Multiple Roles and Psychological Well-Being

Abstract

Role theory generally views the performance of multiple roles as a source of psychological stress. Recently, however, the concept of role strain resulting from multiple roles has been criticized. Marks (1977) and Seiber (1974) argue that multiple roles may lead to positive personal well-being. The present research is a test of these recent ideas. Measures of subjective well-being are correlated with the quantity and quality of roles enacted. Five role spheres are specified: Spouse, parent, worker, friend, and church member. The findings offer some support for the proposition that involvement in multiple roles does not necessarily lead to role strain. Instead, well-being increases with the number of roles enacted, and satisfaction in one role can help to compensate for deprivation in another role sphere. Support is thus found for both Marks' (1977) “expansionist” theory and Seiber's (1974) role accumulation theory.     

Social Networking Among Health Sciences University Students: Examining Social Network Usage,Social Support,and General Well-Being

Social network sites (SNSs) are organized around users who join an internet network to engage in daily discussions and postings. Though research informs us about SNSs usage, no published research addresses the use of social network sites among health science professionals. This study examined the relationship between social network usage, social support, and general well-being among undergraduate and graduate students. This study provides results that identify significant relationships (p < .001) associated with SNS usage and the variables of social support and general well-being among this study population. These results can inform the use of SNSs in university health sciences educational programs.     

In the Context of Adult Support: The Influence of Peer Support on the Psychological Well-Being of Middle-School Students

This study examines the influence of adult and peer support on the psychological well-being of middle-school students. Using data representing 13,843 middle-school students from seven U.S. states, which were collected with the School Success Profile, hierarchical regression analysis is used to examine a hypothesis in 2 models of relationships: continuity/cognitive and compensatory/competition. Results support the continuity/cognitive model, and indicate peer support is an important contributor to middle-school students’ psychological well-being at various levels of adult support. When adult support is low, high levels of peer support do not improve psychological well-being. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Hardiness and Spiritual Well-Being Among Social Work Students

The challenge today for social work students is how to address the professional and educational demands placed on them as they attend to the development of the whole person. This article reports the findings from a 1994 study of social work students. Data collected from a survey of 105 social work students showed significant relationships among hardiness, spiritual well-being, and self-esteem. Spiritual well-being and hardiness were found to be strong predictors of self-esteem. This article discusses the need to explore the role of spiritual well-being as well as implications for research, practice, and education.     

Spiritual Well-Being and Suicidal Ideation Among College Students

Objective: This study explored whether specific dimensions of spiritual well-being (religious well-being and existential well-being) relate to reduced suicidal ideation, and whether associations persisted after controlling for religiosity and psychosocial variables associated with suicide. Participants: Participants were 457 college students who completed measures that assessed spiritual well-being, religiosity, hopelessness, depression, social support, and suicidal ideation. Methods: The authors used linear regression modeling to assess religious and spiritual correlates of suicidal ideation. Results: After controlling for demographic variables and psychosocial factors, neither involvement in organized religion nor religious well-being significantly contributed to suicidal ideation. However, even after controlling for significant correlates, existential well-being remained a significant predictor of suicidal ideation. Conclusions: This investigation highlighted existential well-being as an important factor associated with lower levels of suicidal ideation among college students. Findings from this study focusing on the association between spiritual well-being and suicidality may prove especially beneficial to suicide prevention efforts.     

Maternal Working Hours and the Well-Being of Adolescent Children: Evidence from British Data

This study investigates how maternal working hours are related to various outcomes in children aged 11–15 using a sample of mothers and adolescents in the British Household Panel Survey. Research that examines the effects of maternal employment on children has been motivated by the rapid increase of female participation rates in the labour market and increased shares of children living in female-headed or single-mother households. The existing literature on this issue is very limited, mostly based on American data, and provides conflicting results. Fixed effects have been used in the present analysis to control for characteristics of children and mothers that do not vary over time. The results suggest that full-time maternal employment (as opposed to part-time) has little or no effect on the propensity of adolescents to smoke, their life satisfaction, self-esteem, or intention to leave school at 16. These results are stable and consistent across various specifications of the model and different socio-economic status.     

