Psychosocial correlates of flourishing in the late lifespan.

BACKGROUND: Flourishing is a primary dimension of psychological well-being that contributes massively to the development of an active, purposeful, and respectful life, full of meaning, values, and personal interests that nurture social ties. AIMS: This study primarily intended to examine the contribution of satisfaction with family relations, resilience, metacognitive efficiency, and crystallized intelligence in predicting a flourishing measure in cognitively healthy older adults. Moreover, the impact of gender was investigated on flourishing, satisfaction with family ties, resilience, and metacognitive efficiency. METHODS: One hundred and eighty 65-94-year-old community dwellers were recruited in Sardinia (Italy). Participants self-rated their flourishing, satisfaction with their family connections, psychological hardness (i.e., a dimension of resilience), and cognitive function, whereas global cognitive efficiency and vocabulary were assessed through two internationally validated objective tests. RESULTS: A hierarchical regression analysis revealed that 30% of the variance in the flourishing condition was explained by satisfaction with family ties, resilience, and metacognitive efficiency. In addition, males exhibited higher flourishing and satisfaction with family ties than females, and the former group also reported being more autonomous and acting proactively to influence its destiny. CONCLUSION: Emotional support and rewarding relations with family members, the ability to face stressful events, and a good perception of one's cognitive efficiency play a crucial role in promoting flourishing in late adulthood.

Psychoendocrinology: arginine vasopressin and resilience in patients with major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: There is a burgeoning body of evidence suggesting that arginine vasopressin (AVP) acts as a neuromodulator of the stress response. AVP stimulates the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone, synergistic to corticotropin-releasing hormone, which might explain AVP's role in resilience. Personal hardiness is the bedrock of resilience. Numerous studies have demonstrated elevated plasma levels of AVP in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), suggesting an etiopathogenetic role as well as a novel therapeutic target. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between AVP and resilience in patients with MDD and to determine AVP levels in serum of patients with MDD. METHODS: Forty patients with MDD and 40 healthy control subjects were studied using the Dispositional Resilience (Hardiness) Scale by Barton, the Quality of Life Scale, the Social Readjustment Rating Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Biochemical analysis of plasma levels of AVP, using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), was performed for all participants. RESULTS: Levels of AVP were statistically significantly elevated in patients with MDD compared with healthy controls. Psychological hardiness was decreased in patients with MDD compared with healthy controls, a finding also statistically significant. There was a negative correlation between plasma AVP level and psychological hardiness. CONCLUSION: AVP and psychological hardiness are negatively correlated, reflecting lower stress resilience. AVP levels are indeed higher in patients struggling with MDD.

How does mindfulness help university employees cope with emotional exhaustion during the COVID-19 crisis? The mediating role of psychological hardiness and the moderating effect of workload.

The COVID-19 crisis has had severe adverse psychological effects on people globally. Although previous research has shown that mindfulness helps people cope with stressful situations, we do not know whether mindfulness can help people cope with the effects of the pandemic. This research examined the effect mindfulness has on emotional exhaustion on the part of employees who work at private international universities in Thailand that are affected by COVID-19. Grounded in the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this research proposed that the level of psychological hardiness mindful employees have mediates the effect of mindfulness in reducing emotional exhaustion. The Job Demands-Resource (JD-R) model was used as an additional theory to test the moderating effect of workload, which may reduce the benefit mindfulness has in alleviating emotional exhaustion. Questionnaire survey data were collected from 300 employees at two universities. Data analysis was conducted using partial least squares structural equation modeling, and the model showed that psychological hardiness mediated the effect mindfulness has on emotional exhaustion fully. Further, the analysis supported the moderating role workload plays in suppressing the effect of psychological hardiness on emotional exhaustion significantly. A simple slope analysis indicated as well that the negative association between psychological hardiness and emotional exhaustion was present only in employees with light workloads. By integrating the principle of COR theory with the JD-R model, this research extended previous research by showing that mindfulness may not help employees cope with stress during an organizational crisis like COVID-19 when they have to manage a heavy workload.

