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Collective wellbeing and posttraumatic growth during COVID-19: How positive psychology can help families, schools, workplaces and marginalized communities
The Journal of Positive Psychology
Abstract
Positive psychology approaches have been shown to play a vital role in protecting mental health in times of challenge and are, therefore, important to include when studying the psychological outcomes of COVID-19. While existing research has focused on individual psychological health, this paper focuses on collective wellbeing and collective posttraumatic growth, with the aim of more clearly identifying the positive experiences and potential for positive growth for key institutions in our society during the pandemic. A range of positive psychology interventions for families, schools, workplaces, and clinical psychology are presented. The paper then considers how three broad-reaching phenomena existing in our wider society (i.e., arts and culture, eco-connection, and wellbeing literacy) can be used to boost collective wellbeing. A positive systems approach to
understand civilian responses to the pandemic together with an examination of the role that positive psychology can play in supporting marginalized groups are also discussed.
... Regarding practice, PP faces the challenge of expanding its conventional focus on individual wellbeing to encompass collective wellbeing. This challenge becomes particularly significant in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has elevated awareness of global interdependence (Waters et al., 2021). Addressing collective wellbeing, however, does not mean applying a one-size-fits-all approach. ...
... However, traditional PP approaches have been criticized for their individual focus and limited applicability in policy-making. In recent years, there have been more calls by scholars to go beyond individual perspectives toward collective wellbeing (Lomas et al., 2020;Waters et al., 2021). PP scholars have proposed strategies for enhancing collective wellbeing (Waters et al., 2021) and public policy (Adler & Seligman, 2016;Ciarrochi et al., 2016;Trudel-Fitzgerald et al., 2019). ...
... In recent years, there have been more calls by scholars to go beyond individual perspectives toward collective wellbeing (Lomas et al., 2020;Waters et al., 2021). PP scholars have proposed strategies for enhancing collective wellbeing (Waters et al., 2021) and public policy (Adler & Seligman, 2016;Ciarrochi et al., 2016;Trudel-Fitzgerald et al., 2019). ...
... The term was first proposed by Tedeschi and Calhoun (1996), who describe stress-related growth as a set of positive psychological changes that occur as a result of overcoming trauma or extremely challenging life circumstances. In contrast to the description of trauma and its effects on the human psyche and ultimately physicality, stress-related growth offers us an explanation of an extremely difficult situation from a positive perspective and thus forms an essential element for understanding the process of coping with trauma and its aftermath (Hyun et al., 2021;Waters et al., 2021). Research shows that this kind of growth is reflected in self-perception, interpersonal relationships, and general philosophy and attitude toward life (Tedeschi et al., 2014). ...
... In our study, the positive aspect of overcoming this illness proved to be a memorable part of this experience, generally manifesting itself in a fundamental change in the person's priorities and personality attitudes. Previous research suggests that COVID-19 disease can also be a source of growth and positive experiences (Feng et al., 2021;Hyun et al., 2021;Waters et al., 2021). Our findings are partially consistent with the PTG scale, particularly the dimensions of more meaningful personal relationships and greater appreciation of life (Tedeschi and Calhoun, 2004). ...
... This knowledge is consistent with our findings, as we can observe in the results of the thematic analysis the association between the cognitive (re-evaluation of priorities), emotional (ability to appreciate things), and social (more contact with family) levels of the participants' reports. The study conducted with young people also shows that positive growth is possible and even quite common in the COVID-19 pandemic, with an important aspect of growth being a positive reassessment of one's situation and an awareness of one's strengths (Waters et al., 2021). In addition, we found that stressrelated growth was also expressed in participants finding new meaning in life. ...
Introduction
The results indicate that post-traumatic growth does indeed occur after overcoming the severe form of COVID-19. It suggests that this posttraumatic growth most often occurred through a reassessment of priorities and an appreciation of life itself and loved ones. COVID-19 disease has been one of the most discussed and researched topics for several years, as it dramatically affects everyone’s daily life.
Methods
The qualitative study presented here focuses on health psychology, especially post-traumatic growth after overcoming a severe form of the COVID-19 disease. We worked with adult people who had either been treated in the intensive care unit or had been hospitalized with severe pneumonia.
Results
Thematic analysis was used to determine categories and subcategories. The study presented here contributes to knowledge about the COVID-19 experience by mapping a Slovakian sample of adult participants.
Discussion
The results obtained by Thematic analysis help us better understand how people experience the disease, especially those who have overcome a severe form of the disease and thus had a borderline experience when their lives were directly threatened, as well as their overall health.
... Nonoverlapping analyses of this data set have been presented in Waters et al. (2022), and a set of individual difference measures focused on well-being and personality (analyses of which are to be reported elsewhere), are described in the online supplemental materials. 3 The analyses in this study were not preregistered. ...
... In addition, an important contextual factor for this work is that responses were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the significant disruptions experienced due to the pandemic, people's engagement with the A&H was similarly disrupted (Crone et al., 2021;Waters et al., 2022). Because the entirety of the present data was collected during the pandemic, this context must be taken into account when interpreting the findings. ...
... The survey included a small number of questions about participants' experiences of the pandemic in relation to A&H engagement. These are to be written up in detail elsewhere but are briefly discussed inWaters et al. (2022).SIGNIFICANT FORMS OF A&H ENGAGEMENT3 This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. ...
People dedicate substantial time, effort, and resources to engaging in the arts and humanities (A&H). Such activities are believed to greatly enrich people’s lives. However, there is only a patchwork of research on if, when, how, and for whom this holds true. In a large, exploratory survey of 873 U.S. residents (nationally representative with respect to gender, age, race, income, and region), participants provided descriptions of both personally significant A&H-related (a) discrete experiences (e.g., performing at a particular concert), and (b) recurrent activities (e.g., a longstanding guitar-playing hobby). Exploratory analyses addressed the following questions: What are the cognitive, affective, and situational features of discrete A&H experiences and recurrent A&H activities? What are the similarities and differences in A&H engagement across different A&H domains (e.g., music, history, etc.)? Finally, how does A&H engagement compare to non-A&H engagement (e.g., sports)? We found substantial heterogeneity across different A&H domains and contexts of engagement, as well as a range of differences between the phenomenology of A&H-related and non-A&H discrete experiences and recurrent activities. We synthesize these results to present a broad picture of the psychology of A&H engagement, laying the groundwork for focused investigations into mechanisms linking A&H engagement and well-being.
