The South African government monitors and tracks the health of newborns and the growth of children. The Department of Health (DoH) does this monitoring using the Road to Health Booklet (RtHB). In this dissertation I analyse the use of the booklet in the township of Masiphumelele in Cape Town. The state produced booklet is intended for the child and mother as a patient-held medical health record. Liaw (1993) defines a patient-held record as notes or space provided on a document for the recording of follow up appointments for further investigation by medical doctors. The RtHB is used to record the child’s development, immunisations and HIV related information from birth to the age of twelve years. The dissertation results from ethnographic research with eight black Xhosa1 mothers and caregivers with children under the age of five years old. Mosley, and Chen, (1984), argue that in developing countries where standard child healthcare has been made available, children should survive the first five years of life. In my research, during the period of six weeks between July, August and September 2017, I followed the booklet in to Masiphumelele. From my observation and semi-structured interviews, looking at the state’s role of ‘pastoral’ care, child wellbeing and living in a township, and recording, under the theme of child wellbeing, certain concepts emerged. These concepts were state power, mothering, caring for children, responsibilisation, gender, kinship, fatherhood, child wellbeing knowledge production, social networking. In this dissertation I use ethnographic findings, accompanied by my own personal narratives. I argue that tracking child wellbeing through this booklet, the state exercises what Foucault (1982) referred to as ‘pastoral power’ in ensuring the wellbeing of the populations.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Despite clinical recommendations, only 25.8% of infants in the United States are exclusively breastfed at 6 months of age. Breastfeeding policies and communication campaigns exist to support exclusive breastfeeding, and women who use formula report facing stigma and feeling like a failure. Narratives can be used to discern how individuals make sense of experiences related to health, and narrative theorizing in health communication provides a framework of problematics used to explain how individuals construct stories that reveal the tensions between continuity and disruption and creativity and constraint. Individual experiences are often influenced by master narratives such as “Breast is best,” which are phrases that shape our understanding of the world. Because of the negative impact of using formula on maternal well-being, the purpose of this research was to use a narrative framework to analyze the stories of women who used formula in relation to the master narrative of breast is best. Building off of pilot interviews with 22 mothers, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 women who had used formula within the first 6 months after giving birth and had an infant no older than 12 months at the time of the interview. Qualitative analysis revealed that women perceived formula as shameful and costly. Conversely, they viewed breastfeeding as biologically superior, better for bonding, and a way to enact good motherhood. Current messaging about breastfeeding, particularly for women who intend to breastfeed, may have unintended negative effects when women face a disruption to their breastfeeding journey. In addition, women viewed breastfeeding and formula feeding as in relation to and in opposition to one another, reducing the perceived acceptability of behaviors such as combination feeding. Despite constraints in the master narrative regarding acceptable infant feeding practices, women demonstrated creativity in their individual stories and found formula feeding enabled more equitable parenting and preserved mental health. Practical implications include that organizations promoting exclusive breastfeeding in the United States should move away from framing breastfeeding as an all-or-nothing choice and develop tailored and value-neutral messaging recognizing breastfeeding as a complex psychosocial and biological process.

