Positive leadership and employee engagement: The roles of state positive affect and individualism-collectivism.

Drawing upon broaden-and-build theory, this study examined the influence of positive leadership on employee engagement through the mediating role of employees' state positive affect and the moderating effect of individualism-collectivism orientation in a Chinese cultural context. A sample of 215 valid questionnaires was obtained through a two-wave survey of 48 teams working in central China. Hypotheses were tested by a method of hierarchical linear modelling. The results indicate that positive leadership promotes employees' state positive affect and engagement. State positive affect partially mediates the association between positive leadership and employee engagement. Moreover, a multilevel moderation analysis reveals that collectivism weakens the effect of positive leadership on employees' state positive affect. Theoretical and managerial implications and future directions are discussed.

Positive biases and psychological functioning during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Many individuals have experienced a multitude of chronic stressors and diminished psychological functioning during COVID-19. The current study examined whether biases towards positive social media or positive autobiographical memories was related to increases in psychological functioning during COVID-19. Participants were 1071 adults (Mage = 46.31; 58% female; 78% White) recruited from MTurk. Participants reported on their social media consumption and autobiographical recall, positive and negative affect, and dysphoria symptoms. Results indicated that, at the first assessment collected in the spring and summer of 2020, positively biased social media consumption was cross-sectionally related to higher levels of positive affect, and positively biased autobiographical recall was cross-sectionally related to lower levels of negative affect and dysphoria symptoms. Sensitivity analyses examined cross-sectional relations from a second assessment collected in fall 2020, and prospective cross-lagged analyses. The findings point to potential psychological benefits of positive biases during chronic stressors.

As Time goes by: A Longitudinal Study on the Mental Health of Argentinians during the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 mitigation measures such as lockdown and social distancing could have a negative impact on mental health. Understanding their impact is essential to minimize adverse effects on individuals, families, and communities. This longitudinal study aimed to evaluate the emotional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social isolation in the Argentinian population over time. An online survey evaluating anxiety and depression symptoms, positive affect, and negative affect, was completed by 3,833 people at three different time points: immediately after the lockdown began, 12–15 days after the first assessment, and after 47–51 days. Various socio-demographic factors were considered. A series of mixed repeated-measures ANOVAs were performed, with results showing significant increases over time (with small effect sizes) in anxiety, depression, negative affect, and a decrease in positive affect. Some socio-demographic factors such as age, gender, number of children, and educational level differentially affected these changes. These results suggest that mental health and quality of life were negatively affected, making it essential to monitor emotional distress and other mental health problems in the population and encourage the implementation of support and containment devices to cope with these adverse effects. © 2023, Associação Brasileira de Psicologia.

Does an Online Positive Psychological Intervention Improve Positive Affect in Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Meta-analyses indicate that positive psychological interventions are effective at increasing positive affect, as well as reducing anxiety and depression; however, it is unclear how well these effects generalize during periods of high stress. Therefore, the current study tested whether a 2-week online positive psychological intervention delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic, a naturalistic stressor, (1) increased positive affect; (2) improved psychological well-being, optimism, life satisfaction, perceived social support, and loneliness; (3) and reduced negative affect in college students, a group known to have high pandemic distress. Participants (N = 250; 76.9% female) ages 18-45 were recruited from the University of Pittsburgh undergraduate subject pool between September and November of 2020. Participants were randomized to the online positive psychological intervention or active control condition and stratified by trait positive affect, sex, and year in college. Participants in both conditions completed one writing activity every other day for two consecutive weeks. Control participants documented their activities for that day (e.g., meals, going to gym). Intervention participants chose from six positive psychology activities. All outcome variables were assessed pre- and post-intervention by validated questionnaires. Across both conditions, positive and negative affect decreased from pre- to post-intervention. No other psychological factor differed by condition, time, or their interaction. The current null findings are in line with a more recent meta-analysis indicating that positive psychological interventions may have smaller effects on psychological well-being and depressive symptoms than was reported pre-pandemic. Study findings may suggest reduced efficacy of virtual positive psychological interventions under highly stressful circumstances. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-022-00148-z.

