Positivity level predicts better health and mental health among adults

• Shazeen Qamar
• Nazia Yaqoob

Vol. 3 No. 1: May 2023 | Pages : 13-20

DOI: 10.47679/jchs.202345   Reader : 519 times PDF Download : 32 times

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Positivity is the training or propensity to be positive or hopeful throughout everyday life. At the point when we are positive, we take part in sure reasoning, have positive feelings, and participate in good practices like kindness and liberality. One of the hardships in inspecting existing examination on positive thinking is the different definitions and translations of its constitution and meaning. For the most part, positive reasoning is taken to demonstrate a specific disposition, conviction, mental state, or conduct for example articulating positive reasoning. Positivity is the act of being positive or hopeful in one's life. When we are positive, we engaged in positive thinking, have sensitive emotions and shows positive behaviours like kindness and generosity. Energy is comprised of positive reasoning, positive feelings, and good practices. Here are a few instances of what each of these may incorporated. It seems, by all accounts, to be extensively acknowledged that positive reasoning is better (Moberl & Watkins, 2008).

Positive reasoning, changing the negative musings into positive contemplations, seeing positive parts of a circumstance and testing critical considerations (Bekhet & Zauszniewski, 2013). All of these positivity contributes to positive outcomes like improved well-being and mental health. Inspiration is comprised of various parts, every one of which has unique, yet generally certain, impacts on lives and it is reasonable additionally gainful for us to work on our sensations of self-esteem and self-assurance (Miller, Catalano, & Ebener, 2010). Essentially, present-centred positive intuition, for instance concerning how much control we have over distressing circumstances by and large assists us with adapting better (Crum, Akinola, Martin, & Fath, 2017).Positivity, also known as positive psychology, focuses on a person's positive characteristics and analyses their best qualities (Csikszentmihalyi & Larson, 2014). It has been noted that positivity defeat pathology and enhance mental health functioning (Prisciandaro & Roberts, 2009). Notwithstanding, this view is currently perceived progressively as excessively oversimplified, with positive psychological well-being a particular and significant develop for understanding the human condition (Wittchen et.al, 2011).

Positive mental resources medical health benefits have also been documented in a variety of social settings. In Japanese culture for example, the feeling ofdaily routine worth experiencing (ikigai) is the most widely used indicator of emotional success (Sone et.al, 2008).In literature it describes the human body is consistently adjusting to changes inside its interior and outside environment trying to protect an interior balance and optimal working. This undertaking is known as homeostasis. Homeostasis is described by an arrangement of feedback controls that work to settle health wellbeing and working, paying little mind to the evolving conditions (Tansey & Johnson, 2015).The use of positivity as a predictor of better physical and mental health in adulthood has sparked interest in determining whether there is a link between the evolving human instinct interaction and its impact on people's well-being (Guiney, 2009; Nisbet & Zelenski, 2013). According to George Vaillant, a pioneer in the field of positive psychology research, previous scientific works on psychiatry and psychological wellness have a lot of discussions about anxiety, sadness, stress, rage, and fear, but nearly none concerning affection, compassion, and forgiveness (Vaillant, 2009).

In 2020, as novel (COVID-19) spread rapidly over the world infecting about 70 million people and caused over 1.5 million deaths (World Health Organization, 2020). These pressures have resulted in significant levels of anxiety, sadness, mental distress, sleep disturbances, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Rajkumar, 2020). In China (Chou, Shrestha, Yang, Chang, Lin, Liao, & Huang, 2020), South Africa (Anderson, Rouphael, Widge, Jackson, Roberts, Makhene, & Beigel, 2020) and Iran (Jahanshahi, Dinani, Madavani, & Zhang, 2020) psychopathology manifestations range from 18.2 percent to 37 percent (Rossi et.al, 2020). As novel COVID-19 spread swiftly over the world in 2020, infecting almost 70 million people and killing approximately 1.5 million people (Velavan & Meyer, 2020). Considering the role of positive psychology states, abilities, attitudes, and practises in aiding people in adjusting to and developing through the epidemic during COVID-19.Neither mental nor physical well-being can exist without the other. Working on the mental, physical, and social levels are all linked.

Furthermore, health and illness may coexist. The importance of the positive influence on physical and mental health has been thoroughly demonstrated in the literature. As a result, the findings of this study will aid in making effective attempts to promote positivity among kids and adults in order to improve their lives in all areas. Besides, the proof assembled here will add to the extension of the writing, and the ebb and flow study will open up new roads for positive psychology research and its applications to better physical and psychological well-being.

