The research aimed to investigate the effects of creative activity on stress and anxiety levels. The reasons for this proposed direction of study was to investigate the reasons for reported success in art therapy (thus strengthening its standing in the scientific psychological community), to examine whether creative activities could be used to benefit the mental well-being of people in general and to study the link between creativity and mental well-being. This was accomplished through the following means: Patients from MuelMed hospital’s rehabilitation centre took part in a creative intervention. Patients took the SCL-90-R before painting for about an hour and then filled in the SCL-90-R again. A control group was also selected who also filled in the SCL-90-R to ascertain their stress levels. The mean score’s of the two groups was compared as well as the before and after scores of the experimental group. The MMSE (Mini Mental Status Exam) was used to screen patients, so that only those patients cognitively capable of participating in the study took part in the experiment. For the most part the MMSE was a useful tool to screen patients. In the experimental group, there was no statistically significant difference between the before and after scores on the SCL-90-R. Because the experimental group showed no difference, only one measure of the control group was taken, which also did not differ significantly from the scores of the experimental group. Reasons for the lack of statistical significance is discussed, and may be due to a lack of reported initial stress levels. Despite the lack of a statistically significant findings, it is suggested that further studies be conducted to establish the role creativity plays in mental well-being. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted

Background: Smartphone addiction can have negative consequences such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, and a loss of social connectivity. Understanding smartphone addiction is still in its early stages, but self-regulation and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are two established risk factors. Exploring these risk factors and their impact on individuals’ well-being may help prevent smartphone addiction. Objective: This study aims to (1) explore the relationship between smartphone addiction and psychological and social well-being (e.g., friendship validation and caring, and friendship and intimate exchange) among adolescents. (2) Examine whether self-regulation mediates the relationship between smartphone addiction and psychological well-being and social well-being. (3) Examine whether attention mediates the relationship between smartphone addiction and psychological well-being and social well-being. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in middle school in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Students (Grade 6-8) completed an online survey that measured smartphone addiction, attention, self-regulation, and psychological and social well-being. A bivariate correlational analysis was used to examine the relationship between smartphone addiction, self-regulation, attention psychological well-being, and social well-being. Multiple mediation analyses were used to perform the mediation between smartphone addiction, attention, self-regulation, and psychological and social well-being. Results: The bivariate correlation showed significant negative associations between smartphone addiction and attention, self-regulation, psychological well-being, and friendship validation and caring. Smartphone addiction did not have a significant relationship with friendship intimate exchange. The mediation analysis showed that attention was a significant mediator between smartphone addiction and psychological well-being (indirect effect= -.102; 95% CI -.142, -.066) and between smartphone addiction and friendship validation and caring (indirect effect= -.056; 95% CI -.093, -.024; direct effect= -.071; 95% CI -.155, .013). Attention did not significantly mediate the relationship between smartphone addiction and the friendship intimate exchange aspect of social well-being (indirect effect= -.005; 95% CI -.026, .016). Self-regulation showed a significant partial mediation between smartphone addiction and psychological well-being (indirect effect= -.016; 95% CI -.034, -.002). Self-regulation did not significantly mediate the relationship between smartphone addiction and friendship validation and caring (indirect effect=-.014; 95% CI -.034, .001) and friendship intimate exchange (indirect effect=-.001; 95% CI -.007, .007). Conclusion: The results indicated that the negative relationship between smartphone addiction and psychological well-being can be partially explained by adolescents’ attention and self-regulation abilities. The negative relationship between smartphone addiction and social well-being (validation and caring) can be partially explained by adolescents’ attention. However, both aspects of social well-being (validation and caring and intimate exchange) were not impacted by self-regulation. This study identified potential mediators that may be used for future interventions to prevent smartphone addiction and promote wellbeing. / Graduate

Objective. To characterize the impact of COVID-19 transitions on first professional year (P1) students’ domain-specific and overall well-being. Methods. All P1 students (N=74) enrolled at one college of pharmacy self-reported their career, community, financial, physical, social, and overall well-being on a weekly basis from January 6 through April 27, 2020. Parametric statistical tests and effect sizes were used to compare well-being scores pre-transition and post-transition and to compare well-being scores to a previous cohort of P1 students. Results. Mean well-being scores decreased when comparing pre-transition vs post-transition scores, with effect sizes ranging from dav=.16 for financial well-being to dav=.84 for social well-being. The average percent of students that reported struggling increased by 86.1% (16.8% vs 31.2%) post-tran-sition, and the average percent of students that reported suffering post-transition was 351% higher (1.3% vs 6%) than pre-transition. Conclusion. Pharmacy students’ domain specific and overall well-being significantly decreased with COVID-19-related transitions. The percentage of students reporting struggling or suffering significantly increased post-transition.

