Mental health is increasingly defined not only by the absence of illness but by the presence of subjective well-being (SWB). Previous cohort studies have consistently shown that indicators of SWB predict favorable life outcomes including better mental and somatic health, including longevity. The favorable effects associated with SWB have prompted new research aimed at raising happiness and well-being through individual interventions and public health initiatives. Standard observational studies of individual-level associations, however, are subject to potential confounding of exposure and outcome by shared genes and environment. The present study explored the association between SWB and increased longevity, using twin pair analyses to determine whether the association is consistent with causality or is due to genetic or environmental confounding. The study sample of 3,966 twins aged 70 or older followed for a median time period of 9 years was drawn from the population-based Longitudinal Study of Aging Danish Twins (LSADT). The association between the exposure of subjective wellbeing, operationalized as affect and life satisfaction, and the outcome of all-cause mortality risk, was examined using betweenindividual and within-pair survival analyses. As expected, at the individual level (without regard to twin pair membership), SWB predicted increased longevity. Exposure effects were also present in unadjusted and adjusted within-pair analyses of 400 dizygotic (DZ) pairs and 274 monozygotic (MZ) pairs, indicating that SWB is associated with increased longevity independent of familial factors of genes and shared environment. Keywordswell-being; life satisfaction; aging; longevity; mortality; cotwin control Subjective well-being (SWB) is a broad construct generally considered to include positive and negative affect and a cognitive evaluation of one's life (Lucas et al., 1996). Measures of the emotional and cognitive components of SWB show discriminant validity (Lucas et al., 1996). Yet distinct measures of SWB, such as quality of life, life satisfaction, happiness, and optimism are moderately to highly correlated at the phenotypic level, with much of the overlap among similar constructs accounted for by genetic effects (Bartels & Boomsma, 2009;Mosing et al., 2009 (Bartels & Boomsma, 2009;Mosing et al., 2010).The association between SWB and reduced morbidity and mortality is well established although the underlying explanatory mechanisms are not understood (Collins et al., 2009;Lyubomirsky et al., 2005;Pitkala, et al., 2004;Pressman & Cohen, 2005). Prospective cohort studies have consistently shown that SWB predicts favorable life outcomes including better mental and somatic health and longevity in samples with identified disease and in generally healthy samples (Chida & Steptoe, 2008). The effect of SWB on mortality risk is similar for measures of positive affect (Koopmans et al., 2010;Pitkala et al., 2004), life satisfaction (Chida & Steptoe, 2008;Collins et al., 2009), negative affect, overall affect, and qua...

BackgroundDemands placed on individuals in occupational and social settings, as well as imbalances in personal traits and resources, can lead to chronic stress. The Trier Inventory for Chronic Stress (TICS) measures chronic stress while incorporating domain-specific aspects, and has been found to be a highly reliable and valid research tool. The aims of the present study were to confirm the German version TICS factorial structure in an English translation of the instrument (TICS-E) and to report its psychometric properties.MethodsA random route sample of healthy participants (N = 483) aged 18–30 years completed the TICS-E. The robust maximum likelihood estimation with a mean-adjusted chi-square test statistic was applied due to the sample’s significant deviation from the multivariate normal distribution. Goodness of fit, absolute model fit, and relative model fit were assessed by means of the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), the Comparative Fit Index (CFI) and the Tucker Lewis Index (TLI).ResultsReliability estimates (Cronbach’s α and adjusted split-half reliability) ranged from .84 to .92. Item-scale correlations ranged from .50 to .85. Measures of fit showed values of .052 for RMSEA (Cl = 0.50–.054) and .067 for SRMR for absolute model fit, and values of .846 (TLI) and .855 (CFI) for relative model-fit. Factor loadings ranged from .55 to .91.ConclusionThe psychometric properties and factor structure of the TICS-E are comparable to the German version of the TICS. The instrument therefore meets quality standards for an adequate measurement of chronic stress.

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<p class="abstract"><span lang="EN-IN">Rater training is a well-recognized approach to minimizing inaccuracy and variability in clinical outcomes assessments common in clinical trials. However, there is a dearth of empirical research on the types of rater training and qualifications that contribute to improved accuracy, inter-rater reliability and intra-rater reliability. Herein, we discuss the need for rater training in clinical trials and review publications that report data on rater characteristics, training modalities and outcomes in terms of accuracy and reliability of clinical outcomes data. </span></p><p> </p>

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