Master your mental health: The effect of control on mental well-being

Pages: 1016-1022
Pallavi Rajankar and Deepa Bapat (FLAME University, Pune, Maharashtra)

Differing results in the relationship between mastery and psychological well-being between the East and the West have been attributed to differing social values. Ongoing changes in these values however warrant a re-investigation of this relationship, especially in the Indian context. Mastery was measured using the Mirowsky and Ross Sense of Control Index (1991) while psychological well-being was measured using the Trait Affect Scale in a sample of 150 urban Indian youth. A one-way ANOVA revealed individuals with high mastery to have greater psychological well-being than individuals with low mastery, consistent with findings of Western literature. This change in results over time is attributed to changing societal values. Implications of the results for urban Indian millennials are discussed.