Categories Of Well-being Research Articles

Socioeconomic indicators for sustainable design and commercial development of algal biofuel systems

AbstractSocial and economic indicators can be used to support design of sustainable energy systems. Indicators representing categories of social well‐being, energy security, external trade, profitability, resource conservation, and social acceptability have not yet been measured in published sustainability assessments for commercial algal biofuel facilities. We review socioeconomic indicators that have been modeled at the commercial scale or measured at the pilot or laboratory scale, as well as factors that affect them, and discuss additional indicators that should be measured during commercialization to form a more complete picture of socioeconomic sustainability of algal biofuels. Indicators estimated in the scientific literature include the profitability indicators, return on investment (ROI) and net present value (NPV), and the resource conservation indicator, fossil energy return on investment (EROI). These modeled indicators have clear sustainability targets and have been used to design sustainable algal biofuel systems. Factors affecting ROI, NPV, and EROI include infrastructure, process choices, and financial assumptions. The food security indicator, percent change in food price volatility, is probably zero where agricultural lands are not used for production of algae‐based biofuels; however, food‐related coproducts from algae could enhance food security. The energy security indicators energy security premium and fuel price volatility and external trade indicators terms of trade and trade volume cannot be projected into the future with accuracy prior to commercialization. Together with environmental sustainability indicators, the use of a suite of socioeconomic sustainability indicators should contribute to progress toward sustainability of algal biofuels.

HOUSEHOLDS' ECONOMIC SITUATION IN SELECTED EU MEMBER STATES

The socio-economic development of any country one of the measures of the economic situation is the level of income of the residents. Income diversity of European households determine different disparities related primarily to the level of living of the population. The resulting revenues are used to meet household needs, and combined with spending advertisement picture of economic well-being of the household. In view of the above premises, the aim of this study is to analyze the financial situation of households in spatial terms (selected EU countries) in the light of the most important categories of economic well-being of a financial nature, ie .: gross disposable income, gross savings, the amount of loans and liabilities and assets financial households in 2012 the material in this study were secondary data collected and published in the Eurostat database. The work was carried out statistical analysis of the characteristics and classification were selected EU countries by dipping Mahalanobis measures.

Students’ Reasons for Preferences of Contexts in Learning Mathematics

This paper reports on findings from a study that investigated reasons Malawian students have for preferring particular contexts in mathematics. The study explored students’ preferences of contexts using a survey questionnaire that contained 27 contexts and asked students to indicate their level of interest for each context on a 4-point scale and to write down reasons for their most preferred contexts. There were 393 students of 14-20 years old. Findings include that most preferred contexts were of future career prospects, modern technology, health and community issues. Students’ reasons for these preferences were in four categories of career prospects, curiosity, community well-being and personal well-being. Furthermore, future career prospects was the most common reason for the preferred contexts.

How Search for Meaning Interacts with Complex Categories of Meaning in Life and Subjective Well-Being?

This study sought to assess how the search for meaning interacts with crisis of meaning and with different categories of meaning in life (meaningfulness, crisis of meaning, existential indifference, and existential conflict). Furthermore, the moderation role of search for meaning between the relation of categories of meaning and subjective well-being (SWB) was also evaluated. Participants included 3,034 subjects (63.9% women) ranging in age from 18 to 91 (M = 33.90; SD = 15.01) years old from 22 Brazilian states. Zero-order correlations and a factorial MANOVA were implemented. Positive low correlations were found for search for meaning and crisis of meaning (r = .258; p < .001). Search for meaning presented a small-effect size moderation effect on the relation of the different categories of meaning with subjective happiness, F(6, 3008) = 2.698, p < .05; η2 = .004, but not for satisfaction with life, F(6, 3008) = .935, p = .47; η2 = .002. The differences on the levels of subjective happiness of those inserted in existential indifferent and conflicting categories differ depending on the levels of search for meaning. Further directions for future studies are proposed.

Change in well-being amongst participants in a four-month pedometer-based workplace health program.

