Quilting is a self-chosen leisure activity for millions of women in the United States. Previous research on quilting suggested that quilting is influenced by the emotional state of the quilter. However, the emotional experiences generated during quilting have not been fully explored. The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to explore quilters' perceptions of what quilting as a leisure activity does to enhance their well-being and increase flourishing. Positive psychology well-being theory was the theoretical foundation for the study. Semistructured interviews with 12 adult women who quilt as a leisure activity were the basis of the narrative inquiry. Data were recorded through in-person and telephone interviews that were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis to develop overarching themes. Findings revealed that quilting contributed to participants' well-being and built flourishing through three primary avenues: creativity, relationships, and positive emotion. Quilting provided an opportunity for creative expression and growth as artists. Quilt-making activity was centered around relationships with other quilters and with the larger community, and quilting was linked with positive emotion as participants experienced great joy in their quilting activities. This study has implications for increasing well-being and building flourishing in women through the adoption of quilting as a leisure activity.

Research has been accumulating on the positive outcomes that people may experience following trauma. However, scholarly literature is deficient in the area of investigating the association among centrality of event (CE), posttraumatic growth (PTG), and health behaviors of women with histories of sexual trauma. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to (a) determine the extent of the relationship between CE and PTG, (b) explore the relationship between PTG and health behaviors (i.e., drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, and physical activity), and (c) to determine whether general self-efficacy (SE) mediated these relationships. The theoretical frameworks used to inform this study were the theories of PTG and SE. A sample of 123 women with histories of sexual violence completed the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, the Centrality of Events Scale-SF, the New General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Drug Abuse Screening Test-10, and health behavior questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The majority of participants reported that their experiences were highly central. Simple regression analysis indicated a marginal relationship between CE and PTG as well as a significant relationship between PTG and SE. PTG was not directly related to the health behaviors in this study. However, a bootstrap mediation analysis indicated that SE significantly mediated the relationship between PTG and physical activity. This study contributes to positive social change by helping women understand how their cognitions influence their SE and behaviors. Likewise, this study can inform practitioners on developing interventions through a lens of positive psychology to promote beneficial health behaviors.

The characteristic of hope, and the construct of well-being, both as topics of investigation, have incited scientific interest and inquiry in the university student population. However, not much enthusiasm is evident in the international student population. Furthermore, there is a dearth of literature on the subject matter in the South African context. This qualitative study aims to investigate the role of hope in well-being by focusing on the experiences of international students living at the University of Pretoria residences. An interpretative phenomenological analysis, utilised as the study's methodology, focused on the lived worlds of the participants and endeavoured to capture rich understandings of their experiences. The study is rooted in a positive psychological framework and its propositions. Purposive sampling was used to identify and select participants, and three international students participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain their narrative accounts. Their transcripts were analysed following the guidelines specified within the interpretative phenomenological analysis. As a product of this analysis method, the study results were presented as descriptive, connected themes. The themes, as emerged, were adjustment to university; experiences of marginalisation, violence, and discrimination in residences and lectures; optimising well-being and thriving at the University of Pretoria; and subjective experiences of hope as contributing to well-being. The research found that international students resort to their various innate strengths and environmental resources of support to help them thrive at their host university during adversity in adjusting to a foreign university. Hope further contributed to this aspect and optimised their well-being while living at the university residence. This empowered them to attain their academic goals. / Mini Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Psychology / MA (Counselling Psychology) / Unrestricted

Aging has long been associated with a (i) systematic bias in both attention and in memory towards positive stimuli compared with negative, and (ii) a gradual increase in self-reported positive affect and decrease in negative affect in daily life. The findings are considered to be paradoxical, because as people get older, the neural mechanisms responsible for cognitive functioning undergo gradual decline in structure and function. This dissertation aims to break down the mechanisms of aging that allow for the age-related changes in emotion to prevail in the midst of other ongoing aging processes. Here, I present three papers that address age-related changes in emotional experience. Study 1 showed that age predicted feeling more positive and less negative when faced with a pandemic that disproportionality impacted older adults. Study 2 showed that while younger adults are better than older adults at regulating negative images, all participants rely on similar brain regions for accomplishing the same regulatory goals. Study 3 showed that when given the explicit goal to up or down-regulate positivity, older adults do not have an advantage over younger adults. One way to explain these results is that there are age-related distinctions between the way participants behave in lab-based studies and when they are observed in daily life, which account for inconsistencies between my three studies.