... Aligned with LAC's positive approach and the principles of positive psychology (Seligman, 2011), this research characterises wellbeing, not as merely the absence of ill-being, but the presence of positive and adaptive functioning that contributes to a fulfilling and satisfying life. In recent years, there has been an increasing effort to broaden the scope of wellbeing science (Kemp and Edwards, 2022) from individual positive psychology to encompass higher levels of scale Lomas et al., 2020), and target groups and systems within which individuals are embedded (Waters et al., 2022) including communities, workplaces (Lomas et al., 2019;Theeboom et al., 2014), universities (Oades et al., 2011), cities (Ballas, 2013), and nations (Antó et al., 2021;Waters et al., 2022). The GENIAL framework (Kemp & Fisher, 2022;Kemp et al., 2017a, b;Mead et al., 2019Mead et al., , 2021 is an interpretative framework of the wider published literature which integrates these scales, conceptualising wellbeing as a connection to the self (e.g., emotional regulation, purpose, health behaviours), others (e.g., personal relationships, community integration), and the planet (e.g., nature connection). ...
... Aligned with LAC's positive approach and the principles of positive psychology (Seligman, 2011), this research characterises wellbeing, not as merely the absence of ill-being, but the presence of positive and adaptive functioning that contributes to a fulfilling and satisfying life. In recent years, there has been an increasing effort to broaden the scope of wellbeing science (Kemp and Edwards, 2022) from individual positive psychology to encompass higher levels of scale Lomas et al., 2020), and target groups and systems within which individuals are embedded (Waters et al., 2022) including communities, workplaces (Lomas et al., 2019;Theeboom et al., 2014), universities (Oades et al., 2011), cities (Ballas, 2013), and nations (Antó et al., 2021;Waters et al., 2022). The GENIAL framework (Kemp & Fisher, 2022;Kemp et al., 2017a, b;Mead et al., 2019Mead et al., , 2021 is an interpretative framework of the wider published literature which integrates these scales, conceptualising wellbeing as a connection to the self (e.g., emotional regulation, purpose, health behaviours), others (e.g., personal relationships, community integration), and the planet (e.g., nature connection). ...
Given the rising demands of chronic conditions and mental health challenges, there is an urgent need to reduce burden on formal, statutory services. Local communities are under-utilised yet offer many opportunities to facilitate the key determinants of health and wellbeing. Local Area Coordination (LAC) provides a practical, asset-based approach in which purposefully recruited coordinators meet and build relationships with community members, use their strengths and leverage community assets to help them build their version of ‘the good life’. Here we report on the impact of LAC on wellbeing outcomes and explore potential mechanisms underpinning the approach. A rigorous mixed-methods design was implemented including data from psychophysiological synchrony, a quantitative survey, and qualitative ripple effects mapping. The presence of in-phase cardiac synchrony was found during conversations between coordinators and community members, suggesting physiological attunement during interaction. Survey data analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling found that relationship rapport significantly predicted community integration, which in turn, predicted the wellbeing of community members. Longer meeting durations predicted improved relationship rapport, whilst the frequency of meetings did not. Qualitative feedback indicated that the person-centred approach was a key mechanism underpinning its success and that fostering a safe, trusting relationship is crucial for bridging people into the community. Overall, Local Area Coordination’s community-led approach is a promising opportunity to harness community assets, empower individuals, and contribute to a more inclusive and connected society.
... experiences are interconnected and often coexist (Waters et al., 2021). This is of particular relevance as some COVID-19 experiences-such as the transition to virtual schooling and changes to daily routines-were appraised positively by some parents and concurrently described as challenging by others (Herbert et al., 2020;Weaver & Swank, 2021). ...
... Further, understanding parents' experiences through a positive psychology lens involves drawing attention to the ways parents identified strengths, positive relationship changes, and hope during a time of uncertainty and turmoil. For example, positive psychologists propose that it is possible for individuals to report positive mental health, even during highly stressful circumstances, and that being able to identify positive aspects of life during COVID-19 may lead to beneficial outcomes (Waters et al., 2021(Waters et al., , 2022. Indeed, previous studies demonstrate that parents who identified more rewards of the pandemic also experienced greater parental satisfaction and fewer stress symptoms (Aramburu et al., 2022;Herbert et al., 2020). ...
Family life dramatically changed following the COVID-19 pandemic onset. Parents faced school and childcare closures, employment changes, and other disruptions to daily life. This study utilized online survey data collected in late April 2020 (N = 1,009) of parents’ experiences parenting children from 0 to 12 years during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents in the study were primarily White (82%), married (82%), and women (89%) with one or two children (75.1%). This qualitative study explored the challenges and rewards of parenting during a public health crisis. Parents responded to separate open-ended questions asking about the rewards and challenges of parenting during COVID-19. The responses to each question were coded independently and then combined to identify broader overarching themes. Using descriptive qualitative analysis, we identified six themes related to both parenting challenges and rewards: shifting roles and responsibilities, structure and routine changes, staying at home, relationship changes, parental adaptation and well-being, child well-being, and emotional experiences. A subset of parents reported the same experiences as being both rewarding and challenging, which reflects the duality and complexity of parenting during the pandemic. These findings are interpreted through a positive psychology lens and highlight the benefit finding that exists even when parents are in extremely stressful situations. We discuss the implications of this research for better supporting parents both during and outside of major crises.
... Applying a collective lens also makes apparent the consequences and unintended consequences in service design which could advantage one collective over another (Parkinson et al., 2022a and b). Borrowing from Allison et al.'s (2020) definition of collective flourishing, collective well-being can be defined here as the phenomenon whereby an interconnected group of people who feel good and function well together (Waters et al., 2022). System approaches recognize that individuals are influenced by the institutions within which they are situated and, as such, these approaches move beyond individual-level interventions to target change at the collective level Waters et al., 2022), thus enabling collective action. ...
... Borrowing from Allison et al.'s (2020) definition of collective flourishing, collective well-being can be defined here as the phenomenon whereby an interconnected group of people who feel good and function well together (Waters et al., 2022). System approaches recognize that individuals are influenced by the institutions within which they are situated and, as such, these approaches move beyond individual-level interventions to target change at the collective level Waters et al., 2022), thus enabling collective action. ...
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges, interplay and potential directions for future service research to address the first three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of no poverty, zero hunger and good health and well-being.
Design/methodology/approach
This commentary examines how service research has addressed these SDGs in the literature, and through the development of a theory of change, the authors propose an agenda for service research going beyond serving, to enabling and transforming service systems, expanding the current focus on individual to community and population well-being through promotion and prevention.
Findings
Service research has increasingly advocated human-centered approaches but requires a shift towards an all of humanity perspective. Individual and collective well-being have gained attention in service research, emphasizing the importance of considering collective well-being.
Research limitations/implications
The commentary underscores the need for a comprehensive approach to develop services that contribute to the well-being of the human species. It calls for research that transcends dyadic interactions, considers systemic dynamics and broadens the focus from individual to collective and population well-being.
Social implications
This paper discusses important societal issues of poverty, hunger and good health and well-being and the need for integrated and ecosystem approaches to develop equitable and sustainable solutions for collective well-being.
Originality/value
While SDGs 1, 2 and 3 address individual goals, they collectively underpin the well-being of communities and societies.