BackgroundThere is increasing uptake of workplace physical activity programs to prevent chronic disease. While they are frequently evaluated for improvement in biomedical risk factors there has been little evaluation of additional benefits for psychosocial health. We aimed to evaluate whether participation in a four-month, team-based, pedometer-based workplace health program known to improve biomedical risk factors is associated with an improvement in well-being, immediately after the program and eight-months after program completion.MethodsAt baseline (2008), 762 adults (aged 40 ± 10 SD years, 42% male) employed in primarily sedentary occupations and voluntarily enrolled in a physical activity program were recruited from ten Australian worksites. Data was collected at baseline, at the completion of the four-month program and eight-months after program completion. The outcome was the WHO-Five Well-being Index (WHO-5), a self-administered five-item scale that can be dichotomised as ‘poor’ (less than 52%) or ‘positive’ (more than or equal to 52%) well-being.ResultsAt baseline, 75% of participants had positive well-being (mean: 60 ± 19 SD WHO-5 units). On average, well-being improved immediately after the health program (+3.5 units, p < 0.001) and was sustained eight-months later (+3.4 units from baseline, p < 0.001). In the 25% with poor well-being at baseline, 49.5% moved into the positive well-being category immediately after program completion, sustained eight-months later (p < 0.001).ConclusionsClinically relevant immediate and sustained improvements in well-being were observed after participation in the health program. These results suggest that participation in workplace programs, such as the one evaluated here, also has the potential to improve well-being.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-953) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cumulative trauma and midlife well-being in American women who served in Vietnam: effects of combat exposure and postdeployment social support

Background and Objectives: Research increasingly demonstrates that trauma exposure can have cumulative effects, yet much remains to be learned about effects of cumulative trauma, particularly regarding longer term adjustment. One such trauma, combat exposure, is insufficiently understood, especially for women, who are increasingly engaged in professional combat activities. Design: The study comprised a cross-sectional survey assessing multiple aspects of current well-being in women approximately 25 years after their service in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Methods: Participants were 1374 women (78% military and 22% nonmilitary; mean age = 59.7). This study investigated the relations between three separate categories of trauma exposure (childhood, adulthood, and combat) and well-being and examined whether perceived social support at return from Vietnam moderated the association between combat exposure and well-being. Results: While both childhood and adulthood trauma exposure related to midlife well-being, combat exposure still uniquely predicted outcomes. Further, postdeployment perceived social support moderated the association of combat and well-being: recollected higher perceived social support at homecoming buffered participants from the links between combat exposure and well-being. Conclusions: These results may have important implications for interventions to reduce the impact of traumatic experiences, particularly in light of the increasing exposure of women to direct combat events.

Seasonality in School Well-being: The Case of Finland

Seasonal changes in mood and behavior have been reported among general population as well as among adolescents in the Northern hemisphere. The aim of the current study was to examine how the level of school well-being varies during the school year and how the seasonal effect shows on seventh, eighth and ninth grades. The data consisted of all lower secondary schools who used the theory based School Well-being Profile questionnaire during the school years 2007–2009 (N = 10,913) in Finland. Pupils perceived their well-being highest in three well-being categories (school conditions, social relationships, means for self-fulfilment) during the period lasting from middle of October until end of December. Health status was perceived lowest from the middle of March to the end of May. The level of well-being was highest among seventh graders and lowest among ninth graders. Pedagogical planning and health promotion interventions should be planned to strengthen the well-being of pupils especially at the end of the school year.

O-019 YI Genetic Predictors of Quality of Life Post Ileal Anal Pouch Anastomosis for Ulcerative Colitis

