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.

Jaunesniojo mokyklinio amžiaus mokinių mokymosi motyvacijos ir savijautos klasėje tyrimo tikslas - išsiaiškinti I – IV klasių mokinių vyraujančius mokymosi motryvus, mokymosi motyvaciją bei savijautą klasėje ir aptarti motyvų formavimo bei savijautos gerinimo galimybes. Tyrime dalyvavo 165 respondentai iš Telšių rajono dviejų miestelių vidurinių mokyklų: 87 berniukai ir 78 mergaitės. Šis tyrimas buvo atliekamas su visa klase pamokos metu. Pokalbis pravestas po pamokų. Mokymosi motyvacija tirta taikant Jelisejevo (2001) mokymosi motyvacijos anketą. Mokymosi motyvai tirti taikant Zambacevičienės, Janulytės (1998) mokymosi motyvų anketą “Kodėl aš mokausi?”. Siekiant įvertinti savijautą klasėje, buvo taikyta Mariščiuk, Bludovo, Plachtijenko, Serovos (1984) SAN metodika, kuri buvo modifikuota ir pritaikyta jaunesniojo mokyklinio amžiaus mokinių savijautai klasėje įvertinti. Gauti rezultatai rodo, jog jaunesniojo mokyklinio amžiaus mokinių mokymosi motyvacijoje vyrauja nepakankamai susiformavęs požiūris į save kaip mokinį (nuo57 % iki 77 %). Tiriant motyvus, visose klasėse aiškiai dominuoja socialinio pripažinimo motyvas (nuo 42 % iki 63 %). Tiriant mokinių savijautą klasėje išaiškėjo, jog nuo I iki IV klasės mokinių savijauta vis blogėja: gera savijauta I klasėje būdinga 89 %, II klasėje – 76 %, III klasėje - 65 %, IV klasėje – 61 % moksleivių. Vidinis mokymosi motyvaas teigiamai susijęs su susiformavusiu požiūriu į save kaip mokinį. Neigiamos stimuliacijos motyvas... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Aim of investigation learning motivation and psychological well-being at primary school students – ascertain learning motivation and well-being in the I – IV class of children, to discuss about formation of motives and improvement of psychological well-being. Take part in the investigation – 165 members from two schools of Telšiai district. There was 87 boys and 78 girls. This inquiry was going in time of lesson. Talk was going on after classes. Learning motivation was study according to questionnaire of Jelisejevas (2001). Learning motives was study according to questionnaire of Zambacevičienė, Janulytė (1998) “Why am I learning?”. Well-being in the class was appreciate according to modify a questionnaire of Mariščiuk, Bludov, Plachtijenko, Serova (1984) SAN methodic. This methodic was adapted to study well-being in the class of students of primary school. Findings was disclose that in learning motivation of students of primary school the over is insufficient standpoint of themselves like students (from 57 % to 77 %). The results about learning motives was that in every class was prevail recognition of social motive (from 42 % to 63 %). The results of well-being in the class show, that from I to IV class the well-beint of students go bad. Good well-being in I class was 89 % of schoolboys and schoolgirls, in II class – 76 %, III – 65%, IV – 61 %. The motive of negatives stimulation was characteristic in all class and was from 17 % to 26 %. There was ascertain the... [to full text]

Šiuolaikinės visuomenės žmogus neįsivaizduoja savo gyvenimo be darbo. Darbas yra žmogaus gyvenime esmė. Gera savijauta darbe, darbuotojų sauga ir sveikata negali būti charakterizuojama vien nelaimingų atsitikimų darbe ar profesinių ligų nebuvimu, bet ir gera fizine, moraline ir socialine savijauta, kuri pasiekiama gerinant darbo kokybę, atsižvelgiant į įvykusius pokyčius visuomenėje. Organizacijos klimatas ir darbuotojų savijauta yra tiesiogiai susiję. Šio darbo tikslas - ištirti organizacijos mikroklimato įtaką asmens savijautai socialines paslaugas teikiančiose institucijose. Uždaviniai: išanalizuoti organizacijos klimato sampratą bei darančius įtaką jam veiksnius.Pateikti asmens savijautos darbe teorinį pagrindimą; apibūdinti socialinio darbuotojo vaidmenį formuojant palankų mikroklimatą socialinėje institucijoje; ištirti ir apibendrinti organizacijos mikroklimatą ir asmens savijautą socialines paslaugas teikiančiose institucijose; Parengti išvadas, rekomendacijas. Darbo metodika, padėjusi išspręsti minėtus uždavinius, susideda iš mokslinės literatūros analizės (atlikta siekiant išsiaiškinti organizacijos mikroklimato ir darančių jam įtaką veiksnių mokslinį pagrindimą, darbuotojo savijautos sampratą, socialinio darbuotojo įtaką geram mikroklimatui formavimuoti); dokumentų analizės (atlikta siekiant išsiaiškinti socialinių darbuotojų funkcijas, jų veiklos aspektus nagrinėjamu klausimu; anketinės apklausos (socailines paslaugas teikiančiose institucijose darbuotojų... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / A person of modern society cannot imagine his or her life without work. Work holds a central place in human life. Well-being, security and health of workers can be characterized not only by absence at work and professional diseases but also by improving quality of working conditions. It should be done taking into account changes of society, which have taken place. Climate of organization and well - being of workers are directly connected. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the impact of organizational microclimate on well - being of a person at institutions providing social services. The objectives are: to analyze the concept of organizational climate and factors affecting; to give theoretical justification of personal well-being at work; to characterize the role of social worker forming favorable microclimate at institutions providing social services; to give conclusions. Methodology of the paper, which helped to attain the above objectives, consist of analysis of scientific literature (it was done with a view to giving a scientific justification of organizational microclimate and factors influencing it. Also, the aim was to reveal the concept of well-being of workers and the influence of a social worker on forming a good microclimate); analysis of documents (it was done to show functions of social workers, the aspects of their activity concerning the relevant issue); questionnaire surveys (the surveys were carried out at institutions providing social services). The... [to full text]

