Positive Social Well-being Research Articles

Functional recovery in older adults with schizophrenia: A national interRAI study.

The concept of recovery for people with schizophrenia (PwS) is still a matter of debate. Growing numbers of PwS living to older age calls for examination of their disease trajectories with a focus on recovery. To compare two groups of PwS (good wellbeing; poor wellbeing) on several psychosocial variables associated with social wellbeing to identify interventions that support functional recovery. Data was drawn from participants from across New Zealand (NZ), who had received a formal diagnosis of Schizophrenia; were living independently in the community, and who had undergone their first International Resident Assessment Instrument (interRAI) assessment from 2012 to 2022. We compared two groups of PwS (good social wellbeing; poor social wellbeing) examining associations with demographic and psychosocial variables. We compared interRAI assessments for: 'poor psychosocial wellbeing' (n = 1,378; 67%; 56% female; 70.5% 65 years and over; 36.1% never married); and 'good psychosocial wellbeing' (n = 693; 33%; 61.1% female; 78.1% 65 years and over; 29.8% never married; n = 549 did not have sufficient social wellbeing data to be included). We found significant associations between social wellbeing and depression, disruptive behaviour, decision making, self-expression, understanding verbal information, activity level, self-reported health and medication adherence. Logistical regression showed depression (β = .84, p < .001, Wald = 51.01, Exp(B) = 2.31) and mild disruptive behaviour (β = .63, p = .002, Wald = 9.26, Exp(B) = 0.53) were the only predictors of poor social wellbeing. Those who reported some degree of depressive symptoms were 2.31 (CI [1.84, 2.91]) more likely to be in the poor social wellbeing group. A significant minority (33.5%) of older PwS enjoy positive social wellbeing. Several psychosocial variables are associated with wellbeing. By addressing the comorbidity of depressive symptoms, we may be able to improve wellbeing for older PwS.

Pilot testing the Engaging Generations (eGen) Program to address social well-being among lower-income older adults.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to address digital inclusion and social well-being for older adults was particularly apparent for those from disadvantaged communities. This pilot program provided access to technology and intergenerational mentorship to older adult participants interested in receiving and learning how to utilize an iPad. Pre/post-changes were examined for social well-being in the areas of quality of life, social isolation, and loneliness. This study conducted pre- and post-surveys with older participants (n = 145) from five disadvantaged communities in the United States utilizing standardized measures. One-on-one interviews were conducted post-program (n = 98) to examine participants' perceptions of the program and evaluate its impact on social measures. The study sample included older adults (Mean age = 72.3) who were mostly lower income (82.3%) and self-reported as Black (13.6%), Hispanic (21.7%), and White (56.5%). Significant differences were identified in participant pre/post-survey scores for social isolation, loneliness, and a global measure of quality of life. Qualitative analyses suggest improvements in various aspects of social well-being. Themes showed that participants believed the program contributed to (1) enhanced mood and mental health, (2) improved quality of life, (3) sense of purpose and feelings of being less alone, (4) ability to use video calling to connect with others; and (5) ability to more freely use email, texting, and messaging to communicate with others. This research demonstrates that this pilot program seemed to contribute to reduced social isolation and loneliness for participants, and participants stated more positive social well-being following program participation. However, future research with larger samples is needed to expand upon these findings. Future studies will examine the pathways between technology improvements and social well-being and examine group differences.

Do associations between sense of purpose, social support, and loneliness differ across the adult lifespan?

Past research has suggested that the path to purpose involves connections with people along the way. In support, sense of purpose appears higher amongst those adults with more positive social relationships and interactions. However, research has yet to consider whether associations between sense of purpose and social relationship variables differ across adulthood. The present study examined this claim using a sample of Swiss adults, who completed measures for sense of purpose, loneliness, received support, and provided support. A large, nationally representative sample of 2,312 Swiss adults (52.34 years old; SD = 17.35) completed these measures, as part of a larger survey. Local structural equation modeling was employed to estimate the means and associations of these constructs across adulthood. Sense of purpose was negatively associated with loneliness, but positively associated overall with both support variables. No evidence was found for age moderation for the association between sense of purpose and loneliness. However, moderation was evidenced insofar that sense of purpose was less associated with both support variables with age. Sense of purpose again appears related to more positive social well-being and relationships, and consistently linked to lower loneliness. The age moderation effects for purpose-support associations are discussed with respect to theories of adult development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Профессиональное развитие кадрового потенциала библиотеки