Total proctocolectomy and Ileal Pouch Anal Anastomosis (IPAA) for ulcerative colitis (UC) allows for the resection of diseased rectum and colon whilst preserving continence. Procedure outcomes and patient satisfaction are varied and difficult to predict preoperatively. This study aimed to determine demographic, operative and, most uniquely, genetic predictors of patient satisfaction with IPAA by evaluating 4 distinct categories: bowel symptoms, emotional wellbeing, social wellbeing and systemic symptoms using modified established quality of life questionnaires (the Modified Pouchitis Score and IBDQ (Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire)). Two hundred six IPAA patients identified from our IBD Biobank were mailed modified, pouch specific IBD questionnaires. Patient demographics and operative details were recorded. Genotyping using a custom designed microarray with 307 IBD and/or colorectal cancer (CRC) associated Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) was performed. Response variables were divided into high/low values based on their respective median values. Fisher's exact and Mann-Whitney U tests were used with the categorical and continuous explanatory variables respectively. Logistic regression with a Bonferroni correction was used for the SNP analysis. One hundred forty-two (86 male) patients responded (69%). Mean age at diagnosis was 31.8+/−.9 years. Average pouch duration was 10.1 +/−.5 years. One hundred four colectomies were performed electively with 13 resections for cancer/dysplasia. Covariates associated with symptom and wellbeing scores are listed in Table 1. A diagnosis of pouchitis, intermittent urgency and/or cramping and intermittent pyrexia were significantly associated with worse scores in every category. Smoking was associated with worse bowel and systemic symptoms and lower social wellbeing scores (P = 0.0029, 0.0062 and 0.02). More severe bowel symptoms and poorer emotional scores were reported by patients with less time between diagnosis and colectomy (6.6 versus 9.4 years, P = 0.04 and 0.05). Poorer emotional scores were seen in those diagnosed at a younger age (47.4+/− 12.4 versus 53.7 +/− 11.7) and in those with pouchitis of any degree (P = 0.04). The TNFSF14 associated SNP, rs2279627 was associated with poorer scores in overall quality of life and in each individual category. Significance was retained after correction in the overall quality of life, bowel symptom and emotional wellbeing categories (P = 0.033, 0.033 and 0.046). TNFSF14 plays a role in T cell differentiation and is associated with both UC and CD. Two SNPs, rs7837328 and rs7014346, associated with the POU5F1gene, were significantly associated with emotional wellbeing (P = 0.00002, 0.0066 corrected and P = 0.00014, 0.046 corrected). POU5F1 (also known as OCT4) plays a critical role in maintaining stem cell pluripotency, has a known role in CRC and has not previously been associated with IBD. 1) Pouchitis, urgency and/or cramps and intermittent fevers significantly impacted all aspects of quality of life in UC-IPAA patients 2). Smoking and pouchitis have the most significant impact, particularly on bowel and systemic symptoms respectively. 3) Potential genetic predictors of overall quality of life, bowel symptoms and, most interestingly, emotional wellbeing in this patient cohort were associated with the TNFSF14 and POU5F1B genes. 4) Patients diagnosed with IBD at an older age and who had a longer duration between diagnosis and colectomy were more likely to have a better emotional quality of life.

A conceptual framework for improving well-being in people with a diagnosis of psychosis

Background. Well-being is important for people with severe mental illness, such as psychosis. So far, no clear concept of well-being exists for this client group. A recent systematic review and narrative synthesis developed a static framework of well-being components. The present study aims to validate the static framework and to illuminate the processes by which well-being is experienced by people with psychosis. Methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 service users with psychosis exploring their experience of well-being. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data employing techniques taken from grounded theory to enhance the rigour of the analysis. Respondent validation was undertaken with 13 of the 23 participants. Results. Three superordinate categories of well-being were identified: current sense of self; transition to enhanced sense of self and enhanced sense of self. In the dynamic process of improving well-being the current sense of self undergoes a transition to an enhanced sense of self. The four factors influencing the transition are consistent with the static framework of well-being, hence validating the static framework. In addition, we identified three determinants of current sense of self and seven indicators of enhanced sense of self, which represent the achievement of improved well-being. Conclusions. This study provides an empirically defensible framework for understanding well-being in terms of determinants, influences and indicators. The influences are targets for interventions to improve well-being, and the indicators are outcome domains to assess the effectiveness of services in supporting well-being.

