Research suggests that the deployment cycle is associated with decreased psychological well-being in military spouses, yet not all individuals married to military service members experience psychopathology. It may be that spouses who do not experience reduced well-being possess personal resources, such as positive emotions, that protect them against the stresses of military life. The primary purpose of this dissertation was to determine the effect of deployment on the well-being of military spouses and examine whether personal resources protected military spouses and enhanced their wellbeing throughout the deployment cycle. A synthesis of the existing literature was performed in order to determine the direction and magnitude of the effect of deployment on the psychological well-being of military spouses. For the primary analyses, participants were drawn from a convenience sample of military spouses stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. Meta-analysis, hierarchical linear regression, and structural equation modeling were used to test study hypotheses. In the first study, a meta-analytic review, deployment was found to have a moderate effect on psychological well-being, such that spouses experienced greater psychological problems during deployment. Two studies were conducted as part of the primary analyses. In the first, positivity was found to moderate the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms during deployment. Specifically, the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms was stronger for spouses with low levels of positivity. Finally, the third study found that adaptive coping, maladaptive coping, and resilience completely mediated the relationship between positive emotions and depressive symptoms. Of the three mediators, adaptive coping was found to be the most influential. Together, the results of these three studies illuminate the detrimental effect of deployment on the psychological well-being of military spouses, while providing support for the broaden-and-build theory's proposed roles of positive emotions -- broadening, building, and undoing -- in a unique population. Study limitations, implications for military spouses, and suggestions for future directions in research are discussed.

This study aimed to determine what the effect of participation in a Tomatis Programme (TP) would be on the psychological well-being and communication ability of a 14 year old, white adolescent boy with Asperger Disorder (AD). A mixed method design in the form of a single casestudy was used. Qualitative data were obtained via semi-s!mctured interviews, spontaneous sketches and observation. Quantitative data were gathered by means of projective drawings and the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Seven main categories with twenty-one sub-categories emerged eom the qualitative data, and were supported by the quantitative data. Results indicated improvement in Interpersonal Communication and all six domains of psychological well-being as defined by RyfT (1995) with most significant areas being: Environmental Mastery, Personal Growth, Autonomy and Positive Relations. The Tomatis Method (TM) proved to be a successful form of treatment to enhance psychological well-being and interpersonal communication skills in an AD patient More effective communication and better family relationships can be achieved and therefore youth with AD can be empowered to adjust their behaviour accordingly. The TM prepared the participant for a next phase in therapy where he specifically can focus on more effective social skills with peers. Further research involving more participants and a control group is needed. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

The origin of this study is due to research Botma (1999) undertook among Free State farmers in order to determine what the global level of perceived stress was, but also to determine which specific stressors they experienced and what its intensity was. With this study Botma (1999) found that the stressors by which the farmers are confronted, hold negative implications for their quality of life. The purpose of the current study namely to develop a capacity building programme by means of which quality of life can be facilitated, resulted therefore from the abovementioned research. The capacity building programme entailed the following components: stress, psychological well-being, quality of life and subjective well-being. The capacity building programme was also subjected to evaluation in order to determine its effect on the participants. In order to achieve this objective, the following scales were used in the empirical study: Quality of Lie Questionnaire (Evans & Cope, 1989), Sense of Coherence Scale (Antonovsky, 1993), Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Larsen & Griffen, 1985), Affectometer 2 (Kamman & Flett, 1983), COPE (Carver, Scheier & Weintraub, 1989) and the Spiritual Well- Being Scale (Ellison & Smith, 1991). All these scales showed satisfactory reliability indices. A sample of 60 participants from three districts in the Free State was used. As far as the qualitative component of this research was concerned, focus groups were led with 10 participants, and in-depth interviews were conducted with four respondents. The empirical part of this study indicated that there was no difference between the experimental and control group before the intervention had VII taken place. On conclusion of the program, clear differences could be detected within the experimental group