The relationship between exercise motives and psychological well-being

The aim of the present study was to use the self-determination model of exercise motives to examine the relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motives for exercise and a number of measures of psychological well-being. Undergraduate students purporting to exercise regularly (N = 227; 102 men, 125 women) were split into 2 groups: those exercising for less than 6 months and those exercising for 6 months or more. The respondents were asked to complete measures of exercise motivation, self-esteem, psychological well-being, and stress. Among individuals exercising for less than 6 months, a number of extrinsic motivations for exercise were significantly related to poorer psychological well-being. Among individuals exercising for 6 months or more, a number of intrinsic motivations were significantly related to better psychological well-being. The present findings suggest that researchers can use self-determination theory to understand the relationship between exercise motivation and psychological well-being.     

Music and physical activity in psychological well-being

The present study was designed to examine the effects of listening to music during exercise of moderate intensity on mood, state anxiety, and time to exhaustion as well as to evaluate sex differences in 27 physically active (14 men, 13 women) subjects between the ages of 20 and 30 years. Participants completed the Profile of Mood States and the State Anxiety Inventory before and after treadmill running in Music and No music conditions. Music and No Music conditions were randomly assigned, and participants exercised at 75% of their Heart Rate Reserve until voluntary exhaustion. Analysis indicated participants reported statistically significant mean changes on Tension, Depression, Fatigue, Confusion, and State Anxiety. However, the findings for emotions yielded no significant effect of music, except findings suggested that women, but not men, reported greater mean Fatigue after exercising in the presence of music than in its absence. Also, there was a statistically significant finding suggesting that women exercised longer with music than without.     

The relationship between gender role ideals and psychological well-being

Previous research on the influence of gender roles upon psychological health has found that most effects may be due to participants' levels of masculine traits alone. This study investigated whether individual gender role ideals moderate the relationship between gender roles and psychological well-being. Eighty-three psychology undergraduate students of European descent were given a battery of measures of gender role and psychological well-being. Results of analysis of these tests suggest that the degree to which participants' gender-specific traits represent met or unmet ideals is a better predictor of psychological adjustment than personal gender role alone. Results also suggest that gender roles can diminish psychological well-being by creating conflict between personal beliefs about the nature of appropriate behavior and the actual demands of life situations. Theoretical implications and future research directions are discussed.     

The role of appraisal-related beliefs in psychological well-being and physical symptom reporting

Pharmacy workers from a large United Kingdom public hospital participated in a daily diary study (n = 32, number of responses = 204) to explore if daily beliefs about high work demands' influence on affect and goals were associated with daily affective well-being, job satisfaction, and reports of physical symptoms. After completion of an initial questionnaire, participants were required to complete the diary twice daily, before and after work, over a 2 week period. Measures of daily affective well-being and job satisfaction after work were associated with beliefs concerning work demands' influence on both goals and affect. Measures of physical symptoms after work were not associated with beliefs concerning work demands' influence on goals or affect.     

Leisure-time physical activity and psychological well-being in university students

An analysis of psychological well-being (self-esteem and subjective vitality) of 639 Spanish university students was performed, while accounting for the amount of leisure-time physical activity. The Spanish versions of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Subjective Vitality Scale were employed. Participants were divided into four groups (Low, Moderate, High, and Very high) depending on estimation of energy expenditure in leisure-time physical activity. Men and women having higher physical activity rated higher mean subjective vitality; however, differences in self-esteem were observed only in men, specifically between Very high and the other physical activity groups.     

The relationship of social support to physical and psychological aspects of AIDS

Abstract

This study explored the social support networks of 50 homosexual males with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Data gathered by self report questionnaires and medical records included diagnosis, number of medical symptoms, sociodemographics, extensive information about social support networks, mood state and physical health status. Variables associated with good psychological and physical adaptation included satisfaction with support, instrumental support and emotional support. Results of this study conflict with previous studies in that worse physical condition was not positively associated with satisfaction with support, was related to less instrumental support and was not associated with increased quantitative support. The measures of satisfaction with support, instrumental support and emotional support were all quite high, even though network size was small.     

The assessment of subjective well-being and its relationship to the stress process

Research into relationships between stressors and adaptational outcomes has often represented well-being as the relative lack of pathological signs. However, such assessments do not discriminate between not being ill and experiencing degrees of subjective well-being (i.e., from feeling "OK" to feeling "Great!"). This article suggests that subjective well-being be more narrowly defined to refer strictly to positive indicators of health status. In this study, psychometric properties of a new instrument, the Well-Being Scale-36, were examined. Relationships between subjective well-being and components of the stress process were explored. The results indicated that well-being and various forms of pathology should be conceptualized as distinct but related entities.     

