A bibliometric review of positive psychology and well-being research in Africa.

Positive Psychology rapidly developed into an influential field of study and intervention, initially situated in Psychology, and later becoming multidisciplinary. Research interest in the study of (psychological) well-being has gained global popularity, with increasing salience in Africa. Although the global trends of these developments are relatively well-known, a bibliometric analysis of positive psychology research in Africa was necessary to shed light on the present hotspots and trends and future trajectories in this region of the world.

Beyond polarization towards dynamic balance: harmony as the core of mental health.

Worldviews are culturally derived assumptions that influence individual and collective behaviors, values, and representations of reality. The study of mental functions is not exempt from this influence, as reflected in scientific theories, methodological approaches, and empirical studies. Despite acknowledging the interplay of mental processes with developmental, environmental, and cultural dimensions, psychological research is still primarily based on quantitative methods, and on the conceptualization of mental phenomena as unfolding along polarized continua.

Further Investigation of the Dimensionality of the Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-Being.

The dimensionality of the Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-Being (QEWB) has been a topic of debate and divergent findings in the literature up to date. This study investigated the factor structure and measurement invariance of the QEWB in four culturally diverse South African samples using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), bifactor CFA, exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM), and bifactor ESEM. Three student samples completed the English ( = 326), Afrikaans ( = 478), or Setswana ( = 260) version of the QEWB.

Beyond the "Third Wave of Positive Psychology": Challenges and Opportunities for Future Research.

The positive psychology (PP) landscape is changing, and its initial identity is being challenged. Moving beyond the "third wave of PP," two roads for future research and practice in well-being studies are discerned: The first is the state of the art PP trajectory that will (for the near future) continue as a scientific (sub)discipline in/next to psychology (because of its popular brand name). The second trajectory (main focus of this manuscript) links to pointers described as part of the so-called third wave of PP, which will be argued as actually being the beginning of a new domain of inter- or transdisciplinary well-being studies in its own right.

Factor structure and measurement invariance of the Basic Psychological Needs Scale in three South African samples: A bifactor exploratory structural equation modelling approach.

The Basic Psychological Needs Scale (BPNS) is still being used but validation studies that applied confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed that the scale has inadequate psychometric properties. CFA is based upon restrictive statistical assumptions that may result in biased parameter estimates. There are statistical developments that overcome these limitations.

The Inspired Life Program: Development of a multicomponent positive psychology intervention for rural adults in Ghana.

Although several theories and studies have explored human strengths and mental well-being at the global level, these insights are rarely tested and translated into practice in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aims to describe the development of a 10-session multicomponent positive psychology intervention, the Inspired Life Program (ILP), designed to promote mental health and reduce symptoms of depression and negative affect in rural adults in Ghana. Guided by the Medical Research Council's framework for developing complex interventions, a seven-step iterative community-based participatory research approach was adopted to develop the ILP, based on constructs and principles of positive psychology and cognitive-behavioral model.

Participants' experiences and impressions of a group-based positive psychology intervention programme for rural adults in Ghana.

: There is growing evidence that group-based mental health intervention programmes can encourage the development of peer support, psychosocial skills, and collaborative therapeutic relationships with longer lasting effects. This study explored participants' experiences of, perceived benefits of, and recommendations to improve a 10-session group-based multicomponent positive psychology intervention (mPPI)-the (ILP)-designed to promote positive mental health and reduce symptoms of depression and negative affect in a sample of rural Ghanaian adults.: Face-to-face semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 18 randomly selected programme participants three months after their participation in the ILP.

Motivations for Relationships as Sources of Meaning: Ghanaian and South African Experiences.

Afrocentric paradigms reflect assumptions of the overarching importance of interconnectedness and social bonds in meaningful experiences. It is, however, not known if types of relatedness vary in importance as meaning sources in the subjective experiences of laypeople, or what the reasons are that they ascribe to the importance of relationships. The empirical and theoretical substantiation of philosophical assumptions is needed to provide a scientific basis for appropriate well-being interventions in African contexts.

