个体和群体歧视知觉对流动儿童主观幸福感的影响

采用整班联系、自愿参加的方式,通过匿名方式对北京市1552名流动儿童施测个体和群体歧视知觉问卷、积极/消极情感量表、生活满意度量表、内群体认同测验与群体地位感测验,探讨个体和群体歧视知觉对流动儿童主观幸福感的影响及内群体认同感和群体地位感在其中的中介作用。结果表明：（1）个体和群体歧视知觉与流动儿童的主观幸福感、内群体情感认同及群体地位感之间存在显著性相关,与内群体认知认同之间相关不显著。（2）个体歧视知觉对流动儿童的主观幸福感存在直接显著的负向预测作用,并通过降低流动儿童的群体地位感,进而间接地负向影响流动儿童的主观幸福感;（3）群体歧视知觉对流动儿童的主观幸福感也存在直接显著的消极影响,并同时借助于群体地位感的中介作用、以及内群体情感认同和群体地位感的双重中介作用间接地降低流动儿童的主观幸福感。     

Mindfulness and psychological well-being among black South African university students and their relatives

This study investigated the relationship between mindfulness and psychological well-being in a convenience sample of black South African students (n = 203) and their parents and other relatives (n = 204) (66.1% = female; age range 18–73). The students self-reported on their mindfulness on the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale and psychological well-being on the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Adult Trait Hope Scale and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. A multivariate regression model was specified and analysed via structural equation modelling in Mplus 7.3. Results revealed that mindfulness scores strongly predicted elevated levels of meaning and positive affect, and lowered levels of negative effect, and were moderately strong predictors of life satisfaction and hope. The findings imply that mindfulness likely plays an important role in relation to the psychological well-being of cross-generational African culture community members.     

Hope,religiosity, and subjective well-being

This study explored the relationship between religiosity, hope, and subjective well-being among 430 South African university students (n = 324) and their family members (n = 104) (70.2% female; 88.4% black; 8.4% white). Data were gathered utilising measures of religiosity, hope, satisfaction with life, and affect balance. We applied structural equation modelling to examine both the direct effects of religiosity on hope, as well as the indirect effects of religiosity on life satisfaction and positive and negative affect via hope as mediator. Findings suggest pathway and agency hope to mediate the relationships between religiosity and life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect. Specifically, religiosity predicted higher levels of life satisfaction and positive affect, and lower levels of negative affect via agency hope. The results suggest agency hope to mediate the relationship between religiosity and subjective well-being.     

Motivational climate,psychological needs,and personal and social responsibility in youth soccer: Comparisons by age group and competitive level

ObjectivesWe used a developmental lens to examine age group and competitive level differences on motivational climate dimensions, psychological needs satisfaction, and personal and social responsibility as well as relationships among variables, in line with basic psychological needs theory.DesignWe used a cross-sectional, correlational design.MethodGirls and boys age 8–13 on recreational and select soccer teams completed a survey.ResultsA 2 × 2 MANOVA showed main effects for age group and competitive level: early adolescents reported greater punishment for mistakes and autonomy compared to children; select players reported greater mastery climate dimensions and personal responsibility compared to recreational players. For all groups, path analyses revealed perceptions of cooperative learning were indirectly associated with personal and social responsibility, through coach and/or teammate relatedness.ConclusionsPatterns of relationships by age group and competitive level are discussed in reference to developmental literature. Results highlight the value of using a developmental approach to understand how coaches can promote youth soccer players’ psychological and social well-being.     

The mediating role of locus of control between social resource stability and psychological well-being

Past research has shown that social resources and locus of control are strongly linked to well-being, but most research has focused on the amount rather than the stability of those resources. The goal of this study was to investigate the mediating role that locus of control had on the relationship between social resource stability and psychological well-being. All three studies measured social resources and well-being through online surveys (Studies 1 and 2 through SONA, and Study 3 through Mechanical Turk). Study 1 (n = 298 college students) demonstrated that social resource stability predicted lower psychological distress, while controlling for social resource amount. Study 2 (n = 300 college students) revealed that social resource stability predicted higher subjective well-being, while controlling for social resource amount, and that locus of control mediated the association. Study 3 (n = 346 working adults) replicated the findings of Studies 1 and 2 using a nonacademic sample and alternative measures of well-being.     

