Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The emerging interest in 'spaces of childhood' over the past two decades can be identified in a number of disciplines. A substantial body of research has indicated that children's active engagement within the natural environment as a space has been associated with a range of cognitive, physical, affective, and moral developmental benefits. Given the exponential growth in research on children and nature interactions, it was imperative to explore how children make sense of nature and the influence this has on children's subjective well-being (SWB) to address the current dearth in the literature; both internationally and in South Africa. The aim of the study was to explore children's engagement with natural spaces. Within this process the study aimed to explore the extent to which children's engagement with natural spaces influences their SWB. The specific objectives of the study were: 1) To systematically review and synthesise the findings regarding children's understandings and engagement with nature as a space (Chapter Four- Article 1 using a systematic review methodology); 2) To explore the relationship between children's environmental perceptions and their subjective well-being (Chapter Five- Article 2 using Structural Equation Modeling); 3) To explore how children discursively construct natural spaces and the influence on their subjective wellbeing, using specific discursive resources and repertoires to construct and assign meaning to their engagement with natural space, and how their constructions and assignations are manifested in their discourses (Chapter Six- Article 3 using discourse analysis); and 4) To explore children's representations and perceptions of natural spaces using photovoice and community mapping (Chapter Seven- Article 4 using thematic analysis). The study employed a mixed methods approach to gain an inclusive understanding of children's daily lives. In advancing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the study included children as key agents and valid constructors of knowledge, with crucial contributions to make about their well-being. The study comprised three phases; Phase One encompassed a systematic review which aims to explore how children make sense of, assign meaning to, and perceive natural spaces (addressing objective 1). Phase Two and Three constituted the mixed methods study: Phase Two included the quantitative phase (addressing objective 2) and Phase Three included the qualitative phase (addressing objective 3 and 4) with children between 12-14 years of age. Phase Two encompassed a cross-sectional survey design with children aged 12 years in the Western Cape province of South Africa, and included a final sample of 1004 children. Phase Three employed a qualitative methodological design utilising focus group interviews, photovoice, and community mapping across three diverse communities in both urban and rural geographical locations. While Phase Two showed no significant relationship between children's engagement in natural spaces (using Structural Equation Modeling) and their subjective well-being, the findings from the qualitative phase, utilising participatory methods, showed that socio-economic status (SES) was a key defining factor influencing how children made sense of their lives. The narratives of children from the low SES communities indicated that safety was a pervasive concern for children, with many having experienced first-hand negative experiences in their neighbourhoods. Many of these experiences have occurred in nature, which resulted in nature being constructed as synonymous with danger, while children from the middle SES community did not perceive safety as a concern in their community. Thus evincing the nuances which exist in children's understandings. Although children's environments are inherently unsafe, an important finding was that nature positively influenced children's subjective well-being. Given the significant role that nature plays in influencing children's subjective well-being, we advance children's environmental subjective well-being (ESWB) which merges the fields of environmental psychology and positive psychology which essentially have a shared goal of enhancing people's quality of life. 'Good places' for children should therefore give preference to children's safety in their neighbourhoods, as well as affording children opportunities for engagement in natural spaces which enhances their subjective well-being and life satisfaction. The study points to the need for environmental education in the formal and informal spaces which children inhabit, to foster an intrinsic care for nature. / National Research Foundation

Youth psychological well-being has become increasingly acknowledged as not merely the absence of psychological distress, but the presence of positive indicators of optimal functioning. Students with complete mental health (i.e., low psychopathology and high well-being) demonstrate the best academic, social, and physical health outcomes. As such, there remains a need to address children’s well-being through a holistic approach emphasizing the prevention of mental health problems and promotion of flourishing. Positive psychology interventions (PPIs) have emerged as a promising method of enhancing students’ complete mental health. Previous investigations support the utility of multitarget PPIs with middle school students and single-target PPIs (e.g., character strengths, hope) with younger elementary students, though the extent to which comprehensive multitarget, multicomponent PPIs enhance classes of elementary students’ outcomes relative to a control has not been examined. This study compared levels of subjective well-being, mental health problems, classroom social support, and classroom engagement between students in 6 classrooms randomly assigned to participate in a 10-week intervention targeting a variety of positive psychological constructs (i.e., positive relationships, gratitude, kindness, character strengths, hope) with parent and teacher components, and students in 7 classrooms randomly assigned to a delayed intervention control group. Follow-up analyses examined levels of outcomes of the immediate intervention group relative to the control group at post-intervention, as well as levels of outcomes in the intervention group three months after program completion. At post-intervention, classes