Stress and mental health issues are now the most common cause of workplace absence. Increasing evidence points to the need for organisations to take steps to enhance well-being at work for employees. Social support has been identified as one key factor affecting employee psychological well-being, however, the definition and conceptualisation of the term continues to be debated. To date, research examining the relationship between social support and well-being at work tends to be predominantly quantitative and to prioritise work-based sources of support above other sources of support. Few workplace interventions aimed at improving employee well-being appear to have a specific focus on enhancing social support. This thesis presents findings from a mixed-methods case study of a large, public sector organisation in Scotland. The study had four phases: an online survey (n=158), semi-structured interviews (n=31), a diary phase (n=11) and a final interview (n=11). Higher levels of social support were associated with a higher level of psychological well-being. Findings highlighted the importance of various work and non-work based sources of social support, such as peer support and support from friends, and various dimensions of support too, such as ‘distant vs. proximal’ support. Potential negative effects of social support were also identified, for example, when perceived as interfering. Women reported higher levels of support and of positive mental well-being than did men. Interview and diary data revealed a range of contextual, organisational and individual factors that affected both access to and availability of social support, and the relationship between social support and employee well-being. Recent organisational changes appeared to be particularly influential. Employee opinion regarding existing organisational well-being initiatives varied on the basis of whether the support was formal or informal and in terms of perceived versus received support. Social support was valued highly by respondents with regard to improving employee well-being. Open and honest communication, physical presence of support and familiarity with context-specific knowledge were of particular pertinence. This thesis contributes to knowledge in three ways. Substantively, the importance of examining social support more holistically is highlighted in order to better understand the relationship between social support and employee well-being. Methodologically, this mixed methods approach proved fruitful in generating a richness and depth of data largely untapped by previous, predominantly quantitative, studies. Finally, the findings have practical implications for HR personnel and policy makers as they offer an insight into the contribution of various sources and dimensions of social support to employee well-being, as understood by employees.

With the Paris Agreement calling for climate change to be held "well below" 2oC, and the release of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the international community has reaffirmed its commitment to enabling human progress within the constraints of the biosphere. In major assessments, a common approach is to examine climate and development trade-offs under a framework of economic costs, rather than human well-being, despite the latter being a potentially more accurate way to portray real development outcomes. This thesis elaborates on these links between well-being, carbon emissions and climate change mitigation; it identifies the implications of this new framework, and examines whether it is possible to achieve both low-emissions and high well-being within the limitations of society, economy and the climate. A fundamental issue is whether minimum thresholds of energy consumption necessary for satisfying human needs can be extended to all without exceeding the 2oC goal and further endangering well-being. This is found to be a key trade-off that requires either a deep commitment to emissions reductions in Northern countries, or the avoidance of carbon-intensive infrastructures in the South. Nonetheless, there are already examples of countries that have attained high levels of well-being in multiple dimensions of human need at little cumulative emissions cost, and according to current growth trends will continue to do so with a minimal impact on the shared carbon space. These nations are also diverse in terms of their underlying drivers of carbon emissions (and thus challenges in mitigation), and may provide a rich source of climate-development policy for emerging countries in the global South. However, it is understood that systematic political-economic constraints are preventing a convergence of well-being outcomes and emissions impact across the development hierarchy, highlighting the social and political (rather than technical) issues that must be addressed in order to safely transition society towards a low-carbon future.