‘The care circle consists of me.' Loneliness and social isolation for older male spousal care-givers. A qualitative study

Whilst loneliness and social isolation amongst older care-givers are becoming increasingly recognised, little is known about how these concepts impact on specific sub-groups of care-givers, such as older males. In the current study, we aimed to gain a better understanding of the experiences of loneliness and social isolation amongst older spousal male care-givers. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 24 participants, caring for a spouse/partner with a long-term chronic condition. After thematic analysis of the data, three themes were identified: dwindling social interactions, loneliness in the spousal relationship, and living with loneliness and social isolation. Study findings suggest that opportunities for social interactions gradually ‘dwindled' due to a reluctance by older male care-givers to leave their spouse/partner at home alone, to accept offers of help or respite, or to attend social events without their spouse/partner. Consequently, social isolation increased. Feelings of physical and emotional loneliness were evident, and the loss of spousal companionship (such as loss of conversation and shared interests) increased loneliness. Individualised coping strategies were adopted including focusing on moments of positivity, talking to others and using prescribed medication. Findings provide insight into the experience of loneliness and social isolation for many older male spousal care-givers. This may facilitate a better understanding of older male care-givers' support needs in addressing loneliness and social isolation, and should help to inform the development of targeted support services for this population.

The Restorative Effects of Virtual Reality Forests on Elderly Individuals During the COVID-19 Lockdown

This study focuses on the restorative effects of immersive virtual reality (VR) forest experiences on elderly people during the COVID-19 lockdown. A field experiment with 63 elderly participants was conducted in an elderly care institution in China. The results showed that a five-minute VR forest experience with three minutes of subsequent reliving can bring immediate psychological improvements (i.e., increased positive affect, decreased negative affect, and enhanced stress recovery) to elderly individuals. The negative affect decrease and stress recovery enhancement were more obvious among introverted individuals. Furthermore, participating in three VR forest experiences over 3 consecutive days can bring continuous psychological improvements. Moreover, short VR forest experiences were unable to significantly decrease the blood pressure of participants. The effects of three VR experiences over 3 days on blood pressure improvement were also nonsignificant. Additionally, VR forest experiences can increase elderly participants' intentions to undertake real forest therapy.

Psychological impact of a country-wide lockdown. Role of personal, behavioral, social, and physical conditions on negative and positive affect and meaning in life

During the early outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, a strict home lockdown was maintained in Spain for more than 50 days, disrupting social and economic activities. The aim of this study is to explore affective and well-being responses during the initial period of mandatory home lockdown. Specifically, we analyzed: 1) differences in risk perception according to sociodemographic and health profile;2) relation between social and environmental characteristics of home isolation, positive and negative affect and meaning in life;and 3) the relationship between activities and behaviors performed by people under lockdown and well-being. A total of 1343 Spanish residents participated in this correlational and cross-sectional study. Results show a significant relationship between health and economic risk perception associated with confinement. Higher health risk perception was identified among the older population and those belonging to high-risk groups. High resilience was linked to lower negative affect and greater positive affect and meaning in life. Regarding social and environmental characteristics of home isolation, people living with others reported greater negative affect than people living alone and the daily frequency of use of open-air spaces was linked to positive affect. Higher positive affect and meaning in life were also reported in people who frequently participated in community activities or by helping others. Lower negative affect was only associated with physical exercise. © 2022, Sociedad Interamericana de Psicologia. All rights reserved.

How perceived risk influences college students' preventive behavior: Novel data of COVID-19 campus lockdown from Wuhan, China.

Following preventive behaviors is a key measure to protect people from infectious diseases. Protection motivation theory (PMT) suggests that perceived risk motivates individuals to take protective measures. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented stress to the public, and changes in perceived risk may be more pronounced among college students than among other groups due to the related campus lockdown. With 1,119 college students recruited as research subjects, a quantitative research was conducted in Wuhan, China, to deduce the relationship between the perceived risk and preventive behavior of college students, as well as between the mediation effect of individual affect and the moderating effect of physical exercise. The results showed that the preventive behavior of college students was significantly affected by perceived risk, and both positive affect and negative affect played a mediating role between perceived risk and preventive behavior. Specifically, positive affect aided the relationship between perceived risk and preventive behavior, negative affect was detrimental to their relationship, and the mediation effect of positive affect is significantly higher than that of negative affect. Furthermore, physical exercise played a moderating role in the mediation effects of positive affect and negative affect. Therefore, appropriate measures should be taken to strengthen Chinese college students' perceived risk and provide them with corresponding guidance. The importance of physical exercise should also be emphasized to help college students with low perceived risk reduce negative affect, increase positive affect, and promote their preventive behavior.

