Department
Psychology
Program
Clinical Science and Psychopathology
Year
1
Supervisor Name
Don Saklofske
Supervisor Email
don.saklofske@uwo.ca
Abstract Text
Cheerfulness can be defined as the habitual tendency to possess a cheerful composure both alone and in social interactions (Ruch, Köhler, and van Thriel, 1996; 1997). While the construct of cheerfulness has been of significant interest to researchers, little attention has been given to trait seriousness. Both cheerfulness and seriousness have important clinical implications; for instance, depressed patients have reported lower cheerfulness and higher seriousness compared to healthy controls (Falkenberg, Jarmuzel, Bartels, & Wild, 2011). Thus, the present study seeks to address these traits collectively, providing a more comprehensive understanding of their roles in predicting resiliency and well-being. It was hypothesized that varying combinations of cheerfulness and seriousness would have distinct effects on resiliency, such that: cheerfulness and subjective well-being would be associated via resiliency, and the effect produced by resiliency would be moderated by seriousness. Participants were 646 college students and their family members who completed a self-report battery of the state-trait cheerfulness inventory, resiliency, and subjective well-being (SWB). A moderated mediation model was used, with seriousness as a moderator and resiliency as the mediator between cheerfulness and SWB. Results demonstrated that seriousness moderated the association between cheerfulness and resiliency, which subsequently predicted better SWB. Individuals with high cheerfulness did not differ in resiliency at different levels of seriousness, but individuals with low cheerfulness reported greater resiliency at higher levels of seriousness. The present study contributes to a better understanding of the ways in which possessing a cheerful disposition together with a serious frame of mind can impact resiliency.
Study completed
Supervisor Consent
yes
Included in
The combinative role of traits cheerfulness and seriousness in predicting resiliency and well-being: A moderated mediation model
Cheerfulness can be defined as the habitual tendency to possess a cheerful composure both alone and in social interactions (Ruch, Köhler, and van Thriel, 1996; 1997). While the construct of cheerfulness has been of significant interest to researchers, little attention has been given to trait seriousness. Both cheerfulness and seriousness have important clinical implications; for instance, depressed patients have reported lower cheerfulness and higher seriousness compared to healthy controls (Falkenberg, Jarmuzel, Bartels, & Wild, 2011). Thus, the present study seeks to address these traits collectively, providing a more comprehensive understanding of their roles in predicting resiliency and well-being. It was hypothesized that varying combinations of cheerfulness and seriousness would have distinct effects on resiliency, such that: cheerfulness and subjective well-being would be associated via resiliency, and the effect produced by resiliency would be moderated by seriousness. Participants were 646 college students and their family members who completed a self-report battery of the state-trait cheerfulness inventory, resiliency, and subjective well-being (SWB). A moderated mediation model was used, with seriousness as a moderator and resiliency as the mediator between cheerfulness and SWB. Results demonstrated that seriousness moderated the association between cheerfulness and resiliency, which subsequently predicted better SWB. Individuals with high cheerfulness did not differ in resiliency at different levels of seriousness, but individuals with low cheerfulness reported greater resiliency at higher levels of seriousness. The present study contributes to a better understanding of the ways in which possessing a cheerful disposition together with a serious frame of mind can impact resiliency.