Indian Journal of Positive Psychology

Pages: 77-81
Hardeep Lal Joshi (Department of Psychology, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana)
Mandeep Sharma (Department of Psychology, KLP(PG) College Rewari, Haryana)
Poonam Yadav (Department of Psychology, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra)

This study examined the role of maternal parent interactions with child in academic achievement of school students. The purpose of the study was to determine how maternal authoritative, permissive and authoritarian parenting styles as well as parent's child relationship influence the academic achievement of students at high school level. The main objective is to find out predictors of academic achievement among high school students. The total sample (400) for the study involved 200 mothers and 200 high school students between the age range of 14 and 16 years. The parents were assessed with Parent Child Relationships scale (PCR) and Parenting Authority Questionnaire (PAQ-R). Academic achievement score of the students were taken as the average percentage of marks obtained by the students in previous two years in their annual examination conducted by their respective boards/schools. The data were analyzed with the correlation and regression (stepwise). The results showed that (i) authoritarian and permissive parenting style and academic performance have negative correlations. (ii) Parent's child relationships like Acceptance and Realistic Role Expectation have significant positive relationship with academic achievement whereas Carelessness and Lenient Standards have negative relationships with academic achievement (iii). The stepwise regression analysis found four pertinent predictors of academic achievement among high school students, i.e., permissive parenting style,authoritative parenting style, parental acceptance and over protection of parents. All four predictors jointly explained 29.6% of total variance in dependent variable.

Pages: 66-69
Rajul N.(Department of Psychology, Indian Institute of Psychology and Research (IIPR), Bengaluru, Karnataka)
Sunita K. Damodar (Department of Psychology, Indian Institute of Psychology and Research (IIPR), Bengaluru, Karnataka)
Alka Ranjan (Department of Psychology, Indian Institute of Psychology and Research (IIPR), Bengaluru, Karnataka)

With the increase in profound changes in the lives of Indian Women, fulfilling the various degrees of roles in their life from maintaining their family, job, domestic help, business, looking after the traditions and various other domains or life facets has had an impact on their psychological well-being, quality of life and life satisfaction. However, when it comes to Jain community, women are bounded by a lot of cultural and religious factors affecting their overall satisfaction in life. Hence, it becomes essential to identify how life satisfaction differs among women with a job profile and one without it. The aim of the present study is to examine the difference on life satisfaction among married working and non- working women belonging in the Jain Community. The present study consisted of 55 participants (30- married working women & 25- married non-working women) belonged to the age range of 23- 39 years and had a minimum of marriage and work experience of at least 1 year. Participants belonged from Tier-1 cities of India namely, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, and Ahmadabad. Data was collected through administration of Life Satisfaction Scale, through offline mediums. Results indicate that, there is no significant difference on life satisfaction among married working and non- working women belonging in the Jain Community.

Pages: 53-57
Chehak Gidwani (Department of Psychology, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi)
Kritika Chaudhary (Department of Psychology, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi)
Debanjan Banerjee (Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Karnataka)

Humor is an appropriate tool for enhancing well-being in children through its impact on self-esteem. It is a comprehensive, complex and multi-dimensional construct. Humor affects psychological well-being and coping whereas self-esteem forms an important prelude to personality processes. Research has rarely focused on the relationship of humor styles and self-esteem in younger children. Keeping this in background, the present study aimed to explore the association between various humor styles and self esteem among school going students in India. A total of 100 participants from a school in Uttar Pradesh were selected through convenience sampling (52 girls, 48 boys). Appropriate informed consent was obtained from their parents. The participants were aged between 9-12 years and were studying in 5th, 6th and 7th grades belonging to the upper middle-class strata of the society. Humor Styles Questionnaire and Self-Esteem Inventory were used to collect data. Correlation and regression analyses were done. Gender differences in both the constructs were also studied. Analyses revealed that the relationship between overall humor styles and self esteem is not significant in both boys and girls. The use of aggressive humor is significantly related to self -esteem of girls. The findings imply that the use of adaptive humor styles should be encouraged as they foster self-esteem in the Indian children. The findings are discussed in the Indian socio-cultural context. Understanding the association between these two important constructs in younger children, will help parenting and also school-related interventions directed towards their personal growth. Humor is well-known to be a coping mechanism in distressing situations but possibly, it is yet to find a direct role on influencing self-esteem especially of young boys and girls. Systematic mixed-method studies are warranted in varied socio-cultural and ethnic populations.

