The Mediating Role of Positive Orientation in the Relationship between Loneliness and Meaning in Life

(1) Background: Previous research revealed that increased loneliness resulted in decreased meaning in life (MIL). Little is known, however, about the underlying mechanisms of this relationship. The aim of the study was to determine if the set of positive evaluations of oneself, one's life, and one's future discussed by Caprara as positive orientation (POS) was a mediator between loneliness and MIL. (2) Methods: A sample of 304 Polish participants aged 19-45 (M = 25.61 years, SD = 6.1) completed the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, the Presence subscale of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and the Positivity Scale. (3) Results: The study showed that loneliness was negatively associated with POS and MIL, while POS and MIL were positively correlated with each other. It also turned out that POS partially mediated the relationship between loneliness and MIL. (4) Conclusions: The results suggest that, by inhibiting POS, loneliness makes it difficult to perceive life as meaningful. The interrelationships between loneliness, POS, and MIL are discussed in light of the evolutionary theory of loneliness.

Selected psychometric aspects of the Polish version of the Liverpool Self-efficacy Scale

Background

Self-efficacy expresses the individual’s belief in their ability to take up and continue actions in order to achieve a particular result and cope with various life events. For people with multiple sclerosis (MS), self-efficacy is an im-portant resource because it affects how they adapt to the disease, and influences their motivation, health-related behavior and physical activity. It also has a great impact on their quality of life. Because of the lack of tools for meas-uring self-efficacy in Polish patients with multiple sclerosis, the goal of the current study was to develop a Polish language version of the Liverpool Self-efficacy Scale (LSES) and assess its validity and reliability.

Participants and procedure

A total of 175 people diagnosed with MS took part in the study. A Polish version of the LSES, the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SOC-29), the Resiliency Assessment Scale (SPP-25), the Health-Related Hardiness Scale (HRHS), the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS) and the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale were applied.

Results

Confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis using α and ω coefficients, and two measures of validity (content and criterion validity) were used in order to validate psychometric properties of the Polish version of the LSES. Our analyses confirmed a good fit of the one-factor and two-factor models.

Conclusions

The results indicate that the Polish version of the LSES is a useful and valuable tool for assessing levels of self-efficacy in Polish patients with multiple sclerosis. The scale can be used for both clinical and research purposes.