Experience Of Well-being Research Articles

The experiences of well-being of family caregivers in palliative care: A qualitative study using thematic analysis

Background Family caregivers play an important role in supporting patients at the end of life. Although providing care for palliative care patients can be inherently stressful, it is possible for family caregivers to experience both positive experiences and stress simultaneously. Understanding these positive experiences can be helpful to aid counterbalancing the negative aspect of caregiving. Objective and Methods Therefore, we conducted a qualitative study using face-to-face interviews with semi-structured questions to explore the experiences of well-being of palliative care family caregivers from a positive perspective. The entire sample consisted of 18 family members caring for cancer patients and 2 family members caring for patients with motor neuron disease. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed with qualitative research software NVIVO. Results The themes generated from the analysis are: (1) Acceptance, (2) Gratitude, (3) Hope, (4) Happiness and (5) Support. Conclusions The 5 themes provide 6 constructs for independent intervention. Understanding these themes that promote caregiver well-being can be a guide for us to take care of our family caregivers.

Quality of life among female childhood cancer survivors with and without premature ovarian insufficiency

PurposeDue to an increase in survival, a growing population of childhood cancer survivors (CCS) is present. However, female CCS are at risk of developing premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) after cancer treatment. POI involves a decreased chance of conceiving and the increased infertility state has a large impact on affected individuals’ health and mental life. The objective of this study was to investigate health state and well-being among female CCS with and without POI and healthy controls (HC).MethodsFemale CCS treated in southern Sweden between 1964 and 2008 were included. Each patient was matched with a HC. The final study population included 167 female CCS and 164 HC that were examined between October 2010 and January 2015 at the Reproductive Medicine Centre at Skåne University Hospital in Malmö, Sweden. All participants, except for two HCs, answered an EQ-5D-3L questionnaire for measuring health state including a visual analogue scale (VAS) for estimating well-being.ResultsThere were 22 CCS with POI, none of the HC had POI. The mean health state differed among groups (unadjusted: P = 0.002; adjusted: P = 0.007). A difference in mean experienced well-being among groups was noted (unadjusted: P = 0.003; adjusted: P = 0.012). Lowest well-being was found in the CCS group with POI (P = 0.024).ConclusionsFemale CCS have a significantly decreased health state and well-being. Female CCS with POI additionally have the lowest self-estimated well-being. Implications for Cancer SurvivorsFemale CCS with POI should be identified early in order to give them adequate information and support.

Experienced well-being rises with income, even above $75,000 per year.

What is the relationship between money and well-being? Research distinguishes between two forms of well-being: people's feelings during the moments of life (experienced well-being) and people's evaluation of their lives when they pause and reflect (evaluative well-being). Drawing on 1,725,994 experience-sampling reports from 33,391 employed US adults, the present results show that both experienced and evaluative well-being increased linearly with log(income), with an equally steep slope for higher earners as for lower earners. There was no evidence for an experienced well-being plateau above $75,000/y, contrary to some influential past research. There was also no evidence of an income threshold at which experienced and evaluative well-being diverged, suggesting that higher incomes are associated with both feeling better day-to-day and being more satisfied with life overall.

Sense of Ethnic Belonging: Relation With Well-Being and Psychological Distress in Inhabitants of the Mapuche Conflict Area, Chile.

