A Dual Route in Explaining Health Outcomes in Natural Disaster1

Human beings seem to be resilient and have a great capacity to overcome adverse circumstances. One apparent variable that may predict people's emotional and physical health after a trauma is their general level of psychological well‐being ( McMillen, Smith, & Fisher, 1997 ). The current study explores the role of subjective vitality and the perception of stress as mediators between general life satisfaction and post‐trauma physiological and psychological health related to the Canadian 1998 Ice Storm. Results of this dual route indicate that satisfaction with life positively predicted subjective vitality and negatively predicted perceived stress. In turn, subjective vitality lead to lower levels of ill‐health, whereas perception of stress lead to higher levels of physical symptoms and depression.     

Social Interactions at Work and Psychological Health: The Role of Leader–Member Exchange and Work Group Integration1

The objectives of this study are to test the effects that the quality of leader–member exchange (LMX) and work group integration (WGI) may have on psychological health, as well as their interaction effect. Psychological health is defined both in terms of subjective well‐being and psychological distress. Data were gathered from a sample of 249 employees working in a prison setting. Results indicated that LMX and WGI are positively related to subjective well‐being and are negatively related to psychological distress. In addition, LMX and WGI exert a synergistic interaction effect on both dimensions of psychological health. Overall, the results show that the quality of the social environment may greatly enhance psychological health in a high‐risk workplace.     

Can appraisals of common political life events impact subjective well‐being?

This study examined the psychological impact of global subjective appraisals of influence exerted on people's lives by common political events. A list of 24 political events was administered to a random sample of 400 adults in Poland. Political self‐efficacy, interest in politics, perceived political social support, and political collective efficacy were also assessed as potential moderators of the link between political stress appraisals and subjective well‐being (satisfaction with life, sense on anomie, positive affect). Perceptions of the negative influence of political stressors on one's life and the life of the country were associated with concomitant variations in subjective well‐being. Among psychosocial resources, political self‐efficacy consistently moderated the influence of appraisals of political stressors on satisfaction with life and positive affect.     

The influence of perceived prison crowding on male inmates' perception of aggressive events

This study examines whether, in a male prison, the subjective experience of crowding increases the likelihood that events are perceived as aggressive in nature, and whether the protagonists involved are viewed as more hostile, malevolent, and aggressive. In addition, this paper also examines the possible mediating effects of stress, arousal, and psychological well‐being on two hypothesised relationships. First, these mediating factors are examined for the link between individuals' personal space preferences and their perceived level of crowding. Second, these factors are examined for the link between perceived crowding and interpretations of an aggressive event. Such associations may help to explain why crowding and aggression are linked within a social interactionist perspective. The results confirmed previous findings that crowding is linked to increases in arousal and stress, and a reduction in psychological well‐being. This study also found, however, that those inmates who experienced crowding were also more likely to interpret behaviour as aggressive and violent. This relationship was not mediated by arousal, stress, or psychological well‐being. However, these factors were found to partially operate in the relationship between personal space preferences and the experience of subjective crowding. The implications of this study for social interactionist explanations of the link between crowding and prison violence are offered. Aggr. Behav. 30:273–283, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Infertility and Adjustment in Women: The Effects of Attachment Style and Social Support

The moderating effects of two psychological resources—attachment style and perceived social support—on adjustment were studied in 109 infertile women, examining the effects of duration of infertility and of primary (the woman has no child of her own) versus secondary (the woman already has a child of her own) infertility. Subjects were administered questionnaires measuring marital adjustment, psychological distress, and well-being. A model viewing attachment style and social support as moderators between stress psychological well-being was explored. The results showed that among the objective characteristics, only duration of infertility had any impact on the psychological measures. Furthermore, the psychological resources were highly associated with the adjustment scores in general. A hierarchical regression analysis showed that attachment style and social support both were related to marital quality and to psychological well-being and that these two resources function as stress moderators. It was concluded that attachment style and social support are important resources for individuals in times of stress, as exemplified in the infertility situation.     