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a relação entre o bem-estar pessoal e o uso de estratégias de coping religioso entre crianças. A investigação teve como base dois estudos realizados a partir de uma única coleta de dados. O primeiro estudo refere-se à tradução, adaptação e validação da escala Children´s Religious Coping (CRC) e foi dividido em duas fases: (1) tradução, adaptação e teste piloto (N = 74) e (2) Aplicação e Validação da Escala CRC. Participaram da pesquisa 1612 crianças entre 08 e 13 anos (M = 10,2; DP = 1,47), sendo 54,7% meninas, matriculadas em escolas públicas (54,6%) e particulares (45,4%) do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Foram realizadas Análises Fatoriais Exploratórias e Confirmatórias para verificar a estrutura fatorial da escala, além de análise da consistência interna. Os resultados indicaram uma composição da CRC com duas dimensões: Coping Religioso Positivo (CRP), formada por 19 itens em três fatores, e Coping Religioso Negativo (CRN), formada por 12 itens em três fatores. Os índices de consistência interna apresentaram bons níveis tanto para a escala geral ( = 0,90), como para as duas dimensões ( = 0,92 para CRP; e = 0,81 para CRN). Pode-se afirmar que a escala apresentou bons indicadores de funcionamento para essa amostra, mostrando-se um instrumento promissor para futuras pesquisas. O segundo estudo teve como objetivo principal avaliar a relação entre o bem-estar pessoal e o uso de estratégias de coping religioso pelas crianças. Foram utilizados como instrumentos a escala CRC adaptada e o Índice de Bem-estar Pessoal para Crianças (PWISC). Através de análises descritivas foram avaliados o índice de bem-estar pessoal e a satisfação com diferentes domínios da vida. Também foram descritas a frequência do uso de estratégias de coping religioso, e as situações de estresse relatadas pelas crianças. ANOVAs indicaram que o índice de bem-estar é maior entre meninos, bem como entre as crianças menores. Em relação ao uso de estratégias de coping, foram encontradas diferenças significativas por idade no uso das estratégias de CRP, indicando que à medida que a idade aumenta, diminui o uso dessas estratégias. As análises de regressão múltipla identificaram a dimensão CRP, especificamente as estratégias relacionadas à crença no apoio e proteção de Deus, como preditor de maior bem-estar, e a dimensão CRN, especificamente as estratégias relacionadas à reavaliação do estressor como uma punição, como preditor de menor bemestar. Conclui-se que as crianças fazem uso de diferentes estratégias de coping religioso ao lidarem com situações de estresse e que esse engajamento parece estar relacionado ao seu bem-estar pessoal. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the personal well-being and the use of religious coping strategies of children. The investigation was based upon two studies made from a single data collection. The first study concerns the translation, adaptation and validation of the Children’s Religious Coping Scale (CRC) and it was divided in two phases: (1) Translation, Adaptation and Pilot Test (N = 74) and (2) Application and Validation of the CRC Scale. A number of 1612 children between 08 and 13 years old (M = 10.2, SD = 1.47), of which 54.7% girls, enrolled in public (54.6%) and private (45.4%) schools of the State of Rio Grande do Sul participated in the research. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factorial Analyses were performed to verify the scale’s factor structure, besides the analysis of the internal consistency. Results indicated the CRC was composed by two dimensions: Positive Religious Coping (PRC), with 19 items in three factors, and Negative Religious Coping (NRC), consisting of 12 items in three factors. The internal consistency indices showed good levels both for the overall scale ( = .90), as well as for the two dimensions ( = .92 for PRC; and = .81 for NRC). It can be stated that the scale showed good indicators of functioning for this sample, demonstrating that it can be a promising instrument for future research. The second study aimed mainly at evaluating the relationship between personal well-being and the use of religious coping strategies by children. The instruments used were the adapted CRC scale and the Personal Wellbeing Index - School Children (PWI-SC). Personal well-being and satisfaction with different life domains were evaluated through descriptive analyzes. The frequency of the use of religious coping strategies and stressful situations reported by children were also described. ANOVAs indicated that the well-being index is higher among boys and between younger children. Regarding the use of coping strategies, significant age differences were found in the use of the PRC strategies, indicating that as age increases, the use of these strategies decreases. The multiple regression analysis identified the PRC dimension, more specifically the strategies related to the belief in the support and protection of God, as a predictor of greater well-being, and the NRC dimension, more specifically the strategies related to the revaluation of the stressor as a punishment, as a predictor of lower well-being. Our conclusion is that children make use of different religious coping strategies to deal with stressful situations and that this engagement seems to be related to their personal well-being.

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the relationships between mobile social media use, personality and loneliness. Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and texting were studied. Undergraduate students (N = 352) were given a survey to assess how they use social media generally, loneliness and personality traits, as well as how they used social media in specific relationships in their life—with a strong, close tie, and with a more casual acquaintance. A state of “phoneliness” is proposed where an individual’s social media use contributes to feelings of loneliness, which then in turn affect social media use. Overall, this study finds evidence to suggest social media have some emotional benefit. The more platforms one uses, the less lonely he or she is likely to be. Each social media application had initial benefits wherein moderate use was associated with decreased loneliness. However, each platform also had a point of diminishing returns (ranging from 30 minutes/day to an hour/day) after which further use either had no effect or was associated with increased loneliness. Results are discussed in light of media multiplexity theory and social presence theory.