Cognitive flexibility and psychological hardiness: examining the mediating role of positive humor styles and happiness in teachers.

In this study, the mediating role of positive humor styles and happiness in the relationship between cognitive flexibility and psychological hardiness was investigated. The participants in the study, which was conducted based on a correlational design, one of the quantitative research methods, consisted of 613 volunteer teachers (322 women, 291 men) employed in various schools and institutions affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in Turkey. The study data were obtained through the Cognitive Flexibility Scale, the Psychological Hardiness Scale, the Humor Styles Questionnaire, and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire Short-Form. Correlation analysis, structural equation modeling and bootstrapping were used for the analysis of the data. The results obtained from the mediation test showed that cognitive flexibility positively predicted psychological hardiness, and that positive humor styles and happiness were partial mediating variables in this relationship. The findings obtained in the research were discussed in the light of the related literature and recommendations were presented.

Meaning in life, psychological hardiness and death anxiety: individuals with or without generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a widespread psychiatric disorder. According to the transdiagnostic approach, death anxiety can underpin predominantly somatic manifestations of GAD. Personal resilience factors such as a sense of a meaningful life, and psychological hardiness, which can protect people from developing clinical symptoms, may be lower in individuals with GAD. So far, there has been no study examining the role of meaning in life dimensions, death anxiety, and hardiness in individuals with GAD in Turkey. Thus, we aimed to investigate to what extent the GAD sample differs from the non-anxious control group in terms of death anxiety, meaning in life dimensions, and hardiness. Secondly, we examined how conceptually predicted death anxiety by meaning in life dimensions and hardiness regardless of diagnosis, age, and gender. Just before the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, we could only recruit 38 individuals with GAD and 31 non-anxious control subjects. The Death Anxiety Scale, The Meaning in Life Questionnaire and the Psychological Hardiness Scale were administered to all the participants. The one-way MANOVA results with Bonferroni adjustment revealed that individuals with GAD significantly differed from the control group in every way. Hierarchical regression analysis displayed that the presence of meaning made the most significant contribution in predicting death anxiety. In conclusion, existential issues such as death anxiety, hardiness, and meaningful life can be emphasized for the treatment of GAD, and the presence of meaning is the most crucial antidote to avoid death anxiety in all individuals.

Resilience to mental health problems and the role of deployment status among U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers.

PURPOSE: Research suggests that interpersonal and intrapersonal resiliency factors protect against poor post-deployment mental health outcomes among Reserve/Guard soldiers who have been deployed. There is increasing awareness that never-deployed soldiers are also at risk. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between resiliency factors and a range of mental health outcomes among a sample of United States Army Reserve and National Guard (USAR/NG) soldiers who have and have not experienced deployment. METHODS: A subset of data was drawn from Operation: SAFETY (N = 360), an ongoing study examining the health and well-being of USAR/NG soldiers. We used a multivariate path analysis approach to examine the simultaneous effects of unit support, marital satisfaction, and psychological hardiness on the following mental health outcomes, concurrently: anger, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology. We also examined interaction effects between resiliency factors and deployment status on mental health outcomes. RESULTS: Greater unit support (ps < 0.01), marital satisfaction (ps < 0.001), and psychological hardiness (ps < 0.001) were associated with less anger, anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptomatology. Psychological hardiness had significant interactions with deployment status on anxiety, depression, and PTSD, such that the protective effects of psychological hardiness were even stronger among never-deployed soldiers than previously deployed solders. CONCLUSION: Resiliency factors can be targeted for intervention to prevent poor mental health outcomes among USAR/NG soldiers, regardless of deployment status. Further, psychological hardiness may be an even more important protective factor among soldiers who have never been deployed.

Psychological Hardiness and Spirituality in Patients with Primary Brain Tumors: A Comparative Study.

