Are Happy People Healthier? The Specific Role of Positive Affect in Predicting Self-Reported Health Symptoms

Previous empirical work sought to establish relationships between psychological variables and physical health. Research investigating the associations between positive and negative affectivity and physical health have produced mixed results, often suggesting that negative affectivity generally is more strongly associated with health symptoms. We investigated the role of both positive and negative affectivity in predicting self-reported health symptoms. Positive affectivity emerged as a significant predictor of good health, while negative affectivity failed to predict changes in health symptoms. Results are discussed in terms of the benefits of positive emotions in promoting health and improving physical health via psychological interventions.     

Longitudinal relationships between workplace bullying,basic psychological needs,and employee functioning: a simultaneous investigation of psychological need satisfaction and frustration

The aim of this cross-lagged study was to provide new insight into the interplay between workplace bullying, basic psychological needs (for autonomy, competence, and relatedness), and employee functioning. Based on new developments in self-determination theory (SDT) research, we simultaneously examined the temporal relationships between workplace bullying, need satisfaction and frustration, as well as two indicators of psychological functioning: life satisfaction and psychosomatic complaints. Data were collected at two time points over a 12-month period from a sample of 508 Canadian nurses. Results suggest that bullying not only negatively predicted satisfaction for the needs of autonomy and competence, it actively frustrated all three needs. Frustration of the needs for competence and relatedness as well as satisfaction of the need for relatedness also predicted the psychological functioning of employees exposed to bullying behaviour over time. Taken together, the results suggest that evaluating need frustration provides in-depth insight into the detrimental effects of bullying on employees’ psychological inner resources and may explain the impoverishment of employees’ psychological functioning when confronted with bullying behaviour. The implications for the bullying and SDT literature are discussed.     

Negative affect and job search: Further examination of the reverse causation hypothesis

The present study examined a longitudinal model of state and trait negative affect as predictors of job-search success. Job-search self-efficacy and job-search intensity were also examined as mediators of the negative affect—job-search success relation. Overall the model offered mixed support for Kasl’s (1982) Reverse Causation Hypothesis. Results suggested that trait negative affectivity had a direct negative relationship with subsequent job-search success (i.e., number of offers and job status). Results also suggested that trait negative affectivity related indirectly to interview success through job-search self-efficacy and job search intensity. Contrary to the Reverse Causation Hypothesis, positive relationships were found between distress (state negative affect) and job search outcomes.     

Psychiatric distress and symptoms of PTSD among victims of bullying at work

Distress and symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) were investigated among targets of experienced bullying at work, that is, the exposure to persistent or recurrent oppressive, offensive, abusive behaviour where the aggressor may be a superior or a colleague. The participants in the present study were all recruited from two associations of bullied victims (n=102, response rate=57%). A high level of distress and symptoms of PTSD was revealed in the sample, both according to recommended cut point scores for HSCL-25, PTSS-10 and IES-R, and when comparing the sample with traumatised samples. Three out of four victims reported an HSCL-25 level higher than the recommended threshold for psychiatric disease. Sixty and 63% of the sample reported a high level of IES intrusion and IES avoidance, correspondingly. The level of bullying, operationalised as the frequency of negative acts the individual had been exposed to at work, showed a stronger interconnection with distress and PTSD than a more unspecified, subjective measure of bullying, as well as the time since the bullying took place and the duration of the bullying episode. Those still being pestered reported a higher level of distress and PTSD than victims in which the bullying episodes were terminated more than 1 year ago, but the findings were somewhat mixed. Positive affectivity (PA) and especially negative affectivity (NA) contributed significantly to the explained variance of distress and PTSD in various regression analysis models, but did not interact with measures of bullying. Nor were mediator effects found between bullying, PA/NA and traumatic stress reactions. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

How does it feel? Workplace bullying,emotions and musculoskeletal complaints

The present study examines experienced emotions among self-labelled victims of ongoing workplace bullying and tests whether emotions mediate the relationship between exposure to bullying and health in the form of musculoskeletal complaints. A total of 1,024 employees from a Norwegian public transport company participated in the study, in which 116 self-labelled victims were identified. Ten positive and 10 negative emotions were measured (PANAS). The results showed significant differences in emotional experiences between victims and non-victims regarding all 10 negative emotions and one out of 10 positive emotions. Victims felt less "interested" and more "afraid," "upset," "angry," "guilty," "nervous," "hostile," "frustrated," "ashamed," "scared" and "stressed" than did non-victims. Further, the results pointed to both positive and negative emotions as mediators of the relationship between exposure to bullying and musculoskeletal complaints. In particular the negative emotion "stress" acted as a significant mediator regarding this relationship. Hence, emotions seem to be central to understanding the detrimental effects of bullying on the victims' health.     

