scholarly journals Happiness as Correlates of Mental Well-Being

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shama Rahman ◽  
Shamim A. Ansari ◽  
Farzana Parveen

The quality of a nation depends upon the good mental health of adolescent students. Though the purpose of my study to explore whether happiness is associated with mental well-being among adolescents. The concept of mental health contains aspect of our emotional, psychological and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease. Happiness is the positive key factor of human daily life and was introduced as a main component of health by the WHO. Happiness is based on a life-long pursuit of meaningful, developmental goals. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between happiness and mental well-being among adolescent students. For this purpose a sample consisting N=100 adolescent students (male=50 and female=50). Sample was taken from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. Mental well-being scale by Tenant et al. (2007) used to check the mental well-being among adolescents. And Oxford Happiness Questionnaire by psychologist Michael Argyle and Peter Hills (1989) to check the happiness level of adolescent students. Result was analyzed by SPSS software. Positive correlation (r=.670) was found between happiness and mental well-being among adolescent students. Insignificant difference had found between male and female adolescence on happiness level (t=1.207) & mental well-being level (t=.105). Thus, happiness can enhance the mental well-being of a person, which is beneficial for a person’s healthy life style.

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bindu Kumari ◽  
Rajnee Sharma

Mental Well-Being is an integral part of good mental health and indicator of the ability of the individuals to cope up with daily stresses and work productively. Many predisposed and acquired factors influence the Mental Well-Being of an individual. The present study investigated the Self- Esteem and Personality traits as the predictors of mental well being. The results indicated that Neuroticism, Extraversion and Openness to experience came out as significant predictors of Mental Well-Being.


Author(s):  
Israel Escudero-Castillo ◽  
Fco. Javier Mato-Díaz ◽  
Ana Rodriguez-Alvarez

As a consequence of the Spring 2020 lockdown that occurred in Spain due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people lost their jobs or had to be furloughed. The objective of this study is to analyse the influence of the latter changes in labour market status on psychological well-being. For this purpose, an ad-hoc questionnaire featuring socio-demographic and mental health criteria was created. Granted that the pandemic can be viewed as an exogenous shock, the bias caused by the bidirectional problems between the work situation and mental well-being can be tackled. Results indicate that the lockdown exerted a greater negative effect on the self-perceived well-being of unemployed and furloughed persons than on those in employment. Moreover, among those in continuous employment, teleworkers experienced a lesser degree of self-perceived well-being post lockdown as compared to those people remaining in the same work location throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Finally, the lockdown provoked worse effects on the self-perceived well-being of women as compared to men, a result that appears to be related to gender differences in household production. In conclusion, these results could be especially relevant given that the evolution of the pandemic is having ongoing effects on employment and, therefore, on the mental health of workers.


Author(s):  
Kris Vanhaecht ◽  
Deborah Seys ◽  
Luk Bruyneel ◽  
Bianca Cox ◽  
Gorik Kaesemans ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may aggravate workplace conditions that impact health-care workers’ mental health. However, it can also place other stresses on workers outside of their work. This study determines the effect of COVID-19 on symptoms of negative and positive mental health and the workforce’s experience with various sources of support. Effect modification by demographic variables was also studied. Methods A cross-sectional survey study, conducted between 2 April and 4 May 2020 (two waves), led to a convenience sample of 4509 health-care workers in Flanders (Belgium), including paramedics (40.6%), nurses (33.4%), doctors (13.4%) and management staff (12.2%). About three in four were employed in university and acute hospitals (29.6%), primary care practices (25.7%), residential care centers (21.3%) or care sites for disabled and mental health care. In each of the two waves, participants were asked how frequently (on a scale of 0–10) they experienced positive and negative mental health symptoms during normal circumstances and during last week, referred to as before and during COVID-19, respectively. These symptoms were stress, hypervigilance, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, unable to relax, fear, irregular lifestyle, flashback, difficulty concentrating, feeling unhappy and dejected, failing to recognize their own emotional response, doubting knowledge and skills and feeling uncomfortable within the team. Associations between COVID-19 and mental health symptoms were estimated by cumulative logit models and reported as odds ratios. The needed support was our secondary outcome and was reported as the degree to which health-care workers relied on sources of support and how they experienced them. Results All symptoms were significantly more pronounced during versus before COVID-19. For hypervigilance, there was a 12-fold odds (odds ratio 12.24, 95% confidence interval 11.11–13.49) during versus before COVID-19. Positive professional symptoms such as the feeling that one can make a difference were less frequently experienced. The association between COVID-19 and mental health was generally strongest for the age group 30–49 years, females, nurses and residential care centers. Health-care workers reported to rely on support from relatives and peers. A considerable proportion, respectively, 18 and 27%, reported the need for professional guidance from psychologists and more support from their leadership. Conclusions The toll of the crisis has been heavy on health-care workers. Those who carry leadership positions at an organizational or system level should take this opportunity to develop targeted strategies to mitigate key stressors of health-care workers’ mental well-being.


