the solution to reduce employees? turnover for other industries as well.

Апробация семантического дифференциала «Оценка собственной жизненной энергии» для руководителей органов внутренних дел

The features of the professional activity of the heads of the internal affairs agencies of the Russian Federation (hereinafter – heads of police) impose an increased burden on the processes of the functioning of the individuals, their productivity and efficiency as performers of labor. When a leader does not cope with the current professional situation, this leads to a certain imbalance in life, to the unreasonable and inadequate behavior, actions and deeds, to a negative neuropsychic and somatic state. Consequently, the head of police needs a high level of subjective vitality as an internal resource for personal and professional well-being. This study has been carried out in order to test the developed semantic differential for the heads of police, that evaluates a person’s subjective idea of their vital energy. 385 respondents took part in the development of the semantic differential, among them 41 were psychologists of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, 5 linguists, 339 heads of police. After the calculations of the psychometric reliability and factor structure, the proposed semantic differential has undergone changes. The proposed eight scales have been reduced to five: Effectiveness, Potential, Balance, Vt-s, Vt-d. With the help of descriptive statistics, the author has developed normalization of indicators.

Workplace exercise program in a hospital environment: an effective strategy for the promotion of employees physical and mental health. A randomized controlled study.

The demanding and exhausting working hours, as well as the bad and unsuitable working conditions that prevail in several hospitals, affect employees' physical and mental health. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a daily 6-week supervised workplace exercise program on health indices, functional capacity, overall fitness, subjective vitality, and life satisfaction in health professionals. A randomized controlled study was used. 50 health professionals (40-55years), working in a hospital environment, were divided into two groups: exercise (EG) and control group (CG). EG performed a 6-week supervised concurrent chair-based exercise program (stretching, strength, balance exercises, aerobic dance; 5days/week, 30-40min/day, 2 workouts/day lasted 15-20min) in the hospital. Health indices (body composition, blood pressure, respiratory function), functional capacity (flexibility, balance), physical fitness (strength, cardiorespiratory fitness), subjective vitality, and life satisfaction were measured before and after the completion of the program. Additionally, after the completion of the program, EG participants' enjoyment was assessed. EG significantly increased (p < 0.001) lean body mass and respiratory function (range of mean increase 3.5-4.5%, depending on the variable), functional capacity (range of mean increase 18-40%, depending on the variable), lower and upper libs maximal strength (range of mean increase 10-25%, depending on the variable), subjective vitality (41.3%) and life satisfaction (21.5%); while significantly decreased (p < 0.001) heart rate during submaximal test (-14%), body fat and blood pressure (range of mean decrease -3.5% to -5.5%, depending on the variable). In CG, all the above variables did not change. Furthermore, a great percentage of employees (95%) reported high levels of enjoyment. A workplace exercise program may be safely used for the promotion of employees' physical and mental health.

Subjective vitality of night workers: Association with physical and mental health

Night work is one of the most recognized responsibilities of security personnel. Feeling vital is a necessary condition for assuring proper development of this function. Thus, the analysis of its effects on physical and mental conditions is a relevant resource for achieving adequate results at individual and organizational levels. Based on a questionnaire applied to 184 private security guards in Colombia, this study examines the subjective vitality of the personnel working during night shifts and its association with self-perceptions regarding their physical and mental health. Additionally, it analyzes the interference that various demographic variables exert on these relationships. By using partial least squares structural equation modeling, the study found that subjective vitality significantly affects night workers’ mental health more than their physical health. That is, subjective vitality among respondents explains 51% of the variability of mental health and 36% of the variability of physical health. A further significant effect of physical health on mental health was also evidenced, in which the former explains the 25% of the latter variability. When comparing results between genders, the study shows that the variability of mental health explained by subjective vitality among women is larger than among men (75% vs. 28%). These results are discussed in light of the theoretical aspects of organizational behavior and are grounded around their potential to address the phenomenon of human resource management in practice. Practical implications include the need for organizational schemes that balance physical and mental health among night workers. AcknowledgmentsThe authors want to acknowledge the 184 Colombian security guards who provided their time to complete the questionnaire for this study.

Job demands and resources, teachers’ subjective vitality, and turnover intentions: an examination during COVID-19

This study examined the role of two job resources (relatedness with students, relatedness with colleagues), two job demands (time pressure and disruptive student behaviour), and their unique and moderated associations with subjective work vitality and, in turn, turnover intentions among teachers during COVID-19. Data were collected from 325 Australian teachers when many schools were closed or reopening after the initial COVID-19 lockdown. Structural equation modelling (SEM) showed that time pressure (negatively) and relatedness with teachers (positively) were associated with subjective vitality. Disruptive behaviour and time pressure (both positively), along with relatedness with students and subjective vitality (both negatively) were associated with turnover intentions. In addition to these main associations, there was one significant interaction providing evidence of the buffering role of relatedness with students on turnover intentions. The findings yield knowledge of job resources that may help support teachers during subsequent waves of COVID-19 and other future disruptions.

