[Effects of the COVID-19-Pandemic on the AffectiveWell-Being of Preschool Children]. / Einfluss der COVID-19-Pandemie auf das affektive Wohlbefinden von Kindergartenkindern.

The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of corona-specific variables and post-traumatic stress symptoms associated with the COVID-19-pandemic, considering sociodemographic data and health-related quality of life, on the affective well-being of preschool children and to identify predictors of positive and negative affect. A secondary analysis of third-party assessment data by parents of three- to six-year-old preschool children from the Tyrolean COVID-19 Children's Study at two measurement time points (123 records at t1 in summer 2020; 467 records at t2 in winter 2020/21) was conducted. To answer the research question hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed.The largest part of the variance explanation of affective well-being was explained by health-related quality of life: while self-esteem and psychological well-being were measurement-time-independent, effects of physical well-being, preschool, family, and friends were only significant in winter. Coronaspecific variables caused additional variance explanation due to subjective threat experience in winter; post-traumatic stress symptoms had an effect at both measurement-times. In times of crisis children's self-esteem, psychological well-being, and post-traumatic stress symptoms should be considered.Measurement-time-dependent results suggest that the pandemic course plays a decisive role regarding the influence on children's affective well-being. Everyday life and routines must be redefined accordingly and communicated to the children.

Affective well-being of Chinese urban postpartum women: predictive effect of spousal support and maternal role adaptation.

Due to shortage of childcare facilities while high social expectations for mothering, becoming a mother is a big life challenge for most women in urban China. The understandings on Chinese postpartum women's affective well-being and its relation with spousal support and maternal role adaptation remain limited. This study aims to investigate the affective well-being (including both positive and negative affect) of Chinese urban postpartum women and how it is associated with spousal support and maternal role adaptation. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Shanghai, China, between June and July 2019. A total of 498 urban mothers whose babies were 0 to 1 year old participated in this survey. They completed the Postpartum Social Support Questionnaire (PSSQ), the Maternal Role Adaptation Scale, and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), and reported socio-demographic information. Results showed that positive and negative affect of postpartum women were not significantly associated with each other. Positive affect had a positive correlation with spousal support and maternal role adaptation. Negative affect was negatively associated with maternal role adaptation, while not significantly associated with spousal support. Maternal role adaptation partially mediated the relationship between spousal support and positive affect of the participants, controlling for age, household income, education, birth order, and inter-generational support. The findings indicate that intervention programs towards mental health of postpartum women should focus more on positive affect cultivation; moreover, clinical services should help postpartum women to adapt to maternal role by encouraging new fathers' or partners' involvement in daily childcare-giving.

A structural equation model analysis of the association between work-related stress, burnout and job-related affective well-being among nurses in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIM: To test a model that examines the direct and indirect effects of work-related stress on job-related affective well-being through compassion fatigue. BACKGROUND: Despite the danger of infection, nurses' dedication to their work appears to be an innate desire to provide care for patients with COVID-19. Nonetheless, the universal effort to control the outbreak has led to extended work hours and workload, which has been defined as the primary contributor to work-related stress among nurses and might impact their job-related affective well-being. METHOD: We used a cross-sectional exploratory design. Data were collected using an online survey from 161 nurses working in the Saudi health care system. The survey included obtaining information on demographics and work-related stress using Professional Quality of Life Scale version 5 to measure compassion fatigue as well as a job-related affective well-being scale. RESULTS: Work-related stress had significant negative direct effects on job-related affective well-being and positive effects on compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue had significantly negative direct effects on job-related affective well-being. Work-related stress exerted negative indirect effects on job-related affective well-being through compassion fatigue, which partially mediated the relationship. CONCLUSION: The findings supported the model and added to our understanding regarding the impact of work-related stress on nurses. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Stress reduction is an important element in improving staff outcomes as well as job-related affective well-being.

Examining five pathways on how self-control is associated with emotion regulation and affective well-being in daily life.