abstract: Introduction: Several faith-based or faith-placed programs have focused on the physical dimension of wellness in efforts to improve health by increasing physical activity and improving diet behaviors. However, these programs were not designed to intervene on the mental dimension of wellness which is critical for stress reduction and health behavior change. Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of a spirituality-based stress reduction and health behavior change intervention using the Spiritual Framework of Coping (SFC) model. Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental one group pretest posttest design. The study was a total of eight weeks conducted at a non-denominational Christian church. Participants were recruited from the church through announcements and flyers. The Optimal Health program met once a week for 1.5 hours with weekly phone calls during an additional four week follow-up period. Feasibility was assessed by the acceptability, demand, implementation, practicality, integration, and limited efficacy of the program. Analysis: Frequencies for demographics were assessed. Statistical analyses of feasibility objectives were assessed by frequencies and distribution of responses to feasibility evaluations. Limited efficacy of pretest and posttest measures were conducted using paired t-test (p <.05). Results: The Optimal Health Program was positively accepted by participants. The demand for the program was shown with average attendance of 78.7%. The program was successfully implemented as shown by meeting session objectives and 88% homework completion. The program was both practical for the intended participants and was successfully integrated within the existing environment. Limited efficacy changes within the program were mostly non-significant. Conclusion: This study tested the feasibility of implementing the Optimal Health program that specifically targeted the structural components of the Spiritual Framework of Coping Model identified to create meaning making and enhance well-being. This program may ultimately be used to help individuals improve and balance the spiritual, mental, and physical dimensions of wellness. However, length of study and limited efficacy measures will need to be reevaluated for program success. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Exercise and Wellness 2012

Nature’s salutary effects are well-established. A psychological connection to nature and exposure to nature are both associated with a variety of well-being indicators. Attempts to explain why these benefits occur are often from the perspective of why nature reduces ill-being. This leaves a lack of understanding of why nature increases well-being (e.g., hedonic and eudaimonic well-being). Self-transcendence is proposed as a mechanism that is activated by nature and explains why people feel greater well-being from engaging with it. In addition to understanding why nature is beneficial, we need to understand when—under what conditions—it is beneficial. The benefits of nature vary based upon conditions such as the amount of biodiversity in the area and personality of the person in nature. Motivation to engage with nature is implicated as an important factor for whether or not nature is beneficial. Two multi-study manuscripts address these questions: (1) does self-transcendence explain why nature is beneficial and (2) does nature engagement motivation affect whether nature is beneficial? / Graduate / 2019-08-01

In Scotland, Health and Well-Being (HWB) has become a core area in school curricula following the introduction of Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence in 2004. Physical Education (PE) is one of the subjects within HWB, which places it within a prominent position to positively influence children’s decisions to live a healthy and active lifestyle. Scottish Government guidelines indicate that each child aged 3 – 11 years should receive 2 hours of PE each week and children aged 12 – 18 years should receive 2 periods of PE each week. The percentage of schools achieving 2 hours/2 periods each week is encouraging with 99% of primary schools and 93% of secondary schools in 2015. Some head teachers might have had concerns that increasing the time spent in PE would detrimentally affect academic attainment and achievement in other curricula areas such as numeracy and literacy. Evidence does not support these concerns; some studies showed no detrimental effect whilst other studies identified a beneficial effect as a result of increased time spent in PE. However, the understanding of how these positive effects were mediated remains unclear. The literature considers physical activity (PA) as a potential mediator with more recent studies evaluating the impact of physical activity (PA) on academic achievement and attainment. A clearer understanding about which approaches to PE and PA are most effective in positively influencing children’s learning would be of value aligned with the knowledge of student’s experiences and perceptions of PE. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate if a novel approach to PE known as ‘Better Movers and Thinkers (BMT)’ could positively influence children’s coordination and cognition and to evaluate student’s experiences of this approach. Three studies were planned to explore this aim. Study one involved a feasibility study being undertaken with students who were in their sixth year of education (n = 46) within two primary schools from one local authority to evaluate the feasibility of running BMT as an intervention within school. The study involved pre- and post-testing of two quantitative outcome measures; the Movement Assessment Battery for Children – 2nd Edition and the Lucid Assessment for Schools System as well as collecting qualitative data from the students and class teachers using focus groups and semi-structured interviews to obtain an understanding of their experiences following a 16-week intervention phase. Academic skills were assessed using the Lucid Assessment System for Schools 8 – 11 and physical testing was undertaken using balance and coordination subtests from the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (2nd Edition). Quantitative results revealed significant increased score changes between pre- and post-test conditions in the areas of phonological skills (p = .042), segmentation skills (p = .014) and working memory (p = .040) in favour of the intervention