From childhood trauma to adult well‐being through psychosocial assistance of Chilean families

This study examined whether psychosocial assistance in childhood predicted coping strategies, family atmosphere, learning experiences and mental health in adulthood. Participants were 153 Chileans (14–30 years old) who, as children, had lost a family member through political imprisonment, execution, disappearance, or expulsion from the country. SEM‐modeling revealed that early timing and substantial duration of psychosocial assistance in childhood predicted good mental health and positive learning experiences in adulthood via effective coping strategies. In addition, a family atmosphere characterized by high cohesion and a low level of conflict associated with good mental health and positive learning experiences. Both the nature of childhood trauma and the timing and duration of assistance turned out to be crucial for later resourcefulness and well‐being. Children who had lost a parent as executed or disappeared were the most task‐oriented and conscientious students and enjoyed a harmonious family life. Early initiation and substantial duration of assistance predicted lower levels of poor mental health symptoms (posttraumatic, depressive, anxiety, somatic, and aggressive) in adulthood. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The influence of school sense of community on students’ well‐being: A multilevel analysis

Previous studies have demonstrated the role of students’ school sense of community (i.e., emotional connection and bonds with other students at school and sense of belonging to the school as a community) in predicting well‐being (presence of positive feelings and positive functioning in life). Specifically, these studies have found that individual sense of community in the school is associated with well‐being. However, individual sense of community in the school does not constitute a school‐level characteristic, and the influence of sense of community at the school level on students’ well‐being was not investigated. To address this gap in the literature, we conducted a study investigating the influence of sense of community at the school level on students’ well‐being, using multilevel analysis. Our sample comprised 1,800 students (age ranged from 11 to 20 years) from public lower and upper secondary schools in Italy. Results showed that higher sense of community scores at the school level were associated with higher well‐being scores, while controlling for individual sense of community, gender, and age. These results provide support for a school‐level theory of school sense of community (i.e., moving school sense of community theory from the individual to the school level).     

Psychological well‐being in patients with aneurysms‐osteoarthritis syndrome

Aneurysms‐osteoarthritis syndrome (AOS) is characterized by arterial aneurysms and dissection in combination with early‐onset osteoarthritis, which can impact quality of life. We describe the subjective quality of life and investigate anxiety and depression in 28 AOS patients aged 15–73 years. Three questionnaires were used: 36‐Item Short Form Survey (SF‐36), hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and Rotterdam disease specific questionnaire. Results of the SF‐36 and HADS were compared to a reference Dutch cohort and the SF‐36 questionnaire also to patients with Marfan syndrome. Compared to the general population, AOS patients scored significantly lower on the following SF‐36 domains: physical functioning, vitality, social functioning, bodily pain, and general health. Physical functioning was also lower than in Marfan patients. Patients with AOS scored higher on the HADS depression scale, while anxiety did not show a significant difference compared to the general population. No difference in SF‐36 and HADS domain scores were found between patient with and without orthopaedic symptoms and patients with or without previous aortic surgery. Additionally, we found that patients' worries for their future and heredity of their disease are important factors for anxiety, which should be addressed in clinical practice.     

Enhancing well‐being and alleviating depressive symptoms with positive psychology interventions: a practice‐friendly meta‐analysis

Do positive psychology interventions—that is, treatment methods or intentional activities aimed at cultivating positive feelings, positive behaviors, or positive cognitions—enhance well‐being and ameliorate depressive symptoms? A meta‐analysis of 51 such interventions with 4,266 individuals was conducted to address this question and to provide practical guidance to clinicians. The results revealed that positive psychology interventions do indeed significantly enhance well‐being (mean r=.29) and decrease depressive symptoms (mean r=.31). In addition, several factors were found to impact the effectiveness of positive psychology interventions, including the depression status, self‐selection, and age of participants, as well as the format and duration of the interventions. Accordingly, clinicians should be encouraged to incorporate positive psychology techniques into their clinical work, particularly for treating clients who are depressed, relatively older, or highly motivated to improve. Our findings also suggest that clinicians would do well to deliver positive psychology interventions as individual (versus group) therapy and for relatively longer periods of time. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 65: 1–21, 2009.     

