Adopting a primary prevention perspective, this study examines competencies with the potential to enhance well-being and performance among future workers. More specifically, the contributions of ...ability-based and trait models of emotional intelligence (EI), assessed through well-established measures, to indices of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being were examined for a sample of 157 Italian high school students. The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test was used to assess ability-based EI, the Bar-On Emotional Intelligence Inventory and the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire were used to assess trait EI, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale and the Satisfaction With Life Scale were used to assess hedonic well-being, and the Meaningful Life Measure was used to assess eudaimonic well-being. The results highlight the contributions of trait EI in explaining both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, after controlling for the effects of fluid intelligence and personality traits. Implications for further research and intervention regarding future workers are discussed.
Given the relationship between attitudes and behaviors (Frymier and Nadler
2007
), perceptions toward the environment are of concern in shaping environmental behaviors. Accordingly, understanding how ...to improve people’s connection to nature may be a vital research area linked to sustainability efforts. To further this understanding, the present study examined the contribution of empathy in mediating the relationship between personality traits and connectedness to nature. The Big Five Questionnaire, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and the Connectedness to Nature Scale were administered to 230 Italian workers. The results indicated that the relationship between the personality traits of agreeableness and openness and connectedness to nature is mediated by empathy, in particular by perspective taking and empathic concern. Given that empathy is amenable to training, compared to more stable personality traits, the results suggest that empathy may be a promising area for further research and intervention with the goal of increasing connectedness to nature and valuing of the environment among adults in the workplace.
The aim of this study is to explore the understanding of decent work in the Italian context and to examine the validity of the Italian version of the Decent Work Scale. Four hundred and thirty-six ...Italian workers were involved in the study. Dimensionality, reliability, and construct validity of the Decent Work Scale were analysed. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a bifactor model of the instrument consistent with the original version. In addition, solid evidence for internal consistency and validity was found. Results suggest that the Italian version of the Decent Work Scale is a valid instrument for measuring the construct of decent work in the Italian context. Furthermore the responses to an open-ended question were examined for a sub-sample of 246 participants in order to extend the quantitative findings and further clarify the nature of the construct in Italy. The qualitative analysis revealed components of decent work reflected in the original Decent Work Scale and others aligned with the broader Psychology of Working Framework/Theory (PWF/PWT). The quantitative and qualitative findings offer directions for future research and intervention.
•CFA supported a bifactor model of the Italian version of the Decent Work Scale.•Solid evidence for internal consistency and validity was found.•The qualitative analysis added to the understanding of decent work in Italy
The aim of the present study is to empirically test the theoretical model, Positive Self and Relational Management (PS&RM), for a sample of 184 Italian university students. The PS&RM model specifies ...the development of individuals' strengths, potentials, and talents across the lifespan and with regard to the dialect of self in relationship. PS&RM is defined theoretically by three constructs: Positive Lifelong Life Management, Positive Lifelong Self-Management, Positive Lifelong Relational Management. The three constructs are operationalized as follows: Positive Lifelong Life Management is measured by the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), the Meaningful Life Measure (MLM), and the Authenticity Scale (AS); Positive Lifelong Self-Management is measured by the Intrapreneurial Self-Capital Scale (ISC), the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS), and the Life Project Reflexivity Scale (LPRS); and Positive Lifelong Relational Management is measured by the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue), the Multidimensional Scale for Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Positive Relational Management Scale (PRMS). Confirmatory factor analysis of the PS&RM model was completed using structural equation modeling. The theoretical PS&RM model was empirically tested as defined by the three hypothesized constructs. Empirical support for this model offers a framework for further research and the design of preventive interventions to promote decent work and decent lives in the twenty-first century.
The two studies presented in this article examine individual psychological resources that might be fostered to promote individual and organizational well-being. More specifically, study 1 study ...assessed with a sample of 524 Italian University students the relationship between trait emotional intelligence (EI) and both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, controlling for the effects of personality traits. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that trait EI explained a percentage of incremental variance beyond that accounted for by personality traits in relation to both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Study 2 assessed the contribution of Positive Relational Management (PRM) to hedonic and eudaimonic well-being with a sample of 252 university students. Analyses showed that PRM accounted for significant incremental variance beyond that accounted for by personality traits in relation to both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. The findings suggest that both trait EI and PRM represent promising resources for promoting well-being, although variations were identified with regard to the contributions of specific dimensions of both sets of resources.
Drawing from career construction and positive youth development perspectives, this study explores, among 254 Italian high school students, the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and ...support from friends and teachers with indices of adaptive career development. Results from the full canonical correlational model revealed that dimensions of EI and teacher support were positively associated with resilience and self-perceived employability. These results suggest that EI and teacher support warrant further investigation as factors that may contribute to adaptive career progress among youth.