Cognitive Health Worries, Reduced Physical Activity and Fewer Social Interactions Negatively Impact Psychological Wellbeing in Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Coronavirus pandemic has significantly affected psychological wellbeing in older adults, with cases of depression, anxiety and loneliness rising in the general population. Cognitive health has also potentially been affected, as social isolation can lead to cognitive decline. Worrying about cognitive health can be damaging to psychological wellbeing and is especially relevant to explore in the context of the Coronavirus pandemic. The objective of the present study was to explore the associations between cognitive health worries and wellbeing, and to investigate whether physical activity and social contact can mitigate negative effects of the pandemic on psychological wellbeing. Older adults (N = 191) completed an online survey which included measures of cognitive health worries, depression, anxiety, loneliness, social isolation, fatigue, impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, quality of life, subjective vitality, and physical activity. Analyses indicated that cognitive health worries, lower levels of physical activity and smaller amounts of social interaction were associated with poorer psychological and physical wellbeing. Results showed that worrying about cognitive health is associated with poorer wellbeing, and so interventions are needed to encourage positive cognitive functioning in times of social isolation. Promoting physical activity and social interaction is also beneficial, as results show that exercise and social contact are linked with improved wellbeing.

Digital shinrin-yoku: do nature experiences in virtual reality reduce stress and increase well-being as strongly as similar experiences in a physical forest?

Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing refers to a therapeutic, immersive nature experience that aids to improve well-being. The goal of the current research was to compare the effects of a physical urban nature versus virtual nature experience on stress, affect, vitality, and restoration. Previous research suggested that an immersive nature experience—such as shinrin-yoku—can be beneficial for health, but direct comparisons between physical and virtual reality (VR) experiences are scarce. In the current study, fifty participants navigated self-paced through a forest scene that was either an urban physical forest or an immersive VR forest with similar characteristics as the physical one. Before and after the intervention, we measured positive and negative affect, subjective vitality, and perceived daily stress. After the intervention, we measured perceived restorative outcomes. Results revealed that both VR and physical nature experience resulted in expected effects on well-being indicators: Affect was more positive and less negative, subjective vitality increased slightly, and stress decreased slightly after both interventions. There were no significant differences between the two settings on any of the variables, but slightly stronger effect sizes over time within the physical condition. Overall, these findings suggest that immersive VR nature experiences can have restoration effects similar to physical nature experiences, suggesting intervention strategies when physical nature options are scarce.

Predictors of military veterans' engagement in bespoke recovery pathways and health and well-being outcomes.

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess how psychosocial variables predict U.K. military veterans' level of engagement in bespoke recovery pathways (Aim 1) and a sports-specific recovery pathway (Aim 2). A further purpose of this study was to test whether predictor variables indirectly predict outcome variables of physical health (Aim 3), mental health (Aim 4), and subjective vitality (Aim 5), when mediated through level of engagement with all recovery pathways and the sport recovery pathway. Research Method/Design: A cross-sectional battery of questionnaires were completed by 514 military veterans who had been enrolled in Help for Heroes recovery pathways (e.g., sports recovery pathway) from 3 months to 10 years. Data were analyzed by multinomial logistic and multiple linear regressions and mediation analyses using the PROCESS SPSS macro. Engagement in all recovery pathways (i.e., frequency and duration of attendance) was predicted by basic psychological needs frustration and perceived social support (Nagelkerke R² = .16). Sport-related social support (p < .05) and competence satisfaction (p < .001) were directly positively associated with mental health, and competence satisfaction with physical health (p < .001) and well-being (p < .001) on the sport recovery pathway. While perceived stress was directly negatively associated with mental health and well-being (p < .001). Mediation analyses revealed no significant, indirect effects of psychosocial variables on health and wellbeing through level of engagement. In sum, engagement in recovery pathways does not mediate the effects of psychosocial variables on veterans' health and well-being. Perceived social support, satisfaction of veterans' needs, and perceived stress were better predictors of health and well-being outcomes and should be an important focus of future research and recovery. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Acute Effects of Low Dose of Caffeine Ingestion Combined with Conditioning Activity on Psychological and Physical Performances of Male and Female Taekwondo Athletes.