... Applying a collective lens also makes apparent the consequences and unintended consequences in service design which could advantage one collective over another (Parkinson et al., 2022a and b). Borrowing from Allison et al.'s (2020) definition of collective flourishing, collective well-being can be defined here as the phenomenon whereby an interconnected group of people who feel good and function well together (Waters et al., 2022). System approaches recognize that individuals are influenced by the institutions within which they are situated and, as such, these approaches move beyond individual-level interventions to target change at the collective level Waters et al., 2022), thus enabling collective action. ...
... Borrowing from Allison et al.'s (2020) definition of collective flourishing, collective well-being can be defined here as the phenomenon whereby an interconnected group of people who feel good and function well together (Waters et al., 2022). System approaches recognize that individuals are influenced by the institutions within which they are situated and, as such, these approaches move beyond individual-level interventions to target change at the collective level Waters et al., 2022), thus enabling collective action. ...
Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges, interplay and potential directions for future service research to address the first three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of no poverty, zero hunger and good health and well-being. Design/methodology/approach-This commentary examines how service research has addressed these SDGs in the literature, and through the development of a theory of change, the authors propose an agenda for service research going beyond serving, to enabling and transforming service systems, expanding the current focus on individual to community and population well-being through promotion and prevention. Findings-Service research has increasingly advocated human-centered approaches but requires a shift towards an all of humanity perspective. Individual and collective well-being have gained attention in service research, emphasizing the importance of considering collective well-being. Research limitations/implications-The commentary underscores the need for a comprehensive approach to develop services that contribute to the well-being of the human species. It calls for research that transcends dyadic interactions, considers systemic dynamics and broadens the focus from individual to collective and population well-being. Social implications-This paper discusses important societal issues of poverty, hunger and good health and well-being and the need for integrated and ecosystem approaches to develop equitable and sustainable solutions for collective well-being. Originality/value-While SDGs 1, 2 and 3 address individual goals, they collectively underpin the well-being of communities and societies.
... We might be able to learn from this recent pandemic how workers could be prepared to handle future emergencies. Also, more research is needed to identify personal resources, such as career calling, that may enable employees to overcome stressful working and environmental conditions (Waters et al., 2021). In this study, we will argue that calling protects healthcare workers from the negative role of a threatening and highly demanding work environment. ...
... Considering that, a practical implication of the study is that assessing individual perception of career calling should be taken into consideration during hiring and selection processes to ensure greater resilience to stressors and lower turnover intentions in the future. Moreover, researchers have recognized the need to identify modifiable personal characteristics which could buffer the consequences of stressful working conditions among employees (e.g., Waters et al., 2021). Perceiving work as a calling is an orientation toward work that can be developed , and the results of this study suggest that it could be one solution to reduce employee turnover intentions and preserve workers' mental health in the presence of job extreme demands. ...
This study investigates whether career calling protects individuals from the challenges posed by fear of COVID-19 and job demands on burnout and turnover intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cross-sectional data were collected from February to March 2021, involving a sample of 275 healthcare workers in Italy responsible for treating COVID-19 patients. Path analysis was employed to test direct, indirect, and conditional associations. The findings revealed a significant sequential mediation: Job demands partially mediated the relation between fear of COVID-19 and burnout, while burnout completely mediated the relation between fear of COVID-19 and turnover intentions. Furthermore, career calling moderated the relation between fear of COVID-19 and job demands, as well as between burnout and turnover intentions. When an individual’s sense of calling was high, the relation between fear of COVID-19 and perceived job demands, as well as between burnout and turnover intentions, was null. This study supports the notion that career calling acts as a personal resource, providing protection for individuals in the face of highly stressful work environments.
... Participants were asked demographic questions including gender identity, race, ethnicity, and education/employment status during the tragedy. These and other demographic features of survivors of traumatic events in relation to posttraumatic growth have been previously reported (Ai et al. 2007;Tingey et al. 2019;Waters et al. 2021). As such, the current study focuses on the relationship between posttraumatic growth score and participant reported experiences of collective efficacy and personal agency with the aim of illuminating the effects of these experiences on the level of PTG experienced by survivors of a mass shooting. ...
... Regarding personal agency, choosing to attend therapy and making the decision to leave Isla Vista emerged as positive predictors of PTG. That attending therapy for longer amounts of time was found to be associated with higher levels of PTG is not a new finding, and has been previously reported in previous studies (Ai et al. 2007;Waters et al. 2021). Although leaving Isla Vista emerged as a significant predictor, the decision to remain in the community did not emerge as a significant predictor of PTG. ...
Mass violence in the United States has been shown to cause trauma for survivors. These events may also create for survivors the experience of posttraumatic growth (PTG), the facets of which include personal strength, appreciation for life, new possibilities in life, spiritual change, and enhanced relationships with others. However, the role of collective efficacy and agency in the development of PTG following mass violence remains unknown.The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between PTG and experiences of collective efficacy and agency among survivors of the Isla Vista, California tragedy of 2014. The mixed methods objective was to explore the interpretive context within which the agency and collective efficacy experiences occurred. Quantitative data collected in a questionnaire (n=166) were used to inform the collection of qualitative interview data (n=12). Participating in therapy, organizing community events, and making the decision to either leave or stay in Isla Vista positively correlated with PTG based on hierarchical regression analysis. Themes of personal agency, the importance of role, and participating in collective action emerged from interviews. This study offers unique methodological approaches to using mixed methods data to understand the experiences which contributed to PTG among survivors of a mass shooting.
... In this study, we tried to better understand important variables that will help us understand the post-COVID-19 educational landscape. Waters, Cameron [61] suggested using positive psychology approaches to help families, schools, and workplaces transition to a more normal environment. For instance, the implications of negative situations that teachers experienced during the pandemic can bring positive insights into teachers' mental health recovery. ...
This study aims to explore variables associated with teacher burnout at the end of the 2021–2022 school year and shed light on teachers’ mental health issues related to psychological factors. We collected survey data from 824 United States teachers. Using a moderated mediation analytic model, the results of this study showed that teachers’ autonomy had considerable interaction effects on job satisfaction and burnout with other variables in this study (i.e., administrative support on job satisfaction and job satisfaction on burnout). Teachers with more experience and higher job satisfaction showed lower burnout scores. Furthermore, results showed significant relationships between key variables influencing burnout. These findings are key as teacher attrition grows across the United States, and school leaders should look to support teachers’ well-being.
... Exploring workers' complete well-being would provide an unparalleled perspective into workers' experiences, but researchers have primarily highlighted how COVID-19 has led to workers experiencing negative well-being in general and at work (e.g., Benfante et al., 2020;Choi et al., 2020;Shi et al., 2022). This leaves a paucity of research exploring positive well-being in times of COVID-19 (Waters et al., 2022). As negative and positive well-being are separate but correlated dimensions of wellbeing (Keyes, 2005), the prioritization of research on negative well-being has resulted in researchers understanding only how some parts of workers' holistic well-being is affected during COVID-19. ...