The environmental and psychosocial adversity inherent in remote polar locales has historically been framed in pathological terms. However, a burgeoning body of evidence suggests that stressful conditions across isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) environments may elicit positive growth outcomes as well. The purpose of this cross-sectional, retrospective study was to assess the incidence and correlates of PostExpedition Growth (PEG) in returned Antarctic expeditioners. The prevalence of five specific personal growth indicators – ‘new opportunities,’ ‘relating to others,’ ‘personal strength,’ ‘spiritual change,’ and ‘appreciation of life’ – along with individual and group variables that have been associated with growth in trauma-exposed populations (i.e., coping, mindfulness, personality traits, personal value priorities, adverse childhood experiences, and expedition/experience specific variables) were examined using a mixed methods approach. Quantitative results indicate a moderate, positive association between proactive coping and appreciation of life, as well as between universalism (i.e., a sense of harmony or oneness with humanity and the natural world), new possibilities, and appreciation of life. Qualitative findings provide a more nuanced understanding of the five dimensions of PEG and underscore the emergence of a sixth dimension, an enhanced relationship with nature. Further research is needed to illuminate knowledge gaps in ICE environment research, and to help identify potential countermeasures for individuals and groups faced with comparable adversity factors in their immediate environments (i.e., within the current context of COVID-19). A deeper understanding of PEG in ICE environments – as well as promotive factors that strengthen positive outcomes – will serve to inform the development of countermeasures to mitigate health and wellbeing risks following exposure to isolation and confinement in extreme environments. / Graduate / 2022-09-29

This story explored the educational experience of a 20 year-old man who came to California from Michoacán, Mexico with his parents and siblings when he was 10 years old. Using qualitative research methodology and testimonio, he and his parents were interviewed to hear and document their stories of his academic journey from the early years in Michoacán to completion of twelfth grade in California. His testimonio, as a migrant English Language Learner (ELL) special education student, who experienced the K-12 Public Education system, provides an in depth view to consider when making educational placement decisions. The ELL student population continues to rise faster than any other student population within California. This student population creates a unique set of circumstances, challenging educators to properly identify and qualify these students into special services. Unfortunately, their lack of language acquisition generally results in lower performance scores on placement assessments. The consequence of these lower test scores oftentimes qualifies these students for special services. The purpose of this qualitative study was to share additional considerations needed to effectively assess and provide the ELL student equitable services. There were two major themes woven throughout the study. First, the study looked at the importance of parent involvement in understanding the academic history of any new student in a school, especially an ELL student. In addition, the role that assessment plays in educational placement of an ELL special education student was explored.

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With the high prevalence of mental illnesses in university students worldwide, researchers are investigating the effectiveness of mental health practices geared toward this subpopulation. Two encouraging approaches to promote student well-being are positive education (i.e., the teaching of applied positive psychology) and yoga. Nonetheless, few researchers have studied the combined effect of positive education and yoga on mental health. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the immediate and prolonged impact of integrating a yoga program into a positive education course offered at the University of Ottawa on undergraduate students’ mental health, affect, self-compassion, and vitality. In this mixed method single case experimental A1BA2 design, seven volunteer students completed a two-week baseline (A1), followed by a six-week yoga program including two weekly virtual yoga classes (B), and another two-week baseline (A2; post-yoga), all while taking the positive education course. Trait variables (i.e., mental health, trait self-compassion, and trait subjective vitality) were assessed via validated questionnaires during the baseline phases preceding and following the yoga program, while state variables (i.e., affect, state self-compassion, and state subjective vitality) were evaluated immediately before and after one of the weekly yoga sessions. Participants also completed diary entries guided by open-ended journal prompts related to the outcome variables following one of the weekly yoga sessions. Differences in trait and state quantitative variables pre- and post-yoga were compared by means of visual, stability, level, and trend analyses, while the qualitative data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Practicing yoga was found to improve all trait and state well-being outcomes, especially trait self-compassion and state subjective vitality, via greater pride, self-kindness, serenity, energy, and alertness. Results demonstrate that yoga and positive education mutually enhance university students’ mental health, affect, self-compassion, and vitality both immediately and prolongedly. This study addressed gaps in the literature and will help inform future implementation of yoga and positive education courses on university campuses.