Hypothesis

H1: There would be a positive correlation between adult positivity and mental health (self-esteem, subjective wellbeing and life satisfaction) among adults.

H2: Positivity would predict better mental health among university students.

METHODS

This methodology section provides a step-by-step guide to the methods used to target, select, collect, and analyse data. Also mentioned are the research locations, participants, ethical considerations, secrecy, and rapport with the participants. It also contains a description of the measures, as well as a technique and statistical analysis.

Participants of the Study

The study's participants were chosen utilising an easy technique. With simple criteria of inclusion, availability, and willingness, a sample of university students (N=200) was recruited from several private and government universities in Pakistan. The sample was further separated into male (n=100) and female (n=100) groups. Participants in the study ranged in age from 18 to 35 years old.

Participant’s Confidence and Understanding

The crucial perspective for directing a review is trust and compatibility between the specialist and the subjects. Since the mental measures contained individual questions, the scientist expected to set up trust and compatibility with the people prior to conveying them. In the appraisal settings, the specialist acquainted herself with the members and clarified the review's objective. The analyst likewise vowed to keep their own data and some other data got from the organization of the mental tests used in the review private. During the organization of the tests, the analyst impartially clarified and explained any inquiries that members had. Members were informed that assuming they required any extra data with respect to the review, they could get it. Every one of the strategies recorded above supported the specialist in setting up trust and affinity with the subjects.

Ethical Considerations

The exploration was led in a way that regards the poise, privileges and government assistance of the members of the examination. This included guaranteeing and illuminating the members about the target regarding this exploration. The members were guaranteed that any data uncovered will be kept rigorously private and they reserved the option to demand full namelessness in the review. The members were likewise educated that their support was on will full premise and they reserve the option to end their cooperation in this review whenever. Keeping the ethical consideration regarding copyrights all the psychological measures used in the present study with author’s permission from their original source and some were available with the open permission.

Instruments

Demographic Sheet

Self-constructed demographic form was developed by examiner which comprises the following details e.g; Name, age, Sex, Marital status, Education, occupation, Name of father, age of father Father's educational background, occupation, Mother's name, age, educational background, and occupation Siblings, Birth order, living situation (urban/rural), socioeconomic class, and any psychiatric issues among first degree relatives (parents and siblings) are also factors to consider.

Scale of Positivity

The Positivity Scale brief self- report measure is an 8-item scale, covering individual’s perceptions of being worthy of value, positive expectations about future, and satisfaction with their lives (Caprara et.al, 2012). It uses a five-point Likert scale, with five possible replies for each of the eight items, strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, and strongly disagree. The item number six was scored in reverse, with higher scores indicating a high level of optimism and lower scores indicating a low level of positivity.

Scale of Self-Esteem

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is a 10-things scale that was initially intended to evaluate the worldwide confidence (Rosenberg, 1965). It has a 4-point Likert type reaction design and every one of the ten things has four potential reactions: Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree.

Subjective Well-Being Scale

Subjective well-being (BBC-SWB) is a 24 items 5 point Likert scale. The SWB (Subjective Well-being Scale) is a recently developed questionnaire by Schwannauer, Kinderman, Pontin and Tai (2010) that assesses people's subjective sentiments across a variety of characteristics that are frequently included in well-being criteria.

Life Satisfaction Scale

The Life Satisfaction Scale is a 5-item questionnaire meant to assess one's overall satisfaction with life (not a measure of either positive or negative affect) (Diener, Emmnos, Larsen, &Griffin, 1985). On a 7-point scale ranging from 7 strongly agree to 1 strongly disagree, participants indicate how much they agree or disagree with each of the 5 items. Scores are made up of a raw score and a final score (between 5 and 35).

The Research Setting

Certain methods were used to acquire information in a more controlled and objective manner. Measures were organised in a competent evaluation context. In these conditions, every effort was made to avoid any type of disturbance. In all scenarios, the administrational order of measures was followed and remained consistent. In all situations, the administration medium was kept consistent. Instructions and requirements (as outlined in the manuals of measures used) were strictly adhered to.

Site for Research

Students from several government and non-government (i.e. private sector) universities in Faisalabad, Pakistan participated in this study, which was conducted on both genders. Because some students prefer to enrol in government institutions and others prefer private institutions, both government and non-government universities were chosen. The examiner asked the authorities at the selected universities to enable data gathering for the current study, but only a few of them agreed.