as well as between the experimental and control group. The experimental group showed an improvement in spirituality, subjective well-being and quality of life. These results were also reflected by the focus groups and by the in-depth interviews. It is however interesting to note that the above-mentioned changes that had taken place in the participants are mainly concerned with their affect and not with their behaviour as such. The reason being the fact that the focus of the programme is spiritual and mainly emphasises the improvement of the affective quality of life of the participants. The results of the in-depth interviews indicate the fact that the capacity building programme still has a long-term effect on the participants. Recommendations are made with regard to the capacity building programme in terms of changes to for example the inclusion of behavioural change. This research contributed to the understanding of spirituality, psychological well-being, subjective well-being and quality of life as well as to its application in a capacity building programme for farmers. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

In the final paper for master’s degree the peculiarities of correlations between educators’ sense of coherence and well-being are discussed. The pedagogical characterization of educator’s profession and conception of coherence is tendered after thorough analysis of papers and researches of Lithuanian and foreign authors. The course, methods and data of research on educators’ coherence and well-being are discussed in the paper. The sense of coherence of educators is analyzed according to their social–demographic data, way of live and psychological well-being. The statistical analysis was accomplished to estimate the peculiarities of well-being. The typology of educators’ who took part in a survey and results of cluster analysis are presented in the paper. The peculiarities of correlations between educators’ sense of coherence and well-being are discussed in various aspects. After summarizing all the data conclusions and propositions are presented.

Self-compassion, a healthy way of relating to the self that is premised on treating oneself with kindness and understanding in the face of pain and failure (Neff, 2003a, 2003b), is emerging as a potentially useful way to transform young women athletes’ difficult experiences in sport (Mosewich, Crocker, Kowalski, & DeLongis, 2013; Mosewich et al., 2011). Although associated with a variety of well-being indices, self-compassion has largely been neglected in the eudaimonic tradition concerned with psychological flourishing (Ryff, 1989, 1995). The themes of eudaimonic well-being – which include feeling autonomous and competent, the pursuit of continuous growth, having quality relations with others, finding purpose in life, and acceptance of oneself (Ryff, 1989, 1995) – closely align with many of the goals and motives that young women athletes have reported for competing in sport (e.g., Chatzisarantis & Hagger, 2007; Kilpatrick et al., 2005). However, being eudaimonically-well or flourishing in sport is not a given, as young women athletes can encounter a variety difficult experiences as they journey through athletic pursuits (Fraser-Thomas et al., 2005; Krane et al., 2001; Mosewich et al., 2009). Whether the promise of self-compassion as a way to transform difficult sport experiences might have similar potential for young women athletes’ eudaimonic well-being is currently unknown; that is, whether self-compassion contributes to or thwarts psychological flourishing is an important question. The purpose of the present program of research was to explore the role of self-compassion in young women athletes’ psychological flourishing. Using a mixed methods research design, Study 1 explored self-compassion and eudaimonic well-being in young women athletes. The quantitative phase consisted of young women athletes (n = 83; Mean age = 18.70 years) completing an online survey including trait-level measures of self-compassion and eudaimonic well-being, as well as measures of plausible process variables (i.e., passivity, responsibility, initiative, and self-determination). In addition to finding evidence for a positive relationship between self-compassion and eudaimonic well-being (r = .76, p < .01), the data were consistent with a model of multiple mediation whereby, as a group, passivity, responsibility, initiative, and self-determination emerged as potential mechanism variables. Expanding on the links from the quantitative phase, a qualitative phase consisting of one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions with young women athletes (n = 11; Mean age = 19.72 years) explored when and how self-compassion might be useful in striving to reach one’s potential in sport. Self-compassion was described as advantageous in difficult sport situations (i.e., when failing to meet personal goals, making mistakes during competition, experiencing an injury, reaching a plateau) by increasing positivity, perseverance, and responsibility, as well as decreasing rumination. The qualitative findings support previous claims that self-compassion is beneficial during emotionally difficult situations (Leary et al., 2007; Neff, 2003b). However, concerns were expressed about being too self-compassionate in sport; in particular, that self-compassion might lead to complacency, which would ultimately thwart psychological flourishing in sport. To better understand the seeming complex relationship between self-compassion and eudaimonic