Darbo tikslai – išanalizuoti paauglių savęs vertinimo ir nerimastingumo ypatumus; įvertinti paauglių savęs vertinimo, nerimastingumo bei savijautos kitimus po psichologinio poveikio. Tyrimas atliktas vienoje Mažeikių miesto vidurininėje mokykloje, penkiais etapais: Savęs vertinimo, nerimastingumo reiškinių tyrimai; Eksperimentinės ir Kontrolinės grupių atranka; Pakartotiniai savęs vertinimo, nerimastingumo, savijautos reiškinių tyrimai prieš poveikį; Savęs vertinimo, nerimastingumo, savijautos matavimai po poveikio; bei Psichologinio poveikio efektyvumo įvertinimas. Tyrime panaudotos trys metodikos: savęs vertinimui tirti buvo naudota M. Rosenberg savęs vertinimo skalė (angl.Rosenberg Self –esteem-Scale-RSE); nerimastingumui įvertinti buvo naudota A.M.Prichožan ,,Asmeninio nerimastingumo skalė’’; savijautai tirti buvo naudota Savijautos skalė sudaryta šio darbo autorės. Viso ištirta 186 paaugliai, iš jų atrinkta Eksperimentinė bei Kontrolinė grupės (po 26 paauglius). Eksperimentinei grupei buvo taikomas psichologinis poveikis- darbas Bendravimo grupėse pagal darbo autorės pritaikytas užduotis ir pratimus. Atlikta tyrimo analizė parodė, kad tarp savęs vertinimo ir nerimastingumo yra vidutinio stiprumo statistiškai reikšmingas ryšys: didėjant savęs vertinimui, mažėja nerimastingumas. Taikant psichologinį poveikį (dirbant paauglių Bendravimo grupėse), Eksperimentinėje grupėje dalyvavusiems paaugliams padidėjo savęs vertinimas, sumažėjo nerimastingumas... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Objectives- to analyse pecularities of self-worth and anxiety in teenagers; evaluate effect of psychological treatment on teenagers self-worth, anxiety and well-beying. The research took place in one of the higher schools in Mazeikiai following five stages: Exploration of self-esteem, anxiety appearance, sampling in experimental and control groups ; repeated measurements of self-esteem, anxiety appearance before treatment; self-esteem, anxiety appearance and wellbeing of participants after treatment, therefore effectiveness of psychological treatment has been measured. Three different types of methodology was applied in this research: levels of self-worth was assessed by Rosenbergs self-esteem scale RSE; levels of anxiety has been measured using A.M. Prichozan “Personal anxiety scale”, in order to assess well-being of participants Well-being Scale designed by author of this research has been applied. 186 teenagers participated in this research, 26 participants in each of control and treatment groups. In Treatment group psychological impact was applied-work in small groups following authoress of this research designed questioners and tasks. Results of this research revealed that there is a positive correlation between self-esteem and anxiety levels. Higher levels of self-esteem show lower levels of anxiety in participants. Therefore, application of psychological impact in treatment groups reveals positive effect on adolescence self-esteem and reduction of... [to full text]