Research regarding workers’ well-being over time during COVID-19 has primarily used variable-centered approaches (e.g., ANOVA) to explore changes in negative well-being. However, variable-centered approaches provide insufficient information on the different well-being experiences that diverse workers may have experienced during COVID-19. Furthermore, researchers have understudied positive well-being in workers’ general lives and work during COVID-19. We used latent trajectory analysis, a person-centered analysis, to explore diverse well-being trajectories Canadian workers experienced during the first few months of COVID-19 across distress, flourishing, presenteeism, and thriving at work measures. We hypothesized that: H1) Intragroup differences would be present on each well-being indicator at study onset; H2) Different longitudinal trajectories would emerge for each well-being indicator (i.e., some workers’ scores would get better, some would get worse, and some would remain the same); and H3) Factors at different ecological levels (self, social, workplace, pandemic) would predict membership to the different trajectories. Canadian workers ( N = 648) were surveyed March 20-27th, April 3rd-10th, and May 20-27th of 2020. Depending on the well-being indicator, and supporting H1, three to five well-being trajectories were identified. Providing some support for H2, distress and presenteeism trajectories improved over time or stayed stagnant; flourishing and thriving at work trajectories worsened or stayed stagnant. Providing some support for H3, self- (gender, age, disability status, trait resilience), social- (family functioning), workplace- (employment status, financial strain, sense of job security), and pandemic-related (perceived vulnerability to COVID-19) factors significantly predicted well-being trajectory membership. Recommendations for diverse stakeholders (e.g., employers, mental health organizations) are discussed.
... Ausgehend von den Erkenntnissen zur aktuellen Relevanz der PB in der Schule (vgl. Waters et al. 2022) sowie der Bedeutsamkeit der Einstellungen von Lehrenden für Implementationen im Bildungswesen (vgl. Gräsel 2010) liegt das Forschungsinteresse dieser explorativen Studie primär auf den Einstellungen der Lehrenden zur PB. ...
... A greater focus on the strengths and applications of positive psychology is crucial given the pandemic facing the global community and students in particular. Positive Psychology courses promote personal growth in relationships, emotional maturity, resilience, and personal efficacy while fostering excellent functioning among people, groups, and institutions (Waters et al., 2021). At the undergraduate level, PPI-based courses may be positioned to significantly impact well-being (Goodmon et al., 2016;Shumer, 2018). ...
... guided imagery promote calmness through mental imagery, and creative therapies like art and music facilitate emotional expression. Nature therapy, including activities like forest bathing, enhances mental well-being, and maintaining a gratitude journal can foster positivity and resilience during challenging times 19 . ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the prevalence of anxiety, stress and depression among affected people. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the clinical effectiveness of guided breathing exercises in reducing anxiety, stress and depression in patients with COVID-19. A quasi-experimental study design was used, involving a sample of COVID-19 patients who underwent guided breathing exercises as a complementary therapy. After simple sampling, eligible subjects were randomly divided into two groups: intervention (30 patients) and control (30 patients) using random block method. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) questionnaire was administered before and after the intervention to evaluate changes in anxiety, stress, and depression levels. The results of this study demonstrated that clinically guided breathing exercises had a significant effect on reducing anxiety and stress in COVID-19 patients. The intervention significantly reduced anxiety and stress scores (p < 0.001). However, there was no significant reduction in depression scores among patients who participated in guided breathing exercises (p = 0.946). Guided breathing exercises are an effective complementary technique in reducing the level of anxiety and stress in COVID-19 patients. Moreover, the exercises may provide a worthy non-pharmacological approach to managing psychological distress in COVID-19 patients.
... It has cast a long shadow on the travel intentions of potential tourists [55]. A multitude of factors, including health and safety concerns, financial insecurities, traumatic experiences, environmental awareness, and changing travel preferences, collectively influence individuals' willingness to engage in travel adventures [56]. Furthermore, people are less likely to spend money on non-essential expenses like a vacation as a result of job losses, salary reductions, and economic instability [57]. ...
p>Amidst the global challenges posed by the rapid transmission of a new coronavirus, the tourism sector has undergone an unprecedented downturn, similar to all economic sectors. In light of this, the present study aims to examine the travel intentions of foreign tourists in the post-COVID-19 era in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal using Social Cognitive Theory. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis of 350 tourists. The study revealed that the travel intention after the COVID-19 outbreak was significantly influenced by severity perception and personal positive effects, both of which were shaped by environmental changes. Results indicate that a common challenge faced by tourists was the lack of quality hotels and homestays, and the suggested managerial solution was to increase the number and enhance the quality of available accommodations. Tourism in Nepal serves as an enduring source of national income, offering a significant competitive advantage, thus rendering sustainable tourism unavoidable. </p
... The impact of estimated well-being loss during the first nationwide lockdown in the United Kingdom was well above other factors such as divorce and widowhood and equaled over 50% of the estimated impact of unemployment on psychological health (Anaya et al., 2024). Nevertheless, positive psychology emphasizes that even amid significant life stress, individuals, and collectives, can experience positive affective emotions, decrease negative ones and maintain a positive overall mental health (Waters et al., 2021(Waters et al., , 2022. To reduce psychological distress, positive psychology considers that positive psychological states, skills, and practices played a role in helping individuals cope with, and grow, through the pandemic (Israelashvili, 2021;Waters et al., 2021). ...
... Fostering students' sense of school belonging may be increasingly important as they return to school following several months of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic (Allen et al., 2023;Burke & Arslan, 2020;Waters, Allen, et al., 2021;Waters, Cameron, et al., 2021). Throughout the pandemic, approximately 90% of students across the world, including Qatar, experienced remote learning due to school closures (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation [UNESCO], 2020). ...
A sense of school belonging is essential for adolescent development, though there is limited research investigating ways to improve students' sense of school belonging in Qatar. With 116 Qatari secondary school students, the current study explored student perspectives of ways teachers and schools could improve their sense of school belonging. Students responded to a survey including open-ended questions and a descriptive scale measuring the usefulness of established belonging strategies during remote learning, in-person, or all the time (both). Encouragement and support from teachers were found to be useful all the time, with school activities during breaks and opportunities to make friends only being useful during school-based learning. From the examination of open-ended responses using a hybrid qualitative approach with inductive and deductive coding, two overarching themes each at the teacher-level and school-level were found, defined by several subthemes. Belonging practices at the teacher-level included caring and supportive teachers and teachers treating students as people. Belonging practices at the school-level included student engagement and a positive and supportive school environment. For Qatari students practices such as prioritising supportive student–teacher relationships, introducing policies which promote a respectful, fair and safe environment, and offering school wide-extracurricular activities that encourage peer connections are important to develop their sense of school belonging.
... Fostering students' sense of school belonging may be increasingly important as they return to school following several months of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic (Allen et al., 2023;Burke & Arslan, 2020;Waters, Allen, et al., 2021;Waters, Cameron, et al., 2021). Throughout the pandemic, approximately 90% of students across the world, including Qatar, experienced remote learning due to school closures (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation [UNESCO], 2020). ...