OBJECTIVE: Self-control is positively connected to well-being, but less is known about what, on the mechanistic level, explains this association. We hypothesized five pathways how this connection could be explained by emotion regulation, that is, by facilitating (a) strategy effectiveness, (b), adaptive strategy selection, (c) situation selection, (d) strategy variability, or (e) social sharing. METHOD: To explore these pathways, we integrated two ambulatory assessment data sets (N = 250 participants, N = 22,796 observations) that included assessments of participants' emotions and their emotion regulation efforts. RESULTS: We found that self-control was positively associated with affective well-being. Moreover, momentary but not trait self-control was associated with favoring adaptive and interpersonal strategy selection and less emotion regulation in general as well as with increased variability across strategies. However, these emotion regulation facets could not sufficiently explain the association between self-control and affective well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Our main conclusion is that emotion regulation is not a mediator of the strong relation between self-control and affective well-being. Instead, we found evidence for the affective benefits of employing ways of emotion regulation that are less taxing mentally, which we discuss in light of current knowledge about self-control and emotion regulation.

Impact of stroke on affective well-being: findings from a large longitudinal nationally representative study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether the incidence of stroke influences affective well-being (positive affect and negative affect), and whether such a relationship is moderated by general self-efficacy. METHOD: Longitudinal data from 2008, 2011 and 2014 were used from a population-based sample of community-residing individuals ≥ 40 years in Germany (n = 9,659 in regression analysis). Affective well-being was quantified using the established Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). A well-established scale by Schwarzer and Jerusalem was used to assess general self-efficacy. General practitioner diagnosed stroke was reported. RESULTS: Fixed effects regressions showed that the incidence of stroke was associated with a decrease in positive affect in the total sample (ß = -.17, p < .001) and in both sexes (men: ß = -.16, p < .05; women: ß = -.19, p < .01). In contrast to these findings, the incidence of stroke was not associated with changes in negative affect (total sample; stratified by sex). Moreover, general self-efficacy moderated the relation between stroke and positive affect. CONCLUSION: Panel regression models showed that the incidence of stroke was associated with a decline in positive affect in the total sample and in both sexes. As the general self-efficacy moderated this association, it may be beneficial to enhance self-efficacy and prioritize coping strategies among stroke survivals.

Adjustment to multiple sclerosis and identity satisfaction among newly diagnosed women: what role does motherhood play?

The present study aimed to describe the levels of depressive symptoms, affective well-being and identity satisfaction in a group of women recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), accounting for differences in age, motherhood, and disease duration. Moreover, the role of identity satisfaction in depressive symptoms and affective well-being was evaluated, examining the moderating effect of motherhood. The study involved 74 women, aged between 19 and 57 years (Mean = 37.7 years, SD = 10.7 years). Thirty-two women (43.2%) had children, aged between 2 and 29 years. All women had relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and mild to moderate disability. Mothers experienced greater depressive symptoms than childless women. Moreover, motherhood moderated the effect of disease duration on adjustment, with mothers reporting greater depressive symptoms, less affective well-being and less identity satisfaction than childless women as time passed since the diagnosis. Finally, greater identity satisfaction was related to less depressive symptoms and greater affective well-being, with a moderating effect of motherhood. The results outline the relevance of the process of identity redefinition for women's adjustment to MS early in the illness. Moreover, the results underscore the need to take into account the additional burden of motherhood when promoting women's adjustment to MS.

A longitudinal study: Affective wellbeing, psychological wellbeing, self-efficacy and academic performance among first-year undergraduate students.

