Stress and Quality of Life: The Mediating Role of Happiness

Year 2024, , 46 - 55, 13.06.2024

Serpil Aytaç , Nuran Bayram Arlı , Mine Aydemir Dev

https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2024-1430402

Abstract

The aim of the study is to test the mediating role of happiness in the relationship between stress and quality of life. The study uses the Turkish version of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) brief Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) Scale to measure quality of life. The WHOQOL-BREF Scale has four main domains: physical, psychological, social relations, and environmental. In addition, the study uses the Turkish version of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire to measure individuals’ happiness levels and the stress sub-scale from the Turkish adaptation of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-42) to measure stress levels. A total of 216 people aged 18 or older participated in the study. Model 4 in Process Macro was used to test the hypotheses related to the research model. The highest relationship between domain values was obtained between the psychological and physical domains. According to the mediation analysis findings, happiness mediates the relationship between stress and all domains of quality of life. These results emphasize the importance of happiness in individuals’ lives. The study has concluded stress to have an indirect and large effect size on all domains of quality of life and found the highest indirect effect size of stress to be on the psychological domain. Based on the results, paying special attention to happiness levels is suggested in order to improve quality of life, the ability to cope effectively with stress and tension, and to empower oneself.

Keywords

WHOQOL-BREF, quality of life, happiness, stress

References

• Al-Ali, W., Ameen, A., Isaac, O., Khalifa, G. S., & Shibami, A. H. (2019). The mediating effect of job happiness on the relationship between job satisfaction and employee performance and turnover intentions: A case study on the oil and gas industry in the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Business and Retail Management Research, 13 (4), 103-116. google scholar
• Alserhan, H., Al-Adamat, A., & Al-Adamat, O. (2021). The mediating effect of employee happiness on the relationship between quality of work-life and employee intention to quit: A study on fast-food restaurants in Jordan. Management Science Letters, 11(3), 933-938. https://doi. org/10.5267/j.msl.2020.10.004 google scholar
• Arslan, G. (2023). Mediating effect of fear and externality of happiness in the association between psychological maltreatment and psychological well-being. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 28(3), 707-718. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2021.1950783 google scholar
• Aydemir Ö., & Köroğlu E. (2006). Psikiyatri’de Kullanılan Ölçekler. Medicographics Ajans ve Matbaacilik Hizmetleri, Ankara. google scholar
• Bayram, N., & Bilgel, N. (2008). The prevalence and socio-demographic correlations of depression, anxiety and stress among a group of university students. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 43, 667-672. https://doi. org/10.1007/s00127-008-0345-x. google scholar
• Bhandari, P. (2012). Stress and health related quality of life of Nepalese students studying in South Korea: A cross sectional study. Health and quality of life outcomes, 10(1), 1-9. https://doi. org/10.1186/1477-7525-10-26 google scholar
• Bilgel, N. G., & Bayram, N. (2010). Turkish version of the depression anxiety stress scale (DASS-42). Psychometric properties. https://doi. org/ 10.4274/npa.5344 google scholar
• Bitsko, M. J., Stern, M., Dillon, R., Russell, E. C., & Laver, J. (2008). Happiness and time perspective as potential mediators of quality of life and depression in adolescent cancer. Pediatric Blood & Cancer, 50(3), 613-619. https://doi. org/10.1002/pbc.21337 google scholar
• Brakus, J. J., Chen, W., Schmitt, B., & Zarantonello, L. (2022). Experiences and happiness: The role of gender. Psychology & Marketing, 39(8), 1646-1659. https://doi. org/10.1002/mar.21677 google scholar
• Caron, J., Lecomte, Y., Stip, E., & Renaud, S. (2005). Predictors of quality of life in schizophrenia. Community Mental Health Journal; 41(4), 399-417. https://doi. org/10.1007/s10597-005-5077-8. google scholar
