Nikolett Eisenbeck

Background: Mood and anxiety disorders share high negative affect but are distinguished by disorder-specific mechanisms: low positive affect in depression, hyperarousal and experiential avoidance in anxiety. Whether this differentiation extends beyond symptoms to how individuals cope with adversity, and to positive well-being, has received little empirical attention. Method: A 1:1 matched case-control design was employed, including 1,732 participants from 25 countries (866 with a pre-existing mental health diagnosis, 866 matched controls), assessing psychological distress, psychological well-being (PERMA), physical health, loneliness, and 15 coping strategies. Data were collected during a naturalistic high-stress context. Results: Participants with pre-existing diagnoses showed significantly higher distress, lower psychological well-being, poorer physical health, and greater reliance on avoidance-based coping than matched controls. Within the clinical group, the two diagnostic categories showed clear differences: mood-related diagnoses were associated with lower positive well-being and less meaning-centered coping, whereas anxiety-related diagnoses were associated with lower acceptance, but relatively preserved meaning and well-being. Comorbidity added anxiety-specific rather than global burden. Self-blame (negatively) and meaning-centered coping (positively) were the strongest predictors of health outcomes. Conclusions: Diagnostic differentiation extends beyond affective symptoms to coping repertoires, supporting a two-tier framework: disorder-specific targets, namely positive well-being and meaning in mood disorders and acceptance in anxiety disorders, alongside meaning-centered coping as a transdiagnostic priority.

This study investigated the positive and negative predictors of depression, anxiety, stress, and flourishing among Brazilian adults during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample consisted of 665 adults (women: 77%), aged between 18 and 79 years (M = 36.70; SD = 13.12). Participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Brief-COPE Inventory; the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale; the PERMA Profiler; the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II; and the Meaning-Centered Coping Scale. Multiple regression analyses indicated that avoidance coping, and psychological inflexibility were significant predictors of stress, anxiety, and depression. Age, flourishing, and perceived physical health acted as protective factors, with significant differences between participants with and without prior psychological diagnoses. Meaning-centered coping predicted flourishing in both groups. These findings suggest that interventions should address prior diagnoses, and foster flourishing dimensions, alongside adaptive coping strategies, including meaning-centered coping.

The aim of the study is the adaptation of the 7-item version of the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ-7) for the Hungarian sample. The factor structure of CFQ-7, the invariance of the structure in different groups, and its relationship with depression, anxiety and stress were previously confirmed by several different studies. This study discusses these analyses within one framework, and the invariance between the different subgroups in a broader context. The sample consisted of 1231 participants (average age 29.35, SD = 11.10). Mainly women took part in the study (n = 805, 75.56%). Most participants were single (n = 494, 41.1%) and had a secondary school degree (714, 58.0%). The participants completed the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ-7), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), Satisfaction With Life Survey (SWLS) and White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI). The results confirm the one-factor structure of the CFQ-7 (χ2 = 69.24, df = 12, p <.001, χ2/df = 5.37, CFI = 0.985, TLI = 0.974, RMSEA = 0.062 [90% CI 0.048, 0.077], SRMR = 0.020.) with adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.918) and test-retest reliability (r =.665). The measurement tool shows configural, metric, and scalar invariance in groups separated by age, gender, education and psychological treatment history. Its strong correlation with psychological inflexibility (AAQ-II) and general tendency to suppress thoughts (WBSI) (r =.79 and r =.62); moderate correlation with general psychological distress (DASS-21; r =.59), depression (r =.57), anxiety (r =.59) and stress (r =.61); finally life satisfaction (SWLS; r = −.38) proves external validity of the CFQ-7. The one-factor structure of the questionnaire was confirmed, and its items can be well adapted to Acceptance Commitment Therapy, and also to Cognitive Therapy interventions. Its factorial invariance can be confirmed in different groups. However due to the characteristics of the sample - mainly women, young adults and those without a psychiatric history participated in the study -, further examination of the CFQ-7 in a clinical sample with current psychiatric conditions would be useful.

