The aim of this study was to explore God-belief as a source of meaning and psychological well-being qualitatively and through the review of literature. The study is embedded in the growing field of Psychology of Religion. In the first article, a literature overview regarding the field of Psychology of Religion, and specifically research done in the South African context, was reported. The key constructs spirituality and religiousness were investigated and defined. It was argued that traditional African religion and spirituality have unique characteristics and that Western, mostly Christian-based, research does not necessarily reflect the South African psycho-religious landscape. Articles published in the South African Journal of Psychology over the 10-year period 1997 to 2006 were analysed to ascertain the extent of South African research in this field. The necessity of continued research in this field in order to expand and enrich psychological discourse became clear. The second article investigated the reasons for humans' religiousness, the influence of religion on people's perspective on life and the importance of understanding the impact of religion on human functioning. It was shown that homo sapiens evolved to be religious and that religiousness therefore is a fundamental aspect of humanness. Untestable ontological and cosmological assumptions (mostly religiously informed) permeate people's worldviews and more or less unconsciously influence their decisions, their openness to new perspectives and their judgement and prejudices. This fact is not necessarily generally understood or recognised. The importance of helping professionals understanding their own assumptions and acknowledging those of their clients was illustrated in the context of education. The third article reported on the qualitative, interpretive case study in which the God-belief of a group of Christians from an African context was analysed and interpreted in terms of the participants' creation of meaning and their psychological well-being. Interviews were conducted with twelve participants, eight male and four female, ranging in age between twenty-five and sixty-five years, in sessions of between one hour and one and a half hours. The transcribed interviews, notes on personal reactions, insights, beliefs and discussions with knowledgeable individuals accumulated during the research process and noted in a research journal as well as literature were the sources of data for the thick description of the experiences of the participants. The description focused on participants' knowledge of God (God-concept), experience of their relationship with God (God-image) and their understanding of life. The contribution of their God-belief to their sense of meaning and psychological well-being was the leitmotiv of the description. The final conclusions were inter alia that the God-belief and mostly the God-image that participants hold, are a deep source of meaning, especially under unfavourable life circumstances and that aspects of participants' psychological well-being, e.g. a sense of self-worth, aspects of attachment and ability to cope with adversity, seem to stem from both the meaning that they create through their God-belief as well as the relationship they experience with their God. More South African research in the field of Psychology of Religion is called for, and professionals (e.g. therapists, clergy and educators) need to develop an understanding of and sensitivity to spirituality through their professional training. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

It is well known that adolescence is a difficult stage of development, involving various aspects of development, namely biological, cognitive, social and emotional development. More recent research indicates that the turbulence and stress in adolescence are exaggerated to a great extent (Berk, 2006); yet the youth of today seem increasingly unhappy. Eating disorders, depression and suicide are some of the problems that occur more frequently in adolescence than before adolescence (Barlow & Durand, 2005). Adolescence may also involve that youth become reluctant to spend time with their parents and that they become more likely to engage in arguments with their parents. Research indicates that both parents and adolescents report that they feel less close to each other during this time (Steinberg & Morris, 2001). The purpose of this study was to investigate what adolescents' experiences were of their relationship with their parents, what influence the parent-adolescent relationship (as perceived by the adolescent) has on adolescent emotional-well-being, as well as to determine whether or not adolescents' emotional well-being can be predicted by the parent-adolescent relationship. A quantitative cross-sectional survey research design was used for the purpose of this study. The selected sample included grade 9 to l I learners at various secondary schools who fitted the selection criteria (N = 257). Data collection took place by means of various validated questionnaires to measure the parent-adolescent relationship: The Family Satisfaction Scale (Olson & Wilson, 1982), The Parent- adolescent Communication Scale (Barnes & Olson, 1982), The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) of Armsden and Greenberg (1987). To measure adolescent emotional well-being, The Emotional Intelligence Scale (E LS) of Schutte et al. ( 1998), The Fortitude Questionnaire (FORQ) of Pretorius ( 1997), The Affectometer (AFM) of Kammann and Flett ( l 983), The General Hea lth Questionnaire (GHQ) of Goldberg and Hillier ( 1979) and a biographical questionnaire