This article advances the psychology of working theory by developing a parallel change‐based paradigm to guide interventions at the level of individuals (i.e., the psychology of working counseling) ...and systems (i.e., the psychology of working systemic intervention). The change paradigm presented in this article includes (a) a needs assessment encompassing survival, social connection/contribution, and self‐determination and (b) input on the mobilization of agentic action that includes critical reflection and action, proactive engagement, social support, and community engagement. The needs assessment and agentic action aspects of this approach can be used to foster change in individual counseling, advocacy, and systemic intervention. Case examples reflecting a systemic intervention and an individual counseling vignette are presented along with implications for research, such as explorations of the impact of these change models on client outcomes and systemic change efforts.
In the 21st century, which has been characterized by complexity, instability, and continuous change, the well-being of individuals is threatened. The health and well-being of individuals are ...recognized as one of the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations. From a primary prevention perspective, physical and psychological health can be augmented through the early identification and promotion of key psychological resources that sustain well-being across one’s lifetime. With that goal in mind, the present study explored potential relationships between academic relational civility and both hedonic (positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction) and eudaimonic well-being (meaning in life and flourishing), controlling for the effect of personality traits among university students. The Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ), the Academic Relational Civility Scale (ARCS), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), the Meaning in Life Measure (MLM), and the Flourishing Scale (FS), were administered to 241 Italian university students. Regression analyses identified that academic relational civility contributed significantly to hedonic and eudaimonic well-being beyond the contribution of stable personality factors. Academic relational civility may represent one psychological resource for supporting and sustaining hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, suggesting the need for further research and intervention.
This study explored the experiences of low-income students of color who participated in a work-based learning (WBL) program while attending a Catholic high school. Historically, research on student ...outcomes in WBL programs has been mixed, and few studies have provided insights into how low-income youth of color can benefit. This study utilized a phenomenological methodology to capture hope among these youth and to delineate these students’ lived experiences within their relational, organizational, and sociocultural contexts. The results showed participants’ goal setting and motivation were fostered by a sense of connection to others at school and a collective belief that success was possible for all students despite whatever challenges they faced. The participants also discussed hopes for the future within the context of workplace support, religious faith, and past hopelessness. The results provide avenues to design WBL programs that consider students’ supports and barriers and further contextualize hope theory.
Abstract
Background
Air pollution was responsible for an estimated 6.7 million deaths globally in 2019 and 197,000 deaths in the United States. Fossil fuel combustion is the major source.
Hypothesis
...Mapping air pollution’s health impacts at the community level using publicly available data and open-source software will provide a replicable strategy for catalyzing pollution prevention.
Methods
Using EPA’s Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis (BenMAP-CE) software and state data, we quantified the effects of airborne fine particulate matter (PM
2.5
) pollution on disease, death and children’s cognitive function (IQ Loss) in each city and town in Massachusetts. To develop a first-order estimate of PM
2.5
pollution’s impact on child IQ, we derived a concentration-response coefficient through literature review.
Findings
The annual mean PM
2.5
concentration in Massachusetts in 2019 was 6.3 μg/M
3
, a level below EPA’s standard of 12 μg/M
3
and above WHO’s guideline of 5 μg/M
3
. In adults, PM
2.5
pollution was responsible for an estimated 2780 (Confidence Interval CI 2726 – 2853) deaths: 1677 (CI, 1346 – 1926
)
from cardiovascular disease, 2185 (CI, 941–3409) from lung cancer, 200 (CI, 66–316) from stroke, and 343 (CI, 222–458) from chronic respiratory disease. In children, PM
2.5
pollution was responsible for 308 (CI, 105–471) low-weight births, 15,386 (CJ, 5433-23,483) asthma cases, and a provisionally estimated loss of nearly 2 million Performance IQ points; IQ loss impairs children’s school performance, reduces graduation rates and decreases lifetime earnings. Air-pollution-related disease, death and IQ loss were most severe in low-income, minority communities, but occurred in every city and town in Massachusetts regardless of location, demographics or median family income.
Conclusion
Disease, death and IQ loss occur at air pollution exposure levels below current EPA standards. Prevention of disease and premature death and preservation of children’s cognitive function will require that EPA air quality standards be tightened. Enduring prevention will require government-incentivized transition to renewable energy coupled with phase-outs of subsidies and tax breaks for fossil fuels. Highly localized information on air pollution’s impacts on health and on children’s cognitive function has potential to catalyze pollution prevention.
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