Ernst T Bohlmeijer

Biographic Data

ID	1630668
NAME	Ernst T Bohlmeijer
GIVEN NAMES	Ernst T
FAMILY NAME	Bohlmeijer
SIGNATURE	BOHLMEIJER E T
AFFILIATIONS	University of Twente
ORCID	0000-0002-7861-1245
VERIFIED	Yes
TOTAL WORKS	43
TOTAL CITATIONS	46
AUTHOR COUNT	43
EDITOR COUNT	0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR	2008
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR	2026
H-INDEX	4

The Moderating Role of Psychological Well‐Being in the Relation Between Stressful Life Events and Common Mental Disorders in the General Population
Open AccessPeter M ten Klooster, Margreet Ten Have et al.ARTICLEScandinavian Journal of Psychology2026
Stressful life events (SLEs) are known to be associated with an increased prevalence of common mental disorders (CMDs), but the potential moderating role of psychological well‐being has not been comprehensively studied. In total, 6194 adults aged 18–75 years were interviewed for the third Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS‐3). Assessments included the adapted Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI v3.0) to d…
My Best Self in the Past or Future: A Randomized Controlled Trial Examining Adherence, Engagement, Age and Mental Health in a Mobile-based BPS Intervention
Open AccessMirjam Radstaak, Alba Carrillo et al.ARTICLEJournal of Happiness Studies2025
This study examined the specific and generic mechanisms of change in a. Best Possible Self (BPS) intervention delivered by an app. The effect of temporal frame, adherence, engagement and age on the effectiveness of the intervention was examined. Method . A total of 290 participants were randomized across three conditions: the Best Possible Self (BPS), the Best Past Self and Best Possible Self (BPAS/BPS) or an active control condition. Mental heal…
Regaining Mental Well-Being in the Aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic with a Digital Multicomponent Positive Psychology Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Open AccessKim J M Tönis, Jannis T Kraiss et al.ARTICLEJournal of Happiness Studies2024
This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a 3-week multicomponent positive psychology self-help application on ability to adapt and mental well-being in the following the Covid-19 pandemic in adults with mild to moderate anxiety and depression levels. Outcomes were assessed online at baseline, posttest (three weeks after baseline), and follow-up (12 weeks after baseline). The intervention group ( n = 118) received the applic…
Spirituality in the Context of Well-being. Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties and Added Value of the Spiritual Attitude and Involvement List Short Form (Sail-SF)
Open AccessErnst T Bohlmeijer, L Frielingsdorf et al.ARTICLEJournal of Happiness Studies2023
There is growing evidence that spiritual well-being is positively associated with adaptive coping and health. The Spiritual Attitude and Involvement List (SAIL) was developed to measure a sense of connectedness to oneself, the environment and the transcendent as a universal experience. The aim of the current study was to develop a short form of the SAIL (SAIL-SF). A factor analytic approach was adopted to select the items for the SAIL-SF based on…
Psychometric properties of the engaged living scale (ELS) Spanish version in a large sample of Spanish pilgrims
Open AccessJaime Navarrete, Ariadna Colomer‐Carbonell et al.ARTICLEJournal of Contextual Behavioral…2023
Engaged Living (values clarity and committed action) is a main process of psychological flexibility as defined by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The Engaged Living Scale (ELS) was designed to measure it. The purpose of this study was to translate the ELS to Spanish and to examine the reliability and validity of its scores in a heterogeneous sample of 752 Spanish pilgrims of the Way of Saint James (pre-post analysis: n = 285). Confirmatory fac…
Predicting non-improvement of symptoms in daily mental healthcare practice using routinely collected patient-level data: A machine learning approach
Open AccessKatinka Franken, Peter M ten Klooster et al.ARTICLEFrontiers in Psychiatry2023
Accurately predicting treatment outcomes in a mental healthcare context remains challenging. While advanced ML algorithms offer flexibility, they showed limited additional value compared to traditional logistic regression in this study. The current study confirmed the importance of taking early change scores in both psychopathology and well-being into account for predicting longer-term outcomes in symptomatic distress
Appreciating the Good Things in Life During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Controlled Trial and Evaluation of a Gratitude App
Open AccessNoortje Kloos, Judith Austin et al.ARTICLEJournal of Happiness Studies2022