Analyzing the Relationship Between Social Capital and Subjective Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Social Affiliation

While previous studies have established social capital as an important determinant of subjective well-being (SWB), the broader social context people are living in has not received much attention in terms of SWB. To address this issue, we propose the concept of social affiliation, measuring the feeling of belonging to the social whole, of being a respected and valued member of society. In contrast to standard concepts of social capital, social affiliation is not related to an individual’s direct environment (‘Gemeinschaft’), but concerns one’s relation to society (‘Gesellschaft’). Such a subjective evaluation of how an individual feels within a broader societal context is neither covered by traditional concepts of social capital nor by the concept of social cohesion which focuses on the macro level. A perception of oneself as living on the margins of society, of not being a respected member of society, is very likely to diminish subjective well-being. At the same time, it can be expected to not be completely unrelated to individual resources of social capital. Drawing on unique survey data from Japan, we analyze the triangle relationship between social capital, social affiliation and subjective well-being applying a structural equation model. Our results have two main implications. First, we show that social affiliation has an effect on subjective well-being that is independent from the effect of standard measures of social capital. Second, we find that social capital influences social affiliation, and thereby also has an indirect effect on subjective well-being. In terms of theory building our results suggest that social embeddedness has two elements which should be measured separately: a community dimension usually measured as social capital in terms of trust, personal networks and norms, and a societal dimension of being and feeling part of a ‘Gesellschaft’, measured as social affiliation.     

Perceived discrimination is associated with poorer health and well‐being outcomes among Pacific peoples in New Zealand

Our study investigated the association between perceived discrimination and outcomes related to health and well‐being for Pacific adults in New Zealand. We examined personal and group discrimination from the 2013 wave of the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study (n = 429 women and 196 men). Personal discrimination was associated with poorer health and well‐being outcomes (higher psychological distress and lower self‐esteem, subjective evaluation of health, satisfaction with life and personal well‐being). Group discrimination, in contrast, was associated with poorer well‐being but not health outcomes (lower subjective evaluation of health and personal well‐being). These findings corroborate previous research and highlight the corrosive effect of discrimination towards health and well‐being among Pacific communities in New Zealand.     

Psychological Maltreatment,Social Acceptance,Social Connectedness,and Subjective Well-Being in Adolescents

Psychological maltreatment is a dramatically increasing problem and related to a wide range of short-term and long-term outcomes. Considering these potential effects of it on healthy development and well-being, it is important to understand the mitigating factors for its negative effects on well-being from childhood to adulthood. Therefore, the purpose of present study is to investigate the mediation role of social acceptance and social connectedness on the effect of psychological maltreatment on subjective well-being in high school adolescents. The sample consisted of 825 students enrolled in grades 9–12 in two public schools in a small urban city in Turkey. The participants were 46.2% male and 53.8% female and ranged in age from 14 to 19 years old (M = 16.508, SD = 1.163). Findings from the structural model indicated that psychological maltreatment was a negative and significant predictor of social connectedness and social acceptance, yet did not significantly predict youth subjective well-being. Further, social acceptance and social connectedness were significant and positive predictors of subjective well-being. Finally, results showed that social acceptance and social connectedness fully mediated the relationship between psychological maltreatment and subjective well-being. Taken together, these outcomes support the importance of social connectedness and social acceptance on adolescents’ wellbeing, and these psychosocial resources help to explain the association between psychological maltreatment and subjective well-being. Results are discussed in light of the literature, and suggestions are presented for professions as well as for future research.     

Oral health and dental well‐being: testing a self‐determination theory model

This study tested a self‐determination theory (SDT) process model of oral health and subjective dental well‐being. The results showed that: (1) patients' perceptions of autonomy‐supportive dental professionals were significantly positively predictive of patients' psychological needs satisfaction in treatment; (2) needs satisfaction was significantly related to perceived dental competence (positive), autonomous motivation (positive), and controlled motivation (negative) for dental care; (3) perceived competence was significantly positively, and controlled motivation was significantly negatively associated with self‐rated oral health and oral‐health‐related quality of life; (4) autonomous motivation for dental treatment was significantly positively associated with valuing continued dental treatment; and (5) the three oral‐health‐related variables were all significantly positively linked to subjective dental well‐being. A structural equation model supported the SDT process model.     