• Cohen-Louck, K., & Levy, I. (2023). Happiness during a mass trauma: Predicting happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic through function, stress, anxiety, and coping. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 15(3), 493. https://doi. org/10.1037/tra0001314 google scholar
• Dadhich, S., Shakrawal, N., Soni, K., Pareek, P., & Patro, S. K. (2023). Impact of Radiotherapy on Quality of Life in T2 and Early T3 Laryngeal Carcinoma. Indian Journal Of Otolaryngology And Head And Neck Surgery, 75(2), 654-660. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-022-03397-3 google scholar
• De Guzman, A. B., Largo, E., Mandap, L., & Munoz, V. M. (2014). The mediating effect of happiness on the job satisfaction of aging Filipino workers: a structural equation model. Educational Gerontology, 40(10), 767-782. https://doi. org/10.1080/03601277.2014.882108 google scholar
• Dehghan, M., Jazinizade, M., Malakoutikhah, A., Madadimahani, A., Iranmanesh, M. H., Oghabian, S., & Zakeri, M. A. (2020). Stress and quality of life of patients with cancer: the mediating role of mindfulness. Journal ofOncology, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/3289521 google scholar
• Delgado, C. (2007). Sense of coherence, spirituality, stress and quality of life in chronic illness. Journal ofNursing Scholarship, 39(3), 229-234. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1547-5069.2007.00173.x google scholar
• Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), 276. google scholar
• Eser, E., Fidaner, H., Fidaner, C., Eser, S. Y., Elbi, H., & Göker, E. (1999a). WHOQOL-100 ve WHOQOL-BREF’in psikometrik özellikleri. Psikiyatri Psikoloji Psikofarmakoloji (3P) Dergisi,7(ek2), 23-40. google scholar
• Eser, Y.S., Fidaner, H., Fidaner, C., Elbi, H, Eser, E., & Göker, E. (1999b) Yaşam kalitesinin ölçülmesi, WHOQOL-100 ve WHOQOL-Bref, Psikiyatri Psikoloji Psikofarmakoloji (3P) Dergisi, 7(ek2): 5-13. google scholar
• Ferrer-Cascales, R., Albaladejo-Blazquez, N., Ruiz-Robledillo, N., Clement-Carbonell, V., Sanchez-SanSegundo, M., & Zaragoza-Martf, A. (2019). Higher adherence to the mediterranean diet is related to more subjective happiness in adolescents: The role of health-related quality of life. Nutrients, 11(3), 698. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11030698 google scholar
• Fisher, Cynthia D. (2010) Happiness at work. International journal of management reviews 12 (4):384-412. google scholar
• Fontana, D., & Abouserie, R. (1993). Stress levels, gender and personality factors in teachers. British Journal of educational psychology, 63(2), 261-270. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8279.1993.tb01056.x google scholar
• Hudson, S. A., & O’Regan, J. (1994). Stress and the graduate psychology student. Journal of clinical psychology, 50(6), 973-977. google scholar
• Kim, K. S. (2019). The influence of hotels high-commitment hrm on job engagement of employees: Mediating effects of workplace happiness and mental health. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 14(2), 507-525. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-018-9626-z google scholar
• KyoungHwang, Y., & Lee, C. S. (2018). Relationship between stress and happiness in middle school students: dual mediation effect of growth mindset and self-esteem. Medico-Legal Update, 18(1), 248-253. google scholar
• Lovibond, S. H., & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Sydney: Psychology Foundation. google scholar
• Matud, M. P. (2004). Gender differences in stress and coping styles. Personality and Individual Differences, 37(7), 1401-1415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2004.01.010 google scholar
• Park, H. S. (2014). Stress, yangsaeng and subjective happiness among female undergraduate nursing students in the republic of Korea. The Journal of Korean academic society of nursing education, 20(4), 471-481. https://doi.org/10.5977/jkasne.2014.20.4.471 google scholar
• Poormahmood, A., Moayedi, F., & Alizadeh, K.H. (2017). Relationships between psychological well-being, happiness and perceived occupational stress among primary school teachers. Archives of Hellenic Medicine/Arheia Ellenikes Iatrikes, 34(4), 504-510. google scholar
• Ribeiro, I. J., Pereira, R., Freire, I. V., de Oliveira, B. G., Casotti, C. A., & Boery, E. N. (2018). Stress and quality of life among university students: A systematic literature review. Health Professions Education, 4(2), 70-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpe.2017.03.002 google scholar