The Covid-19 pandemic has had many negative consequences on the general public mental health. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of and satisfaction with an app with gratitude exercises to improve the mental health of people with reduced mental well-being due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as potential mechanisms of well-being change and dose–response relationships. A two-armed randomized controlled trial design was used, with…
How well do nursing staff assess the wellbeing of nursing home residents? An explorative study of using single-question scales
Open AccessNoortje Kloos, Constance H C Drossaert et al.ARTICLEAgeing and Society2022References: 48
Person-centred care requires improved documentation of nursing home resident wellbeing, e.g. by nursing staff proxy assessments. Previous studies mainly focused on proxy self-report agreement of quality of life of people with dementia, using lengthy questionnaires. This is the first study to investigate how well nursing staff assess residents’ wellbeing after training, using a single-question assessment method of happiness and engagement. We cond…
Plant Robot for At-Home Behavioral Activation Therapy Reminders to Young Adults with Depression
Open AccessAshwin Sadananda Bhat, Christiaan Boersma et al.ARTICLEACM Transactions on Human-Robot…2021
Adolescents with depression who participate in behavioral activation therapy may find it hard to be motivated to perform tasks at home that their therapists recommend. We describe the initial design and usability evaluation of a home device (“PlantBot”) that could be used to remind young adults with depression at home of their behavioral activation therapy-related tasks. The prototype features electronics in a two-layer base, with a fake plant on…
How Demanding Is Volunteer Work at a Crisis Line? An Assessment of Work- and Organization-Related Demands and the Relation With Distress and Intention to Leave
Open AccessRenate Willems, Renate C W J Willems et al.ARTICLEFrontiers in Public Health2021
Background: Crisis line services, run by volunteers, offer a listening ear 24/7 to people who cannot or do not want to use professional help. Although previous studies have identified various potential stressors crisis line volunteers face, as yet a comprehensive assessment is lacking with regards to the frequency and perceived stressfulness of work- and organization-related demands, and their relationship with distress and a volunteer's intentio…
Promoting Gratitude as a Resource for Sustainable Mental Health: Results of a 3-Armed Randomized Controlled Trial up to 6 Months Follow-up
Open AccessErnst T Bohlmeijer, Jannis T Kraiss et al.ARTICLEJournal of Happiness Studies2021
The aim of the current study was to evaluate the impact of a 6-week gratitude intervention for people with low to moderate well-being and moderate symptomatology of depression and anxiety up to 6 months follow-up. 217 Dutch adults were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a 6-week gratitude intervention, a 6-week self-kindness intervention as an active control condition and a waitlist control condition. Participants completed online asse…
Compassion-based interventions for people with long-term physical conditions: A mixed methods systematic review
Open AccessJudith Austin, Constance H C Drossaert et al.ARTICLEPsychology & Health2021
The Role of Self-Compassion in the Job Demands-Resources Model, an Explorative Study among Crisis Line Volunteers
Open AccessRenate Willems, Constance H C Drossaert et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2021
The job demands-resources (JD-R) model has hardly been studied in volunteer organizations and there is a scarcity of studies evaluating self-compassion as a personal resource within the JD-R model. The present study addresses these gaps in current knowledge, first by examining the applicability of the JD-R model in a crisis line volunteer organization. Second, self-compassion is examined, both in terms of its moderating role on the exhaustion pro…
The relationship between emotion regulation and well-being in patients with mental disorders: A meta-analysis
Open AccessJannis T Kraiss, Peter M ten Klooster et al.ARTICLEComprehensive Psychiatry2020
Effectiveness of interventions adopting a whole school approach to enhancing social and emotional development: A meta-analysis
Open AccessJochem M Goldberg, Marcin Skład et al.ARTICLEEuropean Journal of Psychology of…2019
The effect of positive psychology interventions on well-being and distress in clinical samples with psychiatric or somatic disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Open AccessFarid Chakhssi, Jannis T Kraiss et al.ARTICLEBMC Psychiatry2018
Strengths and virtues and the development of resilience: A qualitative study in Suriname during a time of economic crisis
Open AccessTom Hendriks, Tobi Graafsma et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of Social…2018