Procedure for Conducting Research

To obtain permission, all documentation were presented to heads of all departments in selected universities where data was obtained, including a permission letter, consent form, and research measures. The participants were approached through their class teachers after receiving permission from university departments. Participants in this study were chosen at random, and all students were free to engage in this study at their own discretion. Participants who accepted to participate in the study were given a demographic form to fill out in order to obtain the necessary demographic information. The demographic questionnaire was given to each participant separately. Any information found to be confusing during the administration of demographic forms and scales (i.e. positivity, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and subjective wellbeing).

Scoring Process

Following data collection, scoring was completed using the recommendations provided in the psychological measures manual.

Analytical Statistics

After scoring was completed, the data was tallied on a Microsoft Excel sheet. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, V 12.0). Descriptive statistics were obtained for the total sample and both groups. Furthermore, regression analysis was used to determine the causal association between self-esteem and happiness. Females and males were also subjected to an independent sample t-test to see if there were any variations in self-esteem, life satisfaction, and subjective well-being.

RESULTS

The statistical analysis of the research data is the subject of this chapter. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyse the data (SPSS, V 12.0). For the analysis, a significance level of 0.05, 0.01 was employed.

Statistics that are Descriptive in Nature

The age, gender, and demographic information of the whole data set is shown individually for each groups (Table 1). Frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation are among the descriptive statistics. There are 150 male students and 150 female students in each of the two groups (n=200 total, 100 males and 100 females).

Table 1 show the frequency and percentage of participants with respect to gender, age and education. The gender of participants is the male is (100, 50.0%) and female is (100, 50.0%). All participants are university students.

Table 1. Demographic sheet characteristic participants at Fsd (N=200).

	f	%	M	SD
Age (18-35)			20	11.5
Education
BA	1	.3
MSC	5	1.5
MBA	6	1.8
BS	20	6.1
BS Hons	23	7.0
BSCS	16	4.8
BS Psychology	2	.6
Gender
Female	104	59.4
Male	96	31.5

Hypothesis 1: There would be a positive correlation between adult positivity and mental health (self-esteem, subjective wellbeing and life satisfaction) among adults.

Table 2 shows the significant positive correlation between positivity and self-esteem at (.37, p<.001), life satisfaction at (.50, p<.001), further life satisfaction is positively linked with self-esteem at (.39, p<.001). Moreover, life satisfaction also significantly positively correlated with subjective wellbeing at (.15, p<.05) on the other hand subjective well-being is not significantly correlated with positivity and self-esteem.

Table 2. Correlation among the variables.

Variable	Positivity	Self-esteem	Life satisfaction	Subjective Wellbeing
Positivity		.37**	50**	.06
Self-Esteem			.39**	.10
Life Satisfaction				.15*
Subjective wellbeing
*p<.05, **p<.001

Hypothesis 2: Positivity would predict better mental health among university students.

a Predictors variable Constant Positivity, dependent variable Self-esteem, b Predictors variable Constant Positivity, dependent variable life satisfaction, c Predictors variable Constant Positivity, dependent variable subjective well-being.

Self-Esteem is significant predictor of positivity p<.05 similarly Life Satisfaction is significant predictor of positivity p<.05 but Subjective Well-being is not a significant predictor of positivity p>.05.

Self-Esteem is significant predictor of positivity p<.05 similarly Life Satisfaction is significant predictor of positivity p<.05 but Subjective Well-being is not a significant predictor of positivity p>.05.

Table 3. The major predictor of the study is positivity, as shown in this table, which is the model, summary of the variable. The R square, corrected R square, and Std. Error of the Estimate are also shown in the table.

Models	R	R2	∆ R²	Std. Error
1a	.37	.13	.13	3.73
2b	.50	.25	.25	6.49
3c	.06	.00	.00	8.67

Table 4. This table shows level of positivity among university students. (N= 200)

Model	Sum of Squares	df	Mean Square	f	p
a) Regression	656.437	1	656.44	47.10	000
Residual	4153.043	298	13.9 6
Total	4809.480	299
b) Regression	4187.316	1	4187.31	99.56	000
Residual	12533.121	298	42.06
Total	6720.437	299
c)Regression	92.233	1	92.23	1.23	.27
Residual	22389.004	298	75.13
Total	22481.237	299
Dependent Variable: a) Self-Esteem is significant predictor of positivity, b) Life Satisfaction is significant predictor of positivity c) Subjective Well-being is not a significant predictor of positivity.