2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (12) ◽  
pp. 776-788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracie O. Afifi ◽  
Harriet L. MacMillan ◽  
Tamara Taillieu ◽  
Sarah Turner ◽  
Kristene Cheung ◽  
...  

Objective: Child abuse can have devastating mental health consequences. Fortunately, not all individuals exposed to child abuse will suffer from poor mental health. Understanding what factors are related to good mental health following child abuse can provide evidence to inform prevention of impairment. Our objectives were to 1) describe the prevalence of good, moderate, and poor mental health among respondents with and without a child abuse history; 2) examine the relationships between child abuse and good, moderate, and poor mental health outcomes; 3) examine the relationships between individual- and relationship-level factors and better mental health outcomes; and 4) determine if individual- and relationship-level factors moderate the relationship between child abuse and mental health. Method: Data were from the nationally representative 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health ( n = 23,395; household response rate = 79.8%; 18 years and older). Good, moderate, and poor mental health was assessed using current functioning and well-being, past-year mental disorders, and past-year suicidal ideation. Results: Only 56.3% of respondents with a child abuse history report good mental health compared to 72.4% of those without a child abuse history. Individual- and relationship-level factors associated with better mental health included higher education and income, physical activity, good coping skills to handle problems and daily demands, and supportive relationships that foster attachment, guidance, reliable alliance, social integration, and reassurance of worth. Conclusions: This study identifies several individual- and relationship-level factors that could be targeted for intervention strategies aimed at improving mental health outcomes following child abuse.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvina Catuara-Solarz ◽  
Bartlomiej Skorulski ◽  
Inaki Estella ◽  
Claudia Avella-Garcia ◽  
Sarah Shepherd ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Against a long-term trend of increasing demand, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global rise in common mental disorders. Now more than ever, there is an urgent need for scalable, evidence-based interventions to support mental well-being. OBJECTIVE The aim of this proof-of-principle study was to evaluate the efficacy of a mobile-based app in adults with self-reported symptoms of anxiety and stress in a randomised control trial that took place during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. METHODS Adults with mild to severe anxiety and moderate to high levels of perceived stress were randomised to either the intervention or control arm. Participants in the intervention arm were given access to the app, Foundations, for the duration of the 4-week study. All participants were required to self-report a range of validated measures of mental well-being (10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience scale [CD-RISC-10]; 7-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale [GAD-7]; Office of National Statistics Four Subjective Well-being Questions [ONS-4]; World Health Organisation-5 Well-Being Index [WHO-5]) and sleep (Minimal Insomnia Scale [MISS]) at baseline and weeks 2 and 4; and, in addition, on perceived stress weekly (10-item Perceived Stress Score [PSS]). RESULTS 136 participants completed the study and were included in the final analysis. The intervention group (n=62) showed significant improvements compared to the control group (n=74) on measures of anxiety (GAD-7 score, delta from baseline to week 2 in the intervention group: -1.35 [SD 4.43]; control group: -0.23 [SD 3.24]; t134= 1.71 , P=.04), resilience (CD-RISC score, delta from baseline to week 2 in the intervention group: 1.79 [± SD 4.08]; control group: -0.31 [± SD 3.16]; t134 -3.37, P<.001), sleep (MISS score, delta from baseline to week 2 in the intervention group: -1.16 [± SD 2.67]; control group: -0.26 [± SD 2.29]; t134= 2.13, P=.01), and mental well-being (WHO-5 score, delta from baseline to week 2 in the intervention group: 1.53 [5.30]; control group: -0.23 [± SD 4.20]; t134= -2.16, P=.02) within 2 weeks of using Foundations, with further improvements emerging at week 4. Perceived stress was also reduced within the intervention group, although the results did not reach statistical significance relative to the control group (PSS score, delta from baseline to week 2 in the intervention group: -2.94 [± SD 6.84]; control group: -2.05 [± SD 5.34]; t134= 0.84, P=.20). CONCLUSIONS This study provides proof-of-principle that the digital mental health app, Foundations, can improve measures of mental well-being, anxiety, resilience, and sleep within 2 weeks of use, with greater effects after 4 weeks. It therefore offers potential as a scalable, cost-effective, and accessible solution to enhance mental well-being, even during times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (14) ◽  
pp. 2389-2396 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Stochl ◽  
E. Soneson ◽  
A.P. Wagner ◽  
G.M. Khandaker ◽  
I. Goodyer ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundAn increasing importance is being placed on mental health and wellbeing at individual and population levels. While there are several interventions that have been proposed to improve wellbeing, more evidence is needed to understand which aspects of wellbeing are most influential. This study aimed to identify key items that signal improvement of mental health and wellbeing.MethodsUsing network analysis, we identified the most central items in the graph network estimated from the well-established Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). Results were compared across four major UK cohorts comprising a total of 47,578 individuals: the Neuroscience in Psychiatry Network, the Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey, the Northern Ireland Health Survey, and the National Child Development Study.ResultsRegardless of gender, the three items most central in the network were related to positive self-perception and mood: ‘I have been feeling good about myself’; ‘I have been feeling confident’; and ‘I have been feeling cheerful’. Results were consistent across all four cohorts.ConclusionsPositive self-perception and positive mood are central to psychological wellbeing. Psychotherapeutic and public mental health interventions might best promote psychological wellbeing by prioritising the improvement of self-esteem, self-confidence and cheerfulness. However, empirical testing of interventions using these key targets is needed.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Anderson ◽  
Rotem Petranker ◽  
Daniel Rosenbaum ◽  
Cory Weissman ◽  
Le-Anh Dinh-Williams ◽  
...  