of students participating in the immediate intervention group did not have significantly improved student-reported life satisfaction, positive affect or negative affect, classmate or teacher support, emotional or behavioral engagement, nor teacher-reported relationship satisfaction, instrumental help, and emotional or behavioral engagement relative to the control classes. However, several trends were found: (a) students in the immediate intervention group had lower negative affect relative to the delayed intervention control among students with greater baseline negative affect levels, (b) students in the immediate intervention group had lower teacher-reported levels of instrumental help relative to the control among students with greater baseline instrumental help levels, and (c) students in the immediate intervention group reported lower levels of behavioral engagement relative to the delayed intervention control. Because of the lack of improvement in immediate intervention group outcomes relative to the control group at post-intervention, continuation of those anticipated improvements from post-intervention to 3-month follow-up could not be detected. However, there was a significant increase in teacher-reported internalizing symptoms from post-intervention to follow-up among the immediate intervention group (without comparison to a control). Overall, findings from this study do not provide empirical support for the efficacy of a multitarget, multicomponent PPI when delivered universally to classes of elementary students. Nevertheless, high levels of treatment acceptability and feasibility from students and teachers as well as limitations to the study design support the need for educational scholars and practitioners to continue exploring the impact of multitarget PPIs delivered to students in multiple formats and various age levels in order to promote complete mental health across tiers of support and thus optimize success for all students.

The diploma thesis deals with the very topical theme of well-being. Its aims are (1) to explore the personality context of the three most commonly used concepts of well-being - subjective, psychological well-being and self-esteem, (2) to confirm the connection of well-being with personality traits and to contribute to clarifying other personality contexts that the research sounds ambiguous - with values, identity styles, and coping strategies, and (3) find different patterns of relationships of individual concepts of well-being with measured variables, thus confirming the uniqueness of these constructs. The methods used include the calculation of correlation coefficients between individual concepts of well-being and all other variables and the calculation of differences by correlating other variables with all three pairs of well-being concepts. The results largely confirmed expectations. The weakest relationships with personality variables were found in subjective well-being, operationalized as life satisfaction. Life satisfaction was most predicted by stability, commitment, and extraversion. Psychological well-being was most predicted by commitment, stability, extraversion, conscientiousness, and a negative diffusion style of identity. Self-esteem was most strongly predicted by stability, a...

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a chronic health condition that is increasingly affecting both children and adolescents (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). Although many studies have investigated the impact of HIV on cognitive, physical, academic, and psychosocial functioning, little is known about the self-perception of health-related quality of life, subjective well-being, social-emotional well-being, and psychopathology risks of youth who are infected with HIV. This study is one of first to examine the presence of these positive and negative health indicators and the relationship among these factors in youth with HIV and a community-based sample. A total of 84 youth (n=42 in each group) between 13-18 years old participated in this study. All participants completed a packet of self-report measures, which included the Pediatric Quality of Life Scale (PedsQL™ 4.0; Varni, Burwinkle, Seid, & Skarr, 2003), Student Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS; Huebner, 1991), Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale-Children (PANAS-C; Laurent et al., 1999), Social Emotional Assets and Resiliency Scale-Adolescent Form (SEARS-A; Merrell, 2011), and Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BASC-2 BESS; Kamphaus & Reynolds, 2007). The data were analyzed for significant correlations, group differences, and social-emotional predictors of physical functioning and subjective well-being. Specifically for youth with HIV, several health-related quality of life indicators were found to be positively correlated with life satisfaction and social-emotional strengths indicators, but negatively correlated with negative affect and psychopathology symptoms. Stronger, but non-significant correlation coefficients were noted for participants in the HIV group than youth in the community-based sample. In particular, stronger associations between the positive mental health indicators (i.e., subjective well-being and social emotional strengths) were observed for youth with HIV than youth in the community-based sample. Youth with HIV also reported a greater association between their subjective well-being and psychopathology when compared to youth in the community-based sample. Additionally, there was a significant main effect of family structure on participants’ perceptions of their social functioning and psychopathology symptoms. When the differences in family structure were controlled for, the overall mean ratings of participants’ health-related quality of life, subjective well-being, social-emotional well-being, and psychopathology risks did not significantly differ between groups. Furthermore, family structure and self-rated empathy skills significantly predicted physical functioning of youth with HIV, but no significant or meaningful variables were found to predict their subjective-well being. Finally, no significant variables were found to predict the physical functioning or subjective well-being of youth in the community-based sample. The limitations of the current study, implications of findings, and directions for future research are discussed.