Structured leisure activities in middle childhood: Links to well‐being

Associations between children's (N = 147) participation in structured leisure activities and their adjustment were examined. Caregivers provided lists of extracurricular activities (clubs, sports, and church activities) in which children participated. Children and caregivers participated in interviews and completed questionnaires designed to measure children's adjustment in four domains (academic competence, psychosocial development, externalizing behavior, and internalizing behavior). Classroom teachers completed additional measures of children's academic and social competence. Greater participation in club activities was linked with higher academic grades and more positive teacher ratings of academic competence. Greater participation in sports was associated with higher levels of psychosocial maturity and more positive teacher ratings of social competence. There were no associations between involvement in church activities and any indicators of adjustment. Activity involvement was unassociated with externalizing or internalizing behavior. Findings are discussed in terms of both selection into different types of extracurricular activities and the skills emphasized in the pursuit of such activities. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 31: 641–659, 2003.     

Family well‐being and disabled children: A psychosocial model of disability‐related child behaviour problems

Background: When parents receive a diagnosis that their child is disabled, many families adjust to this healthily and cope well, but others do not. Feelings of hopelessness, social isolation of the family within the community and child behaviour problems have all been reported. While utilization of social support systems is well documented in the literature as being a significant factor in family coping and adjustment to the child's disability, less attention has been focused on the role of psychological factors. Objective: This theoretical study aims to address this inbalance by integrating perspectives from a social model of disability with psychological research on the role of cognitive change in families' coping and adjustment to having a disabled child, and thus to produce a new psychosocial model of disability‐related child behaviour problems. Method: Negative societal attitudes to disability identified by a social model of disability are interpreted with respect to how they might translate to parent views of their disabled child within the family. Resultant parenting beliefs and their possible implications for family interaction, child behaviour and family health and well‐being are explored within this new framework. Conclusions: The psychosocial model of disability‐related child behaviour problems provides a useful conceptual framework that has both clinical and research implications for professionals working with families with disabled children.     

A measure to assess the workplace well‐being of psychological practitioners

The well‐being of psychological practitioners is a key factor in the effective delivery of psychological therapies and the effectiveness of mental health services. Despite this, there are no measures of well‐being for this professional group. The 26‐item psychological practitioner workplace well‐being measure (PPWWM) measures psychological well‐being for psychological practitioners and was informed by a qualitative study. Items were generated and then verified by groups of practitioners using sorting tasks. The items reflect a broad range of issues relevant to the workplace well‐being of psychological practitioners. The PPWWM was validated with a sample of 400 psychological practitioners recruited through professional networks. Internal consistency (α = .92) and test–retest reliability (r = .94) were high. Construct validity was indicated by positive correlations with the Health and Safety Executive Management Standards Indicator Tool and Satisfaction with Life Scale and negative correlation with the General Health Questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis produced six factors, explaining 61.2% of the variance: professional and organizational; support and flexibility; professional role; physical environment; clinical supervision; and external personal. PPWWM scores were not significantly associated with a range of demographic variables (gender, health/disability, profession, and type of organization), but it did correlate significantly and negatively with age. The PPWWM has potential application as a brief measure, suitable for large‐scale surveys that specifically measures workplace well‐being in psychological practitioners. Future research could include cross validation with new samples and validation with subgroups of psychological practitioners.     