A sense of school belonging is essential for adolescent development, though there is limited research investigating ways to improve students' sense of school belonging in Qatar. With 116 Qatari secondary school students, the current study explored student perspectives of ways teachers and schools could improve their sense of school belonging. Students responded to a survey including open‐ended questions and a descriptive scale measuring the usefulness of established belonging strategies during remote learning, in‐person, or all the time (both). Encouragement and support from teachers were found to be useful all the time, with school activities during breaks and opportunities to make friends only being useful during school‐based learning. From the examination of open‐ended responses using a hybrid qualitative approach with inductive and deductive coding, two overarching themes each at the teacher‐level and school‐level were found, defined by several subthemes. Belonging practices at the teacher‐level included caring and supportive teachers and teachers treating students as people. Belonging practices at the school‐level included student engagement and a positive and supportive school environment. For Qatari students practices such as prioritising supportive student–teacher relationships, introducing policies which promote a respectful, fair and safe environment, and offering school wide‐extracurricular activities that encourage peer connections are important to develop their sense of school belonging.
... Ivbijaro, Brooks, Kolkiewicz, Sunkel, and Long (2020) explored how individuals managed psychological consequences and mitigated the detrimental effects of the pandemic. Waters et al. (2022) identified the role of positive psychology interventions in schools, families, workplaces and communities to improve mental health during the pandemic, and suggested that arts and culture, connection to nature, and wellbeing literature are resources that could be utilized to increase positive coping and cultivate individual and community resilience. ...
While research within positive psychology has demonstrated the potential for growth and flourishing when facing adversity, experiences of psychological growth during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have not yet been investigated. A hermeneutic phenom-enological approach was used to explore the meaning and experience of personal growth and transformation during the COVID-19 first lockdown phase. Semi-structured interviews, with 49 adults between the ages of 20 and 58 occurred. Five themes emerged across participants: (1) pre-pandemic life as functionally complacent (2) the unexpected loss of coping strategies and familiar rhythms due to lockdown, (3) choice to engage with emotion and discomfort as a means to experience growth, (4) discovering and embracing an authentic sense of self, and (5) integration of the growth through sharing with others. Participants reported that participating in the interview itself was growth-enhancing. The findings of the study are discussed in light of existing AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy) theory. ARTICLE HISTORY
... These programs are strategically oriented toward instilling 21stcentury skills, thereby prioritizing sustainability education for forthcoming generations of professionals (Dishon & Gilead, 2021). This collective approach underscores a commitment to equipping individuals with the necessary tools to navigate and contribute meaningfully to the multifaceted challenges of the present and future global landscape (Waters et al., 2022). ...
A study on the transformative strategy in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to strengthen Thai higher education instructors relating to Sustainable Development (ESD) and Education for Global Citizenship (EGC) is included in this paper. Our research will focus on changing processes to deal with the difficulties of the digital transition that are materializing more quickly than anticipated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is a research-based process to formulate policy recommendations for fostering higher education instructors' empowerment. There are three objectives as follows: (1) to explore the current situation concerning the transformative approach to strengthen Thai higher education instructors, (2) to propose opinions and recommendations on policies and guidelines on problems and obstacles in developing a faculty development in the 21st century, and (3) to formulate a report on the results of operations for making proposals to relevant agencies and organizations to drive concretely further. The outcomes of the subcommittee meeting on analyzing the transformative approach to strengthening higher education instructors and the evaluation for model approval. The results are: (1) the transformative model consisted of a report on the existing and future conditions that empowered instructors to develop future skills, and (2) recommendations for policy, mechanisms, and responsible organizations in three main areas: recommendations for institutions that produce instructors for higher education, recommendations for the establishment of agencies in charge of big data in education at all levels.
... Establishing mentorship relationships with experienced professionals in STEM fields provides valuable insights, advice, and support. Peer support networks within educational institutions and workplaces can also contribute to a sense of community and inclusion, offering individuals with disabilities a platform to share experiences and navigate challenges collectively (Betts et al., 2023;Collective et al., 2021;Naslund, Grande, Aschbrenner, & Elwyn, 2014;Waters et al., 2022). Creating accessible and inclusive workplaces is crucial for the professional success of individuals with special needs. ...
This research paper explores the challenges and opportunities in creating inclusive career pathways for individuals with special needs, focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and beyond. Examining existing literature reveals pervasive societal attitudes, educational barriers, and workplace biases that hinder the seamless integration of individuals with special needs. Acknowledging the importance of diversity and inclusion, the paper discusses initiatives that address these challenges, including mentorship programs, workplace accommodations, and advocacy campaigns. Policy implications underscore the need for systemic reforms to ensure equal opportunities. The paper envisions future directions such as technological advancements, global collaboration, and a holistic approach to inclusion. In conclusion, the collaborative efforts of governments, educational institutions, and the wider community are crucial for shaping a future where individuals with special needs thrive in diverse professional landscapes. Keywords: Inclusive Career Pathways, Special Needs, STEM, Diversity and Inclusion.
... Creating a positive environment that emphasises strengths and encourages self-reflection empowers students to take ownership of their schooling and develop a lifelong interest in learning. Integrating positive psychology in education enhances holistic development and prepares students for a satisfying and successful future (Waters et al., 2022). ...
Positive psychology has strong implications for students' success and holistic development in schools. The present study aimed to explore the mediating effect of creativity and the moderating effect of well-being on the relationship between student leadership and academic success at the secondary level. The research design of the present quantitative study was cross-sectional in nature. The sample of 811 secondary school students was selected using multi-stage and multi-method sampling techniques. The data were collected personally by face-to-face interaction using a self-developed questionnaire. Data were analysed with SPSS software (version 26) using simple linear regression, mediation, and moderation analysis by Hayes' Process macro. From analysis, we revealed that students' leadership (β = .460, t[598] = 12.663, p < .001) and creativity (β = .460, t[598] = 12.663, p < .001) significantly contributes to their academic success. Students' creativity (B = .560, SE = .035, t[809] = 16.128, p < .001, 95 % CI [.492, .628]) was found to be significant moderator for the relationship between leadership and academic success. It was further revealed that well-being (β =-.013, SE = .028, t[809] =-.480, p = .631) was not a statistically significant moderator for the relationship between leadership and academic success. Teachers were suggested to develop interventions based on the principles of positive psychology to influence various aspects of students' academic success in schools. Future research was suggested to explore the role of cultural and environmental factors on the causal relationships among leadership, academic success, creativity, and well-being.
... The Two Continua Model (Keyes, 2005) combines these perspectives and suggests that well-being is a complete state characterized by the absence of mental health concerns and the presence of positive well-being (Westerhof & Keyes, 2010). Although both well-being facets should be explored, positive outcomes are understudied (Waters et al., 2022). ...
