Search Results (137)

Core stability is fundamental to posture, balance, and force transmission throughout the kinetic chain. Although traditionally associated with athletic performance, emerging research highlights its broader applicability to recreational fitness. This study investigates the effects of an eight-week core training program on muscle hypertrophy, static balance, and neuromuscular control in recreationally active, non-athletic adults. Participants will undertake a structured intervention comprising progressive triads targeting core stability, strength, and power. Assessment methods include surface electromyography (EMG), ultrasound imaging, three-dimensional force plates, Kinovea motion analysis, and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) questionnaire. Expected outcomes include enhanced core muscle activation, improved static balance, and increased core-generated force during overhead medicine ball slam trials. Additionally, the intervention aims to facilitate hypertrophy of the transverse abdominis, internal oblique, and lumbar multifidus muscles, contributing to spinal resilience and motor control. This protocol bridges gaps in core training methodologies and advances their scalability for recreational populations. The proposed model offers a structured, evidence-informed framework for improving core activation, postural stability, muscle adaptation, movement efficiency, and perceived quality of life in recreationally active individuals. Full article

Background: The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest and safest diets for preventing chronic diseases. The primary objective of this study was to assess the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the occurrence of prediabetes in a representative population of Bialystok, Poland. Prediabetes is a condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet in the diabetic range, indicating an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Methods: The study participants were selected into healthy control (HC) and prediabetic (PreD) groups based on age and gender. Biochemical measurements included total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), fasting glucose (FG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6). Additionally, blood pressure, handgrip strength, anthropometric parameters, and body composition were measured. Information on patients’ social data, medical history, and lifestyle history was collected using questionnaires developed for this study. A standardized questionnaire, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), was used to assess life satisfaction. Dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) and dietary total polyphenol intake (DTPI) were determined using a 3-day nutritional interview and appropriate databases containing information on polyphenols and the antioxidant potential of food products. To assess adherence to the Mediterranean diet recommendations, a 9-item Mediterranean Diet Index (MDI) was used. Results: It was found that the mean MDI for the entire group was low (3.98 ± 1.74), and the HC was characterized by a significantly higher MDI compared to the PreD. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between MDI and HDL-C, whereas a negative correlation was found between MDI and FG, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), IL-6, body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), waist circumference, visceral fat mass, android/gynoid fat ratio. Conclusions: Abdominal obesity was shown to significantly reduce life satisfaction. In model 3, after adjusting for age, sex, dietary energy intake, alcohol consumption, and smoking, each additional MDI point indicated a 10% lower risk of prediabetes. Full article

This study explored the role of positive education practices in predicting teacher well-being, life satisfaction, and self-efficacy. Background:Drawing on positive psychology principles, positive education integrates evidence-based strategies aimed at fostering emotional resilience, engagement, and flourishing in educational settings. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed. A total of 175 primary and secondary school teachers using validated instruments, including the Positive Education Practice Scale (PEPS), PERMA (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment) Profiler, Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), participated. Results: Factorial ANOVA results indicated that training background, rather than years of experience, significantly influenced the extent of PEPS implementation, with specialised training showing the strongest effects. Spearman’s correlations revealed that PEPS scores were positively associated with PERMA, life satisfaction, and teacher self-efficacy. Hierarchical regression analyses further demonstrated that PEPS significantly predicted PERMA, life satisfaction, and self-efficacy beyond demographic and professional factors. Conclusions: The findings highlighted the importance of positive education in enhancing teacher well-being and professional efficacy. This research underscored the need for targeted teacher training in positive psychology approaches to foster supportive and thriving school environments. Full article