The Contribution of Hope and Affectivity to Diabetes-Related Disability: An Exploratory Study

This study examined the relationships of the dispositional variables of hope, positive affectivity (PA), and negative affectivity (NA) with disease status and illness-related psychosocial functioning in a sample of 45 young adults with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Canonical analyses revealed one significant canonical function between the dispositional and psychosocial outcome variables. Primary contributors to the relationship were higher NA and lower PA and maladaptive emotional behavior. A linear multiple regression analysis using hope and affectivity as predictors failed to account for a significant proportion of variance in objective disease status as measured by hemoglobin A _1C (HbA_1C). The results support previous findings that affectivity may relate to self-reported, disease-related outcome, but not necessarily to objective measures of health status. Future studies of adaptation to chronic illness should consider including measures of illness-related behaviors (e.g., adherence), as well as subjective and objective measures of health status.     

The impact of direct and indirect bullying on the mental and physical health of Italian youngsters

The aim of the present study was to determine the extent to which direct and indirect bullying and victimization at school affects the mental and physical health of 661 Italian boys and girls, aged 11 to 15 years old. The impact of bullying and victimization is assessed by taking into account the relative buffering effect of a positive relationship with one or both parents. Internalizing symptoms such as withdrawn behaviors, somatic complaints, and anxiety and depression, measured with the self‐administered Youth Form of the Achenbach's Child Behavioral Checklist, are indicators of maladjustment. Multiple regression analyses revealed that being a girl is a strong significant risk factor for all internalizing symptoms. Being a victim of indirect bullying is the strongest predictor of withdrawn behaviors, somatic complaints, and anxiety/depression, independent of direct victimization, which significantly predicts somatic complaints, anxiety, and depression, but not withdrawn behaviors. Bullying others directly by hitting, threatening, or calling names is not a significant predictor the poor mental and somatic health of youngsters, whereas indirect bullying (spreading rumors or not talking to someone on purpose) does significantly predict anxiety and depression, as well as withdrawn behaviors. The negative impact of victimization and bullying is buffered by youngsters' positive relationship with one or both parents. Recommendations are provided with regard to possible intervention strategies underlying the importance of distinguishing between different forms of bullying and victimization and providing social support in each different case. Aggr. Behav. 30:343–355, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Negative affectivity,perceived occupational stress,and health during organisational restructuring: A follow-up study

Abstract

This paper presents a survey of the relationships among multiple indicators of perceived occupational stress, trait negative affectivity, and later mental and physical health symptoms, among 157 Australian public servants during organisational restructuring. It was hypothesised that individual differences in negative affectivity would inflate the relationships between perceived stress and later strain as assessed by health symptoms in the follow-up phase. The possible role of negative affectivity in moderating the stress-strain relationships was also investigated. Multiple regression analyses conducted with depressive and physical health outcomes separately indicate that the only significant predictors of depressive symptoms were negative affectivity and role insufficiency, whereas the significant predictors of physical health symptoms were role ambiguity, physical environment, and negative affectivity. None of the interaction terms involving occupational stress and negative affectivity was found to be significant Implications of the findings are discussed in the context of the research literature on work stress, particularly the role of negative affectivity in inflating the stress-strain relationship and indications for future research.     

Self-Efficacy and Problem Behaviors of School Bully Victims: Evidence from Rural China

Although the preventive role of self-efficacy for school bully has been well established, less is known as with the association between self-efficacy and problem behaviors adoption among children who are already school bully victims. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the clustered nature of problem behaviors among school bully victims and tested problem behavior clusters’ association with self-efficacy using latent class analysis and multinomial logistic regression. Participants included 262 Chinese rural students who were recognized as being regularly bullied while without bullying behaviors in school in the past 3 months (60.1% male, age range 12–16). We found that the victims could be categorized into three different groups according to their problem behaviors pattern, namely the “externalizing and internalizing behaviors” group, the “internalizing behaviors” group, and the “less-affected” group. After controlling for the covariates (i.e., gender, age, living arrangement, and relationship quality with father and mother), we found that higher self-efficacy indicated higher probability of falling into the group with relatively less negative influence from school bullying. We also found that gender, living arrangement, and relationship quality with mother were associated with bully victims’ problem behaviors pattern. The comorbidity between and within childhood externalizing and internalizing behaviors and self-efficacy’s association with different problem behavior patterns were discussed. The future research should test the causality between self-efficacy and problem behaviors of bully victims, as well as the effectiveness of self-efficacy enhancement intervention for victims adopting different problem behavior patterns.     

