International journal of applied positive psychology最新文献

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has in the past two years caused and continues to cause enormous effects on lifestyle, mental health, and quality of life. With no known treatment and vaccination, behavioral control measures became central in controlling the pandemic. However, the intensity of the pandemic and the stringent control measures were immensely stressful. The control measures became an added psychological burden to people living in precarious situations such as refugees in low-income countries. Purpose: Given the benefits of psychological capital, the present study aimed at investigating the role of psychological capital in enhancing the quality of life among refugees in Uganda during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was hypothesized that the effects of psychological capital on quality of life are serially mediated through coping strategies, adherence to COVID-19 control measures, and mental health. Methods: Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire in July and August 2020 after the first lockdown. Participants were 353 South Sudanese and Somali refugees living in Kampala city suburbs and Bidibidi refugee settlement. Findings: Psychological capital was positively associated with approach coping, mental health, and quality of life. However, psychological capital was negatively associated with adherence to COVID-19 control measures. Significant indirect effects of psychological capital on quality of life through approach coping, mental health, and adherence were found. However, serial mediation effects were only substantial via approach coping and mental health. Conclusion: Psychological capital is an important resource in coping with the challenges posed by COVID-19 and maintaining a good level of psychological functioning and quality of life. Preserving and boosting psychological capital is essential in responding to COVID-19 and other related disasters and crises, which are common in vulnerable populations such as refugee communities in low-income countries.

Goal pursuit shapes people' everyday experiences and is deeply embedded within close relationships. Several studies have shown that goal support from romantic partners facilitates goal progress, and individual goal progress contributes to wellbeing. However, few pieces of research have examined the whole process, how efficient goal coordination in a romantic relationship contributes to life satisfaction through goal progress. In these studies, short time frames were used and only one aspect of goal coordination was examined. To generate more complex, long-term understanding we collected data from 148 married or cohabitating Hungarian heterosexual couples (mean age 39.71 ± 10.40 and 38.57 ± 10.00 years for men and women, respectively) in a two-wave longitudinal study with a year-long time window. Both partners individually completed an adapted version of the Personal Project Assessment and evaluated four chosen projects associated with project coordination (emotional support, communication, and cooperation) at baseline, and project attainment (progress, success, satisfaction) in the follow up. Life satisfaction was assessed during both waves. Results from the actor-partner interdependence mediation modeling revealed complete mediation, where project coordination increased project attainment one year later, and consequently associated with higher life satisfaction for both partners. The direct effect between project coordination and life satisfaction remained nonsignificant. This association indicates that for long-term life satisfaction, it is crucial to experience better goal outcomes as the result of the couple's collaborative effort.

The COVID-19 pandemic is truly one of the greatest collective health crises in history which have altered our life and living. For years, people have felt fatigued from following public health directives such as social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands frequently, and working or studying remotely without in-person interactions. In this paper, we explore strategies for resilience and wellbeing which can mitigate pandemic-caused stress and behavioural fatigue. We start with individual level strategies including reworking stress appraisals, the importance of psychological flexibility, reducing loneliness through adaptive online platform use, optimizing familial relationships when living in close quarters for a prolonged period, reducing symptoms of burnout and using adaptive distractions, using specific evidence-based resilience strategies. We discuss specific considerations which tap on our shared identities and shared responsibilities which can enhance a sense of community, especially for individuals from marginalized backgrounds and how suicide risks can be minimized.

Psychology has primarily studied hope as a value-neutral trait even though it has a history of being counted among the virtues. The current study seeks to conceptualize hope as a virtue while building on the dominant empirical paradigm (Hope Theory; Snyder, 2002). Ithemba is the isiZulu word for hope, and this qualitative study investigated the lived experiences and meaning construction of ithemba/hope among 13 nominated moral exemplars in a South African township. Participants ranged from 20 to 75+, including farmers, educators, caregivers, entrepreneurs, and construction workers. Independent coders conducted thematic analysis from a theoretical top-down process (within Hope Theory and virtue science frameworks) and an inductive bottom-up approach (open coding). Data reflected much of the existing Hope Theory model; however, many pathways were relational and spiritual, and goals were inherently beneficial to others. A virtue science framework was used to construct the cognitive, motivational, and behavioral dimensions of virtuous hope. This study constructed the operational definition of virtuous hope as the ardent pursuit of realizing a particular vision of the common good with intention and action, often growing out of adversity and shaped in relation to other people and the transcendent.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41042-022-00083-1.

Rates of, and relationships between, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic growth (PTG) decades after a single-incident trauma remain unclear. During a two-month period surrounding the 50th anniversary of the political protest violence at Kent State University on May 4, 1970, 132 individuals completed measures of PTG, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and sleep difficulties. Participants were, on average, 19 years old (SD = 3.01) on May 4, 1970, and 44% were present at the protests. 17% met cutoff scores consistent with PTG, 6% for PTSD, 8% for anxiety, 11% for depression and 20% for sleep difficulties. PTG was significantly and positively correlated with PTSD (r = .32, 95% CI: 0.17-0.44) and anxiety (r = .23, 95% CI: 0.08-0.38) but not depression or sleep difficulties after controlling for additional trauma exposure since May 4, 1970. All relationships were best explained by linear rather than curvilinear relationships and were not moderated by proximity to the events of May 4, 1970. Results indicate that clinicians working with survivors of trauma decades later may be able to capitalize on the adaptive functions of PTG to foster positive treatment outcomes.