Enhancing Well-being Research Articles

Enhancing wellbeing in beauty salons and spas through the integration of mindfulness and aromatherapy in beauty vocational education: a qualitative narrative inquiry

ABSTRACT This study explores the integration of mindfulness and aromatherapy-enhanced mindfulness in vocational education to help educators and beauty therapy students better manage their stress and enhance their personal and professional wellbeing. Moreover, it focuses on understanding the applicability of mindfulness within the beauty industry and its impact on business. This research opted for a qualitative narrative inquiry methodology using thematic narrative analysis to examine the experiences of three vocational educators and three beauty therapy students from a vocational college in Malta. Moreover, two local beauty salon owners were also chosen to participate in this study. The findings showed that mindfulness enhanced the wellbeing of educators and beauty students, improving their work performance and personality. Additionally, mindfulness can potentially improve the service provided, clients’ wellbeing, and beauty therapists’ wellbeing. A total of five models emerged from this study. Model 1 illustrates the impact of one's surroundings on their mindfulness experience. Model 2 shows a set of interconnected requirements that facilitate a deeper meditative state. Model 3 demonstrates how achieving self-awareness enhances our wellbeing. Model 4 offers a framework for meaningful and effective mindfulness practice. Model 5 illustrates how integrating mindfulness within the educational field can potentially lead to a thriving organisation.

Tourism Development Effectiveness in Enhancing Wellbeing in Developing Countries: A Reality or Myth

ABSTRACT This research examines tourism development’s effectiveness in improving well-being by contextualizing economic growth, political stability, and population growth in developing South Asian economies. We applied panel econometric techniques (including PMG-ARDL estimation) to derive useful knowledge from the dataset. The findings reveal that tourism development impacts different countries’ well-being by contextualizing their economic, population growth, and political situations. Tourism development positively influences well-being and economic growth indicators at the regional level. Besides, population growth and political stability also positively contribute to well-being in South Asia. The cross-sectional country-level findings indicate that tourism development improves well-being in all the selected countries; however, economic growth only positively influences well-being in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Maldives. The Granger causality runs from tourism development to economic growth and well-being, discovering the tourism-led economic growth-led well-being hypothesis. The cross-sectional country-level findings indicate that political unrest worsens well-being in all the selected countries; however, population growth only negatively impacts Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Political stability Granger cause tourism development; thus, we argue that political stability enhances tourism development leading to economic growth and promoting well-being. Theoretical and practical policy implications are provided.

The Impact of Transcendental Meditation: Reducing Burnout and Enhancing Well-Being in Frontline Healthcare Clinicians During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Healthcare clinicians experience high rates of professional burnout, and there is increasing concern about the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on emotional well-being. Given the intense stress related to caring for COVID-19 patients, there is a need for practical, evidence-informed interventions that can help support clinician well-being. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) intervention in a sample of 32 healthcare clinicians who provided care to COVID-19 patients. Participants received formal instruction in TM and were encouraged to practice TM twice daily during the three-month study period. After one month, statistically significant improvements were seen for the burnout factor of emotional exhaustion, depression, anxiety, and mental well-being. After three months, these improvements were maintained with additional improvement in the burnout factor of personal accomplishment. The largest effect sizes were found for depression, mental well-being, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion. Participants reported high rates of daily TM practice, thereby supporting the feasibility of the approach for busy clinicians. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge supporting TM as an effective practice to reduce burnout and improve well-being.

Off-Script, Online: Virtual Medical Improv Pilot Program for Enhancing Well-being and Clinical Skills among Psychiatry Residents.