To explore workers’ well-being during COVID-19, researchers have primarily utilized variable-centered approaches (e.g., regression) focusing on describing workers’ general level of well-being. Given the diversity of factors that may have impacted workers’ well-being during the pandemic, focusing on such well-being trends do not provide sufficient insight into the different lived well-being experiences during the pandemic. Moreover, positive well-being in workers’ general lives and work has been understudied in such complex public health crises. To address these issues, we use latent profile analysis, a person-centered analysis, to explore the diverse well-being realities Canadian workers (employed before COVID-19 or working at the time of the survey) experienced at the beginning of COVID-19. Canadian workers (N = 510) were surveyed between May 20-27th, 2020, on positive (meaning in life, flourishing, thriving at work) and negative (distress, stress, impaired productivity, troublesome symptoms at work) well-being indicators, as well as on factors that may be associated with experiencing different well-being profiles. Five well-being profiles emerged: moderately prospering, prospering, moderately suffering, suffering, and mixed. Factors at the self- (gender, age, disability status, trait resilience), social- (marital status, family functioning, having children at home), workplace- (some employment statuses and work industries, financial strain, job security), and pandemic-related (perceived vulnerability to COVID-19, social distancing) ecological levels predicted profile membership. Recommendations for employers, policymakers, and mental health organizations are discussed.
... Indeed, given the broad distress created by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been noted that the pandemic may be thought of as a collective trauma [92][93][94]. As such, appraising the pandemic as a challenge (rather than a threat) may be associated with post-traumatic growth (i.e., significant positive change arising from major life struggles; [95][96][97]). Given the potentially long-standing mental health implications of the pandemic, it is important that accessible, tailored, and culturally-sensitive public health initiatives adequately address the needs of people with diverse backgrounds and beliefs. ...
Although the threat and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic has become a significant source of distress, using religion to cope may be associated with more positive health. Given the severity and chronicity of the pandemic, religious individuals may also have relied on a variety of non-religious coping methods. Much of the existing COVID-19 research overlooks the role of religious group membership and beliefs in relation to coping responses and associated mental health, with an additional lack of such research within the Canadian context. Thus, this cross-sectional study investigated relations among religiosity, stressor appraisals, (both religious and non-religious) coping strategies, mental and physical health in a religiously-diverse Canadian community sample (N = 280) during the pandemic’s 2nd wave from March to June 2021. Numerous differences were apparent in appraisal-coping methods and health across five (non)religious groups (i.e., Atheists, Agnostics, “Spiritual but not religious”, Christians, and those considered to be religious “Minorities” in Canada). Religiosity was also associated with better mental health, appraisals of the pandemic as a challenge from which one might learn or grow, and a greater reliance on problem-focused, emotional-engagement, and religious coping. Moreover, both problem-focused and emotional-engagement coping mediated the relations between religiosity and health. Taken together, this research has implications for individual-level coping as well as informing culturally-sensitive public health messages promoting targeted self-care recommendations with integrated religious or spiritual elements during times of threat and uncertainty, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
... Scholars have found that having consistent musical activities can be important for maintaining positive psychological well-being during times of crisis (Whitley et al., 2022). In other words, music can play a positive role in helping people feel better mentally and emotionally during challenging times (Waters et al., 2022). Researchers have also found that the return of music during COVID-19 has led to a clear improvement in moods and longterm mental health in the presence of online audiences (Ziv and Hollander-Shabtai, 2022). ...
Based on social cognitive theory (SCT), the purpose of this study is to examine the role of music attitude and its essential precursors in stimulating the psychological wellbeing of immigrants in isolation (quarantine) during the COVID pandemic. This study employed quantitative methodology; an online survey was administered to collect sufficient data from 300 immigrants who traveled to China during the pandemic. Data were collected from five centralized quarantine centers situated in different cities in China. Additionally, the valid data set was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) via AMOS 24 and SPSS 24. The results indicate that potential predictors such as cognitive - music experience (MEX), environmental - social media peer influence (SPI), and cultural factors such as native music (NM) have a direct, significant, and positive effect on music attitude (MA), which further influences immigrants’ psychological wellbeing (PW) during their quarantine period. Moreover, in the presence of the mediator (MA), the mediating relationships between MEX and PW, and NM and PW, are positive, significant, and regarded as partial mediation. However, the moderated mediation effects of music type (MT) on MEX-MA-PW and NM-MA-PW were found to be statistically not significant and unsupported. This study contributes to the literature on the effectiveness of individuals’ music attitude and its associated outcomes, focusing on mental health care in lonely situations such as quarantine during the COVID pandemic. More importantly, this study has raised awareness about music, music attitude, and their beneficial outcomes, such as mental calmness and peacefulness for the general public, particularly during social distancing, isolation, and quarantine in the COVID pandemic situation.
... 105). Similarly, collective wellbeing is more than the aggregate of each individual's state of mind, it is a separate, higher-order, group-level phenomenon [46,47]. Braithwaite [48] defines collective hope as "hope that is genuinely and critically shared by a group" (p. 7). ...
... Draga's name appears on each of these scientific endeavors' published editions. Researchers surveyed public college libraries in Portugal and Finland to learn more about sustainable library practices (Waters et al., 2021). Most of the survey's questions were on the library's green policies and practices. ...
The eco-literacy study is relatively recent. E-literacy is the capacity to analyze an ecosystem and take action to preserve or restore it. This method might aid in bottom-up change. Eco literacy aids in the resolution of eco-challenges. Teaching, reading aloud to children, and using fashion as a platform may assist individuals in comprehending eco-concerns. The study is carried out to examine the role of public sector college libraries in eco-literacy; to identify the demographic factors related to eco-literacy and to assess college teachers' and librarians' perception of public sector college libraries' participation in eco-literacy. The current study is descriptive in nature and Cross tabulation chi squares are used to obtain a representative cross-section of the population's views and sentiments on a current issue through a survey. The participants of the study were the academics and librarians of the colleges in Bahawalpur District. Participants in the study also had a more positive perception of libraries' role in fostering a more sustainable society and were likelier to say they would attend sustainability events hosted by a library. The current study led to the need for more empirical research on sustainable libraries and how the public sees libraries' efforts to promote eco-responsibility. However, more research is required to fill a gap in the existing empirical literature.
... Transcendental meditation is quite distinct from other forms of meditative practices (50). It uses a relaxing approach that incorporates the repetition of a mantra in order to clear the mind of all the prevailing distractions (51). Nidich et al. in 2011 evaluated the impact of the Transcendental Meditation programme on the well-being, social behaviour, and academic success of middle-school students in a California public school (52). ...