The purpose of this research was to compare healthy individuals with patients having primary brain tumors (PBTs) with respect to their psychological hardiness and spirituality. In this study, a comparative and descriptive research design was employed. The research sample included 122 individuals: 61 patients with PBTs and 61 healthy individuals. When healthy individuals were compared with patients with PBTs, it was found that the patients with PBTs had significantly lower mean scores for spirituality and psychological hardiness. The study revealed that spirituality (ß = .661) and age (ß = - .270) were statistically significant predictors of psychological hardiness (p < .001). These variables explained 53% of the total variance. To decrease the negative effects of PBTs on psychological hardiness, nurses and other health staffs should focus on strategies that strengthen patients' spirituality.

Psychological Hardiness and Compassion Satisfaction Among the Turkish Red Crescent: The Case of 2023 Kahramanmaras Earthquake.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed psychological hardiness and compassion satisfaction among the Türk Kizilay (Turkish Red Crescent) personnel and volunteers involved in the 2023 Kahramanmaras earthquake. Additionally, the relationship between compassion satisfaction and psychological hardiness was also investigated. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted between March and July 2023. Participants completed an online survey, which included the Sociodemographic Information Form, Psychological Hardiness Scale, and Compassion Satisfaction Scale. The data was analyzed with SPSS version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, USA), using a significance level of 95% and p < 0.05. RESULTS: The study involved 400 participants, comprising 84 (21%) personnel and 316 (79%) volunteers. Participants exhibited an average psychological hardiness level of 24.56 ± 7.25 and a compassion satisfaction level of 47.40 ± 17.28. A significant positive correlation was observed between compassion satisfaction and psychological hardiness (r = 0.571; p < 0.001). The results of logistics regression have revealed that the level of psychological hardiness is higher in males compared to females (OR = 1.930, CI = 1.115 - 3.340; P < 0.05) and is also higher in those with high compassion satisfaction compared to those with low compassion satisfaction (OR = 1.386, CI = 1.256 - 1.529; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study indicate that individuals involved in disaster response should consider compassion satisfaction as an important tool for enhancing psychological hardiness.

Influence of psychological hardiness on academic achievement of university students: The mediating effect of academic engagement.

BACKGROUND: The dropping out of university students is a serious problem faced by higher education all over the world. Studies have shown that academic hardiness is a positive psychological variable to prevent students from dropping out of university and academic burnout. Psychological hardiness can reduce the dropping out by increasing university students' academic engagement and academic achievement. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to discover the influence of psychological hardiness on university student's academic achievement and the mediating role of academic engagement in the relationship between psychological hardiness and academic achievement. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 615 participants. METHODS: Pearson correlation coefficients were conducted to analyze the relationships between psychological hardiness, academic engagement and academic achievement. Mediation analysis was used to evaluate the mediating role of academic engagement in the relationship between psychological hardiness and academic achievement. RESULTS: The research indicated a closely significant association between psychological hardiness, academic engagement and academic achievement. Psychological hardiness can directly predict academic achievement and can also indirectly predict academic achievement through the intermediary effect of academic engagement. CONCLUSION: This study could have important implications for research by linking psychological hardiness and academic achievement. The results suggest that universities should pay attention to the positive role psychological hardiness plays in improving university students' academic achievement. This study also benefits the university administrators, especially, those dealing with university students at the risk of dropping out and high academic stress.

Exploring the Variables of the Psychological Well-Being of Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Self-Compassion and Psychological Hardiness.

Present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between self-compassion and psychological hardiness, and psychological well-being among mothers of children with autism. The research design was correlational, and its statistical population sample consisted of 101 mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder. The results of a correlational analysis showed a significant positive relationship between self-compassion and psychological hardiness, and psychological well-being. Multiple regression analysis showed that among the variables of self-compassion and psychological hardiness, the variable of self-compassion had the largest share in predicting the psychological well-being of mothers. Concerning self-compassion, conscious awareness of self-kindness along with psychological hardship could predict the psychological well-being in these groups of mothers, such as raising a child with ASD.