Psychosocial outcomes of urban African American adolescents born to teenage mothers

This is a study of psychosocial outcomes of adolescents born to teenage mothers. Adolescents' problem behaviors, psychological well-being, social support, school variables, and sexual behaviors are compared across three groups—those born to mothers 17 or younger, mothers 18–19 years old, and mothers 20 or older. Analyses from two samples of African American adolescents from Maryland (n = 205) and Michigan (n = 570) are reported. The results from both samples indicate that mother's age at birth is unrelated to adolescents' psychosocial outcomes. These two studies add to the limited number of analyses that examine adolescent outcomes for children of teen mothers. The results suggest that efforts to understand social structural determinants of healthy and problematic adolescent development may be more informative than examining the effects of mother's age. They also suggest that teen pregnancy prevention programs may be more effective if they are part of a larger prevention strategy that incorporates social structural change efforts and not only a focus on individual level change.     

Personal growth initiative: Relation to Hedonia and Eudaimonia happiness among South African university students

This study examined the relationship between personal growth initiative (PGI) and hedonic and eudaimonic happiness among a sample of South African university students (N = 235; mean age = 20.38, SD = 1.55; female = 61.70%). Students completed measures on personal growth initiative, hedonic happiness, and eudaimonic happiness. Regression analysis indicated personal growth initiative to positively predict students’ reported scores on hedonic and eudaimonic measures. The findings underscore the importance of PGI among student populations in advancing well-being among university students. It is proposed that higher education student development and support services should tap into PGI as a resource for enhancing student self-directed change and happiness.     

Knowledge and quality-management activities’ influences on technology communication and innovation with African foreign investment experience

We examined how psychic distance moderates the association of South Korean chief executive officers’ (CEOs’) knowledge and quality management with their predisposition to invest in African technology and innovation markets. Participants were current and prospective South Korean African business investment senior managers (n = 64; 20 females; mean years in management = 19.4) or not (n = 187; 97 females, mean years in management = 15.9). Hierarchical regression analysis was used to analyse the relationships. Only quality management was significantly related to technology commercialisation capabilities and innovation performance among managers with African investment experience. However, both quality and knowledge management were significantly related to the outcomes among managers without African investment experience. The effect of psychic distance might be explained by risk averseness, in that those without experience of African investment might be with more risk avoidant than those with such experience.     

Caring for children with an intellectual disability: An exploratory qualitative study

This study explored family caregiver experiences of children with an intellectual disability in a rural South African day-care centre. The family caregivers (N = 15; mothers = 60%; age range = 35 to 68 years) completed in-depth interviews regarding their experiences providing care to children with intellectual disability. Data collection and analysis was done using phenomenological methods. The following themes emerged to characterise the family caregiver experiences: deeper understanding of intellectual disability; disability disclosure conditions; and social and economic support needs. Family support emerged as an important factor in the relationship between caregivers’ psychological stress and well-being.     

Differential Relationships of Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being with Self-Control and Long-Term Orientation1

This study sought to explore differential relations between the hedonic (life satisfaction, negative affect, and positive affect) and eudaimonic (psychological well-being and social well-being) components of well-being and five criterion variables: long-term planning, self-control, sensation-seeking, grit, and intellectualism. The study used a sample of 1,310 Korean adults (M_age = 40.024 years, SD_age = 10.922 years). It was predicted and found that the criterion variables of the study had stronger associations with eudaimonic well-being than hedonic well-being. The results indicate that eudaimonic well-being is more consistent than hedonic well-being with a long-term emphasis on skill-building and striving for future goals (as opposed to immediate gratification).     

Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations between Leisure Time Physical Activity,Mental Well-Being and Subjective Health in Middle Adulthood

Previous studies have shown that participation in leisure time physical activity is related to better mental well-being and subjective health. However, the associations between different types of leisure time physical activities and different dimensions of mental well-being have rarely been studied. In addition, longitudinal research, analyzing possible causal relations between these variables, is lacking. To investigate these research questions, data gathered at ages 42 and 50 (present N = 303) for the Finnish Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development were used. Physical activity was assessed as frequency of participation at ages 42 and 50, and at age 50 also as frequency of participation in different types of physical activities. Mental well-being was captured by emotional, psychological and social well-being and subjective health by self-rated health and symptoms. Cross-sectionally, different types of physical activities were related to different dimensions of well-being. Walking had positive associations with psychological and social well-being, rambling in nature with emotional and social well-being, and endurance training with subjective health. Rambling in nature was also positively related to subjective health but only among men. Longitudinally, mental well-being predicted later participation in leisure-time physical activity, whereas no longitudinal associations between subjective health and physical activity were found. The results suggest that leisure time physical activities are related to current mental well-being and subjective health in midlife. Across time, good mental well-being seems to be a resource promoting engagement in physical activity.

