The moderating roles of personal and social resources on the relationship between dual expectations (for instrumentality and expressiveness) and well-being

The authors examined the roles of self-esteem and perceived social support in moderating the relationship between dual social expectations (instrumentality and expressivity) and well-being. Participants were 166 female and 87 male students in an urban community in the midwestern United States. After the authors controlled for the main effects of instrumental and expressive expectations, social support, as predicted, moderated the relationship between dual expectations and well-being: With higher levels of social support, higher levels of dual expectations were associated with higher levels of well-being; with lower levels of social support, higher levels of dual expectations were associated with lower levels of well-being. Contrary to predictions, however, self-esteem did not moderate the relation between dual expectations and well-being. The discussion focuses on the importance of social resources in enhancing the potential benefits of dual expectations in interpersonal contexts.     

When Situations Call for Instrumentality and Expressiveness: Resource Appraisal,Coping Strategy Choice,and Adjustment

The coping model of Holahan and Moos (1987) served as a framework for examining associations among resource appraisals, gender-role coping strategy choices, and adjustment in situations having salient social expectations for expressiveness and instrumentality (i.e., dual-expectation situations). Participants were 70 male and 124 female undergraduates. Appraisals of setting-specific social support availability and self-esteem were related to coping strategy choices. Androgynous copers had higher social support appraisals than instrumental or indeterminate copers and higher self-appraisals than indeterminate copers. Androgynous coping was (a) positively related to well-being at all levels of resource appraisals and (b) negatively related to stress at moderate and low levels of social support and all levels of self-esteem.

     

Association Between The Search For Meaning In Life And Well-Being In Chinese Adolescents

Theories suggest that having a meaningful life has beneficial effects on adolescent well-being. Encouraging adolescents to search for meaning in their lives is therefore well advised. However, whether and how the search for meaning in life (SMIL) is related to adolescent well-being is unclear. Thus, this study tested the following two hypotheses, based on a sample of 1539 Chinese adolescents in the tenth grade (M_age = 15.8 years): 1) the SMIL promotes adolescent well-being (“SMIL-as-promotor”), and 2) social connectedness mediates the link between the SMIL and adolescent well-being (“connectedness-as-mediator”). Multiple regression analyses revealed that SMIL was positively associated with life satisfaction, self-esteem and positive affect, and negatively associated with negative affect in the adolescents who exhibited low levels of presence of meaning; thus supporting the SMIL-as-promotor hypothesis. Mediation analyses revealed that SMIL was related to social connectedness (i.e., parent-child communication and peer relationship), which, in turn, was linked to the presence of meaning and hedonic well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, self-esteem, positive affect, and negative affect). These findings support the connectedness-as-mediator hypothesis. The implications of these findings for youth prevention programs and intervention services are discussed.

     

Extrinsic Religious Orientation and Well-Being: Is Their Negative Association Real or Spurious?

Turning to religion to seek its social benefits has been associated with poor psychological well-being. Researchers have concluded that endorsing this extrinsic and social orientation toward religion is inauthentic and unhealthy. However, few studies have focused on extrinsic-social religious orientation’s negative relationship with well-being, leaving open the possibility that their relationship is spurious. The present study argues that people endorsing an extrinsic-social religious orientation also perceive lower levels of social support in their lives, thus their turning to religion to fill this social void. As social support is important for healthy psychological functioning, perceived social support may be the critical third variable explaining why extrinsic-social religious orientation appears to have psychological costs. This study supported our expectations among undergraduates in two countries: the United States (N = 156) and the Republic of Ireland (N = 255). There were negative bivariate associations between extrinsic-social religious orientation and both perceived social support and emotional well-being. Accounting for the effects of perceived social support, however, reduced the association between the extrinsic-social religious orientation and well-being to non-significance. Thus, people endorsing an extrinsic and social orientation toward religion tend to have poor well-being because they perceive less supportive relationships in their lives.     