Clinical interactions demand a balance of structure and flexibility in response to unpredictable situations. Medical improv is a form of experiential learning that applies techniques from improvisational theater to the healthcare setting, deliberately targeting clinical skills of communication, teamwork, and cognitive abilities. Psychiatry Education through Play and Talk (PEP Talks) is a novel medical improv program designed specifically for psychiatry residents with the goal of improving communication, teamwork, and conflict resolution skills, as well as enhancing residents' well-being and capacity for self-reflection. PEP Talks was delivered virtually by an experienced medical improv facilitator in spring 2021 to a self-selected group of psychiatry residents at a Canadian university. Aligned with the context-input-process-product (CIPP) evaluation model, outcomes were assessed through mixed methods surveys, recorded debriefings, and a focus group. PEP Talks enhanced residents' self-reported well-being, reflective capacity, and communication skills. Participants made qualitative connections between PEP Talks and their well-being, inter- and intra-personal skills, and clinical experiences in psychiatry. Processes in PEP Talks that led to these outcomes included the following: joy, building community, personal reflection and discovery, going off-script, immersion, and virtual engagement. Virtual medical improv offers an innovative solution to the pedagogical challenges of training psychiatrists to be proficient communicators, collaborators, and professionals capable of reflective practice. Additionally, this innovation demonstrates that medical improv can be delivered in a virtual format and may offer a unique solution to support resident well-being and foster connection amid remote learning during a global pandemic.

Enhancing Well-being of the Married: Investigating Marital Satisfaction, Self-Compassion and Happiness Increasing Strategies

In this research, married individuals’ well-being was investigated in regard to marital satisfaction, self-compassion, happiness increasing strategies. The study group consists of 330 married individuals (213 females and 117 males). Personal Information Form, Flourishing Scale, Satisfaction with Married Life Scale, Self-Compassion Scale, and Happiness Increasing Strategies Scale were used. We conducted Independent T test and linear multiple regression analysis. Results show that there are significant correlations between married individuals’ psychological well-being, marital satisfaction, self-compassion, and happiness increasing strategies. By covering 34% of the total variance; marital satisfaction and self-compassion are significant predictors of married individuals’ psychological well-being. Likewise, by covering 12% of the total variance; happiness increasing strategies (dimensions of desire satisfaction, mental control, and participation in religious activity) are significant predictors of married individuals’ psychological well-being. We elaborated on results based on literature and provided some suggestions for mental health professionals and researchers, also for married individuals.

ENHANCING WELL-BEING THROUGH EXERCISE DURING OLDER AGE

Abstract Dr. Marquez’s Roybal pilot Enhancing Well-Being Through Exercise During Older Age piloted an adaptation of a group exercise evidence-based program for people with arthritis symptoms, Fit & Strong!, that included education on emotional wellbeing and mental health. The pilot used a waitlist design to test the 8-week program among Black residents reporting depressive symptoms living in a senior housing facility. A battery of physical, emotional, and cognitive outcomes were collected pre and post intervention and a subset of participants (n=11) received MRIs pre and post. The sample included 28 participants (n=13 intervention, n=15 waitlist) who had a mean age of 69.8, were 89% female, reported a mean of 3.6 chronic conditions, and an average WOMAC pain score of 5.7 (moderate pain). Though under-powered, analyses show greater improvements in key physical activity and cognitive domains among the intervention group compared to the waitlist group.

The buddy bench and beyond: Exploring complexity-informed approaches to wellbeing education

Enhancing wellbeing in educational settings is a challenging endeavour as wellbeing education is inherently complex. This interdisciplinary conceptual paper aims to bridge the gap between psychological interventions and educational contexts by adopting a complexity lens to consider the puzzle of wellbeing in educational settings. We draw on the fields of positive psychology, educational theory, complexity thinking, and indigenous worldviews to conceptualise wellbeing education and illustrate the need to weave approaches together. Embracing a complexity lens, we offer ways of prompting emergent wellbeing change: incorporating diverse perspectives, trialling nudges, and attending to interactions across the system. We argue that complexity-informed approaches to wellbeing education have the potential to create emergent change in and across complex educational systems.

