Journal of Happiness Studies

This prospective study investigated the personal growth of Israeli mothers of premature babies at two medically defined risk levels (infants at low risk, n = 42; infants at moderate-high risk, n = 52), examining the contribution to the five dimensions of personal growth of objective event characteristics (baby’s risk level), perceived levels of mother’s stress (linear and curvilinear associations), and mother’s personal resources (self-esteem, attachment styles, perceived emotional support from her own mother). In addition, the role of the event severity as a moderator of the association between perceived maternal emotional support and personal growth was explored. Findings indicate that mothers in the two risk groups did not differ in level of perceived stress. Mothers of infants at moderate-high risk, however, experienced more spiritual change. In addition, consistent curvilinear associations emerged between perceived levels of stress and personal growth for three dimensions of growth: new possibilities, personal strength, and relations with others (with a similar trend for appreciation of life). Thus, mothers reporting moderate stress levels experienced the highest personal growth. Finally, risk group played a moderating role in the association between perceived maternal emotional support and personal growth on the dimensions of new possibilities, personal strength, and relations with others. On these dimensions, only among mothers of low-risk babies were higher levels of maternal emotional support associated with greater personal growth. The results highlight the importance of the subjective experience and the value of maternal emotional support for the personal growth of mothers of preterms. These findings may help in designing measures to identify populations at risk and developing appropriate interventions, as well as impact on the working procedures and support currently offered in most neonatal intensive care units.

Considering that adults with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) experience many barriers and challenges in designing and living a satisfactory life, based on Life Design paradigm, this study aimed at analyzing the direct and indirect effect of career adaptability, through hope, on life satisfaction in a sample of individuals with SUD compared to a sample of individuals without SUD. In this study, a sample of 185 adults with and 185 adults without SUD was involved and different measures to assess career adaptability (Career Adapt-Abilities Scale-Italian Form; Soresi, Nota, & Ferrari; 2012), hope (The Adult Hope Scale) and life satisfaction (The Satisfaction with Life Scale) were used. Multigroup structural analyses were conducted to test the group differences in the direct and indirect effects model hypothesized. Results showed that career adaptability is indirectly, through hope, related to life satisfaction across two groups. These results have important implications for practice and emphasize the need to promoting career adaptability and hope in people with SUD to improve their life satisfaction that is an important diagnostic and outcome criteria in substance use disorder issues.

This article analyzes the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES; Schaufeli et al. in J Happiness Stud 3:71–92, 2002b) on a variety of levels. Study 1 critiques the method by which the original scale was developed, and analyzes a similar sample using both exploratory and, subsequently, confirmatory factor analyses. Study 2 uses three samples to explore the 17-item UWES-17, and the recent shorter version of the scale, the 9-item UWES-9. Factor structures and reliabilities of scores for both scale versions were examined for each sample. Although some cautions are warranted when using the UWES, this research leans toward supporting a multifactorial conceptualization of the construct. Preliminary construct validation of the use of the measures was also established via correlations with other pertinent constructs. Although research on the measure remains sparse, the UWES-9 holds promise as a parsimonious version of the UWES-17 that appears valid in use, appears to yield reliable scores in the samples herein, and also appears to capture the purported three-factor dimensionality of the engagement construct better than does the original UWES-17 version.

Cross-sectional research indicated that the application of signature strengths at work seemed to be crucial for perceiving a job as a calling. The present study aimed at testing this assumed causality in a random-assignment, placebo-controlled web-based intervention study. The intervention group (n = 83) was instructed to use their four highest character strengths more often at work for 4 weeks. Meanwhile the control group (n = 69) reflected about four situations (independent from the current workplace) where they excelled. For the evaluation of the effects of the two conditions, participants completed measures on calling and global life satisfaction before (Pretest), directly after the four-week training period (Posttest 1), and 3 (Posttest 2) and 6 months (Posttest 3) later. Calling significantly increased in the intervention group but not in the control group from Pretest to Posttest 1, and remained constant until Posttest 3. Global life satisfaction significantly increased in the intervention group but not in the control group from Pretest to Posttest 2 and from Posttest 1 to Posttest 3. That indicated that the changes on global life satisfaction were less steep than the changes in calling and lagged, but significant long lasting changes were observed likewise. Results supported the assumption that the application of strengths at work impacts calling and life satisfaction. Limitations as well as implications for research and practice are discussed.

A study involving a large-scale social survey was administered to a representative German sample provided evidence demonstrating three information processing principles associated with life satisfaction judgments: (1) judgments of domain satisfaction tend to influence judgments of domain importance; (2) the effect of domain satisfaction on domain importance tends to be moderated by depressive realism; and (3) depression tends to influence domain satisfaction judgments. Specifically, depression mitigates the influence of domain satisfaction on domain importance. Nondepressed individuals tend to use compensation (an ego-enhancing strategy) to inflate the importance of domains they experience high satisfaction as well as deflate the importance of those domains they experience low satisfaction. As such, the effect of domain satisfaction on domain importance is accentuated for the nondepressed compared to the depressed.