Cognitive and socio-emotional correlates of psychological well-being and mental health in Guatemalan adults

Abstract

Background Little is known about associations of psychological and mental well-being with cognitive and socioemotional factors in low and middle-income countries, particularly among vulnerable populations born in adverse environments that may restrict developmental potential. This study aimed to examine the cognitive and socioemotional correlates of psychological well-being and mental health in a cohort of Guatemalan adults born in contexts of poverty and malnutrition. Methods From Dec 2017 to Apr 2019, data were collected from 704 women and 564 men ages 40–57 years living in four rural villages in eastern Guatemala and Guatemala City. We measured latent domains of psychological well-being, spirituality and religion, emotional support, and executive function using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Under a Structural Equation Modeling framework, we examined intercorrelations among latent domains and observed measures of intelligence and mental health. Results CFA supported the construct validity of factor structures in this population. Correlations of psychological well-being with spirituality and religion were moderate in women (r = 0.68, p < 0.001) and men (r = 0.70, p < 0.001). Executive function was weakly correlated with psychological well-being in men (r = 0.23, p < 0.001) and showed no association in women. Correlations of psychological well-being with emotional support and IQ were weak in women (r = 0.34, and r = 0.15, respectively; p < 0.001 for both) and men (r = 0.35, and r = 0.25, respectively; p < 0.001 for both). Mental health and IQ were weakly correlated in men (r = 0.09, p < 0.05) and showed no association in women. Mental health showed weak correlations with emotional support (r = 0.18, p < 0.001 in women; r = 0.09, p < 0.05 in men), psychological well-being (r = 0.32 and r = 0.35, in women and men respectively; p < 0.001 for both) and showed no association with executive function in both sexes. Conclusions Of all examined factors, spirituality and religion made the greatest contribution to psychological well-being. These findings support the notion that in populations experiencing difficult circumstances, religion can perhaps make a greater contribution to well-being and aid coping. More research is needed to examine mediators of this association.

Tripping to Cope: Coping Strategies and Use of Hallucinogens during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Three Cultural Contexts

“…Contrasting results have been reported concerning the association between mental health and religiosity. Despite the number of studies suggesting that religion or spirituality might contribute to better mental health and well-being [33][34][35][36], studies on religious coping during the COVID-19 pandemic have reported negative effects on mental health [24,37].…”

The influences of faith on illness representations and coping procedures of mental and cognitive health among aging Arab refugees: a qualitative study

“…Additionally, mental health and mental health care-seeking are widely stigmatized in the Arab culture ( 24 ), yet Arab refugees often turn to faith-based coping for their mental health ( 25 ). The benefits of spirituality and faith-based coping of disease are well documented in the literature ( 26 – 28 ) and faith has been specifically shown to promote preservation of self among individuals with dementia ( 29 ). Thus, understanding the utilization of spirituality as a tool to improve mental and cognitive wellbeing among Arab refugees can yield insightful information to be integrated in public mental health for this population.…”