The COVID-19 outbreak and the worldwide lockdown measures had an impact on the global mental health and psychological well-being of the general population. Several studies attempted to investigate the protective and risk factors for psychological distress related to the pandemic. However, to date, little is known about the role of hope in this context. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between hope and psychological distress related to the COVID-19 outbreak in the general population. The sample consisted of 504 Pakistani people who completed cross-sectionally the COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) and the Adult Hope Scale (AHS). Bivariate Pearson correlation analysis was run to measure the relationship between hope and psychological distress; hierarchical regression analysis was run to investigate the association between demographics and hope with psychological distress. Higher levels of hope predicted lower levels of psychological distress. Being female, being older, lower level of education, urban residence, being married and living in nuclear family systems were associated with higher levels of psychological distress. The study highlights the protective role of hope on psychological distress related to COVID-19, contributing to knowledge on factors promoting positive mental health during emergency times and providing useful information for implementing effective public health policies and programmes.

Mental health concerns are increasingly prevalent among postgraduate students, who face academic, social, and career pressures. Although research on student mental health is expanding, less is known about the psychological resources that support well-being in postgraduate learners. Meaning in life has been identified as a key psychological resource that helps individuals interpret challenges and maintain coherence and well-being, and recent research highlights the contribution of self-transcendent traits such as gratitude, forgiveness, and spirituality in fostering meaning in life. However, empirical evidence on these interrelationships remains limited. This study involves 1527 Pakistani postgraduate students (M = 795; mean age = 24.89 years) recruited through multistage random sampling from ten public universities in Punjab. Participants completed the Gratitude Questionnaire, Heartland Forgiveness Scale, Spirituality Scale, Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and Mental Health Inventory (assessing psychological well-being and psychological distress). Correlation analyses showed that gratitude, forgiveness, and spirituality were positively associated with psychological well-being and negatively associated with psychological distress. Structural equation modeling (SEM) further indicated that these traits predicted mental health both directly and indirectly, with meaning in life serving as significant partial mediator. Overall, the findings highlight the central role of meaning in life in linking self-transcendent traits to mental health among postgraduate students and suggest important implications for culturally sensitive, university-based mental health initiatives.

Background: The global banking sector faces numerous challenges that necessitate a reevaluation of employee attitudes, behaviors, and the working environment. The critical roles of job satisfaction and work motivation in enhancing organizational efficiency and productivity are well-documented, with research consistently showing a positive correlation between these factors and organizational outcomes. The concept of locus of control, distinguishing between internal and external beliefs about control over life events, is a significant personality trait influencing job satisfaction and work motivation. Objective: This study aims to explore the moderating role of locus of control on the relationship between work motivation and job satisfaction among bank employees. It hypothesizes that an internal locus of control will enhance the positive correlation between work motivation and job satisfaction. Methods: A quantitative research methodology was employed, involving the survey of 212 bank employees. Data were collected on work motivation, locus of control (internal and external), and job satisfaction. Correlation analysis was used to examine the relationships between these variables. Further, multiple hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to assess the moderating effect of locus of control on the relationship between work motivation and job satisfaction. Cronbach’s alpha was used to evaluate the reliability of the constructs. Results: The study found a strong positive correlation between work motivation and job satisfaction (r = .53, p < .01), a positive correlation between work motivation and internal locus of control (r = .44, p < .01), and a negative correlation between work motivation and external locus of control (r = -.26, p < .01). Job satisfaction also correlated positively with internal locus of control (r = .46, p < .01) and negatively with external locus of control (r = -.34, p < .01). The regression analysis revealed that internal locus of control significantly predicted job satisfaction and moderated the relationship between work motivation and job satisfaction, with a total variance explained by the model of 68% (R² = .68, F = 86.83, p < .01). Conclusion: The findings confirm the hypothesis that locus of control moderates the relationship between work motivation and job satisfaction, with an internal locus of control enhancing this positive correlation. These insights highlight the importance of considering personality traits, such as locus of control, in developing strategies to enhance employee motivation and satisfaction, thereby contributing to organizational success and productivity.

Background: Mental health concerns are increasingly prevalent among post-graduate students, who face academic, social, and career-related pressures. Despite the growing literature on student mental health, relatively little is known about the psychological resources that support well-being in post-graduate learners. Meaning in life has emerged as a key psychological resource that enables individuals to interpret chal-lenges, maintain coherence, and sustain well-being in challenging times; recent re-search also suggests the role of self-transcendent traits such as gratitude, forgiveness, and spirituality in nurturing meaning in life. However, empirical evidence examining these interrelationships remains limited. Method: A total of 1,527 postgraduate Paki-stani students (M = 795; mean age = 24.89 years) were recruited from ten public uni-versities in Punjab, Pakistan, using multistage random sampling. Five standardized in-struments were employed: the Gratitude Questionnaire, Heartland Forgiveness Scale, Spirituality Scale, Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and Mental Health Inventory (as-sessing psychological well-being and psychological distress). Results: Correlation analyses revealed that gratitude, forgiveness, and spirituality had positive significant relationship with psychological well-being and significant negative relationship with psychological distress. Structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that gratitude, forgiveness, and spirituality were direct and indirect predictors of mental health, while meaning in life significantly and partially mediated these relationships. Conclusions: Findings underscore the central role of meaning in life in linking self-transcendent traits to mental health among postgraduate students, offering implications for cultur-ally sensitive university-based mental health interventions.

Background: Thinking skills, including goal setting, problem solving, decision making, and cognitive self-regulation, are essential for adaptive functioning during late adolescence and emerging adulthood. However, evidence for structured interventions targeting these skills remains limited in low- and middle-income countries. UNICEF’s Basic Life Skills Training Program (BLSTP) aims to strengthen these competencies, but previous evaluations lacked active control conditions. Method: A three-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted with 90 Pakistani university students (18–24 years) reporting at least average executive-functioning difficulties. Participants were randomly assigned to the BLSTP thinking-skills module, an attention-matched active control program, or a waitlist control group. Outcomes included goal setting, decision making and problem solving, critical and creative thinking, executive functioning, and resilience, assessed at baseline, post-test, and one-month follow-up. Results: Mixed-design repeated-measures ANOVA showed significant group × time interactions for all outcomes (all p < 0.001), with medium-to-large effects (Cohen’s d = 0.85–1.49). Improvements were consistently greatest in the BLSTP group, followed by the active control and waitlist groups. Gains in goal setting, decision making and problem solving, and resilience were maintained at follow-up. Conclusion: The BLSTP thinking-skills module appears to be an effective and feasible intervention for enhancing self-regulatory competencies among university students. Findings also emphasize the value of active controls in evaluating life-skills interventions and supporting their scalable implementation.