The existing literature suggests that long-term involvement in physical activity (PA) in the later years can support the health and wellbeing of older adults. However, a more detailed understanding of what influences older adults to initiate and maintain PA over a prolonged period of time would be beneficial. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the relationship between commitment to physical activity and aging. Specifically, the objectives of this dissertation are threefold: (1) To identify factors influencing older adults to adopt PA earlier in life, that may have shaped their behavior in the later years; (2) To examine factors associated with maintaining long-term involvement in PA as a serious leisure interest after age 50; and (3) To determine the effects of long-term involvement in PA on older adults’ perceptions of wellbeing. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 participants (8 females and 22 males; aged 50-78 years; Mean = 60.5) who have been continuously physically active for the past 10 years, or more. Results found that the most significant predictor to later involvement in PA after age 50 was high participation early in life, particularly from childhood to late adolescence or early adulthood. Further, the analysis revealed three types of older exercisers with varying degrees of seriousness or commitment (Stebbins, 1992) about their physical activity regimen—high, moderate, and low. High exercisers were the most serious or committed type of exercisers. They perceived exercise as a meaningful central life interest and spent the majority of their leisure time involved in physically challenging sports and fitness activities, often exercising 6 days or more per week. They Pursued exercise for personal development, self-fulfillment, and for maintaining optimal physical performance. Moderate exercisers were moderately committed to PA and regarded exercise as an important aspect of their life, but not the most dominant one. They engaged in sports and fitness activities at least 3 days per week and pursued exercise primarily as a necessity for good health, enjoyment, and social benefits. Low exercisers were the least committed type of exercisers. They engaged in exercise irregularly and perceived it more as a chore or task than a meaningful and enjoyable pursuit, often skipping workouts in the face of other interests and demands. They stressed the importance of social interactions, managing weight, and improving overall physical appearance as reasons to engage in exercise. Additionally, this study showed that as the degree of seriousness or commitment about exercise increased, the perceived benefits derived from exercise increased as well. The findings highlight the importance of considering intervention programs to increase motivation and encourage older adults to exercise more frequently, particularly in those struggling to adopt exercise as a sustainable lifestyle approach.

This project puts the focus on promoting the importance of bringing attention to mental health in developing countries. It aims to connect people with mental disorders with the help needed to improve their wellbeing. Through the methodology of design thinking and theories of wellbeing and inclusive design, a design proposal is developed. With the situation of COVID-19, people’s wellbeing has become an important issue that needs to be addressed. Apart from physical health, mental health also plays a big role in bridging people into their optimum state of wellbeing. However, the decreasing number of available mental health services has made it difficult for the people to get the help needed, especially in developing countries such as Indonesia, where it had already been limited prior to the pandemic. The primary reason being how mental health is stigmatised, which hinders people from getting the help they need to improve wellbeing. The proposed service design, Discover the Stigma, shows a tool developed alongside stakeholders that enables people in Indonesia to get connected with the help needed and to understand, maintain, and/or improve their wellbeing. It is intended that the tool would provide comfort for people who feel stigmatised within the society and for society to understand them better.

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / According to literature, Industrial-Organisational psychology is mainly concerned with investigating the behaviour of humans within the work environment. It is stated that Industrial-Organisational psychology deals with well-adjusted working adults to improve well-being and efficiency by applying psychology principles (Health Professions Act, 2011). One of the roles of the Industrial-Organisational psychologist is to provide counselling in the workplace.

This study explored the preventive impact of a brief Hat ha yoga program on stress-reduction and enhanced wellbeing in a sample of healthy African American college athletes. African Americans suffer higher rates of hypertension and sudden cardiac death syndrome, both linked to stress. Study design was single case, with six replications, utilizing comparison of pre- and post-intervention scores on physiological and psychological indicators of distress and wellbeing. Findings were inconsistent across participants and measures, though generally included beneficial increases in positive affect (i.e ., C = 0.567 , Z = 2 071, p < 0.05) and perceived physical health (i.e., C = 0489 , Z = 1. 721, p < 0.05). Increased fatigue over the course of the semester may have confounded results. Given the brevity and cost-effectiveness of the intervention, limited positive results suggest more intensive studies are warranted.