Professional education of a librarian is the most vital component of the evolution of the library and information industry, a progressive movement that contributes to the development and formation of a modern library specialist. The purpose of this article is to substantiate an additional study of the concept of “professional development” in the context of social modernization of both society as a whole and the library industry. The task of the study was to consider the components of vocational education and professional development. The study examines and substantiates the subtasks of professional development in the context of the personnel strategy of modern personnel management related to increasing the social mobility of specialists, positive social well-being, increasing the degree of adaptation to new technologies and working conditions, synergetic personality culture, reducing the risks of emotional burnout of specialists, motivation for self-development of young capable employees. The authors have considered and systematized the main components of professional development and formulated the definition of “professional development of the library’s personnel potential“.

Social Well-Being of Juvenile Sex Offenders with Conduct Issues in Malaysia

Adolescents' ability to converse and form meaningful connections with others, as well as to keep up a social network that helps them to avoid isolation, is greatly aided by their level of social well-being. Juvenile delinquents with conduct disorder exhibit more psychopathology and commit more serious crimes than those without a conduct disorder diagnosis. However, it has been proven that positive peer interactions lessen behaviour problems in adolescents where the negative behaviour in teenagers can be diminishes with increased peer support. To explore how the juvenile sex offenders with conduct issues socialized with peers, seven juvenile sex offenders between the age of 14 to 17 with conduct issues were participated in interviews. The data were collected from two detention centers in Selangor and Perak, Malaysia, and analysed using thematic analysis. This study found that social well-being includes social interaction, peers support, closeness in peer relationships, peer acceptance, and a sense of belonging among juvenile sex offenders with conduct issues in detention centers. It is concluded that social well-being is vital in building emotional resilience among juvenile sex offenders with conduct issues. Positive social well-being allows adolescents to move forward and self-growth while negative social well-being regresses the individual in cognitive, and socio-emotional development. The findings demonstrated the significance of adolescents' social well-being, which helps them maintain their health and develop social and emotional abilities in the detention centre.

THE ETHNOSOCIAL STRUCTURE OF THE CHUVASH POPULATION IN BASHKORTOSTAN (1979–2019)

Based on the data of the All-Union and All-Russian population censuses, as well as statistical data, the article makes an attempt to reveal the ethno-social structure of the Chuvash population in Bashkortostan in 1979–2010. One of the main indicators of high social status and positive social well-being is the educational level of the population. The indicators reflecting the educational level of the Chuvash population in Bashkortostan are lower than the average ones in the Republic. Despite this, the Chuvash were represented in various spheres of the republic’s economy. A significant proportion of the Chuvash were represented in the field of industry (21.2%), a certain part worked in the field of natural sciences and healthcare, a solid part was made up of highly qualified specialists – 9.3%, as well as in the field of education – 4.5%. Among the Chuvash, the highest share among the ethnic groups of the republic was the share with several sources of livelihood: two sources – 39.0% and three sources – 2.1%, when the national average was 29.4% and 1.7%, respectively.&#x0D; &#x0D; One of the main income sources for the Chuvash was private subsidiary farming, which accounted for a little more than one third (29.6%), significantly outstripping the indicators of other ethnic groups in this area and significantly exceeding the national average (18.9%). Noting rather high indicators of the Chuvash in some areas of the republican economy, it should be emphasized that according to many other indicators, the social and professional status of the Chuvash population in Bashkortostan is still inferior to that of representatives of other ethnic groups.

Social well-being of the student youth (regional aspect)

At the present stage of the Russian modernization, social well-being indicates satisfaction with various aspects of life, which makes it a focus of sociological research. Positive social well-being, especially of the youth, is an important indicator of social stabilization. The authors considered different theoretical-methodological approaches to provide a structural operationalization of social well-being. The article presents the content of this concept, its indicators, and factors that affect the social well-being of students in the Russian region. The relevance of studying the social mood of the younger generation is determined by the need to ensure the positive social well-being of the youth, because the future development of our country depends on how the youth evaluates their present and what plans they have for the future. The research was to identify both factors that affect the social well-being of students and their relationship. The study combined quantitative (survey) and qualitative (focus groups) methods. The latter allowed to assess the priority of various factors for students. Based on the survey results, the authors developed a factor model of the social well-being of provincial students, which presents as the key factors employment opportunities, education, health and implementation of life strategies. The results of the qualitative study showed that students are worried by their chances in the labor market, possibilities of self-realization, and deviant practices among the youth. In general, there are anxious moods among university graduates. The authors believe that there should be a monitoring of the social well-being of the younger generation, which would allow to see changes in factors of the greatest impact on the social well-being and, thus, to prevent social tensions in the regional society.

