This study was an examination of the strength of relations among covitality, and its underlying c... more This study was an examination of the strength of relations among covitality, and its underlying constructs of belief in self, emotional competence, belief in others, and engaged living, and two outcome variables; subjective well-being and depression. Participants included 361 Australian secondary school students (75 males and 286 females) who completed a series of online questionnaires related to positive psychological well-being in adolescents. The results from the first standard multiple regression analysis indicated that higher levels of belief in self, belief in others, and engaged living were significant predictors of increased subjective well-being. The results from the second standard multiple regression showed that higher levels of belief in self, belief in others, and engaged living were significant predictors of decreased feelings of depression. In both standard multiple regression models, the combined effect of the traits that comprise covitality was greater than the effect of each individual positive psychological trait. Running Head: POSITIVE CONSTRUCTS AND DEPRESSION 3 Covitality constructs as predictors of psychological well-being and depression for secondary school students' Positive Psychology and Covitality Positive psychology is primarily concerned with the scientific study of what makes life worth living and with building an individual's positive qualities (Seligman, 2005). The construct of covitality, a term coined by Weiss, King, and Enns (2002), is used within positive psychology to describe the co-occurrence of positive intrapersonal assets and interpersonal resources that increase the likelihood of positive developmental outcomes for individuals. For this preliminary investigation of the covitality construct with Australian adolescents, Furlong, You, Renshaw, Smith, and O'Malley's (2014) Covitality (CoVi) model was used. Using a sample of 4,189 Californian students, four first order constructs (belief in self, emotional competence, belief in others, and engaged living) were identified and emerging research using this model demonstrated that a combination of positive psychology constructs (hope, optimism, self-efficacy, and gratitude for example) provided greater psychological health than any one trait alone (Jones, You, & Furlong, 2012; Renshaw et al., 2014). The CoVi model has undergone rigorous statistical analyses including confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (Furlong et al., 2014) and has not previously been used with a sample of Australian adolescents. This study sought to further explore the phenomenon of covitality and its relations with psychological well-being and depression.
Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 2013
Students making the transition from high school to university often encounter many stressors and ... more Students making the transition from high school to university often encounter many stressors and new experiences. Many students adjust successfully to university; however, some students do not, often resulting in attrition from the university and mental health issues. The primary aim of the current study was to examine the effects that optimism, self-efficacy, depression, and anxiety have on an individual's life stress and adaptation to university. Eighty-four first-year, full-time students from the Queensland University of Technology (60 female, 24 male) who had entered university straight from high school completed the study. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing their levels of optimism, self-efficacy, depression, anxiety, perceived level of life stress and adaptation to university. In line with predictions, results showed that optimism, depression, and anxiety each had a significant relationship with students' perceived level of stress. Furthermore, self-efficacy and depression had a significant relationship with adaptation to university. We conclude that students with high levels of optimism and low levels of depression and anxiety will adapt better when making the transition from high school to university. In addition, students with high levels of self-efficacy and low levels of depression will experience less life stress in their commencement year of university. The implications of this study are outlined.
This study was an examination of the strength of relations among covitality, and its underlying c... more This study was an examination of the strength of relations among covitality, and its underlying constructs of belief in self, emotional competence, belief in others, and engaged living, and two outcome variables; subjective well-being and depression. Participants included 361 Australian secondary school students (75 males and 286 females) who completed a series of online questionnaires related to positive psychological well-being in adolescents. The results from the first standard multiple regression analysis indicated that higher levels of belief in self, belief in others, and engaged living were significant predictors of increased subjective well-being. The results from the second standard multiple regression showed that higher levels of belief in self, belief in others, and engaged living were significant predictors of decreased feelings of depression. In both standard multiple regression models, the combined effect of the traits that comprise covitality was greater than the effect of each individual positive psychological trait. Running Head: POSITIVE CONSTRUCTS AND DEPRESSION 3 Covitality constructs as predictors of psychological well-being and depression for secondary school students' Positive Psychology and Covitality Positive psychology is primarily concerned with the scientific study of what makes life worth living and with building an individual's positive qualities (Seligman, 2005). The construct of covitality, a term coined by Weiss, King, and Enns (2002), is used within positive psychology to describe the co-occurrence of positive intrapersonal assets and interpersonal resources that increase the likelihood of positive developmental outcomes for individuals. For this preliminary investigation of the covitality construct with Australian adolescents, Furlong, You, Renshaw, Smith, and O'Malley's (2014) Covitality (CoVi) model was used. Using a sample of 4,189 Californian students, four first order constructs (belief in self, emotional competence, belief in others, and engaged living) were identified and emerging research using this model demonstrated that a combination of positive psychology constructs (hope, optimism, self-efficacy, and gratitude for example) provided greater psychological health than any one trait alone (Jones, You, & Furlong, 2012; Renshaw et al., 2014). The CoVi model has undergone rigorous statistical analyses including confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (Furlong et al., 2014) and has not previously been used with a sample of Australian adolescents. This study sought to further explore the phenomenon of covitality and its relations with psychological well-being and depression.
Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 2013
Students making the transition from high school to university often encounter many stressors and ... more Students making the transition from high school to university often encounter many stressors and new experiences. Many students adjust successfully to university; however, some students do not, often resulting in attrition from the university and mental health issues. The primary aim of the current study was to examine the effects that optimism, self-efficacy, depression, and anxiety have on an individual's life stress and adaptation to university. Eighty-four first-year, full-time students from the Queensland University of Technology (60 female, 24 male) who had entered university straight from high school completed the study. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing their levels of optimism, self-efficacy, depression, anxiety, perceived level of life stress and adaptation to university. In line with predictions, results showed that optimism, depression, and anxiety each had a significant relationship with students' perceived level of stress. Furthermore, self-efficacy and depression had a significant relationship with adaptation to university. We conclude that students with high levels of optimism and low levels of depression and anxiety will adapt better when making the transition from high school to university. In addition, students with high levels of self-efficacy and low levels of depression will experience less life stress in their commencement year of university. The implications of this study are outlined.
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Papers by Amanda Mergler