Perceptions of safety and subjective well‐being of Brazilian children

Safety is considered an important aspect of life and well‐being. However, few studies have examined the relationship between safety and well‐being among children, especially in Latin American. This study aims at analyzing the relationship between perceptions of safety and children's subjective well‐being, considering children's school, city context, and sex. Participants were 2,200 Brazilian children (10–13 years old) who answered the single item on Overall Life Satisfaction, the Satisfaction With Life Student Scale, and four items regarding safety perceptions. Through analysis of variance and structural equation modeling (SEM), results indicate that children who live in inner cities and study in private schools have significantly higher averages of safety perception. Also, boys present higher averages about how safe they feel. SEM presents a positive and significant relationship between safety perception and children's subjective well‐being and multigroup SEM indicates invariance of the model across groups. Safety is presented as an important component of well‐being. Interventions aimed at promoting safety and community ties can enhance children's well‐being.     

Neighborhoods and neighbors: Do they contribute to personal well‐being?

The present study examined the relationship between characteristics of neighborhoods (with set physical boundaries and relatively homogeneous populations) and personal well‐being as mediated by sense of community and neighboring behavior. A randomly selected representative sample of 345 residents living in non‐apartment dwellings in Winnipeg, Canada, completed a mail survey that included created measures of neighboring and sense of community and the General Health Questionnaire. Results demonstrated that sense of community mediates the relationship between neighborhood stability (as defined by the marital status and mobility) and residents' well‐being. The frequency of engaging in neighboring behavior was not directly predictive of residents' sense of personal well‐being, but was predictive of increased sense of community. Consistent with previous research, findings highlight the importance of building a sense of community among residents in a neighborhood. Implications of findings for neighborhood planning are discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 9–25, 2004.     

Verbal and non‐verbal disclosure of recalled negative experiences: Relation to well‐being

This study investigated the relationship between methods of disclosure of recalled negative experience and well‐being. Six first‐year undergraduate class groups (N = 100) at an Australian university completed pre‐ and post‐intervention measures of psychological and psychophysical well‐being. For the disclosure intervention, three groups wrote, drew, or drew‐and‐wrote about a recalled negative experience (RNE groups); the three non‐disclosure groups wrote, drew, or drew‐and‐wrote on neutral topics (NT groups). The expectation that disclosure of negative experiences would enhance well‐being was partly supported, with writing and drawing‐and‐writing disclosure groups reporting increased psychological, but not psychophysical, well‐being. As predicted, verbal disclosure methods were more effective than non‐verbal methods, with the draw‐and‐write group showing the greatest improvement. Unexpectedly, disclosure via drawing alone was associated with decreased psychological well‐being. Against predictions, changes were found in two NT groups: The draw‐and‐write group reported improved psychological, and the draw group improved psychophysical well‐being. It was concluded that verbal disclosure, especially when combined with the non‐verbal method of drawing, may enhance psychological well‐being, but that drawing, without accompanying verbalization, may decrease psychological well‐being. It is suggested that future studies address variables such aslevel of disclosure, content and time of the negative experience, with time taken to manifest changes in well‐being, using both subjective and objective indicators.     

Positive thinking revisited: positive cognitions,well‐being and mental health

There has been relatively little attention given to the issue of positive cognition in psychological research and therapy. This paper explores reasons for this neglect and presents empirical and conceptual support for the importance of positive cognition in mental health. Evidence is presented that positive and negative aspects of experience are mediated by separate psychological systems rather than being opposite ends of a single dimension. We then review research that describes the potential importance of positive cognition in psychological disorders, especially in recovery and relapse in depression. Finally, we present suggestions for evaluating the validity and helpfulness of positive cognitions within therapy, and discuss some therapeutic approaches that focus on increasing positive cognition and well‐being. The case for positive cognitions being important is argued mainly in the context of depression and the therapeutic applications are discussed mainly in relation to cognitive therapy, but the arguments may well be applicable to other disorders and other therapeutic approaches. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimism,coping style and emotional well‐being in cardiac patients