Personality and resilience: Enhancing well-being and reducing negative emotions among working mothers

Working mothers experience a range of emotions associated with parenting while employed. Like all parents, working mothers experience both positive and negative emotions, often existing side-by-side. Despite considerable research into the struggles experienced by working mothers, little is known about negative emotions and their consequences for women. Feelings of employment-related guilt and regret over the decision to become a mother may arise when work and family responsibilities are demanding. However, individual resources may play a role in how mothers deal with negative emotions. The aim of the current study was to examine the role of resilience as a mediator between personality traits and negative emotions, psychological health, and well-being among working mothers. Participants of the study consisted of 320 working mothers with a mean age of 39.6. A proposed model was tested using path analysis in AMOS 21. According to the results of the present study, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience are related to resilience; resilience is related to regret, depression, and life satisfaction. Resilience helps working mothers to deal with negative emotions related to well-being including stress, anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction.

The Compete-Learn-Honor Approach to Coaching and Player Development: Promoting Performance Growth While Enhancing Well-Being

This paper builds off of the special JSPA issue on New Approaches to Identity in Sport (Eubank et al., 2020). One of the central challenges in competitive sports, with particular importance for the organization of youth sports at both the developmental and performance levels, is how coaches can increase the odds of student-athletes performing at their personal best level (which enhances the chances of winning contests) but without sacrificing their physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being in the process. This paper describes the “Compete-Learn-Honor” (CLH) approach to coaching and player development as one way of meeting that challenge. CLH focuses on the process of personal improvement but without having high levels of ego investment in and self-worth judgments about the winning or losing outcome. The theory and research underlying the CLH approach are described, and practical examples are given of using CLH to create a task- and mastery-involved focus on the joy of playing and the fun challenge of problem-solving in competition, resulting in athlete well-being and more frequent performance at personal best levels.

Reflective Skills, Empathy, Wellbeing, and Resilience in Cognitive-Behavior Therapy Trainees Participating in Mindfulness-Based Self-Practice/Self-Reflection.

Self-Practice/Self-Reflection (SP/SR) is an aspect of therapist training and professional development aimed at enhancing therapy skills, empathy, wellbeing, and resilience in the ultimate furtherance of client outcomes. For many decades, intensive SP/SR has been a required part of therapist training in many countries but relatively little is known about the effect of SP/SR. Studies have found cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) therapists trained under a Beckian CBT paradigm benefitted from more time limited Beckian SP/SR. Mindfulness-based CBT is a more recent third-wave CBT paradigm with psychological process aims similar to those of SP/SR. While training in mindfulness-based CBT often has prominent SP/SR aspects, and mindfulness practice has been shown to benefit health care providers personally and professionally, to date no evaluations have been reported specifically of effects of participation of CBT trainees in stand-alone mindfulness-based SP/SR that meets regulatory requirements for more intensive SP/SR. A study on SP/SR training meeting German requirements is reported here. Post-graduate CBT trainees (N = 95) were assigned to delayed or immediate SP/SR with those in the delayed SP/SR condition crossing-over into SP/SR training after two baseline evaluations on a variety of reflective skill, wellbeing, and resilience measures spaced six to 9months apart before participating in 120-150hours of stand-alone mindfulness-based SP/SR followed by a third reevaluation on all study measures. Participants assigned to the immediate SP/SR condition underwent identical SP/SR training with pre/post assessments. Results indicate participation in intensive stand-alone mindfulness-based SP/SR resulted in favorable changes in measures operationalizing all variables. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for training and professional development of CBT therapists.

Enhancing well-being and social connectedness of rural communities through community shops

Abstract This article evaluates the impact of a community development initiative to establish a network of community shops across County Kilkenny, Ireland. Specifically, this research investigates the impact of this initiative on community well-being in two localities. Data were gathered through multi-site semi-structured interviews with community workers and members. Respondents self-reported a perceptible improvement in individual and community well-being. The primary drivers of this process are identified as social connectedness, intergenerational contacts and emotional support. This research is an important early contribution to a relatively small body of research literature on community shops, particularly in Ireland. Furthermore, as community shops are increasingly recognized as effective resources in community development strategies, it is now critical to conduct analytical and qualitative work on their impact from the perspective of community member’s lived experience.

