Promoting and preserving mental health
Mental health (WHO) “A state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities,
can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a
contribution to his or her community”
Positive mental health – feeling good + functioning well = good mental health aka flourishing
Flourishing in Europe: the European Social Survey - Random sampling from 23 countries every 2
years, 43,000 individuals aged 15+, 2006/7 Round 3 – wellbeing module, 54 items, Almost half =
social / community wellbeing, job-related wellbeing, income, perceived opportunities, and lifestyle,
19 items related to 10 features of flourishing, Remaining items were life satisfaction, negative
emotions (e.g. depression inventory)
Felicia Huppert & Timothy So (2009 + 2013) - Flourishing is the positive end of the mental health
spectrum, the opposite of the symptoms of the common mental disorders (such as depression and
anxiety).
Resilience - Resilience facilitates recovery from stressful events and enables adaptation to adversity.
Most definitions share common core of meaning, focussing on good outcomes following significant
challenges or adversity (‘bounce back’) – stems from the Latin word “resilire” – “to leap back”.
Highlights individual strengths and coping resources.
Early life stress may contribute to the development of coping- but the effects on resilience are
poorly understood.
Focusses on wellness rather than pathology.
More recent researchers have argued resilience to be a process that changes over time.
The protective effect of different factors will vary dependent on the situation.
Protective factors can change over time.
Just because someone has successfully adapted following adversity at one point in their life, doesn’t
mean this will be the case for all stressors throughout an individual’s lifespan.
Similarly, not successfully adapting following one adverse event doesn’t mean someone will never
successfully adapt to any stressors.
An individual’s circumstances can alter how resilient they are. (Steinhardt and Dolbier (2008)
Term first used by Kobasa, (1979). A stable personality trait, sometimes referred to as dispositional
resilience.
Bartone et al. (1989) developed the dispositional resilience (hardiness) scale.
Identified 3 aspects of hardiness: Commitment – able to turn events into something meaningful and
important – have a sense of purpose. Extends to relationships, work, causes, and religious/spiritual
beliefs, Control – belief that, through their choices, they are able to influence the outcome of events.
Challenge – views challenging events as an opportunity for growth/development, rather than a
source of threat.
Coping strategies – problem focussed coping - Used where event appraised as being within
individual’s control, Focus on solving or managing the problem.
Active coping: activities to address the problem – one step at a time.
Planning: making an action plan – identifying the necessary steps to take and when.
Suppression of competing activities: focus on dealing with the problem without getting distracted by
unhelpful thoughts or activities.
Mental health (WHO) “A state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities,
can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a
contribution to his or her community”
Positive mental health – feeling good + functioning well = good mental health aka flourishing
Flourishing in Europe: the European Social Survey - Random sampling from 23 countries every 2
years, 43,000 individuals aged 15+, 2006/7 Round 3 – wellbeing module, 54 items, Almost half =
social / community wellbeing, job-related wellbeing, income, perceived opportunities, and lifestyle,
19 items related to 10 features of flourishing, Remaining items were life satisfaction, negative
emotions (e.g. depression inventory)
Felicia Huppert & Timothy So (2009 + 2013) - Flourishing is the positive end of the mental health
spectrum, the opposite of the symptoms of the common mental disorders (such as depression and
anxiety).
Resilience - Resilience facilitates recovery from stressful events and enables adaptation to adversity.
Most definitions share common core of meaning, focussing on good outcomes following significant
challenges or adversity (‘bounce back’) – stems from the Latin word “resilire” – “to leap back”.
Highlights individual strengths and coping resources.
Early life stress may contribute to the development of coping- but the effects on resilience are
poorly understood.
Focusses on wellness rather than pathology.
More recent researchers have argued resilience to be a process that changes over time.
The protective effect of different factors will vary dependent on the situation.
Protective factors can change over time.
Just because someone has successfully adapted following adversity at one point in their life, doesn’t
mean this will be the case for all stressors throughout an individual’s lifespan.
Similarly, not successfully adapting following one adverse event doesn’t mean someone will never
successfully adapt to any stressors.
An individual’s circumstances can alter how resilient they are. (Steinhardt and Dolbier (2008)
Term first used by Kobasa, (1979). A stable personality trait, sometimes referred to as dispositional
resilience.
Bartone et al. (1989) developed the dispositional resilience (hardiness) scale.
Identified 3 aspects of hardiness: Commitment – able to turn events into something meaningful and
important – have a sense of purpose. Extends to relationships, work, causes, and religious/spiritual
beliefs, Control – belief that, through their choices, they are able to influence the outcome of events.
Challenge – views challenging events as an opportunity for growth/development, rather than a
source of threat.
Coping strategies – problem focussed coping - Used where event appraised as being within
individual’s control, Focus on solving or managing the problem.
Active coping: activities to address the problem – one step at a time.
Planning: making an action plan – identifying the necessary steps to take and when.
Suppression of competing activities: focus on dealing with the problem without getting distracted by
unhelpful thoughts or activities.
