Aspects of mental health
Mental well-being typically consists of two distinct perspectives: the hedonic perspective, which focuses on subjective well-being (affect and life satisfaction), and the eudaimonic perspective, which focuses on psychological functioning, resources and stress resilience.19 Sense of mastery, which is a core feature of the latter perspective and a vital psychological resource in stressful situations,20 refers to the perception of being able to control the forces affecting one’s life. It is a measure of self-efficacy, which is an important component of eudaimonic mental well-being. A lack of sense of mastery is linked to depression21 and general health problems.22 Mastery is conceptually closely linked to self-control in alcohol use, but little is known about the links between sense of mastery and drinking patterns.
Mental health problems constitute one aspect of the mental health continuum. Typically, mental health problems cause psychological distress, which tends to predict mental disorders. To provide a com- prehensive picture of the links between alcohol use and mental health, an examination of the link between alcohol use and psycho- logical distress is also warranted.