ObjectiveOf the many existing health models, models of health behavior are considered optimal for research and application as they focus on concrete forms of behavior that support, maintain, or undermine one’s health, and they accentuate the individual as the initiator of this behavior. Research in this area follows a broad range of concrete partial manifestations of health behavior. Is it necessary to differentiate between various types of health behavior or could these partial manifestations be combined under one common scale?MethodsData acquisition tool: Health-Related Behavior Scale (HRBS, 42 items). Data processing methods: principal component analysis (the internal structure of HRBS), confirmatory factor analysis (the latent factor structure of four tested models). Sample: N=1,664 adult respondents.ResultsThe HRBS described ten areas of health-related behavior (ten extracted factors). All tested models of latent structure showed almost identical mathematical and statistical values of the model.ConclusionHealth-related behavior includes a set of partial behaviors (behavior related to nutrition, addictive substances, movement, and physical exercises). An unambiguous latent factor structure has not been revealed. An open question remains whether there is one latent factor behind all health-related behaviors or whether there are multiple latent factors. The use of one or the other model should be deduced from the underlying theory and research objectives. To find a reliable model of health behavior, it is necessary to include moderators and mediators such as personality, attitude, or economic status.

Psychological stress has become a major concern, potentially leading to diverse health problems including psychopathology such as depression and anxiety. Transactional Model of Stress and Coping is an established model, conceptualizing stressful experiences via person–environment relationship. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the pathway from stress to depression/anxiety, with a focus on self-criticism (inadequate-self and hated-self) and self-reassurance (reassured-self) in Czech students who suffered from high prevalence of mental health problems. Convenience sample of 119 undergraduates completed the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 and the Forms of the Self-Criticizing/Attacking & Self-Reassuring Scale. Correlation and path analyses were conducted. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines were used to aid an accurate and complete report of the study. Depression, anxiety, and stress were positively associated with inadequate-self and hated-self while negatively associated with reassured-self. Both inadequate-self and hated-self partially mediated the stress–depression and stress–anxiety relationships, whereas reassured-self only partially mediated the stress–depression relationship. Inadequate-self had greater impact on the stress–depression/anxiety pathways than hated-self and reassured-self. Findings indicate that clinical treatment may benefit from targeting the feelings of inadequacy to prevent stress progressing to psychopathology. This is particularly relevant as stress levels are rising globally. Our findings offer developments to the Transactional Model, and help practitioners and educators identify solutions to protect mental health of Czech university students.

Maintaining and promoting teachers’ work ability is essential for increasing productivity and preventing early exit from the teaching profession. This study aimed to identify the predictors of work ability among upper-secondary school teachers and examine the mediating role of burnout. A large and diverse group of Czech upper-secondary school teachers was surveyed to address this goal. The sample comprised 531 upper-secondary school teachers (50.0 ± 9.94 years, 19.9 ± 10.62 in the teaching profession, 57.6% females). Relatively greater empirical support was found for the effects of burnout, sense of coherence, work–life balance, and perceived relationships in the school environment on work ability than for the impact of age, homeroom teacher duties, workload, and caring for elderly relatives. Furthermore, burnout served as an important mediator of the relationship between sense of coherence and work ability. Teachers with a higher sense of coherence are thus better able to cope with adverse work circumstances and identify and mobilize internal and external resources to prevent professional exhaustion and the subsequent decline in work ability. The study can guide interventions on the work ability of teachers.

Dispositional optimism is a psychological trait associated with both physical and mental health in adults. Less is known about the associations between optimism and health among adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between dispositional optimism, health-related behavior and mental health among Czech adolescents. Further on, the effect of gender and age (early vs. late adolescence) on mental health levels was explored. Instruments: short form of the Mental Health Continuum (MHC-SF); Health Behaviours Scale; Life Orientation Test -Revised (LOT-R). Sample: 1376 Czech adolescents aged 11-19 (M = 15.9; SD = 2.3), 56.8% females. Statistical analysis: Hierarchical multiple regression analysis with three sets of predictors. The first set of predictors (age and gender) explained 7.3% of variance in MHC-SF scores; the second set of predictors -LOT-R optimism and pessimism scores -explained another 25% of variance; and the third set of predictors (health-related behaviors) explained additional 16.3% of variance. The final model explained 48.6% of variance in mental health among adolescents. Dimensions of dispositional optimism turned out to be the strongest set of predictors of positive mental health in adolescents, while health behavior components predicted the mental health levels to a lesser extent. Gender and age were also significant predictors of mental health, with boys and younger adolescents scoring higher.

High rates of mental health problems are a growing concern in Czech higher education, negatively impacting students’ performance and wellbeing. Despite the serious nature of poor mental health, students often do not seek help because of negative attitudes and shame over mental health problems. Recent mental health research reports self-compassion is strongly associated with better mental health and reduced shame. However, relationships between those constructs remain to be evaluated among Czech students. This study aims to appraise the relationships between mental health problems, negative mental health attitudes, mental health shame, and self-compassion in this population. An opportunity sample of 119 psychology students from a Czech university completed questionnaires regarding these constructs. Correlation, regression, and path analyses were conducted. Mental health problems were positively associated with negative mental health attitudes and shame, and negatively associated with self-compassion. Self-compassion negatively predicted mental health problems, while negative attitudes and shame did not. Last, self-compassion fully mediated the negative attitudes-mental health problems relationship, and partially mediated the shame-mental health problems relationship. Findings suggest self-compassion is essential for mental health in Czech students and associated with negative mental health attitudes and mental health shame. Czech universities can benefit from incorporating self-compassion training into their curricula to protect students’ mental health.

The exploratory study, conducted as a part of a research project supported by the Czech Science Foundation (No. 13-19808S), attempted to shed more light on the interrelations between dispositional optimism/pessimism, explanatory style optimism/pessimism, defensive pessimism/strategic optimism, and health-related behaviour. The main objective was to test whether findings obtained on American population and several European samples concerning positive relationships between optimism and health-related activity, and between pessimism and passivity, can be replicated on a Czech sample. The analysis of data from 268 respondents aged between 16 and 96 did not confirm any significant associations between different types of optimism/pessimism and health behaviours except for one: Promotion of mental well-being was predicted by defensive pessimism and by optimistic explanatory style, especially the stability dimension. The study also addresses the complex interrelations between different optimism/pessimism constructs, health-related behaviour, and subjective health problems.

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In line with the current psychological approach to health in general, mental health is perceived not only as the absence of psychopathological disorders, but also the presence of well-being. The study contributes to the identification of possible sources affecting mental health in adolescence. This cross-sectional study focuses on the role of personality traits, dispositional optimism, and perceived social support in predicting mental health in adolescence. Mental health was assessed using Mental Health Continuum, personality traits using Big Five Inventory, dispositional optimism using Life Orientation Test—Revised and social support by Close Relationships and Social Support Scale. The research sample consisted of 1,239 respondents aged 12 to 19 years (mean age 15.56 years), 54.3% females and 45.7 % males. Sequential regression analysis revealed that demographic variables and personality characteristics together explained 33.5% of mental health variance, the strongest predictors being extraversion and neuroticism. Including dispositional optimism and perceived social support resulted in a significant increase of the explained variance. All predictors together explained 46.0% of the mental health variance.