Associations between Multidimensional Spirituality and Mental Health: Positive Psychological Traits as Mediators

Research in the areas of religion and spirituality and positive psychology have experienced considerable growth within the past two decades. Such growth has led to a plethora of research identifying important constructs in both areas and key relationships among them. The current literature is, however, limited by unclear distinctions between the constructs of religion and spirituality, and a general lack of research into their associations with positive psychological traits and mental health status. As such, the present study aimed to investigate a new model of spirituality, the RiTE model, which is a three-part model designed to capture the multifaceted nature of the spiritual experience. The RiTE model was investigated in its relationship with mental health status in the context of a parallel mediation model, with self-forgiveness, gratitude, and mindfulness serving as parallel mediators. Results suggested that ritualistic and existential spirituality displayed direct associations with mental health status (positive and negative, respectively), while theistic spirituality displayed indirect associations. Indirect associations between theistic spirituality and mental health status were primarily a function of higher levels of gratitude, while existential spirituality was associated with higher levels of all three mediator variables. Clinicians may benefit from utilizing this knowledge when conceptualizing an individual’s spiritual worldview and utilizing spirituality when attempting to enhance client resilience via positive psychological approaches. Future studies should provide further insight into these treatment applications in addition to further clarifying the nuanced mechanisms of the spirituality-mental health association

Forgiveness and Suicidal Behavior in College Students: Cynicism and Psychache as Serial Mediators

Research has long documented beneficial associations between forgiveness and numerous health outcomes; however, its relationship to suicidal behavior has been relatively neglected. Both cynicism, and psychache, or agonizing psychological pain, have displayed deleterious associations with suicidal behavior, but have rarely been incorporated into more comprehensive models of suicidal behavior. Recent work has resulted in the development of a theoretical model of the forgiveness-suicidal behavior association, which can incorporate several mediator variables including cynicism and psychache. The present study used an undergraduate sample of college students (N = 312) to test a serial mediation model of the cross-sectional associations between forgiveness, cynicism, psychache, and suicidal behavior. Forgiveness of self and of uncontrollable situations were indirectly associated with suicidal behavior via psychache, while forgiveness of others was indirectly associated via cynicism and psychache in serial fashion. Implications in the context of previous literature and treatment, particularly acceptance-based interventions, are discussed

Forgiveness and Substance Use Problems Among College Students: Psychache, Depressive Symptoms, and Hopelessness as Mediators

Studies on forgiveness and its relationship to substance abuse have consistently found salutary associations between the two, yet empirical investigation of variables that may serve as mediating factors in this relationship is in need of more attention. With recent models positing psychological distress as a key component of the forgiveness-substance abuse association, constructs such as psychache, depression, and hopelessness may be likely candidates as mediators of this relationship. As such, cross-sectional, self-report data from 577 undergraduate students was used to perform multiple mediation analyses on the relationship of three dimensions of forgiveness (i.e., of self, of others, of uncontrollable situations) with two substance use outcomes (i.e., problematic alcohol use and problematic drug use), as mediated by psychache, depressive symptoms, and hopelessness. Results indicated that forgiveness of self and forgiveness of uncontrollable situations were associated with lower levels of psychological distress and fewer substance use problems, whereas forgiveness of others was associated with greater levels of psychological distress and more substance use problems. Psychache and depressive symptoms, but not hopelessness, played a role in the forgiveness–substance use problems association. Implications of these findings are discussed, particularly in the context of the self-medication hypothesis

Spirituality and Psychological Pain: The Mediating Role of Social Support

Spirituality is a multifaceted construct, and often studied as a one- or two-dimensional variable. Recent work has resulted in the development of the RiTE model of spirituality. While preliminarily supported as a useful approach to measuring spirituality, little is known regarding its associations with other outcomes. Past studies have shown inverse associations between spirituality and psychological distress, which appears to be partially a function of social support derived from spiritual beliefs or practices. As such, the present study tested the relationship between the RiTE dimensions and psychache as mediated by multiple types of social support. Parallel mediation results from an undergraduate sample (N = 1994) showed that all three RiTE dimensions were indirectly associated with psychache via multiple forms of social support. Ritualistic and existential spirituality also displayed direct associations with psychache. Implications of these findings are discussed in the context of past literature, applicable theoretical constructs, and treatment considerations