Research has shown that experiences of discrimination cause harm to the health and well-being of people. In terms of the identity of members of a group, a positive evaluation of that group might involve devaluing the out-group as a way of raising the endo-group, causing discrimination toward the out-group. In the Chilean context, the Mapuche people have historically suffered discrimination and violations of their rights. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between Collective Identity, perceived experiences of discrimination, psychological well-being and distress in the inhabitants of the Mapuche conflict zone according to their sense of belonging to their ethnic group (Mapuche, Mestizo, Caucasian). This descriptive, correlative, and cross-sectional study involved 200 participants, including 94 men (47%), and 106 women (53%), between the ages of 18 and 83 years old (M = 39.02; SD = 13.45), who had lived for at least 1 year in communities in the Araucanía Region. The sample was stratified according their sense of ethnic identity, including 30% Mapuche, 33.5% Caucasian, and 36.5% Mestizo. The results show that participants with a sense of Mapuche ethnicity experienced more instances of discrimination, had a greater sense of collective identity, and that they also supported the Mapuche social movement and its methods. Based on evidence that well-being is directly related to collective identity, the study undertook a regression analysis of emotional distress and the psychological well-being of participants. The interaction between experiences of discrimination and collective identity has a significant influence. Collective identity and experiences of discrimination in themselves as well as the interaction between them, predict psychological well-being. The results suggest that the importance of the Mapuche group’s identity phenomena are related to a broad socio-historical context that leads them to identify themselves as a collective in conditions of inequality. This relationship between well-being and collective identity could be explained by their sense of cultural belonging, which can be a factor in protecting mental health.

Managing the Flow Experience - The Dilemmas of Participatory Governance in Hungarian Social Enterprises

Based on interviews with key stakeholder groups of social enterprises in Hungary, democratic practices in decision making were seen as important features of social enterprises. However, there were several comments about participatory governance’s negative effect on operational efficiency. One of the aims of the paper is to explore this controversial finding from the perspective of leaders of social enterprises. In the theoretical part we summarise the foundations of employee involvement and participation (EIP) in small businesses and social enterprises, and possible explanations of how (EIP) may impact job related flow experiences. Based on the qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with leaders of social enterprises, we propose as a hypothesis the measurement of the impact of participatory practices on flow experiences of employees and volunteers as an effective evaluation criterion for participatory governance. One interesting finding is that compared to other aspects of participation (e.g. strategic decision making and innovation) involvement in HRM practices (especially regarding the role of middle managers) in social enterprises seems to be with the most direct impact on the wellbeing and flow experiences of employees and volunteers that may be interesting for future research also calling for the examination of employees’ perspectives.

How do job insecurity profiles correspond to employee experiences of work-home interference, self-rated health, and psychological well-being?

ObjectivesTraditional variable‐oriented research has shown that employee perceptions of job insecurity (JI) are associated with negative consequences, including more work‐home interference, poorer health, and impaired well‐being. Besides the negative consequences of high JI, particular combinations of JI perceptions may also be associated with different consequences. Taking a person‐oriented approach, this study aimed to investigate (1) whether it is possible to distinguish different combinations of JI perceptions among working women and men and (2) whether such JI profiles involve different experiences of work‐home interference, health, and well‐being.MethodsSelf‐reports in questionnaires of JI, including both quantitative and qualitative threats of perceived job loss, work‐home interference (WHI), health, and psychological well‐being came from 1169 white‐collar workers (52.4% women) in Sweden. Latent profile analysis was performed to identify JI profiles. Subsequent analyses included comparing profiles with respect to WHI, health, and well‐being.ResultsFour distinct JI profiles were identified: (1) Secure; quality‐concerned, (2) Insecure: employment‐concerned, (3) Insecure, and (4) Secure. Comparisons of cluster profiles showed significant differences in work‐home interference (family‐work conflict), self‐rated health, and psychological well‐being.ConclusionsFindings suggest that the Insecure profile may be most vulnerable to adverse consequences of perceived JI. Taken together, different JI profiles may be associated with differential experiences of work‐home interference, health, and psychological well‐being among working women and men.

Enriching Lives: How Spending Time with Pets is Related to the Experiential Well-Being of Older Americans

This study examines how caring for pets and walking, exercising, or playing with pets is associated with the experiential well-being of older Americans using activity-episode-level data from the 2010, 2012, and 2013 American Time Use Surveys (ATUS) and their associated Well-Being Modules (WBM). Estimating a series of ordered probit models that relate various measures of experiential well-being to different measures of pet-related activities, the results show that caring for pets is associated with greater meaning than other activities, controlling for a standard set of demographic and other person-level characteristics. Walking, exercising, or playing with household pets or animals is associated with greater happiness and meaning and less stress relative to other activities. The results from sensitivity analyses show that the magnitudes of the associations for people who live alone are larger than for those who live with others.