Microdosing psychedelics - the regular consumption of small amounts of psychedelic substances such as LSD or psilocybin - is a growing trend in popular culture. Recent studies on full-dose psychedelic psychotherapy reveal promising benefits for mental well-being, especially for depression and end-of-life anxiety. While full-dose therapies include perception-distorting properties, microdosing may provide complementary clinical benefits using lower-risk, non-hallucinogenic doses. No experimental study has evaluated psychedelic microdosing, however; this pre-registered study is the first to investigate microdosing psychedelics and mental health. Recruited from online forums, current and former microdosers scored lower on measures of dysfunctional attitudes and negative emotionality and higher on wisdom, open-mindedness, and creativity when compared to non-microdosing controls. These findings provide promising initial evidence that warrants controlled experimental research to directly test safety and clinical efficacy. As microdoses are easier to administer than full-doses, this new paradigm has the exciting potential to shape future psychedelic research.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Urvashi Sharma ◽  
Dr. Ravindra Kumar

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Mental health refers to our overall psychological well-being. It includes the way we feel about our self, the quality of our relationships, and our ability to manage our feelings and deal with difficulties. Good mental health isn’t just the absence of mental health problems. People who are emotionally or mentally healthy are in control of their emotions and their behavior. They are able to handle life’s challenges, build strong relationships, and recover from setbacks. Positive mental health is a state of well-being in which we realize our abilities, can cope with life’s normal stresses, and can work regularly and productively. Physical health means a good body health, which is healthy because of regular physical activity, good nutrition, and adequate rest. Physical health can be determined by considering someone’s height/weight ratio, their Body Mass Index. Another term for physical health is physical wellbeing. Physical wellbeing is defined as something a person can achieve by developing all health-related components of his/her lifestyle. It can be concluded that mental and physical health is fundamentally linked. There are multiple associations between mental health and chronic physical conditions that significantly impact people’s quality of life. Just as physical fitness helps our bodies to stay strong, mental fitness helps us to achieve and sustain a state of good mental health. When we are mentally healthy, we enjoy our life and environment, and the people in it.