The Role of Connectedness and Psychological Hardiness in EFL Teachers' Pedagogical Effectiveness.

The role of emotions in EFL teachers' pedagogical success and efficacy has long been emphasized in the literature. However, the power and impact of teachers' positive psycho-emotional factors like sense of connectedness and hardiness have been marginally explored in EFL contexts. Against this shortcoming, the present mini-review article made an attempt to provide the theoretical and research underpinnings of three prominent teacher-related factors, namely, connectedness, psychological hardiness, and pedagogical effectiveness as well as their interplay. Moreover, the research trends, gaps, and future directions are provided for enthusiastic researchers. Finally, some practical implications for EFL teachers, teacher trainers, and SLA researchers are offered to raise their awareness of psycho-emotional factors in second/foreign language education.

A Theoretical Analysis of the Preventive Role of English as a Foreign Language Teachers' Occupational Adjustment and Psychological Hardiness in Their Job Burnout.

Teaching has long been considered as one of the most challenging professions worldwide due to the involvement of numerous linguistic, socio-political, social, and psych-emotional factors. Because of these factors, english as a foreign language (EFL) teachers are psychologically, emotionally, and physically pressed in their job. These damaging pressures often result in negative academic outcomes for teachers, students, and educational systems. Despite dire consequences, few studies (if any) have examined the role of psycho-emotional factors in improving teaching performance and reducing negative emotions at the workplace. To fill this gap, this mini-review article aimed to present a theoretical analysis of three constructs of occupational adjustment, psychological hardiness, and burnout. In so doing, the definitions, conceptualizations, dimensions, and empirical studies related to each variable were presented. The study ends with the existing research gaps and offers some implications for EFL teachers and other stakeholders by increasing their knowledge of emotions in occupational environments and the consequences that such emotions can have for an organization.

The mediating role of illness perception in the relationship between psychological hardiness and the health status of covid-19 (coronavirus disease) survived patients.

This study investigates whether the illness perception mediates the relationship between psychological hardiness and the health status of Covid-19 survived patients. In a cross-sectional study, 205 Covid-19 were selected by purposive sampling from Qom (the first coronavirus epidemiological site in Iran) and responded to Abridged Hardiness Scale (AHS) and Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Results: The results of correlation showed that the relationship between AHS scores with PHQ-9 (P<0.01) and Brief IPQ (P<0.01) was negative and significant. The relationship between Brief IPQ and PHQ-9 scores was also positive and significant (P<0.01). The proposed mediating model had a relatively good fit. However, a better fit was achieved by releasing several covariance errors and explained 47% of the PHQ-9 scores (χ2/df=2.46, RMSEA=0.075, CFI=0.950, PCFI=0.689, IFI=0.953, GFI=0.964). The Bootstrap analysis showed that Brief IPQ scores significantly mediated the relationship between AHS and PHQ-9 scores (95% CI: -0.073 to -0.002). The findings suggest a more negative perception of perceptions Covid-19 disease is associated with lower levels of patient health. As a mediating variable, it prevents the positive effects of psychological hardiness on improving patients' health. The application of these findings has been discussed.

Corrigendum: Individuals' Self-Reactions Toward COVID-19 Pandemic in Relation to the Awareness of the Disease, and Psychological Hardiness in Saudi Arabia.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.588293.].

Accumulated Long-Term Exposure to Workplace Bullying Impairs Psychological Hardiness: A Five-Year Longitudinal Study among Nurses.