Enhancing wellbeing: designing to enable desired narratives

Recent research has looked at how products and services can enable positive narratives about those who use them and at the beneficial impact that this has on wellbeing. To date this work has focused on how users’ desired life-narratives can be identified from the products and services they most cherish and which add the greatest value to their lives. This paper reports an exploratory study aimed at taking the work to the next stage - starting with a desired set of narratives and designing a product or service that enables them. A user (n = 1) worked with the research team, using an autoethnographic approach, to identify his desired life narratives. He then designed an experience – in this case a motorcycle rally – to enable a selection of these narratives. It was concluded that the outcomes suggest that it is possible to design for a set of desired narratives. However, challenges remain in terms of making the approach scalable. A multistage approach to meeting these is outlined.

Enhancing wellbeing and independence for young people with profound and multiple learning difficulties: Lives lived well. AndrewColley, JulieTilbury, SimonYates. Routledge, 2021, ISBN: 978‐0‐367‐56406‐3, £27.99 (paperback/ebook), £120 (hardback)

Enhancing wellbeing and independence for young people with profound and multiple learning difficulties: Lives lived well. AndrewColley, JulieTilbury, SimonYates. Routledge, 2021, ISBN: 978‐0‐367‐56406‐3, £27.99 (paperback/ebook), £120 (hardback)

Enhancing Well-Being and Social Connectedness for Māori Elders Through a Peer Education (Tuakana-Teina) Programme: A Cross-Sectional Baseline Study.

Background: Māori kaumātua (elders) face stark health and social inequities compared to non-Māori New Zealanders. The tuakana-teina (older sibling-younger sibling) peer education programme is a strengths-based approach to enhance well-being and social connectedness. The purpose of this study is to present the baseline data from this programme and identify correlates of well-being outcomes.Method: Participants included 128 kaumātua who completed a self-report survey about health-related quality of life, spirituality, social connection and loneliness, life satisfaction, cultural identity and connection, elder abuse, health service utilisation and demographics.Findings: Multiple regression models illustrated the following correlates of outcomes: (a) self-rated health: needing more help with daily tasks (β = −0.36) and housing problems (β = –0.17); (b) health-related quality of life: needing more help with daily tasks (β = –0.31), housing problems (β = –0.21), and perceived autonomy (β = 0.19); (c) spiritual well-being: understanding of tikanga (cultural protocols) (β = 0.32) and perceived autonomy (β = 0.23); (d) life satisfaction: social support (β = 0.23), sense of purpose (β = 0.23), cultural identity (β = 0.24), trouble paying bills (β = –0.16), and housing problems (β = –0.16); (e) loneliness: elder abuse (β = 0.27), social support (β = –0.21), and missing pleasure of being with whānau (extended family) (β = 0.19).Conclusions: Key correlates for outcomes centred on social support, housing problems, cultural connection and perceived autonomy. These correlates are largely addressed through the programme where tuakana/peer educators provide support and links to social and health services to teina/peer recipients in need. This study illustrates needs and challenges for kaumātua, whilst the larger programme represents a strengths-based and culturally-centred approach to address health issues related to ageing in an Indigenous population.

Enhancing Mindfulness and Well-Being in Higher Education

This article outlines the steps taken to establish the University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Pruitt Center for Mindfulness and Well-Being. Major historical components include: gaining momentum; securing funding; developing mission and vision statements; launching the Pruitt Center; and recounting the services, programs, and impacts achieved to date. Through outlining experiences and lessons learned, others in higher education looking to enhance the well-being of their campus communities could benefit, regardless of whether creating a center is their goal. The process and rationale for creating and adopting the PERMANENT Model of Well-Being is also provided. Comparisons are made regarding the similarities and differences between the PERMANENT Model and two existing models: the PERMA Model and the Universidad Tecmilenio Well-being in Happiness Ecosystem. Also depicted is the intention concerning: 1) describing each domain of the PERMANENT Model of Well-Being, including Present Moment Awareness, the model’s foundation; 2) the meaning behind the PERMANENT acronym, inspiring the notion of long-lasting well-being; 3) including the greater community; and 4) the model’s process of learn, experience, reflect, and repeat, a reminder that all learning takes effort and practice. This process is supported by current mindfulness and well-being research, specifically as it relates to higher education.