condition. Analysis of qualitative data from a sample of students from the intervention condition (n = 8) and their class teacher indicated good acceptability of BMT as an alternative approach to PE. The results and reflections from study one informed the design of study two. In response to study one, more specific measures of cognition were used as the nature of the academic skills testing was limited in this area. Similarly, the physical testing did not specifically measure coordination and new physical subtests were added to the outcome variable. Further PA habits were included as an additional outcome measure to control for the effects of student activity levels. Finally, the addition of a follow-up testing phase helped to evaluate if changes did occur between pre- and post-testing similar to study one, would these changes be maintained over time. The aim of study two was to identify what impact BMT had on children’s coordination and cognition. The study involved 6 schools from within the same local authority, 3 acting as the control condition schools (C-schools) and 3 as the intervention condition schools (I-Schools). The schools were selected at random by the Quality Improvement Officer (QIO) within the local authority. There were a number of potential schools and the QIO chose schools based on two criteria: their proximity with one another ensuring that catchment areas would be similar in regard to local history, geography and socioeconomic variables and schools where it would be feasible to run the research. Once the schools were identified, their names were placed within opaque-sealed envelopes and a person external to the study chose 3 schools and allocated them to the intervention condition leaving the other 3 as the control condition. Students (n = 150) were all in their sixth year of primary education attending mainstream public school. Study two involved four phases; pre-test, a 16-week intervention phase, post-testing, and, 6-month follow-up testing. Physical activity habits were assessed using the ‘Physical Activity Habits Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C),’ coordination was assessed using four patterns of locomotion (crawling on the stomach, creeping on hands and knees, marching and skipping) and cognition was assessed using the ‘Cognitive Assessment System (CAS).’ Overall findings from study two suggested significant intervention effects in coordination (p = .001) and cognition (p = .001) with no significant effects for physical activity habits (p = .200). Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted in each of the 6 schools. Grounded theory was used to identify emergent themes and categories to evaluate student perceptions of their PE experiences following completion of the intervention phase. Analysis identified that BMT provided different experiences compared with traditional approaches to PE suggesting that key aspects of BMT should be incorporated into the delivery of PE lessons to build on current good practice. These aspects include the direct focus on developing the children’s ability to move and think simultaneously and, directly targeting the development of Executive Function (EF) skills. The findings from this thesis have implications for Continued Lifelong Professional Learning (CLPL) for primary school teachers and for specialist PE teachers. The findings may also influence course programmes within Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and specialist PE training and for future PE programme design.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The broader conception of poverty as ‘quality of social reproduction’ demonstrates the delicate nature of the interaction between the institutions of the family/household, the economy and the state. These institutions interact in the dispensation of individual, productive and collective consumptions important for social well-being and social reproduction in society. The gap in the configuration of these consumptions relationship opens the space for the institution of micro-credits to thrive in South Africa to the detriment of adequate ‘quality of social reproduction’ especially for people living in ‘poverty range’ or ‘precarious prosperity’. The lack of comprehensive social policy regime provides the recipe for the consumption of micro-credit at the desperate, need and choice dimensions, in order to close the gap between income and consumption needs to facilitate social reproduction of concerned family/households. Micro-credit consumption is viewed as an individual response, in the absence of collective consumption in the form of social policy, to smoothen individual consumption, and to cater for the strain or challenges of social reproduction. The implications of this, for concerned family/households, are imperative to how poverty is perceived, hence, the question ‘the lords of poverty’? In addition to the income and expenditure conception of poverty, the understanding of poverty dynamics will be enriched by engaging with the method through which the poor and ‘precarious prosperous’ (people living within ‘poverty range’) respond to the gap between their income and expenditure to finance shortfalls in their consumption needs. The relief sought from micro-credit (the focus of this study) to finance the gap in consumption needs can alleviate poverty, and at the same time perpetuates it through chronic indebtedness. The patronage of micro-credit in the form of cash loan, retail goods credit and informal micro-credit in the way people living within the ‘poverty range’ live their lives, as well as the activities of micro-credit institutions are highlighted in this study. Consumer credit consumption has become such a permanent feature of the social reproduction efforts of individual households in South Africa that it is crucial to understand the broader institutional interaction that may account for this. Further, it is important to understand how the patronage of consumer credit impact on the need that prompted it in the first place and other implications that may speak to the quality of social reproduction of households. These are the core problematics that are engaged in this study. The relationship between poverty (as well-being) and the consumption of micro-credit is considered within the broader framework of political economy. The effects of predatory institutions, such as microcredit, could be significant for the quality of social reproduction of households.

