A socioecological perspective to understanding mental and physical health: The mediating role of relationship mindsets and goals

Abstract

People’s mindsets and goals regarding social relationships affect their relationship quality and psychological well-being. We employed multiple group path modeling to examine how perceived relational mobility affects mental and physical health through relationship mindsets (destiny and growth mindsets) and relationship goals (approach and avoidance goals) across countries, surveying community adults in the U.S. ( n = 206; Mage = 39.14; 48% female) and South Korea ( n = 236; Mage = 38.89; 51% female) through online questionnaires. Results showed that stronger growth mindsets and approach goals predicted better mental and physical health, whereas stronger destiny mindsets and avoidance goals predicted poorer mental and physical health in both countries. Moreover, higher levels of relational mobility were linked to higher levels of subjective well-being and fewer depressive symptoms via growth mindsets and approach goals. The results provide evidence for the importance of socioecological factors such as relational mobility in influencing relationship mindsets and goals with eventual consequences for health outcomes.

Relational mobility promotes subjective well‐being through control over interpersonal relationships among the Chinese

“…Likewise, the freedom to determine what to choose may also lead to an increased belief of personal control on life events (Genschow, Rigoni, & Brass, 2017) and an obligation to regulate one’s behaviours (e.g., expressing less ethnic prejudice; Zhao, Liu, Zhang, Shi, & Huang, 2014). Supporting our argument, empirical evidence has shown that RM was associated with a growth mindset that relationships can be cultivated through efforts (Lee et al, 2019). RM has also been found to predict dispositional sense of control.…”

“…However, Yuki et al (2013) also revealed no causal impact of RM on subjective well‐being (Yuki et al, 2013, Study 3), but their manipulation of RM (in a high‐RM condition [recalling talking with a stranger] vs. a low‐relational‐mobility condition [talking with a family member]) may be confounded with a feeling of familiarity, which boosted subjective well‐being in the low‐RM condition. As we have illustrated, high RM leads to a growth mindset of relationality (Lee et al, 2019); therefore, it may further result in a tendency to focus on positive relationships and disregard negative ones. For exploration, we also predicted that participants in a high‐relational‐mobility environment may also estimate that they would have more friends and less enemies than would those in a low‐relational‐mobility environment.…”

“…For example, San Martin et al (2019) found that RM promoted internal locus of control, but they did not link RM to subjective well‐being. Lee et al (2019) tested the relationship between RM and well‐being, but they did not examine the mediational role of sense of control.…”

“…In sum, we predicted a mediation model in which higher RM would predict and lead to greater subjective well‐being, the effect of which would be mediated by control over relationships. Prior studies have suggested a potential direct effect of RM on subjective well‐being, as RM positively predicts subjective well‐being (Lee et al, 2019, Study 1; Yuki et al, 2013). However, Yuki et al (2013) also revealed no causal impact of RM on subjective well‐being (Yuki et al, 2013, Study 3), but their manipulation of RM (in a high‐RM condition [recalling talking with a stranger] vs. a low‐relational‐mobility condition [talking with a family member]) may be confounded with a feeling of familiarity, which boosted subjective well‐being in the low‐RM condition.…”

“…Democratic societies are associated with greater happiness than are authoritarian societies (Inglehart & Welzel, 2005). In addition, the extent to which people can easily build or end relationships [i.e., relational mobility (RM)] predicts subjective well‐being (Lee, Lou, Johnson, & Park, 2019) or moderates the cultural differences between well‐being and self‐esteem (Yuki, Sato, Takemura, & Oishi, 2013). With the growth of globalisation, people’s ability to relocate has expanded, in that people move between different geographical locations and interpersonal relationships (Molloy, Smith, & Wozniak, 2011; Wu, 2006).…”