ObjectiveThis study explores the reappraisal of personal values among people with cancer post-diagnosis and its connections to meaningfulness, encompassing personal meaning and sense of meaning, and various dimensions of quality of life.MethodsA total of 144 patients with diverse cancer types and a control group comprising 158 healthy adults with similar demographic characteristics completed the Valued Living Questionnaire-Perceived Change, the Personal Meaning Profile-Brief, the Portrait Values Questionnaire, and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being.ResultsCancer patients displayed a substantial values reappraisal compared to healthy adults. They reported an increased significance of social areas and self-transcendental values, including close relationships (family, partner, and friends), spirituality, citizenship, and universalism, as well as an increased importance of self-care and self in general. Conversely, cancer patients assigned less importance to work and self-enhancement values such as stimulation, power, and achievement. Cluster analysis revealed that patients who reappraised their values exhibited higher meaningfulness and better indicators of quality of life, including spiritual and physical well-being, compared to patients who did not modify their value system.ConclusionsThese findings underscore the importance of assessing and promoting meaning-in-life adaptability among people with cancer, with potential applications in meaning-centered therapies and interventions aimed at enhancing psychological flexibility.

This study aimed to investigate the dimensional structure of Brief-COPE during the COVID-19 pandemic. Six hundred and sixty-six adults from all regions of Brazil, mostly women (77 %), aged between 18 and 79 years old (M = 36.70; SD = 13.12), took part in this research. They answered sociodemographic questions and the Brief-COPE. Descriptive and confirmatory factor analyzes were performed. The first order dimensional structure was confirmed with the 14 original factors. The second order structure did not converge, and a new second order structure was proposed based on the correlation indexes among the first order factors. The proposed new model presented adequate indexes of adjustment to the data. Such results suggest that the pandemic may have changed the way participants perceive and relate coping strategies.

The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Mature Happiness Scale, a measure focused on inner harmony. Mature happiness is achieved when a person can live in balance between both positive and negative aspects of their life. A total sample of 2,130 participants from five countries (Canada: n = 390, United States: n = 223, United Kingdom: n = 512, Spain: n = 724, and Hungary: n = 281) responded to an online survey including the original Mature Happiness Scale, the PERMA-Profiler, and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded a one-factor solution with seven positive items (non-reversed). We called this new version of the questionnaire the Mature Happiness Scale-Revised (MHS-R). Measurement invariance was found across countries, age groups, gender, and mental disorder diagnosis. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability were high. Older people, males, and people without a mental disorder diagnosis scored higher in mature happiness than younger ones, females, and those with a mental health disorder diagnosis, respectively. Mature happiness showed strong positive associations with various subscales of the PERMA-Profiler, specifically with positive emotions and meaning in life. In addition, mature happiness was strongly correlated with less negative affect and inner conflict and lower psychological inflexibility, whereas it was moderately correlated with lower loneliness. This validity evidence supports the cross-cultural use of the MHS-R in the aforementioned countries to reliably measure happiness among adults. With its holistic approach, the MHS-R may be a unique complement to other well-being measures, particularly to better predict mental health problems.

Previous research demonstrated that the cancer diagnosis and treatment evoke existential concerns, especially ones related to meaning in life and meaning-making processes. The cancer experience is a vital challenge that often entails changes in what is personally important in life. Firstly, this paper collects evidence supporting that meaning adaptability, the way people adapt their meaning in life to the cancer experience, is a central element in the mental health of cancer patients. Various theories that could account for this meaning adaptability are introduced. Secondly, the paper provides a compilation of studies showing how people change what is significant in their lives within the course of cancer. Finally, the paper presents the available psychological therapies directed to facilitate meaning adaptability in this population. Meaning-centered interventions have been demonstrated to be effective in alleviating the suffering related to the cancer experience and promoting personal growth.

A key research program within the meaning in life (MIL) literature aims to identify the key contributors to MIL. The experience of existential mattering, purpose in life and a sense of coherence are currently posited as three primary contributors to MIL. However, it is unclear whether they encompass all information people consider when judging MIL. Based on the ideas of classic and contemporary MIL scholars, the current research examines whether valuing one’s life experiences, or experiential appreciation, constitutes another unique contributor to MIL. Across seven studies, we find support for the idea that experiential appreciation uniquely predicts subjective judgements of MIL, even after accounting for the contribution of mattering, purpose and coherence to these types of evaluations. Overall, these findings support the hypothesis that valuing one’s experiences is uniquely tied to perceptions of meaning. Implications for the incorporation of experiential appreciation as a fundamental antecedent of MIL are discussed.