压力知觉对负面心理健康影响：静坐经验、情绪智能调节效果之探讨

The Moderation of Meditation Experience and Emotional Intelligence on the Relationship between Perceived Stress and Negative Mental Health

本研究主要探讨静坐经验的有无与情绪智能的高低，是否能有效调节压力知觉与负面心理健康（如躯体化症、焦虑和失眠、社交困难及严重忧郁）间之关系。本研究探横断面结构式问卷收集研究资料，总计施测500位受访者。所得资料以Pearson积差相关、单因子多变量分析及阶层回归分析等统计方法进行资料处理。结果发现静坐经验、情绪智能、压力知觉及负面心理健康四者间确实有显着相关，而且五年以上静坐经验者相较无静坐经验者，有较佳的情绪评估能力、较低的压力知觉，以及较少焦虑和失眠症状。回归分析显示，静坐经验、情绪智能（如乐观王义／情绪调节、情绪运用）与压力知觉对负面心理健康（如躯体化症、焦虑和失眠、社交困难及（或）严重忧郁）是有显着地预测能力。惟「情绪运用」与负面心理健康（如躯体化症、焦虑和失眠及严重忧郁）呈正向显着，此结果异於西方文献之证实。另外，情绪智能（如乐观王义／情绪调节、情绪评估、社交能力）与静坐经验对压力知觉与负面心理健康（如焦虑和失眠）二者关系均具有显着调节效果。

Transactional models of stress (Lazarus, 1976) emphasize the role of individual factors in moderating the stress response. Numerous researches have focused on the role played by individual characteristics, such as Type A Behaviour, Locus of Control, Hardiness and Self-esteem. Ciarrochi, Deane and Anderson (2002) found that emotional intelligence (e.g. managing others' emotions) significantly moderated the link between stress and mental health. How to enhance emotional intelligence, reduce perceived stress and promote physical and psychological wellbeing simultaneously is another important area of research. A substantial amount of research has shown meditation to be beneficial to both the physiological (e.g. alpha activity maintain and less muscle tension) and psychological well-being (e.g. emotional stability and maturity, decreased depression, positive thinking, increased self-confidence). Meditation not only generates the direct effect of relaxation response for one to balance physical and psychological health state, but also the indirect effect of enhancing his physical and psychological well-being conditions by maintaining positive attitude ward perceived stress. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether meditation experience and emotional intelligence could moderate the relationship between perceived stress and four mental health variables of the GHQ, ie somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction and severe depression. Firstly, to explore the relationship among meditation experience, emotional intelligence, perceived stress and negative mental health. Secondly, to examine the difference in emotional intelligence, perceived stress and negative mental health by the variety of meditation experience. Thirdly, to test whether meditation experience, emotional intelligence (e.g. optimism/mood regulation, appraisal of emotions, social skills and utilization of emotions) and perceived stress could predict significantly the level of negative mental health (e.g. somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction and (or) severe depression). Finally, to investigate whether meditation experience and emotional intelligence could moderate the relationship between perceived stress and negative mental health. A total of 351 working adults (156 females, 195 men, mean age was 36.83 years, SD=8.28) participated in this cross-sectional study and completed a battery of structured questionnaires, which included measures of meditation experience, the Emotional Intelligence Scale (Schutte et al., 1998), the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, 1983), and the GHQ-28 Inventory (Chan, 1983, 1985; Goldberg & Hillier, 1979; Shek, 1987, 1988). The data obtained were analyzed with Pearson product-moment correlation, Multivariate ANOVA and Hierarchical Regression. The results show that meditation experience, emotional intelligence, perceived stress and negative mental health were significantly correlated. Greater meditation experience was associated with greater emotional intelligence, lower perceived stress, somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia. Greater emotional intelligence was associated with lower perceived stress, somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe depression. Greater perceived stress was associated with greater somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe depression. In addition, it shows that participators, with over five years of meditation experience exhibited higher emotional intelligence (e.g. appraisal of emotions), less perceived stress and better mental health (e.g. less anxiety and insomnia) than those who had no meditation experience. Moreover, regression analyses reveal that meditation experience, emotional intelligence (e.g. optimism/mood regulation, utilization of emotions) and perceived stress all can predict the level of negative mental health (e.g. somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction and (or) severe depression) closely. However, the utilization of emotions predicted positively the factors of somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, and severe depression. These findings were different from that of some Western research results. These discrepancies may have resulted from the culture difference between the West and the Chinese. Additionally, meditation experience and emotional intelligence (e.g. optimism/mood regulation, appraisal of emotions, social skills) have been found to effectively moderate the relationship between perceived stress and negative mental health (e.g. anxiety and insomnia). In summary, the most significant findings in this study, which not only have supported Ciarrochi, Deane & Anderson's (2002) previous findings, was that emotional intelligence serves as a moderator in the relationship between stress and negative mental health. In addition, it also revealed that meditation experience was also an effective moderating factor.