The benefits of being present: mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being

Mindfulness is an attribute of consciousness long believed to promote well-being. This research provides a theoretical and empirical examination of the role of mindfulness in psychological well-being. The development and psychometric properties of the dispositional Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) are described. Correlational, quasi-experimental, and laboratory studies then show that the MAAS measures a unique quality of consciousness that is related to a variety of well-being constructs, that differentiates mindfulness practitioners from others, and that is associated with enhanced self-awareness. An experience-sampling study shows that both dispositional and state mindfulness predict self-regulated behavior and positive emotional states. Finally, a clinical intervention study with cancer patients demonstrates that increases in mindfulness over time relate to declines in mood disturbance and stress.     

Genetic mediation of the relationship between social support and psychological well-being.

This study assessed genetic and environmental influences on the association between social support and psychological functioning using the combined adoption/twin design from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging. A subsample of 424 twin pairs, 50 years and older, was used: 64 pairs of identical twins reared apart, 95 pairs of identical twins reared together, 132 pairs of fraternal twins reared apart, and 133 pairs of fraternal twins reared together. Multivariate model-fitting analyses indicated that the relationship between the perceived adequacy of social support and psychological well-being (depression and life satisfaction) was mediated in part by genetic factors.     

Aerobic physical activity effects on psychological well-being in low-income Hispanic children

Psychological well-being has been generally associated with vigorous aerobic activity and structured aerobic activity in adolescents and children. Low-income children are at greater risk than the general population for experiencing high environmental stress and increased mental health problems. This study investigated the effects of a structured physical fitness program on psychological well-being in low-income Hispanic children. A total of 66, 33 girls, 33 boys, in Grade 4 were randomly assigned to either an Aerobic intensity (n = 34) or a Control intensity physical activity program (n = 32) for 6 wk. Psychological well-being was defined as scores on trait anxiety, depression, and self-esteem, measured, respectively, by the Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Rosenberg Self-esteem scale. Analysis showed the children in the Aerobic intensity program significantly (p < .05) improved their cardiovascular fitness as measured by the PWC170 test. After the program was over, the children in this Aerobic group reported significantly (p < .05) less depression. The main effect for self-esteem reflected the Aerobic group's greater self-reported self-esteem. No differences were found on trait anxiety. The effects on depression and self-esteem may only be attributed to the cardiovascular improvement given the higher intensity physical activity program because causation was not assessed here.     

The psychological health of employed and unemployed recent graduates as a function cognitive appraisal and of coping

In the literature on the effects of unemployment on graduates two competing hypothesis have found support. On one hand graduates have higher expectations about status and occupational identity, hence being unemployed should be more distressing. On the other hand graduates have access to more personal and situational resources and should cope better with the stress of unemployment. In a study of 181 recent graduates it was found that those who were employed (n = 88) scored higher on both somatization and interpersonal sensitivity than those who were unemployed (n = 93). A large percentage also reported not being in the job to which they aspired and scored low on job commitment. The unemployed graduates had a more positive approach to problem-solving, higher achievement motivation, more perceived social support, were more assertive, and felt less hopeless than their employed peers. They also engaged in more constructive leisure activities than the employed group. The data provide tentative support for the hypothesis that graduates are better at coping with unemployment. However the indication is that any advantage to be gained is relative to the type of job occupied by the employed group to whom they are compared. The general conclusion is that opting for a job which does not meet expectations or aspirations may be more psychologically damaging in the short term than being unemployed and hopeful. This is a function of the individual's vulnerability or resistance to stress and highlights the need for graduates to be prepared more effectively for the path to a career.     

The relationship between long-term psychiatric clients' psychological well-being and their perceptions of housing and social support

This research tested hypotheses derived from motivation-hygiene theory that housing and social support would be differentially related to long-term psychiatric clients' Positive Affect and Negative Affect. The participants were 89 people between the ages of 18 and 65, who had been hospitalized for psychiatric problems at least twice and who had been diagnosed as schizophrenic, chronic depressive, or manic-depressive. Results indicated that the number of Housing Concerns was positively correlated with Negative Affect but not Positive Affect. Support Satisfaction was negatively correlated with Negative Affect, and Frequency of Support was positively correlated with Positive Affect. Interactions between the housing variable and Network Size were found for both Positive Affect and Negative Affect, thus supporting the stress-buffering hypothesis. The findings provided mixed support for motivation-hygiene theory.     

Cognitive bias of optimism and its influence on psychological well-being.

An investigation of the cognitive bias observed in optimism and the influence of optimism on psychological well-being was conducted. The cognitive bias was assumed to be related to the repressive style of information processing, represented by the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Social Desirability scale. Optimism and well-being were measured by the Life Orientation Test and the Social Optimism scale as well as by the Life Satisfaction and Depression scales, respectively. These scales were applied to a sample of 200 individuals. Trait Anxiety and Social Desirability led to a high multiple correlation with the Life Orientation Test (R = .54) and a moderate multiple correlation with the Social Optimism scale (R = .30). Higher correlations were obtained for the expectation of a positive than of a negative future. Both the Life Orientation Test and the Social Optimism scale contributed to the high multiple correlation with psychological well-being (R = .52).     