Students' mental health have a greatest impact on wellbeing and academic performance, also is often affected adaptation to the university life. This study examines the proportion of students with a positive and negative affect balance, and the relationship between affective wellbeing and academic self-efficacy and performance. It also analyzes how psychological wellbeing and academic self-efficacy predict affective wellbeing and academic performance. In a sample of 200 undergraduate students (M = 19.07 years), it was found that positive affect decreased and negative affect increased during the second academic year. The majority had a positive affect balance (AB). Psychological wellbeing predicts positive emotions and its achievement dimension predicts academic performance. 53% of participating students maintained a positive AB, 14% maintained a negative AB and 21% went from a negative to a positive AB one. The change from a positive to a negative AB (10%) is associated with an increase in psychological wellbeing, suggesting a process of post-stress growth in relation to the challenges of university life.

Adult Children Living With Aging Parents: The Association Between Income and Parental Affect.

This study examined the moderating effect of parental income on the association between parent-child coresidence and parental affect. Secondary analysis was conducted with data from the ORANJ BOWL panel, a representative sample of adults in New Jersey, aged 50 to 74 years ( N = 5,688). Results indicated that income had a significant moderating effect on the association between the adult child's residential status and parents' positive and negative affect. Among parents with coresident adult children, an observed decline in positive affect and rise in negative affect were amplified as parental income level increased, suggesting differential strains on parental well-being across income levels.

The interplay of genetic and environmental factors in shaping well-being across the lifespan: Evidence from the serotonin transporter gene.

BACKGROUND: Converging evidence suggests that well-being plays an important role in promoting and maintaining mental health across the life span. It has been shown that well-being has a considerable heritable component, but little is known about the specific genes involved. METHODS: In this study, we investigated a healthy sample (N = 298) that was genotyped for the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR). We hypothesized that 5-HTTLPR gene variation would influence well-being, and additionally investigated interaction effects with age and the environmental influence of early life stress (ELS). RESULTS: Using multiple regression, our results showed a significant three-way interaction between genotype, ELS, and age. Exploration of this interaction showed that young subjects had decreased levels of well-being if they were exposed to ELS and homozygous for the short variant of 5-HTTLPR. This relationship was reversed in old age: subjects that were exposed to ELS and carried the long variant of 5-HTTLPR had decreased levels of well-being. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that genetic and environmental factors have joint effects on well-being that are susceptible to profound changes across the life span.

Coping strategies and adjustment to multiple sclerosis among recently diagnosed patients: the mediating role of sense of coherence.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between coping strategies (problem solving, emotional release, and avoidance) and adjustment (health-related quality of life, depression, and affective well-being) in a group of recently diagnosed multiple sclerosis patients (up to three years since diagnosis), and to explore the mediating role of sense of coherence between coping strategies and adjustment. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Multiple Sclerosis Clinic Centre. SUBJECTS: A total of 102 patients (61.8% women; age (years): M = 35.8, SD = 11.9; 95% with a relapsing-remitting form of multiple sclerosis; Expanded Disability Status Scale score, between 1 and 4). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN MEASURES: Coping with multiple sclerosis (problem solving, emotional release, and avoidance), sense of coherence, health-related quality of life (SF-12), depression (CES-D), and affective well-being (PANAS). RESULTS: Problem solving was linked to higher mental health ( ß = 0.28) and higher affective well-being ( ß = 0.36), emotional release was related to lower depression ( ß = -0.22); avoidance was associated to higher mental health ( ß = 0.25), higher affective well-being ( ß = 0.24), and lower depression ( ß = -0.29 ) (all betas were significant at p < 0.05). Sense of coherence mediated the relationship between emotional release and depression (Sobel z-value = -2.00; p < 0.05) and the relationship between avoidance and all the indicators of adjustment (mental health: Sobel z-value = 1.97; depression: Sobel z-value = -2.02; affective well-being: Sobel z-value= 2.05; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Emotional and avoidant coping strategies seem to be adaptive among recently diagnosed multiple sclerosis patients. A mediating role between coping strategies and adjustment is played by sense of coherence.

[Physical activity as therapeutic intervention for depression]. / Körperliche Aktivität als therapeutische Intervention bei Depression.