Background: Lifestyle is one of the important factors determining health and quality of life. The aim of the study was to analyse relationships between pro-health behaviours, depression and quality of life among women with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Material and methods: The study was conducted among 219 women aged 20–50 from southern Poland, using (i) Juczyński’s Healthy Behaviour Inventory (HBI); (ii) Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI); (iii) satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) and (iv) WHOQoL-Bref (Quality of Life-BREFF). In the statistical analysis, Spearman’s R correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis were applied, assuming a significance level of α = 0.05. Results: It was shown that with the increase in the general indicator of pro-health behaviours, the level of depressive symptoms decreased, while the level of satisfaction with life and all four aspects of quality of life on the WHOQoL scale increased (p < 0.001). Regression analysis demonstrated that the model consisting of all analysed pro-health behaviours explains a high percentage of variance in depressive symptoms (38%), life satisfaction (31%) and all aspects of quality of life, including those somatic and social (19%), psychological (28%) and environmental (12%). Conclusions: The noted correlations between pro-health behaviours, the intensity of depressive symptoms as well as the level of life satisfaction and quality of life indicate justification for promoting a pro-health lifestyle as a significant factor contributing to mental health and better quality of life among women with hypothyroidism. Full article

Background: Life satisfaction serves as a preventive agent against various emotional, cognitive, and behavioral challenges, making it a crucial cognitive indicator of subjective well-being, particularly during adolescence. Accurately assessing life satisfaction is essential for understanding and promoting adolescent mental health, especially in applied settings such as physical education, which plays a key role in fostering psychological well-being and positive youth development. However, additional investigation is needed to confirm the tools used for this purpose. This study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties, metric invariance, and temporal stability of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in adolescents from a region in southeastern Spain. Thus, the present study sought to answer the following research questions: (1) Does the SWLS demonstrate adequate psychometric properties in an adolescent population? (2) Is the SWLS invariant across gender and residential environments? (3) Does the SWLS show adequate stability over time? Methods: A sample of 400 students was assessed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, multigroup comparisons, and test–retest techniques. Results: The results showed significant differences in scale scores in the sex and demographic location variables. Also, a robust unifactorial model with five items demonstrated good performance in terms of goodness of fit and internal consistency. Furthermore, full metric invariance was observed across genders, while configural invariance was supported for residential environment. Concurrent validity analyses revealed significant associations with another unidimensional well-being measure, and temporal stability was confirmed through the intraclass correlation coefficient. Conclusions: The findings support the SWLS as a potentially valid, reliable, and time-effective tool for assessing adolescent life satisfaction. Its strong psychometric properties make it highly suitable for use in mental health research, longitudinal monitoring, and large-scale studies. Moreover, its ease of administration allows its integration into educational, clinical, community-based, and physical education contexts, offering insightful information for the creation of long-lasting mental health regulations and preventive measures meant to improve the well-being of adolescents. Notwithstanding these encouraging results, some restrictions must be noted. The sample was restricted to a single geographic area, and contextual or cultural factors may have an impact on how satisfied people are with their lives. Furthermore, response biases could have been introduced by using self-report measures. Full article

Background: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a disease that leads to muscle weakness and significantly affects the lives of both patients and caregivers. This study aims to compare quality of life, caregiver burden, symptoms of depression and anxiety, life satisfaction, and mental well-being between parents of children with SMA and those of healthy children. Methods: This cross-sectional study included parents of children under 18 years old, both healthy and diagnosed with SMA. The participants completed the WHOQOL-BREF, Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (ZCBS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and the Flourishing Scale (FS). In addition, the relationships among these measures were analyzed. Results: Our study showed that the parents of children with SMA had significantly higher scores across all subscales of the WHOQOL-BREF (p = 0.004, p = 0.009, p = 0.007, p < 0.001) and the HADS depression subscale (p = 0.005). However, no significant differences were found between the groups in terms of the ZCBS, the HADS anxiety subscale (p = 0.802), SWLS (p = 0.251), or FS (p = 0.929) scores. Additionally, the ZCBS and HADS anxiety scores were significantly higher among parents of children with SMA type 1 compared to those with type 3 (p = 0.010 and p = 0.037, respectively). Lastly, a moderate positive correlation was found between the ZCBS and the HADS anxiety subscales (r = 0.632, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study highlights the decline in quality of life and increased depression symptoms among parents of children with SMA, suggesting the need for psychiatric evaluation and additional support for those caregivers. Full article