were used to gather demographic information. There were a total of 152 questions, and it took 30-45 minutes to complete. Data analysis was done by means of descriptive stati stics, reliabi lity and validity indices, correlation indices and t-tests; and Cohen's practical effect size was used to investigate significant differences. The results of the study indicate that the majority of adolescents in the research group rate their relationship with their parents positively, although significant differences were found between genders with regard to family satisfaction and between cultures with regard to parent-adolescent communication. The results also seem to indicate that higher manifestations of aspects of emotional well-being are experienced by the African youth than the white participants; and that a healthy parent-adolescent relationship can have a positive influence on adolescent emotional well-being. The parent-adolescent relationship served as a predictor of adolescent emotional well-being, while attachment anger and family cohesion were found to be the strongest predictors of this. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

Self-assessed quality of life (QoL) is analysed using a QoL questionnaire (Hörnquist’s QLcs) covering the life spheres: somatic health, mental well-being, cognitive ability, social and family life, activity, financial situation, meaning in life and a global score for ‘entire life’. In all, 487 unemployed and 2917 employed subjects aged 25-64; and 651 unemployed subjects and 2802 in work (including employment, studying and military service) in the 18-24 age group, were investigated in a population-based cross-sectional study on life and health in northern Sweden in 1997. In line with previous findings, results showed that unemployed people exhibited poorer QoL.The greatest difference between unemployed people and those in work was in the financial domain (18-24, 25-64). Unemployed women (aged 25-64) rated the final values of QoL – ‘entire life’ and meaning in life – higher than unemployed men did. In the young group (aged 18-24), unemployed women did not rate any of the domains higher. The young unemployed men rated somatic health and mental well-being higher. Interaction effects were interpreted in the following way: a) unemployed men (aged 25-64) were worst off in the global domain ‘entire life’; b) employed respondents, having a university/college education was beneficial for QoL, while for unemployed respondents (25-64) it was not; c) in the young group (aged 18-24), people in work rated their activity higher than unemployed people, and the effect was strengthened when they were regularly active during leisure. Close friends and cash reserve were important for all participants, no matter whether they were employed or not. The risk of being young and unemployed was greater if the person had a shorter education, worse economy (according to their own ratings) and was in the upper half of the age group (aged 21-24). Finally, the conclusion that QoL is poorer when in unemployment – both for the young and those who are older (aged 25-64) – is in line with earlier findings; however, in contrast to three previous studies, we conclude that psychological well-being is even poorer for young people than for those who are older. Intervention, in terms of steadily improved labour market conditions to counteract the negative effects of exclusion from the labour market, is of great importance from a public health perspective. / Självskattad livskvalitet (QoL) har analyserats med ett QoL instrument (Hörnquist’s QLcs) omfattande livsdomänerna: kroppslig hälsa, psykiskt välbefinnande, kognitiv förmåga, socialt liv, sambo/familjeliv, aktivitet, ekonomi, livsmening och en global skattning för ’hela livet’. Totalt, 487 arbetslösa och 2917 anställda i åldrarna 25-64; och 651 arbetslösa och 2802 i sysselsättning (anställda, studerande och värnpliktiga) i åldersgruppen 18-24 år, undersöktes i en befolkningsenkät (tvärsnittsstudie) om hälsa och livsvillkor i norra Sverige 1997. Som i tidigare studier visade resultaten sämre QoL bland de arbetslösa. Största skillnaden mellan arbetslösa och sysselsatta fanns i den ekonomiska domänen (18-24, 25-64). Arbetslösa kvinnor (25-64) skattade finala värden av QoL – ’hela livet’ och livsmening - högre än arbetslösa män. I den unga gruppen (18-24), skattade inte arbetslösa kvinnor högre i någon av livsdomänerna. De unga arbetslösa männen skattade kroppslig hälsa och psykiskt välbefinnande högre. Interaktionseffekter tolkades på följande sätt: a) arbetslösa män (25-64) låg sämst till i den globala domänen ’hela livet’; b) bland de anställda var universitets/högskolexamen fördelaktigt för QoL men inte bland de arbetslösa (25-64); c) i den unga gruppen (18-24) skattade de sysselsatta aktivitet högre än de arbetslösa, och effekten stärktes ytterligare när de var regelbundet aktiva på sin fritid. Nära vänner och tillgång till kontanter var viktiga för alla deltagare, oavsett om de var i sysselsättning eller inte. Risken att vara ung och arbetslös var större om individen hade kortare utbildning, sämre ekonomi (enligt deras egna skattningar) och befann sig i den övre halvan av åldersgruppen (21-24). Till sist, slutsatsen att QoL är sämre när man är arbetslös – både för unga och de äldre (25-64) – överensstämmer med tidigare forskning; dock, i motsats till tre tidigare studier, är det psykiska välbefinnandet sämre bland de unga jämfört med bland de äldre. Intervention, i form av stadigt förbättrade arbetsvillkor för att motverka negativa effekter och utestängande från arbetsmarknaden, är av stor betydelse i ett folkhälsoperspektiv.