This study investigated low-dose caffeine ingestion, conditioning activity (CA) effects on psycho-physical performances in young taekwondo athletes. In a randomized, double-blind, counterbalanced, crossover design, 20 athletes (10 males; 17.5 ± 0.7 yrs) performed taekwondo-specific agility test (TSAT), 10 s/multiple frequency speed of kick test (FSKT-10s/FSKT-mult) after ingesting 3 mg·kg−1 caffeine (CAF) or placebo (PL) 60 min before performing standard warm-up without (NoCA) or with CA (3 × 10 vertical jumps above 40 cm), resulting in four experimental (PL + NoCA, CAF + NoCA, PL + CA, and CAF + CA) and one control (warm-up session without CAF or CA) conditions. Mood/physical symptoms (MPSS), subjective vitality (SVS), and feeling (FS) scales were analyzed post-to-pre for all conditions. Ratings of perceived-exertion and perceived-recovery status were determined after tests. For TSAT, CAF + CA induced better performance compared with all conditions (p < 0.001). For FSKT-10s and FSKT-mult, CAF + CA induced better performance compared with all conditions (p < 0.001). For MPSS, FS, CAF + NoCA induced higher scores than PL + NoCA and PL + CA (p = 0.002, 0.009 for MPSS; p = 0.014, 0.03 for FS). For SVS, PL + CA elicited lower scores than PL + NoCA and CAF + NoCA (p = 0.01, 0.004). Sex comparisons resulted in better performances for males for TSAT (p = 0.008), FSKT-10s (p < 0.001), FSKT-mult (p < 0.01), MPSS (p = 0.02), SVS (p = 0.028), and FS (p = 0.020) scores. Caffeine and conditioning activity are two efficient performance-enhancing strategies, which could synergistically result in greater psycho-physical performances.

Лиминальность как условие изменения уровня субъективной витальности профессионала

The article analyzes the scientific literature on the problem of liminality as a condition for the dynamics of subjective vitality in conjunction with professional activity. The phenomenon of subjective vitality is defined as the subject's level of vital forces, which exist in him as an adaptive and personal potential, the realization of which is necessary for a person to realize his uniqueness and integrity in order to establish a correspondence between various states in the person himself, as well as with the systems surrounding him. The article substantiates its actual role in professional activity, preservation of mental and physical health, in increasing the level of psychological well-being. Taking into account the fact that a certain number of professional situations can be better understood if we consider them through the prism of liminality - an intermediate state between otherness and norms, approaches to this concept are considered. Arnold van Gennep's views that life is characterized by transitions from one social group or situation to another. Victor Turner, expanding the understanding of liminality and describing its relevance to both traditional and modern societies. The works of Homi Bhabha, in which liminality is put forward as a state that allows self-construction through the rejection of imposed forms. The three-phase structure of the liminality of L.I. Fusu. Liminality in modern psychology is a state that occurs at the moment of transition from one stage of development to another, that is, associated with life changes or developmental crises, with changes in general, or with a situation of uncertainty. The article concludes that the problem of the development of subjective vitality is interconnected with the presence of the state of liminality and the conditions of the liminal situation. Liminality acts as a psychological condition for a change in the level of subjective vitality, leading to the need to revise the attitude to life, spiritual foundations and the system of values.

Hope as a Mediator of the Link between Subjective Vitality and Subjective Happiness in University Students in Turkey

In the present study, the relationship between subjective vitality and subjective happiness was examined through the mediating role of hope among 168 Turkish university students. To collect data, the Subjective Vitality Scales, the Dispositional Hope Scale, the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire Short Form, and a demographic information form were used. Bootstrapped mediation analysis was conducted to test the mediating role of hope in the link between subjective vitality and subjective happiness. Results indicated that hope was a significant mediator in the vitality-happiness link such that subjective vitality was positively related to hope, which in turn was positively related to subjective happiness. Some implications were discussed in the context of the theory and practice of subjective vitality and hope.

Удовлетворенность жизнью в «третьем возрасте» и ее диагностика: адаптация русскоязычной версии LSITA-SF

The aim of this study was to adapt the Russian version of the Life Satisfaction Index for the Third Age-Short Form (LSITA-SF) by E. Barrett [6]. The study involved 203 respondents aged 50 to 83 years. All participants completed a set of socio-demographic questions, LSITA-SF, and instruments assessing apathy, depression, subjective vitality, overall satisfaction with life, and subjective happiness. The results showed that the Russian version of the LSITA-SF has a one-factor structure and demonstrates high internal reliability and convergent validity. An analysis of the socio-demographic differences in the LSITA-SF scores indicated that females and younger respondents had higher scores of satisfaction with life in the “third age” than males and older respondents. It was concluded that the Russian version of the LSITA-SF is a reliable and valid instrument that can be recommended as a scale for screening and monitoring satisfaction with life in the Russian-speaking respondents who are in the “third age”.

