Body image and psychological well-being in adolescents: the relationship between gender and school type

Adolescents (N=1281; M age = 15.2 years, SD = 0.51 years) from a state-wide sample of schools provided information about their psychological well-being, family functioning, extraversion, and perceived physical attractiveness and weight, using a questionnaire completed at school. Consistent with previous research, girls were significantly more likely than boys to be dissatisfied with their weight and physical appearance, and these factors explained significantly more variation in self-esteem than in life satisfaction or other measures of psychological well-being. The strong relationship between body dissatisfaction and self-esteem for adolescent girls was not moderated by school type (single sex or educational). However, girls who were dissatisfied but psychologically well adjusted tended to be more extraverted, have more close friends and receive greater family support.     

The Relationship between Trauma and Financial and Physical Well-Being Among Cambodians in the United States

This study focused on the relationship between trauma and financial and physical well-being of Cambodian refugees in the United Sates. Trauma was defined by three variables: whether or not trauma had been experienced in Cambodia, the number of traumas experienced, and the number of years spent in refugee camps. It was hypothesized that these trauma variables would predict financial and physical health among Cambodians in the United States. A discriminant analysis showed significant relationships between the trauma variables and current employment status, and multiple regression analyses showed that trauma predicted income and physical health.     

The relationship between trauma and financial and physical well-being among Cambodians in the United States.

This study focused on the relationship between trauma and financial and physical well-being of Cambodian refugees in the United States. Trauma was defined by three variables: whether or not trauma had been experienced in Cambodia, the number of traumas experienced, and the number of years spent in refugee camps. It was hypothesized that these trauma variables would predict financial and physical health among Cambodians in the United States. A discriminant analysis showed significant relationships between the trauma variables and current employment status, and multiple regression analyses showed that trauma predicted income and physical health.     

The role of community context and psychological well-being for physical health: A dyadic study of military couples

Drawing from the social organizational theory of community action and change (SOAC) within a systemic biopsychosocial perspective, associations between community context (military community connections and satisfaction with military life), psychological well-being (depressive symptoms, anxiety, and self-efficacy), and physical health were examined for a sample of active duty service members and their civilian spouses (N = 236 couples) using an actor partner interdependence framework. Service members with higher levels of military community connections reported better psychological well-being. When civilian spouses were more satisfied with military life, both partners reported better psychological well-being. In turn, both spouses’ psychological well-being was related to their own reports of physical health. Statistically significant indirect effects were found between community contexts and spouses’ physical health. Enhancing community connections may be an important leverage point for supporting health and family readiness.     

Educational and Vocational Aspirations of Minority and Female Students: A Longitudinal Study

This study examined the relative importance of school, family, personal/psychological, race, and sex variables in predicting educational and vocational aspirations. A nationally representative sample of 10th‐grade students was followed through 2 years beyond their high school. Results suggested that sex and race significantly predicted educational and vocational aspirations of students. The educational aspiration model was shown to be more robust than the occupational aspiration model. Overall, students showed increases in educational and occupational aspirations, regardless of sex and race. Compared with other groups, Asian Americans had the greatest increase in educational aspirations. Female students, on the average, had higher educational and vocational aspirations.     

The Psychology of Material Well-Being

Material well-being is defined in terms of satisfaction with a range economic concerns such as government’s handling of the economy, taxes, the cost of basic necessities, household income, pay and fringe benefits from one’s job, financial security, standard of living, and agreement within the family regarding how money should be spent. Much evidence is available demonstrating the substantial effect of material well-being on a variety of measures of subjective well-being. The literature review uncovered a host of antecedents or predictors of material well-being. These antecedents involve two sets of constructs, namely personal factors and contextual factors. Personal factors include socio-demographics (age, gender, education, income, marital status, family structure, etc.); personality traits (self-esteem, etc.) and personality dynamics (compensation, top-down spillover, etc.); needs and need satisfaction (how wealth serve to satisfy different needs), beliefs and mental associations (images of wealthy people); goals and aspirations (income goals and goal attainment); skills, behavior, and resources (financial capability, financial behavior, and lack of financial resources); and values (materialism), lifestyle (consumption), and habits (compulsive consumption). Contextual factors include social comparison (how evaluations of standard of living are influenced by social comparisons), adaptation (how income expectations are adapted by changing circumstances), and changes in the macro economic environment (changes in the rate of unemployment, inflation, economic growth, etc.).     