Analysis of Satisfaction and Well-Being in the Short Follow-up From Breast Augmentation Using the BREAST-Q, a Validated Survey Instrument

Improvements in satisfaction and quality of life following breast augmentation have been shown in the literature. However, few studies have used validated survey instruments. The BREAST-Q is a strong and validated questionnaire for breast augmentation. The authors implement the BREAST-Q to analyze patient-reported satisfaction and quality of life following breast augmentation. In this prospective study, all patients who underwent breast augmentation with a single surgeon (AT) between January 2008 and May 2009 were asked to fill out BREAST-Q surveys anonymously during the preoperative and 6-week postoperative periods. Statistical analysis was performed and a P value of <.05 was considered significant. Of the 155 patients who underwent breast augmentation during the study time period, 59 (38%) completed the preoperative survey and 70 (45%) completed the postoperative survey. Significant improvements were seen for satisfaction with breast appearance (P < .001), psychosocial well-being (P < .001), and sexual well-being (P < .01) between pre- and postoperative surveys. Conversely, a significant decrease was seen in the physical well-being category (P < .001). Satisfaction with overall outcomes most strongly correlated to satisfaction with appearance of breasts (r = 0.8) and less strongly with psychosocial well-being and sexual well-being (r = 0.6). No correlation was found between satisfaction with overall outcomes and physical well-being (r = 0.0). As the implementation of evidence-based medicine continues to grow in everyday practice, there is increasing pressure to use validated survey instruments to demonstrate patient-reported outcomes. In this study, the authors have shown that breast augmentation significantly improves satisfaction with breast appearance, psychosocial well-being, and sexual well-being and that overall satisfaction is most strongly correlated with breast appearance satisfaction.

Quality of Life Following Amputation or Limb Preservation in Patients with Lower Extremity Bone Sarcoma

Purpose: Although functional differences have been described between patients with lower extremity bone sarcoma with amputation and limb-preservation surgery, differences have not clearly been shown between the two groups related to quality of life. The purpose of the study was to determine if there is a difference in overall quality of life in lower extremity bone sarcoma survivors related to whether they had an amputation or a limb-preservation procedure while identifying psychological differences for further evaluation. The main hypothesis was that sparing a person’s limb, as opposed to amputating it, would result in a better quality of life.Patients and Methods: Eighty-two long-term survivors of lower extremity bone sarcoma were studied to make a comparison of the overall quality of life, pain assessment, and psychological evaluations in limb preservation and amputation patients. Forty-eight patients with limb preservation and thirty-four patients with amputations were enrolled in the study. Validated psychometric measures including the Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ), the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, and visual analog scales were utilized.Results: The overall quality of life of patients with limb preservation was significantly higher than patients with amputation (p-value < 0.01). Significant differences were noted in the categories of material well-being, job satisfiers, and occupational relations.Conclusion: The overall quality of life of patients with limb-preservation appears to be better than for those patients with amputation based on the QLQ in patients surviving lower extremity bone sarcoma. Further analysis needs to verify the results and focus on the categories that significantly affect the overall quality of life.

児童生徒の品格とWell-beingの関連――よい行為の習慣からの検討――

Character education in the US aims to establish good habits corresponding to good character. The purpose of this study was to determine the structure of character strengths and the relations among these strengths and wellbeing in Japanese children and youth. Peterson and Seligman (2004) developed a classification of character strengths called VIA-IS. We thought, however, that VIA-IS had too many items to use with school children. We selected 15 categories and developed a questionnaire for Japanese children and youth. Fourth to eighth grade students (N = 1,351) answered questionnaires in Study 1. We found four categories of character strengths, each of which consisted of 25 items: perseverance-honesty, courage-ideas, compassion-gratitude, and fairness-care. These categories were very similar to previous research findings which simplified the categories. In Study 2, we found a positive relationship among four categories of character strengths and well-being, which we called the hope scale, life satisfaction scale, subjective happiness scale, and social support scale. We discussed what additional research was needed for establishing good habits using our categories with children and youth in schools.

Psychological well-being and family satisfaction levels five years after being confirmed as a carrier of the Machado-Joseph disease mutation.