负性情绪在心理契约违背与反生产行为中的作用

为了探究反生产行为的产生机制,本研究采用问卷调查法,以“压力-情绪”模型为基础,使用相关分析以及线性回归分析等统计方法,考察了心理契约违背、负性情绪以及反生产行为之间的密切关系.结果发现,心理契约违背与负性情绪之间有显著的正相关,心理契约违背和负性情绪与反生产行为也具有显著的正相关关系,负性情绪在心理契约违背与反生产行为之间具有部分中介作用.     

Antecedents and consequences of workplace bullying: a longitudinal analysis with a structural equation model

Most studies focusing on the antecedents and consequences of workplace bullying have used a cross-sectional design, which impedes determining the causality of the relationships. In the present work, we analyzed, by means of structural equation models, the relationship between workplace bullying and some variables that are considered antecedents (interpersonal conflicts, role ambiguity, role conflict, and workplace social support) or consequences (health complaints and inclination to absenteeism from work) of this phenomenon. Multicenter study with two phases. The sample consisted of 696 employees from 66 centers. Workplace bullying was assessed by means of the "Mobbing-UNIPSICO" questionnaire, and the other variables with frequency scales. The cross-sectional models indicated a significant association between role conflict, workplace social support, and workplace bullying in both study periods. Concerning the longitudinal relationships, only workplace social support was a significant predictor of workplace bullying, which, in turn, was a cross-sectional and longitudinal predictor of workers' health complaints. Our results show the mediating effect of workplace bullying between certain work conditions and health complaints, and it is recommendable to replicate these findings in a multi-occupational sample.     

Life Stress,Hassles, and Self-Efficacy in Aging: A Replication and Extension1

This study examines the roles of life stress, hassles, and self-efficacy in the prediction of adjustment in aging. Twenty-six men and 26 women between the ages of 65 and 75 participated in an initial structured interview and a follow-up interview one year later. Measures of negative life change events, daily hassles, and self-efficacy were used to predict depression, psychosomatic symptoms, and negative well-being both in concurrent and time-lag designs. Frequency of hassles was the strongest predictor, showing significant relationships with depression and psychosomatic symptoms both concurrently and one year later, even when initial distress was controlled. Perceived self-efficacy was also shown to be predictive of current and subsequent depression, even after initial depression was controlled. Frequency of negative life events was a weak predictive factor. The only area where life events related significantly to health was in time-lag analyses with negative well-being, even when initial distress was controlled.     

Psychosomatic complaints in adolescence: Untangling the relationship between offline and online peer victimization,psychosomatic complaints and social support

Offline peer victimization has been linked to psychosomatic complaints. As peer victimization is no longer limited to adolescents’ offline relationships, it is crucial that we investigate whether online peer victimization has similar negative consequences. To date, no study systematically investigated the unique contribution of online vs. offline peer victimization on psychosomatic complaints, and the possible protective effect of social support. The current study disentangled offline and online peer victimization by distinguishing four victim types: non-victims, offline, online, and dual victims (N = 897, 9-to-18-year-olds). In addition, we assessed perceived social support from teachers, parents, friends and classmates. A main effect was found for victim type on psychosomatic complaints. Victims (offline or dual) reported more psychosomatic complaints than non-victims. Notably, online victims reported similar levels of psychosomatic complaints compared to non-victims. Furthermore, although social support from parents and classmates was related to fewer psychosomatic complaints, only limited support was found for a buffering effect of social support.     

Associations between Stress,Psychosomatic Complaints,and Parental Criticism among Affluent Adolescent Girls

A growing body of research has shown that adolescent girls in the context of affluence face a series of unique pressures that may increase social-emotional problems. Little research, however, has examined associations between perceived stress and psychosomatic complaints among privileged youth. In the present study, we investigated the relationships between stress, psychosomatic complaints, and parental criticism in a sample of preadolescent and adolescent girls (n?=?218) from selective, private schools. Using OLS regression analyses, cross-sectional and longitudinal associations were evident between perceived stress and psychosomatic complaints, with increases in stress associated with increases in psychosomatic problems. Parental criticism was also examined as a predictor of girls’ psychosomatic complaints and stress levels. Results indicated that parental criticism was significantly and positively associated with psychosomatic problems in cross-sectional models and that perceived stress levels mediated this association. Additional analyses demonstrated that the relationship between psychosomatic complaints and stress may be bidirectional. Taken together, results from this exploratory study suggest that girls in the context of affluence may also experience psychosomatic complaints, in addition to social-emotional problems.     

