Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL): A Study on Muslims

The aim of this study was translation and validation of the Duke University Religion Index in Iranian Muslims. The study was performed in two stages. In the first stage, 1,762 college students from Qazvin city with an average age of 21.2 years participated in the study. In the second phase, 796 college students with an average age of 23.7 were recruited from Tehran. A demographic questionnaire, Santa Clara Strength Faith questionnaire (SCSORF), and Duke Religion Index (DUREL) were administered. Cultural adaptation of these measures was performed by a forward–backward translation technique. Test–retest reliability and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used for assessing reliability. Convergent validity was measured by Spearman correlation between DUREL and SCSORF. Explanatory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA) evaluated the factor structure. Results showed that the scale is reliable. Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.866 to 0.921 and ICC ranged from 0.937 to 0.991. Correlations between DUREL and SCSORF were also strong (ranging from 0.62 to 0.79). Results obtained from CFA and EFA confirmed one-dimension for the DUREL. Thus, the DUREL appears to be a proper measure for assessing religiosity among Iranian Muslims. Further testing of the scale among minorities and those with special health-related conditions is suggested.     

Factor Structure of Subjective Well-Being in Iran

Subjective well-being is predominantly conceived as having 3 components: life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect. This article reports 2 studies that seek to investigate the factor structure of subjective well-being in Iran. One-, two-, and three-factor models of subjective well-being were evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). The results of Study 1 (N = 2,197) and Study 2 (N = 207) show that whereas the 1- and 2-factor models do not fit the data well, the 3-factor model provides an adequate fit. These results indicate that the 3 components of subjective well-being constitute 3 interrelated, yet distinct, factors. The analyses demonstrate how traditional CFA and ESEM can be combined to obtain a clear picture of the measurement model of subjective well-being and generate new insights about individual items and cross-loadings needed to derive more parsimonious measures. Nuances relating to the assessment of subjective well-being in more collectivist and Muslim countries are discussed.     

Religiosity Reduces the Negative Influence of Injustice on Subjective Well-being: A Study in 121 Nations

National injustice has been linked to lower national happiness. We predict that national religiosity will mitigate this negative influence of injustice on happiness. We test this hypothesis analyzing national-level data from 121 nations, using a single-level moderated regression analysis. To capture various aspects of national injustice, we combine four national measures associated with injustice, namely: indexes of group grievances, political terror, rule of law, and corruption perceptions. The results show that national religiosity has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between injustice and happiness, such that higher levels of religiosity mitigate more of the negative effects of injustice on happiness than lower levels do. The results hold when religious affiliation and indexes of economic prosperity, education, and social support are controlled for. These results indicate that people in religious cultures may successfully utilize religious faith to deal with adverse conditions.     

Ibn Sina and the status of moral sentences

There are some texts about moral sentences in the Islamic logical literature especially in the logical books of Ibn Sina that have been interpreted in completely opposite ways. Relying on these texts, some scholars take Ibn Sina to be proposing a non-cognitive theory of ethics and to the contrary some scholars hold that he is a proponent of a sort of moral intuitionism. Reflecting on the alleged textual evidence in Ibn Sina’s books, I propose a middle way in the interpretation that accepts the cognitive status of the moral sentences but at the same time rejects intuitionism.

Longitudinal Relationships Between Personality Traits and Social Well-Being: A Two-Decade Study

Journal of Happiness Studies - This study examined the temporal relationships between social well-being and the Big Five personality traits (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness,...     

Fragility of happiness moderates the influence of negative predictors of subjective well-Being

Background and Objectives: Valuing happiness, negative life circumstances, and neuroticism have been found to negatively predict subjective well-being (SWB). It was hypothesized that holding fragility of happiness beliefs (the belief that happiness is fleeting and may easily turn into less favorable states) would moderate the relationships between these predictors and SWB.

Methods: The sample consisted of 338 Korean participants who responded to an online survey (M_age?=?26.19). Multiple regression with centered variables was used to test the hypotheses.

Results: Consistent with the hypotheses, the results showed that fragility of happiness had an exacerbating effect on these negative associations. That is, the negative relationships between the predictors and SWB were stronger for individuals who reported higher fragility of happiness.

Conclusions: These results indicate that people’s notions of the nature of well-being may come to exacerbate the impact of negative predictors of SWB.     

A Method for Improving the Integrity of Peer Review

Peer review is the most important aspect of reputable journals. Without it, we would be unsure about whether the material published was as valid and reliable as is possible. However, with the advent of the Internet, scientific literature has now become subject to a relatively new phenomenon: fake peer reviews. Some dishonest researchers have been manipulating the peer review process to publish what are often inferior papers. There are even papers that explain how to do it. This paper discusses one of those methods and how editors can defeat it by using a special review ID. This method is easy to understand and can be added to current peer review systems easily.     

Satisfaction with Life Declines with Age in Malaysia: an Exploratory Analysis of Factors Influencing Subjective Well-Being in a Developing/Middle-Income Country

Applied Research in Quality of Life -