大学生的社会支持、孤独及自尊对主观幸福感的作用机制研究

对389名大学生施测社会支持量表、自尊量表、社会与感情孤独量表及主观幸福感量表,以探讨孤独和自尊在社会支持与主观幸福感的关系中的作用。结果表明：（1）主观幸福感与社会支持、自尊、孤独呈显著相关。（2）路径分析表明,自尊、孤独分别在社会支持与主观幸福感之间起显著的中介作用。社会支持→自尊→孤独→主观幸福感的显著路径表明,这些变量间存在更为复杂的关系。这些结果对于大学生心理健康教育具有重要的意义。     

Hope,social support,and depression among Hong Kong youth: personal and relational self-esteem as mediators

Previous studies have shown that depression is negatively associated with hope and social support. However, little research has been undertaken to investigate the theoretical mechanisms underlying the connections among hope, social support, and depression. This study examined how two types of self-esteem (personal and relational) would mediate the relationship of hope and social support to depression among 384 Hong Kong adolescents (age: 12–18 years; M = 14, SD = 1.19). Participants reported their levels of hope, social support, personal self-esteem, relational self-esteem, and depressive mood. Results of the path analysis showed that both personal and relational self-esteem mediated the associations of hope and social support with depression. Hope and social support were associated with higher levels of personal and relational self-esteem, which were in turn related to decreased levels of depression. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

微信使用强度与大学生自尊之间的关系:上行社会比较和好友亲密度的作用

为探讨微信使用强度与大学生自尊的关系,采用微信使用强度问卷、上行社会比较问卷、好友亲密度量表和自尊量表,对330名大学生的微信经历和自尊情况进行问卷调查。结果发现：（1）微信使用强度与自尊显著负相关,且上行社会比较在其中起显著中介作用;（2）好友亲密度在上行社会比较与自尊之间起调节作用：在好友亲密度较低的情况下,上行社会比较与自尊显著负相关;在好友亲密度较高时,上行社会比较与自尊相关不显著。结果提示,微信使用程度越强,上行社会比较越多,大学生的自尊水平越低,但是网上亲密的好友关系可以缓解这一关系。     

Main and interactive effects of social support in predicting mental health symptoms in men and women following military stressor exposure

Abstract

Evidence across a multitude of contexts indicates that social support is associated with reduced risk for mental health symptoms. More information is needed on the effectiveness of different sources of support, as well as sex differences in support. Associations between social support from two sources – the military unit and friends and family – and mental health symptoms were examined in a study of 1571 Marine recruits assessed at the beginning and end of a highly stressful 13-week training program. Military social support buffered the stressor exposure–posttraumatic stress symptomatology (PTSS) relationship, whereas the relationship between stressor exposure and PTSS was highest when civilian social support was high. Further inspection of the interactions revealed that military support was most important at high levels of stressor exposure. Sex differences in the relationship between social support and symptoms were found, such that support from military peers was associated with lower levels of PTSS for men, whereas civilian support was associated with lower PTSS for women. While civilian social support was associated with lower levels of depression symptom severity in both women and men, the relationship was stronger for women. Reviewed implications focus on the importance of considering the recipient, source, and context of social support.     

同伴侵害对留守青少年主观幸福感的影响:自尊和社会支持的作用

采用追踪设计,对贵州省487名留守青少年进行间隔6个月的两次追踪调查,考察同伴侵害对男女留守青少年主观幸福感的影响以及自尊、教师支持和朋友支持在其中的作用。结果表明：（1）同伴侵害不仅能显著负向预测半年后留守青少年的主观幸福感,还能通过自尊的中介作用间接预测主观幸福感;（2）朋友支持可以显著缓解同伴侵害对男女留守青少年主观幸福感的消极影响：当朋友支持较低时,同伴侵害对男女留守青少年主观幸福感的消极作用显著,当朋友支持较高时则不存在显著影响;（3）教师支持可以显著缓解同伴侵害对留守女生主观幸福感的直接作用：相对于高教师支持的女生,同伴侵害对主观幸福感的影响在低教师支持的女生中更强;教师支持还可以调节留守女生同伴侵害与自尊之间的关系：相对于低教师支持的女生,同伴侵害对自尊的影响在高教师支持的女生中更显著。     