Orientador: Anita Liberalesso Neri / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-28T02:34:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fontes_ArletePortella_D.pdf: 2043948 bytes, checksum: 8c335bcc28d9160c7b0d04e18ed764aa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: Resiliência diz respeito a um padrão de adaptação positiva, ou de ausência de adaptação negativa, dependente da eficácia da atuação de recursos pessoais e sociais, na presença de riscos pontuais ou acumulativos ao funcionamento biológico, psicológico e social do indivíduo, e ao seu desenvolvimento. São exemplos desses riscos entre idosos: morte de entes queridos; acidentes, doenças e incapacidades; pobreza; abandono; conflitos familiares; violência doméstica e urbana; tensão crônica de papeis sociais, senso de incontrolabilidade associada a estressores que afetam os descendentes, e ansiedade e depressão em virtude da exposição a eventos críticos. Recursos psicológicos e sociais e processos de regulação emocional foram identificados como elementos chave da resiliência na velhice, na análise que realizamos de 53 estudos internacionais e 11 nacionais publicados entre 2007 e 2013 (estudo 1). Um terceiro tema recorrente nesses estudos foi o da relação entre resiliência e velhice bem-sucedida. Com base nesses fundamentos, realizamos dois estudos sobre enfrentamento de eventos estressantes, considerado como indicador de resiliência, em 415 idosos (62,5% mulheres) de 65 anos e mais (M = 72, 5 + 5,5), com renda familiar média de 3,5 SM + 4,14, sem déficit cognitivo sugestivo de demências. Os dados foram obtidos de um banco eletrônico com uma amostra probabilística de duas cidades brasileiras participantes de um estudo multicêntrico que investigou relações entre fragilidade e variáveis sociodemográficas, antropométricas, clínicas, de saúde, de cognição, de funcionalidade e psicossociais. Entre estas existiam medidas de experiências de eventos estressantes, enfrentamento, sintomas depressivos (considerados como indicadores de regulação emocional), satisfação com a vida e autoavaliação de saúde (indicadores de bem-estar subjetivo). O estudo 2 testou estatisticamente um modelo conceitual de enfrentamento adaptativo (ex: "Procuro relaxar ou tirar uma folga, quando a situação me parece pesada demais"); não-adaptativo (ex: "Bebo e como em excesso para compensar ou esquecer do que estava acontecendo") e de desenvolvimento (ex: "Fortaleço laços afetivos com outras pessoas"), construído sobre os itens de um inventário clássico de enfrentamento com foco no problema e com foco na emoção. A solução fatorial replicou o modelo conceitual e explicou 30,8% da variância total dos itens, cuja consistência interna foi moderada (? = 0,541). Foram observadas correlações estatisticamente modestas e positivas entre estratégias não-adaptativas e depressão, correlações negativas entre estratégias não-adaptativas e autoavaliação de saúde e satisfação com a vida; correlações positivas entre estratégias de desenvolvimento e autoavaliação de saúde e satisfação com a vida e correlações negativas com depressão.No estudo 3, a análise de regressão logística multivariada mostrou relações entre o uso de estratégias de enfrentamento de desenvolvimento e poucos sintomas depressivos (OR=4,49); atribuição de intensidade moderada e baixa a estressores relativos a eventos de transição (OR=2,20 e OR=2,37, respectivamente),faixas etárias 75 a 79 e 65 a 69 (OR=3,27 e OR=2,88, respectivamente) e autoavaliação positiva de saúde (OR=2,09). Pontuações baixas em depressão e altas em satisfação com a vida e em autoavaliação de saúde, associadas ao uso de estratégias de enfrentamento adaptativas e de desenvolvimento, e à evitação de estratégias não-adaptativas, podem ser interpretadas como indicadores de controle de perdas e maximização de ganhos, que se constituem em mecanismos centrais à velhice bem-sucedida / Abstract: Resilience refers to a standard of positive adaptation, or the absence of negative adaptation that depends on the efficacy of personal and social resources, in the presence of specific or cumulative risks for the biological, psychological and social functioning of individuals and for their development. Some examples of risks among the elderly are: death of loved ones; accidents, diseases and impairments; poverty; abandonment; family