Meditating in Virtual Reality 2: Phenomenology of Vividness, Egocentricity and Absorption-Immersion

The current study was designed to replicate and extend previous findings that demonstrate the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) technology to facilitate salient experiences of positive affect and wellbeing in response to meditative tasks, by (1) evaluating the phenomenological variables vividness, egocentricity, and immersiveness, as mediators of variability in positive affective response, and by (2) evaluating individual differences in trait absorption as a predictor of variability in positive affective response. The current experiment included 48 undergraduate students, all of whom completed both a brief VR and non-VR guided meditation session. Participants self-reported affective and meditative responses after each session using a battery of questionnaires. Participants experienced greater positive affect in response to VR versus non-VR guided meditation. Further, higher positive affect in response to VR meditation was (1) partially mediated by the experience of higher immersiveness, which was partially mediated by the experience of higher egocentricity in turn, and (2) predicted by higher trait absorption. Guided meditation in VR is associated with increased positive affect in comparison to non-VR meditation partly due to its effects on egocentricity and immersiveness, especially among participants high in trait absorption.

Place attachment: antecedents and consequences (Antecedentes y consecuencias del apego al lugar)

ABSTRACT Place attachment refers to a process of person-environment interaction that has generated a substantial volume of research. This paper presents a summary of available knowledge regarding place attachment, focusing particularly on residential environments. It offers a definition of place attachment and presents some research strategies. Antecedent variables that contribute to the development of place attachment are also analysed, along with the consequences associated with place attachment. Finally, the relationship between place attachment and the experience of psychological well-being is analysed.

Toward New Understandings of a Good Life for People Experiencing Impairment: An Art- and Community-Based Research Protocol

Almost half of all Canadians live with sensory, cognitive, or physical impairment due to injury, illness, or ageing. Yet, research investigating the complex relationship between well-being and impairment is limited. Existing research has largely rendered invisible peoples’ experiences of a good life while living with impairment. In response, researchers are calling for interdisciplinary research that integrates new paradigms. Using innovative qualitative and visual research methods, our team will work with 24 women living with impairment as a result of cancer and/or its treatments to explore how creative practices can contribute to new understandings of a good life. Participants will be invited to complete mixed-media arts workshops during which they will create artwork representing their experiences of well-being while living with impairment. After the workshops, each participant will be asked to complete an individual interview about their experiences and their creative work. Next, a rough cut of a film will be produced from the workshop recordings and participants will be invited to provide feedback at a private screening. The research will culminate in a public screening of the film and an exhibit of participants’ work. Audience members (health professionals, students, participants, and the general public) will participate in a discussion following the screening and will be asked to complete a short survey about the event. This research will enhance public understandings of what it means to live well with impairment. In addition, the research will potentially impact health practices through querying dominant biomedical paradigms focused on curative approaches and distress.

Enduring life in between a sense of renewal and loss of courage: lifeworld perspectives one year after hip fracture

ABSTRACT Purpose: To explore everyday life experiences of being active in aged adults´ with walking impairment one year after hip fracture (HF). Methods: A phenomenological-hermeneutic study design is based on Heidegger´s and Gadamer´s thinking focusing on aged adults being-in-the-world one year after HF. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted from May to July 2017 in the homes of nine participants, who were part of a longitudinal qualitative study with four interview-rounds for a period of 18 months after the HF event. The analysis was interpretative and secured that the authors´ pre-understanding was put at stake through a five-step process of meaning condensation. Results: One theme, “Enduring life in between a sense of renewal and loss of courage”, described aged adults´ experiences of being active in three sub-themes: “Facing loss and losing courage”, “Taking up the challenge and maintaining courage “, and “Renewing the energy to be active”. Living with being under change and increased vulnerability created a challenge in maintaining courage and reaching for possibilities to unfold their own being in life. Conclusion: This study contributes knowledge on how the aged adults´ experiences of the balance between courage and loss in being active one year after HF are profoundly connected with experiences of well-being.