同伴侵害对留守青少年主观幸福感的影响:自尊和社会支持的作用

采用追踪设计,对贵州省487名留守青少年进行间隔6个月的两次追踪调查,考察同伴侵害对男女留守青少年主观幸福感的影响以及自尊、教师支持和朋友支持在其中的作用。结果表明：（1）同伴侵害不仅能显著负向预测半年后留守青少年的主观幸福感,还能通过自尊的中介作用间接预测主观幸福感;（2）朋友支持可以显著缓解同伴侵害对男女留守青少年主观幸福感的消极影响：当朋友支持较低时,同伴侵害对男女留守青少年主观幸福感的消极作用显著,当朋友支持较高时则不存在显著影响;（3）教师支持可以显著缓解同伴侵害对留守女生主观幸福感的直接作用：相对于高教师支持的女生,同伴侵害对主观幸福感的影响在低教师支持的女生中更强;教师支持还可以调节留守女生同伴侵害与自尊之间的关系：相对于低教师支持的女生,同伴侵害对自尊的影响在高教师支持的女生中更显著。     

Depression, self-esteem, and anger in emerging adulthood: seven-year trajectories

This study used a school-based community sample (N=920) to examine trajectories of depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and expressed anger in the critical years of emerging adulthood (ages 18-25). Using data from 5 waves, the authors discovered that multilevel models indicated that, on average, depressive symptoms and expressed anger declined, whereas self-esteem increased. Between-persons predictors of variability in trajectories included gender (gender gaps in depressive symptoms and self-esteem narrowed), parents' education, and conflict with parents (depressive symptoms and expressed anger improved fastest in participants with highly educated parents and in those with higher conflict). Across time, increases in social support and marriage were associated with increased psychological well-being, whereas longer periods of unemployment were connected with higher depression and lower self-esteem. Emerging adulthood is a time of improving psychological well-being, but individual trajectories depend on specific individual and family characteristics as well as role changes.     

Psychological characteristics and perceptions of stuttering of adults who stutter with and without support group experience

Purpose

To compare adults who stutter with and without support group experience on measures of self-esteem, self-efficacy, life satisfaction, self-stigma, perceived stuttering severity, perceived origin and future course of stuttering, and importance of fluency.

Method

Participants were 279 adults who stutter recruited from the National Stuttering Association and Board Recognized Specialists in Fluency Disorders. Participants completed a Web-based survey comprised of various measures of well-being including the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, a measure of perceived stuttering severity, the Self-Stigma of Stuttering Scale, and other stuttering-related questions.

Results

Participants with support group experience as a whole demonstrated lower internalized stigma, were more likely to believe that they would stutter for the rest of their lives, and less likely to perceive production of fluent speech as being highly or moderately important when talking to other people, compared to participants with no support group experience. Individuals who joined support groups to help others feel better about themselves reported higher self-esteem, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction, and lower internalized stigma and perceived stuttering severity, compared to participants with no support group experience. Participants who stutter as an overall group demonstrated similar levels of self-esteem, higher self-efficacy, and lower life satisfaction compared to averages from normative data for adults who do not stutter.

Conclusions

Findings support the notion that self-help support groups limit internalization of negative attitudes about the self, and that focusing on helping others feel better in a support group context is linked to higher levels of psychological well-being.Educational objectives: At the end of this activity the reader will be able to: (a) describe the potential psychological benefits of stuttering self-help support groups for people who stutter, (b) contrast between important aspects of well-being including self-esteem self-efficacy, and life satisfaction, (c) summarize differences in self-esteem, self-efficacy, life satisfaction, self-stigma, perceived stuttering severity, and perceptions of stuttering between adults who stutter with and without support group experience, (d) summarize differences in self-esteem, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction between adults who stutter and normative data for adults who do not stutter.     

Self-esteem, social support, collectivism, and the thin-ideal in Latina undergraduates

Thin-ideal internalization (TII) reflects agreement that thinness equates with beauty. TII is a risk factor for body dissatisfaction and eating pathology; this phenomenon and its correlates, however, are just beginning to be studied in Latina undergraduates. This study examined the ability of self-esteem, social support, and collectivism to predict TII in 279 Latina undergraduates. It was hypothesized that higher levels of self-esteem, social support, and collectivism would predict lower levels of TII. Cross-sectional data were analyzed using multiple regression; the model was significant, p<.01. Although both self-esteem and social support negatively correlated with thin-ideal internalization, only self-esteem accounted for a significant amount of variance. Results indicate that investigations of self-esteem as a protective factor against TII in Latina undergraduates would be fruitful, as would how self-esteem and social support affect the relationship between TII and other variables. Implications and limitations are discussed.     