AIM: This article gives a conspectus of the present state of research on the efficiency of exercise as a treatment for patients suffering from depression. METHODS: A systematic review of articles published between December 1980 and March 2016 was carried out. The review focused on studies that examined the effects of exercise compared to control conditions in the treatment of depression. Extracted and analyzed information from the articles included details about participants, characteristics of exercise and control conditions, assessments, study design and outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 34 of the 48 studies included in the literature search reported a significant reduction of depressive symptoms due to exercise interventions. There was a trend to reduced depressive symptoms following the exercise interventions in five studies. In nine studies no positive impact of exercise on depression and affective well-being could be detected. DISCUSSION: This review article shows that physical activity decreases depressive symptoms and increases affective well-being in patients with depressive diseases; therefore, exercise should be recommended as a component of depression treatment within the framework of a multi-dimensional approach.

Emotional Intelligence Mediates the Relationship between Age and Subjective Well-Being.

Individuals' Subjective Well-being (SWB) increases as they grow older. Past literature suggests that emotional intelligence may increase with age and lead to higher levels of SWB in older adults. The primary purpose of the present study was to test whether emotional intelligence would mediate the relationship between age and SWB. A total of 360 Chinese adults (age range: 20 to 79 years old) participated in this study. They filled out questionnaires that assessed their age, life satisfaction (The Satisfaction with Life Scale), affective well-being (The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), and emotional intelligence (The Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale). Using Structural Equation Modeling, the mediation model was supported, χ(2) (75) = 194.21, p < .01; RMSEA = .07; CFI = .91. Emotional intelligence partially mediated the relationship between age and life satisfaction, and fully mediated the relationship between age and affective well-being. The findings suggest that older adults may use their increased emotional intelligence to enhance their SWB.

Older adults experience better affective well-being in solitude: The moderating role of goal for conflict de-escalation.

Older adults report greater affective well-being in solitude than younger adults, but prior findings are based on correlational designs. We aim to examine age differences in affective well-being in solitude using an experimental design and to examine conflict de-escalation as a potential mechanism. In Study 1, 207 participants were randomly assigned to either a solitude or a social interaction condition. In Study 2, 128 participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: solitude-escalation, solitude-de-escalation, interaction-escalation, and interaction de-escalation. After a 15-min solitude or social interaction period, they reported their affective experiences. In Study 1, older (vs. younger) adults reported more positive affect overall. This age-related difference was greater in the solitude (vs. social interaction) condition; older adults reported less negative affect than younger adults in the solitude, but not the social interaction, condition. In Study 2, older (vs. younger) participants reported more high-arousal positive affect in the solitude-escalation condition. This difference was not significant in conflict de-escalation conditions. Our studies provide causal evidence of the relationship between solitude and affective well-being and advance our understanding of motivations that explain why older adults maintain better affective well-being in solitude.

A 1-year longitudinal study on experiencing workplace cyberbullying, affective well-being and work engagement of teachers: The mediating effect of cognitive reappraisal.

Research on experiencing workplace cyberbullying (WCB) and its underlying mechanisms that impact the well-being of teachers is scarce. We propose that cognitive reappraisal, which is a useful and adaptive emotion-regulation strategy for reinterpreting emotion-eliciting situations, is a mediator explaining the inverse relationships between experiencing WCB and well-being. A three-wave longitudinal survey (baseline, T1; 3 months, T2; and 1 year, T3) was conducted with a sample of 444 primary and secondary schoolteachers in Hong Kong, China. Exposure to WCB, cognitive reappraisal, affective well-being and work engagement of participants was assessed. In line with the hypotheses, results showed that cognitive reappraisal mediated the associations between WCB and well-being. WCB at T1 was negatively associated with cognitive reappraisal at T2, which in turn was positively associated with positive affect and work engagement and negatively associated with negative affect at T3. Findings suggest that the intrusive nature of WCB renders its victims emotionally exhausted and helpless, thus negatively impacting the process to reinterpret the situation in a positive light, resulting in undesirable consequences. This study has illuminated WCB's inhibitory mechanism and its long-term detrimental impact. Practical implications are discussed.

