Developing a structural model for explaining psychological well-being based on ego strength and negative dimensions of time attitude

Psychological well-being which replaces mental health is of particular importance in positivist psychology. This study aimed to develop a structural model for explaining psychological well-being based on ego strength and positive dimensions of time attitude.

The statistical population of this descriptive and correlational study consisted of all students who were studying at the central site of Bu-Ali Sina University during the academic year of 2018-2019. Through a convenient sampling, 367 of them were selected. They responded to Reyff’s Psychological Well-being Questionnaire (1989), Miller and Worrell’s Time Attitude Questionnaire (2010), and Markstrom, Sabino, Turner, and Bremen’s Ego Strength Questionnaire (1997). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling.

The results showed that the proposed model had a good fit. In other words, Ego strength could affect psychological well-being through mediating positive dimensions of time attitude. The amount of impact in different dimensions was as follows: future negative (b= -1.29, P= 0.001), present negative (b= -1.07, P= 0.001), past negative (b= -0.076, P= 0.041).

Those who had weak ego, tended to have negative time attitudes; as a result, their psychological well-being fell. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that using strategies to prevent ego weakness in individuals can reduce their negative attitudes and thus can prevent the decline of psychological well-being in them.