Cheng, Brian Hugh. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts also in Chinese.

Because of the impact of stress on health, it is important to understand the variables that underlie cardiovascular reactivity to stress because it may lead to more focused targets of intervention for helping people to reduce or otherwise better manage their stress. The purpose of the present study was to answer the following questions: does lack of eudaimonic well-being (a combination of psychological and social well-being) predict increased cardiovascular reactivity to stress in a clinically distressed population? And does increased eudaimonic well-being protect against increased cardiovascular reactivity to stress when hedonic well-being (a combination of positive affect and life satisfaction) is low and depression and stress are high? If so, then it may be possible to reduce the effects of stress on health even if depression and stress are present. One hundred twenty-nine college students (ages 18-29) who were clinically distressed were administered a questionnaire that included questions about demographic variables and measures of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, depression, and general perceived stress. After answering the questionnaire, a baseline reading of cardiovascular activity was taken. After the baseline reading, participants were subjected to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), an interpersonal stressor that consists of an anticipation period, a speech, and a math task. Measurements of cardiovascular activity were taken throughout the TSST. I predicted that lower levels of eudaimonic and hedonic well-being, mental health, and higher amounts of general perceived stress would predict increased cardiovascular reactivity to the TSST as measured by systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate. Then, should the prior hypothesis be true, I predicted that higher eudaimonic well-being will suppress the effect of lower hedonic will-being, lower mental health, and higher general perceived stress on cardiovascular activity to acute stress. Results of the study found no effect of eudaimonic well-being, hedonic well-being, depression, and general perceived stress on cardiovascular reactivity during the TSST. The results suggest that there is no relationship between well-being, depression, and general perceived stress and cardiovascular reactivity to stress in a young college student population.

Teaching is considered one of the most challenging professions, often associated with high levels of occupational stress and job turnover that perpetuates additional negative outcomes including depleted funding for school districts, poor education quality, and reduced student academic performance. Research shows that teachers are an integral part of the classroom with the power to positively influence students’ perceived classroom support and emotional competence (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). Positive psychology has facilitated school-based initiatives that foster feelings of subjective well-being (happiness) through the implementation of brief, scripted activities (i.e., Positive Psychology Interventions; PPIs) that reflect the thoughts and behaviors of happy people (Layous & Lyubomirsky, 2014). Studies have demonstrated the positive impact of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) for adults (Bolier et al., 2013) and youth including a multicomponent, multitarget PPI (i.e., Well-Being Promotion Program) that improves students’ well-being (Suldo et al., 2015). McCullough’s (2015) investigation of the efficacy of a strengths-based intervention (Utilizing Signature Strengths in New Ways) on elementary teachers’ well-being revealed promising effects on teacher reduced emotional distress, increased life and work satisfaction, and SWB. This study examined the additive impact of teachers’ participation in the brief strengths-based teacher intervention (SBTI) on elementary students’ social and emotional outcomes, as reflected in levels of SWB, psychopathology, as well as classroom engagement and relationships among teachers and students. Concurrently, these elementary students took part in a Classwide Well-Being Promotion Program, a 10-week intervention targeting a variety of positive psychological constructs (i.e., positive relationships, gratitude, kindness, character strengths, hope) with additional parent and teacher components. A total of 7 classes (4 fifth grade; 3 fourth grade) within one large elementary school received the classwide, multicomponent student intervention in spring 2016, while 3 teachers were randomly assigned to participate in the SBTI concurrently. Follow-up analyses examined group differences on the variables of interest for the combined intervention (WBPP + SBTI) group, relative to classes of students engaged in the classwide-only intervention (WBPP). At immediate post-intervention, results revealed that classes of students participating in the combined intervention group did not demonstrate significantly improved student-reported life satisfaction, positive or negative affect, classmate or teacher support, emotional or behavioral engagement, nor teacher-reported relationship satisfaction, instrumental help, and emotional or behavioral engagement relative to the classwide-only intervention group. Additionally, students in classes within the combined approach reported statistically higher levels of negative affect and reduced levels of perceived teacher support relative to a classwide-only intervention group at immediate post-intervention, although the unexpected impact on negative affect appeared driven by data from students in the class led by a teacher with questionable fidelity of intervention implementation. Results of this study do not provide support that targeting teachers’ well-being through the SBTI may promote superior student outcomes for students concurrently engaged in the WBPP. Nonetheless, high levels of treatment acceptability reported by teachers and students participating in the combined intervention, as well as limitations to the study design, justify further investigation on the impact of targeting both teacher and student well-being in the context of positive psychological practices.