An individual’s housing situation can have a significant impact on their well-being and overall health. Low-income individuals and those on social assistance often have little choice in housing. Increased housing satisfaction can have an immediate impact on quality of life and can also have influence in the longer-term. This case study examines the satisfaction and well-being of tenants in a Winnipeg, Manitoba low-income housing project. The buildings that are part of the Kikinaw Housing Project were renovated using green building strategies, a tenant-centred management model is being implemented, and there are several social supports available exclusively to tenants. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with tenants, support staff and management. The practicum concludes that tenants are more satisfied with their living conditions at Kikinaw compared to their previous residence. Residents generally feel better about their health, have more social ties, and take pride in their homes. This improvement in tenant’s lives in turn strengthens the community. The practicum concludes with eight recommendations for housing providers, policy makers, and government bodies. These are divided into three categories: delivery of services, funding provisions and policy, and green and community enhancements. Recommendations include: i) more tenant involvement, ii) improving people’s ability to deal with stress, iii) flexible funding and support, iv) consistent funding and cooperation, v) enhancing social interaction and community, vi) green housing for all incomes levels, vii) resident education about the project, viii) healthy housing policy and healthy public policy.

Although there is a well-known relationship between physical activity and well-being, particularly among women, this association is complex. There is a call for more research regarding key moderating processes that will help to explain the circumstances under which physical activity can lead to optimal well-being. The overall purpose of this dissertation was to examine the influence of situational motivation (Self-Determination Theory; Deci & Ryan, 1985) and passion (Dualistic Model of Passion; Vallerand et al., 2003) as predictors of the relationship between physical activity and indicators of well-being, namely affect and vitality, in active women with multiple life roles. The influence of perceived intensity (RPE) was also investigated. Study 1 followed a within-subject experimental design (N = 40). Article 1 revealed a significant interaction effect between RPE and introjected regulation whereby at low levels of introjection, RPE was positively associated with changes in positive affect with a running task. In Article 2, identified and introjected regulations were positively associated with pre- to post-running increases in positive affect. Moreover, participants with high introjection reported a greater increase in positive affect with a running task but also a greater decline in affect after a non-physical control task. Study 2 employed the Experience Sampling Method over a 14-day period (N = 66). Article 3 revealed a novel motivational sequence whereby introjected regulation was associated with higher RPE, intrinsic motivation (as well as RPE), was positively related to post-physical activity positive affect and the positive influence of identified regulation on affect appeared 3-hours post-activity. Lastly, Article 4 revealed that women’s daily affect was related to engaging in their passionate activity (i.e., physical activity) and that higher harmonious passion and lower obsessive passion led to more stable positive affect across days. Vitality, as measured at endpoint, was negatively predicted by obsessive passion and positively by harmonious passion. The findings are discussed in relation to theoretical tenants and previous studies. The unique results give rise to interesting avenues of future enquiry such as exploring motivational profiles. It is recommended that wellness interventions should emphasize women’s internalization of physical activity in hopes of achieving balanced, sensible physical activity.