The present study on long-term outcome of presymptomatic testing for Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) aimed to evaluate the psychological well-being and the familial satisfaction of subjects that 5 years prior received an unfavorable result in the predictive testing (PT). The study included 47 testees of Azorean origin (23 from the island of Flores and 24 from S. Miguel) that completed the fourth evaluation session of the MJD protocol, and undertook a neurological examination at the moment of participation in the study. Nearly 50% of testees were symptomatic at the time of the study. Psychological well-being of the 47 participants was evaluated using the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWB). The family satisfaction scale by adjectives was applied to obtain information on family dynamics. The average PGWB score of the total participants was of 73.3, a value indicative of psychological well-being. Nearly half of the testees presented scores indicating psychological well-being, whereas scores indicating moderate (28.9%) or severe (23.7%) stress were found in the remaining. The average score in the PGWB scale was lower in symptomatic than in asymptomatic subjects; moreover, the distinct distribution of the well-being categories seen in the two groups shows an impact of the appearance of first symptoms on the psychological state. Motives for undertaking the test, provided 5 years prior, failed to show an impact in well-being. The average score for familial satisfaction was of 134, a value compatible with high familial satisfaction, which represented the most frequent category (59.6%). Results demonstrate that well-being and family satisfaction need to be monitored in confirmed carriers of the MJD mutation. The inclusion of acceptance studies, after PT, as well as the development of acceptance training actions, should be of major importance to anticipate the possibility of psychological damage.

Indicators for assessing socioeconomic sustainability of bioenergy systems: A short list of practical measures

Indicators are needed to assess both socioeconomic and environmental sustainability of bioenergy systems. Effective indicators can help to identify and quantify the sustainability attributes of bioenergy options. We identify 16 socioeconomic indicators that fall into the categories of social well-being, energy security, trade, profitability, resource conservation, and social acceptability. The suite of indicators is predicated on the existence of basic institutional frameworks to provide governance, legal, regulatory and enforcement services. Indicators were selected to be practical, sensitive to stresses, unambiguous, anticipatory, predictive, estimable with known variability, and sufficient when considered collectively. The utility of each indicator, methods for its measurement, and applications appropriate for the context of particular bioenergy systems are described along with future research needs. Together, this suite of indicators is hypothesized to reflect major socioeconomic effects of the full supply chain for bioenergy, including feedstock production and logistics, conversion to biofuels, biofuel logistics and biofuel end uses. Ten indicators are highlighted as a minimum set of practical measures of socioeconomic aspects of bioenergy sustainability. Coupled with locally prioritized environmental indicators, we propose that these socioeconomic indicators can provide a basis to quantify and evaluate sustainability of bioenergy systems across many regions in which they will be deployed.

Analysis of Satisfaction and Well-Being Following Breast Augmentation Using a Validated Survey Instrument

INTRODUCTION: Improvements in satisfaction and quality of life following breast augmentation have been shown in the literature. However, few studies have used validated survey instruments. The BREAST-Q is the only questionnaire for breast augmentation that meets international and federal standards for questionnaire development. Therefore, the aim of this study was to implement this most rigorously tested survey, the BREAST-Q, to analyze patient reported satisfaction and quality of life following breast augmentation. METHODS: All patients seen in consultation for breast augmentation between January 2008 and May 2009 were asked to fill out BREAST-Q surveys anonymously during the pre-operative and 6-week post-operative periods. Statistical analysis was performed and a p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: 155 patients underwent breast augmentation by a single surgeon (AT) during the study time period. Of these patients, 59 (38%) completed the pre-augmentation survey and 70 (45%) completed the post-augmentation survey. Significant improvements were seen for satisfaction with breast appearance (p<0.001), psychosocial well-being (p<0.001), and sexual well-being (p<0.001) between pre-augmentation and post-augmentation surveys (Figure 1). Conversely, a significant decrease was seen for the physical well-being category (p<0.001). Satisfaction with overall outcomes most strongly correlated to satisfaction with appearance of breasts (r=0.8), and less strongly with psychosocial well-being and sexual well-being (r=0.6). No correlation was found between satisfaction with overall outcomes and physical well-being (r=0.0).Figure 1: Change in BREAST-Q Categories from the Pre-Operative to Post-Operative Survey.CONCLUSION: As the implementation of evidence-based medicine continues to grow in everyday practice, there is increasing pressure to use validated survey instruments to demonstrate patient reported outcomes. Using the validated BREAST-Q, we have shown that breast augmentation significantly improves satisfaction with breast appearance, psychosocial well-being and sexual well-being, and that overall satisfaction is most strongly correlated with satisfaction in appearance of their breasts.