The Relational Context of Social Support in Young Adults: Links with Stress and Well-Being

This study examined the roles of relationship-specific social support and gender in the associations between perceived stress and well-being. Three sources of support (family, friends, and romantic partners) and three well-being indicators (loneliness, depressive symptoms, and physical health) were assessed in 628 young adults attending college (M _age = 19.72; range of 18–24). Stress directly predicted all well-being indicators, and indirectly predicted well-being through social support in relationship-specific ways. Family support mediated the relationship between stress and physical health, friend support mediated the association between stress and loneliness, and romantic partner support mediated the relationships of stress with both loneliness and depressive symptoms. With regard to loneliness and physical health, women were more strongly impacted when they had less support from friends.     

高中生压力源和心理健康的研究

本研究对２９８６名上海高中生对压力感受进行了调查。因素分担 些压力可以归为六大类别：社会人际关系及性发展方面,学习和学业方面,与发母交往方面,未来前途方面,经济方面,以及健康方面。资料显示高中生最大的三种压力源多与学习或学业有关,而压力最小的三种压力源主要与性发展的和健康有关。     

Resilient teenagers: Explaining the high educational aspirations of visible-minority youth in Canada

While previous studies show that visible minority and immigrant students are disadvantaged within the school system, findings from a national Canadian survey of 15-year old students and their parents indicate that visible-minority immigrant students nevertheless have higher educational aspirations than Canadian-born nonvisible minority students. Using the 2000 Youth in Transition survey, this paper examines sociodemographic, social psychological, and school performance factors that help explain much of the difference in aspirations between these groups. We conclude by identifying areas of future research that could further uncover the family, school, and community processes that shape aspirations and the relationships between aspirations and future educational and occupational attainment.     

The Long‐Term Impact of Natural Mentoring Relationships: A Counterfactual Analysis

Previous research suggests that youth's natural mentoring relationships are associated with better academic, vocational, and psychosocial functioning. However, little is known about the extent to which the impact of mentoring endures beyond adolescence and early adulthood. Furthermore, most natural mentoring research is confounded by selection bias. In this study, we examined the long‐term impact of mentoring using the nationally representative, longitudinal Add Health dataset. We conducted counterfactual analysis, a more stringent test of causality than regression‐based approaches. Compared to their unmentored counterparts, adults (ages 33–42) who had a natural mentor during adolescence or emerging adulthood reported higher educational attainment, more time spent volunteering, and more close friends, after controlling for a range of confounding factors. However, outcomes differed when mentors were classified as “strong ties” (e.g., grandparents, friends) or “weak ties” (e.g., teachers, coaches, employers). Having a strong‐tie mentor was associated with having more close friends and a lower income. In contrast, having a weak‐tie mentor was associated with higher educational attainment, higher income, and more time spent volunteering. These findings suggest that natural mentoring relationships can exert lasting influence on young people's developmental trajectories, providing strong rationale for efforts to expand their availability and scope.     

初中生主观幸福感与生活事件的关系研究

使用自编的中学生主观幸福感量表和刘贤臣的青少年生活事件量表对294名初中生进行了问卷调查,初步探讨了初中生主观幸福感状况及其与生活事件之间的关系。结果表明：（1）自编的中学生主观幸福感量表经检验具有较高的信度和效度。（2）初中生的主观幸福感水平在中等程度以上,体验到的正性情感较多,对家庭、自我、学习、同伴交往、教师及生活条件各方面比较满意。男女生在总体幸福感、家庭满意感、自我满意感、同伴交往满意感和生活条件满意感上存在显著的差异,女生得分均高于男生。（3）初中生总体幸福感与生活事件总分呈显著负相关,与不喜欢上学、学习负担重、与老师关系紧张、遭父母打骂这四项生活事件显著负相关。不喜欢上学和与老师关系紧张对初中生总体幸福感具有较好的预测作用。     

Undesirable Effects of Working While in College: Work-School Conflict,Substance Use,and Health

Inter-role conflict occurs when the demands of one area of an individual's life interfere with the responsibilities of another area. Although a large body of research exists on the health effects of the inter-role conflict between work and family (work-family conflict or WFC), far less exists on the inter-role conflict between work and school (work-school conflict or WSC). Given that over two-thirds of college students have outside employment while enrolled in classes, and the potentially negative effects of WSC, a further understanding of WSC is an important part of supporting student health and well-being as well as the health and well-being of the workforce. This study analyzed data from 2,055 participants drawn from a Web-based survey of four geographically and ethnically diverse educational institutions across the United States. Participants reported their current employment characteristics as well as their alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use, depressive symptomatology, and physical health. Participants with higher WSC reported higher levels of substance use and depressive symptomatology and worse physical health. Further analyses revealed the pattern of results to be consistent with the notion that the subjective experience of conflict between work and school created an aversive psychological state, and that state impacted substance use and health.     