Apart from the exceptional landscapes, ideal weather, cultural diversity and other characteristics that typify South Africa, crime and HIV/AIDS are two of the most pressing phrases linked to our country. Victims of crime are at high risk of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Many interventions have been initiated by the government to assist victims in overcoming the effects of crime, HIV/ AIDS and other social health problems on an emotional level, one of which is counselling. The paradigm shift from curing towards caring for HIV/AIDS positive individuals increased the demand for non-professional counsellors. However, without acquiring critical skills and attributes such as emotional intelligence, coping skills and so forth during a professional training programme, non-professional counsellors are at higher risk of suffering from secondary stress disorder. A neglected area as far as non-professional counsellors is concerned, is the well-being of the counsellors. It therefore becomes necessary to conduct research on the health of non-professional counsellors. The objective of this research was to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence, coping and health of non-professional counsellors in the North-West and Gauteng provinces. A cross-sectional survey design with an availability sample (N = 172) was taken from clinics and institutions where counselling was provided to victims of HIV/AIDS and social problems in the North-West and Gauteng Provinces. The Emotional Intelligence Scale, COPE and Health Subscale of the ASSET were used as measuring instruments. The factor analysis confirmed two factors for emotional intelligence, consisting of emotion expression and appraisal and emotion utilisation. Four factors were confirmed for coping, namely approach coping, avoidance, turning to religion and seeking emotional support. Health was found to comprise psychological health and physical health. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were used to specify the relationships between the variables. Results showed a statistically significant positive correlation between emotion expression and appraisal, emotion utilisation, as well as approach to coping and seeking emotional support. Emotion utilisation was statistically significantly positively correlated with seeking emotional support. Approach to coping was statistically significantly positively correlated with seeking emotional support, while avoidance was statistically significantly positively correlated with physical health. Turning to religion was statistically significantly positively correlated with seeking emotional support, and psychological health was statistically significantly positively correlated with physical health. Multiple regression analyses showed that nine per cent of the variance in psychological health was predicted by emotion expression, appraisal and emotion utilisation, whereas 19 per cent of the variance in psychological health was predicted by emotional intelligence and approach to coping strategies. The only significant predictors of psychological health were emotion utilisation and avoidance. Furthermore, the multiple regression analyses also showed that 15 per cent of the variance in physical health was predicted by emotion expression and appraisal, emotion utilisation, approach coping, avoidance, turning to religion and seeking emotional support. The only significant predictor of physical health was avoidance. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

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.

This research focuses on the problem field of those called to full-time Christian work and specifically how the interpretation and implementation thereof has an impact on the spiritual well-being of the adolescents growing up in this context. The purpose of the study is to identify the challenges parents and adolescents experience and to minimise the negative impact thereof through praxis theoretical guidelines for spiritual nurturing. A Biblical perspective on calling to full-time Christian ministry as well as an understanding of the God-given mandate to parents to nurture the spiritual well-being of their family, forms the basis of this research. Insight into the problem field was gained through empirical research conducted by means of structured and unstructured interviews. Adolescents whose parents are presently in full-time Christian work were interviewed by means of a questionnaire as well as an in-depth conversation. Interviews with adults who had grown up in context of full-time Christian work during the 1970's and 1980's gave insight into the long-term impact on spiritual well-being. Parents in full-time Christian work, who are raising adolescents, shared their perspectives and challenges in interviews. Research in the social sciences confirmed the Biblical perspective that the family is the best environment for both adults and children to grow to maturity. Integration of all the dimensions of life is essential for the process growth within the family and is an ongoing dynamic process which continually requires observation, evaluation and change. This study concludes by offering guidelines to parents in full-time Christian work on spiritual nurturing of their family as the primary focus of their ministry. The result of this approach is that the family is restored to its God-ordained position as the epicentre of ministry. Just as Abraham's family was chosen by God to reveal Him to the nations, so, the family in full-time Christian work is called, as a unit, to participate in God's redemption the world. / Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Nursing students are part of the larger nursing community, and their well-being is closely related to that of the community in which they function. Various reports indicate that the South African nursing profession is in crisis due to staff shortages and poor working conditions. Insufficient numbers of registered nurses are entering the profession, and the resultant work pressure, especially for nurses working in the public sector, increases the risk