Measures of Ethnicity‐Related Stress: Psychometric Properties,Ethnic Group Differences,and Associations With Well‐Being1

This study introduces new measures of ethnicity‐related stress and a newly adapted measure of ethnic identity. Ethnicity‐related stressors assessed in this study were perceived discrimination, stereotype confirmation concern, and own‐group conformity pressure. Ethnic identity refers to the subjective sense of ethnic group membership and, following Luhtanen and Crocker (1992), was assessed as public regard, identity centrality, and private feelings. Data for 333 undergraduates from diverse ethnic groups indicated that the measures are psychometrically sound. Ethnic group differences for mean scores demonstrated the measures’ known‐groups validity. Cross‐sectional analyses indicated that ethnicity‐related stress and identity constructs captured by the instruments are related to measures of psychological and physical well‐being. The new measures may be useful in the investigation of psychological aspects of ethnicity and their adaptive consequences.     

老年人社会适应性与主观幸福感的结构关系

该研究通过编制适应老年人的社会适应性与主观幸福感问卷,探讨了老年人社会适应性与主观幸福感的结构关系。结果表明,问卷具有良好的结构效度和内部一致性信度,人际交往适应性和角色转换适应性对主观幸福感各维度具有显著的预测价值,生活自理适应性对积极情感具有显著预测作用,但预测力不如人际交往适应性和角色转换适应性,而社会整体变化适应性对主观幸福感不存在预测的价值。地区差异对老年人社会适应性和主观幸福感结构预测关系存在显著的调节效应。     

Perceived Threat,Social Identification,and Psychological Well‐Being: The Effects of Political Conflict Exposure

Using data drawn from the adult population in Northern Ireland (N = 1,515), this article examines the relationship between perceived intergroup threat and psychological well‐being, taking into consideration the mediating role of social identification and the moderating role of political conflict exposure. Results by and large confirmed our predictions that perceived threat would be directly associated with poorer well‐being but would also exert a positive indirect effect on well‐being via increased social identification. However, these relationships were dependent on individuals' prior conflict exposure, such that the positive indirect relationship between perceived threat and psychological well‐being emerged only for two subpopulations: individuals who had high direct and high indirect exposure to conflict, and individuals who had low direct, but high indirect conflict exposure. No indirect effects emerged for individuals with relatively lower conflict exposure. Results are discussed with regard to their implications for research on the consequences of intergroup threat in political conflict settings and beyond.     

Age Moderates the Relationship Between Social Support and Psychosocial Problems

Social support is commonly assumed to protect people from the experience of psychological distress and to enhance well‐being. However, past research shows that the effectiveness of social support from family members and friends varies over the life span. Both the stage model of life satisfaction and compensatory processes associated with aging provide accounts for why this may be the case. Accordingly, age was predicted to moderate the association between perceived functional and structural social support and the experience of depressive symptoms and loneliness. Age was also predicted to be associated with lower relationship standards that allow people to remain content regardless of whether available social support decreases. This moderational model was tested in a community‐based sample of 325 adults ranging in age from 19 to 85 years. Results indicated that social support from family members and sheer contact with them, as well as social support from a spouse or partner, was most strongly and negatively related to the psychosocial problems in the younger participants. Age also moderated the association between relationship standards and loneliness. Consistent with the assumptions of the stage model of life satisfaction and previous research on compensatory processes associated with aging, older people do not appear to be as dependent as younger people on receiving social support from diverse sources in order to maintain a sense of well‐being.     

Subjective well‐being in times of social change: Congruence of control strategies and perceived control

This paper investigates the association between perceptions of broader changes in the social‐ecological context and individuals’ subjective well‐being (SWB). Macro‐level societal changes such as globalization or demographic change give rise to new demands for individual functioning at work and/or in the family. Such new demands associated with social change are stressful and likely to be related to lower levels of SWB. Being active agents, individuals attempt to deal with social change and its increasing demands to protect their SWB. The present study investigates which kinds of control strategies are most effective in protecting one's SWB. Specifically, we predicted that control strategies of goal engagement will be most effective under conditions of perceived high control, and control strategies of goal disengagement will be most effective under conditions of perceived low control. In a large sample of 2537 German adults, work‐ and family‐related demands associated with social change were found to be negatively linked to SWB. Moreover and in line with the motivational theory of lifespan development, control strategies of goal engagement and disengagement were beneficial for SWB to the extent that they matched the perceived control of the demands associated with social change.     

