Yes

Rumination is a well-established risk factor for the onset and maintenance of depression and anxiety and has been identified as a transdiagnostic factor due to its association with multiple forms of psychopathology. A renaissance of psychedelic research shows promise in treating psychopathology with potential for acting on ruminative processes. Despite the growing interest and developments in legality, very few research studies have investigated the psychological consequences of participating in an ayahuasca ceremony in North America. The current study included 30 participants (Mage = 41.03, SD = 7.35; range = 30-59 years; 50.0% women; 76.7% White/Caucasian) who participated in an ayahuasca ceremony at a North American ayahuasca church. Participants were asked to complete seven daily surveys prior to their ceremony (Phase I) and seven daily surveys following their ceremony (Phase II). Multi-level models tested changes in rumination and depression, anxiety, and stress scores across both phases of the study. Significant and large reduction were evidenced in levels of rumination and depression, anxiety, and stress immediately following the ayahuasca ceremony. This effect was maintained during Phase II, with scores remaining lower than Phase I and relatively stable. Furthermore, path models did not support the mediating role of rumination in the negative link between ayahuasca ceremony effects (as indexed via ego-dissolution) and depression, anxiety, and stress scores (though evidence for mediation was found without bootstrapping samples). Findings of this study contribute to the emerging literature on the role that ceremonial ayahuasca use may have on reducing psychological distress.

Some people experience cumulative advantages or disadvantages at birth and during their lifespan that determine future life course outcomes. Health disparities and systemic inequity can define a negative trajectory for some minority and underserved communities. Without intervention, such inequity can spiral and eventually affect more and more areas of an older person's life, much like cumulative disadvantages. This research proposes that older adults can improve their situation through targeted support factors that systematically improve lifespan areas. Eventually, more adults can experience the cumulative advantage effect as life progresses. The dissertation consists of a systematic literature review to evaluate literature that isolates degree-level education as a predictor of successful retirement transition planning. This foundational information is used as a basis for identifying constructs in two follow-on studies of the longitudinal National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) Wave 9 public dataset. We explore factors supporting readiness for retirement and retirement transition in later life using data of older adults aged 65+. Multiple regression, exploratory factor analysis, and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) are used to gain a multi-angle view. The results showed that degree-level education influences higher salaries, improved healthcare access, and financial literacy. In addition, old age has an increased risk of physical pain and chronic diseases that affect activities of daily living and independence in retirement, regardless of financial resources. Declining health can lead to social isolation and depression for older adults.

Yes / Transitioning to adulthood is a fundamental yet challenging phase in human development. Despite its relevance, the literature has paid little attention to the impact that transitioning to adulthood has on multiple aspects of individual well-being. This is one of the few attempts that has employed a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study to explore how the path to adulthood impacted on the psychological and overall well-being of Italian young adults. In the quantitative phase, we employed two-step cluster analysis to assign 45 young adults, who had completed the Italian I COPPE scale of multidimensional well-being, to three clusters based on their level of change in psychological and overall well-being. Results from mixed design ANCOVA revealed that participants belonging to the high change cluster showed the highest significant positive change over time with respect to well-being. In the qualitative phase, 17 individuals took part in focalized narrative interviews, which aimed at exploring significant events, barriers, and facilitators, which had impacted on their well-being during the transition to adulthood. The textual material was analysed through the Grounded Theory Methodology. It emerged that the state of transition was associated with some triggering events and a temporary negative impact on the interviewees' well-being. However, findings also revealed that people assigned to different clusters had put in place or learned several resources, skills, and copying strategies, which led to different transitional and well-being outcomes.