Factorial validity of the Twi versions of five measures of mental health and well-being in Ghana.

Background: Mental health is considered an integral part of human health. Reliable and valid measurement instruments are needed to assess various facets of mental health in the native language of the people involved. This paper reports on five studies examining evidence for the factorial validity of the Twi versions of five mental health and well-being measurement instruments: Affectometer-2 (AFM-2); Automatic Thought Questionnaire-Positive (ATQ-P); Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSEs); Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9); and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in a rural Ghanaian adult sample.

Effects of a Community-Based Multicomponent Positive Psychology Intervention on Mental Health of Rural Adults in Ghana.

Background: There is growing evidence that positive psychology interventions (PPIs) enhance positive mental health and lead to a decrease in symptoms of psychopathology. This study examines the effectiveness of a 10-week multicomponent PPI (the Inspired Life Program; ILP) in promoting positive mental health and reducing symptoms of depression and negative affect in a sample of rural poor adults in Ghana.

Methods: Using a quasi-randomized controlled trial design, participants from four rural poor communities were randomly allocated to intervention (n = 40) or control (n = 42) conditions.

Lay Definitions of Happiness across Nations: The Primacy of Inner Harmony and Relational Connectedness.

In well-being research the term happiness is often used as synonymous with life satisfaction. However, little is known about lay people's understanding of happiness. Building on the available literature, this study explored lay definitions of happiness across nations and cultural dimensions, analyzing their components and relationship with participants' demographic features.

Rasch analysis of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire among adults from South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

Background: Meaning in life is a key indicator of subjective well-being and quality of life. Further developments in understanding and enhancing the construct will depend inter alia on the sound measurement thereof. This study is at the forefront of applying modern psychometric techniques to the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, a scale widely used to assess meaning in life.

Psychological distress and the development of hypertension over 5 years in black South Africans.

Alarming increases in the incidence of hypertension in many low- and middle-income countries are related to alcohol overuse. It is unclear whether alcohol overuse is a symptom of psychological distress. The authors assessed psychological distress in Africans and its relationship with a 5-year change in blood pressure (BP), independent of alcohol intake.

Towards a theory-based positive youth development programme.

The aim of this study was to develop and describe an intervention programme for young adolescents, guided by the Positive Youth Development Intervention (PYDI) model, which provides a perspective on the facilitation of development in a more positive trajectory. The key concepts and processes suggested by the PYDI model were further analysed and broadened using existing literature for operationalisation and application purposes. Self-regulation is the central process effectuating developmental change, within the contexts of: a) the navigation of stressors; and b) the formulation and effective pursuit of relevant personal goals.

A model for a positive youth development intervention.

Modern-day life necessitates the application of interventions to facilitate the development of the youth in a more positive trajectory. Lacunae in the Positive Youth Development (PYD) paradigm include, inter alia, the lack of integration between theory and application and a lack of exposition of the processes underlying developmental change in the youth. The aim of this study was to develop a theoretical model to facilitate the development of youth in early adolescence.

The nutrition and health transition in the North West Province of South Africa: a review of the THUSA (Transition and Health during Urbanisation of South Africans) study.

Objective: To describe how urbanisation influences the nutrition and health transition in South Africa by using data from the THUSA (Transition and Health during Urbanisation of South Africans) study.

Design: The THUSA study was a cross-sectional, comparative, population-based survey.

Setting: The North West Province of South Africa.

Biopsychosocial determinants of self-management in culturally diverse South african patients with essential hypertension.

Associations between self-management and biopsychosocial variables in a group of Afrikaans- (n= 102) and Sotho-speaking (n= 94) patients with essential hypertension (EH) were investigated. Self-management in terms of predetermined criteria for medical and lifestyle prescriptions was achieved by only 30.6 per cent of the participants.