conflicts; domestic and urban violence; chronic stress of social roles, sense of uncontrollability of stressors that affect the descendants, and anxiety and depression due to exposure to critical events. Based on an analysis of 53 international and 11 national studies, published between 2007 and 2013 psychological and social resources together with emotional regulation processes were identified as key-elements of resilience in aging (study 1). A third recurrent theme in this study was the relationship between resilience and successful aging. Based on these findings, we planned two studies about coping with stressful events, an indicator of resilience, conducted with 415 elders (62.5% female), aged 65 or over (M=72.5+5.5) with an average family income of 3.5 minimum wages +4.14, without cognitive deficits suggestive of dementias. The data are from an electronic database created using probabilistic sampling in two Brazilian cities participants that participated in a multicenter study to research relationships among frailty and measures to assess sociodemographic, anthropometric, clinical, health, cognitive, functionality, and psychosocial variables. Among these, there were measures of stressful events, coping, depressive symptoms (considered as indicator of emotional regulation), life satisfaction and self-rated health (indicators of subjective well-being). The study 2 statistically tested a conceptual model of adaptive coping (e.g. "I try to relax and take a break when the situation seems too heavy"); non-adaptive (e.g. "I drink and eat in excess to compensate or to forget what was going on"); and developmental (e.g. "I strengthen my affective ties with other people"), using items from a classical coping inventory, with a focus on problem and one emotion based coping. The factorial solution replicated the conceptual model and explained 30.8% of the total variance. Internal consistency was moderate (? = 0.541). There were statistically modest, and positive correlations among non-adaptive strategies and depression, negative correlations among non-adaptive strategies and self-rated health as well as satisfaction with life; positive correlations among development strategies and self-rated health as well as satisfaction with life, and negative correlation with depression. In the study 3, the multivariate logistic regression analysis was observed that development coping related to few depressive symptoms (OR=4.49), attribution of moderate and low intensity to stressors, related to transiction (OR=2,20 e OR= 2,37, respectively), aged 75-79 and 65-69 years (OR=3,27 and OR= 2,88, respectively) and positive self-rated health (OR=2,09). Low depression scores and high scores for satisfaction and self-assessment of health were associated with the use of adaptive and developmental coping strategies, and with the avoidance of non-adaptive strategies; these strategies appear to be indicators of loss control and maximization of gains, which seen to be central mechanisms for successful aging / Doutorado / Gerontologia / Doutora em Gerontologia

Essa tese tem como objetivo investigar a relação da espiritualidade e da religiosidade com o bem-estar de adolescentes, considerando o bem-estar subjetivo e o psicológico. Para tanto, foram desenvolvidos seis estudos. O primeiro é uma Revisão Sistemática que buscou verificar a relação entre os conceitos de bem-estar e espiritualidade e religiosidade entre adolescentes, a partir de artigos empíricos publicados nos últimos 5 anos. Foram selecionados 26 artigos, que indicaram que há relação entre esses aspectos, e que essa é em geral positiva. Os estudos 2 a 4 apresentam avaliação psicométrica dos seguintes instrumentos: Escala de Bem-estar Psicológico, o Índice de Religiosidade de Duke e o módulo de Espiritualidade, religiosidade e Crenças pessoais (WHOQOL-SRPB). O estudo 5 investiga um modelo hipotético de bemestar entre adolescentes, composto por dimensões do bem-estar subjetivo e psicológico, e o estudo 6 busca investigar a relação da espiritualidade e da religiosidade com o bem-estar de adolescentes brasileiros. Nestes dois últimos estudos são analisadas ainda as possíveis diferenças nas medidas utilizadas por idade e sexo. A amostra dos estudos 2 a 6 foi composta por 1.248 adolescentes brasileiros de 12 a 18 anos (M = 15,09, DP = 1,77). A pesquisa