Personality has been hypothesized to act as antecedent as well as an outcome of workplace bullying. Still, investigations on the longitudinal relationship between bullying and personality are scarce. We investigated the relationship between accumulated exposure to bullying at work and subsequent changes in psychological hardiness. Additionally, we examined whether hardiness predicted subsequent exposure to bullying. The data were based on the Survey of Shiftwork, Sleep, and Health (SUSSH), a cohort study with annual surveys among Norwegian nurses. The participants who completed standardized instruments measuring exposure to bullying behavior at T1 (2008/09) to T4 (2012) and psychological hardiness at T1 (2008/09) and T5 (2012) were included (n = 938). The results showed that accumulated exposure to bullying (sum of exposure from T1-T4) was associated with reduced psychological hardiness at T5, adjusted for age, sex, and hardiness at baseline (ß = -0.16, t = -5.70, p < 0.001). Accumulated exposure to bullying behaviors explained 2.3% of the change in hardiness. Less hardy individuals experienced higher levels of subsequent exposure to bullying behaviors, adjusted for age, sex, and bullying at baseline (ß = -0.04, t = -2.21 p < 0.05). Long-term accumulated exposure to bullying behaviors seemed to be a stronger predictor for changes in hardiness as compared to hardiness in predicting exposure to bullying.

Individuals' Self-Reactions Toward COVID-19 Pandemic in Relation to the Awareness of the Disease, and Psychological Hardiness in Saudi Arabia.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak around the world has caused public health concerns and changes in peoples' behaviors and psychological distress. The pandemic impacts on human behavior, emotions, and cognition, leading to diverse reactions in relation to awareness of the disease. However, there is little understanding around the psychological impacts of the pandemic and strategies to overcome this impact. This study aimed to examine individuals' reactions toward the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to their psychological hardiness, their degree of awareness toward the pandemic, and precautionary measures taken. Individuals living in Saudi Arabia were invited to complete an online questionnaire which included demographic items, psychological responses to the pandemic, awareness of COVID-19, and measures of psychological hardiness. A total of 1272 individuals were recruited into the study, with the majority being female (85%). Results indicated that the average psychological responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the study sample were 75.85%. This indicates that the sample generally has a high level of positive psychological responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The awareness of COVID-19 among Saudi was 91.50%. This indicates a high level of awareness among the study sample.

The Role of Positive Personality Traits in Emotion Regulation of Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

BACKGROUND: Personality traits and emotion regulation processes play an important role in human health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of positive personality traits (psychological hardiness and interpersonal forgiveness) in emotion regulation of patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. METHODS: The research was a cross-sectional study. Statistical population included all of IBS patients referred to the Subspecialty Center of Psychiatry in Isfahan in 2013. Overall, 123 subjects (100 women, 83.3%, and 30 men, 16.7%) were selected by census method, according to criteria of research and during a particularperiod. To collect data, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Lang and Goulet Hardiness Scale (LGHS) and Interpersonal forgiveness Inventory (IFI) were used. Data was analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and Multivariate and Binary Logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Mean age of patients was 33.82±10.45 years and 83.3% (100) of them were female. Regression analyses showed that both personality traits of hardiness and forgiveness were as protective factors for emotional dysregulation with OR, 95% CI: 0.93 and 0.96 sequentially, with adjusting demographic variables (age, gender, and education level and disease duration). CONCLUSION: Patients who are more hardy and forgiving toward others, are likely more successful at adaptive emotion regulation. It emphasizes the positive and beneficial role of the personality traits in regulating of emotional problems of IBS patients. Hence, these variables should be considered as effective factors in the treatment process of the patients.

Safety climate, hardiness, and musculoskeletal complaints: a mediated moderation model.

This study explores the mechanisms linking the psychosocial characteristics of the workplace with employees' work-related musculoskeletal complaints. Poor safety climate perceptions represent a stressor that may elicit frustration, and subsequently, increase employees' reports of musculoskeletal discomforts. Results from an employee sample supported that when employees' perceived safety was considered a priority, they experienced less frustration and reported fewer work-related upper body musculoskeletal symptoms. Psychological hardiness, a personality trait that is indicative of individuals' resilience and success in managing stressful circumstances, moderated these relationships. Interestingly, employees with high hardiness were more affected by poor safety climate.