Perfectionism is regarded as both a virtue and a vice, due to its paradoxically motivating and dysfunctional possibilities for musicians. The aim of this mixed method study was to obtain a greater understanding of the impact of perfectionism on the psychological wellbeing of the musician by exploring the correlations between perfectionism, rumination, and mindfulness in South African university music students. The quantitative phase consisted of a cross-sectional survey design, during which 72 music students completed a questionnaire consisting of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Cognitions Inventory-English (Concern over mistakes; Pursuit of Perfection; Personal Standards), the Rumination Response Scale (Reflection; Brooding), and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (Observing; Describing; Acting with Awareness; Non-judging of inner experiences; Non-reactivity to inner experiences). The subsequent qualitative phase involved a multiple case study design with nine music students participating in semi-structured interviews. Correlational analysis revealed several significant correlations between perfectionism and rumination, perfectionism and mindfulness, and rumination and mindfulness. Brooding rumination was found to be positively related to concern over mistakes and pursuit of perfection in music students. Perfectionism (concern over mistakes and pursuit of perfection) furthermore revealed an inverse correlation with non-judging mindfulness, and to a lesser degree, non-reactivity mindfulness. Brooding rumination furthermore showed a significant association with decreased levels of mindfulness, whereas reflection rumination mostly correlated with higher levels of mindfulness. Multiple regression analysis revealed brooding rumination to be an important predictor of self-critical perfectionism among music students. The qualitative data supported these findings and emphasised the negative experience of perfectionism and the dichotomous view of perfection among music students. The study provides valuable insight into the perfectionistic, ruminative and mindfulness tendencies of music students and can be employed to enhance the psychological wellbeing of university musicians and increase the quality of academic output. / Thesis (DMus (Musicology))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Music / DMus (Musicology) / Unrestricted

[EN] Digital transformation and the internet are changing the way people relate to others, but also the way individuals to themselves and their wellbeing perception. In this thesis, there have been examined definitions, affections, and considerations relative to digital transformation, internet, or wellbeing to deepen and understand better the concepts that will take part in our analysis. There, it has been analyzed the internet use among European Countries attending data provided by the European Social Survey (2016) on a sample of more than 34.700 respondents from 18 countries and its relationship with WB perception of individuals. First, it has been examined the individual relationship of WB of people involved in the survey. Sociodemographic factors as age, education, gender, or country have also been considered to analyze differences. The same exercise has been done with internet use data. Second, it has been examined the effect of considering both concepts (internet use and WB) together and interaction between them, for providing more extensive information and understanding. Then, personal values have been introduced. Values influence people's lives and determine individuals' attitude, behavior, relationships with others and themselves, and even their WB perception. Thus, attending personal values and considerations individuals report on the survey, different personal profiles have been defined. And both, internet use and WB concepts, first at an individual level, and secondly considering their interaction, have been examined for each different profile. Finally, results and conclusions that demonstrate personal values and different individuals profile influence the Internet use and WB perception are presented for discussion. / [ES] La transformación digital y el uso de internet están cambiando la forma en la que las personas interactúan entre ellas, pero también el modo en el que se relacionan consigo mismo, e incluso su propia percepción del bienestar.En esta tesis, se han examinado las definiciones, afecciones y consideraciones relativas a la transformación digital, internet y/o bienestar para profundizar mejor en los conceptos incluidos en el presente análisis. Además, en base a una muestra de la Encuesta Social Europea (European Social Survey) 2016 en una muestra de más de 34.700 participantes de 18 países, se ha analizado el uso de internet entre países europeos, así como su relación entre la percepción del bienestar de las personas. Así, primero se ha examinado la relación y percepción individual del bienestar de las personas incluidas en la encuesta, analizando factores sociodemográficos tales como edad, educación, género o país para analizar las diferencias entre la muestra poblacional. Dicho ejercicio ha sido replicado en lo que al análisis individual del uso de internet se refiere. En segundo lugar, se ha examinado el efecto de considerar ambos conceptos simultáneamente (uso de internet y bienestar) para analizar la inteacción entre ellos y profundizar en los efectos derivados del mismo. Seguidamente se introducen los valores personales. Los valores influencian la vida de las personas determinando su actitud personal, su comportamiento, la relación con ellos mismos y con los demás, e incluso su propia percepción del bienestar. Así, atendiendo a los valores y consideraciones personales proporcionadas en la encuesta, se han definido distintos perfiles personales, para, seguidamente analizar el impacto de el uso de internet y percepción del bienestar primero a nivel individual para cada perfil, y posteriormente valorar la interacción de la confluencia de ambos y la singularidad de su efecto en cada perfil. Por último, se presentan los resultados y conclusiones identificadas, que demuestran que, los valores personales y los diferentes perfiles personales influencian el uso individual de internet y su percepción del bienestar. / [CA] La transformació digital i l'ús d'Internet estan canviant la forma en què les persones interactuen entre si, però també la forma en què es relacionen amb si mateixos, i fins i tot la seva pròpia percepció del benestar. En aquesta tesi s'han examinat les definicions, condicions i consideracions relatives a la transformació digital, Internet i/o benestar, per tal d'aprofundir en els conceptes que s'inclouen en aquesta anàlisi. Partint d'una mostra de l'Enquesta Social Europea (European Social Survey) 2016 amb més de 34.700 participants de 18 països, s'ha analitzat l'ús d'Internet entre els països europeus, així com la seva relació entre la percepció del benestar de les persones. Així, s'ha examinat per primera vegada la relació individual i la percepció del benestar de les persones incloses en l'enquesta, analitzant factors sociodemogràfics com l'edat, l'educació, el gènere o el país per analitzar les diferències existents. Aquest exercici s'ha replicat amb tot alló relatiu a l'anàlisi individual de l'ús d'Internet. En segon lloc, s¿ha examinat l'efecte de considerar els dos conceptes simultàniament (ús d'Internet i benestar) per analitzar l'acció entre ells i aprofundir en els efectes que se'n deriven. També s¿han introduït els valors personals. Els valors influeixen en la vida de les persones mitjançant la determinació de la seva actitud personal, el comportament, la relació amb ells mateixos i els altres, i fins i tot la seva pròpia percepció del benestar. Així, tenint en compte els valors i les consideracions personals previstes en l'enquesta, s'han definit diferents perfils personals, per després analitzar l'impacte de l'ús d'Internet i la percepció del benestar primer a nivell individual per a cada perfil, i posteriorment valorar la interacció de la confluència d'ambdós i la singularitat del seu efecte en cada perfil. Finalment, es presenten els resultats i conclusions identificats, demostrant que els valors personals i els diferents perfils personals influeixen en l'ús individual d'Internet i en la seva percepció de benestar. / Femenía Mulet, S. (2020). How do digital transformation and the internet use influence our wellbeing perception? [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/149478 / TESIS