Primary and secondary control strategies for managing health and financial stress across adulthood

The study examined the relation among three types of control strategies (persistence, positive reappraisals, lowering aspirations) and subjective well-being across adulthood (N = 3,490). Specifically, the authors investigated whether age-adapted endorsement of control strategies is conducive to subjective well-being if individuals experience health or financial stress. The results reveal an overall enhanced reliance on control strategies in older as compared with younger adults. In addition, persistence showed a stronger positive relation to subjective well-being in young adulthood as compared with old age. In midlife and old age, positive reappraisals had a stronger positive relation to subjective well-being than persistence. Lowering aspirations was negatively related to subjective well-being, independent of age. Age differences in the relation of control strategies to subjective well-being were particularly salient in individuals who faced either health or financial stress.     

Mother Positivity and Family Adjustment in Households with Children with a Serious Disability

Only limited attention has been given to parent coping resources in the positive adjustment of families of children with a disability. This study is the first to explore maternal positivity as a psychological coping resource related to family adjustment in these families. Consistent with broaden-and-build theory and prior positivity research, positivity was operationalized through a ratio of positive to negative affect scores. We employed longitudinal tracking over a 1 year interval. Children’s diagnostic categories included developmental conditions or impairments, mental health disorders, complex health conditions, physical/motor conditions or impairments, sensory impairments, and provisionally diagnosed conditions or impairments. We used a computer assisted telephone survey to gather psychological, family, and demographic information from 152 mothers in Alberta, Canada. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated mothers’ level of positivity and age, when controlled for family adjustment at Time 1, accounted for 46% of the variance in family adjustment at Time 2. That is, older mothers with higher positivity scores were found to live in households with higher levels of family adjustment after 1 year. These findings provide promising support for broaden-and-build theory, which posits that positive experienced emotions can offset and diminish the negative health and relationship impacts of chronic stress. Study findings support the salience of mothers’ positivity as a psychological coping resource, which is related to enhanced family adjustment in situations of childhood disability.     

FACTORS INFLUENCING CANADIAN HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS' CAREER MOTIVATION

The need to prepare adolescent girls for the reality of labor market participation prompted this study investigating the factors influencing female career motivation. Questionnaires were completed by 317 female students from grades 8, 10, and 12. Four criterion variables were used to assess overall career motivation: career commitment, occupational aspirations, educational aspirations, and vocational certainty. The relation–ship between the criterion measures and a set of predictor variables (socioeconomic status, school marks, grade level, masculine/feminine trait dimensions, attitudes toward women, and marriage/family commitment) was explored. A canonical correlation analysis, used to test the relationship between the predictor and criterion variables, revealed two significant sets of relationships. First, girls who obtained higher marks in school, identified with either masculine or androgynous trait dispositions, had more liberal attitudes toward women, and were from higher socioeconomic backgrounds aspired to higher levels of education, were more highly committed to a career, and aspired to more highly prestigious occupations. The second relationship showed that older girls from a lower socioeconomic background with high commitment to marriage and a family have high career commitment and certainty about their careers, yet lower educational and occupational aspirations. The study highlights the importance of (a) examining career and family commitment independently, (b) studying the impact of psychological variables on career motivation, and (c) combining a number of factors to represent career motivation.     

