IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i16p5701-d395703.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Mind Over Matter: Mindfulness, Income, Resilience, and Life Quality of Vocational High School Students in China

Author

Listed:
  • Shannon Cheung

    (School of Social Work, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA)

  • Xiaoxia Xie

    (Research Institute of Social Development, Southwestern University of Finance & Economics, Chengdu 611300, China)

  • Chien-chung Huang

    (School of Social Work, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA)

Abstract

Many social welfare programs focus on the provision of cash assistance and cash transfers to improve the quality of life (QoL) of those living in low-income households. While there is literature to support a positive relationship between income and QoL, studies have shown that QoL is impacted by non-income-related factors. This study examined the effects of income and mindfulness on QoL through a mediator, resilience, and attempts to answer the question of how important income is to QoL, relative to a non-income-based determinant, mindfulness. Using a sample of 905 emerging adults from the senior class of a secondary vocational high school based in an impoverished county of China, we studied two key determinants of QoL, income and mindfulness, as well as respective pathways, during a particularly critical stage of life. The results indicated that mindfulness had strong direct and indirect effects on QoL via resilience, while income had only limited indirect effects on QoL via resilience. Policy implications were discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Shannon Cheung & Xiaoxia Xie & Chien-chung Huang, 2020. "Mind Over Matter: Mindfulness, Income, Resilience, and Life Quality of Vocational High School Students in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-13, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:16:p:5701-:d:395703
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/16/5701/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/16/5701/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ono, Hiroshi, 2004. "Are sons and daughters substitutable?: Allocation of family resources in contemporary Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 143-160, June.
    2. repec:hur:ijaraf:v:5:y:2015:i:1:p:171-178 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Norleen Ackerman & Beatrice Paolucci, 1983. "Objective and subjective income adequacy: Their relationship to perceived life quality measures," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 25-48, January.
    4. Quisumbing, Agnes R., 1994. "Intergenerational transfers in Philippine rice villages : Gender differences in traditional inheritance customs," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 167-195, April.
    5. Kaul, Tara, 2018. "Intra-household allocation of educational expenses: Gender discrimination and investing in the future," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 336-343.
    6. Meiyan Wang, 2007. "Emerging Urban Poverty and Effects of the Dibao Program on Alleviating Poverty in China," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 15(2), pages 74-88, March.
    7. ED Diener & Carol Diener, 1995. "The wealth of nations revisited: Income and quality of life," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 36(3), pages 275-286, November.
    8. Rachel Murphy & Ran Tao & Xi Lu, 2011. "Son Preference in Rural China: Patrilineal Families and Socioeconomic Change," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 37(4), pages 665-690, December.
    9. Huang, Chien-Chung & Chen, Yafan & Greene, Loren & Cheung, Shannon & Wei, Yuhan, 2019. "Resilience and emotional and behavioral problems of adolescents in China: Effects of a short-term and intensive mindfulness and life skills training," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 291-297.
    10. Golan, Jennifer & Sicular, Terry & Umapathi, Nithin, 2017. "Unconditional Cash Transfers in China: Who Benefits from the Rural Minimum Living Standard Guarantee (Dibao) Program?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 316-336.
    11. Pritzker, Suzanne & Minter, Anthony, 2014. "Measuring adolescent resilience: An examination of the cross-ethnic validity of the RS-14," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 328-333.
    12. ABEDIN Mohammad Zoynul & MOULA Fahmida, 2013. "Women Empowerment Through Micro Credit: A Case Study Of Dinajpur, Bangladesh," Studies in Business and Economics, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 8(2), pages 5-19, August.
    13. Engel, L. & Chudyk, A.M. & Ashe, M.C. & McKay, H.A. & Whitehurst, D.G.T. & Bryan, S., 2016. "Older adults' quality of life – Exploring the role of the built environment and social cohesion in community-dwelling seniors on low income," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 1-11.
    14. Lu, Shuang & Huang, Chien-Chung & Rios, Juan, 2017. "Mindfulness and academic performance: An example of migrant children in China," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 53-59.
    15. Huang, Chien-Chung & Jin, Huiying & Zhang, Jieyou & Zheng, Qinqin & Chen, Yafan & Cheung, Shannon & Liu, Chuwei, 2020. "The effects of an innovative e-commerce poverty alleviation platform on Chinese rural laborer skills development and family well-being," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    16. Xie, Xiaoxia & Huang, Chien-Chung & Chen, Yafan & Hao, Feng, 2019. "Intelligent robots and rural children," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 283-290.