Author(s):  
Daniel Thompson ◽  
Ann John ◽  
Richard Fry ◽  
Alan Watkins

IntroductionCommon mental health disorders (CMD) are significant contributors to impaired health and well-being, and drive greater health resource utilisation. Electronic health records (EHR) are increasingly used for case identification of CMD when ascertaining social determinants of mental health. We seek to compare self-reported well-being indicators in groups identified using EHR-based CMD methods. Objectives and ApproachThe National Survey for Wales (NSW) contains self-reported well-being indicators (Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, WEMWBS) recorded annually on ~7,000 individuals. We combined data from two NSWs and linked well-being indicators with Welsh Longitudinal General Practice (WLGP) data within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank, using individual response dates. We then used WGLP data to algorithmically derive identifiers of CMD cases within survey respondents. This individual-level linkage enables a comparison of NSW responses in CMD and non-CMD cases, and to assess sensitivity and specificity of the current CMD algorithm. ResultsSurvey participants comprised 18,450 adults aged 16+ and living in Wales during 16/17 or 18/19. WEMWBS responses indicate 2,338 (12.6%) participants could be considered possibly depressed, and 2,268 (12.3%) probably depressed with low mental well-being (LMW). For participants with LMW, a 42/58 percentage split is observed between male/female respondents, compared to a 45/55 respective split of those not identified with LMW. Participants with LMW recorded low measures for overall satisfaction with life, 998 (44%) reported a value of 5 or less (/10) compared to 1123 (7%) participants not identified with LMW. Similarly, 828 (37%) participants identified with LMW reported 5 or less (/10) on the life worthwhile index, compared to 800 (5%) of non-LMW participants. Conclusion / ImplicationsLinkage to the NSW provides a rich data source to compare objective well-being to algorithmically derived CMD cases from routinely collected primary care data. The individual-level linkage involved will allow for the wider determinants of mental health disorders to be examined.


BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S338-S338
Author(s):  
Aida Nourbakhsh ◽  
Kandarp Joshi ◽  
Breige Yorston

AimsRecently, there has been a greater focus on how mental health in young people (YP) can be improved. Up to 10% of YP in Scotland have a diagnosable mental health condition1 and half of all adults with mental ill-health have had symptoms from their mid-teens2. Poverty is an important factor associated with poorer mental well-being from an early age which worsens if left untreated3. The aim of this audit was to answer the question: Are more YP referred from the least deprived areas, and are they more likely to require medication intervention or high intensity (tier 4) care? The results of which could help identify possible avenues for intervention to help improve retention of those most at risk of negative outcomes.MethodNHS Grampian CAMHS provides service to Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, and Moray. Pre-collected data over 15 months from these areas were analysed using the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) deciles to distinguish any differences between referrals made. In addition, this audit evaluated the data to define any trends of deprivation linking YP to medication intervention or tier 4 care.ResultResults showed that more referrals were made for YP in low-ranking areas (3.19% of decile one compared to 1.74% of decile ten). The referrals were also more likely to be rejected based on the referral criteria, 33% in decile one versus 21% in decile ten. The increased rejection of referrals is most likely a reflection of the health inequalities faced by communities in more deprived areas. In terms of service provision, the patients from the most deprived areas are 3 times more like to require tier 4 care while the least deprived are 1.5 times more likely as compared to percentage of population. With regards to medication intervention patients from deciles one, five, six and seven have significantly higher numbers.ConclusionThis project set out to look at the current service provided by CAMHS and found that despite best efforts deprivation has had an impact on the acceptance of referrals. Going forward this data will be shared with multiagency stakeholders to develop service provisions, in particular the issues identified with the rejection of referrals in more deprived areas. Higher level of medication use in more deprived population is not unexpected but highlights the need to share the findings with a multiagency network.


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