Migrant Distress: The Role of Perceived Racial Discrimination and Coping Resources1

This paper examines the relationships among perceived racial discrimination, coping resources, and psychological distress experienced by 372 ethnic Chinese migrants in 3 Australian cities, within the social context of ongoing debates on Asian immigration. Based on the stress‐coping‐strain framework, it was expected that migrants’ recent increases in psychological distress would be associated with greater perceived racial discrimination, and lower levels of coping resources. Possible moderating effects of coping resources were examined. Hierarchical regression analyses provided broad support for the stress‐coping‐strain framework, and indicated direct effects of low personal and ethnic self‐esteem and having a small number of Anglo‐Australian friends on increased psychological distress. The findings are discussed with regard to implications for migrants’ wellbeing in the context of sociopolitical debates.     

Linking exercise and causality orientations to change in well‐being among older adults: does change in motivational variables play a role?

A self‐determination theory process model of change in well‐being was tested among older adults in a 16‐week randomized exercise‐trial (n = 118, M = 74.3 years, SD = 4.6, 68% females). The exercise intervention increased participants' autonomous motivation and perceived competence over the first 7 weeks. Moreover, autonomous orientation gave rise to perceived competence, while impersonal orientation was related to increased controlled motivation. Changes in motivational variables were positively related to changes in vitality over the trial, while change in controlled motivation was negatively related to changes in vitality and subjective well‐being. Bootstrapping analyses supported an indirect exercise–vitality path through autonomous motivation and perceived competence, and an indirect autonomous orientation–vitality path through perceived competence.     

Optimism Is Universal: Exploring the Presence and Benefits of Optimism in a Representative Sample of the World

Current theories of optimism suggest that the tendency to maintain positive expectations for the future is an adaptive psychological resource associated with improved well‐being and physical health, but the majority of previous optimism research has been conducted in industrialized nations. The present study examined (a) whether optimism is universal, (b) what demographic factors predict optimism, and (c) whether optimism is consistently associated with improved subjective well‐being and perceived health worldwide. The present study used representative samples of 142 countries that together represent 95% of the world's population. The total sample of 150,048 individuals had a mean age of 38.28 (SD = 16.85) and approximately equal sex distribution (51.2% female). The relationships between optimism, subjective well‐being, and perceived health were examined using hierarchical linear modeling. Results indicated that most individuals and most countries worldwide are optimistic and that higher levels of optimism are associated with improved subjective well‐being and perceived health worldwide. The present study provides compelling evidence that optimism is a universal phenomenon and that the associations between optimism and improved psychological functioning are not limited to industrialized nations.     

Social Comparison and the Subjective Well-Being of Cancer Patients

Although cancer patients may suffer from more physical and psychological distress than healthy persons, they seem not to differ in subjective well-being. In this article the influence of social comparison on the relation between physical distress and subjective well-being was examined among cancer patients. LISREL analyses provided support for the following model: First, the psychological distress that resulted from physical distress induced a need for comparison. This need, in turn, affected the frequency of downward comparison. Whereas psychological distress negatively affected perceptions of how well one was doing in comparison with others, selectively comparing downward had the reverse impact, contributing to a feeling of relative well-being. Unexpectedly, these relative evaluations also seemed to be affected directly by the amount of physical distress patients experienced. Finally, although both the amount of physical and psychological distress had strong direct effects on subjective well-being, the perception of how well one was doing compared to most others explained an additional significant amount of variance. Interestingly, this model was also supported in a healthy control group, suggesting that we are dealing here with a general behavioral model that suggests that social comparison processes may contribute to well-being when well-being is threatened by stress.     

The Caring‐Killing Paradox: Euthanasia‐Related Strain Among Animal‐Shelter Workers1

The current study represents the first quantitative investigation of the psychological ramifications of euthanasia‐related work. Results indicate that perceived euthanasia‐related strain is prevalent among shelter employees and is associated with increased levels of general job stress, work‐to‐family conflict, somatic complaints, and substance use; and with lower levels of job satisfaction. Analyses provide evidence that euthanasia‐related work has a significant negative relation with employee well‐being independent of its relation with generalized job stress. Exploratory analyses also suggest that individual, work, and organizational differences may influence the level of perceived stress and appear to be associated with certain aspects of employee well‐being. The need for future research of this topic and its relevance to a wide range of applied psychologists is discussed.