well-being specifically in the sport domain, Study 2 explored the role of self-compassion during hypothetical, emotionally difficult, sport-specific scenarios in relation to psychological flourishing in sport. Young women athletes (N = 137; Mean age = 19.04 years) completed an online survey including trait-level measures of self-compassion and eudaimonic well-being, as well as brief reaction measures (i.e., self-compassionate, positive, perseverant, responsible, ruminative, passive, and self-critical reactions) to hypothetical, emotionally difficult, sport scenarios, and proxy indicators of eudaimonic well-being in sport. The results contextualized the relationship between self-compassion and eudaimonic well-being to the sport domain, showing positive associations between self-compassion and autonomy, meaning (i.e., personal growth) and vitality (i.e., purpose in life) in sport, and body appreciation (i.e., self-acceptance). Findings from path model analyses suggest that increased positive and perseverant reactions and decreased passive reactions to emotionally difficult sport scenarios might explain the relationship between self-compassion and certain indices of eudaimonic well-being in sport (e.g., autonomy, vitality in sport, body appreciation). The pattern of findings suggest that having a kind and understanding self-attitude might nurture constructive reactions to emotionally difficult sport scenarios, enabling athletes to strive towards their potential in sport. Taken together, findings from the program of research presented here suggest that compassionately relating to the self might be advantageous for young women athletes’ eudaimonic well-being, both in general and in terms of eudaimonic indicators that are specific to psychological flourishing in sport. A conceptual model is formulated to help understand the relationship between self-compassion and eudaimonic well-being. Reduced passivity emerged as one possible process variable, which is a key finding that directly addresses the concern as to whether self-compassion leads to complacency; a concern that appears both within the larger self-compassion body of literature as well as qualitative findings in my research. The identification of promising mechanism variables is an important contribution to the literature, as the findings reported here can be further examined in future research directed at the promotion of self-compassion for athletes’ flourishing in sport. Caution is warranted, however, for researchers moving forward in this area, particularly in terms of athletes’ concerns with being self-compassionate. Building off of my research findings and conclusions, two noted directions for future research are (1) to explore ways for athletes to recognize the potential usefulness of self-compassion in sport and (2) to longitudinally and/or experimentally target mechanism variables that will have associated changes on eudaimonic outcomes in sport. Such research efforts will work towards the development of self-compassion in sport programs that are theoretically- and empirically-driven, and have the end goal of helping young women athletes reach their full potential.

This study aimed to determine what the effect of participation in a Tomatis Programme (TP) would be on the psychological well-being and communication ability of a 14 year old, white adolescent boy with Asperger Disorder (AD). A mixed method design in the form of a single casestudy was used. Qualitative data were obtained via semi-s!mctured interviews, spontaneous sketches and observation. Quantitative data were gathered by means of projective drawings and the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Seven main categories with twenty-one sub-categories emerged eom the qualitative data, and were supported by the quantitative data. Results indicated improvement in Interpersonal Communication and all six domains of psychological well-being as defined by RyfT (1995) with most significant areas being: Environmental Mastery, Personal Growth, Autonomy and Positive Relations. The Tomatis Method (TM) proved to be a successful form of treatment to enhance psychological well-being and interpersonal communication skills in an AD patient More effective communication and better family relationships can be achieved and therefore youth with AD can be empowered to adjust their behaviour accordingly. The TM prepared the participant for a next phase in therapy where he specifically can focus on more effective social skills with peers. Further research involving more participants and a control group is needed. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

The origin of this study is due to research Botma (1999) undertook among Free State farmers in order to determine what the global level of perceived stress was, but also to determine which specific stressors they experienced and what its intensity was. With this study Botma (1999) found that the stressors by which the farmers are confronted, hold negative implications for their quality of life. The purpose of the current study namely to develop a capacity building programme by means of which quality of life can be facilitated, resulted therefore from the abovementioned research. The capacity building programme entailed the following components: stress, psychological well-being, quality of life and subjective well-being. The capacity building programme was also subjected to evaluation in order to determine its effect on the participants. In order to achieve this objective, the following scales