foi realizada de forma online, através de um site criado especificamente para esse fim. Também participaram de grupos focais, realizados para o estudo 04, 58 adolescentes (M = 14,08, DP = 1,65). Para os estudos 5 e 6, além dos instrumentos já citados, foram utilizados uma escala de satisfação com a vida (BMLSS) e uma escala de afetos (CAS). Os resultados dos estudos 2 a 4 indicaram em geral bons índices de ajuste para análises fatoriais (exploratórias e confirmatórias), bem como a invariância dos instrumentos por sexo e idade. No estudo 5 foram testados modelos de relações entre o bem-estar subjetivo e psicológico através de SEM. A partir dos resultados optou-se por um modelo integrado, de fator único, explicando ambas as medidas. No estudo 6 os resultados indicaram relações positivas entre a espiritualidade e a religiosidade com o modelo integrado de bem-estar. Em relação às diferenças por médias, para bem-estar subjetivo foram encontradas diferenças significativas por sexo (meninas com médias maiores), para bem-estar psicológico diferenças por sexo e idade, sendo os resultados apresentados para cada subescala. Em relação à religiosidade e espiritualidade houve diferenças tanto por sexo como por idade. Em geral as meninas apresentaram médias maiores, e não foi encontrado um padrão nas diferenças por idade. Conclui-se que bem-estar subjetivo e psicológico dos adolescentes estão altamente correlacionados, podendo ser compreendidos em um modelo integrado de bem-estar, e que tanto a espiritualidade como a religiosidade possuem contribuições positivas sobre esse bem-estar. / This thesis aims to investigate the relationship of spirituality and religiosity with the wellbeing of adolescents, considering both subjective and psychological well-being. Six studies were developed. The first one is a Systematic Review that sought to verify the relationship between well-being and spirituality and religiosity among adolescents, based on empirical articles published in the last 5 years. We selected 26 articles that indicate that there is a relationship between these aspects, and that this is generally positive. Studies 2 to 4 present a psychometric evaluation of the following instruments: Psychological Well-being Scale, Duke Religious Index, and the Spirituality, Religion and Personal Beliefs module (WHOQOLSRPB). Study 5 investigates a hypothetical model of well-being among adolescents, composed of dimensions of subjective and psychological well-being. Study 6 seeks to investigate the relationship of spirituality and religiosity with the well-being of Brazilian adolescents. In the latter two studies, the possible differences in the measures used by age and sex are also analyzed. The sample of studies 2 to 6 was composed of 1,248 Brazilian adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (M = 15.09, SD = 1.77). The research was conducted online, through a website created specifically for this purpose. For study 4, 58 adolescents (M = 14.08, SD = 1.65) also participated in focus groups. For studies 5 and 6, in addition to the instruments already cited, a life satisfaction scale (BMLSS) and an affects scale (CAS) were used. The results of studies 2 to 4 indicated, in general, good overall fit indices for factor analysis (exploratory and confirmatory), as well as the invariance of instruments by sex and age. In study 5 we tested models of relations between subjective and psychological well-being through SEM. From the results, we opted for an integrated, single-factor model, explaining both measures. In study 6 the results indicated positive relations between spirituality and religiosity with the integrated model of well-being. Regarding the differences by means, for subjective well-being were found significant differences by sex (girls with larger means), and for psychological well-being differences by sex and age, with the results presented for each subscale. Regarding religiosity and spirituality there were differences both by sex and by age. In general, girls presented higher averages, and a pattern of age differences was not found. The conclusion is that the subjective and psychological well-being of adolescents are highly correlated and can be understood in an integrated model of well-being, and that both spirituality and religiosity have positive contributions to this well-being.