The Working Family: Helping Women Balance the Roles of Wife,Mother, and Career Woman

This article reviews research literature of the past 15 years to assess the impact of four factors on women's career continuity: (a) husband's attitude toward his wife's paid employment, (b) financial considerations, (c) household responsibilities, and (d) wife's personality variables. Particular issues relevant to career counselors are highlighted throughout this review and a variety of career related strategies are presented that can be used to assist clients in achieving this balance. As the number of women in the labor force continues to increase, women's ability to effectively balance family and career concerns will be essential to successful and continuous employment.     

Relations Between Economic Well-Being,Family Support,Community Attachment,and Life Satisfaction Among LGBQ Adults

While studies with the general population indicate that one’s life satisfaction is related to economic well-being and social support, much less is known about these constructs among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) populations. The current study examines the relationship between economic well-being and life satisfaction in a sample of 458 LGBQ individuals. Further, the direct and moderating effects of family and community support are examined. As hypothesized, perceived financial stress and proximal family support each had a significant main effect on life satisfaction. Household income (adjusted by number of individuals living in the household) had a non-linear effect on life satisfaction. Community support for LGBQ individuals was not associated with life satisfaction, and the moderating hypotheses were not supported. The findings and the implications for future research are discussed.     

Identities and Social-Psychological Well-Being among African American College Students

Abstract

This study investigates African American college students to show the impact of role, social, and personal identities on social-psychological well-being, and compares the relationship between identity processes and academic achievement for black and white college students attending a large, urban, predominantly white public university. The findings confirm that student, ethnic, and personal identities influence self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-authenticity, but that relationships vary both in direction and strength. Turning to our comparison of black and white college students, the findings do not support claims that black students' self-esteem is less dependent than whites' on getting good grades or that black students' academic identity is less important to their self-esteem than it is for white students.     

Financial Behaviors and Financial Well-Being of College Students: Evidence from a National Survey

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between financial behaviors and financial well-being of college students when controlling demographic and financial characteristics, financial education and financial dispositions. Data (N = 15,797) was collected from college students age 18 and over via an online survey from 15 college campuses throughout the United States during spring and fall of 2008. Results of means comparisons showed significant differences on the financial well-being level by various socioeconomic factors and financial behaviors. In addition, regression analysis showed that budgeting, saving, risky credit card behaviors, and compulsive buying were significantly related to financial well-being when controlling for demographic information, financial characteristics, financial education, and financial dispositions.     

Factors Associated With the Psychological Well-Being and Distress of University Students

Objective: Because of the serious nature of psychiatric illness and related problems, the authors attempted to identify demographic, individual, and behavioral factors linked to university students' psychological health. Participants: They surveyed 353 (60.9% female) predominately Caucasian (88.7%) university students attending a large public university. Methods: The authors used a self-report questionnaire including valid and reliable psychometric instruments for all study variables. They conducted multiple regression analyses to examine associations among study variables using a cross-sectional design. Results: More favorable health states (ie, greater psychological well-being and less distress) were positively associated with optimism, health values, and religiousness and were negatively associated with spirituality and number of sexual partners. Conclusions: Results demonstrated that multiple protective and risk factors contribute to the psychological well-being and distress of university students. Health promotion practitioners should adopt strategies that strengthen the personality characteristics and values associated with university students' psychological health.     

Changing Spousal Roles and Their Effect on Recovery in Gamblers Anonymous: GamAnon,Social Support,Wives and Husbands

This paper examines changing spousal roles and their effects upon recovery in Gamblers Anonymous (GA). It is based upon a qualitative study designed to gage uniformity as well as variations in approaches to recovery in GA. Interviews were conducted with 39 GA members (26 men, 13 women; mean age 56.5 years). Though the study was based in the Toronto area, only 13 interviews involved participants from that region. Phone interviews were conducted with GA members from various regions of both Canada and the US. GamAnon, GA’s sister fellowship, has been designed for anyone affected seriously by someone’s gambling problem. In practice, GamAnon comprises mostly women––spouses of male GA members––who traditionally have taken a keen interest in the ways in which their husbands achieve and maintain abstinence from gambling. Changing spousal roles have led to fewer women joining GamAnon, as many opt instead to part with troubled spouses. As well, more women are attending GA than in the past, typically with husbands who are disinclined to join GamAnon. All of this has drastically altered how GA members pursue recovery. These changes and their implications are discussed.     