Framing wellbeing through spirituality, space, history, and context: Lessons from an indigenous African community

This article is informed by one of the outcomes of a PhD study which explored an understanding of spirituality that informs wellbeing within four indigenous South African contexts. Literatures on the negative impact of the historical subjugation of African indigenous understanding of spirituality and beingness abound. However, there is a paucity of literature focused on the spaces of transition created by this subjugation of African indigenous spiritual knowledges and ways of being, and how these created spaces interact with context to inform the understanding and experience of health and wellbeing in African indigenous communities.

Показатели психологической адаптации у пациенток с сердечно-сосудистой патологией на фоне синдрома дисплазии соединительной ткани

The article presents the results of a study of psychological adaptation in patients with cardiac pathology against the background of connective tissue dysplasia, conducted at the Regional Clinical Center for Specialized Types of Medical Care in Vladivostok. It was hypothesized that patients with concomitant connective tissue dysplasia will have lower adaptive capacity than patients without this syndrome. The study involved 32 girls 16–18 years old (M=16.72; SD=0.41) with cardiovascular pathology on the background of connective tissue dysplasia and 32 girls of the same age (M=16.78; SD=0.40) with cardiovascular disease without connective tissue dysplasia. To assess the severity of adaptive capabilities, the following methods were used: the Questionnaire of socio-psychological adaptation (A.K. Osnitsky, 2004), the Multi-level Personality Questionnaire "Adaptability" developed by А.G. Maklakov and S.V. Chermyanin, the Communicative Tolerance Questionnaire (V.V. Boyko), K. Ryff's scale of Psychological Well-being adapted by N.N. Lepeshinsky, the Oxford Happiness Inventory adapted by A. Lisitsina (2003). The significant intergroup differences (p<0.05) were revealed in terms of neuropsychic and emotional stability, working capacity, self-esteem, need for communication, behavioral features, experiences of psychological well-being, feelings of happiness, socialization and adaptation, motivation for activity, tolerance to adverse factors environment, as well as indicators of the communicative capabilities of the individual. The results obtained indicate reduced indicators of psychological adaptation in adolescent patients with cardiac pathology against the background of connective tissue dysplasia. These results can be used in the development of individual psychocorrectional programs to improve the social adaptation of girls with connective tissue dysplasia syndrome.

Lived Experience of Sickle Cell Patients during and after Crisis

Aims and Objectives: To understand the lived experience and needs of patients with sickle cell disease during and two weeks after their crisis and identify the obstacles faced by patients while they are in the hospital. Background: Although there is no specific data of a number of affected individuals with sickle cell disease in Oman based on their age, the majority of the Omani population are youth. This category of the population is either in their high school or working in the governmental or private sector in the country. When the most productive category of the population are getting frequently absent due to sickle cell crisis and complication of sickle cell crisis from their work, this leads to huge financial and human resource burden. Design: Phenomenology. Method: This qualitative descriptive research was conducted using face-to-face interviews based on an interview protocol. The interview protocol was developed by the authors based on a framework called domains of well-being. Twenty adult patients have been recruited for the interview after meeting inclusion criteria and were asked about their well-being and lived experience during sickle cell crisis. Authors used SRQR checklist in reporting the study. Results: Thirteen themes were identified related to patients’ lived experience and their well-being during sickle cell crisis. Patients reported physical, emotional, social, and spiritual alteration. Major themes that emerged are communication, medical team interpretation of genuine pain, Emotional disturbance during the crisis, What does this study contribute to the wider global clinical community? Nurses and doctors should use therapeutic communication when dealing with sickle cell patients. Nurses should establish rapport and trust with patients. In each health care setting, there should be a social worker to deal with patients with chronic illness social relationships between the patient, family and friends, post-discharge status, spiritual and Islamic activities, and physical abilities. Conclusion: Participants’ physical and psychological statuses were mostly affected. Moreover, participants experienced extreme emotional disturbance during a painful crisis. However, it was not well understood why participants experienced post sickle cell crisis symptoms which need to be further investigated. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Understanding the lived experience of sickle cell patients may help improve nursing and medical care provided to them and enhance better outcomes for patients. These findings made the nurses and physicians plan a strategy of treating sickle cell patients using a holistic approach.

