Students' Psychological Well-Being Interrelations to Spiritual, Cognitive, and Personality Styles

Date
2008-04
Authors
Pekrul, Christopher
Pappas, J.
Smythe, W.
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Publisher
University of Regina, Graduate Students' Association
Abstract

In accordance with contemporary trends of investigating the relationships between spiritual constructs and psychological functioning, the following research examines how individual differences in spiritual well being, personality, mindfulness, gratitude, and self-expansiveness mediate psychological well being (affective states of stress, depression, anxiety) in an undergraduate student sample. Current research supports the buffering effects of spiritual well-being and beliefs on mediating stressful life events, resulting in a decrease in the affective states of anxiety and depression. Consistent with research according to the Five Factor Model of personality, individuals who display greater levels of extraversion experience increased levels of positive affect and mood regulation, whereas increased levels of neuroticism are consistent with stress, depression, and emotional hypersensitivity. Dispositional and acquired mindfulness has been consistently related to positive psychological well-being, with strong inverse relations to constructs of depression, anxiety, angry hostility, and impulsivity. Furthermore, studies examining the role of gratitude in psychological functioning found individuals with higher levels of dispositional gratitude to have lower levels of depression and stress as well as increased life satisfaction. The purpose of this study is to explore how individual differences in personality, cognitive styles, and spiritual well-being mediate the affective states of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Description
Poster presented at the 3rd Graduate Students' Research Conference, April 2008.
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