Thesis (M.A.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2007. / Thesis advisor: James Conway "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Health Psychology" Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-67). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Prosociality describes the tendency to engage in behaviours that aim to enhance or maintain the well-being of others, for example, sharing and co-operating. In children and adolescents this trait is often viewed as a core aspect of social competence and an important developmental outcome. Prosociality may also play an important role in how young people navigate their increasingly complex social world. This raises the question of whether individual differences in prosociality are related to young peoples’ well-being, such as their risk of developing psychological problems. The goal of the current series of research was to explore this question. A series of four studies was designed to answer this question. This research made use of pre-existing survey data, including the “mental health of children and young people in Great Britain, 2004” survey (Papers 3 & 4) and the “Understanding Society” survey (Paper 2), enabling access to large sample sizes. In Paper 1, a meta-analysis was undertaken to determine the nature of the relationship between prosociality and two important clinical outcomes, internalizing disorder and low self-esteem. This review identified a significant but small relationship between greater prosociality and reduced internalizing disorder or low self-esteem. In Paper 2, a longitudinal study explored the relationship between prosociality and well-being over a 1-year-period in children and adolescents. This study did not identify any prospective effect of prosociality upon subsequent changes in well-being. Two further studies explored the factors that may influence whether prosociality is linked to well-being. In Paper 3 the possibility that existing measures of prosociality may partly account for the small or null relationships observed so far (Papers 1 & 2) was explored by developing and validating a new measure of prosociality. This new measure appeared psychometrically robust and demonstrated advantages over pre-existing scales of prosociality. In Paper 4, a cross-sectional study was undertaken to explore whether the discrepancy in young peoples’ self-ratings and parental ratings of prosociality has a relationship with emotional problems (i.e., depression and anxiety). A moderator analysis found that self-rated and parent-rated prosociality may interact to determine risk of psychological problems in young people. This study suggested that the discrepancy in ratings of prosociality may be more important in predicting psychological problems than overall ratings by individual informants. Results support the relevance of prosociality to well-being in young people and highlight how factors such as the measurement of prosociality and the interpersonal context within which it occurs impact upon this relationship.

International students generally face unique challenges when studying at university because they have to live in a country that may be completely different to what they are familiar with (Evivie, 2009; Goyol, 2002; Mudhovozi, 2011; Murara, 2011; Zar, 2009). International students in South Africa may face another challenge of being discriminated against by those who hold xenophobic attitudes, this depending on which country they grew up in because of the perception that students from African countries take away limited resources from South African students (Evivie, 2009; Murara, 2011; Weber, 2016; Zar, 2009). These challenges are likely to lead to difficult emotions such as frustration, fear and loneliness, which may likely impact their well-being (Evivie, 2009; Goyol, 2002; Zar,). However, there are resources and strategies in place that the international students can and do utilise in order to protect them against the emotional impact of these experiences (Evivie, 2009; Mudhovozi, 2011). These resources and strategies may come from the international students’ inner world or in their outer environment and they are likely to build and maintain resilience in the international student which may possibly contribute to their on-going well-being (Kumar & Singh, 2014; Masteen & Reed, 2005). Well-being lies at the core of positive psychology and resilience is considered a good indicator of well-being (Pawelski, 2016; Kumar & Singh, 2014; Masteen & Reed, 2005; Seligman, 2011). Although the literature speaks of the experiences of international students and their emotional impact, there is little exploration on these resources that serve as a protector against them and, in turn, positively contribute towards well-being. This study aimed to do so through the positive psychology lens, adopting the qualitative approach and using phenomenology to explore their experiences and understanding of their resilience and its contribution to their well-being. Three participants were interviewed and the data was analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis procedure. The results show how the international students utilise a wide range of inner and outer resources that speak to their resilience and positively contribute to their on-going well-being, while living and studying in South Africa. / Mini Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / 2022/12/31 / Psychology / MA (Counselling Psychology) / Unrestricted

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This thesis consists of three major essays that respectively investigate three factors that might influence child well-being: family income, family structure, and time spent in child care. Using the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY), the first essay finds that income-based gaps in child health are statistically significant, quantitatively meaningful, and more pronounced as children age. Contrary to previous U.S. evidence, the observed income gradient in child health cannot be attributed to the protective effects of income on the incidence and severity of children’s health problems at birth and chronic conditions. This contrast may reflect the effects of universal health insurance in Canada. An instrumental variable estimator predicts a stronger causal effect of income on child health than does OLS. Also using the NLSCY, the second essay indicates that children persistently living in single-parent families have poorer health and educational outcomes compared to children persistently living in intact families. In addition, children whose parents separate during a given period exhibit worse health and educational outcomes compared to children whose parents remain together. Using a sibling fixed-effect approach substantially reduces the associations between children’s outcomes and parental separation predicted by OLS, but several gaps, especially in mental health, remain statistically significant and quantitatively meaningful. Using time-use data taken from the General Social Survey (GSS), the third essay finds that parental time spent in child care continuously and dramatically increased in Canada between 1986 and 2010. The increase in average time spent in child care applied to all gender and education groups but was associated with a growing dispersion in child care time. While more highly educated parents are more likely to spend time in child care, the education-based gaps in child care time are found to decline. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Yes / Tranquillity trails (TTs) are designed to provide a quiet and peaceful walk through mainly leafy lanes and roads and connect green open spaces where visitors can stop for thought and relaxation. There are numerous health benefits from being in close proximity to nature and TTs can facilitate this contact in mainly urban areas. This study involved the design of a trail in Tramore, a coastal town in south east Ireland. The trail links an old coastguard station, now converted to a cultural centre and coffee shop, with a Japanese garden. The trail includes a coastal path with fine views across a bay, wooded areas as well as leafy residential streets. The design of the trail was facilitated by the use of a previous developed tranquillity rating prediction tool (TRAPT) that involved the estimation of the level of man-made noise and the percentage of natural features in view. Participants who had completed the whole of the trail were encouraged to complete a questionnaire to gauge any benefits. As expected, it was reported that there were increased levels of relaxation and reduced stress. It was concluded that the approach can be used elsewhere to improve the well-being of residents and visitors.