BACKGROUND: Resilience can be described as the capacity to deal with adversity and traumatic events. The current economic situation in Suriname and its social economic consequences may demand a great amount of resilience for people living in Suriname. In this explorative study, we examined the relation between strengths and resilience among the three major ethnic groups in Suriname. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 partic…
Why Does Positive Mental Health Buffer Against Psychopathology? An Exploratory Study on Self-Compassion as a Resilience Mechanism and Adaptive Emotion Regulation Strategy
Open AccessHester R Trompetter, Elian de Kleine et al.ARTICLECognitive Therapy and Research2017
as it continuously provides a friendly, accepting and situational context for negative experiences, functions as a resilience mechanism and adaptive emotion regulation strategy that protects against psychopathology for those with high levels of positive mental health. Participants from the general population (n = 349) provided measures at one time-point on positive mental health (MHC-SF), self-compassion (SCS-SF), psychopathology (HADS) and negat…
User-experiences with a web-based self-help intervention for partners of cancer patients based on acceptance and commitment therapy and self-compassion: A qualitative study
Open AccessNadine Köhle, Constance H C Drossaert et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2017
Partners of cancer patients indicated to appreciate the Web-based self-help intervention based on ACT and self-compassion. They felt that the intervention helped them to cope with negative emotions, thoughts, and one's suffering; to practice self-kindness; and to clarify values based on difficult recent experiences. We think that a Web-based psychological intervention based on ACT and self-compassion may be a valuable contribution in supporting p…
The effect of an organizational level participatory intervention in secondary vocational education on work-related health outcomes: Results of a controlled trial
Open AccessR M C Schelvis, Noortje Wiezer et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2017
Netherlands Trial Register NTR3284 (date registered: February 14 2012)
Wonderful Life: Exploring Wonder in Meaningful Moments
Open AccessJacky Van De Goor, Anneke Sools et al.ARTICLEJournal of Humanistic Psychology2017Cited by: 2References: 28
In this article, we bring the study of meaning together with the emerging field of study focusing on the emotions of wonder: wonder, enchantment, awe, and being moved. It is in meaningful moments that these two meet, and in our empirical study, we used the emotions of wonder as a lens to investigate meaningful moments. We applied a novel intervention, the Wonderful Life question, to elicit narratives of meaningful moments from 100 participants va…
Flourishing in the now: Initial validation of a present-eudaimonic time perspective scale
Open AccessJonte C Vowinckel, Jonte Vowinckel et al.ARTICLETime & Society2017Cited by: 2References: 60
Introduction A positive focus on the present, the only time zone which we experience directly and permanently, is at least as relevant as perspectives on the past and future in a balanced time perspective and its relation to wellbeing. Yet, few instruments examining a positive present time perspective exist. Two present-directed concepts, mindfulness and flow, that are intrinsically linked to mental wellbeing were analyzed and used to formulate a…
Can We Increase Psychological Well-Being? The Effects of Interventions on Psychological Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Open AccessLaura Wei, Gerben J Westerhof et al.ARTICLEPLoS ONE2016
What Factors are Associated with Flourishing? Results from a Large Representative National Sample
Open AccessMarijke Schotanus-Dijkstra, Marcel E Pieterse et al.ARTICLEJournal of Happiness Studies2016
Flourishing is the ultimate end-state in psychology and a key-concept in the field of positive psychology research. Flourishers are those individuals with both high levels of hedonic well-being and eudaimonic well-being. Although many researchers have focused on one or another of these domains, only a few have investigated the comprehensive state of flourishing. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of flourishing and its associ…
Validation of the Flourishing Scale in a sample of people with suboptimal levels of mental well-being
Open AccessMarijke Schotanus-Dijkstra, Peter M ten Klooster et al.ARTICLEBMC Psychology2016
The FS seems a reliable and valid instrument for measuring social-psychological functioning in adults with suboptimal well-being, but its use in intervention studies and clinical practice might be debatable. Therefore, the FS seems most suitable to include in epidemiological studies alongside existing hedonic measures to more fully capture mental well-being. Future research should examine the temporal stability of the FS and the consequences of t…

Narrative foreclosure in later life: Preliminary considerations for a new sensitizing concept
Open AccessErnst T Bohlmeijer, Gerben J Westerhof et al.ARTICLEJournal of Aging Studies2011Cited by: 15References: 5