Pages: 40-48
Mahimna Vyas (School of Psychology, University of Bolton, England, UK)
Rudresh Vyas (M.T.B Arts College, Athwalines, Surat, Gujarat)

Research in resilience has evolved slowly over time. The research done on resilience over the last five decades lacks the cultural sensitivity as well as how the community impacts the process of resilience (Ungar, 2004, 2005; Boyden & Mann, 2005). The study has primarily investigated the mainstream western population's individual understanding of healthy functioning. Thus, there is a gap in knowledge regarding cross-cultural validation of the findings and rigorous qualitative inquiries into the factors; that might be associated with resilience in the context of non-western communities and marginalized groups living among their 'conventional' neighbors in western settings. This review aims to analyze the current resilience research done in India and to formulate a culturally appropriate model of resilience for the population. Out of 86 relevant publications first identified through systematic search on several data bases, 8 studies were finalized and went through inductive thematic analysis of the content relevant to research questions. Following the analysis process, detailed analytical themes and final characteristics of the resilience model were established. The results show that resilience remains an amorphous concept that is affected by both individual and social influences. However, there are some clear and well-established global elements that transcend the bounds of culture. Incorporation of social and psychological inquiry is recommended for future research.

Pages: 29-34
Rajinder Kaur (Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Community Science Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab)
Seema Sharma (Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Community Science Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab)

Adjustment to university is critical for academic success. The result of poor college adjustment is correlated with low academic performance, poor grades and failure later in life. This study was conducted to assess the academic adjustment and interpersonal support available to university students as well as the relationship between academic adjustment and interpersonal support. Total 480 university students were selected randomly from three purposively selected government universities of Punjab state, i.e., Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (GNDU); Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana(PAU) and Punjabi University, Patiala (PUP).Academic Adjustment Scale by Baker and Shirk (1989) and Interpersonal Support Scale by Cohen et al. (1985) were used for the study. The results indicated that 2nd year university students perceived significantly better academic adjustment as well as appraisal support as compared to 1st year students and a significant positive correlation was found between academic adjustment and interpersonal support among 2nd year students.

Pages: 16-23
Devanshi Sharma (Amity Institute of Psychology, and Allied Sciences, AUUP, Noida, Uttar Pradesh)

The armed forces of a country face numerous challenges in their professional lives which affect both their physical and mental health. Literature provides evidence that exposure to war like situations and conflicts exert stress amongst the military personnel. Despite such high intensity conflict situations cases of impaired mental health are low among the armed forces personnel which can be explained as resilient behaviour. Therefore the objective of the present study was to study the effect of time of exposure to prolonged war on the resilience levels of military personnel, specifically the Indian army personnel. The sample of the study included N=106 Indian army personnel serving in the high intensity conflict regions of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The sample was assessed quantitatively using the resilience questionnaire by Lakshmi and Narain and results were calculated. The results were quantitatively analyzed using one-way ANOVA statistical method and it was found that soldiers with 3 to 10 months of exposure to high intensity conflict region had low to average levels of resilience whereas soldiers with 10 to 24months of exposure had resilience levels ranging from average to high. Hence it was revealed that resilience of soldiers with more exposure to prolonged war was higher than those who had less duration of prolonged war. Furthermore, the need for more research in importance of resilience building as part of combat training is discussed in the research

Pages: 7-13
Parul Kalia (Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Community Science Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab)
Sarita Saini (Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Community Science Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab)
Deepika Vig (Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Community Science Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab)

Caregiving of a dependent elderly is one of the gruelling tasks that develops burden of stress among caregivers. The caregiver stress is an important and negative parameter which is harmful for the primary caregivers. In fact, the burden upon the primary caregivers ultimately changes the perception of quality of life. The overburdening of the tasks viz. household as well as caregiving and that is also without required amount of help leads to poor quality of life of the primary caregivers. The present study was conducted on a sample of 60 primary caregivers from middle socio-economic status families situated in the district of Ludhiana city of Punjab. Zarit Burden Interview developed by Zarit et al. (1980) was used to assess the caregiver stress of the primary caregivers. The quality of life of the respondents was assessed by the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief questionnaire which was developed by World Health Organization (1997). The results revealed that a major proportion of the respondents reported to possess a low level of quality of life. Statistically significant association was found between the caregiver stress and the overall quality of life as well as across different domains of quality of life of the primary caregivers