Schools could Be the Happiest Places on Earth

Imagine you're going to a place where you could learn new things from smart people who care about you, laugh with your friends throughout the day, and dream about the future. Wouldn't you be happy there? Most schools are set up to be such places, with bright, caring teachers ready to share what they know, hundreds of students who really like or really dislike some of the same things, and a focus on getting people ready for the future. Schools are fairly happy places. Most American students have high levels of well-being, and teachers have cornered the market on thriving. With a little help from parents and the broader community, schools could be the happiest places on Earth. Results from the Gallup Student Poll tell us that many students have positive yesterdays, and the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index and the PDK/Gallup Poll help us understand some of the influences on school well-being. No troubles yesterday On the 2010 Gallup Student Poll, we measured how students experience their lives by focusing on four positive emotions (joy, interest, respect, overall energy) they felt on the previous day (which was a school day for most respondents). For the most part, American students, grades 5 through 12, said they had positive yesterdays. * 77% were treated with respect all day yesterday. * 89% smiled or laughed a lot yesterday. * 76% learned or did something interesting yesterday. * 86% had the energy to get things done yesterday. Fewer than half of the students said yes to all four items. When we put these results to the test in a group of high school freshmen, we found that the students who were happy when polled, went on to do better in school over the course of the term--completing more credits at a higher grade point average. This well-being bump for academic performance was not surprising given that psychological research suggests that frequency of positive emotions is associated with many types of life success. These results may stem from conditions in schools, including the quality of the environment and teacher well-being, and from how families and communities treat students during the school week. A closer look at how teachers might be influencing school well-being might help us understand the student voice and daily experience. Other factors are parent thoughts on the subject and the role of the broader community's well-being in school well-being. Teachers' well-being Teachers also have high well-being. This finding is based on representative findings from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Compared to workers in more than a dozen other fields, teachers rank #1 in five of six well-being categories, including the Emotional Health Index that is based on items similar to the ones that students completed. Teacher happiness is believed to be related to the happiness and coping of students on a daily basis and over time. Teacher well-being also is vitally important to student achievement as demonstrated by Robert Briner's research on over 12,000 teachers in the United Kingdom. The well-being of the teacher staff accounted for 8% of the variance in student achievement on high-stakes testing. Parents and well-being The 2011 PDK/Gallup Poll asked parents about their perceptions of schools as well-being centers, places where students can learn and grow and achieve both academic outcomes and develop life skills that will help them become ready for the future. Generally, parents consider schools to be organizations that encourage well-being, which suggests they might be supportive of new or tweaked programming to foster student thriving. …

Assessment of the health status of 2499 dermatological outpatients using the 12-item Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF-12) questionnaire

In dermatological research and clinical practice it is important to evaluate the burden of the disease. To assess whether the 12-item Short Form of the Medical Outcomes Study (SF-12) could yield a valid description of the health status of a large number of dermatological outpatients. The SF-12 and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) were utilized. Questionnaires were self-completed by the outpatients in the waiting rooms. At the end of the visit the dermatologists recorded the diagnosis and the evaluation of the clinical severity. Data were complete for 2499 patients. We observed a reduction in the Physical Component Summary score (PCS-12) with increasing age, while the Mental Component Summary score (MCS-12) was stable. PCS-12 and MCS-12 scores were worse in women. Twenty-three per cent of patients were identified as GHQ-12 positive. GHQ-12-positive patients ('cases') had lower PCS-12 and MCS-12 scores compared with GHQ-12-negative patients (mean ± SD, PCS-12: 47·9 ± 10·8 vs. 52·2 ± 6·6; MCS-12: 35·2 ± 10·2 vs. 50·9 ± 78·3, respectively). High correlations between the MCS-12 score and the GHQ-12 were documented overall (-0·690, P < 0·001) and for single skin diseases. The impact of dermatological diseases is high for the mental components of health status; the mean scores for MCS-12 were low, and lower in patients identified as GHQ-12 'cases'. The picture of the general health status of patients with skin diseases given by the SF-12 allows meaningful comparisons both within dermatological conditions and with diseases in other specialties, as well as within categories of clinical severity and psychological well-being in single skin conditions.