Systematic Review of Existential Anxiety Instruments
Open AccessVincent van Bruggen, Joël Vos et al.ARTICLEJournal of Humanistic Psychology2014Cited by: 6References: 1
Existential anxiety (EA) is an expression of being occupied with ultimate concerns such as death, meaninglessness, and fundamental loneliness. Philosophers and psychologists have claimed its importance for the study of human thinking, emotion, decision making, and psychopathology. Until now research has mainly focused on death anxiety. Several death anxiety instruments have been developed and evaluated. This article is the first to review instrum…
Wisdom and Mental Health Across the Lifespan
J Dewitt Webster, Gerben J Westerhof et al.ARTICLEThe Journals of Gerontology…2012Cited by: 6References: 3
Age trends in the components of wisdom (older adults higher in life experience but lower in openness relative to younger and middle-aged adults) help explain the curvilinear pattern showing an advantage in wisdom for middle-aged adults. The greater association between wisdom and eudaimonic well-being suggests that wise persons enhance mental health by pursuing meaningful activities
Differential relationships in the association of the Big Five personality traits with positive mental health and psychopathology
Open AccessSanne M A Lamers, Gerben J Westerhof et al.ARTICLEJournal of Research in Personality2012Cited by: 5References: 55
According to the two continua model of mental health, psychopathology and positive mental health (emotional, psychological, and social well-being) are related but distinct continua. This study investigates the two continua model by examining whether psychopathology and positive mental health show differential associations with the Big Five personality traits. The paper draws on data of the representative LISS panel (CentERdata). Participants (N =…
Mental Health Promotion as a New Goal in Public Mental Health Care: A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Intervention Enhancing Psychological Flexibility
Martine Fledderus, Ernst T Bohlmeijer et al.ARTICLEAmerican Journal of Public Health2010Cited by: 4References: 39
Objectives. We assessed whether an intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and mindfulness was successful in promoting positive mental health by enhancing psychological flexibility. Methods. Participants were 93 adults with mild to moderate psychological distress. They were randomly assigned to the group intervention (n = 49) or to a waiting-list control group (n = 44). Participants completed measures before and after the in…
The Effects of Integrative Reminiscence on Depressive Symptomatology and Mastery of Older Adults
Open AccessErnst T Bohlmeijer, Ernst Bohlmeijer et al.ARTICLECommunity Mental Health Journal2009Cited by: 3References: 29
Wonderful Life: Exploring Wonder in Meaningful Moments
Open AccessJacky Van De Goor, Anneke Sools et al.ARTICLEJournal of Humanistic Psychology2017Cited by: 2References: 28
In this article, we bring the study of meaning together with the emerging field of study focusing on the emotions of wonder: wonder, enchantment, awe, and being moved. It is in meaningful moments that these two meet, and in our empirical study, we used the emotions of wonder as a lens to investigate meaningful moments. We applied a novel intervention, the Wonderful Life question, to elicit narratives of meaningful moments from 100 participants va…
Flourishing in the now: Initial validation of a present-eudaimonic time perspective scale
Open AccessJonte C Vowinckel, Jonte Vowinckel et al.ARTICLETime & Society2017Cited by: 2References: 60
Introduction A positive focus on the present, the only time zone which we experience directly and permanently, is at least as relevant as perspectives on the past and future in a balanced time perspective and its relation to wellbeing. Yet, few instruments examining a positive present time perspective exist. Two present-directed concepts, mindfulness and flow, that are intrinsically linked to mental wellbeing were analyzed and used to formulate a…
The Relation of Ego Integrity and Despair to Personality Traits and Mental Health
Gerben J Westerhof, Ernst T Bohlmeijer et al.ARTICLEThe Journals of Gerontology…2015Cited by: 2References: 10
Ego integrity appears to be related to fluctuating states of mental health, whereas despair is more an expression of a general trait-like disposition of neuroticism. Implications for further research are discussed
The Efficacy of Life-Review as Online-Guided Self-help for Adults: A Randomized Trial
S M A Lamers, Ernst T Bohlmeijer et al.ARTICLEThe Journals of Gerontology…2014Cited by: 1References: 2
Life-review is effective as self-help for middle-aged and older adults with moderate depressive symptomatology compared with a waiting list group. Future research should investigate whether stimulating ego-integrity and reducing rumination enhance the effects of the intervention