Lourdes Rey Peña
University of Malaga
Positive personal resources and their role on different indicators of well-being and school convivencia among youth and adolescents
Participants: Maria Teresa Chamizo-Nieto1; Cirenia Quintana-Orts2; Diego Gómez-Baya3; Carolina Yudes1
1University of Malaga; 2University of Jaen; 3University of Huelva
Symposium Summary
For approximately two decades, the Positive Psychology field of study has generated a research body on different resources, skills and strengths that improve well-being and allow for more positive functioning of individuals. In recent years, efforts have focused on examining its influence, as well as its application in different contexts applied in the educational field. Focusing on adolescents and youth from different educational institutions, and taking into account the lack of empirical research, this symposium aims to develop this applied approach, how these resources interact and what are the underlying explanatory mechanisms in their role on well-being, health and different indicators of personal and social functioning in the educational environment. Thus, we will examine the role of emotional intelligence and gratitude as strengths to prevent cyberbullying in adolescents; the role of forgiveness to prevent suicidal ideation, the role of developmental assets to enhance well-being and finally, how emotional skills are related to problematic internet use and cyber-aggression. Through the different works, the emphasis is placed on the potential benefits of developing evidence-based interventions on different personal resources from the theoretical framework of Positive Psychology in the educational field. Methods: The main studies carry out different analyses trying to elucidate the explanatory mechanisms underlying the relationships established in the different studies. Results: The main results of the different studies highlight the importance of personal resources, to cushion and promote better mental health and well-being and/or decrease negative consequences. Discussion: The conclusions of the different studies underline the importance of incorporating the training of personal resources during the educational stage in order to face adverse situations.
Short CV
Senior Lecturer at the Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment in the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Malaga. Director of the Master's Degree in Child and Adolescent Psychological Treatment at the University of Malaga and guest lecturer in different postgraduate courses and Official Masters. Researcher in different R+D projects of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science and FEDER projects of the Andalusian Government related to the development of social-emotional skills and personal resources. She is currently the director of the PAIDI research group "Positive personal resources, well-being and health in applied contexts - Applied Positive Lab (CTS-1048)". She is the author of more than 50 publications in prestigious journals on topics related to the importance of personal resources (Emotional Intelligence, Forgiveness, Gratitude...) in the field of health, well-being and psychological adjustment in different contexts (see https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lourdes_Rey/publications)