Pages: 281-287
Sarika Khandelwal (Department of Home Science, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, Rajasthan)

The current study aims to evaluate the impact of a two-week Online Mindfulness Meditation (MM) intervention on levels of Depression, Stress, and Anxiety and gain insights into participants’ motivation and experiences of the intervention. Twentyfive participants (16 females & 9 males) were recruited through web-based advertisement using a random purposive sampling technique. DAS scale was administered before and after the intervention period to identify quantitative changes over time. Further, ten participants (6 females & 4 males) who exhibited significant changes in their quantitative measures were interviewed via video conferencing to understand the particular motivators and experiences of participating; where the responses were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Change in outcome measures over time was examined using Mean, S.D., and paired t-test. Results revealed significant improvements in reducing the severity of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms significantly (all p >0.001) and improvement was sustained at three months follow- up. The qualitative analysis depicted Spiritual inclination and Experience of stress and loneliness as motivation themes for enrolling. Moreover,the lived experience of the participants exhibited three overarching themes – a. Self- awareness, b. Insight development, c. Social cohesion. The study provides evidence in support of the effectiveness of brief, MM in a non-clinical population and suggests that low-intensity intervention can be used for modulating negative psychological states through easily accessible and non- physical contact training mode. However, more research is needed to confirm and better understand these results and to test the potential of such interventions.

Pages: 293-299
Rajitha Menon (Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Counselling, Assumption University, Thailand)
Santhosh Mohanan (Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Counselling, Assumption University, Thailand)

This study investigated the buffering effect of self-compassion on the relationship between attachment dimensions and life satisfaction of female Adolescents living in orphanages in Bangkok, Thailand. The sample consisted of 140 female Adolescents in four orphanages in Bangkok. Attachment dimensions (angry-distress, non-availability, & lack of goal-corrected partnership), life satisfaction, and self-esteem were measured employing valid and reliable questionnaires. The results support that the effect of the attachment dimensions on the life satisfaction of female teenage orphans is depended on the levels of their selfcompassion. The findings are discussed in relation to the attachment issues experienced by the female adolescents living in orphanages and their self-compassion as a desirable variable that buffered the adverse outcomes. In the context of the longlasting effects of attachment on the adolescents’ psychological development and academic performance, this study provides insights into the attachment dynamics in female adolescents living in orphanages. The findings may help develop effective interventions for this vulnerable population to facilitate desirable outcomes.

Pages: 304-307
Leila Sadat Sajadi (Department of Psychology, Arsanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arsanjan, Iran)
Siamak Khodarahimi (Department of Psychology, Arsanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arsanjan, Iran)

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between parents’ religious commitment and practical commitment to Islamic beliefs in sixth grade elementary school girls in Eghlid. This study was a descriptive-correlation study. The statistical population of this study includes all sixth grade elementary school girls in Eghlid city in the year 2015-2016 that 150 students and their parents were selected as a sample by simple random sampling method. To collect data, the Practical Commitment to Islamic Beliefs Questionnaire was used. The results of this study showed that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between mothers’ religious adherence with practical commitment to prayer and fasting in sixth grade elementary school girls in Eghlid. Islam pays great attention to the choice of the mother, because she is the first teacher who trains righteous people and delivers them to society. And he is the only one who can elevate great men with his thoughts and train high-ranking mystics. The next finding in this study is the religious adherence and religious ambivalence of mothers with practical adherence to other Shari’a rules and practical adherence to Islamic beliefs there is no statistically significant relationship between the sixth grade girls of Eghlid city. There is no statistically significant relationship between mothers’ religious adherence to practical adherence to other Shari’a rules and practical adherence to Islamic beliefs. This is because belief is an internal issue and each person should develop this commitment and belief in her, but the implementation of the rules is learning and teaching the child by watching the parents and a positive educational model. The results also showed that the religious ambivalence of fathers with practical commitment to fasting, adherence to other religious rules and practical commitment to Islamic beliefs in the sixth grade girls of Eghlid city has no statistically significant relationship. Meanwhile, fathers’ religious adherence to adherence to other religious rules and practical adherence to Islamic beliefs has a statistically significant positive relationship in the sixth grade girls of Eghlid.