Search Results (9)

While mindfulness has demonstrated extensive benefits across diverse populations, research on its integration as a formal course and its effects on subjective well-being (SWB), particularly among Taiwanese university students, remains limited. This pilot study examined changes in SWB among 85 Taiwanese university students (61 males, 24 females) following an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Life (MBCT-L) course. Participants included 38 lower-grade (pre-internship) and 47 senior (post-internship) students. SWB was measured using the 29-item Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ), rated on a 6-point Likert scale, and administered before and after the intervention. Results revealed a significant increase in students’ overall SWB scores from 3.69 to 3.92 post-intervention. Although females initially exhibited higher baseline SWB compared to males, no significant sex differences were observed after the course. Score discrepancies between pre- and post-test stages varied across sex and internship status, indicating differential impacts of the MBCT-L course on distinct demographic groups. Additionally, this study validated the reliability of the short version of the OHQ (8 items) for use in similar research contexts. By conducting a formal MBCT-L course for Taiwanese university students, this study provides valuable empirical evidence, contributing to the cross-cultural understanding of mindfulness-based interventions and their effects on SWB. Full article

Background: Meaning in Life (MiL) represents a key variable in mental health models of personal recovery. There is a need for straightforward and concise instruments to assess this construct quantitatively in individuals diagnosed with severe mental illness (SMI). Objective: The aim of the present study was to test the psychometric properties of the Purpose in Life Test-Short Form (PIL-SF), a brief self-report measuring the presence of MiL, in a sample of individuals with SMI. Methods: The participants were 41 adults (21 women, 51.8% and 20 men, 48.2%) aged 18 to 65 years (M = 50.05; SD = 10.73) with a diagnosis of SMI (schizophrenia, 61%; bipolar disorder, 26.8%; borderline personality disorder, 7.3%; and major depression, 4.9%) and clinically stable. The PIL-SF, Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Oxford Happiness Questionnaire—6 Item (OHQ-6), Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey (EMAS), and Seeking of Noetic Goals—8 Item (SONG-8) were used. Descriptive analysis, estimation of the internal consistency, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the PIL-SF were conducted. Furthermore, correlations between the PIL-SF, SWLS, OHQ-6, EMAS, and SONG-8 were calculated. Results: The PIL-SF showed acceptable internal consistency (ω = 0.81) and an excellent fit as a unidimensional scale (CFI = 1.000, TLI = 1.070, RMSEA = 0.000, SRMR = 0.021), confirming its factorial structure. Regarding construct validity, correlations between the PIL-SF and the SWLS (ρ = 0.54, p < 0.001), the OHQ-6 (ρ = 0.52, p < 0.001), and EMAS (ρ = 0.44, p < 0.005) were positive and significant, whereas the correlations between the PIL-SF and the SONG-8NfM (ρ = −0.35, p < 0.025) were negative and significant. Conclusions: The Spanish version of the PIL-SF appears to be a reliable and valid instrument to measure the presence of MiL in adults with SMI. Full article

Background/Objectives: Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HN001 (HN001) is a probiotic strain widely studied for its potential to improve human health. Previous studies have demonstrated promising results for HN001 in the improvement of mental well-being, particularly in terms of increased happiness and support for stress management in healthy adults. Methods: To further explore these findings, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted with 120 participants aged ≥ 18 years with mild to high stress measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The participants were randomly assigned to receive either HN001 or placebo for 28 days. Psychological assessments, including the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ), were completed at baseline, day 14, and day 28. Secondary outcomes included changes in PSS scores, as well as depression, anxiety, stress, and total score levels measured by the DASS-21 questionnaire. Results: While not statistically significant, participants who received HN001 showed an improvement in OHQ (mean change, 13.3) and PSS total scores (mean change, −8.1) over time compared with the placebo group (mean change, 10.2 and −6.6, respectively). Furthermore, 39% of the participants moved from not happy to happy, compared with only 29% in the placebo group. Post-hoc analysis showed a statistically significant interaction between intervention and study day for OHQ and PSS total scores, with p-values of 0.014 and 0.043, respectively. No adverse effects were observed. Conclusions: HN001 showed improvements in both happiness and PSS scores. Furthermore, sex subgroup analysis revealed statistically significant differences in both outcomes, emphasizing the need for larger and longer intervention studies. Full article

The happiness and mental health of individuals are crucial for national developments. In Saudi Arabia, wellbeing occupies a central position in Vision 2030, along with women’s empowerment. Rapidly changing rights and responsibilities might result in more sources of stress. The aim of this study was to explore happiness and mental health among Saudi women during their contributions to a fast-growing nation in all fields. We assessed happiness and mental health (somatic symptoms, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and social dysfunction) in 308 Saudi women aged 15–50 years using a self-administered online survey comprising the short Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ-8) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The participants demonstrated general satisfaction yet showed rising psychological distress. Married women reported better mental health compared to single women, particularly with regards to anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Depression was highest among younger women. Employed women demonstrated lower social functioning compared to unemployed women. Women with a higher educational level showed lower social functioning. Happiness scores were significantly and inversely related with overall mental health scores as well as mental health subscales (somatic, anxiety, and depression), except for social dysfunction, which showed a positive correlation to happiness scores. This study contributes to the body of literature on women’s mental health and happiness by providing recommendations for improving both as well as directions for future research. Full article