This thesis explores the meaning of wellbeing for children with a disability in New Zealand, an area of social policy that has been largely unexamined. Focusing on the school environment, three questions are addressed: What does wellbeing mean for children with a disability? What factors influence it? Are current policy frameworks which address child wellbeing relevant to the wellbeing of children with a disability? The research involved qualitative data collection from nine purposively selected participants: children with a disability, their parents and key informants involved in service provision and policy development. A critical review of international and national literature on definitions of wellbeing and disability, and on existing data sources, is followed by a socio-demographic profile of children with a disability in New Zealand. Qualitative findings are interpreted in relation to current New Zealand social policy initiatives and frameworks - New Zealand's Agenda for Children, the Whole Child Approach and the Key Settings Model - as well as the theoretical perspectives of social solidarity, wellbeing, the ecological theory of human development and discourses of disability. Findings indicate that the concept of wellbeing as applied to all New Zealand children is also relevant to children with a disability. The difference however, lies in the factors which ultimately influence whether the various dimensions of wellbeing will actually be experienced by children with a disability. For these children, communication as a dimension of wellbeing for example, is influenced by language skill acquisition, which in turn depends upon allocation of appropriate and adequate resourcing of the child's learning environment. The conclusion drawn is that policy frameworks, principles and social indicators addressing child wellbeing, are inconsistently applied with regard to children with a disability. New Zealand's Agenda for Children which promotes an ecological approach to child wellbeing would benefit from further adaptation to reflect the needs of this specific child population. The notion of wellbeing for children with a disability needs further development for the purpose of knowledge building, and to ensure clearer articulation between processes of policy development, service provision, and resource allocation.

The number of displaced people around the world today is unprecedented in world history, with a third of those displaced below the age of 18. These children often undergo traumatic experiences which can cause serious mental health issues before and during their flight as well as afterwards when resettling in a new country. In Sweden, they are offered psychological aid in order to better deal with these issues and hence recover. However, due to the cultural stigma attached to mental health problems, psychosocial aid is often ruled out by the child themselves. In addition, up to 30% of these unaccompanied children have been reported to suffer from PTSD, where merely speaking about one's issue can trigger a relapse of the trauma. There is therefore a shortage of pragmatic approaches to help tackle the challenges that these children faces. The aim of this thesis is to investigate how creative programs such as the organisation Clowns without Borders works with unaccompanied refugees and how their methods affect the wellbeing of these children. This thesis explores the effects that laughter and playing has on a child’s well-being using a qualitative field research approach. The research is a contribution to the field of development since it offers new grounds on how to work towards increasing the living standards of resettled displaced persons.

Forskningsfrågor: Vilka arbetsfaktorer anser personer anställda genom bemanningsföretag påverka deras välmående och varför? Hur skiljer välmående sig mellan deltid- och heltidsanställda inom bemanningsföretag i förhållande till identifierade arbetsfaktorer? Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka det upplevda välmåendet hos personer som är anställda genom bemanningsföretag i ekonomisektorn samt vilka faktorer som har en påverkan på det upplevda välmåendet. En jämförelse kommer att göras mellan personer som arbetar heltid och de som arbetar deltid via ett bemanningsföretag. Metod: Studien är en kvalitativ studie. Data samlades in med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer, som hölls med åtta respondenter. Intervjuerna hölls via Microsoft Teams. Hälften av respondenterna var heltidsanställda och andra hälften var deltidsanställda.  Slutsats: Många av de identifierade faktorerna är sammankopplade. Jobbsäkerhet, karriärutveckling, inkludering/exkludering och arbetsutveckling har alla en central del för välmåendet. Anledningen till detta är bland annat att jobbsäkerhet har stora konsekvenser även utanför jobbet och påverkar även andra faktorer som ekonomisk kompensation, förväntningar och möjligheter till karriärutveckling. / Research questions: What work factors do people employed within staffing companies deem affects their wellbeing and how?How does wellbeing differ between part- and full-time employees within staffing companies in relation to the work factors? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the perceived well-being of people who are employed through staffing companies in the financial sector and which factors have an impact on the perceived well-being. A comparison will be made between people who work full time and those who work part time through a staffing company. Method: The study is a qualitative study. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, which were conducted with eight respondents. The interviews were conducted via Microsoft Teams. Half of the respondents were full-time employees while the other half were part-time employees. Conclusion: Many of the identified factors are interconnected. Job security, career development, inclusion / exclusion and job development all have a central part to well-being. The reason for this is, among other things, that job security also has major consequences outside of work and also affects other factors such as financial compensation, expectations and opportunities for career development.