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Traditionally, gender has been viewed through an essentialist lens with fixed biology-based traits or polarized gender norms between women and men. As awareness of gender diversity grows, increasingly more people identify as nonbinary – or not exclusively a man or woman. Despite a growing literature on the experiences of binary transgender individuals, little has been explored regarding experiences unique to nonbinary individuals. The research that does include nonbinary individuals focuses primarily on adverse risks and outcomes. As such, a dearth of empirical research exists to understand the unique experiences of nonbinary people and how they relate to wellbeing. A qualitative participatory action study using PhotoVoice was conducted virtually to address the identified gaps in the literature on nonbinary individuals concerning gendered experiences and wellbeing. Prevailing theories of wellbeing informed the study along with minority stress theory and the resilience literature to account for environmental factors of oppression and individual and community resilience. A sample of 17 nonbinary adults in the Midwestern United States was recruited using convenience sampling and participated in online group discussions and individual interviews. The findings were reported in sections corresponding with the three study aims: 1) Explore core dimensions of wellbeing as defined by nonbinary individuals, 2) Identify promotive and corrosive factors of that wellbeing, and 3) Provide recommendations to bolster nonbinary wellbeing. The findings provided a thorough description of how nonbinary individuals perceive their wellbeing concerning their gender and as part of a marginalized population. Thematic analysis identified nine wellbeing themes for how participants conceptualized their wellbeing (e.g., Exploring gender identity and expression, Being connected to community, etc.), seven themes of promotive and corrosive factors of wellbeing (e.g., Positive, accurate, and nuanced representation, Coping skills to manage minority stressors, etc.), and three themes of recommendations (e.g., personal, interpersonal, and professional) with eighteen strategies to bolster wellbeing among nonbinary individuals and communities. The significance of the findings to social work was discussed, including practice application and advocacy. This study contributes to PhotoVoice methodology, wellbeing literature, and trans literature.