Background/Objective: Besides the common risks associated with agriculture, recently, there has been growing concern about the impact of agriculture on farmers’ mental health, due to high stress levels, depression, anxiety, and increasing rates of suicide, especially complex considering that many of these farmers are older people. The potential of the practice of mindfulness to minimize mental health problems and improve people’s sense of well-being has been studied in recent decades, although there is a dearth of literature related to farmer populations. This study aimed to correlate the presence of mindfulness traits with general life quality and well-being and assess the levels of mindfulness and life satisfaction among family farmers, as well as to evaluate which characteristics might be associated with them. Method: The sample was composed of 30 farmers from the region of Viseu—Portugal, who were randomly selected for a survey consisting of an adaptation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), with some new items specific to the context of agriculture. A proposed Farmers’ Mindfulness and Life Satisfaction Scale (FMLSS) was validated through factor analysis and internal reliability analysis. Result: The results showed a relatively high average score for the 10 items of the mindfulness scale (4.23 ± 0.56) and the global sum of scores for the 5 items of the life satisfaction scale (26.67 ± 4.76). Factor analysis revealed six factors, globally explaining 77% of the variance, with values of alpha varying from 0.640 to 0.874. The FMLSS was validated with 19 items of the 20 initially considered (α = 0.672). Cluster analysis revealed two typologies of participants, “Pleased” and “Accommodated” family farmers. These two clusters had global values for the FMLSS of 5.19 ± 0.51 and 4.37 ± 0.59, with the higher value obtained for the “Pleased” family farmers, who were mostly of male gender and worked more hours per week and whose agricultural activities had higher significance for their family income. Conclusions: Overall, we observed a relatively high level of mindfulness and satisfaction with life among family farmers. This suggests the importance of future research on mental health among family farmers. Full article

Background: Ego-resiliency could play a protective role, especially in stressful situations. Such a situation is certainly the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The beginning of the pandemic period was a source of significant stress for many people. Students, especially of medical faculties, were one of the social groups that could be particularly affected by the reorganization of everyday functioning. Effective coping with stress during this period could have been important for minimizing its negative effects. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess ego-resiliency as a factor enhancing life satisfaction and a protective factor against symptoms of anxiety and depression in a group of health students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods and Material: This study was conducted in the period from October 2020 to June 2021. The study group included 362 students of the medical faculty and 249 students of the Academy of Physical Education (APhE). The Ego Resiliency Scale (ER89-R12), the Life Satisfaction Scale (SWLS) and the Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used in this study. Among the statistical methods, the Mann–Whitney U test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient were used. Results: In the study group, medical students obtained an average score of 34.96 ± 5.19 points and APhE students obtained 36.49 ± 5.22 points on the ER-89-R12; the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.003). On the SWLS, the mean score was 23.65 ± 5.9 points for medical students and 22.35 ± 5.67 points for students of the APhE; the difference was also statistically significant (p = 0.005). In the assessment of anxiety, medical students obtained an average of 8.43 ± 4.34 points and students of the APhE 7.60 ± 4.27 points; the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.012). In the assessment of depression, medical students achieved 5.10 ± 3.77 points and students of APhE obtained about 4.77 ± 3.26 points; the difference was not statistically significant. There were significant, negative correlations in the scope of the results obtained on the ER-89-R12 with the results of anxiety and depression, and positive correlations with the results obtained on the SWLS scale for both groups. Conclusions: Life during the pandemic was assessed by students of pro-health faculties as moderately satisfactory. The severity of symptoms of anxiety and depression correlated negatively with life satisfaction. Ego-resiliency may be a factor enhancing life satisfaction and may be a protective factor against anxiety and depression symptoms. Full article