دراسة مقارنة بین المؤسسات الاجتماعیة المختلفة حول تحقیق الرفاه الاجتماعی لدى الأخصائیین الاجتماعیین العاملین بها

ملخص: تأتي الدراسة مع اهتمام الادبيات الأجنبية بالرفاه الاجتماعي والمهني للأخصائيين الاجتماعيين، وأهمية تحقيق الرفاه والسعادة المهنية، مما ينعکس على زيادة مستويات الرضا الوظيفي، وانخفاض دوران العمل، وتعزيز الولاء والتناغم المؤسسي، مما ينعکس إيجابا على الأداء العام للمؤسسة وعلى رضا المتعاملين والعملاء. وهدفت الدراسة الحالية إلى المقارنة بين مستوى الرفاه الاجتماعي لدى الاخصائيين الاجتماعيين بالمؤسسات الاجتماعية المختلفة بمحافظة بني سويف (مديرية التضامن الاجتماعي، مديرية الشباب والرياضة، مديرية التربية والتعليم، مديرية الشئون الصحية). وأظهرت نتائج الدراسة: أن مستوى الرفاه الاجتماعي لدى الأخصائيين الاجتماعيين کان بصورة عامة مرتفعا لحد ما. واتضح بالمقارنات الاحصائية عدم وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية في مستوى الرفاه الاجتماعي بين الأخصائيين الاجتماعيين العاملين بالمؤسسات الاجتماعية المختلفة، وعدم وجود فروق في مستوى الرفاه الاجتماعي ترجع للمتغيرات الديموغرافية (النوع، العمر، سنوات العمل، الحالة الاجتماعية). واختتمت الدراسة بتصميم دليل إرشادي مقترح لتحسين وتعزيز الرفاه الاجتماعي الإيجابي لممارسي مهنة الخدمة الاجتماعية. وأوصت الدراسة بالحاجة للدراسات المستقبلية لتوضيح العوامل التي تؤثر على الأبعاد الخمسة للرفاه العام للأخصائيين الاجتماعيين والتخطيط لتحسينها، وإجراء المزيد من الدراسات المقارنة بين الأخصائيين الاجتماعيين. الکلمات الدالة: الرفاه الاجتماعي، الاخصائيين الاجتماعيين، المؤسسات الاجتماعية. A comparative study between different social institutions on achieving social Well-being among social workers Abstract: The study comes with the interest of foreign literature in the social and professional Well-being among social workers. Moreover, the importance of achieving professional well-being and happiness, which reflected in increased levels of job satisfaction, decreased work turnover, and enhanced institutional loyalty and harmony, which will positively affect the overall performance of the organization and the satisfaction of clients and customers. The present study aimed to compare the level of social Well-being of social workers in different social institutions in Beni Suef Governorate (Directorate of Social Solidarity, Directorate of Youth and Sports, Directorate of Education, Directorate of Health Affairs). The results of the study showed: that the level of social Well-being among social workers was generally high. In addition, it became clear through statistical comparisons that there were no statistically significant differences in the level of social Well-being between social workers working in different social institutions, and there were no differences in the level of social Well-being due to demographic variables (gender, age, years of work, marital status). The study concluded by designing a proposed guide for improving and enhancing the positive social Well-being of practitioners of the social service profession. The study recommended the need for future studies to clarify the factors that affect well-being of social workers and planning to improve them, and to conduct more comparative studies between social workers. Key words: social Well-being, social workers, social institutions.

Differences in physical activity at recess and school-related social factors in four Finnish lower secondary schools.

This study investigated the differences in physical activity (PA) at recess and school-related social factors, and described school PA promotion processes and staff experiences at four lower secondary schools from the Finnish Schools on the Move programme. Recess PA, peer relationships at school, relatedness to school, and school climate were assessed via surveys with eighth-grade students in spring 2011 (n = 385) and spring 2013 (n = 373). Local contact people in the school projects (n = 6), school staff (n = 83) and principals (n = 3) provided information on the PA promotion process via telephone interviews and surveys. Differences in student-level data in years 2011 and 2013 were analysed by gender using two-way ANOVA. Data on school processes were analysed using a combination of classification, narrative approach and content analysis.In two of the four schools, male students reported higher levels of recess PA in 2013 compared to 2011. In three schools, school-related social factors did not differ between 2011 and 2013. School cultures and routes towards a more physically active school day differed; the project was highly visible in all schools, but staff participation varied. More research is needed to determine the effective physically active strategies to promote positive social well-being and to enhance staff engagement.