Food insecurity and affective well-being during COVID-19 in the Middle East and North Africa.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic and climate crises have led to unprecedented food insecurity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with ramifications for people's affective well-being. The aim of the study is to explore the relationship between food insecurity and affective well-being in Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt, considering varied social protection responses across these countries. METHODS: We analyzed data from the COVID-19 MENA Monitor Household Panel Survey (2020-2021) and employed hybrid mixed-effects models to differentiate within-person and between-person associations between food insecurity and affective well-being. RESULTS: The findings show that higher food insecurity is associated with worse affective well-being, with significant cross-country differences. In Jordan, where extensive social protection was enacted during the pandemic, there is no significant within- or between-person association between food insecurity and affective well-being. By contrast, significant between-person associations are found in Morocco and Egypt, while within- and between-person associations are evidenced in Tunisia. These associations hold strong after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and household circumstances. LIMITATIONS: Given COVID-19 restrictions, the sample was limited to the universe of working-age (18-64) mobile phone users, a demographic that often corresponds to higher levels of education and income. Therefore, the results of this study likely provide conservative estimates of the association between food insecurity and affective well-being in the full population. CONCLUSIONS: The findings emphasize the critical role of food security in maintaining affective well-being, particularly in non-Western contexts during global crises. They underline the importance of integrating food security considerations into mental health care strategies and interventions.

Social media use, uncertainty, and negative affect in times of pandemic crisis.

Objective: A common assertion in the social media literature is that passive media use undermines affective wellbeing, and active media use enhances it. The present study investigated the effects of social media use on negative affective wellbeing during pandemic crises and examined the mechanism underlying these effects through perceived uncertainty. Methods: Three studies were conducted during the Delta variant phase in the post-peak period of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Participants were recruited from the medium-high-risk infection areas in late August 2022. Study 1 used a cross-sectional survey to explore the relationships between social media use, uncertainty, and negative affect during the pandemic crisis. Study 2 employed a repeated-measures experiment to demonstrate how social media use and (un)certainty impact negative affect. Study 3 utilized a one-week experience sampling design to examine the role of uncertainty in the relationship between social media use and negative affect in real life. Results: Despite some inconsistencies regarding social media use's direct effect on negative affect, across the three studies, perceived uncertainty was critical in linking pandemic-related social media use to individuals' negative affect, particularly for passive use. Conclusions: The relationships between social media use and affective wellbeing are complex and dynamic. While the perception of uncertainty provided an underlying mechanism that links social media use to individuals' affective wellbeing, this mechanism may be further moderated by individual-level factors. More research is needed as we seek to understand how social media use impacts affective wellbeing in uncertain contexts.

The Role of Resilience in the Relationship between Sociodemographic, Clinical Characteristics, and Social Support among Breast Cancer Patients in Serbia.

BACKGROUND: The management of breast cancer treatments within the limitations of family, social, and professional life is emotionally burdening and negatively affects physical, psychological, and social well-being, reducing the overall quality of life of patients and their families. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted from March to August 2023 at the "Dr. Radivoj Simonovic" General Hospital in Sombor. A total of 236 breast cancer patients participated in this study. The research was conducted using the following instruments: a questionnaire on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients, the Berlin Social-Support Scales-for assessing social support-and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-for assessing resilience. This study aimed to determine the predictors and levels of social support and resilience of breast cancer patients. We also wanted to examine whether resilience is a mediator between patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and levels of social support. RESULTS: The total average value of social support was 3.51 ± 0.63, while on the resilience scale, the respondents achieved a total average score of 52.2 ± 9.63. Perceived and actually received social support of breast cancer patients were positively correlated with resilience [p < 0.01], while no statistically significant correlations were found for the need for support and satisfaction. The sets of predictors can significantly predict their effects on all types of perceived social support (emotional social support: 9%; perceived instrumental social support: 9%) and all types of received social support (actually received emotional social support: 8%; actually received instrumental social support: 7%; actually received informational social support: 8%). There is a potential mediating role of resilience in relation to sociodemographic factors, clinical characteristics, and the need for support. CONCLUSION: This study confirms that a strong connection exists between social support and resilience. However, the analysis did not confirm the mediating role of resilience between the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics on the one hand and social support on the other.