were used in the empirical study: Quality of Lie Questionnaire (Evans & Cope, 1989), Sense of Coherence Scale (Antonovsky, 1993), Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Larsen & Griffen, 1985), Affectometer 2 (Kamman & Flett, 1983), COPE (Carver, Scheier & Weintraub, 1989) and the Spiritual Well- Being Scale (Ellison & Smith, 1991). All these scales showed satisfactory reliability indices. A sample of 60 participants from three districts in the Free State was used. As far as the qualitative component of this research was concerned, focus groups were led with 10 participants, and in-depth interviews were conducted with four respondents. The empirical part of this study indicated that there was no difference between the experimental and control group before the intervention had VII taken place. On conclusion of the program, clear differences could be detected within the experimental group as well as between the experimental and control group. The experimental group showed an improvement in spirituality, subjective well-being and quality of life. These results were also reflected by the focus groups and by the in-depth interviews. It is however interesting to note that the above-mentioned changes that had taken place in the participants are mainly concerned with their affect and not with their behaviour as such. The reason being the fact that the focus of the programme is spiritual and mainly emphasises the improvement of the affective quality of life of the participants. The results of the in-depth interviews indicate the fact that the capacity building programme still has a long-term effect on the participants. Recommendations are made with regard to the capacity building programme in terms of changes to for example the inclusion of behavioural change. This research contributed to the understanding of spirituality, psychological well-being, subjective well-being and quality of life as well as to its application in a capacity building programme for farmers. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

The history of HIV/AIDS dates back to 1985, when it was thought to be a disease affecting animals. Later, HIV/AIDS was regarded as an illness which affected gay individuals. However, research world-wide has shown that HIV/AIDS is a disease that affects everyone irrespective of race, gender, social status and sexual orientation. Research regarding the psychological well-being (coping, sense of coherence, locus of control and general health) of HIV infected persons in the workplace seems appropriate and relevant. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between sense of coherence, locus of control, coping, and general health. A cross-sectional survey design was used to achieve research objectives. For the purpose of this study, an availability sample of (n = 91) HIV infected individuals in the workplace was used. Four questionnaires were employed in the empirical study, namely the General Health Questionnaire, the Coping Orientations to the Problems Experienced Questionnaire, the Work Locus of Control Scale, and the Orientation to Life Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, skewness and kurtosis) were used to analyse the data. Pearson correlations and canonical analysis were used to assess the relationships between sense of coherence, locus of control, coping strategies and general health. Approach coping strategies such as active coping, planning, seeking support for instrumental reasons, seeking support for emotional reasons, positive reinterpretation and growth, and acceptance were positively related to a strong sense of coherence and a low external locus of control. Avoidance coping strategies, such as focus on and ventilation of emotions, denial, behavioural disengagement, and mental disengagement were negatively related to sense of coherence and positively related to an external locus of control. HIV infected employees who measured high on planning, low on focus on and venting of emotions, and low on mental disengagement, experienced less anxiety and fewer somatic problems. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

University rugby players often pursue academic and semi-professional sporting careers simultaneously which is demanding, stressful and highly competitive. This situation gives rise to individual needs and how they cope with these needs will have an impact on their overall well-being. The needs and coping mechanisms of the senior first and second team rugby players of the North-West University PUK Rugby Institute (NWU-PRT) were determined by means of a focus-group interview, essays and individual interviews. The focus-group interview was conducted with seven senior university rugby players and the essays were completed by 28 senior university rugby players. The individual interviews were conducted with the coach of the senior first team and the sport psychology consultant of the u/19 team. The results identified themes regarding time-management, motivation, injuries, character, coping, and goal-setting. A programme (founded on the experiential learning theory) which focuses on these themes and aimed at facilitating coping and well-being of university rugby players, was developed. The Experiential Learning Programme (ELP) consists of six sessions of one hour duration conducted over two consecutive weeks. The themes of the sessions are; Motivation, Goal-Setting, Time-Management, Coping with Injuries, Emotion-Focused Coping and Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning. A two group (experimental