Background: Whiplash associated disorders (WAD) account for a large proportion of the overall impairment and disability from traffic injuries and causes substantial bio psychosocial consequences for some individuals. Aims: To increase the knowledge about factors described in terms of either function /impairment, activity/disability and life satisfaction in acute and chronic WAD as well as possible implications for rehabilitation. Within this aim the incidence and recovery rate of whiplash injury and prognostic factors of interest for early rehabilitation have been studied. Subjects and Methods: Fifty-five healthy controls and 34 WAD subjects were analysed within and between groups concerning a) biomechanical out put, endurance, fatigue and muscle tension (EMG activity of trapezius, infraspinatus and deltoideus) during repetitive shoulder forward flexion b) impairments and activity/disability and life satisfaction.356 subjects seeking medical attention due to whiplash trauma, 296 were available at follow up, mean 16 months post injury. Incidence and odds ratio of accident and other background factors on disability were determined. Thirty-four out of 43 patients with whiplash injury were investigated through quantitative sensory tests at six weeks and 71 months after injury. 62 WAD participated in an interdisciplinary rehabilitation program (a pilot study) designed to evaluate such rehabilitation program for patients with chronic (in relatively early stage) WAD. Program evaluation of impairment, disability and life satisfaction (prospective and retrospective) was carried out before and after program and at 6 months. Results: No significant effects of sex or age on the ability to relax between repetitive r muscle contractions (SAR) were found in healthy subjects (study I). Significantly higher inability to relax between contractions was found for the two portions of trapezius and infraspinatus in the WAD group compared to the healthy group (study II). Significantly lower levels of activity preferences were noted for three out of five indices in females with WAD The WAD group had significantly higher prevalence of neropsychological and emotional symptoms. Both pain related symptoms and neropsychological symptoms were of significant importance for aspects of disability and life satisfaction in this group (study IV). Sensory disturbances over the trigeminal skin area persisted over the years. At follow-up a significant correlation was found between the sensory disturbances and the symptoms related to the central nervous system while no significant relationship was found with the musculoskeletal symptoms (study HI) .The annual incidence according to the grading of the Quebec Task Force on Whiplash-Associated Disorders (WAD 1-3) was 3.2/1000 and 4.2/1000 when WAD 0 was included. Sixty-eight percent of the patients recovered during the follow-up Pre-traumatic neck pain, low educational level, female gender and WAD grade E-Ill were significantly associated with a poor prognosis (study IV). . Participants in the rehabilitation program reported increased coping ability. Stress reactions seemed rather frequent (32 %). Pain intensity in the neck and upper back were significantly decreased at 6 months follow-up. However, for most of the functional and psychological markers, no significant changes were found (study V). Conclusion: The higher prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints of the neck shoulder region in females cannot be explained by higher muscle tension and clinical assumption of increased muscle tension seems correct in whiplash patients Results indicate heterogeneity among WAD subjects. Females are at risk after a whiplash trauma but the severity of initial symptoms and signs also affect outcome as well as low education. High levels of neuropsychological symptoms and pain, signs of posttraumatic stress, fear and avoidance, loss of control, anxiety, bio-mechanical and psychosocial factors at work (studies) and social support are potential factors to be aware of. Extensive and costly investigations are in most cases not necessary. However most persons will recover a whiplash injury. Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary assessment should be considered at three months if substantial negative effect on the person’s ability to function and health situation exists. / <p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2001, härtill 6 uppsatser.</p> / digitalisering@umu

Globally, employees are experiencing extensive change in the workplace. Downsizing, right-sizing or restructuring have become familiar terms in difficult economic conditions and imply that rationalising of jobs is inevitable. Organisations attempt to reduce costs, which in turn places pressure on employees to modify their jobs and seek alternative employment. This increases their intention to leave (Iyo & Brotheridge, 2004). The researcher is interested in determining how satisfied employees are with their life in general, in their jobs, and whether the constructs at hand can lead to an intention to leave. This is information that an organisation might value due to high turnover costs. Employability and autonomy are linked to the above concepts. With reference to the above formulation of the problem statement, the general objective of this research is to determine the relationship between the psychological contract, employability, autonomy, job satisfaction, life satisfaction and the intention to leave of security employees in the Vaal Triangle. The primary objective of this research is to determine the relationship between the psychological contract, employability, autonomy, job satisfaction, life satisfaction and the intention to leave of security employees in the Vaal Triangle. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Constructs were measured by means of the psychological contract (employer obligations, employee obligations), a biographical questionnaire, employability questionnaire, autonomy questionnaire, job satisfaction, life satisfaction and intention to leave questionnaires. The research method for each of the two articles consists of a brief literature review and an empirical study. An exploratory factor analysis, as well as Cronbach alpha coefficients, was computed to access the reliability. Validity of the different product moment correlation coefficients and regression analysis were used to examine the relationship between the constructs employed in this research. Significant differences are found between various individual characteristics and the scores of the psychological contract (employer obligations, employee obligations and the psychological contract), the individual characteristics, employability, autonomy, job satisfaction, life satisfaction and intention to leave. Conclusions are made, limitations of the current research are discussed and recommendations for future research and the organisation are put forward. / MCom, Labour Relations Management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