Fear of COVID-19 and Fear of Earthquake: Multiple Distressing Events and Well-Being in Croatia.

People in Croatia have recently experienced two major earthquakes in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic, which are possible sources of increased fear. In order to capture and understand the effects of the simultaneously occurring threatening events, the aims of this study were threefold. First, we aimed to examine the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Croatian version of the Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S). Second, bearing in mind that there is a lack of instruments for measuring fear of earthquakes, the study aimed to develop and examine the psychometric properties the Fear of Earthquake Scale (FES), as a version of FCV-19S, modified for the earthquake experience. Finally, the study aimed to examine differences in well-being indicators (life satisfaction, positive and negative affect) between four groups of participants who either had/did not have COVID-19 disease or had experienced/did not have experienced earthquake. The study was conducted among 1136 participants adults who took part in the fourth year of the Croatian longitudinal study on well-being. Among them, N = 665 participants experienced earthquake and responded to additional questions regarding that experience. The analyses demonstrated valid psychometric properties and one-factorial structure of FCV-19S and FES scales. The findings showed that people who went through earthquake experience (vs. those without earthquake experience and COVID-19 infection) reported higher negative affect and lower positive affect, indicating that people in Croatia seem to have been more fearful of earthquakes than COVID-19 pandemic. Findings suggest the long-term negative effects of earthquake on fear and well-being in comparison to COVID-19 pandemic.

Chinese calligraphic handwriting practice promotes positive affect in adolescents: Converging evidence from correlational and experimental designs.

Chinese calligraphic handwriting (CCH) practice has proven to be beneficial to several aspects of psychological health and has been considered a complementary therapy for mental disorders. However, less is known about whether CCH practice benefits an individual's positive affect, a core component of affective well-being. Therefore, we examined this question in Chinese adolescents by combining correlational and experimental methods. In Study 1 (N = 1460), we found that high school students who practiced CCH had higher positive affect in their daily lives than those who did not practice CCH. In Study 2, a training experiment was conducted with college students, who were randomly assigned to receive either CCH training or no treatment. A six-day short-term CCH training led to a significant benefit in positive affect in the training group (N = 23) relative to the control group (N = 27). Together, our study provides converging evidence that CCH practice can promote positive affect in adolescents, further supporting the promotion of CCH in mental health practice.

Passionately demanding: Work passion's role in the relationship between work demands and affective well-being at work.

In a world marked by exponential change, work demands are intensifying and becoming increasingly prominent in organizations' reality. Work demands are stressors for the employees who must deal with these requests as they bring with them costs. Promoting these workers' well-being at work is important as their level of comfort is closely related to how they will behave in the workplace. In this context, work passion is a fundamental factor in employees' daily motivation to work well. This study tested a new approach to work demands, distinguishing between challenges and obstacles, exploring how they influence affective well-being at work when work passion is part of the equation. Individual workers also participate in how demands are formulated, which affects their level of well-being at the workplace. Data were collected with an online questionnaire administered to a sample of 515 participants who had been working in the same organization for at least 6 months. The results of multiple regression analysis show that the way demands are revealed influences what kind of work passion predominates and thus how much workers' well-being at work is altered. Harmonious passion emerges as a personal resource that has the power to prevent negative affective states related to work from developing, while obsessive passion ends up putting even more demands on employees and having a stronger negative association with their affective well-being in the workplace.