Erectile dysfunction and its associated factors among the male population in Adigrat Town, Tigrai Region, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study.

Erectile dysfunction is one of the common sexual dysfunctions, but it is generally misunderstood as it is not a condition that threatens life. It affects an individual's physical as well as psychosocial health and has a significant impact on sufferers and their families' quality of life. No data are suggesting the prevalence of erectile dysfunction at the population level in Ethiopia. This research aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of erectile dysfunction among the male population. We employed a community based cross-sectional study among 802 study participants. A two-stage random sampling method was used for enrolling study participants. Including the International Index of Erectile Function Questionnaire-5 (IIEF-5) for erectile dysfunction, data were collected using pretested and a structured questionnaire administered by an interviewer. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with erectile dysfunction. Out of the total of 802 individuals, 25.4%(95% CI:(22.4, 28.3%)) (n = 204) reported erectile dysfunction. The mean age of the participants was 34.3 ± 9.6 years. Age of 40years and above [AOR = 10.74, 95% CI: (7.07, 16.35)], physical inactivity [AOR = 3.62, 95% CI: (2.40, 5.45)], depression [AOR = 4.01, 95% CI: (2.22, 7.21)], poor quality of life [AOR = 1.59, 95% CI: (1.07, 2.36)] were significantly associated with erectile dysfunction. In this study, the prevalence of erectile dysfunction was high. Therefore, it is recommended that erectile dysfunction treatment be integrated into the health care system that focuses on educating and inspiring people on healthy eating, physical activity, and behavior enhancing wellbeing.

Enhancing Wellbeing for Older Adults With Serious Mental Illnesses: Co-Producing a Positive Psychology Course With Certified Older Adult Peer Specialists.

Compared to peers in the general population, persons aging with serious mental illnesses (SMIs) face physical health disparities, increased isolation, and decreased subjective experiences of quality of life and wellbeing. To date, limited intervention research focuses on addressing specific needs of persons aging with SMIs and no interventions targeted for that population are informed by the theory and science of positive psychology. With the aim of co-producing a positive-psychology-based program to enhance wellbeing for older adults with SMIs, the author held a series of focus groups and individual interviews with six certified older adult peer specialists. Analysis of the data developed in-depth insights into helpful processes, values, and priorities of individuals aging with SMIs, as well as the creation of a wellbeing-enhancing course curriculum.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation of “Healthy Habits” To Address Mental Health Needs

Introduction: Enhancing wellbeing and lessening emotional distress are especially important in developing nations like Nepal that have limited mental health resources or where there is resistance to formal treatment. This is even more so the case during times of crisis. The goal of this project was to create a cross-cultural adaptation of a psychoeducational instrument, Healthy Habits of Emotional Wellbeing.
 Material and Method: Using World Health Organization guidelines for translations, we created a cross cultural adaptation of Healthy Habits of Emotional Wellbeing into the Nepali language. The instrument was translated from English to Nepali, extensively reviewed and modified by a bilingual panel, back-translated, and field testing with 10 Nepali citizens.
 Results: The adaptation, as tested with individuals representing Nepal’s rural and urban settings, appears to be a culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate psychoeducational tool that can be used in medical and social settings, widely disseminated, and posted online.
 Conclusion: Psychoeducational self-help tools such as Healthy Habits may be especially helpful during times of crisis, when mental health resources are limited, not accessible, or not accessed due to prevailing stigma. It may also be appropriate for disaster preparedness, management, and recovery use in an effective and cost efficient manner.

University of Michigan Medical School.

University of Michigan Medical School.

Wellbeing Notebook - Pen and Paper: A Simple Formula for Enhancing Wellbeing

Sitting in her classroom, Lynn wonders whether her pen pal, Jean, has received and read her letter. Several kilometres away, sitting in her armchair, Jean’s eyes light up as she reads the questions that Lynn has carefully written. She takes up a pen and begins to write. Theirs is a mutually beneficial relationship established through pen and paper, with the help of an envelope and an enthusiastic teacher who acted as a courier.