Empowering Well-Being: Validation of a Locus of Control Scale Specific to Well-Being

Impact evaluation of the “ABCs of Mental Health” in Denmark and the role of mental health-promoting beliefs and actions

“…A person’s “belief in regard to enhancing mental health” may be considered a mental health-specific variant of locus of control, similar to a recently validated Well-being Locus of Control Scale (WB-LOC12) (Farnier et al , 2021). An internal well-being locus of control implies the capacity to recognise the potential to which an individual can influence her or his own mental health, while an external locus of control implies an attitude that mental health and well-being is mainly or solely influenced by external forces, e.g.…”

“…According to their results (Farnier et al , 2021), an internal well-being locus of control correlated positively with positive activities, while an external well-being locus of control correlated negatively with positive activities. In other words, individuals that engage in activities consistent with the ABC messages tend to have an internal well-being locus of control, and vice-versa.…”

“…In our study, we also found a similar correlation between beliefs in regard to enhancing mental health and actions in regard to enhancing mental health. Further, according to the WB-LOC12 validation study (Farnier et al , 2021), an internal well-being locus of control correlated positively with mental well-being and subjective happiness, as well as negatively with depression, anxiety and stress, while the opposite was the case for an external locus of control. This pattern aligns with our results showing associations with low and high mental well-being.…”

“…the extent to which the campaign has sucessfully reached the general population, has not yet been evaluated. Moreover, although recent research from other country settings has documented associations between mental health promoting beliefs and actions and a range of mental health outcomes (Farnier et al , 2021), more research is needed to investigate the extent to which these associations apply elsewhere, such as in the Danish setting. In the current study, our primary objective was to investigate the overall reach and impact of the ABCs of Mental Health campaign in Denmark.…”

The relationship between fatalistic beliefs and well-being depends on personal and national religiosity: A study in 34 countries

“…Psychologists have extensively examined concepts related to personal agency, such as locus of control (e.g., emphasis on luck, chance, and fate), fatalism, and free will (e.g., Baumeister et al., 2010 ). It is widely believed that an internal locus of control that emphasizes personal influence over life circumstances is essential for positive mental health (e.g., Farnier et al., 2021 ). Less attention has been paid to the fact that different cultures have different conceptions of human agency and control.…”