Emotional states and habits in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic triggered severe consequences for the physical and emotional health of the general population. Objective: Describe the emotional profiles and the habits of physical activity, sleep, tobacco, and alcohol consumption in physiotherapy students, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of university physiotherapy students through a Google forms. We used the PANAS scale to assess positive and nega-tive affect, the PSQI questionnaire to assess sleep quality, and the IPAQ-S questionnaire for physical activity. Results: We included 60 students between 17 and 22 years old, primarily female (71.7%). Most participants reported having a low consumption of alcohol (43.3%) and tobacco (96.7%). A higher proportion reported a high level of physical activity (53.3%) and considered it decreased after the COVID-19 pandemic (76.7%). Regarding sleep quality, most students reported poor sleep (66.7%). We identified one emotional profile "positive,” related to positive affect, and three profiles related to negative affects;"upset,” "anxious,” and "guilty.” Conclusions: Based on the description of the emotional response and the physical activity, sleep, alcohol, and tobacco consumption habits of the participants, it is sug-gested to establish psychological support programs, em-phasizing the management of the emotional resources that the students have to face stressful situations caused by the confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2023, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. All rights reserved.

Consumers under pandemic anxiety: Suppressors, intensifiers, and resilients

COVID‐19 turned the lives of all people across the world upside down. Everyone faced the threat of catching the virus and denial of access to the physical marketplace. For many, it also brought the threat of partial or full unemployment. This trinity of upheaval produced heightened anxiety. The purpose of this article is to understand how consumers coped with anxiety during the pandemic and lockdown periods. We hypothesized that consumers coped with such anxiety by engaging in diverse creative and productive activities, which served as anxiety suppressors. In addition, we hypothesized that one's enduring mind positivity provided resilience and helped consumers mitigate their anxiety. In survey data from a random sample of 550 consumers in the United States, we found support for these hypotheses. Consumers who engaged in voluntary productive activities suffered less anxiety. And consumers with higher resilience levels also felt lower levels of anxiety. In addition, we found that enjoyment of shopping intensified the experience of COVID‐19‐induced anxiety. The research framework linking this specific set of antecedents to COVID‐induced anxiety and its affirmation in this study are new to the literature and therefore offer a notable contribution to it. These findings show two pathways to marketers: Organize and promote voluntary productive activities and offer means for consumers to cultivate personal resilience, on for‐profit and not‐for‐profit platforms. Also, we suggest a future consumer research agenda for when fate again brings us face‐to‐face with similar or even lesser catastrophes, which, according to scientific forecasters, it sadly but surely will.

EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING: SHORT-TERM PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON BRITISH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

There are widespread concerns about the mental health implications of the pandemic, particularly among university students, an already at-risk population for poor mental health. This study looked at 1,281 UK university students, recruited through the Prolific website. Participants were asked to complete the Attitudes towards COVID-19 Scale, the CORE-10, the PERMA Profiler, the GAD-7 and the Office for National Statistics wellbeing questions (ONS4). The first survey was conducted between May 14th and 16th, when the UK was in national lockdown. The second survey was carried out between June 26th and July 15th. There was only an 11% attrition rate between the two time points. Well-being improved overall between the two time points. Some findings were contradictory as overall well-being, anxiety and levels of flourishing improved, but reports of psychological distress increased. It is also important to note that levels of positivity about the pandemic increased as time went on. There was evidence that higher levels of positivity were linked to better mental health outcomes. Encouraging a positive mindset and outlook in students, probably through positive psychology-based interventions, might act as a protective factor against severe mental illness. The wider relevance and practical implications for higher education are discussed.

Ageism and the Pandemic: Risk and Protective Factors of Well-Being in Older People.

The COVID-19 pandemic has particularly affected the older population both in terms of the high number of victims and the psychological impact. Moreover, the pandemic has made older people more vulnerable to isolation and loneliness, and victims of ageism. The aim of the present study was to investigate the risk and protective factors for the well-being of older people during the pandemic. The role of positive affect, confidence in the future, current physical health, social isolation, loneliness, and ageism were analysed. A self-report questionnaire was administered to 1301 participants (mean age: 77.3 years, DS: 5.46), almost equally distributed by gender (56.1% female). Descriptive and correlational analyses were performed, together with SEM. The results showed that perceived age discrimination positively predicts loneliness and negatively and indirectly predicts well-being. Furthermore, positive affect, confidence in the future, and current physical health are protective factors, while loneliness, social isolation, and ageism are risk factors. Future emergency policies must take into account the impact of such actions on the well-being of this segment of the population.