Emotional intelligence is a growing area of behavioural research; it recently grabbed the attention of some of the major organisations worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between wellness and emotional intelligence in order to develop a structural model of psychological well-being. The following constructs were looked at, Optimism, Sense of Coherence, Life Satisfaction, Emotional Intelligence are all seen as good indicators of Psychological well-being. A cross-sectional design was used for this study. The participants (N=324) were students within the field of economic science. The Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Life Orientation Test Revised, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Orientation to Life scale were administered. Using a principal component analysis, a six-dimension factor structure for emotional intelligence among students emerged, explaining 45,24% of the variance. These factors were labelled positive affect, emotions-others, happy emotions, emotions-own, nonverbal emotions and emotional control. The most significant correlations found in this study was that Sense of Coherence is significantly positively related to Emotions Management and Life Satisfaction and significantly positively related to Emotions-Own, Happy Emotions, Positive Affect and Optimism. Sense of Coherence was negatively related to Pessimism. Emotions Management is significantly positively related to Emotions-Own, Happy Emotions, Positive Affect, Optimism and Life Satisfaction. Positive affect is significantly positively related to Optimism. Pessimism is significantly negatively related to Life Satisfaction. Optimism is significantly positively related to Life Satisfaction. After conducting a second factor analysis on the factors of the SEIS, LOT-R, SOC and SWLS, two factors were extracted, namely interpersonal and intrapersonal mastery. Using these factors, along with the results of the product-moment correlations, a psychological well-being model was designed and compiled. The results showed that Interpersonal mastery consisted of Positive Affect, Emotional Management, Sense of Coherence, Life Satisfaction and Optimism. Intrapersonal mastery consisted of Emotions-Others, Emotions-Own, Happy Emotions and Non-Verbal Emotions. It is evident from the above that the psychological well-being model consisted of intrapersonal mastery and environmental mastery. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Higher education institutions in South Africa are undergoing transformation because of increasing student numbers, government and the private sector relying on tertiary institutions to assist in solving problems in addition to the globalisation of knowledge. University staff is continuously faced major changes. Immense pressure is placed on academic institutions, including support staff. Support staff are constantly faced with increasing job demands and decreasing job resources. This imbalance and the increase of job stress over a prolonged period of time can lead to the devastating result of burnout. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between task characteristics, burnout, health and life satisfaction in a higher education institution in the North West Province. A cross-sectional design was used. The study population (N=334) consisted of support staff members of higher education institutions in the North West Province. The Job Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS), The Maslach Burnout Inventory - GS (MBI-GS), the Health subscale of the ASSET and The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) were used as measuring instruments. Descriptive statistics (for example, means, standard deviations and kurtosis) were used to analyse the data. Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses were used to assess the relationships between job demands, job resources, burnout, physical health, psychological health and life satisfaction. The correlation coefficients indicated that exhaustion was positively related to psychological ill-health. Cynicism correlated negatively with growth opportunities. Multiple regression analysis showed that overload and growth opportunities predicted 26% of the variance for exhaustion and 29% of the variance in cynicism. Exhaustion predicted 24% of the variance for physical ill-health and 37% of the variance for psychological ill-health. Psychological ill-health predicted 16% of the variance of life satisfaction. Recommendations for future research and the organisation were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Thesis (M.A. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Thesis (M.A. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