Various dimensions of perfectionism are proposed, but are seldom integrated. This research develops and tests an integrative theory of perfectionism. Theory predicts personality traits (perfectionistic concerns, but not perfectionistic strivings) precede and predict changes in characteristic adaptations (perfectionistic self-presentation and perfectionism cognitions). Theory also predicts characteristic adaptations precede and predict decreases in subjective well-being (SWB), and are associated with a particular patterned form of perfectionistic narrative identity (i.e., heightened agency and lowered communion). This research tests this integrative theory. A sample of 127 emerging adults (ages 18-25) transitioning to university for the first time was recruited (78% female; 81% Caucasian). A 3-wave, 130-day longitudinal design with quantitative and qualitative components was used. Participants completed questionnaire measures of perfectionism and subjective well-being at all waves, and completed semi-structured life story interviews at Waves 1 and 3. Interviews were transcribed and coded for themes of agency (i.e., themes of achievement, status, power, and self-mastery) and communion (i.e., themes of love, dialogue, caring, and community). Results are presented in Chapters 2, 4 and 5. In Chapter 2, perfectionistic concerns led to increased perfectionistic self-presentation, which in turn led to decreases in SWB. In contrast, perfectionistic strivings did not predict longitudinal change in perfectionistic self-presentation or SWB. These findings supported hypotheses. In Chapter 4, perfectionistic concerns and perfectionism cognitions were positively correlated with agency. Perfectionism cognitions mediated the relationship between perfectionistic concerns and agency. A qualitative thematic analysis revealed themes of agency focused on performance-related concerns, with undertones of self-doubt and unrealistic high standards. These findings supported hypotheses. In Chapter 5, perfectionistic concerns and SWB were unrelated to communion, contrary to expectations. However, themes of communion exhibited good inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability, and face validity. Hypotheses regarding communion were not supported. Overall, most hypotheses were supported. By conceptualizing perfectionistic personality as a dynamic, multifaceted, and integrated system, there are numerous implications for developmental, clinical, and personality psychology. These implications, along with the strengths and limitations of this study, are discussed.

Does a parent’s illness or disability hurt the educational attainment of their children? This dissertation consists of three essays on the impact of negative health events / activity limitation experienced by parents on their children’s human capital, and how the negative consequences of parental illness can be mediated by public policy. The first essay uses the 1991-2006 Chinese Health and Nutrition Survey and finds poor Chinese children whose parent has a serious illness are much more likely to drop out of primary or secondary school compared to other children whose parents remain healthy. The second essay, using Canada’s 1994-2008 NLSCY, discovers a similar “attendance gap” at the post-secondary level between Canadian youth of disabled parents and their peers of non-disabled parents. Finally, the third essay demonstrates that higher cash transfers made available to parents with a disability can boost children’s math test performance and facilitate non-cognitive skill development.

Security about one's economic future is something that is valued by risk-averse individuals and its absence may decrease their economic well-being. Therefore, rich societies have social protection mechanisms in place to guard people against potential economic hazards. However, such mechanisms may be absent in poor countries where people are not only poorer but exposed to significant economic risks. Under this context, this paper inquires if there is a comparable way to measure an Index of Economic Security for a sample of three South Asian and seven OECD countries. We provide a theoretical framework to articulate why economic security is important in the measurement of well-being. We also discuss the human rights perspective on economic insecurity and its implications for measurement of economic security. After constructing a basic index, we conduct sensitivity analysis to determine how much impact methodological choices have on country performance.

Background. Heart failure (HF) is a prevalent chronic cardiovascular disease that is characterized by progressive functional decline. Given the known links between high levels of support and positive health outcomes the objectives of this study were: 1) to determine the levels and patterns of social support, and related gender differences, 2) to determine the influence of support on functional outcomes as defined by a deterioration in physical function over 1-year following exacerbation of HF, and 3) to describe the effects of gender on social support in influencing adverse outcomes. Methods. Data were obtained from a 1-year prospective cohort study that included male and female participants ≥ 65 years of age (n=435; 164 females; 271 males) with HF. Participants completed questionnaires at baseline, 6 and 12-months containing clinical and demographic information and validated measures of 1) physical function, using derived scores from the Medical Outcome Study SF-12, and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), and 2) social support using the Medical Outcome Study, Social Support Survey. Results. Women were more likely to be single, widowed or divorced, living alone and earned less annual income compared to men (p < .01). Women tended to report lower mean social support scores than men at all time points. When controlling for clinical and demographic variables, being married (OR 12.2; 95%CI: 5.1, 19.2), living with someone (OR 13.6; 95%CI: 6.2, 21.0), and higher income (OR 0.08; 95%CI: .01, .15), were significantly associated with higher levels of social support at baseline. Although women reported significantly lower disease-specific (p= .01) and generic (p= .01) physical function scores, no significant gender differences existed in the proportion of men or women that experienced functional decline or death at 1-year of follow-up. In a multivariate logistic regression modeling, men with lower levels of social support were more likely to experience generic functional decline or adverse outcomes. This was not the same for women. Conclusions. Women, reported less social support and poorer functioning, but the impact of social support on functional decline was more pronounced in men. Gender-sensitive management should be considered to optimize function for men and women living with HF. / Thesis (Master, Nursing) -- Queen's University, 2010-11-29 15:32:00.616

Time perspective (TP) represents a person's tendency to focus more on the past, present or future and has been shown to predict measures of individual well-being (Boniwell, et al., 2010). This study examined the relationship between one’s time perspective and measures of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, specifically positive and negative affect, satisfaction with life, and self-actualization. Furthermore, this study explored hope across the different time perspectives. Two hundred and eighty eight Canadian adults were recruited via social media websites. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to validate the Balanced Time Perspective construct and suggests that the Hedonism time profile is as adaptive as the Balanced Time Perspective. Correlational analysis was used to examine the association between hope and the five different time perspectives. Results indicate that the past positive time perspective is most predictive of high levels of hope. Results were discussed and integrated into current time perspective and hope research.