Shyness,Preference for Solitude,and Adolescent Internalizing: The Roles of Maternal,Paternal, and Best‐Friend Support

The researchers examined differential outcomes related to two distinct motivations for withdrawal (preference for solitude and shyness) as well as the possibility that support from important others (mothers, fathers, and best friends) attenuate any such links. Adolescents (159 males, 171 females) reported on their motivations to withdraw, internalizing symptoms, and relationship quality in eighth grade, as well as their anxiety and depression in ninth grade. Using structural equation modeling, the authors found that maternal support weakened the association between shyness and internalizing problems; friend support weakened the association between preference for solitude and depression; and friend support strengthened the association between shyness and depression. Results suggest that shy adolescents may not derive the same benefits from supportive friendships as their typical peers.     

Parenthood, Childlessness, and Well-Being: A Life Course Perspective

This article reviews recent research (1999 - 2009) on the effects of parenthood on wellbeing. We use a life course framework to consider how parenting and childlessness influence well-being throughout the adult life course. We place particular emphasis on social contexts and how the impact of parenthood on well-being depends on marital status, gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. We also consider how recent demographic shifts lead to new family arrangements that have implications for parenthood and well-being. These include stepparenting, parenting of grandchildren, and childlessness across the life course.     

Some Correlates of Emotional Well-Being Among New England College Students

Abstract

In a questionnaire survey of New England college students, a large number of undergraduate men and women reported problems related to their personal, social, or academic adjustment. Given a list of 22 items described as “common concerns or feelings experienced by college students,” respondents were asked to rate the extent to which each item had been a problem for them in the past year. Most students (86%) reported having very much or somewhat of a problem with one or more items on the list. Pressure to do well in school, problems with weight control, anxiety, poor concentration and depression were among the most commonly reported concerns. The prevalence of these self-reported concerns and problems was found to be significantly associated with the respondents' sex, their perceptions of their health status, and academic standing.     

Predictors of General Well-Being Among Female Single Parent College Students

The purpose of Ulis study was to investigate whether socioeconomic status, social support systems, self-esteem, family envi- ronment, and length of Lime as a single parent were associated with the general well-being of female single parent college shidents (n = 51). Statistically sigruficant relationships were found between social support systcms, self-esteem, family environment, and the general well-being of the subjects.     

Marital Status and Well-Being:

This paper addresses itself to three main questions: (a) To what extent does single-parenthood enable a quality of life characterized by a sense of personal well-being? (b) What are the main components of well-beinifor single mothers? (c) Which back- ground factors facilitate well- emg In smgle mothers? In order to answer these questions a Depression Adjective Check-List (Lubin, 1965) was administered to a representatwe sample of 142 widows and 120 divorcies who had been single for a minimum of four ears and who each had at least one minor child. The main fin '7 ings: (a) measures of well-being were lower for single mothers than for married mothers; (b) there were negative, but also some positive com onents of well-being: a growing sense of loneliness, of mate- rial ardship, of anxiety about parental responsibilities, on the one hand, and a sense of occupational growth, on the other hand; (c) the background factors which affect well-being were properties such as schooling, earnings, and health as well as participation in familial decisions while still married. These results were mterpreted in the context of the familistic orientations prevailing in Israeli society.     

Hooking Up and Psychological Well-Being in College Students: Short-Term Prospective Links Across Different Hookup Definitions

Hooking up (sex outside committed, romantic relationships) is feared to result from or lead to compromised psychological well-being among undergraduates, yet longitudinal evidence is scarce and inconclusive, and different hookup definitions complicate cross-study comparisons. This study examined short-term longitudinal associations with four well-being indicators (depression, anxiety, life satisfaction, and self-esteem) across several definitions of hookups based on relationship length (one time, longer casual, and any) and physical intimacy level (kissing, genital touching, oral sex, and intercourse). A university-wide sample of 666 Northeastern U.S. freshmen and juniors (63% female, 68% White) completed online surveys at the beginning and end of one academic semester. Linear and logistic regressions explored whether hookups over the semester were linked to later well-being, and whether initial well-being was linked to later hookups. Across all 96 regressions, statistically significant associations between well-being and hookups were infrequent (23%), predominantly confined to anxiety and life satisfaction, equally likely in the direction of higher (13%) as lower (10%) well-being, and affected by both casual relationship length and intimacy level. When gender differences emerged (11%), hookups were associated with higher well-being for women and lower well-being for men. This complex set of results points to the importance of researchers’ choices in hookup definitions.