This dissertation explores whether families of incarcerated fathers are more likely to experience food insecurity as a result of the conviction of the father. More specifically, I test whether food insecurity explains some of the devastating consequences of paternal incarceration on mothers and children. Because children of incarcerated fathers are at higher risk of following their fathers’ footsteps, this cycle of incarceration can be self-perpetuating. I try to determine how policy can be used to break this cycle. This dissertation examines the role of food insecurity in explaining the negative impact of paternal incarceration on the well-being of mothers and children. The United States has experienced a huge prison boom over the last 40 years. A growing proportion of the incarcerated population are parents. Children growing up with one or both parents missing tend to have long-lasting disadvantages. Previous studies have attempted to suggest a few mechanisms through which paternal incarceration has negative consequences for families but has not considered the role of food insecurity. I propose a theoretical framework to show that paternal incarceration negatively affects mothers and children through food insecurity. Using a longitudinal study of fragile families, I find that food insecurity explains some of the negative consequences of paternal incarceration on maternal depression. On the other hand, food insecurity plays no role in the effect of paternal incarceration on child behavior problems. The findings also cast doubt on whether paternal incarceration affects child well-being. The implications for policy are two-fold. First, reducing food insecurity would mitigate the negative effects of paternal incarceration on maternal depression. More research is needed in order to understand whether the negative effects of paternal incarceration on maternal well-being can be further mitigated. Second, prison reform would do little to reduce the behavior problems experienced by children of incarcerated fathers. Rather than incarceration, other factors contributing to social disadvantages could explain why children of incarcerated fathers have more behavior problems than other children.

This dissertation explores whether families of incarcerated fathers are more likely to experience food insecurity as a result of the conviction of the father. More specifically, I test whether food insecurity explains some of the devastating consequences of paternal incarceration on mothers and children. Because children of incarcerated fathers are at higher risk of following their fathers’ footsteps, this cycle of incarceration can be self-perpetuating. I try to determine how policy can be used to break this cycle. This dissertation examines the role of food insecurity in explaining the negative impact of paternal incarceration on the well-being of mothers and children. The United States has experienced a huge prison boom over the last 40 years. A growing proportion of the incarcerated population are parents. Children growing up with one or both parents missing tend to have long-lasting disadvantages. Previous studies have attempted to suggest a few mechanisms through which paternal incarceration has negative consequences for families but has not considered the role of food insecurity. I propose a theoretical framework to show that paternal incarceration negatively affects mothers and children through food insecurity. Using a longitudinal study of fragile families, I find that food insecurity explains some of the negative consequences of paternal incarceration on maternal depression. On the other hand, food insecurity plays no role in the effect of paternal incarceration on child behavior problems. The findings also cast doubt on whether paternal incarceration affects child well-being. The implications for policy are two-fold. First, reducing food insecurity would mitigate the negative effects of paternal incarceration on maternal depression. More research is needed in order to understand whether the negative effects of paternal incarceration on maternal well-being can be further mitigated. Second, prison reform would do little to reduce the behavior problems experienced by children of incarcerated fathers. Rather than incarceration, other factors contributing to social disadvantages could explain why children of incarcerated fathers have more behavior problems than other children.

abstract: Studies suggest that graduate students experience higher rates of anxiety and depression than their peers outside of academia. Studies also show exercise is correlated with lower levels of anxiety and depression among graduate students. However, despite this evidence, nearly half of graduate students do not exercise regularly. Accordingly, I suggest universities consider adding an exercise requirement to promote graduate student well-being. One potential objection to this recommendation is that an exercise requirement is objectionably paternalistic. I answer this objection with two possible replies. First, there are reasons why the exercise requirement might not be paternalistic, and there may be sufficient non-paternalistic reasons to justify the policy. Second, there are reasons why even if the policy is paternalistic, it is not objectionably paternalistic, and may still be justified. I will offer reasons to consider paternalism in a positive light and why the exercise requirement may be an example of a good paternalistic policy. Because the exercise requirement might be justified on paternalistic grounds, there are reasons to consider other paternalistic policies to promote graduate student well-being. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Philosophy 2020

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.