The aim of this study was to come to a better understanding of possible neuropsychological mechanisms underlying psychosocial well-being and therefore to determine whether a relationship between neuropsychological executive functions and psychosocial well-being does indeed exist. Research was conducted in the domains of neuropsychology and positive psychology. This thesis consists of three articles, namely I ) Neuropsychological executive functions and psychosocial well-being: A review, 2) Attentional switching and psychosocial! well-being, and 3) The relationship between generativity as neuropsychological process and psychosocial well-being. The first article argued the possibility of a relationship between neuropsychological and psychosocial aspects, with reference to a pluralistic ecosystems perspective, neuropsychological and other positive psychological theories, such as Miller's neuropsychodynamic model and Frederickson's broaden-and-build theory, as well as existing empirical studies. Numerous neuropsychological studies have indicated that the prefrontal cortex is involved in executive functions, with its main function to regulate both cognitive and affective functioning. Analyses of existing empirical studies indicated an established relationship between prefrontal lobe / executive / regulatory dysfunction and psychopathology, but also that the relationship between normal or optimal prefrontal executive functions and psychosocial well-being is still unclear. The first article concluded that evidence correlating neuropsychological functioning with human flourishing, or indicating possible neuropsychological mechanisms involved in psychosocial well-being, is sparse, presenting a serious lacuna in scientific knowledge. The following two articles focused on contributing to filling this lacuna. "Attentional switching and psychosocial well-being" and "The relationship between generativity, as neuropsychological process and psychosocial well-being" focused on attentional switching and generativity, as part of neuropsychological executive functions, as potential mechanisms associated with psychosocial well-being. These studies aimed to determine whether the capacity to switch attention, as measured by the Color Trails Test (CTT) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and the capacity to generate novelty, as measured by the Controlled Verbal Fluency Task (CVFT) (Benton, 1967) and Uses of Objects Test (UOT) (Getzels & Jackson, 1962), are related to the degree of psychosocial well-being experienced. As part of the interdisciplinary POWIRS (Profiles of Obese Women with Insulin Resistance Syndrome) project, black African women (article 2 n=66; article 3 n=72) completed the above mentioned neuropsychological measures, as well as indices of psychosocial wellbeing, in a cross-sectional design. The psychosocial measures included the Affectometer (AFM) 2 (Kammann & Flett, 1983); Constructive Thinking Inventory (CTI) abbreviated version (Epstein & Meier, 1989); Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC- 29) (Antonovsky, 1987, 1993); The Fortitude Questionnaire (FORQ) (Pretorius, 1998); JAREL Spiritual Well-being Scale (SWS-H) (Hungelman et al., 1989); Psychological Well-being Scales (SPW-B) (Ryff & Singer, 1998); and the Cognitive Appraisal Questionnaire (CAQ) (Botha & Wissing, 2003). The main findings of these studies were hat the ease of attentional switching and generativity correlates statistically (p<0.5) and practically significantly with higher levels of psychosocial well-being. From a micro-deterministic perspective it can be concluded that frontal lobe executive functions may play a role in the regulation higher-order adjusting psychosocial functions related to quality of life. From a micro-deterministic perspective it can be concluded that psychosocial well-being, while being influenced by executive functions, may also influence the continuous development of neuropsychological executive functions. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

En studie om hur en ökad kommersialisering inom revisionsbranschen påverkar revisorers well-being. Begreppet kommersialisering representeras av de tre aspekterna marknadsorientering, kundorientering och affärsorientering medan well-being aspekten representeras av lycka, arbetstillfredsställelse och arbetsmiljö. Det empiriska resultatet av studien tyder på att kommersialiseringsaspekterna marknadsorientering och affärsorientering har en positiv påverkan på revisorers well-being.