The purpose of this article is to examine school-based interventions that have been designed and developed to promote students’ happiness, well-being, and academic achievement using a positive psychology approach that focuses on cultivating positive emotions, resilience, and positive character strengths. The current paper outlines the positive psychology movement and reviews evidence from 12 school-based positive psychology interventions that have been systematically evaluated, in response to calls from the 21 st century education movement for schools to incorporate students’ happiness and well-being as a focus of learning. The findings of this research shows that positive psychology programs are linked to students’ health, relationships, happiness, and academic success. The article offers recommendations for additional development of positive psychology interventions in schools, and explores those factors and variables that may influence positive psychology interventions to be extended and more systematically integrated into schools for happiness and well-being of students.
... As a result, the adverse effects of both tranquilizers and control medications were compared in this meta-analysis, as indicated in the histogram (Fig. 7). The graph shows that tranquilizers had fewer side effects and withdrawal symptoms in elderly patients than the control group, indicating that they might be regarded safe and effective (44,45). ...
The current meta-analysis searched the literature connected to different tranquilizers used to treat elderly people and assessed it in terms of dose, types of outcomes and adverse effects, to determine a safe and acceptable tranquilizer and its optimal dose. A systematic literature review was undertaken for randomized controlled trials, case-control, retrospective and prospective studies on the use of tranquilizers in elderly patients, using PubMed, Ebsco, SCOPUS and Web of Science. PICOS criteria were used to select studies, and pertinent event data was collected. This meta-analysis includes 16 randomized control trials spanning the years 2000 to 2022, using the data from 2224 patients. The trials that were included used various tranquilizers such as diazepam, alprazolam, temazepam and lorazepam, and indicated high treatment efficacy and low adverse effects. With a p-value of 0.853 for Egger's test and 0.13 for Begg's test, the current meta-analysis shows a minimal probability of publication bias. A recent meta-analysis supports the use of tranquilizers in older people to treat sleeplessness, epilepsy or anxiety, but only at modest doses, because large doses are harmful and produce numerous withdrawal symptoms.
... As can be seen, there is a decrease in positive emotions and an increase in negative emotions in depression. the psychological consequences of COVID-19 (Waters et al., 2021). In case of re-experiencing such pandemic processes, online meetings may be preferred. ...
Positive psychology (PP) interventions are treatment methods or intentional activities aiming to develop positive feelings, behaviors or cognitions. This study was conducted to determine the effect on mental well-being, life attitude and depression levels of PP program applied to patients diagnosed with depression. The pre, post and follow-up test were conducted as a quasi-experimental study. Patients who diagnosis of depression for at least 6 months constituted the population of the study, and a total of 53 patients, 26 were in the experimental and 27 in the control group. Data were collected using Personal Information Form,Beck Depression Inventory,Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale and Life Attitude Profile Scale. After the analysis,it has been determined that the online PP program is effective in reducing the level of depression, increasing mental well-being and developing a positive life attitude. It is recommended that the PP program be used by psychiatric nurses in the treatment of depression and the execution of studies comparing online positive psychology practices with face-to-face positive psychology practices are recommended.
... In the second study, we replicated Study 1 using a different sample of academic middle managers at a later point in time during the pandemic-a different environmental contextto identify similarities and differences in how SCM impacted stress and if that relationship was mediated by resilience. In addition, given past research before the pandemic demonstrating a significant relationship between SCM and well-being (Pirson et al., 2018) and other reports that positive psychological outcomes may be associated with the pandemic (Waters et al., 2021), we extended the study to explore how SCM related to thriving in a turbulent environmental context and if that relationship was also mediated by resilience. ...
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of socio-cognitive mindfulness on resilience, stress and thriving among middle managers in higher education at two separate periods during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Study 1, the authors examined how socio-cognitive mindfulness predicted perceived stress and whether the relationship between mindfulness and perceived stress was mediated by resilience. In Study 2, the authors replicated the first study and further hypothesized that the link between mindfulness and thriving was also mediated by resilience.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted cross-sectional correlational studies to test the hypotheses using data from 163 middle managers in higher education early in the pandemic in Study 1 and 204 middle managers a year later in Study 2.
Findings
Study 1 findings showed socio-cognitive mindfulness predicted perceived stress, and that resilience fully mediated this relationship. In Study 2, socio-cognitive mindfulness did not predict perceived stress, but it did predict thriving, and that relationship was fully mediated by resilience.
Originality/value
This research is the first to address how socio-cognitive mindfulness directly impacts perceived stress and thriving and its impact through building resilience. To date, few studies have focused on stress in higher education middle managers or addressed the importance of building socio-cognitive mindfulness and resilience to thrive amid ongoing challenges. Implications of the pandemic's influence on the results are also addressed.
... Nevertheless, only four studies examined the environmental factors for experiencing PTG among healthcare staff [5,[68][69][70]. Recent calls have been made to examine the psychological impact of COVID-19 at an institutional level and to adopt a systems lens that recognizes the influence institutions have on the individuals who belong to them and, therefore, interventions can have a broader impact by moving beyond the individual-level to create changes within institutions [86,87]. Therefore, it is important to consider the influence of the culture in healthcare organizations on healthcare professionals' experiences of PTG. ...
Post-traumatic growth (PTG) research is flourishing across various disciplines; however, it is only emerging in healthcare. Recently, a flurry of studies assessed PTG among healthcare professionals. However, to date, no systematic review has identified the factors that predict their experiences of PTG among healthcare professionals. The current paper aims to address this gap. Of 126 papers, 27 were selected for this systematic review. The analysis identified a range of demographic, individual (work-related and personal), interpersonal and environmental factors that contributed to healthcare professionals’ experiences of PTG. Analysis of findings offers a novel perspective on individual factors by dividing them into personal and work-related factors. Results also highlight a variety of psychological interventions that can be used in healthcare to cultivate PTG. In addition, the gaps in current research, implications for further research, policy and practice that can facilitate the experience of PTG among healthcare professionals are discussed.
Introduction: Work-life balance remains a persistent challenge for women, especially in high-demand sectors like information technology (IT). Balancing professional and personal responsibilities often leads to stress and burnout. In this context, workplace spirituality and spiritual resilience have emerged as influential factors in enhancing overall well-being and balance. Objectives: This study aims to explore the impact of workplace spirituality and spiritual resilience on work-life balance among women IT professionals. It seeks to understand how these psychological and spiritual factors contribute to managing work and personal life effectively. Methods: A mixed-method research design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 120 women IT professionals using structured questionnaires. Additionally, qualitative insights were gathered through 15 in-depth interviews to capture lived experiences and coping strategies. Statistical and thematic analyses were conducted to interpret the data. Results: Quantitative analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between workplace spirituality and work-life balance, as well as between spiritual resilience and work-life balance. Women who reported higher levels of spirituality and resilience also reported better balance between professional and personal domains. Qualitative findings supported these results, highlighting key themes such as supportive work culture, meaning in work, and spirituality as a coping mechanism. Conclusions: The study suggests that workplace spirituality and spiritual resilience positively influence work-life balance. Organizations can foster balance by implementing mindfulness programs, offering flexible work conditions, and promoting mental well-being initiatives. These measures can lead to improved employee satisfaction and reduced burnout. The study contributes to the understanding of spirituality and resilience in high-pressure environments and recommends further research across different sectors and demographics.