<p>Population aging is a global phenomenon occurring both in developed and less developed countries. While families are still playing an important role in providing support for elderly people, governments are also expanding their public old-age support programs in many societies. Public pensions are one of the major policy tools geared to social protection of the elderly. However, little is known about how the programs affect elders particularly in terms of their subjective well-being. Such effectiveness depends in part on the extent to which public pension income displaces or `crowds out' family elder support. Using the introduction of the Basic Old-Age Pension (BOAP), a non-contributory old-age pension in Korea, this dissertation examines the relationship among public support, family support, and life satisfaction of the elderly.</p><p>As an introductory chapter, chapter 1, "The continuing importance of children in relieving elder poverty: evidence from Korea," describes the actual financial status of elderly Koreans and the amount of financial support they receive from children. Analysis of the 2006 Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing shows that almost 70 per cent of Koreans aged 65 or more years received financial transfers from children and that the transfers accounted for about a quarter of the average elder's income. While over 60 per cent of elders would be poor without private transfers, children's transfers substantially mitigate elder poverty, filling about one quarter of the poverty gap. Furthermore, children's transfers to low-income parents tend to be proportionally larger, so elder income inequality is reduced by the transfers. Over 40 per cent of elders lived with a child and co-residence helps reduce elder poverty. </p><p>Using the introduction of BOAP, chapter 2, "Does money buy happiness?: Evidence from a new government pension in Korea," assesses how the program affected elders' life satisfaction. Notably, this study adds valuable evidence to the literature of whether money buys happiness, a question of great interest but notoriously difficult to answer given the difficulties associated with isolating income as a causal factor. To make the causal inference, this chapter utilizes a difference-in-difference research design and analyzes longitudinal data from the Korean Retirement and Income Study (KReIS). Results show that BOAP did raise elders' life satisfaction: annual benefits of 1,000 kW, approximately 1,000 U.S. dollars, raised elders' life satisfaction by 0.16-0.22 of one standard deviation and the effect was statistically significant. </p><p>Chapter 3, "Public support crowds out family support: Evidence from a new government pension in Korea," investigates how public financial provision affects family support. In particular, the present study provides a novel estimate of crowd-out by BOAP by using a combined measure of financial support and in-kind support received from all adult children regardless of their co-residence status with elderly parents. This paper also examines the impact on co-residence and is the first quasi-experimental study on the crowd-out question using data from an Asian nation. Results from difference-in-difference analyses of the KReIS data show that every $1 from the pension led to a 30-cent drop in children's support, netting a 70-cent increase in elders' income. The impact on the likelihood of elders' co-residing with children was positive but not statistically significant. </p><p>By showing that Korean children still play a crucial role in providing financial old-age security, chapter 1 demonstrates how important it is for the Korean government to design old-age policies that preserve the incentives for private assistance. The second chapter suggests that, at least in the context of modern-day Korea, pensions do buy happiness, or at least satisfaction. This finding suggests that researchers and policymakers need to pay further attention to public pensions as a tool to intervene people's subjective well-being. Finally, chapter 3 confirms that crowd-out of family support does occur in Korea and that increases in income, more so than other factors, have a positive impact on elders' life satisfaction found in chapter 2. These findings may generalize to other rapidly changing societies with a strong family elder-support tradition and emerging public elder-support system.</p> / Dissertation

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the efficacy of a reminiscence group counseling program on the life satisfaction of older adults aged 60 years and over. In the first phase of the study, 70 older adults (39 women and 31 men, M = 77 years old) residing at a retirement home in Ankara were administered the Life Satisfaction Index A (LSIA), and a demographic information sheet. In the second phase of the study, volunteering older adults were screened for a researcher-designed &ldquo / Reminiscence Group Counseling Program&rdquo / . An experimental matched-pairs design was used in the study. The group program was composed of six sessions aimed at reminiscing about pleasant memories, past accomplishments, and joyful past experiences. Session themes included place of birth, recall of childhood pastimes, holidays, life accomplishments, and favorite places. Participants in the treatment group were five older adults (three women and two men) aged 62-78 (M = 68). Following treatment, subjects in the treatment and no-treatment control groups were compared at pre- and post-test measures of life satisfaction. A focus group interview was also conducted in order to evaluate the participants&rsquo / group experience. Results of Mann-Whitney U Test and Wilcoxon Test revealed non-significant increases in the life satisfaction scores of older adults in the treatment group. The focus group interview elicited positive feedback regarding members&rsquo / group experience, such as group&rsquo / s role in facilitating interaction and friendship among participants, enhancing a more positive self-image and leading to enjoyment and pleasant feelings for them.

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship among three important factors of the life of elderly who accommodates in an institution / institutional environment, older individuals&rsquo / attachment to place, and theirs life satisfaction. This research aimed to examine how different aspects of institutional environment determine the level of elders&rsquo / place attachment, and respectively to examine the significance of the place attachment in determining degree of older individuals&rsquo / satisfaction with their life. Institutional environment was assessed under three headlines / design, social and institutional aspects. It was also aimed to analyze the way those three aspects are interacted with each other to conclude with place attachment. The sample consisted of 120 older individuals who were from two different institutions / Seyranbaglari Rest Home and Year of 75 Resting and Caring Home of Retired Organization. The data were gathered via applying the following measures / measures of design aspect, social aspect and institutional aspect / place attachment scale, life satisfaction scale and demographic information form. A set of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on the data, to determine whether the items are reliable indicators of latent variables. In this study, structural equation modeling technique was used to analyze the data by using LISREL. Investigating structural relationships among same variables in the light of the related literature, two different models were specified. The results of the study indicate that, the hypotheses of the first model, saying that / there is relationship between environmental variables of an institution and the life satisfaction of the elderly, and this relation is mediated by the place attachment, were supported except for the one assuming the direct relationship between design aspect and place attachment. The second model specifies the design aspect as the predictor of the social and institutional aspects of the institutional environment. The rest of the model specifies the same structural relationships with the first model. The second model was supported completely, and was confirmed all of the relationships specified by it. In the light of the related literature, the findings of the study were discussed. Additionally, limitations of the study and suggestions for further research were investigated.

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