The aim of this study was to come to a better understanding of possible neuropsychological mechanisms underlying psychosocial well-being and therefore to determine whether a relationship between neuropsychological executive functions and psychosocial well-being does indeed exist. Research was conducted in the domains of neuropsychology and positive psychology. This thesis consists of three articles, namely I ) Neuropsychological executive functions and psychosocial well-being: A review, 2) Attentional switching and psychosocial! well-being, and 3) The relationship between generativity as neuropsychological process and psychosocial well-being. The first article argued the possibility of a relationship between neuropsychological and psychosocial aspects, with reference to a pluralistic ecosystems perspective, neuropsychological and other positive psychological theories, such as Miller's neuropsychodynamic model and Frederickson's broaden-and-build theory, as well as existing empirical studies. Numerous neuropsychological studies have indicated that the prefrontal cortex is involved in executive functions, with its main function to regulate both cognitive and affective functioning. Analyses of existing empirical studies indicated an established relationship between prefrontal lobe / executive / regulatory dysfunction and psychopathology, but also that the relationship between normal or optimal prefrontal executive functions and psychosocial well-being is still unclear. The first article concluded that evidence correlating neuropsychological functioning with human flourishing, or indicating possible neuropsychological mechanisms involved in psychosocial well-being, is sparse, presenting a serious lacuna in scientific knowledge. The following two articles focused on contributing to filling this lacuna. "Attentional switching and psychosocial well-being" and "The relationship between generativity, as neuropsychological process and psychosocial well-being" focused on attentional switching and generativity, as part of neuropsychological executive functions, as potential mechanisms associated with psychosocial well-being. These studies aimed to determine whether the capacity to switch attention, as measured by the Color Trails Test (CTT) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and the capacity to generate novelty, as measured by the Controlled Verbal Fluency Task (CVFT) (Benton, 1967) and Uses of Objects Test (UOT) (Getzels & Jackson, 1962), are related to the degree of psychosocial well-being experienced. As part of the interdisciplinary POWIRS (Profiles of Obese Women with Insulin Resistance Syndrome) project, black African women (article 2 n=66; article 3 n=72) completed the above mentioned neuropsychological measures, as well as indices of psychosocial wellbeing, in a cross-sectional design. The psychosocial measures included the Affectometer (AFM) 2 (Kammann & Flett, 1983); Constructive Thinking Inventory (CTI) abbreviated version (Epstein & Meier, 1989); Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC- 29) (Antonovsky, 1987, 1993); The Fortitude Questionnaire (FORQ) (Pretorius, 1998); JAREL Spiritual Well-being Scale (SWS-H) (Hungelman et al., 1989); Psychological Well-being Scales (SPW-B) (Ryff & Singer, 1998); and the Cognitive Appraisal Questionnaire (CAQ) (Botha & Wissing, 2003). The main findings of these studies were hat the ease of attentional switching and generativity correlates statistically (p<0.5) and practically significantly with higher levels of psychosocial well-being. From a micro-deterministic perspective it can be concluded that frontal lobe executive functions may play a role in the regulation higher-order adjusting psychosocial functions related to quality of life. From a micro-deterministic perspective it can be concluded that psychosocial well-being, while being influenced by executive functions, may also influence the continuous development of neuropsychological executive functions. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Thesis (Ph. D. in Economics)--Vanderbilt University, Aug. 2010. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this study is to analyze if and how cultural values and expectations in society influence the experiences and perceptions of happiness and well-being. Applying a quantitative research methods approach, a survey based on previous research was conducted to compare and analyze experiences and perceptions between two contrasting cultures, China and Sweden, using Hofstede’s national culture dimensions as an analytical tool. The sample consisted of students from China and Sweden. The findings from the study show that both groups ranked family as being the domain of life most important for their well-being, followed by health for the Chinese group, and friends for the Swedish group. There were statistically significant differences in the mean responses in some questions that may be attributed to cultural differences. For example, finishing long-term difficult tasks was ranked more important for the well- being by the Chinese group. As for the Swedish group, they felt to a higher degree that they had the freedom to choose what they would like work with. The majority of the responses, however, were similar between the two groups. The paper discusses how globalization may contribute to converging values in the current generation of students. Furthermore, other factors such as internal abilities and societal and cultural structures have an influence on the possibilities to pursue goals in life. Happiness is achieved by finding a balance in life between what you can achieve and accepting what you cannot. The themes and concepts used in the study are inspired by Jongbloed and Andres’ concepts of happiness as balance and gears of well-being. The study contributes to the research fields of human-centered development, and happiness studies on how subjective indicators as a complement to objective indicators can be used to better measure growth from a cultural perspective.