    17. Xie, Xiaoxia & Xie, Meichun & Jin, Huiying & Cheung, Shannon & Huang, Chien-Chung, 2020. "Financial support and financial well-being for vocational school students in China," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    18. T. Tang, 2007. "Income and Quality of Life: Does the Love of Money Make a Difference?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 72(4), pages 375-393, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chien-Chung Huang & Shuang Lu & Juan Rios & Yafan Chen & Marci Stringham & Shannon Cheung, 2020. "Associations between Mindfulness, Executive Function, Social-Emotional Skills, and Quality of Life among Hispanic Children," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-12, October.
    2. Ming Chen & Rebecca Y. M. Cheung, 2021. "Testing Interdependent Self-Construal as a Moderator between Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, and Psychological Health among Emerging Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-12, January.
    3. Chien-Chung Huang & Yuanfa Tan & Shannon P. Cheung & Hongwei Hu, 2021. "Adverse Childhood Experiences and Psychological Well-Being in Chinese College Students: Mediation Effect of Mindfulness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-12, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kakwani, Nanak & Li, Shi & Wang, Xiaobing & Zhu, Mengbing, 2019. "Evaluating the effectiveness of the rural minimum living standard guarantee (Dibao) program in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 1-14.
    2. Marc Audi & Amjad Ali, 2023. "The Role of Environmental Conditions and Purchasing Power Parity in Determining Quality of Life among Big Asian Cities," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 13(3), pages 292-305, May.
    3. Huang, Chien-Chung & Chen, Yafan & Greene, Loren & Cheung, Shannon & Wei, Yuhan, 2019. "Resilience and emotional and behavioral problems of adolescents in China: Effects of a short-term and intensive mindfulness and life skills training," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 291-297.
    4. Chien-Chung Huang & Yuanfa Tan & Shannon P. Cheung & Hongwei Hu, 2021. "Adverse Childhood Experiences and Psychological Well-Being in Chinese College Students: Mediation Effect of Mindfulness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-12, February.
    5. Jiandong Chen & Ping Wang & Jixian Zhou & Malin Song & Xinyue Zhang, 2022. "Influencing factors and efficiency of funds in humanitarian supply chains: the case of Chinese rural minimum living security funds," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 319(1), pages 413-438, December.
    6. Chen, Yafan & Xie, Xiaoxia & Huang, Chien-Chung, 2021. "Resilience of vocational students with disadvantaged characteristics in China: The role of mindfulness," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    7. Chienchung Huang & Xiaoxia Xie & Shannon P. Cheung & Yuqing Zhou & Ganghui Ying, 2021. "Job Demands, Resources, and Burnout in Social Workers in China: Mediation Effect of Mindfulness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-15, October.
    8. Mao Zheng & Xiaoguang Li & Zhilong Qin & Muhammad Tayyab Sohail, 2023. "Examining the Impact of Fiscal Resources on Anti-Poverty Expenditure: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-17, March.
    9. Wookjae Heo & John E. Grable & Barbara O’Neill, 2017. "Wealth Accumulation Inequality: Does Investment Risk Tolerance and Equity Ownership Drive Wealth Accumulation?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 133(1), pages 209-225, August.
    10. Ishak, Phoebe W. & Gradstein, Mark, 2021. "We Don't Need No Education: The Effect of Persistent Income Shocks on Human Capital," VfS Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual Conference): Climate Economics 242368, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    11. Levine, David & Kevane, Michael, 2003. "Are Investments in Daughters Lower when Daughters Move Away? Evidence from Indonesia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 1065-1084, June.
    12. Mariapia Mendola & Mengesha Yayo Negasi, 2019. "Nutritional and Schooling Impact of a Cash Transfer Program in Ethiopia: A Retrospective Analysis of Childhood Experience," Development Working Papers 451, Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano, University of Milano.
    13. Richard A. Burns, 2019. "The Utility of Between-Nation Subjective Wellbeing Comparisons Amongst Nations Within the European Social Survey," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 683-705, March.
    14. Ceema Namazie & Peter Sanfey, 2001. "Happiness and Transition: the Case of Kyrgyzstan," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(3), pages 392-405, October.
    15. Sivadasan, Jagadeesh & Xu, Wenjian, 2021. "Missing women in India: Gender-specific effects of early-life rainfall shocks," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    16. Ming‐Chang Tsai, 2006. "Does Political Democracy Enhance Human Development in Developing Countries?," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 65(2), pages 233-268, April.
    17. repec:phd:pjdevt:pjd_2006_vol._xxxiii_nos._1and2-a is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Rema Hanna & Benjamin A. Olken, 2018. "Universal Basic Incomes vs. Targeted Transfers: Anti-Poverty Programs in Developing Countries," NBER Working Papers 24939, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    19. Wang, Chunchao & Zhang, Chenglei & Ni, Jinlan & Zhang, Haifeng & Zhang, Junsen, 2019. "Family migration in China: Do migrant children affect parental settlement intention?," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 416-428.
    20. Luis Rubalcava & Dante Contreras, 2000. "Does Gender and Birth Order Matter When Parents Specialize in Child's Nutrition? Evidence from Chile," Journal of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(2), pages 353-386, November.
    21. Piet Ouweneel, 2002. "Social Security and Well-Being of the Unemployed in 42 Nations," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 3(2), pages 167-192, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:16:p:5701-:d:395703. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.