     

Factors Affecting the Self-Concepts of South African Students

Abstract

Relationships among family macrosocial structures, proximate family settings, attributions of responsibility, and African adolescents' self-concepts were examined. Data were collected from 460 South African high school students (234 girls, 226 boys; mean age = 18.6 years). On the basis of partial least squares path modeling, the results suggest that (a) family macrosocial structure, proximate family settings, and the individual's sense of responsibility for academic outcomes had modest to strong associations with different dimensions of self-concept; and (b) there were gender-related differences in the structure of the adolescents' social status backgrounds and self-concepts and in the relationships among social status, perceptions of parents' support for learning, personal responsibility, and self-concept.     

The curiosity and exploration inventory-II: Development, factor structure, and psychometrics

Given curiosity’s fundamental role in motivation, learning, and well-being, we sought to refine the measurement of trait curiosity with an improved version of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory (CEI; [Kashdan, T. B., Rose, P., & Fincham, F. D. (2004). Curiosity and exploration: Facilitating positive subjective experiences and personal growth opportunities. Journal of Personality Assessment, 82, 291–305]). A preliminary pool of 36 items was administered to 311 undergraduate students, who also completed measures of emotion, emotion regulation, personality, and well-being. Factor analyses indicated a two-factor model—motivation to seek out knowledge and new experiences (Stretching; five items) and a willingness to embrace the novel, uncertain, and unpredictable nature of everyday life (Embracing; five items). In two additional samples (ns = 150 and 119), we cross-validated this factor structure and provided initial evidence for construct validity. This includes positive correlations with personal growth, openness to experience, autonomy, purpose in life, self-acceptance, psychological flexibility, positive affect, and positive social relations, among others. Applying item response theory (IRT) to these samples (n = 578), we showed that the items have good discrimination and a desirable breadth of difficulty. The item information functions and test information function were centered near zero, indicating that the scale assesses the mid-range of the latent curiosity trait most reliably. The findings thus far provide good evidence for the psychometric properties of the 10-item CEI-II.     

The role of emotions in predicting sperm and egg donation

Sperm and egg donation allows people who cannot have children naturally to become parents. However, in many countries there is a shortage of donors. Therefore, it is important to assess the factors that influence donation. Across two studies, we assessed the role of social‐cognitive and emotional factors in promoting and deterring sperm and egg donation. Study 1 (N = 138 men) found that feeling anxiety toward discovering a fertility problem and pride positively predicted sperm donation intention and information seeking behavior. By contrast, feeling anxiety toward the process of donation negatively predicted sperm donation intention and information seeking behavior. Study 2 (N = 193 women) found that pride positively and the anxiety toward the process negatively predicted egg donation intentions, but not information seeking behavior. These results suggest that it is important to consider the role of emotions in motivating and deterring people from becoming a sperm and egg donor.     

Psychosocial Well-being of Children in HIV/AIDS-Affected Families in Southwest China: A Qualitative Study

We investigated the psychosocial well-being of children in HIV/AIDS-affected families in rural China from the child’s and caregiver’s perspectives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among children living in HIV/AIDS-affected families (n = 16), their caregivers (n = 16) and key community informants (n = 5). Our findings showed that all of the children relied heavily on caregivers and peers to gain psychological support. Children’s psychosocial problems included fear, anxiety, grief, and loss of self-esteem and confidence. Stigma towards children existed, including isolation, ignorance and rejection. Our study illustrates that HIV/AIDS has impacted negatively on the psychosocial well-being of children. These findings can be used as preliminary data supporting more researches to profoundly explore the psychosocial impact of HIV/AIDS on children and appropriately indicate the need for interventions.     