Реформы 1990-х и 2000-х гг.: приобретения и потери россиян

The article discusses the results of comparative analysis of the results of 1990s’ and 2000s’ reforms from the point of view of the losses and gains of Russians. Using the data from longitudinal sociological surveys the author presents the changes in the ratio of winners and losers, provides detailed characteristics of these groups, analyzes the peculiarities of their socio-economic adaptation. In particular, based on self-estimation, there is a six fold increase in the number of winners from the reforms of the 2000s in comparison with the winners from the reforms of the 1990s. This can be explained by improvement of socio-economic situation in the country and increasing government attention to tackling social problems as well as by the rise of people's adaptive capacities. Currently the proportion of “winners” is higher among those people who in the early stages of market reforms experienced disastrous deterioration of their economic situation. So today, among “winners” there are many people who were only able to slightly improve their position, and positive social well-being is often the result of modest pretensions. Often moderate social optimism expresses not so much a positive assessment of the existing reality but mainly strengthening opinion about favorable changes in the future. Among “winners” there is a substantial group of people who have received certain preferences from the state. Changes resulted in a considerable improvement of the social well-being of pensioners and public sector employees. The significance and emotional problems of physical survival expressed in previous years by a less successful and more successful people have visibly diminished. With the improvement of the socio-economic situation the number of supporters of market reforms has increased, especially among the most adapted people. At the same time the author emphasizes an internal inconsistency and conflict in mass consciousness, which is explains by the contradictions of social reality, on the one hand, and unclear prospects of future development of the country, on the other. The analysis leads to the conclusion that in the future the ratio of winners and losers will be largely determined by the directions of the country socio-economic policy.

Media use, face-to-face communication, media multitasking, and social well-being among 8- to 12-year-old girls.

An online survey of 3,461 North American girls ages 8-12 conducted in the summer of 2010 through Discovery Girls magazine examined the relationships between social well-being and young girls' media use--including video, video games, music listening, reading/homework, e-mailing/posting on social media sites, texting/instant messaging, and talking on phones/video chatting--and face-to-face communication. This study introduced both a more granular measure of media multitasking and a new comparative measure of media use versus time spent in face-to-face communication. Regression analyses indicated that negative social well-being was positively associated with levels of uses of media that are centrally about interpersonal interaction (e.g., phone, online communication) as well as uses of media that are not (e.g., video, music, and reading). Video use was particularly strongly associated with negative social well-being indicators. Media multitasking was also associated with negative social indicators. Conversely, face-to-face communication was strongly associated with positive social well-being. Cell phone ownership and having a television or computer in one's room had little direct association with children's socioemotional well-being. We hypothesize possible causes for these relationships, call for research designs to address causality, and outline possible implications of such findings for the social well-being of younger adolescents.

Someone to live for: social well-being, parenthood status, and decision-making in oncology.

Little is known about the influence of social factors on treatment preferences and desire for aggressive cancer therapy. The present study assessed subjective and objective social indicators in patient preferences for treatment. Cancer patients (N = 296) with diverse diagnoses and stages read sets of hypothetical vignettes describing patients with early-stage and advanced disease. In the first set, patients made decisions about treatment acceptance given varying levels of either increasing cure or extending survival. In the second set, the point at which patients shifted preferences from mild to severe treatment to improve likelihood of 1-year survival (switch point) was the dependent measure. We assessed the impact of quality-of-life (QL) domains measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G), having children, marital status, and living arrangements on treatment preferences and switch points. The Social Well-Being (SWB) subscale of the FACT-G predicted both treatment acceptance (P = .007) and switch point (P = .043) in the advanced-disease vignettes, with lower SWB associated with less aggressive preferences. Children living at home was likewise associated with more aggressive intent both in treatment preferences (P = .003, advanced-disease vignette) and switch point (P < .001 and P = .001 for early- and advanced-disease vignettes, respectively). Living with others predicted more aggressive intent in the advanced-disease vignette (P = .03). Marital status did not predict either treatment acceptance or switch point. Positive social well-being, as well as having children living at home, predicted patient willingness to accept aggressive treatment. Willingness to receive aggressive treatment may explain or mediate previously reported salutory effects of social support on cancer outcomes.