How daily positive affect increases students' mental health, in mandatory quarantine, through daily engagement: the moderating role of self-leadership.

The COVID-19 crisis has had significant impacts on mental health. Students are dealing with an uncertain context, not only due to COVID-19 but also because most of them have never been involved with the challenges of online school. The COVID-19 situation presents daily challenges that require students to respond adaptively. However, little is known about how students handle their daily emotions, in such challenging settings. Drawing on the broaden-and-built theory, we developed a multilevel model arguing that daily-positive affect would enhance daily engagement, and this would be positively related to students' end-of-the-day mental health. We also predict that the mediating path would be stronger for students with higher levels of self-leadership. To achieve the goals, we conducted a 5-day diary study (n = 64∗5 = 320). Results from multilevel modeling showed that positive emotions trigger academic engagement which, in turn, increases mental health, both at the within and between-person level. Results also demonstrated that self-leadership strengthened the positive mediating path, for students with higher levels of self-leadership. Positive affect appears to be a significant predictor of mental health in higher education settings. Moreover, developing self-leadership is an added value, that may be conceived as a personal resource, and may protect students from the uncertainty triggered by the COVID-19 crisis.

How Family-Supportive Leadership Communication Enhances the Creativity of Work-From-Home Employees during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Adapting to the remote working environment has been one of the most visible challenges for many organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. As employee creativity helps organizations' survival and resilience during times of crisis, this study aims to examine the role of leadership communication, family-supportive leadership communication in particular, in fostering creativity among work-from-home employees. The current study specifically focuses on the mediating processes in this relationship and the moderating role of employees' work-life segmentation preferences, using a survey of 449 employees who have worked from home during the COVID-19 outbreak. The results showed that employee-organization relationship (EOR) quality, positive affect, and work-life enrichment mediate the relationship between family-supportive leadership communication and employee creativity. The effects of family-supportive leadership communication on employees' positive affect and work-life enrichment were more prominent for those who prefer to segment their work and lives. This paper concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for leadership in organizational communication.

Positive affect as a resource and the mediating role of mindfulness on employees during times of disruption

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the importance of employee state of mind through the lens of Conservation of Resources Theory, emphasizing the importance of mindfulness for employee productivity. Design/methodology/approach: A survey consisting of previously validated instruments was administered to alumni of an MBA program, with 321 responses received from fully employed participants. The relationships among constructs were tested using partial least squares path modeling. Findings: The effect of Work–Life Integration on Perceived Productivity in both groups of employees is fully mediated by Work Mindfulness. Interestingly, perceived Productivity of “negatively-minded” employees was driven by support and resources provided by their employers, but “positively-minded” employees did not require such support to boost their productivity. Originality/value: Mindfulness has the potential to be beneficial in the workplace during periods of stress. Our results found that state of mind of individuals is an important construct to identify, particularly for those experiencing negative affect. For both groups, mindfulness mediated the results, suggesting actively incorporating mindfulness practices and training could be beneficial particularly for those with low levels of positive affect. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Relationship between emotional intelligence and resilience among university students during crisis

This research investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence of university students and their resilience ability during crisis: the pandemic of Covid-19. A large-scale quantitative approach was applied with a national survey in the midst of the fourth wave of Covid-19 outbreak in Vietnam. The research obtained data from 2252 students from various universities in Vietnam. Results showed that experienced positive affect and negative affect fully mediated the relationships between students' self-emotion appraisal and their resilience during the pandemic. Surprisingly, other-emotion appraisal decreased positive affect while increased negative affect, though both affect types mediated the other-emotion appraisal-resilience relationship. The two types of affects also played mediating roles in the relationship between the ability of using emotion and resilience among students during the crisis, and the moderation was partial. Finally, while students' regulation of emotion was not related to either their experienced negative affect or resilience, it was indirectly associated with students' resilience during the pandemic via the mediating role of positive affect. Implications for theoretical development and practice in higher education were discussed.