of burnout. A pressing need exists for nursing students to graduate and enter the workforce to alleviate the serious staff shortage. The aim of the research was to explore the different dimensions of well-being as described by nursing students during their nursing studies. A purposive and availability sample was used to explore the experiences of first-year students of the School of Nursing Science at the North-West University during 2008. Qualitative data-gathering methods included in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, personal diaries and visual data-gathering methods such as collages and the Mmogo-method™. A secondary analysis of the qualitative data obtained during 2008 was conducted, and the findings were complemented by a qualitative, exploratory and inductive design to explore the experiences of the same students in the same context two years later in 2010. A case study method was used to explore the experiences of the students. Themes that emerged from the data gathered during the first and the second phase of the research relate to the three sites of well-being as described by Prilleltensky and Prilleltensky (2006), namely personal, relational and collective well-being. Well-being in this research refers to the complexity inherent in the multifaceted profession of nursing and is understood as optimal functioning in all aspects of the person in relation to other people as well as the broader context of the nursing community. The findings should be contextualised against the many adverse circumstances to which students are exposed during their first weeks of training. Many of the students are away from home, often for their first time, and they have to adapt to academic workloads and practical training hours as well as acquire the coping skills needed to manage these new challenges. The students in this study reported high levels of stress and anxiety during their training and said they felt under pressure because of the long hours and heavy workloads. Despite this pressure, many of the students maintained a positive attitude and reiterated their desire to become nurses. Relational well-being included support from friends, family members and lecturers. These were important sources of support for the students. Collective well-being was a major concern, and the students were outspoken about the unhealthy broader context in which they had to function. The situation in the nursing community generally is reflected in the training of nurses. This research highlighted a collective environment that was not conducive to the holistic well-being of the student nurses in the study. Such well-being is crucial as they enter the workforce and face the challenges encountered there. / Thesis (M.A. (Research Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Over the past few decades, the nature of work has undergone remarkable changes, resulting in a shift from manual demands to mental and emotional demands on employees. In order to manage these demands and optimise employee performance, organisations use well-being surveys to guide their interventions. Because these interventions have a drastic financial implication it is important to ensure the validity and reliability of the results. However, even if a validated measuring instrument is used, the problem remains that wellness audits might be reliable, valid and equivalent when the results of a group of people are analysed, but cannot be guaranteed for each individual. It is therefore important to determine the validity and reliability of individual measurements (i.e. protocol validity). However, little information exists concerning the efficiency of different methods to evaluate protocol validity. The general objective of this study was to establish an efficient, real-time method/indicator for determining protocol validity in web-based instruments. The study sample consisted of 14 592 participants from several industries in South Africa and was extracted from a work-related well-being survey archive. A protocol validity indicator that detects random responses was developed and evaluated. It was also investigated whether Item Response Theory (IRT) fit statistics have the potential to serve as protocol validity indicators and this was compared to the newly developed protocol validity indicator. The developed protocol validity indicator makes use of neural networks to predict whether cases have protocol validity. A neural network was trained on a large non-random sample and a computer-generated random sample. The neural network was then cross-validated to see whether posterior cases can be accurately classified as belonging to the random or non-random sample. The neural network proved to be effective in detecting 86,39% of the random responses and 85,85% of the non-random responses correctly. Analyses on the misclassified cases demonstrated that the neural network was accurate because non-random classified cases were in fact valid and reliable, while random classified cases showed a problematic factor structure and low internal consistency. Neural networks proved to be an effective technique for the detection of potential invalid and unreliable cases in electronic well-being surveys. Subsequently, the protocol validity detection capability of IRT fit statistics was investigated. The fit statistics were calculated for the study population and for random generated data with a uniform distribution. In both the study population and the random data, cases with higher outfit statistics showed problems with validity and reliability. When compared to the neural network technique, the fit statistics suggested that the neural network was more effective in classifying non-random cases than it was in classifying random cases. Overall, the fit statistics proved to be effective indicators of protocol invalidity (rather than validity) provided that some additional measures be imposed. Recommendations were made for the organisation as well as with a view to future research. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Human Resource Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.