Essa tese tem como objetivo investigar a relação da espiritualidade e da religiosidade com o bem-estar de adolescentes, considerando o bem-estar subjetivo e o psicológico. Para tanto, foram desenvolvidos seis estudos. O primeiro é uma Revisão Sistemática que buscou verificar a relação entre os conceitos de bem-estar e espiritualidade e religiosidade entre adolescentes, a partir de artigos empíricos publicados nos últimos 5 anos. Foram selecionados 26 artigos, que indicaram que há relação entre esses aspectos, e que essa é em geral positiva. Os estudos 2 a 4 apresentam avaliação psicométrica dos seguintes instrumentos: Escala de Bem-estar Psicológico, o Índice de Religiosidade de Duke e o módulo de Espiritualidade, religiosidade e Crenças pessoais (WHOQOL-SRPB). O estudo 5 investiga um modelo hipotético de bemestar entre adolescentes, composto por dimensões do bem-estar subjetivo e psicológico, e o estudo 6 busca investigar a relação da espiritualidade e da religiosidade com o bem-estar de adolescentes brasileiros. Nestes dois últimos estudos são analisadas ainda as possíveis diferenças nas medidas utilizadas por idade e sexo. A amostra dos estudos 2 a 6 foi composta por 1.248 adolescentes brasileiros de 12 a 18 anos (M = 15,09, DP = 1,77). A pesquisa foi realizada de forma online, através de um site criado especificamente para esse fim. Também participaram de grupos focais, realizados para o estudo 04, 58 adolescentes (M = 14,08, DP = 1,65). Para os estudos 5 e 6, além dos instrumentos já citados, foram utilizados uma escala de satisfação com a vida (BMLSS) e uma escala de afetos (CAS). Os resultados dos estudos 2 a 4 indicaram em geral bons índices de ajuste para análises fatoriais (exploratórias e confirmatórias), bem como a invariância dos instrumentos por sexo e idade. No estudo 5 foram testados modelos de relações entre o bem-estar subjetivo e psicológico através de SEM. A partir dos resultados optou-se por um modelo integrado, de fator único, explicando ambas as medidas. No estudo 6 os resultados indicaram relações positivas entre a espiritualidade e a religiosidade com o modelo integrado de bem-estar. Em relação às diferenças por médias, para bem-estar subjetivo foram encontradas diferenças significativas por sexo (meninas com médias maiores), para bem-estar psicológico diferenças por sexo e idade, sendo os resultados apresentados para cada subescala. Em relação à religiosidade e espiritualidade houve diferenças tanto por sexo como por idade. Em geral as meninas apresentaram médias maiores, e não foi encontrado um padrão nas diferenças por idade. Conclui-se que bem-estar subjetivo e psicológico dos adolescentes estão altamente correlacionados, podendo ser compreendidos em um modelo integrado de bem-estar, e que tanto a espiritualidade como a religiosidade possuem contribuições positivas sobre esse bem-estar. / This thesis aims to investigate the relationship of spirituality and religiosity with the wellbeing of adolescents, considering both subjective and psychological well-being. Six studies were developed. The first one is a Systematic Review that sought to verify the relationship between well-being and spirituality and religiosity among adolescents, based on empirical articles published in the last 5 years. We selected 26 articles that indicate that there is a relationship between these aspects, and that this is generally positive. Studies 2 to 4 present a psychometric evaluation of the following instruments: Psychological Well-being Scale, Duke Religious Index, and the Spirituality, Religion and Personal Beliefs module (WHOQOLSRPB). Study 5 investigates a hypothetical model of well-being among adolescents, composed of dimensions of subjective and psychological well-being. Study 6 seeks to investigate the relationship of spirituality and religiosity with the well-being of Brazilian adolescents. In the latter two studies, the possible differences in the measures used by age and sex are also analyzed. The sample of studies 2 to 6 was composed of 1,248 Brazilian adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (M = 15.09, SD = 1.77). The research was conducted online, through a website created specifically for this purpose. For study 4, 58 adolescents (M = 14.08, SD = 1.65) also participated in focus groups. For studies 5 and 6, in addition to the instruments already cited, a life satisfaction scale (BMLSS) and an affects scale (CAS) were used. The results of studies 2 to 4 indicated, in general, good overall fit indices for factor analysis (exploratory and confirmatory), as well as the invariance of instruments by sex and age. In study 5 we tested models of relations between subjective and psychological well-being through SEM. From the results, we opted for an integrated, single-factor model, explaining both measures. In study 6 the results indicated positive relations between spirituality and religiosity with the integrated model of well-being. Regarding the differences by means, for subjective well-being were found significant differences by sex (girls with larger means), and for psychological well-being differences by sex and age, with the results presented for each subscale. Regarding religiosity and spirituality there were differences both by sex and by age. In general, girls presented higher averages, and a pattern of age differences was not found. The conclusion is that the subjective and psychological well-being of adolescents are highly correlated and can be understood in an integrated model of well-being, and that both spirituality and religiosity have positive contributions to this well-being.