and control) pre-test and post-test design was used and the sample group was drawn from 41 rugby players from the u/19 A training squad of the NWU-PRI. The experimental (n=20) and control (n=21) groups both underwent pre- and post-testing, whereas the ELP was only presented to the experimental group. Post-testing took place one month after the ELP was presented. The battery of tests used to determine the effectiveness of the ELP were, the Affectometer (Kammann & Flett, 1983), Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (Chesney, Folkman & Chambers, 1996), Proactive Attitude Scale (Schwarzer, 1997), Fortitude Questionnaire (Pretorius, 1998) and Cognitive Appraisal Questionnaire (Botha & Wissing, 2005). The results obtained proved the ELP to be effective in facilitating coping and well-being in university rugby players. The experimental group's coping abilities showed great improvement in dealing with life difficulties. They are able to make better use of coping strategies lik, problem-focused coping (d=0.73), the ability to stop unpleasant emotions and thoughts (d=0.73) and to seek out social support from family and friends (d=1.07). They also showed marked improvements in the evaluation (appraisal) of good and/or bad events (d=0.63) and their ability to move towards action (proactive attitude) (d-0.73). The extent of positive emotions (d-0.75) they experienced increased, whereas the extent of negative emotions (d=-0.55) experienced decreased. It can be concluded that the experimental group's sense of well-being was enhanced. The control group showed no improvements in their coping ability or well-being. The improvements in the experimental group's results can, thus, be attributed to the effectiveness of the ELP. A limitation of this study is that these results cannot be generalised to provincial or national rugby players at all levels of competition or to other team sports. The ELP should be presented to small groups for it to be effective. This may limit the number of participants in accordance with the time presenters and participants have available and the number of presenters trained in presenting the ELP. It is recommended that the effectiveness of the ELP should be evaluated at provincial and national level and that the ELP should also be adapted to and evaluated in other team sports. It can be concluded that the ELP programme is ideal for first year university rugby players who may find the transition from high school academics and rugby, to university studies and semi-professional rugby stressful, as it may assist them in coping with personal and sport related stressors and can facilitate their sense of well-being. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The effect of globalisation and the changing world of work place demands on organisations for better performance and competitiveness. The result is large-scale workforce reductions, outsourcing and unemployment, which is taking its toll on the emotional well-being of employees. In an attempt to reduce costs, organisations put pressure on employees who remain at work to modify their jobs, accept alternative employment conditions/positions, or to relocate, all of which are strengthening job insecurity, and leads to employees working harder in order to keep their jobs (Biking, 1999). These factors will lead to tired employees. Shirom (1989) claims that exhaustion is the most important dimension regarding burnout. Internationally, the changing work environment is causing people to experience higher levels of job insecurity. In South Africa we do not only have the impact of globalisation, but our country has also gone through major political changes. Celebrating 10 years of democracy the workers at government organisations are faced with numerous challenges that have an impact on job insecurity, burnout, job engagement and psychological well-being. The primary objective of this research was to examine the relationship between job insecurity, burnout, job engagement and psychological well-being of workers at a government organisation. The measuring instruments that were used are the Job Insecurity Survey Inventory (JISI), the Oldenburg Bumout Inventory (OLBI), the Utrecht Work Job engagement Scale (UWES), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). A cross-sectional survey design was conducted among 500 employees of a government organisation. A response of 296 completed questionnaires was received Results demonstrated a practical significance between Job Insecurity and Job engagement as well as between Job Insecurity and General Health and between Job Insecurity and the exhaustion disengagement scale of the OLBI. It was found that increased job insecurity is associated with decreased work job engagement and poorer general health. Multiple regression analysis indicated that 22% of the variance in job engagement as measured by the OLBI was predicted by job insecurity and 8% of the variance in exhaustion as measured by the OLBI was explained by job insecurity. Further it indicated 14% of the variance in job engagement as measured by the UWES was predicted by job insecurity. A total of 17% of the variance in general health can be explained by job insecurity. Levels of job insecurity, as well as burnout were found to be average. Positive results for job engagement were found, measuring slightly above average. Results indicated good health as measured by this study. Recommendations for the organisation and future research were made / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.