A dual-factor model of mental health includes indicators of wellness (i.e., subjective well-being) and psychopathology (i.e., internalizing and externalizing behavior problems) in defining psychological wellness. The present empirical investigation examined the utility of SWB and psychopathology examined separately and together (as in a dual-factor model of mental health) in predicting students' subsequent academic achievement and in-school behavior. Specifically, it determined if SWB, psychopathology, and membership in a specific mental health group yielded by the dual-factor model (i.e., complete mental health, vulnerable, symptomatic but content, or troubled) at Time 1 was related to achievement (i.e., GPA, FCAT-math, FCAT-reading, absences, office disciplinary referrals [ODRs]) the following school year (i.e., Time 2). A previously analyzed data set (Time 1) and a different archival data set yielded from student records unique to the current study (Time 2) comprised of data from 300 adolescents were analyzed. Results of regression analyses to explore the predictive initial relationship of mental health to later student achievement indicated that initial SWB predicted student grades one year later, initial internalizing psychopathology predicted absences one year later, and initial externalizing psychopathology predicted grades, absences, and ODRs one year later. Results of mixed model ANCOVAs indicated that students' grades and attendance across time varied as a function of mental health group. Specifically, students belonging to the troubled mental health group declined at a significantly faster rate than youth without psychopathology across time on GPA. In contrast, the slope of students in the symptomatic but content group was not significantly different from the slope of peers with low psychopathology. Additionally, at Time 2, the best school attendance and school grades were found by students who had both average/high SWB and low psychopathology one year earlier, supporting the long-term utility of complete mental health.

<p>Black Americans living in rural regions of the U.S. are an underserved and under-researched population in the mental health field. Health and wellness disparities in Black populations are consistently documented as far worse than in White populations. Yet, the effects of low density of Black people living in predominantly White rural communities is unknown to mental health professionals and researchers alike. This study aimed to fill gaps in the literature concerning effects of Black density and city population on community attachment, place attachment, and subjective well-being, as well as community and place attachment’s effects on subjective well-being. Using a secondary dataset titled Soul of the Community [in 26 Knight Foundation Communities in the United States] (Gallup International, Inc., 2009), it was discovered that Black density alone had no significant relationships with any other variables, but the interaction of Black density and city population negatively predicted place attachment. In addition, community and place attachment both positively predicted subjective well-being. These results indicate that where people live matters and has a significant impact on their attachment to their physical surroundings. In addition, one’s connection to community and place are vital contributors to subjective well-being. Clinical implications can be drawn from this study pointing to the importance of clinical awareness regarding rurality, racial density, and community and place attachment. Moreover, clinicians can assess for these factors in the therapy room and encourage clients to explore their own communities.</p>

This study examined the impact of dissent and workplace freedom of speech on employees’ well-being (subjective, psychological and workplace well-being). Data for the study were collected through an online survey distributed to employees of various organizations. The findings revealed that upward dissent was positively related to subjective well-being (consisting of life satisfaction, positive affect and negative affect), psychological well-being, workplace well-being, and workplace freedom of speech. Lateral dissent was positively related to negative affect, workplace well-being and negatively related to life satisfaction and positive affect. However, there was no relationship between lateral dissent and psychological well-being. Workplace freedom of speech was positively related to psychological well-being and workplace well-being. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

Happiness and the effects of happiness on individual level is an well established resarch topic. It is scientifically proven that happy individuals receives benefits regarding health and social life that unhappy individuals does not. This in combination with the average length of an individuals life has increased by 10 years since 1970 makes the relationship between happiness and age an interesting resarch topic. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the existance of a relationship between age and happiness in Sweden and in a selection of other european countries. The data is collected from the european social survey and analysed with multiple regression analysis in SPSS Statistics. The result is discussed in relation to Brüldes (2007) theory of hybrid happiness, Anderssons (2013) theory regarding the life course and Esping-Andersens (1990) theory about different welfare states. The main findings of this study is that there is no relationship between age and happiness in Sweden. There is however a relationship between age and happiness in a couple of european countries included in this study. The countries where the relationship is found belongs to the conservative welfare category. One explanation to why these countries reports a relationship is that conservative welfare gives the citizens individual conditions to care for their family and old ones.