Русскоязычная версия краткой шкалы резилентности: психометрический анализ на примере выборок студентов, многодетных родителей и родителей детей с инвалидностью

Background. B. Smith’s Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) is one of the most psychometrically sound instruments for assessing resilience worldwide (Windle et al., 2011). Objective. The aim of this study was to adapt the Russian version of the BRS. Design. Psychometric properties of the Russian BRS were analyzed on the materials of a series of studies involving 696 respondents, including parents of disabled children, parents with many children, and students of higher and secondary specialized educational institutions. Findings. The internal reliability of the Russian BRS was examined using the α-Cronbach coefficients, the values of which exceeded 0.8 in all study samples. The adapted scale demonstrated compliance with the original BRS factor structure containing direct and inverted test items, which provided the factor validity. Correlations between resilience and phenomenologically similar phenomena (hardiness, dispositional optimism, self-esteem, general self-efficacy, subjective vitality, life satisfaction, etc.) confirmed the convergent validity of the Russian BRS. In addition, parents of children with disabilities reported lower resilience than parents having many children, although statistically the results were not different from similar scores for students of higher and secondary specialized institutions. Conclusion. Russian version of BRS is reliable, valid and can be recommended for use for the assessment of resilience in Russian-speaking respondents.

The Role of Dispositional Orientations and Goal Motives on Athletes' Well- and Ill-Being.

Findings in different contexts suggest that task orientation and ego orientation are related to adaptive and maladaptive motivational patterns, respectively. In sport, these personal dispositions could influence other important variables such as the goals that athletes pursue (and why they pursue them) during the season and their well- and ill-being. The main purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between athletes’ dispositional goal orientations, their goal motives, and their reported well-being (subjective vitality) and ill-being (physical and emotional exhaustion). The study involved 414 Spanish university athletes (206 female and 208 male) with an age range of 17 to 33 years (M = 20.61; SD = 2.58) that completed a package of questionnaires at the beginning of the season. Results of path analysis revealed that athletes’ task orientation was negatively associated to physical and emotional exhaustion indirectly through autonomous and controlled goal motives. In contrast, ego orientation was positively related to physical and emotional exhaustion via its link to controlled goal motives. Athletes’ task orientation directly and positively predicted subjective vitality, even though goal motives were not significant mediators. These findings support previous evidence about the protective role of athletes’ task orientation, in contrast to ego orientation, confirming its positive relationship with well-being and its negative one with ill-being. Additionally, it extends the knowledge regarding interdependencies between goal orientations and goal motives and how both contribute to athletes’ optimal or compromised functioning.

A Study on Vitality and Happiness Levels of Sports High School Students

The present study is aimed at determining subjective vitality and subjective happiness levels of sport high school students and to examine the levels based on certain variables. Relational screening model was used in this study. The sample of the research consisted of a total of 185 students, 113 (61.1%) male and 72 (38.9%) female, who continued their education at “Trabzon Sports High School” in 2019-2020. “Personal Information Form” designed by the researcher, “Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS)” and “Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS)” were used as data collection tools in the research. It was accepted that the research data showed a normal distribution according to the skewness and kurtosis values. Accordingly, descriptive statistics were used as a statistical method in the analysis of the data, and T-Test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), correlation and regression analyzes were used for independent groups.In line with the research analysis, it was found that the students of sports high schools had above-average levels of vitality and happiness. It has been observed that the subjective vitality and happiness levels are higher among male students and students affiliated with a sports club (licensed/unlicensed). In addition, it was concluded that the subjective happiness and vitality levels are higher among students who do team sports and those who have longer years of practising sports, and no significant difference was determined according to the variable of socio-economic status of the family. As a result, it was found that there was a high (.81) significant positive correlation between subjective happiness and vitality. Another important result is that subjective vitality (66%) has an important role in predicting subjective happiness.

Subjective well-being, feelings of happiness and self-attitude: the age aspect

This article presents the results of a study that combines consideration of widely known concepts (happiness, subjective well-being) with the phenomena of self-compassion and subjective vitality (as dispositions) that are relatively new for Russian psychological thought. A close connection of these parameters is postulated. The analysis of these phenomena in different age groups (adolescence (71 people); youth (48 people); adulthood (37 people), old age (10 people); the total number of respondents is 166 people). The empirical study was carried out using test methods and various criteria for statistical data processing (descriptive statistics, Kruskal–Wallis test, Spearman's test). Correlation analysis showed a different number of relationships of the studied parameters in different age groups, and a decrease in the number of relationships with an increase in the age of the respondents was noted. Significant differences were revealed in indicators of subjective well-being, self-compassion and subjective vitality (as dispositions) in different age groups. We found especially striking differences in the groups of elderly and adolescent people. The practical significance of the results appears in the possibility of their use in the counselling and training work of psychologists.