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused a global mental health deterioration. The disruption of older adults’ psychosocial functions is particularly concerning given their social support and technology use barriers. Despite a close relationship between social engagement and cognitive function in older adults, little is known about the cognitive consequences of older adults’ disrupted psychosocial functions in the context of the pandemic. Aims: This study aims to identify sociodemographic and COVID-19-related predictors for psychosocial functioning in North American older adults and to examine their associated cognitive outcomes. Methods: A sample of 95 older adults aged 60 and older (M = 68.85, SD = 6.458) completed an online study from January to July 2021, including a questionnaire on sociodemographic and COVID-19-related experiences, the Kessler-10 (K10) to assess psychological distress, Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the UCLA Loneliness Scale Revised (UCLA) to index social function, and the Go/No-go Task (GNG) and Letter Comparison Task (LCT) as cognitive measures. Results: Higher psychosocial functioning was predicted by increased approach-based coping, being aged 65–69, 70–74, and over 75 years relative to being 60–64, and being in medium to excellent relative to poor health, while lower psychosocial functioning was predicted by increased avoidance based coping strategies and having average relative to low income. Psychosocial functioning was not seen to strongly predict cognitive functioning. However, being aged 75 years and older relative to being aged 60–64 predicted decreased accuracy on no-go trials and slower cognitive speed, and lower LCT accuracy was predicted by more avoidance-based coping and being in a religion other than Christianity or Catholicism (e.g., being spiritual). Conclusions: The results identified age, income, and health status as psychosocial function predictors among North American older adults, and increased age, religion, and use of avoidance-based coping strategies as predictors for decreased cognitive performance. The results shed light on future public health strategies to promote the psychosocial and cognitive health of older adults. Full article

Background/Objectives: Resilience, defined as the ability to adapt and cope effectively with stress, plays a crucial role in preparing candidates for the paramedic profession. This study aimed to assess the resilience intensity as a personality trait and identify stress-coping styles among paramedic candidates. Methods: A cross-sectional cohort study was conducted across multiple Polish universities offering bachelor’s degree programs in emergency medical services. The study included 138 participants (56 females, 82 males, aged 18–51). Data collection involved demographic surveys and standardized tools, including the Polish version of the Resilience Scale (SPP-25), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS). Results: The study revealed a positive correlation between resilience and age (p = 0.002). Males exhibited significantly higher resilience compared to females (p = 0.0004). While both genders demonstrated average life satisfaction (SWLS), men scored significantly higher (p = 0.0082). Task-oriented coping strategies were predominant among all participants, but females scored higher in emotion-oriented coping (p = 0.0003). Resilience was positively correlated with task-oriented coping (0.4872) and negatively correlated with emotion-oriented coping (−0.4727). Conclusions: These findings emphasize the importance of resilience in paramedic training and selection, as it significantly influences stress management and professional performance in high-pressure situations. Full article

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric equivalence of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in university students from Mexico and Colombia. A non-probabilistic convenience sampling was used in five public and private universities in both countries, with a sample of 861 university students (40% men and 60% women), whose average age was 20.55 years (SD = 2.72). A six-point version of the SWLS was employed. Through confirmatory factor analysis, a unidimensional structure of the SWLS was identified in both samples, with adequate fit indices in both countries. Additionally, the factorial invariance analysis confirmed the metric and configural equivalence of the model, indicating that the factorial structure and factor loadings are comparable between both populations. The results support the use of the SWLS to assess life satisfaction in the context of university education in Mexico and Colombia. Full article