The relative importance of psychological acceptance and emotional intelligence to workplace well-being

Psychological acceptance (acceptance) and emotional intelligence (EI) are two relatively new individual characteristics that are hypothesised to affect well-being and performance at work. This study compares both of them, in terms of their ability to predict various well-being outcomes (i.e. general mental health, physical well-being, and job satisfaction). In making this comparison, the effects of job control are accounted for; this is a work organisation variable that is consistently associated with occupational health and performance. Results from 290 United Kingdom workers showed that EI did not significantly predict any of the well-being outcomes, after accounting for acceptance and job control. Acceptance predicted general mental health and physical well-being but not job satisfaction, and job control was associated with job satisfaction only. Discussion focuses on the theoretical and applied implications of these findings. These include support for the suggestion that not controlling one's thoughts and feelings (as advocated by acceptance) may have greater benefits for mental well-being than attempting consciously to regulate them (as EI suggests).     

Increasing emotional competence improves psychological and physical well-being, social relationships, and employability

This study builds on earlier work showing that adult emotional competencies (EC) could be improved through a relatively brief training. In a set of 2 controlled experimental studies, the authors investigated whether developing EC could lead to improved emotional functioning; long-term personality changes; and important positive implications for physical, psychological, social, and work adjustment. Results of Study 1 showed that 18 hr of training with e-mail follow-up was sufficient to significantly improve emotion regulation, emotion understanding, and overall EC. These changes led in turn to long-term significant increases in extraversion and agreeableness as well as a decrease in neuroticism. Results of Study 2 showed that the development of EC brought about positive changes in psychological well-being, subjective health, quality of social relationships, and employability. The effect sizes were sufficiently large for the changes to be considered as meaningful in people's lives.     

The relationship of appraisal and coping to chronic illness adjustment

There is evidence that adaptation to chronic illness may be affected by psychological factors, especially how patients appraise and cope with the stress of their illness. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship of stress appraisal and coping responses to multiple behavioral indices of illness adjustment among patients with diverse chronic medical conditions. One hundred and one patients admitted to a multidisciplinary medicine/psychiatry unit completed measures of functional impairment, depression, symptom severity, and the Ways of Coping Checklist--Revised. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that emotion-focused coping was positively related to poor psychosocial adjustment and depression after controlling for physician rated disease severity. Appraising chronic illness as holding one back predicted greater emotion-focused coping responses and poorer adjustment to illness. The use of problem-focused coping strategies was generally unrelated to illness adjustment. These findings suggest the presence of an emotion-focused coping triad consisting of wishful thinking, self blame, and avoidance, all of which appear to be maladaptive strategies when coping with chronic medical conditions. Implications for coping skills training and the need for longitudinal research is discussed.     

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.     

Anasakti, the Hindu ideal, and its relationship to well-being and orientations to happiness

Anasakti, a Sanskrit term for traits like non-attachment, equipoise, selfless duty orientation, and effort in the absence of concern for the outcome, can be regarded as a Hindu-ideal cluster of personality traits. The relationship of Anasakti with well-being and the three distinct happiness orientations was explored through a study of 676 college students and a sample of 65 yogic practitioners in India. The findings revealed that the yogic practitioners were markedly higher in Anasakti than the secular population. For the yogic population, there was a large correlation between Anasakti and the Orientation to Meaningful Life, and it accounted for more than 20% of the variance in the regression of Anasakti against all the measures of well-being. The yogic population’s scores also correlated with several other measures of well-being. The scores of the secular population were less strongly related to the well-being scores; though, several correlation coefficients were statistically significant.     

Social support,organizational characteristics,psychological well-being,and group appraisal in three self-help group populations

This study examined the relationship of three social support and three organizational variables to two well-being and two group appraisal variables among 144 members of Compassionate Friends, Multiple Sclerosis, and Overeaters Anonymous self-help groups. An anonymous questionnaire was the major research instrument. Receiving social support was not significantly related to depression or anxiety but was positively related to perceived group benefits and group satisfaction. Providing social support and friendship were each positively related to one well-being and one group appraisal variable. Bidirectional supporters (i.e., individuals high on both receiving and providing support) reported more favorable well-being and group appraisal than Receivers, Providers, and Low Supporters. At the group level of analysis (n = 15 groups), groups with higher levels of role differentiation, greater order and organization, and in which leaders were perceived as more capable contained members who reported more positive well-being and group appraisal. The implications for future research and professional consultation to self-help groups are discussed.