Developments since the 20th century indicate that the wellbeing of communities makes for healthy national welfare in strong countries. Community wellbeing is thus a priority for policy makers and service providers. Conceptualization of a meaningful, holistic multidimensional measurement of community wellbeing at micro (community) level has been lacking. Such a concept and its measurement are essential when addressing social exclusion and development issues in the enhancement of community wellbeing is to produce worthwhile results. There is growing recognition that earlier understanding of community wellbeing failed to address development needs and processes at community level. Outsider stakeholder driven top-down one-dimensional community wellbeing (‘silo’) measurements did not address human development needs at community level. Meaningful measurement requires integrated frameworks addressing multidimensional issues conceptualizing wellbeing measurement at community level. Such measurement needs to be combined with the integrated inclusion of social capital influence through ‘insider-outsider’ partnerships. The research study purpose was to develop a community driven holistic, integrative wellbeing assessment model. This model could assist ‘insiders’ (community members) and ‘outsiders’ (policy makers, service providers and community development practitioners) in developing and implementing community driven initiatives towards improved wellbeing. The two main research questions were: 1) which macro level wellbeing assessment factors to consider in an aligned micro level wellbeing assessment? and 2) what is the associative relationship between wellbeing and social capital? Two descriptive sample surveys were conducted utilizing a structured questionnaire. Primary data findings contributed to finalization of a community level wellbeing assessment model. This model would enable estimation of the potential (push and pull) factors that influence the targeted success of suggested community development processes. The assessment model is community driven and owned, with spider and quadrant diagram graph tools indicating first the status of community wellbeing and social capital, then the associative relationships of wellbeing and social capital in ‘insider-outsider’ initiatives for wellbeing enhancement. / Development Studies / D. Phil. (Development Studies)

There is evidence of a prospective association between wellbeing and health outcomes including disease risk and longevity. The aim of this thesis was firstly to further explore whether wellbeing is a risk factor for specific chronic physical diseases, and secondly, to identify potential mediators and moderators of the association between wellbeing and disease risk or longevity. Chapter 1 provides an overview of research into associations between wellbeing and physical health. In addition, we outline theoretical models of how the experience of high wellbeing might impact physical health. In chapters 2 and 3, we build on research into wellbeing and chronic physical disease risk. In these chapters, we tested whether the association between wellbeing and disease risk was similar across different types of disease, and, whether different theoretical domains of wellbeing varied in their association with disease risk. We found particularly strong associations - that were not explained by demographic or health behaviour differences - between higher wellbeing and lower risk of arthritis, diabetes or chronic lung disease. In chapter 4, we further explore the association between wellbeing and arthritis risk using mediation analysis. Specifically, we tested whether this association was mediated by inflammatory biomarkers. We found that the biomarker C-reactive protein accounted for a small proportion of the association between wellbeing and a reduced risk of arthritis. The focus of the next two chapters was on potential moderators of the association between wellbeing and mortality risk. In chapter 5, we examined whether the association between higher wellbeing and lower mortality risk varied across individualist and collectivist cultures. We found a significant interaction between individualism and wellbeing such that the association between wellbeing and risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease was stronger in more individualistic countries. In chapter 6, we examined how positive affect (a subdomain of wellbeing), interacted with another psychosocial factor, namely subjective stress. Here, we tested Pressman and Cohen's (2005) stress buffering hypothesis that positive affect may be most strongly related with health under stressful conditions. In support of this hypothesis, we found that the association between positive affect and all-cause mortality risk was stronger in people reporting higher stress. In the final chapter, we summarise our findings, discuss the limitations of our approach and make recommendations for future research.

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