Introduction: The life satisfaction of parents of children with cerebral palsy should be assessed. Parenting a child with a disability may bring more challenges and efforts, impacting overall quality of life. Aim of the Study: the study aimed to evaluate the satisfaction with life of parents of children with cerebral palsy. Material and Methods: The study was designed to assess the satisfaction with life of parents of children with cerebral palsy. To measure this outcome, we developed an original survey consisting of 29 questions inspired by the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). The study involved 43 parents or legal guardians of children diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Results: A correlation was identified between parental life satisfaction and the amount of leisure time reported by parents (p = 0.004, R = 0.46). The research indicates that parental life satisfaction does not depend on the parent’s satisfaction with the level of therapy (p > 0.05) and the degree of improvement in the child’s functioning (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The level of parental life satisfaction does not depend on the level and outcome of therapy. The more leisure time the parents have, the greater their life satisfaction is. Parents of children with cerebral palsy should take care of their free time. Full article

Background: Mood disorders are among the most prevalent and debilitating mental conditions in worldwide populations. The aim of this study was to identify the factors influencing life satisfaction, disease acceptance, and therapeutic adherence among people with mood disorders. Methods: This survey-based study included 103 people with mood disorders. It was performed using the author questionnaire, and standardized research tools, namely the Adherence to Refills and Medication Scale (ARMS), the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Results: The level of life satisfaction decreased with the increase in the severity of the depressive symptoms (SE = −0.665, p < 0.001). Mood disorder patients with more severe depressive symptoms had significantly higher scores on the adherence scale (SE = 0.290, p = 0.003). The patients with higher levels of depressive symptoms showed a lower level of acceptance of the disease. Conclusions: 1. The dosage of medications taken, and the severity of the depressive symptoms determine life satisfaction of people with mood disorders. 2. The respondents with a greater severity of depressive symptoms scored higher on the adherence scale, which means that they were more likely to be non-adherent to the treatment recommendations. The type of mood disorder may affect patient adherence. The subjects with bipolar disorder showed higher adherence and those with anxiety–depressive disorder showed a lower adherence than the patients with depression. 3. The subjects with more severe depressive symptoms showed a lower degree of acceptance of the disease. Full article

Objectives: While many people strive for a fulfilling sexual life as they age, the inevitable changes that come with aging can present significant challenges concerning their sexual well-being (SWB). This study aims to present a comparative analysis of the scores in the variables of sexual satisfaction, adjustment to aging (AtA), and satisfaction with life (SwL) before and after the implementation of an intervention program to promote SWB among older adults. Methods: A convenience sample of 117 older community-dwelling adults (M = 72.31; SD = 5.752) were included in this study, and an ex post facto longitudinal design was applied. A six-week intervention program aimed at improving older adults’ understanding and exchanging their experiences of SWB was performed. The following measures were utilized: (1) a sociodemographic, health and lifestyle questionnaire; (2) Adjustment to Aging Scale (AtAS); (3) Satisfaction with Life Scale (SwLS); (4) New Sexual Satisfaction Scale (NSSS-S); and (5) Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE). The specified assessment time points in this study were as follows: baseline and after intervention. A follow-up assessment was conducted 6 months and 12 months after the baseline measurement. Results: The results indicated an increase in the scores in sexual satisfaction, AtA, and SwL from before to after the intervention among the intervention group. Conclusions: The development of intervention programs in older communities is necessary to contribute to the enhancing older adults’ SWB and to explore the best practices for implementing tailored interventions within community settings. Full article

Creative self-efficacy and social skills are two elements that can significantly enhance personal and professional development. The main objective of this research is to analyze the relations established between creative self-efficacy and social skills with other variables such as self-esteem, academic performance, and life satisfaction. The participants included in the methodology of this study are a total of 238 Portuguese university students. The instruments used were the Creative Self-Efficacy Scale, the Social Skills Questionnaire (CHASO), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and a series of ad hoc questions to assess academic performance. The results obtained indicate the existence of significant relations between creative self-efficacy and social skills, with the latter also being positively associated with self-esteem and life satisfaction. Analyses indicate that there are significant differences according to gender, academic performance, and the level of self-esteem of the participants. In addition, variables such as self-esteem, academic performance, and fluency act as predictors of life satisfaction. The importance of further exploring and understanding the complex relationship between creative self-efficacy, social skills, and individual well-being in the university context is discussed. Full article