Social capital, self-esteem, and use of online social network sites: A longitudinal analysis

A longitudinal analysis of panel data from users of a popular online social network site, Facebook, investigated the relationship between intensity of Facebook use, measures of psychological well-being, and bridging social capital. Two surveys conducted a year apart at a large U.S. university, complemented with in-depth interviews with 18 Facebook users, provide the study data. Intensity of Facebook use in year one strongly predicted bridging social capital outcomes in year two, even after controlling for measures of self-esteem and satisfaction with life. These latter psychological variables were also strongly associated with social capital outcomes. Self-esteem served to moderate the relationship between Facebook usage intensity and bridging social capital: those with lower self-esteem gained more from their use of Facebook in terms of bridging social capital than higher self-esteem participants. We suggest that Facebook affordances help reduce barriers that lower self-esteem students might experience in forming the kinds of large, heterogeneous networks that are sources of bridging social capital.     

A structural equation model of intuitive eating with adolescents

IntroductionThe tendency to eat by paying attention and respecting the body's hunger and satiety cues is called intuitive eating. This eating behavior has been linked to positive health and well-being outcomes.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to test a global model linking intuitive eating with self-esteem, body esteem, media influence and including fear of negative appearance evaluation in adolescents’ boys and girls.MethodIn total, 740 adolescent high school students (51.5% girls; M age = 14, SD = 1.5) completed self-report questionnaires with measures of intuitive eating, body esteem, self-esteem, media influence and fear of negative appearance evaluation.ResultsStructural equation modeling revealed an overall excellent fit for the final four-variable model excluding the fear of negative appearance evaluation variable. Mediation analyses showed an indirect relationship between intuitive eating and body esteem via media influence, for girls but not for boys. Body esteem mediated the relationship between intuitive eating and self-esteem, for girls and boys.ConclusionA new model is proposed where intuitive eating is associated with self-esteem through body esteem and media influence. These findings suggest that regulating attitudes and behaviors toward food may be related to higher psychological well-being.     

Sexual Self-Esteem in American and British College Women: Relations with Self-Objectification and Eating Problems

The present study extended Objectification Theory (Fredrickson and Roberts, Psychol Women Q 21:173–206, 1997) to test the role of sexual self-esteem in models of disordered eating. Measures of self-objectification, sexual well-being, and disordered eating were completed by American (N?=?104) and British (N?=?111) college women. In Study 1, higher self-objectification was associated with lower sexual self-esteem, which, in turn, mediated the relationship between self-objectification and disordered eating in American women. In Study 2, path analyses indicated that self-objectification led to sexual self-esteem and body shame, which led to disordered eating in British women. This pattern of results was replicated, albeit weaker, when sexual self-competence replaced sexual self-esteem in the model. Discussion considers the significance of self-objectification and sexual self-esteem for women’s well-being.     

Religiosity and social support: A mediational model of adjustment in emerging adults

The goal of the current study was to examine the association between intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity and psychological well-being and determine the mediating effects of social support on the relationship between the religious predictor and well-being outcomes. Participants included 432 first-year college students (166 men and 266 women) from a mid-size state university in Pennsylvania, USA. Religious activity, religious importance, and social support were found to correlate with the well-being indices. Religious importance was found to be a significant predictor of self-esteem and life-satisfaction. Additionally, social support was found to be a significant predictor of self-esteem and life-satisfaction. Finally, social support was found to mediate the relationship between religious importance and life-satisfaction. Results are discussed in developmental and clinical context.     

The relationship between cooperative,competitive, and individualistic attitudes and differentiated aspects of self-esteem1

Four studies to clarify the relationship between attitudes toward styles of social interdependence and ways of deriving self-esteem were conducted among 821 white, middle-class, secondary school students in a midwest suburban community. Correlations between attitudes toward three styles of interdependence and four ways of deriving self-esteem indicate distinctive and theoretically predictable patterns of relationship. Students who indicate a cathexis for cooperative relationships report patterns of higher self-esteem related to freedom of personal expressiveness and feelings of personal well-being; students indicating a cathexis for competitive or individualized patterns of interdependence report greater vulnerability on dimensions of self-esteem reflecting sensitivity to experiences of success, approval, and support of others. The magnitudes of correlations between a global measure of personal worth and attitudes toward the three types of interdependence reflect the extent to which positive social reinforcement is available in these settings. Specific correlations that reflect these findings are significant, p < .01.