Happiness is a valuable experience, and societies want their citizens to be happy. Although this societal commitment seems laudable, overly emphasizing positivity (versus negativity) may create an unattainable emotion norm that ironically compromises individual well-being. In this multi-national study (40 countries; 7443 participants), we investigate how societal pressure to be happy and not sad predicts emotional, cognitive and clinical indicators of well-being around the world, and examine how these relations differ as a function of countries’ national happiness levels (collected from the World Happiness Report). Although detrimental well-being associations manifest for an average country, the strength of these relations varies across countries. People’s felt societal pressure to be happy and not sad is particularly linked to poor well-being in countries with a higher World Happiness Index. Although the cross-sectional nature of our work prohibits causal conclusions, our findings highlight the correlational link between social emotion valuation and individual well-being, and suggest that high national happiness levels may have downsides for some.

Reporting on trauma is part of the journalists’ job, and it needs to be conducted with care for their mental health of the interviewees and audiences. Data from focus groups and online survey with journalism students in Macedonia identified that: reporting on traumatic events can affect mental health; education can be a factor for coping and building resilience; educators lack adequate training; there are no adequate teaching materials in journalism courses at faculties; and at the end, students are not equipped with strategies and skills for dealing with trauma when reporting on trauma.

OBJECTIVES: One of the study objectives was to explore the prevalence of elder abuse and neglect in the country.METHOD: Total of 960 respondents aged 65 years and above (44.7% of male and 55.3%) in private households, from all eight statistical regions participated in the study. Respondents were sampled through three staged national representative sampling procedure. Data were collected using a cognitively validated questionnaire for investigating elder abuse and neglect (psychological abuse, physical abuse, physical injury; financial abuse; sexual abuse and neglect) and Geriatric Depression Scale. The MMSE test was used as a pre-selection method. Statistical significance was set up at p < 0.05.RESULTS: Three hundred seven (32.0%) respondents reported experience of any type of abuse and neglect.  A single form of abuse was reported by 56.4% of participants, and two types of abuse by 27.4% of participants reporting abuse. Data showed that psychological abuse was the most prevalent form of abuse (25.7%), followed by financial abuse (12.0%), physical abuse (5.7%), physical injury (3.1%) and sexual abuse, and reported only by females (1.3%). Some type of neglect was reported by 6.5% of respondents.CONCLUSIONS: Defining the phenomenon of elder abuse and neglect in the context of our country can facilitate support of abused older people and, most importantly, may help develop policy and programmes based on evidence-based practices, targeting prevention and response

OBJECTIVES: The first Macedonian National Prevalence study of elder maltreatment in private settings was conducted in 2011 and 2012. This article provides an overview of the risk factors on individual level regarding the ecological model of human development.METHOD: The study involved 960 respondents who provided answers to a face-to-face survey questionnaire and a Geriatric Depression Scale.  The Mini-Mental State Examination test was used as a pre selection criterion. The achieved sample was weighted to be representative on the Macedonian population aged 65 and over.  RESULTS: Being women, being married, with elementary school education, suffering from certain chronic diseases, sensory impairment, are potential risk factors on individual level for elderly Maltreatment.CONCLUSION: The findings support the previous quantitative data obtained in other countries, as well as the concept of ecological framework

Student organizations exist to protect the rights and interests of their members. Therefore, if they are organized into representative student governments, students can be a very influential agent who shapes the policy of higher education, and build themselves as democratic force in the society. The purpose of this study conducted by Institute for Sociological, Political and Juridical Research (ISPJR), Skopje was to consider student activism at university level in light of social justice motive. The data show that components of social justice motive influence the activism in Student Organization but also certainly proved that educational system of the country has serious omissions and errors in developing responsible and active youth and the country has to invest in its students because good student organization, in addition to exercising rights, freedoms and needs, and engaging in improving students’ standard and their well-being, means investing in an active, efficient, motivated and democratic youth.