Essa tese tem como objetivo investigar a relação da espiritualidade e da religiosidade com o bem-estar de adolescentes, considerando o bem-estar subjetivo e o psicológico. Para tanto, foram desenvolvidos seis estudos. O primeiro é uma Revisão Sistemática que buscou verificar a relação entre os conceitos de bem-estar e espiritualidade e religiosidade entre adolescentes, a partir de artigos empíricos publicados nos últimos 5 anos. Foram selecionados 26 artigos, que indicaram que há relação entre esses aspectos, e que essa é em geral positiva. Os estudos 2 a 4 apresentam avaliação psicométrica dos seguintes instrumentos: Escala de Bem-estar Psicológico, o Índice de Religiosidade de Duke e o módulo de Espiritualidade, religiosidade e Crenças pessoais (WHOQOL-SRPB). O estudo 5 investiga um modelo hipotético de bemestar entre adolescentes, composto por dimensões do bem-estar subjetivo e psicológico, e o estudo 6 busca investigar a relação da espiritualidade e da religiosidade com o bem-estar de adolescentes brasileiros. Nestes dois últimos estudos são analisadas ainda as possíveis diferenças nas medidas utilizadas por idade e sexo. A amostra dos estudos 2 a 6 foi composta por 1.248 adolescentes brasileiros de 12 a 18 anos (M = 15,09, DP = 1,77). A pesquisa foi realizada de forma online, através de um site criado especificamente para esse fim. Também participaram de grupos focais, realizados para o estudo 04, 58 adolescentes (M = 14,08, DP = 1,65). Para os estudos 5 e 6, além dos instrumentos já citados, foram utilizados uma escala de satisfação com a vida (BMLSS) e uma escala de afetos (CAS). Os resultados dos estudos 2 a 4 indicaram em geral bons índices de ajuste para análises fatoriais (exploratórias e confirmatórias), bem como a invariância dos instrumentos por sexo e idade. No estudo 5 foram testados modelos de relações entre o bem-estar subjetivo e psicológico através de SEM. A partir dos resultados optou-se por um modelo integrado, de fator único, explicando ambas as medidas. No estudo 6 os resultados indicaram relações positivas entre a espiritualidade e a religiosidade com o modelo integrado de bem-estar. Em relação às diferenças por médias, para bem-estar subjetivo foram encontradas diferenças significativas por sexo (meninas com médias maiores), para bem-estar psicológico diferenças por sexo e idade, sendo os resultados apresentados para cada subescala. Em relação à religiosidade e espiritualidade houve diferenças tanto por sexo como por idade. Em geral as meninas apresentaram médias maiores, e não foi encontrado um padrão nas diferenças por idade. Conclui-se que bem-estar subjetivo e psicológico dos adolescentes estão altamente correlacionados, podendo ser compreendidos em um modelo integrado de bem-estar, e que tanto a espiritualidade como a religiosidade possuem contribuições positivas sobre esse bem-estar. / This thesis aims to investigate the relationship of spirituality and religiosity with the wellbeing of adolescents, considering both subjective and psychological well-being. Six studies were developed. The first one is a Systematic Review that sought to verify the relationship between well-being and spirituality and religiosity among adolescents, based on empirical articles published in the last 5 years. We selected 26 articles that indicate that there is a relationship between these aspects, and that this is generally positive. Studies 2 to 4 present a psychometric evaluation of the following instruments: Psychological Well-being Scale, Duke Religious Index, and the Spirituality, Religion and Personal Beliefs module (WHOQOLSRPB). Study 5 investigates a hypothetical model of well-being among adolescents, composed of dimensions of subjective and psychological well-being. Study 6 seeks to investigate the relationship of spirituality and religiosity with the well-being of Brazilian adolescents. In the latter two studies, the possible differences in the measures used by age and sex are also analyzed. The sample of studies 2 to 6 was composed of 1,248 Brazilian adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (M = 15.09, SD = 1.77). The research was conducted online, through a website created specifically for this purpose. For study 4, 58 adolescents (M = 14.08, SD = 1.65) also participated in focus groups. For studies 5 and 6, in addition to the instruments already cited, a life satisfaction scale (BMLSS) and an affects scale (CAS) were used. The results of studies 2 to 4 indicated, in general, good overall fit indices for factor analysis (exploratory and confirmatory), as well as the invariance of instruments by sex and age. In study 5 we tested models of relations between subjective and psychological well-being through SEM. From the results, we opted for an integrated, single-factor model, explaining both measures. In study 6 the results indicated positive relations between spirituality and religiosity with the integrated model of well-being. Regarding the differences by means, for subjective well-being were found significant differences by sex (girls with larger means), and for psychological well-being differences by sex and age, with the results presented for each subscale. Regarding religiosity and spirituality there were differences both by sex and by age. In general, girls presented higher averages, and a pattern of age differences was not found. The conclusion is that the subjective and psychological well-being of adolescents are highly correlated and can be understood in an integrated model of well-being, and that both spirituality and religiosity have positive contributions to this well-being.