Objective. Optimism is associated with superior emotional well‐being in people with chronic and acute health problems, possibly because optimists are more likely to implement problem‐focused coping. Another interpretation posits that optimism can be a defensive response designed to diminish affective reactions to health problems. The study objective is to investigate this possibility. Design. A cross‐sectional examination of relationships between dispositional and relative optimism, threat avoidance and emotional well‐being in 85 cardiac patients. Results. Blunting, a measure of threat avoidance, was found to be associated with both optimism and emotional well‐being, and the common variance was predictive of positive affect. As expected, this link was stronger in people with low self‐efficacy for problem‐focused coping. Conclusion. These findings support a defensive interpretation of optimism amongst patients with recently‐experienced cardiac disease, particularly as the effect was more pronounced in the low self‐efficacy subsample. We discuss possible explanations for these findings and implications for the study of coping with serious illness.     

Psychopathology and well‐being in civilian survivors of war seeking treatment: a follow‐up study

The goal of the current study was to examine types of exposure to traumatic events and affective and anxiety disorders of 81 civilian war survivors seeking treatment for war‐related stress almost one decade following the war in the area of former conflict. Furthermore, the study investigated changes in symptoms of mental health and in well‐being amongst these individuals during a treatment period of 6 months. The results indicated that civilian war survivors seeking treatment reported multiple war‐related traumatic events and high levels of psychiatric morbidity. Individuals assessed at follow‐up (n = 67) reported no change in post‐traumatic stress symptoms or psychological well‐being, but improvement in symptoms of depression, overall psychiatric distress and quality of life. The only significant difference between participants classified as achieving clinically significant improvement as compared with those who did not achieve such change was in less symptom severity of depression, post‐traumatic stress, general distress and higher psychological well‐being at the time of first assessment. Neither the assessment of initial diagnoses nor war or post‐war trauma types emerged as significantly different amongst the two groups. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message: ? Civilian survivors of war seeking treatment report high levels of psychiatric morbidity. ? Treatment for survivors of war may require adaptations to evidence‐based treatments based on their culture and life circumstances in order to recover from PTSD and experience general emotional relief.     

Rapid assessment of well‐being: The Short Depression‐Happiness Scale (SDHS)

The purpose of this paper was: first, to develop the short six‐item form of the Depression‐Happiness Scale; and second, to examine evidence of reliability and validity for the short form. Three studies are presented. In the first study, principal components analysis is reported and used to select six items to compose the short form of the scale. In the second study, re‐analyses of data from three previous studies are presented which confirm that the short scale has good psychometric properties of internal consistency reliability, test — retest reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity. In the third study, the short form is found to have a single component structure and convergent validity with measures of depression, happiness and personality.     

Mutation analysis of Jewish hunter patients in Israel

We have performed molecular and mutation analyses on 14 unrelated Israeli Hunter families and have identified the IDS mutation in 8 of them. Three unrelated Ashkenazi patients had the same previously reported mutation (1246 C→T). Based on the haplotypes of the mutation-bearing chromosomes, we concluded that this is a recurrent mutation. In two patients, we identified a deletion spanning exons V–VII. Three novel mutations were observed in different patients: L410P, 717del4, and 244del3. In addition, the silent mutation (562 C→T) was observed in one patient. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Beyond Ryff's scale: Comprehensive measures of eudaimonic well‐being in clinical populations. A systematic review

Eudaimonic well‐being that protects mental and physical health has received increasing attention. This investigation aimed to review which comprehensive instruments for measuring eudaimonic well‐being were applied with clinical populations (reporting mental or physical illnesses), beyond Ryff's Psychological Well‐Being Scale. Articles citing at least 1 of the measures of eudaimonic well‐being identified by previous theoretical work were extracted from medical and psychological electronic databases and screened. Only investigations involving clinical populations were included and reviewed. An initial screening identified 5,065 articles using eudaimonic well‐being measures, out of which only 28 articles encompassed clinical populations and could be included. Sixteen involved patients with mental disorders and 12 populations with medical conditions. In these articles, only 4 measures of eudaimonic well‐being were used (Mental Health Continuum, Flourishing Scale, General Causality Orientations Scale, and Orientations to Happiness Subscales), out of the 12 currently available in literature. The Mental Health Continuum was the most used instrument, particularly in adults with depression, whose levels of eudaimonic well‐being are impaired, but may be improved by specific interventions. Autonomy appeared to influence patients' motivation to treatment, both in mental and physical disorders. The need for a larger consensus regarding specific measures of eudaimonic well‐being for clinical populations emerged. The importance of including assessment of positive functioning as an indicator of recovery in clinical domains is discussed.     