Bullying bystander behaviors: The role of coping effectiveness and the moderating effect of gender

Researchers have suggested that bystander behaviors and victim coping play an important role in counteracting the negative effects of bullying. The current study investigated the relationship between students’ ratings of coping effectiveness when addressing bullying and their behaviors as bystanders when witnessing bullying. Surveys were administered in a Midwestern, suburban school district. Some associations between perceptions of coping effectiveness and bystander behavior supported our hypotheses (e.g., constructive coping associated with defending bystander behaviors, externalizing associated with pro-bullying behaviors). However, some findings did not support hypothesized relationships. For example, higher ratings of effectiveness for cognitive distancing as a coping strategy were associated with increased defending behaviors as a bystander. Gender moderated some of these relationships. Pro-bullying bystander behavior was associated with increased ratings of cognitive distancing and decreased reports of constructive coping effectiveness for girls. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

Perseverative thoughts and subjective health complaints in adolescence: Mediating effects of perceived stress and negative affects

Stable tendency to perseverative thoughts such as trait rumination and worry can influence somatic health. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between perseverative thoughts and somatic complaints, and the possible mediating effects of perceived stress, negative and positive affectivity in adolescence. Having an acute or a chronic condition was also assessed to be controlled for and to reveal their effects on symptom reporting. Three hundred and six adolescents from 7th to 12th grade with mean age of 16.33 (SD = 1.29) participated in the study. Mediation analysis suggested that impact of trait-like perseverative thoughts on complaints were mediated by perceived stress and negative affectivity. Having an acute condition had also an effect on symptom reporting through increased negative affectivity. Our results highlight that ruminations or worry as stable intrapersonal characteristics are relevant processes in health and can be potential targets in prevention programmes in adolescence.     

Perceived Control and Psychological Adjustment in Gay Men With AIDS1

The relationship of control beliefs to psychological adjustment was investigated in a sample of 24 gay men diagnosed with AIDS, participants in the University of California, Los Angeles site of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). Distinctions between generalized contingency beliefs and specific competence beliefs and between personal and vicarious control beliefs were included in the questionnaire and interview measures administered. The results support these distinctions and indicate that beliefs in personal control over day-to-day symptoms and over course of illness were positively related to adjustment, whereas beliefs in control by others over course of illness and over medical care and treatment were negatively related to adjustment. These relationships appeared to be strongest for men who reported poorer health. These associations were not accounted for by locus of control beliefs, negative affectivity, or time since diagnosis with AIDS.     

Bullying Behaviors and Victimization Experiences Among Adolescent Students: The Role of Resilience

The role of resilience in the relationship between bullying behaviors, victimization experiences, and self-efficacy was examined. Participants were 393 (191 young men, 202 young women) adolescents (M age = 15.88 years, SD = 0.64 years) from schools in Coimbatore, India, who completed scales to assess bullying behaviors and victimization experiences, resilience, and self-efficacy. Multigroup structural equation modeling, with separate groups created according to participant gender, revealed that resilience mediated the relationship between bullying behaviors and self-efficacy in young men. Young men engaged in bullying behaviors and experienced victimization more frequently than young women. The findings of the study have implication for designing intervention programs to enhance resilience among adolescents and young adults to enable them to manage bullying behaviors.     

Gender,negative affectivity,and observed social support behavior in marital interaction

Most prior research on social support in close relationships examines perceptions of support, failing to capture fully the helping behaviors that partners exchange while interacting. We observed 60 newly married couples each engage in two 10-minute interactions. with one spouse (the helper) responding while the partner (the helper) discussed a personal characteristic or problem that he or she wanted to change. Helper and helper behaviors were coded and examined in relation to gender and negative affectivity, which have been linked in prior research to perceptions of support. Husbands and wives did not differ in helper behaviors, but wives displayed more negative helper behavior than did husbands. Helper and helper behavior covaried with negative affectivity in expected directions, and helper behavior covaried with the partner's negative affectivity. Finally, analysis of negative reciprocity sequences showed that, as helpers, husbands were more likely to reciprocate negative behavior, and to have their negative behavior reciprocated, to the extent that they were high in negative affectivity. We emphasize the value of observational data in understanding social support in marriage, we discuss the implications of the findings in terms of prevailing beliefs about gender and social support, and we outline the specific links between negative affectivity and observed support behavior in marriage.     

Adjustment in aging: the roles of life stress, hassles, and self-efficacy

This study examines the relationship of life stress, daily hassles, and perceived self-efficacy to adjustment in a community sample of 32 men and 32 women between ages 65 and 75. In a structured interview, negative life change events, daily hassles, self-efficacy, depression, psychosomatic symptoms, and negative well being were assessed. Both negative life events and daily hassles were related to psychological distress and physical symptoms for men, and hassles were associated with psychological distress and physical symptoms for women. An inverse relationship between self-efficacy and maladjustment was also found. Hassles showed the most powerful relationship to distress.