Although forgiveness is a broad psychological construct of increasing interest, the majority of research has focused on forgiveness of another person for a specific transgression. Independent of other dimensions of forgiveness, self-forgiveness has been significantly associated with health and well-being. Many dimensions of forgiveness share common definitional components; however, due to conceptual differences based on the self as both the offender and the offended, a distinct definition of self-forgiveness is necessary. Indeed, definition and resultant measurement-related limitations have likely slowed the progression of research on self-forgiveness, including understanding the role of self-forgiveness in the promotion of health and well-being and the role of self-forgiveness in facilitating treatment itself. A comprehensive literature review was conducted revealing 177 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles focused on the psychology of self-forgiveness. Of those 177 articles, 85 (48.02%) contained explicit definition-based information regarding self-forgiveness as a particular construct, from which 5 key distinctive definitional components were identified: reconciliation, acceptance, accountability, human-connectedness, and changecommitment. A comprehensive and accessible definition of self-forgiveness is proposed based on a consensus of the scientific peer-reviewed psychological literature. In addition, implications of a consensus definition for more effective assessment and treatment are discussed.

Participating in organized sport has, according to previous research, been proven to have several benefits concerning health and well-being. Psychosocial factors such as task/ego- orientation, support from coaches and significant others has been shown to affect well-being in sport-environments. Present study was set out to investigate whether unique subgroups within soccer players (N = 732) could be found based on psychosocial factors, and if any difference between these subgroups could be found regarding well-being using a cross sectional design in four different districts around Sweden. LCA-analyses was carried out to identify the subgroups within the sample. The analyses identified four subgroups (“classes”) and the main findings showed that players who felt support from coaches and significant others and were in environments which were more task and mastery-oriented had higher general well-being. Present study confirmed previous research findings that support and environmental factors (e.g., task/ego-orientation, mastery/ego-goals) affect players well- being.

Diploma thesis deals with quality of life and well-being of senior citizens in Czech Republic from economic perspective. Secondary quantitative research was conducted based on data from SHARE project database. Using regression analysis and nonparametric tests was researched, which factors have impact on well-being of senior citizens. Well-being is represented via index of quality of life CASP. Further was conducted analysis of interviews with senior citizen, which were sup-posed to give more detailed view what affects their quality of life. Combining results of both parts of research was discovered what affects well-being of senior citizens in Czech Republic the most. According to the results are proposed recommendations which would help to improve quality of life of senior citizens in Czech Republic.

Spiritual Well-Being of Black LGBT Individuals When Faced With Religious Homonegativity by Patricia A. Hill MA, Loyola University-Chicago, 2004 BS, Chicago State University, 2000 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Psychology Walden University May 2015 Abstract Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) individuals in the United States often face homophobic sermons and messages within their traditional religious settings. This phenomelogical research study was designed to document and understand the lived experiences of Black LGBT individuals' spiritual well-being in the face of homonegativity, and to identify the ways in which they cope with these experiences. The qualitative interview data from 9 participants were interpreted through the lens of feminist theory and Pargament's theory of the psychology of religion and coping. Recurring themes were coded from the participants' interviews using the QSR Nvivo 10 software program. Interview themes included change in faith community, experiencing familial acceptance or discord/rejection due to sexual orientation, feelings of abandonment by God/religion, negative experiences in a religious setting due to sexual orientation, emotional reactions, maladaptive coping, adaptive coping, and religious and/or spiritual reconciliation. The results of this study provide insight into the challenges that Black LGBT individual experience with religious homonegativity and they ways in which they cope with these stresses and challenges. This study promotes positive social change by providing a better understanding of the impact of Christian religion on the mental and spiritual well-being of the Black LGBT individual. These findings can be used to inform therapists and psychologists who are seeking treatment strategies for their Black LGBT clients. The findings suggest there is an educational component that also could benefit family, friends, and religious leaders who want to be present and accepting of the Black LGBT community.

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / This study investigated the work-life balance phenomenon by closely focusing on the individual coping mechanisms that working students adopt during their academic journey. The research was motivated by the serious financial, student burnout, psychological well-being and other obstacles that working students face, which often result in poor academic performance among this group. Exploratory survey research design was adopted in the study, while the qualitative data collection approach was employed using a structured interview as an instrument to elicit information from five research participants (postgraduate students at the University of the Western Cape). Content analysis was run to identify key themes within the data which pointed strongly towards time management as a coping strategy. / 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected everyone in the world, however the phenomenon of growth following intense suffering has been well-documented over the past few decades (e.g., Tedeschi et al., 2018). Less research has been able to explain why some experience growth from trauma while others do not. Drawing from Joseph and Linley’s (2005) Organismic Valuing Theory model of posttraumatic growth, we examined the role of the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness (during the onset of the pandemic and currently) in fostering posttraumatic growth. Participants (N = 289) completed an online survey assessing the impact of the pandemic, basic psychological needs, and posttraumatic growth. We hypothesized that participants with greater satisfaction of basic psychological needs during the onset of the pandemic and currently would report greater posttraumatic growth. We found that current satisfaction of psychological needs significantly predicted posttraumatic growth (β = .42, p < .001) whereas satisfaction of psychological needs at onset did not. Secondary analyses of the impact of each need (current and at onset) on posttraumatic growth revealed that current autonomy support significantly predicted posttraumatic growth above and beyond the other needs across both time points (β = .29, p < .001). Interpretations of these results are discussed, and implications and limitations of the study are addressed. / Graduate / 2023-12-31

No description available.