An Analysis of the Psychache Scale in College Student Problematic Drinkers

Objectives:The objective of the present study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Psychache Scale in college students considered to be problematic drinkers. Methods:Cross-sectional self-report data from 463 undergraduate students who were likely to be hazardous or harmful drinkers were used to study the internal factor structure, internal consistency, and concurrent validity of the scale. Results:A series of factor analyses revealed that the scale appears to consist of 2 factors, in contrast to the hypothesized unidimensional structure. These 2 factors appear to capture the frequency and severity of the respondents\u27 levels of psychache. Moreover, these 2 factors appear to be a result of the test\u27s construction in that item stems with identical response options loaded on the same factor. The scale was also significantly correlated with other measures of psychological distress including depression, hopelessness, and substance use. Conclusion:The clinical implications of these findings are briefly discussed, with further research being needed to better understand the Psychache Scale\u27s characteristics in substance use and other populations likely to experience psychological pain, and therefore at risk for suicidal behavior

Forgiveness and Suicidal Behavior: Cynicism and Psychache as Serial Mediators

Research is burgeoning regarding the beneficial association of forgiveness with numerous health-related outcomes; however, its particular relationship to suicidal behavior has received relatively little attention. Both cynicism and psychache, or agonizing psychological pain, have displayed deleterious associations with suicidal behavior, but have rarely been incorporated into more comprehensive models of suicidal behavior. Consistent with the recent development of a theoretical model regarding the forgiveness–suicidal behavior association, the present study utilized an undergraduate sample of college students (N = 312) to test a mediation-based model of the cross-sectional association of forgiveness with suicidal behavior, as serially mediated by cynicism and psychache. Dispositional forgiveness of self and forgiveness of uncontrollable situations were each indirectly associated with less suicidal behavior via less psychache. Also, dispositional forgiveness of others was indirectly associated with less suicidal behavior via less cynicism and less psychache, in a serial fashion. The present results are consistent with the extent literature on the forgiveness–suicidal behavior association, cynicism, and psychache, and pending future studies, may be utilized to inform further treatment efforts for individuals at a high risk of attempting suicide

A Consensus Definition of Self-Forgiveness: Implications for Assessment and Treatment

Although forgiveness is a broad psychological construct of increasing interest, the majority of research has focused on forgiveness of another person for a specific transgression. Independent of other dimensions of forgiveness, self-forgiveness has been significantly associated with health and well-being. Many dimensions of forgiveness share common definitional components; however, due to conceptual differences based on the self as both the offender and the offended, a distinct definition of self-forgiveness is necessary. Indeed, definition and resultant measurement-related limitations have likely slowed the progression of research on self-forgiveness, including understanding the role of self-forgiveness in the promotion of health and well-being and the role of self-forgiveness in facilitating treatment itself. A comprehensive literature review was conducted revealing 177 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles focused on the psychology of self-forgiveness. Of those 177 articles, 85 (48.02%) contained explicit definition-based information regarding self-forgiveness as a particular construct, from which 5 key distinctive definitional components were identified: reconciliation, acceptance, accountability, human-connectedness, and changecommitment. A comprehensive and accessible definition of self-forgiveness is proposed based on a consensus of the scientific peer-reviewed psychological literature. In addition, implications of a consensus definition for more effective assessment and treatment are discussed

Shame, Guilt, and Suicide Risk Among Veterans: Self-compassion as a Moderator

Among the 19.3 million veterans residing in the U.S., suicide is a primary mental health concern, with risk for suicide among veterans being 21% higher than for the general population. Increased suicide risk for veterans may be linked to strong negative emotions associated with the requirements of being in the military. For instance, many veterans describe feelings of guilt, defined as remorse or responsibility for one\u27s actions, such as for experiences during combat exposure (e.g., having to kill someone). Shame, or the belief that there is something inherently wrong or defective with the self, often occurs following a violation of personal values or morals (e.g. participation in violence, missing important family events during deployment), and frequently coexists with feelings of guilt. As well, many members of the military experience sexual trauma, which may induce shame. For some veterans, suicide may become a viable alternative to these overwhelming negative feelings. However, not all veterans are at risk for suicide, perhaps due to individual-level protective factors. One such factor is self-compassion, which is composed of self-kindness, community, and mindfulness. Positive emotions (i.e. selfcompassion) may buffer against negative feelings about the self or one\u27s actions (i.e. guilt and shame), thereby decreasing suicide risk. Our study aimed to test these associations in the context of moderation analyses. At the bivariate level, we hypothesized that guilt and shame would be negatively related to self-compassion and positively related to suicide risk. Also, we hypothesized that self-compassion would be negatively related to suicide risk. At the multivariate level, we hypothesized that self-compassion would moderate the relations between guilt and suicide risk, and between shame and suicide risk, weakening both associations. Our sample of veterans (N=422) was primarily white (n=366) and male (n=291). Participants completed self-report measures including the Differential Emotions Scale-IV, Self-Compassion Scale Short-Form, and Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised. Bivariate correlations and multivariate analyses, per Hayes (2013), were conducted covarying age, sex, and ethnicity. In bivariate correlations, guilt and shame were positively related to suicide risk (