壓力知覺對負面心理健康影響：靜坐經驗、情緒智能調節效果之探討

The Moderation of Meditation Experience and Emotional Intelligence on the Relationship Between erceived Stress and Negative Mental Health

本研究主要探討靜坐經驗的有無與情緒智能的高低，是否能有效調節壓力知覺與負面心理健康（如軀體化症、焦慮和失眠、社交困難及嚴重憂鬱）間之關係。本研究採橫斷面結構式問卷收集研究資料，總計施測500位受訪者。所得資料以Pearson積差相關、單因子多變量分析及階層迴歸分析等統計方法進行資料處理。結果發現靜坐經驗、情緒智能、壓力知覺及負面心理健康四者間確實有顯著相關，而且五年以上靜坐經驗者相較無靜坐經驗者，有較佳的情緒評估能力、較低的壓力知覺，以及較少焦慮和失眠症狀。迴歸分析顯示，靜坐經驗、情緒智能（如樂觀主義／情緒調節、情緒運用）與壓力知覺對負面心理健康（如軀體化症、焦慮和失眠、社交困難及（或）嚴重憂鬱）是有顯著地預測能力。惟「情緒運用」與負面心理健康（如軀體化症、焦慮和失眠及嚴重憂鬱）呈正向顯著，此結果異於西方文獻之證實。另外，情緒智能（如樂觀主義／情緒調節、情緒評估、社交能力）與靜坐經驗對壓力知覺與負面心理健康（如焦慮和失眠）二者關係均具有顯著調節效果。

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 emo-tional 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.