Indian journal of positive psychology 

About: Indian journal of positive psychology is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Happiness & Life satisfaction. Over the lifetime, 417 publications have been published receiving 1098 citations.

Gender Differences in Emotional Intelligence

Abstract: The stereotype of women being more 'emotional' sex survives to this day. The present study was conducted to empirically validate this affirmation. Two hundred thirty eight engineering graduates (males=110, females=128)in the age range of 21-25 years formed the sample of the study. The gender differences on various dimensions of Emotional Intelligence were explored with the help of a self-report measure of Emotional Intelligence that included (a) self -awareness (b) empathy (c) self-motivation (d) emotional stability (e) managing relations (f) integrity (g) self-development (h) value orientation (i) commitment and (j) altruistic behavior. The data was analyzed using independent sample't' test. Results of the study indicate a significantly higher score of female students on selfawareness, self-motivation, managing relations, integrity and overall emotional intelligence in comparison to the male students. The difference on other dimensions of Emotional Intelligence was statistically insignificant.

Stress and Coping Strategies among Nursing Students

Abstract: Stress is seen as modem society's illness by professionals from different sectors. It has effects on people's behaviors, communications and efficiency. Stress was described as a relationship between individuals and their environment that is appraised as dangerous and evaluated as beyond their ability to deal with stress (Lazarus, 1966). Selye defined stress as a physiological non-specific reaction to external or internal demands (Selye, 1976).Stewart et al. (1997) suggest that students with an active coping style have lower levels of psychological distress. As a result, it is important that individuals develop different (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Strategies are in order to manage stressful situations (Chew-Graham, Rogers & Yassin, 2003; Fish et al., 1996). In Malaysia, handful studies conducted related to stress and coping styles were focused on stress among nursing students, international school students, school athletes, university students, medical students and among prescience students (Emilia et al., 2007; Jani, 2005; Sherina, 2004; Tharbe, 2006; Uguaket al., 2006).In terms of stress management, Lazarus and Folkman, (1984) defined eight separate coping strategies that they believed individuals employed in stressful situations. Stress could be defined simply as the rate of wear and tear on the body systems caused by life (Stranks, 2005). It occur when a person has difficulty dealing with life situations, problems and goals (Videbeck, 2007). Stress has physical, emotional, and cognitive effects. Although everybody has the capacity to adapt to stress, not everyone responds to similar stressors exactly the same (Timby, 2008). Nursing involves activities and interpersonal relationships that are often stressful. Caring for clients who are experiencing high levels of anxiety can be stress provoking for nurses (White, 2000).Objectives of the study* The first objective aimed to elucidate the psychometric adequacy of the behavioural measures of (a) Perception of Stress Scale (PSS; Cohen et al., 1983), and (b) Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS; Endler & Parker, 1999).* The second objective aimed to elucidate the relationship between the various subscale measures of the coping strategies and stress among nursing students.Hypotheses of the study* It was expected that the behavioural measures (as incorporated in the present study) would find their replicability in the project population,* The hypothesis with regards to the significant independent and interaction effects of 'gender1 (male and female), stress and various faces of coping strategies.This is exploratory analytical survey designed to collect information from nurses on the coping strategies used by them to maintain equilibrium from the stress.MethodParticipantsOne hundred eighty (180) nursing students belonging to the age group of 20 to 25 years served as subjects for the study. The sample was comprised of 180 nursing students in various hostels selected by a stratified random sampling.InstrumentsThe Hindi Adaptation of Perception of Stress Scale: (PSS; Cohen et al., 1983) by Singh and associates (2010), and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS; Endler & Parker, 1999) by Singh and associates, 2010, were employed for measurement purposes of the theoretical constructs. The CISS consists of 48 items measuring taskoriented, emotional-oriented and avoidance-oriented coping strategies with 16 items in each. The CISS has been successfully employed in a number of representative studies (Cosway et al., 2000; Slesnick et al., 2007).The PSS consists of 10 items. It has 10 items, and reported to show high reliability and validity of the theoretical construct.ProcedureThe Perception of Stress Scale (PSS; Cohen et al., 1983) and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS; Endler & Parker, 1999) were employed in hostels with two or three subj ects in each room. …

Higher order theory of mind and social competence in school age children

Abstract: Theory of mind (TOM), or the ability to make inferences about the mental states of other people is thought to be the proximate mechanism underlying human's ability to function in complex collaborative social networks. Here we present a set of stories and questions for investigating higher order theory of mind functioning in school age children, and also a scale for obtaining ratings of children's social competence. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to assess TOM in adolescents and to determine whether individual differences in this mentalizing ability relate to social competence. It was hypothesized that adolescent's ability to understand thoughts and emotions in others would be associated with their social competence. 80 adolescent (40 class 11th students and 40 class 9th students; mean age 16-14) completed peer social competence ratings and participated in a social understanding (TOM) interview. Parent's ratings of the participants' social competence were also collected. Based on composite TOM scores, results indicated positive associations between TOM and peer and parents ratings of social interaction skills.

Academic Performance, Resilience, Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Women College Students

Abstract: It is a growing concern among educators about the low academic performance of college students and its influence on their mental health. Many university students continue to have low grades, while many manage to turn around their academic fortunes (Martin & Marsh, 2006). Programs aimed at teaching academic resilience have proven highly effective in improving academic performance. The present study aims at finding the relationship between academic performance, resilience, depression, anxiety and stress and also the predictors of academic performance and resilience, namely, depression, anxiety and stress among women college students. Expost facto research design was used for the study. The sample consisted of 446 college going women, currently pursuing their second year of under graduation in city colleges. The tools used were the Connor Davidson Resilience scale (2003), the DASS scale by Lovibond & Lovibond (1995), measuring depression, anxiety and stress and the academic performance, using the marks obtained in the continuous assessment cycle. Correlation was found using the Pearson's Product moment method. Regression analysis was done to study the predictors .Results indicates that academic performance, resilience depression, anxiety and stress were positively correlated among women college students. Regression analysis revealed that academic performance significantly predict depression, anxiety and stress women college students, while depression alone is significantly predicted by resilience.