A dissertação é uma pesquisa dos fundamentos filosóficos para o Direito Ambiental. Propondo-se, no primeiro capítulo, a nomear o bem comum ambiental como o fundamento e seus pressupostos antropológicos, políticos e jurídicos, a saber, o antropocentrismo harmônico, o cosmopolitismo e a teoria da justiça realista como instâncias complementares. Por contraste, dialogaremos com os pressupostos rivais: o antropocentrismo individualista, a soberania e o normativismo. O segundo capítulo tratará da aplicabilidade dos conceitos trabalhados anteriormente segundo três casos globais: o Protocolo de Quioto, a distribuição de água e os créditos de carbono. A metodologia aplicada é a análise conceitual dialética. / The dissertation is a research of the philosophical foundations for the Environmental Law. Intending, in this first chapter, to nominate the environmental well being as a fundament and its anthropological presuppositions, political and juridical to know, the harmonic anthropocentrism, the cosmopolitism and the theory of the realistic justice as complemented instances. In contrast, we will dialogue with the presupposed rival: the individualistic anthropocentrism, the sovereignty and the normativism. The second chapter will treat of the applicability of the concepts worked previously according with the three global cases: the Protocol of Kyoto, the distribution of water and Coal credits. The applied methodology is the conceptual dialectics analysis.

Este estudo investigou a relação entre o tempo de prática de meditação e o bem-estar psicológico, controlando para traços de personalidade, assim como a experiência subjetiva dos meditadores acerca dos efeitos de sua prática no seu cotidiano. Os instrumentos utilizados foram o Questionário de Saúde Geral de Goldberg, a Bateria Fatorial de Personalidade e um Questionário Sociodemográfico contendo uma pergunta aberta sobre a percepção dos efeitos da meditação e itens para definição operacional de meditação. A amostra, selecionada por conveniência, constituiu-se de praticantes da meditação passiva - sentada e silenciosa - cuja experiência variou entre um e 420 meses. Os resultados obtidos através das análises de conteúdo quantitativa, de regressão linear múltipla e regressão de Poisson foram convergentes, indicando que a prática meditativa pode produzir efeitos psicológicos positivos. Foi observado que quanto maior o tempo em meses e a freqüência semanal da prática, maior o bem-estar psicológico. Também foi verificada uma interação entre meses e freqüência semanal, sugerindo que para as pessoas que meditam 6/7 vezes por semana, os escores de bem-estar psicológico não diferiram estatisticamente entre os praticantes considerados iniciantes, intermediários e avançados. Extroversão, neuroticismo e realização são os traços de personalidade que possivelmente mediaram o efeito da meditação sobre o bem-estar, sendo que o primeiro teve uma associação positiva com o desfecho e os dois últimos uma associação negativa. Além disso, a experiência subjetiva da prática de meditação, segundo os participantes desta pesquisa, se reflete predominantemente na percepção de benefícios cognitivos e emocionais. Estes achados corroboram outros estudos e apóiam a idéia de que a meditação pode ser uma ferramenta para o cultivo do bem-estar. Por fim, sugere-se que mais estudos sejam realizados no Brasil e que a prática meditativa pode ser considerada uma ferramenta útil para o contexto clínico em saúde mental. / This study investigated the relationship between the length of experience in meditation practice and psychological well-being, controlling for personality traits, as well as the subjective experience of meditators concerning the effects of their practice on their daily lives. The instruments used were the General Health Questionnaire, the Factorial Battery of Personality and a Sociodemographic Questionnaire containing an open question about the perception of the meditation effects and the items for the operational definition of meditation. The sample was selected by convenience and comprised of passive meditation practitioners - sitting and silent - whose experience varied from one to 420 months. The results obtained through quantitative content analyses, multiple linear regression and Poisson regression were convergent, indicating that the meditation practice can promote positive psychological effects. It has been observed that the greater the number of months and the weekly frequency, the greater the psychological well-being. An interaction between number of months and weekly frequency has also been observed, suggesting that for those people who meditate 6/7 times a week, the psychological well-being score did not differ among practitioners considered beginners, intermediate and advanced. Extraversion, neuroticism and conscientiousness were the personality traits that possibly mediated the effect of meditation on well-being. The first one was positively associated with the outcome, and the other two were negatively associated. In addition, the subjective experience of the meditation practice, according to the participants of the present research, reflects predominantly cognitive and emotional benefits. These findings corroborate other studies and give support to the idea that meditation can be a tool for cultivating wellbeing. Finally, we suggest that more studies should be carried out in Brazil and that the practice can be considered a useful tool for clinical and mental health contexts.