Florida International University, USA.
J Clin Psychol. 2013 Apr;69(4):415-32. doi: 10.1002/jclp.21960. Epub 2013 Jan 24.
The current study evaluated the mediational role of well-being in the relationship between identity development and psychosocial functioning.
A sample of 7,649 undergraduate students (73% female; mean age = 19.95, standard deviation = 1.98; 62% Caucasian) completed measures of personal identity, well-being, internalizing symptoms, externalizing problems, and health-risk behaviors.
Results revealed that (a) identity exploration and commitment were negatively associated with internalizing symptoms, health-risk behaviors, and externalizing problems through well-being, (b) ruminative exploration was negatively associated with well-being and positively associated with externalizing problems, and (c) increased levels of ruminative exploration appear more detrimental for men than for women.
The study shed light on the mechanisms through which identity processes are related to internalizing symptoms, externalizing problems, and health-risk behaviors. The role of well-being in these associations, and the potentially deleterious "side effects" of exploration and commitment appear to suggest new and important directions for identity research.
本研究评估了幸福感在身份发展与心理社会功能之间关系中的中介作用。
一项包含 7649 名大学生（73%为女性；平均年龄=19.95，标准差=1.98；62%为白种人）的样本完成了个人身份认同、幸福感、内化症状、外化问题和健康风险行为的测量。
结果表明：（a）通过幸福感，身份探索和承诺与内化症状、健康风险行为和外化问题呈负相关；（b）沉思探索与幸福感呈负相关，与外化问题呈正相关；（c）沉思探索水平的提高对男性的影响比女性更大。
本研究揭示了身份过程与内化症状、外化问题和健康风险行为之间关系的机制。幸福感在这些关联中的作用，以及探索和承诺的潜在“负面效应”，似乎为身份研究提供了新的、重要的方向。