Happiness and despair on the catwalk: Need satisfaction,well-being,and personality adjustment among fashion models

According to self-determination theory, well-being and healthy personality development depend on the fulfillment of three basic psychological needs: autonomy, relatedness, and competence. However, various contextual features can interfere with need satisfaction and undermine well-being. We hypothesized that fashion models, who are often valued for superficial reasons (i.e., their looks) and who may not have regular opportunities to cultivate deep relationships or exercise personal control on the job, might experience lower psychological need satisfaction, less well-being, and less optimal personality adjustment. Two studies were conducted in which professional fashion models (N?=?56 in Study 1; N?=?35 in Study 2) were compared to approximately equally large groups of non-models. Fashion models reported slightly lower need satisfaction and well-being but greater personality maladjustment (personality disorder features). Mediation analyses in Study 1 suggested that the lower well-being among models was explained via unfulfilled basic needs. These findings further substantiate the importance of basic need satisfaction for well-being and optimal adjustment.     

Life stories managing chronic illness: Young adults’ lived experiences with type 1 diabetes

This study aimed to characterise diabetes management experiences of South African young adults living with well-controlled type 1 diabetes (n = 8, female = 5, male = 3, age range = 20–25). The young adults told life stories managing their type 1 diabetes. Thematic analysis revealed the young adults to construct personal identities as people living with type 1 diabetes, to mostly utilise emotion-focused management strategies and social support for successful living with type 1 diabetes. Behavioural health strategies appear important for living well with this chronic insulin deficiency condition.     

Mother–Child Book‐Sharing and Children's Storytelling Skills in Ethnically Diverse,Low‐Income Families

The present study examined book‐sharing interactions between mothers and their 4‐year‐old children from African American (n = 62), Dominican (n = 67), Mexican (n = 59) and Chinese (n = 82) low‐income U.S. families, and children's independent storytelling skills one year later. Mothers' book‐sharing style was analysed in terms of how much storyline information they provided (story components), the extent to which they asked children about the story (dialogic emphasis) and which features of the story they highlighted (story content). African American mothers referred to more story components than did Dominican mothers, and Mexican mothers surpassed Dominican and Chinese mothers. Mothers of all groups were low in dialogic emphasis; they predominantly narrated rather than asked about the story, although Mexican mothers asked relatively more questions than did African American and Dominican mothers. In terms of content, compared with other groups, African American mothers were most likely to emphasize ‘individual goals’, and Chinese mothers were most likely to emphasize ‘negative consequences’. Latino mothers were more likely to emphasize ‘emotions’ than were Chinese mothers. Children's storytelling styles partially mirrored those seen in their mothers. Mothers' dialogic emphasis related to children's contributions to book‐sharing, which in turn predicted children's later independent storytelling skills. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

歧视知觉对城市流动儿童幸福感的影响：中介机制及归属需要的调节作用

采用整群取样法对选自北京市的1551名流动儿童进行测查, 探讨歧视知觉对城市流动儿童的个体和群体幸福感的影响机制, 即内群体认同和群体地位感在其中的中介作用, 以及不同归属需要下内群体认同和群体地位感的中介作用差异。结果表明：(1)公立学校小学流动儿童的个体和群体幸福感相对较高; 流动男生比流动女生具有较高的生活满意度, 流动女生比流动男生具有较高的群体幸福感。(2)歧视知觉对城市流动儿童的个体和群体幸福感存在直接显著的负向预测作用, 并通过内群体情感认同和群体地位感的中介作用负向预测群体幸福感。(3)不同归属需要下歧视知觉对个体和群体幸福感的作用机制存在差异。在高归属需要组, 歧视知觉对个体幸福感存在直接显著的负向预测作用, 并通过群体地位感和群体幸福感的双重中介消极地影响个体幸福感; 歧视知觉完全通过群体地位感的中介消极地影响群体幸福感。在低归属需要组, 歧视知觉对个体幸福感既存在直接的负向预测作用, 也通过内群体情感认同和群体地位感的中介发挥间接性的积极作用; 歧视知觉对群体幸福感只存在间接的消极影响, 内群体情感认同和群体地位感在其中发挥完全中介作用。这表明, 内群体情感认同和群体地位感在流动儿童歧视知觉与幸福感之间的中介效应受到归属需要的调节影响。