• Sarkar, A. (2021). Non-Violence at Workplace: The Way to Happiness and Well-Being: Interview with Dr Saamdu Chetri, as the Former Head of GNH Centre. South Asian Journal of Human Resources Management, 8(2): 290-298. google scholar
• Santos, E. J. F., Duarte, C., Ferreira, R. J., Pinto, A. M., Geenen, R., & da Silva, J. A. (2018). Determinants of happiness and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a structural equation modelling approach. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 77(8), 1118-1124. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2017-212934 google scholar
• Seligman, M.E.P. (2002). Positive psychology, positive prevention and positive therapy. In C.R. Snyder and S.J. Lopez (Ed.). Handbook of Positive Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press. google scholar
• Seligman, M.E.P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5-14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5 google scholar
• Seligman, M.E.P., Rashid, T., & Parks, A.C. (2006). Positive psychotherapy. American Psychology, 61, 774-788. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.61.8.774 google scholar
• Shafie, S., Samari, E., Jeyagurunathan, A., Abdin, E., Chang, S., Chong, S. A., & Subramaniam, M. (2021). Gender difference in quality of life (QoL) among outpatients with schizophrenia in a tertiary care setting. BMC psychiatry, 21(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03051-2 google scholar
• Stack, S., & Eshleman, J. R. (1998). Marital status and happiness: A 17-nation study. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 527-536. https://doi.org/10.2307/353867 google scholar
• Tan, C. S., Tan, S. A., Mohd Hashim, I. H., Lee, M. N., Ong, A. W. H., & Yaacob, S. N. B. (2019). Problem-solving ability and stress mediate the relationship between creativity and happiness. Creativity Research Journal, 31(1), 15-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2019.1568155 google scholar
• The WHOQOL Group. (1993). Study protocol for the World health Organisation project to develop a quality of life assessment instrument (WHOQOL), Quality of Life Research, 2, 153-159. google scholar
• The WHOQOL Group. (1994). Development of the WHOQOL: rationale and current status. Monograph on Quality of Life Asessment: cross-cultural issues-2, International Journal of Mental Health, 23(3), 24-56. google scholar
• The WHOQOL Group. (1995). The World Health Organisation Quality of Life assessment (WHOQOL): position paper from the World Health Organisation, Special Issue on Health Related Quality of Life: what is it and how should we measure it? Social Science and Medicine, 41(10), 1402-1409. google scholar
• The WHOQOL Group. (1997). An approach to response scale development for cross-cultural questionnaires. European Psychologist, 2. google scholar
• The WHOQOL Group. (1998a). The World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL): development of general psychometric properties. Social Science and Medicine, 46(12), 1569-1585. google scholar
• The WHOQOL Group. (1998b). Development of the World Health Organization WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment. Psychological medicine, 28(3), 551-558. https://doi.org/10.1017/s00332917980 06667 google scholar
• Veenhoven, R. (2015). Concept of happiness. World database of happiness, measures of happiness, introductory text. Erasmus University: Rotterdam, The Netherlands. google scholar
• Wesarat, P., Sharif, M.Y., & Abdul Halim A M. (2014). A conceptual framework of happiness at the workplace. Asian Social Science, 11(2): 78-88. google scholar
• Yan, J., Wu, C., Du, Y., He, S., Shang, L., & Lang, H. (2022). Occupational stress and the quality of life of nurses in infectious disease departments in China: The mediating role of psychological resilience. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 817639. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.817639 google scholar
• Yang, C. C., Fan, C. W., Chen, K. M., Hsu, S. C., & Chien, C. L. (2018). As a happy kindergarten teacher: The mediating effect of happiness between role stress and turnover intention. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 27, 431-440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-018-0403-4 google scholar
• Yıldırım, A., & Hacıhasanoğlu, R. (2011). Sağlık Çalışanlarında Yaşam Kalitesi ve Etkileyen Değişkenler, Psikiyatri Hemşireliği Dergisi -Journal of Psychiatric Nursing 2(2),61-68. google scholar