Effects of expressive writing among bilinguals: Exploring psychological well‐being and social behaviour

Eighty‐nine Korean‐English and Spanish‐English bilingual students expressively wrote in their native language, English, or both languages on four occasions or were assigned to a non‐writing control group. In addition to self‐reports of adjustment, participants wore a recording device that sampled their natural language at 30‐second intervals every 12.5 min for 2 days both prior to and 1 month after the experiment. Overall, those assigned to the language switching condition showed the greatest improvements in adjustment and social engagement.     

The quest for well‐being: A qualitative study of the experience of taking antipsychotic medication

Antipsychotic medication is integral to the treatment of severe and enduring mental health problems (e.g. schizophrenia). Such medication is associated with significant adverse side effects that can affect treatment adherence. To date there have been few attempts to analyse qualitatively service users’ experience of taking antipsychotic medication. This study, conducted in Exeter, South West England, investigates the subjective experience of side effects of antipsychotic medication to gain a greater understanding of service users' experiences and to gain insights into adherence issues. Data were analysed using a variant of grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) and a model of the experience of taking antipsychotic medication was constructed. The interview schedule was then refined and further interviews (including a focus group) were conducted among a diverse sample recruited from local day centres. Results indicated that people taking antipsychotic medication do not see side effects and symptoms as separate issues. Instead, they describe drugs as ‘good’ or ‘terrible’—an indication of the total impact of their treatment. The model constructed reflects this, having the core concept of Well‐being: that is, normality of function, feeling and appearance to the outside world. Major themes relating to this core category were managing treatment, evaluating treatment and understanding of the situation. Implications for medication adherence and clinical practice, including drug choice, are discussed, and the doctor‐patient relationship is also considered.     

Experiences of oppression,liberation, and well‐being among Moroccans in Andalusia

This qualitative study explores the settlement experiences of Moroccan migrants living in Andalusia (southern Spain). Taking a liberation psychology approach, we focus on the roles that power relations, oppression, well‐being, and liberation play in the newcomers’ adaptation to the host country from a sociopolitical point of view. Based on grounded theory, we analyze the narratives of 28 Moroccan migrants across two different contexts within Andalusia; 15 participated in in‐depth interviews and 13 in 2 separate focus groups. A series of theoretical propositions emerged from the analysis, taking into account (a) conditions of oppression, (b) responses to conditions of oppression, and (c) the well‐being continuum. These interrelated dimensions were found to shape different migration trajectories, leading to either maintaining the unjust living conditions or choosing to confront them. In the latter case, migrants actively engaged in transformative civic actions promoting social justice and symmetrical power relations between the migrant and native‐born populations. The main contribution of this study is to value migrants by defining their migratory experiences and how, in their view, the liberation process is achieved.     

Can prevention of marital distress improve well‐being? A 1 year longitudinal study

This study investigates the effectiveness of a marital distress prevention program for couples with low marital satisfaction with regard to a possible improvement of physical and psychological well‐being. Fifty‐nine couples, composing the intervention group, participated in a prevention program lasting 18 hours and focusing on the enhancement of coping resources (Couples Coping Enhancement Training). These couples were matched with 59 couples receiving no intervention (comparison group). The results reveal that the prevention program is able to improve psychological well‐being among both genders and life satisfaction among women. It seems that these effects are stable over 1 year. On the other hand, no significant effects could be observed on physical well‐being. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.