Positive psychology as a counterweight to youth economic deprivation

The article deals with the topical problem of economic deprivation of young women and men and alternatives for overcoming it through the introduction of the psycho-correctional practices of positive psychology. The subject of the study is to find out the gender symmetry or its violation in the position of the subjectivity of genders in the choice of life activity strategy. The conceptual model of positive psychology and its components as the indicators of the psychological state of young women and men in personal and professional self-determination are presented. The social and psychological factors that determine the satisfaction of the youth with the choice of a job and its content, the ability to direct and adjust the requests and motivations of young women and men in searching for a more successful professional and social status have been substantiated. It has been found out that overcoming gender inequality in social and economic gender expectations, and a sense of economic deprivation of the youth is possible by internalizing the basic principles of personality self-determination through learning, and involvement in positive psychology. Egalitarian orientations concerning the importance of receiving professional education and developing adequate personality qualities are important for youth but especially for young women’s internal subjective well-being experience. Satisfaction with social environment and confidence in the coming day the most common international concepts of economic happiness for group youth psychology.

Contextualizing methodology and measuring reflected material wellbeing of a fishing community in Sri Lanka

The present study develops an approach that consists of contextually specific, methodological stances to measure the material wellbeing and apply it to identify the wellbeing variations among four different fishing profiles of the Rekawa fishing community in Sri Lanka. One hundred and sixty fishers were randomly selected from “one-day fishing”, “multiday fishing”, “beach-seine”, and “lagoon fishing” profiles representing forty from each group. Material wellbeing is a profoundly important aspect of the overall welfare that consists of economic sustainability, healthy living, good and quality education, and access to nutritious food. Besides, acquiring and preserving material wellbeing can be considered an essential objective of the fishing community, but lay reflections on wellbeing experiences can be different because each fishing profile is attributed to different community characteristics. Development interventions are thus required to be adjusted in line with the unique socio-cultural characteristics of the community.

Does excessive social media use decrease subjective well-being? A longitudinal analysis of the relationship between problematic use, loneliness and life satisfaction

Current literature suggests problematic social media use (PSMU) predicts reduced social and psychological well-being. Lonely people are more prone to experience the negative outcomes of PSMU, but only few studies have focused explicitly on how loneliness affects the relationship between PSMU and subjective well-being experiences. In this paper, we examine if loneliness influences the association between PSMU and life satisfaction. We used nationally representative cross-sectional data from Finnish social media users (N = 2991) and follow-up panel data (N = 2021). First, we tested if PSMU affects satisfaction with life indirectly through loneliness while controlling for a set of background variables. Next, we examined whether changes in PSMU and loneliness affect life satisfaction over time. First analyses showed that PSMU was associated with life satisfaction negatively, but the effect was largely confounded by loneliness. Longitudinal analysis revealed increased PSMU did not predict decreased satisfaction with life within individuals, but increased PSMU predicted increased loneliness, and increased loneliness predicted decreased satisfaction with life. The analyses indicate that loneliness is a crucial element that contributes to the relationship between PSMU and life satisfaction. In addition, earlier observations that PSMU might increase loneliness over time were confirmed.

