Abstract

As nowadays the structure of early adult relationships is changing, more attention needs to be drawn to informal, intimate partners and their psychological functioning in the modern world. The pilot study aimed to compare personality, resilience, sense of stress, and mental health level between Polish early adult partners in intimate relationships as well as establish predictors of their mental health. Structural equation modeling was employed to examine mental health predictors in the APIM model. Participants were assessed by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, the Resilience Assessment Scale, the Sense of Stress Questionnaire, and the General Health Questionnaire in Polish adaptation. Partners differ in three personality traits. Women present higher scores on agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness to experience. SEM analyses report partners’ sense of stress and female conscientiousness as significant predictors of partners’ mental health. The sense of stress performs the greatest influence on partners mental health. Resilience predicts mental health in both men and women. Greater potential of resilience as a protective factor is reported in female partners.

Keywords: intimate partners, resilience, mental health, sense of stress, personality

Osobowość, odporność psychiczna i stres jako predyktory zdrowia psychicznego u partnerów w związkach nieformalnych Streszczenie

W związku ze zmianami w strukturze bliskich relacji młodych dorosłych, na uwagę zasługują związki nieformalne i psychologiczne funkcjonowanie partnerów we współczesnym świecie. Celem pilotażowych badań było porównanie partnerów w bliskim związku nieformalnym w aspekcie osobowości, odporności psychicznej, poczucia stresu oraz zdrowia psychicznego, jak również ustalenia predykatorów ich zdrowia psychicznego. W tym celu zastosowano modelowanie równań strukturalnych w modelu APIM. W badaniu zostały wykorzystane narzędzia kwestionariuszowe Inwentarz Osobowości NEO-PI-R, Skala Pomiaru Prężności SPP-25, Kwestionariusz Poczucia Stresu KPS oraz Kwestionariusz Ogólnego Stanu Zdrowia GHQ-12. Wyniki wskazują na występowanie różnic pomiędzy partnerami w związkach w zakresie trzech cech osobowości. Partnerki prezentują wyższy poziom ugodowości, neurotyczności i otwartości na doświadczenie aniżeli ich partnerzy. Analizy SEM wskazują na dwustronne poczucie stresu oraz sumienność partnerki jako czynniki wpływające na zdrowie psychiczne partnerów. Poczucie stresu prezentuje najsilniejszy wpływ na zdrowie psychiczne partnerów w związkach nieformalnych. Odporność psychiczna wpływa na zdrowie psychiczne u obu partnerów w związku. Większy potencjał odporności psychicznej jako czynnika ochronnego stwierdzono u partnerek.

Abstract

Resilience has been characterized in the paperfrom from the perspective of a theoretical point of view and in the light of the results of empirical research. Two terms are used in the literature: resiliency, as a dispositional trait of personality and resilience, as the transactional process of relation between individual and environment and as the process of coping behaviour. The first meaning of the term is more emphasised in the paper. Psychological resiliency is discussed in the context of emotional and cognitive mechanisms. The next part of the article is devoted to determinants of resiliency from cognitive, social and existential point of view. Development and health implications of resiliency are discussed at the end of this paper.

Key words: resiliency, resilience, personality, coping, emotions, spirituality, religiosity, health

Resilience belongs to the positive psychological categories, which were established in order to clarify why the individual does not break down in the face of difficulties. The term comes from the 1950s, and its current popularity is connected with development of positive psychology and health psychology. Two similar terms used in the literature should be distinguished: resiliency as a dispositional trait of personality and resilience as the transactional process of relation between individual and environment and as the process of coping behaviour. The first meaning of the term is more emphasised in this paper.

The concept of resilience belongs to the category of positive terms, which are very inspiring to theoretical reflection and empirical studies in psychology. It has importance for the overall psychological theory and, in particular, for the theory of emotions and motivation, personality theory and the researches on psychological stress. The concept, furthermore, can be significantly referred to existential, social, and ecological psychology. Resilience is not only one of the basic categories in positive psychology, but also the one that has applications to psychology of development, psychology of education, family psychology as well as to health psychology and psycho-neuro-immunology. The significance of this concept for clinical and rehabilitation psychology can finally be added. The broadness of the area in which research on resilience is conducted, depicts very well the importance of this concept and its versatility.

The authors of the monography faced questions about the determinants of resilience, its mechanisms and consequences. Monography consists of three parts, namely I. Social and methodological contexts of resilience, II. Resilience in development, III. Resilience and disease.

The first one focuses on social and methodological contexts of resilience. There are four chapters in this part, all of them consider mainly theoretical questions connected with health, illness, healing, recover and well-being in the mental and bodily field.