Workplace Aesthetic Appreciation and Exhaustion in a COVID-19 Vaccination Center: The Role of Positive Affects and Interest in Art.

BACKGROUND: Recently, workers employed in vaccination points around the world have been subjected to very high workloads to counter the progress of the COVID-19 epidemic. This workload has a negative effect on their well-being. Environmental psychology studies have shown how the physical characteristics of the workplace environment can influence employees' well-being. Furthermore, studies in the psychology of art show how art can improve the health of individuals. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research was to test a moderated mediation model to verify how appreciation of workplace aesthetics can impact the level of exhaustion of staff working in a vaccination center, the mediating role of positive and negative affects, and the moderating role of interest in art. METHODS: Data were collected from a sample of 274 workers (physicians, nurses, reception, and administrative staff) working in the same vaccination center in Italy. Participants answered a self-report questionnaire during a rest break. We used a cross-sectional design. RESULTS: The results show that appreciation of workplace aesthetics impacts employees' level of exhaustion. This relationship is mediated by positive and negative affects, and interest in art moderates the relationship between positive affects and exhaustion. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate the central role of workplace aesthetics in influencing healthcare workers' well-being, and how interest in art can reduce exhaustion levels. Practical implications of the results are discussed.

Positive Affect Moderates the Influence of Perceived Stress on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed a profound psychological impact on healthcare workers. However, the role of positive affect in moderating the effect of perceived stress on the psychological states of healthcare workers remains unknown. This study aimed to analyze the moderating effect of positive affect on the association between stress and the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study evaluated the relationships between perceived stress (the Perceived Stress Scale), positive affect (the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), depression (the Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and anxiety (the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale) during the COVID-19 pandemic in 644 Chinese healthcare workers who completed online self-reports. The results revealed a significant negative association between positive affect and psychological problems, including stress, depression, and anxiety. At the total group level, multiple regression analysis showed that positive affect alleviated the influence of perceived stress on depression, but no significant moderating effect was found for anxiety. In the subgroups divided by perceived stress, the moderating effect of positive affect on depression was only significant in healthcare workers with a high level of perceived stress. These results suggested that positive affect played a moderative role in alleviating the effect of stress on depression among healthcare workers, particularly those with a high level of stress, thus emphasizing the importance of positive affect as an intervention strategy for promoting the mental health of healthcare workers in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Exploring the Effects of Nature Focused Art Therapy on Happiness and Life Satisfaction

This research study aimed to address how engaging in nature base art therapy could support well-being with measurement tools that reflect the importance of both happiness and life satisfaction. The combination of art therapy and nature can be applied to help individuals improve wellness, even if an individual is unable to access nature. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if engaging in a nature-based art therapy session would increase one’s life satisfaction and positive affect. It was hypothesized that participants who engage in nature-based art therapy will report an increase in life satisfaction and positive affect as self-reported using the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS;Diener et al., 1985) and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS;Watson et al., 1988). The methods included two sets of data collection with 75 participants globally within two phases. The results showed that life satisfaction and positive affect improved more during phase II compared to the Phase I.Additionally, there appeared to be a significant difference in how each participant’s scores changed;this could indicate that the nature-based art therapy process allowed individuals to visually explore places in nature during restrictions to their autonomy.

How Work Stress Impacts Emotional Outcomes of Chinese College Teachers: The Moderated Mediating Effect of Stress Mindset and Resilience.

Based on the job demands-resources model and conservation of resource theory, this study investigated 456 Chinese college teachers' work stress, stress mindset, resilience, emotional exhaustion, positive affect, and negative affect. The results of mediation analysis showed that resilience played a partial mediation role between work stress and emotional outcomes (emotional exhaustion, positive affect, and negative affect). Moreover, the results of a moderated mediation analysis showed that stress mindset moderated the relationship between work stress and resilience, and moderated the mediating effect of resilience between work stress and emotional outcomes (emotional exhaustion, positive affect, and negative affect). Specifically, work stress had a significant negative predictive effect on resilience when stress mindset is low (ß = -0.54, p < 0.001); work stress could also negatively predict resilience when the stress mindset is high (ß = -0.47, p < 0.001), but its effect decreased, and stress mindset negatively moderated the path between work stress and resilience. Finally, we discussed theoretical implications, practical implications, limitations, and future directions.