Table 5. Summaries positivity level among adults

Model	Unstandardized Coefficients		Standardized Coefficients	T	P
	B	SE	Β
Constant	9.447	1.010	-	9.353	000
Positivity a	.285	.041	.369	6.863	.000
Constant	4.352	1.755	-	2.480	.01
Positivity b	.719	.072	.500	9.978	.000
Constant	68.038	2.345	-	29.011	000
Positivity c	.107	.096	.064	1.108	.269
a: Dependent variable: Self-Esteem, b: Dependent variable: Life satisfaction, c: Dependent variable: subjective wellbeing

DISCUSSION

The impartial of this study was to reconnoitre the relationship among adult positivity connections with mental health. To predict the relationship between positive behaviour impact on mental health in adults. To check the significance of adult positivity as a predictor of better health and mental health. These findings are incorporated with preceding researches. The discussion will highlight the underlying factors and impact of positivity which contributed for better health and mental health. Several researches widely reported many crucial factors which play an important role on mental health among adults. Highlighting these will aid in our comprehension of the current study's findings which include positivity, health, and mental health (self-esteem, life satisfaction, and subjective well-being) among adults.

Positive thinking all over the world believed to be a contributor for better health and satisfied life. Similarly with high self-esteem there is high self- satisfaction level which is a vital factor for better mental health. Furthermore, many empirical findings also supports that these variables play a basic function in health and mental health outcome of adults so that they will be our major focus of discussion. This section of the study primarily examines positivity as a predictor of improved health and mental health in adults, with self-esteem, life satisfaction, and subjective well-being being highlighted as possible underlying causes for better mental health. Further, this chapter also includes recommendation and implications for future researchers. There would be a positive correlation between adult positivity and mental health (self-esteem, subjective wellbeing and life satisfaction) among adults. The 1st hypothesis of the study is approved and statistical findings suggested that there is a significant correlation existed between positivity and self-esteem at (.37, p<.001), life satisfaction at (.50, p<.001), further life satisfaction is positively linked with self-esteem at (.39, p<.001). Moreover life satisfaction also significantly positively correlated with subjective wellbeing at (.15, p<.05) on the other hand subjective well-being is not significantly correlated with positivity and self-esteem.

The results of the current study are in consistent with the previous researches (Pressman & Cohen, 2005; Ostir, Markides, Peek, & Goodwin, 2001; Blanchflower & Oswald, 2007). The results of the current study shows that positivity is significantly associated with better physical and mental health among students like self-esteem life satisfaction and subjective well-being. This means that people, who are high in positivity level, are more likely to harbour better health and mental health as compared to others. Interestingly, positivity, have the strongest relationship with self-esteem.

This conclusion is backed up by a nun study Danner, Snowdon and Friesen (2001) which found a link between positive psychological traits and good health. A group of American nuns from the School Sisters of Notre Dame wrote autobiographical writings when they were in their early twenties. Six decades later, researchers who had acquired the convent archive appraised the emotional quality of 180 pieces on optimism and investigated whether they were related to nun mortality. Positive emotional content did in fact have a high link to long-term success. Nuns who conveyed more pleasant emotions in their writings (those in the top 25%) lived an average of ten years longer than those who did not (those in the bottom 25 percent). To put it another way Nuns who were happier lived longer than nuns who were less happy (albeit not always happier). The relationship between positivity and self- esteem is well documented in studies Individuals positive judgments of their self-worth and ability demonstrate high self-esteem, which is advantageous for personal development (Matthews, Deary, & Whiteman,2003). Students, in a self-fulfilling prophecy, will study harder if they believe they have the ability to accomplish (Wong, Wiest, & Cusick, 2002). To put it another way, a student's self-esteem can be serve as a motivator for them to attain their academic objectives (Fang, 2016). Furthermore, students who have higher self-esteem may lead to greater aspirations and goals. They might be less inclined to succumb to thoughts of self-doubt and have more confidence in handling problems (Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger, & Vohs, 2003). As a result, individuals are more likely to receive excellent grades (Bankston & Zhou, 2002; Schmidt & Padilla, 2003). Which helps them perform better in academic environments (Pyszczynski, Greenberg, Solomon, Arndt, & Schimel, 2004). As a result, we anticipate that positivity will boost their self-esteem.

Because self-esteem is a booster of life satisfaction, it is not surprising that it is most strongly positively connected with life satisfaction among students. As a result, people with high self-esteem are expected to have a high level of life satisfaction (Chen, Cheung, Bond, & Leung, 2006). Because self-esteem is a person's total appraisal of his or her own value, this is to be expected. Self-esteem has been proven to be a critical component in maintaining psychological health and well-being, as well as effective functioning, during adolescence (Erol & Orth, 2011). In Maslow's five-stage paradigm, self-esteem comes after self-actualization. Only after a person's self-esteem has been pleased and fulfilled can they progress to full self-actualization, which only a few people are claimed to have achieved (Maslow, 1943).