Changes in personal work goals in relation to the psychosocial work environment: A two-year follow-up study

Associations between changes in the psychosocial work environment and changes in personal work goals were investigated in a two-wave, two-year longitudinal study. Psychosocial work environment was studied within the context of the Effort–Reward Imbalance model (ERI; Siegrist, 1996). The participants consisted of 423 young Finnish managers. Their most important personal work goals were categorized into seven content categories of competence, progression, well-being, job change, job security, organization, and finance at both measurement times. There were differences, especially in changes in the career opportunities factor of reward, between participants whose goals changed during the study. First, those who became engaged in job change goals also reported a decrease in rewards between T1 and T2, whereas participants who became engaged in competence or organizational goals also reported an increase in rewards over time. Second, participants who disengaged from job change goals reported an increase in reward and a reduction in effort–reward imbalance. Finally, a reduction in rewards and an increase in ERI were accompanied by disengagement from job security goals. The study highlights the central role of psychosocial factors, and in particular the reward factor of career opportunities, in goal pursuit. These results can have implications for the occupational well-being of employees.

The Suitability of Yoga as a Potential Therapeutic Intervention for Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Focus Group approach

The aim of this study was to explore the views of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) regarding the suitability of yoga as a potential therapeutic intervention in the management of RA. Twenty-two participants with RA were recruited from outpatient clinics at a regional hospital in New Zealand and divided into four focus groups. Heterogeneity between groups in terms of age, gender, duration of RA and functional ability provided opinions from a cross-section of RA patients. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis, with four themes predominating. Firstly, participants described their experience of symptoms related to their RA in three independent but linked categories of physical, mental and social well-being. Secondly, participants perceived the management of their RA to be prescriptive, medicalized and failing to address their wider health concerns. Thirdly, participants perceived yoga as a safe, adaptable therapy that may allow self-management of their RA. However, there was some concern that functional limitations may inhibit ability to practise the physical aspects of yoga. Fourthly, requirements for a yoga intervention that would be feasible for people with RA were presented by participants. Patients with RA perceive a disparity between their personal experience of living with RA and their current medical management. Yoga is perceived as a potential therapy to address this disparity. Based on opinions expressed by participants, future research regarding a yoga intervention as an adjunctive therapy for managing RA should meet patients' views on feasibility and test outcome measures reflecting the domains of physical, mental and social well-being.

Benefits of formal voluntary work among older people. A review

A narrative review of quantitative population-based longitudinal studies was conducted to examine the association of formal voluntary work and personal well-being among older people doing the voluntary work and those being served. To be included, the study had to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, written in English and conducted in Western countries, participants were at least 60 years of age, the study employed a longitudinal or experimental design, the methodology and outcomes were explicitly described, and voluntary work quantified as visits or hours within a certain time frame. Sixteen studies out of 2897 met the inclusion criteria for the review reporting on benefits of volunteering for those doing the voluntary work. Outcomes were collapsed into three categories of personal well-being: physical health, mental health, and psychosocial resources. All included studies came from the United States and showed that volunteering in old age predicted better self-rated health, functioning, physical activity and life satisfaction as well as decreased depression and mortality. However, it did not decrease the risk of chronic diseases or nursing home admission in old age. Only one study which met the inclusion criteria on the benefits of volunteering for older recipients was identified. Studies mainly used data from large datasets with only limited information about volunteering, which limits more detailed analyses. Randomized controlled trials are needed to study the effect of voluntary work on those being served, as well as to reveal the healthy participant effect among volunteers.