International journal of applied positive psychology最新文献

Character strengths are positive traits and qualities that are an integral part of an individual's personality. These strengths can function as protective factors against mental disorders by providing traumatized refugees with resources and tools to cope with stressors and daily challenges. The purpose of the current study was to explore the role of character strengths of refugees in the Netherlands in their problem-focused and/or emotional-focused coping strategies to deal with daily challenges. We interviewed 26 refugees who attained a temporary asylum residence permit and who lived in an asylum seeker center (AZC) or a municipality in the Netherlands. Qualitative data analyses yielded five key character strengths, namely self-regulation, perseverance, gratitude, love of learning, and hope. Patience and adaptability were two additional strengths that function as specific self-regulation techniques. Our findings also suggest a shift from emotion-focused coping strategies during the stay at an asylum seeker center towards problem-focused coping when living in a municipality. Depending on the migration phase in which refugees find themselves, they apply different character strengths in relation to emotion-focused or problem-focused coping strategies. Interventions that aim to increase the well-being of refugees and contribute to successful integration into society should consider relevant contextual factors, in addition to cultural factors.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41042-024-00211-z.

Growing evidence challenges the longstanding assumption of a universal decline in relationship satisfaction for all couples by demonstrating variability in the change. However, knowledge about how differential long-term trajectories of relationship satisfaction are associated with positive individual functioning is lacking. Using dyadic latent class growth analysis, we studied long-term trajectories of relationship satisfaction of N = 300 mixed-gender couples over 10 years and examined positive outcomes in latent subgroups. At the final assessment, partners reported on positive outcomes, specifically affect, mental health, and life satisfaction. Depending on their subgroup membership, couples systematically differed: Couples in the subgroup with high initial and relatively stable relationship satisfaction reported the most favorable outcomes-more positive affect, better mental health, and higher life satisfaction-as compared to subgroups with declining and/or lower relationship satisfaction. The findings show the importance of considering the variability in long-term relationship satisfaction trajectories and point to their relevance for positive functioning.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41042-024-00201-1.

We used nationally representative data from the first wave of the Global Flourishing Study (N = 202,898) to (1) explore the distribution of gratitude in 22 geographically and culturally diverse countries and (2) identify potential differences in mean gratitude across nine sociodemographic characteristics, including age, gender, marital status, employment status, years of education, immigrant status, frequency of religious service attendance, religious affiliation, and racial/ethnic identity. Our descriptive analysis supported substantial variation in gratitude across countries. The highest mean gratitude was in Indonesia (M = 8.93, SD = 1.76), whereas the lowest was in Japan (M = 5.81, SD = 2.25). We estimated country-level descriptive statistics for gratitude in each sociodemographic category and then performed a series of random-effects meta-analyses to aggregate results for the seven sociodemographic variables that were assessed consistently across countries. When pooled across countries, the categories for each sociodemographic characteristic with the highest mean gratitude included those who are older, women, married, immigrants, retired or self-employed, have completed 16 + years of education, and attend religious services more than once a week. Sociodemographic differences in gratitude varied to some extent by country. Our findings enhance existing knowledge about the distribution of gratitude and sociodemographic disparities in gratitude, and provide preliminary evidence about which groups might be strategic targets for interventions to promote gratitude.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41042-025-00254-w.

Prior research documents strong associations between social support and having an intimate friend with improved health and well-being outcomes, with most of the evidence based on data from the U.S. However, less is known about how these indicators of having close social connections differ across countries and across demographic groups within those different countries. The development of targeted, culturally appropriate interventions around close social connections requires understanding how they vary across countries and demographic groups. This study presents an in-depth, cross-national exploration of social support and having an intimate friend and its variations across key demographic groups. Using a diverse and international dataset of 202,898 individuals from 22 countries, this paper examines relationships between levels of social support, having an intimate friend, and key demographics, including: age, gender, marital status, employment status, education, and immigration status. The descriptive results present the ordered means of social support and the ordered proportion of having an intimate friend across countries. Globally, most people report having an intimate friend (84%) and people who will help them (7.4 on scale of 0-10), both of which, however, vary greatly across countries, and highlight who does not. They also vary greatly, overall, by employment status, educational level, and religious service attendance. This work illuminates the distributions and descriptive statistics of social support and having an intimate friend across these demographic features and offers insight into country-specific variations that lay a valuable foundation for future investigations into sociocultural influences that might shape close social connections.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41042-025-00226-0.