Психологічні ресурси особистості в умовах сучасних викликів

This article represents the results of a theoretical analysis of the problems of psychological resources of a personality. They are viewed and considered as individually-psychological traits and characteristics of a person, which provide her with successful acquirement and implementation of activities, state and experience of a psychological well-being. It is a systemic formation that includes physiological, personal, social and performing levels. The main and therefore basic function of psychological resources of the individual is to provide him with the opportunities through which he will be able to overcome a difficult life situation, sometimes even traumatic, and also to realize his or her life plans, to achieve own goal, thanks to which will originate self-development and acquisition of a certain level of a personal maturity. The question of resources is considered in psychological science as a means of subsistence, the capabilities of people and society, as physical and spiritual qualities of an individual and as well as a set of personal qualities that give a person the inner strength needed to overcome life crises. The level of conscious attitude of the individual to their capabilities, abilities, experience ensures the appropriate use of their own resources, by that meaning the ability of a person to consciously store, use, acquire, exchange and lose resources in the process of their lives. Through stable psychological resources, a person not only meets external conditions, but also creates such conditions under which his self-development and self-improvement take place. The study of psychological resources of the individual should be based on a systematic approach, according to which they should be understood as a system that is constantly replenished or devastated, so that the individual can overcome difficulties and function in full force. The interpretation of psychological resources as a system means that compensatory mechanisms can be included, thanks to which they are stored, exchanged and redistributed. Key words: psychological resources, personal resources, stress, overcoming of stress, coping strategies, personal maturity.

The impact of online brain training exercises on experiences of depression, anxiety and emotional wellbeing in a twin sample

This study assessed the effectiveness of cognitive and emotional brain training and transfer effects to wellbeing and depression and anxiety symptoms. 352 healthy adult twins were randomised to a training group where they were asked to play brain training games over a 30-day period, or a waitlist control group. This study focused on the impact of the brain training on explicit and implicit emotional cognition, and analysed effects using both Intention-To-Treat (ITT) and Per-Protocol (PP) approaches. Both analyses revealed significant training effects for improvement in the explicit identification of fear expressions (ITT: p < 0.001, d = 0.33; PP training 3 h+: p < 0.001, d = 0.55), and a reduction in implicit bias for anger expressions amongst males (ITT: p < 0.001, d = 0.94; PP training 3 h+: p = 0.04, d = 0.90). Female participants also showed improvements in implicit bias for happy expressions (ITT: p = 0.003, d = 0.34; PP training 3 h+: p = 0.03, d = 0.47). Improvements resulting from training in emotional cognition did not directly improve wellbeing, depression or anxiety symptoms. Regression modelling also suggested training improvements in emotional cognition yielded no indirect transfer effects for the mental health and wellbeing measures. The results suggest brain training in healthy populations has potential for improving emotional cognition, but the subsequent impact on improving wellbeing and mental health symptoms is still equivocal.

Resilience in Young and Older Adults: Eudaimonic Well-Being Despite Life Challenges

Although the types of events that occur across life phases may vary, experiencing multiple life challenges in a short time-frame can disrupt mental health (Zepinic, 2016). Maintaining self-continuity (i.e., sense of being the same person over time) when experiencing challenges may, however, foster resilience (Masten, 2001). This study investigated, in both young and older adults, whether: (1) experiencing multiple recent negative life challenges relates to lower current eudaimonic wellbeing, and (2) self-continuity acts as an internal resource for resilience. That is, whether having greater self-continuity ameliorates the negative association between frequent life challenges and well-being. Participants (N = 99 young, 87 older adults) reported all challenging events experienced in the last six years (Sarason et al., 1978). They also completed measures of eudaimonic Well-being (Ryff, 1989) and Sense of Self-continuity (past six years; e.g., Habermas & Köber, 2015). Older adults reported higher eudaimonic well-being than young adults (p < .001). Young adults reported experiencing more challenges (p < .001). Regardless, for both age groups, more frequently experiencing life challenges was associated with lower eudaimonic well-being (p < .001). Self-continuity mediated the association between more frequent experience of challenge and lower eudaimonic well-being: β = .258, SE = .061, 95% CI [.138, .378] (p < .001). Classic risk models focus on the negative effects of life’s inevitable challenges. Our findings, grounded in a resilient aging framework, support the idea that individuals of any age can use internal resources (i.e., strong sense of self-continuity) to maintain or re-establish well-being.