Flourishing is Associated with Higher Academic Achievement and Engagement in Filipino Undergraduate and High School Students

Flourishing emphasizes the importance of integrating subjective well-being and psychological well-being to offer a more comprehensive view of mental health. Recognizing the potential advantage of flourishing, previous empirical studies have examined the relations of flourishing to positive psychological outcomes such as hope, life satisfaction, mental health, and positive emotions. However, it appears that limited research has been carried out to assess the role of flourishing in the educational context. Hence, the current research examined the association of flourishing with relevant academic outcomes (i.e., perceived academic achievement, academic achievement, behavioral engagement, and emotional engagement) after controlling for relevant demographic variables, life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect among Filipino undergraduate and high school students. Study 1 showed that flourishing positively predicted self-report academic achievement of Filipino undergraduate students after controlling for age, gender, and subjective well-being domains (life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect). Similarly, Study 2 showed that flourishing positively predicted objective measure of academic achievement, behavioral engagement, and emotional engagement in Filipino high school students even after controlling for the influence of demographic variables and subjective well-being domains. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Exploring well-being among US Hispanics/Latinos in a church-based institution: a qualitative study

Major theories informing conceptions of psychological well-being draw heavily from Western-centric perspectives, which often neglect culturally bound frameworks. We investigated how US Hispanics/Latinos conceptualize well-being, how psychosocial and behavioral aspects may increase well-being, and how psychosocial stressors may impact positive emotional states. Spanish-speaking Hispanic/Latino adults were recruited from a church in an urban city in the US and invited to participate in focus groups. Two groups of women (n = 19) and one group of men (n = 8) participated. The importance of harmonious social relationships emerged as a theme with the central family unit as the fundamental force influencing long-lasting emotional well-being. Additional correlates of well-being included: faith/religiosity; physical health; self-love and -esteem; effective/open communication with family and friends; and financial security. Programs aimed at increasing well-being may need to be adapted before administration in Hispanics/Latinos to include a heightened focus on interpersonal factors. Delivery in religious institutions may also be particularly beneficial.     

Facets of support related to well-being: quantitative social isolation and perceived family support in a sample of elderly women

The purpose of this study was to examine the independent and interactive relationships of measures of network embeddedness and perceived social support with mental and physical health measures from responses of a sample of 271 community-dwelling elderly women. Quantitative social isolation was measured as the co-occurrence of low network embeddedness with family and with friends. There was a threshold effect such that quantitatively isolated participants had poorer psychological well-being and functional health than did nonisolated participants. This effect was independent of perceived support levels. The pattern was different for perceived social support. Elderly women with low perceived family support had poorer psychological well-being regardless of perceived support from friends or network embeddedness. Implications are discussed for several unanswered questions in the social support literature, including possible interventions for the quantitatively isolated and for those with low levels of perceived support.     

Structural and socio-psychological influences on adolescents’ educational aspirations and subsequent academic achievement

Previous literature indicates that educational aspirations are an important predictor of achievement at school and beyond. This paper examines the factors that are associated with high educational aspirations. It also looks at the relationship between aspirations and achievement at the General Certificate of Secondary Education in a deprived area of London. The results show that educational aspirations are associated with individual characteristics. Girls were more likely than boys to express a wish to remain in education beyond the age of 16. For the most academic route post-16, there were substantial ethnic differences, with minority ethnic groups generally being more likely to state a desire to follow this path. Students who were eligible for free school meals tended to have lower aspirations. Socio-psychological variables were also shown to be of importance, particularly self-esteem and psychological distress. Importantly, educational aspirations had a strong association with actual achievement at age 16, remaining associated even after controlling for a number of other variables, including prior achievement. These findings are discussed in light of previous research and potential intervention strategies.     

How Resources (or Lack Thereof) Influence Advice Seeking on Psychological Well-being and Marital Risk: Testing Pathways of the Lack of Financial Stability,Support, and Strain

Using the model of conservation of resources (Hobfoll in The ecology of stress. Hempshire, New York, 1988; Hobfoll in Am Psychol 44:513–524, 1989; Hobfoll in Stress, culture, and community: the psychology and philosophy of stress. Plenum, New York, 1998; Hobfoll in Appl Psychol Int Rev 50:337–421, 2001), we explore how advice seeking, as influenced by lack of financial stability and support and strain from others (i.e., spouse, friends, and family) predicts psychological well-being and marital risk. Married and committed individuals (n = 1,798) were drawn from a nationally representative sample, the MIDUS. We found that advice seeking predicted psychological well-being and marital risk, but that the relationships depended on the availability of resources (i.e., financial stability, support, strain) and from whom support or strain was received. For example, for individuals lacking financial stability, marital risk decreased with advice seeking for those reporting high support from friends, whereas for individuals with financial stability, marital risk increased with advice seeking for those reporting high support from friends. We explain how understanding advice seeking and its outcomes must be considered within the context of available resources (or lack thereof).