Prior research has mainly examined non-adaptive responses to divorce, with less attention being paid to positive changes following the adversity of marital dissolution, especially posttraumatic growth and its consequences. The aim of this paper was to analyse the relationship between posttraumatic growth and subjective well-being, as well as the mediating and moderating role of self-esteem in this relationship among divorced men and women. The sample consisted of 209 divorcees (143 females, 66 males) aged 23–80 (M = 41.97, SD = 10.72). The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES) were used in the study. Positive associations between overall posttraumatic growth, specific growth dimensions, subjective well-being and self-esteem were found. Self-esteem was confirmed as a mediator in the relationships between changes in perception of self and subjective well-being (SWB), between changes in relating to others and SWB and between appreciation for life and SWB. Self-esteem moderated the association between spiritual changes and subjective well-being; namely, changes in spirituality were positively related to happiness in individuals with lower and average self-esteem but not with high self-esteem. We found no differences between women and men in the obtained results. Self-esteem might be considered a possible psychological (mediating rather than moderating) mechanism in the transmission of PTG onto SWB in divorcees, regardless of their gender. Full article

The aim of the study was to analyze the wellbeing profiles in a group of Polish mountain hikers. The study involved 242 young people (M = 23.50; SD = 4.40) who completed various wellbeing scales: The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ), Meaning of Life Questionnaire (MLQ), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), Time Satisfaction Scale (TSS), Hope Scale, General Self-Efficiency Scale, Ego Resiliency Scale, Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R), and Adventure-Seeking Behavior Scale. Cluster analyses revealed two types of mountain hikers: hard adventure hikers and soft adventure hikers, with different profiles of subjective wellbeing. Hard adventure hikers most often revealed high levels of life satisfaction, control of life, meaning of life, and positive emotions, along with low levels of negative emotions. Moreover, these hikers revealed high levels of satisfaction in various time perspectives (past, present, and future) and a high level of psychological capital. On the other hand, soft adventure hikers most often revealed an average level of satisfaction with life, control of life, and positive emotions, average satisfaction in the past and present time perspective, and average levels of psychological capital. Soft adventure hikers also revealed higher levels of negative emotions and satisfaction in the future time perspective. The present research indicated that mountain hikers are not a homogenous group. The profiles of wellbeing in the hikers varied depending on the type of stimulating behavior in a natural environment. Full article

Nepal was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on 25 April 2015, followed by numerous aftershocks, including a 6.8 magnitude earthquake on 26 April and a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on 12 May. Using two household surveys of a panel of 377 households conducted in February 2016 and March 2020 in one of the hardest-hit mountain villages, we found that most of the households recovered well, having better housing, increased income, improved awareness about disaster risk, and better infrastructure facilities than before the earthquake. Notably, the poverty headcount index reduced by 16% from 2016 to 2020, and more than 90% of the households reconstructed into earthquake-resistant houses with financial and technical support, mainly, from the government. The village has increased the quality and length of rural roads; there is also wider coverage of clean water supply and better functioning school buildings and hospitals. Similarly, the subjective well-being of the people, gauged using the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ), has also increased. These aspects combined indicate improved community resilience and the sustainable development of the village. However, the progress differs significantly across gender, caste/ethnic as well as income groups, which calls for inclusive reconstruction and recovery policies as well as disaster risk reduction (DRR) frameworks at a local level to contribute to community resilience and sustainable mountain development. Full article

How do natural disasters affect academic performance? Despite numerous studies having been conducted after the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the academic impacts of this tragic event have rarely been explored. Applying the OLS estimation on the microdata collected through a questionnaire survey among 189 secondary school students of two secondary schools in one of the hardest-hit rural villages, we found that students’ average annual test scores dropped by 7% after the earthquake. Human losses measured by the incidence of death or injury and economic losses proxied by the level of house damage in a respondent’s family were found to be significant in the decline in the annual test scores of the respondents. Because secondary schools are usually not very close for most of the students in rural mountainous communities, we controlled for time taken to reach school, which was also found to significantly increase the magnitude of the drop in the test score. However, students’ level of happiness measured using the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) and the mother’s level of education were found to be significant in reducing the magnitude of the drop in the test score of students. The findings suggest more support is needed for students who faced higher levels of human and economic loss in their family. Full article

Happiness, psychological hardiness, and humor (“the 3Hs”) are useful ways of assessing resilience to stress in positive psychology. The literature analyzing their confluence regarding sports is scarce. This study aims to analyze the participants’ 3H levels and the relationships between those levels and specific variables. The Psychological Hardiness Scale (Psikolojik Dayaniklilik Olcegi, PDO), the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire Short Form (OHQ-SF), and the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ) were used. Students in pedagogical formation training during the 2016–2017 fall semester have participated in the study (N = 211). Significant differences were found regarding the levels of psychological hardiness in relation to gender, type of sport, and years of participation, and, in humor types regarding the variables of gender, age, residence and perceived income. There were significant differences in all instruments regarding gender. Negative relationships were found between the “aggressive humor” and “challenge” and “self-commitment” sub-dimensions of PDO, while the relationships were positive between “self-enhancing humor” and PDO and OHQ-SF, and between “affiliative humor” style and PDO and OHQ-SF. This study enhances the positive socio-psychological account in the literature by incorporating the issues of 3H and provides an understanding of particularities that may help improve the practice of relevant experts and individuals. Full article