Similarly, Carl Rogers was a psychotherapist and a humanist in the same way. When a person achieves self-actualization, he believes they will be a fully functioning individual living the good life. This means that the person has a positive, healthy psychological outlook implying that they are content with themselves, that they trust their own feelings, and that their lives are consistent between self and experience (Rogers, 2004). The individual would have a high sense of self-worth and the ability to enjoy or if necessary adapt their life circumstances. So the findings of this study show, the higher the positive self-esteem level the higher the individual’s health, mental health, life satisfaction and subject well-being. There is a considerable link between optimism, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and subjective well-being. This means that positivity boosts adult's self-esteem, life satisfaction, and general happiness, and has a substantial impact on their physical and mental health.

Positivity would predict better mental health among university students. According to the findings of this hypothesis positivity is associated with greater mental health in adults. Our findings show that positivity is significant predictor of self-esteem p<.05 similarly Life Satisfaction is significant predictor of positivity p<.05 but Positivity is not a significant predictor of subjective well-being p>.05. Self-esteem at [(R² = .13, F (1, 298) = 47.10, p <.05)] is significant predictor of positivity. This means that people high in self-esteem do not involve themselves in activities that give them a sense of pessimism. This implies that it promotes the overall health and well-being of people who are positive and having high self-esteem can achieve the better lifestyle. This finding suggests that the overall health and well-being of university students from Faisalabad who are positive can be significantly improved their mental health and lives. Life satisfaction is also positively associated with positivity at [(R² = .25 F (1,298) =99.56, p <.05)] and this means that the higher one's positivity level, the satisfied life one will be have. It is feasible to conclude from this that a high level of self-esteem tends to boost a person's pleasure and life satisfaction (Smith, 2000). Subjective wellbeing is not associated with Satisfaction with positivity [(R² = .00, F (1, 298) = 1.23 p >.05)], this suggests that students with high levels of positivity have life satisfaction but not subjective well-being, and associate well-being with happiness and life satisfaction. As a result, optimistic people are more content with their lives and have better mental health. These findings are also consistent with the findings of Lee, Kwong, Cheung, Ungar and Cheung (2010) which found that positivity is linked to better mental health. People who think favourably experience more good sentiments and have a greater level of well-being (Quoidbach, Berry, Hansenne, & Mikolajczak, 2010). These findings show that students who have a high level of positivity engage in activities that give them a sense of high self-esteem, life satisfaction, and subjective well-being, and hence have better physical and mental health. This means that for promoting the overall health and mental health of university students from Pakistan who are open to experience can do so by targeting the positivity and other mental health components as discussed above.

Finally, our findings show that people high in positivity are most strongly positively associated with all the components i.e. Self-esteem, life satisfaction but not with subjective wellbeing. This means that in general positivity is an important component in life of humans (Prinzing, 2021).

CONCLUSION

Ultimately, a number of scientific research demonstrated that positivity is linked to greater physical and mental health in adults. According to the findings of this study, optimism has an impact on mental health components such as self-esteem, life satisfaction, and subjective well-being. As a result of their high level of optimism, they have a high level of self-esteem and life satisfaction. Furthermore, it was discovered that those who have high self-esteem have a better life style and are more active and tranquil. In comparison to other studies and literature, the findings of this study demonstrated statistically significant correlations between positive, health, and mental health, indicating that the current study is a first effort that will pave the way for future research. The level of optimism is a predictor of better health and mental health among students, according to the findings of the current study.

Finally, we discovered that positivity is closely linked to self-esteem, life satisfaction, subjective well-being, and overall health. Furthermore, this research will aid our comprehension of the central theme, although it will require further evaluation.

DECLARATIONS

CONSENT FOR PUBLICATION

I fully agree that this thesis can be published for academic purposes and I am ready to provide support and additional information needed to facilitate the publication process.

AVAILABILITY OF DATA AND MATERIAL (ADM)

All of the data and materials used in this research have been collected well and are available for those who need them, both for academic purposes and further research.

COMPETING INTERESTS

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

FUNDING

In this research process, the researcher used personal funds to support the continuity of the research.

AUTHORS' CONTRIBUTIONS

The author's contributions to this research include planning, data collection, analysis, and report writing. All of these contributions would not have been possible without the support of the parties who have assisted in the research process.

Copyright and Licenses

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

Data Availability

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