The effectiveness of a positive psychological intervention for promoting preschool teachers' well-being and professional competence: EASP intervention program.

The present study investigated the effectiveness of the Early Advancement in Social-Emotional Health and Positivity (EASP) program, a positive psychological intervention promoting preschool teachers' well-being and the motivational aspect of professional competence. Participants were 273 in-service preschool teachers (Mage = 34.56 years, SD = 9.52, range = 22-58; female = 98.90%) who participated in a 2-month randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 143) receiving 1) four online workshops, 2) a smartphone app, and 3) an online activity, or to the wait-list control group (n = 130), which received the intervention materials after all the data collection. Participants reported their well-being dimensions, teaching self-efficacy, and autonomous motivation for teaching before and after the intervention. Results from a path analytic model exhibited excellent fit with the data, χ2 = 37.62, df = 33, CFI = .99, TLI = .98, RMSEA = .02 [90% CI = 0.00, 0.05], SRMR = .02. The intervention had direct effects on changes in well-being dimensions, including positivity, outcome, strength, engagement, and resilience (ß = .14 to .26, ps = .00 to .04), and indirect intervention effects on changes in teaching self-efficacy and autonomous motivation for teaching (ß = .14 to .15, ps = .00 to .01). These findings highlighted the potential value of implementing positive psychological interventions in educational settings to promote the well-being and professional competence among preschool teachers.

Can a multicomponent positive psychological intervention promote well-being in parents of young children? A randomized controlled trial study in Hong Kong.

The present research examined the effects of an Early Advancement in Social-Emotional Health and Positivity (EASP) multicomponent positive psychological intervention on parents' well-being in Hong Kong. Participants were parents of young children (N = 120; Mage = 37.19 years, SD = 4.71, range = 24-53; female = 95.00%) who participated in the one-month randomized control trial. Participants were randomly assigned into the intervention (n = 50) and waitlist control groups (n = 70). Parents in the intervention group received two online workshops and an evidence-based smartphone application that targeted four positive psychological skills: (1) mindful parenting, (2) hope, (3) positive reappraisal, and (4) growth mindset. The results of the multivariate regression analysis revealed that the intervention significantly improved various dimensions of participants' positive psychological skills, subjective well-being, and psychological well-being immediately at the conclusion of the program. The findings of this study underscore the importance of the well-being payoffs linked to cultivating positive psychological skills among parents of young children.

Well-Being Profiles of Pre-service Teachers in Hong Kong: Associations with Teachers' Self-Efficacy During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The present study aims to (1) identify the profiles of subjective well-being (SWB) and psychological well-being (PWB) in a sample of pre-service teachers during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, and (2) explore how different profiles are linked with teachers' self-efficacy. Participants were 291 pre-service teachers (Mage = 21.295, SD = 2.812, female = 89.903%) who were invited to complete self-report measures of SWB, PWB, and teachers' self-efficacy. Latent profile analysis with maximum likelihood estimation was conducted to identify well-being profiles that emerged in this sample. The results suggested a 3-class model with a high, moderate, and low well-being group. The findings also revealed that the pre-service teachers' well-being profiles as reflected by SWB and PWB indicators were consistent. Moreover, the pre-service teachers in the higher well-being group reported higher teaching self-efficacy than those in the lower well-being group. Findings highlighted the benefits of supporting pre-service teachers' well-being (i.e., SWB and PWB) to maintain their teachers' self-efficacy during the COVID-19 pandemic when teacher education and practicum are significantly disrupted. Interventions targeting various positive psychological skills (e.g., mindfulness, self-compassion, and positive reappraisal) are warranted. Future investigation is needed to examine the longitudinal relationship between pre-service teachers' well-being and self-efficacy.

Prospering in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: The effects of PROSPER-based intervention on psychological outcomes among preschool teachers.

The growing concerns regarding the risks of transmitting the COVID-19 virus have intensified the job-related stressors commonly encountered by teachers in various cultural contexts. Evidence shows how the COVID-19 crisis has negatively impacted teachers' mental health outcomes such as stress, depression, and quality of life, which highlights the significance of designing psychological programs to boost teachers' well-being. This study examined the effects of a well-being intervention based on the Positivity, Relationship, Outcomes, Strength, Purpose, Engagement, and Resilience (PROSPER) framework on well-being outcomes among 76 in-service teachers (Mage = 26.05 years, SD = 4.71, range = 20-45; female = 93.4%) in Hong Kong. Participants completed survey measures associated with the seven PROSPER outcomes at baseline and 2-month follow-up. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that there were statistically significant multivariate effects for intervention conditions, Wilks' Lambda F(7, 58) = 4.50, p = .01. Results demonstrated that teachers who were assigned to the intervention condition (n = 36) had significantly higher scores than those in the control condition (n = 40) on positivity (b = 0.41, 95% CI [0.16, 0.65], p = .01), strength (b = 0.62, 95% CI [0.23, 1.01], p = .01), purpose (b = 0.61, 95% CI [0.18, 1.04], p = .01), and resilience (b = 0.57, 95% CI [0.07, 1.07], p = .04). Our findings provide evidence on the mental health benefits of the PROSPER-based psychological intervention program for preschool teachers.

Parental self-efficacy: Examining its mediating and reciprocally predictive roles in supportive emotion socialization.

This longitudinal study examined the associations between child negative affect, parental self-efficacy (PSE), and parents' approaches to the provision of supportive socialization. It also investigated the bidirectionality between PSE, problem-focus socialization, and emotion-focus socialization across two time points separated by one year. Participants were 757 Hong Kong Chinese parents (47.4% fathers) of kindergarten children. At both time 1 and time 2, parents reported their PSE, problem-focus socialization, and emotion-focus socialization. Additionally, parents rated their child's negative affect at time 1. Results from the cross-lagged panel model revealed that, controlling for the effects of school's socioeconomic strata, child gender, parental age, and educational level, PSE at time 1 mediated the indirect links of child negative affect at time 1 with problem-focus (indirect effect: ß = -.02, SE = .02, p < .05) and emotion-focus (indirect effect: ß = -.02, SE = .01, p < .05) socialization at time 2 and that PSE (ß = .10, SE = .06, p < .01) and problem-focus socialization (ß = .15, SE = .03, p < .05) were reciprocally associated with each other. Findings underscored the role of PSE in understanding parental provision of supportive socialization and the co-development of belief about parenting and parenting behaviors.

Mathematics, executive functioning, and visual-spatial skills in Chinese kindergarten children: Examining the bidirectionality.

This study examined the bidirectional relationships among Chinese children's mathematics, executive functioning, and visual-spatial skills during their transition from kindergarten to primary school. Participants were 172 Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong children (mean age at Time 1 = 62.75 months; 88 male) and their parents. At Time 1 (kindergarten K3), children were administered the measures of mathematics (calculation and applied problems), executive functioning (working memory and inhibitory control), and visual-spatial skills. They were reassessed on these measures at Time 2 (primary 1) 1 year later. Results from the cross-lagged panel model showed that, controlling for child age, gender, and family socioeconomic status, children's visual-spatial skills at Time 1 were significantly predictive of their mathematics at Time 2 and children's executive functioning and visual-spatial skills reciprocally predicted each other across times. However, children's mathematics at Time 1 were not predictive of their executive functioning or visual-spatial skills at Time 2. The findings highlight the desirability of improving children's executive functioning and visual-spatial skills to promote their mathematical performance during the formal school transition.