Background:
The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread decreases in well-being, and people turned to various coping resources to mitigate declines in well-being.
Method:
In a large (N = 873) representative US adult sample collected in the fall of 2020, we examined the degree to which people coped using the arts and humanities and the perceived impact of the pandemic and how these factors were associated with well-being.
Results:
We found coping with the arts was associated with many facets of well-being and, for many of these associations, the more people felt impacted by the pandemic, the stronger the relationship with coping with the arts. We further examined the nature of people's typical arts engagement (e.g. immersion, reflectiveness) with the use of arts to cope.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest the arts may play a role in well-being experiences during challenging circumstances and the need for continued examination of the role the arts play in well-being.
This study sought to ascertain the significance of mindfulness and psychological well-being in forecasting post-traumatic growth in Indian female nurses working under coronavirus conditions. The statistical population in this descriptive and correlational study consisted of female nurses who worked in hospitals during coronavirus outbreaks and lived in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Within the statistical population, 211 individuals were chosen for this study using the convenience sampling approach. The study's participants were assessed using Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale, Tedeschi and Calhoun's Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory, and Brown and Ryan's Mindful Attention Awareness Scale. SPSS software was used to analyze the data by simultaneous multiple regression. The findings suggest that among female nurses, psychological well-being and mindfulness can predict post-traumatic growth (P = 0.01). Moreover, among female nurses, there is a direct correlation between psychological well-being and post-traumatic growth as well as between mindfulness and post-traumatic growth (α = 0.05, P = 0.001). In order to support female nurses' post-traumatic growth, it is advised that they be taught mindfulness and psychological well-being skills.
Midwives played crucial roles in the grassroots healthcare system in the Philippines, especially at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite numerous challenges, midwives coped with several physical, emotional, and professional challenges while dispensing vital community health services. This phenomenological research investigated the coping mechanisms of Rural Health Midwives during the pandemic. The study utilized the Collaizi Method to steer the thematic identification and analysis. Using the five foci Socio-ecological Model as the theoretical lens, five immense themes for the coping mechanisms emerged: weaving social connections, bridging relationship gaps, suppressing anxieties, forging innovative solutions, and anchoring trust in the authorities. The findings underscore the pandemic-forged coping mechanisms of Rural Health Midwives, which propelled them through countless complexities in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. While sustaining their unwavering commitments, a collective imperative intervention from the government, health sectors, and stakeholders is crucial in optimizing their well-being during and beyond the pandemic. A comprehensive support system, including mental health, professional advancement opportunities, and adequate resource allocation, is crucial for bolstering the resilience of Rural Health Midwives and ensuring the continuity of essential healthcare services in rural communities.
Bu araştırmanın amacı yetişkinlerin Koronavirüs salgını (Covid-19) ile başa çıkma süreçlerinin nasıl olduğunu ortaya koymaktır. Araştırma açıklayıcı sıralı karma desen ekseninde yürütülmüştür. Katılımcılar iç içe karma örneklem yöntemiyle belirlenmiştir. Araştırmanın nicel boyutundaki katılımcılar yaşları 18-80 arasında olan 672 yetişkinden (Xyaş= 26.76, SS= 10.95) ve nitel boyutundaki katılımcılar yaşları 20-75 arasında olan 44 yetişkinden (Xyaş= 31.09, SS= 11.94) oluşmaktadır. Veriler ardışık veri toplama yöntemiyle toplanmıştır. Nicel veriler, bağımsız örneklem t-testi ve ANOVA; nitel veriler ise tematik analiz yöntemiyle analiz edilmiştir. Nicel bulgular; kadınların, evlilerin, 26-39 yaş arasındaki yetişkinlerin, kronik bir hastalığı olmayan yetişkinlerin, lise ve üniversite mezunu yetişkinlerin salgınla başa çıkma üzerinde etkili olduğunu göstermiştir. Nitel bulgular ise; yetişkinlerin salgını fark etme sürecinde duygusal ve bilişsel tepkiler verdiklerini ortaya koymuştur. Salgınla başa çıkma sürecinde yetişkinlerin bakış açılarını değiştirme, sosyal destek arama, manevi destek arama ve davranışsal başa çıkma yollarını kullandıkları görülmüştür. Ayrıca evlilerin sosyal destek kaynaklarına daha fazla başvurdukları saptanmıştır. Sonuç olarak, yetişkinlerin Covid-19 salgını karşısında işlevsel başa çıkma mekanizmalarının önemli bir role sahip olduğu vurgulanabilir.
Multi-component Positive Psychology Interventions (mPPIs) in secondary schools have been shown to improve mental health outcomes for young people. The Hummingbird Project mPPI is a six-week program of workshops designed to introduce a variety of positive psychology (PP) concepts to secondary school-aged children in schools to improve well-being, resilience, and hope. The effects on mental distress, however, were not explored. The current study, therefore, was designed to replicate the effects of the Hummingbird Project mPPI on positive mental health and to also explore the effects on symptoms of mental distress. Secondary school-aged children (N = 614; mean age = 11.46 years) from a sample of secondary schools located across the North West of England (N = 7) participated in the study; the majority of children were in Year 7 (94%). The PP concepts explored included happiness, hope, resilience, mindfulness, character strengths, growth mindset, and gratitude. The results showed significant improvements associated with the mPPI in well-being (as measured by the World Health Organization Well-Being Index; WHO-5), hope (as measured by the Children’s Hope Scale; CHS), and symptoms of mental distress (as measured by the Young Person’s Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation; YP-CORE) from pre- to post-intervention. While acknowledging the limits due to pragmatic concerns regarding the implementation of a control group, the effectiveness of the Hummingbird Project mPPI on well-being was replicated alongside reducing the symptoms of mental distress. Future evaluation, however, will need to implement more robust designs and consider follow-up duration to assess the longer-term effects of the Hummingbird Project mPPI.
One of the primary objectives of positive education is to emphasize and enhance students’ well-being. Supported by the findings from positive psychology, the factors that contribute to individual well-being have been investigated in various educational settings through psychoeducational interventions. Although previous research has discovered their effectiveness, such interventions were mostly developed in western countries; hence, their applicability and feasibility in the non-Western context require careful examination. Moreover, the individual differences, which could potentially moderate intervention outcomes, also require investigation, since such factors may mask the baseline differences and thus affect the efficacy of the programs. This chapter initially includes a review of the development and current initiatives of positive education and then discusses the need for the consideration of cultural and individual differences toward its effective implementation. Subsequently, an empirical study is presented as an example of culturally modified positive education in the Japanese context and discussed from differential susceptibility perspectives.
In Singapore, the local workforce is expected to plateau from 2020 onward, indicating that there will be little or zero growth in the local workforce based on current employment and retirement rates. Although credited for their contributions, Singaporean older workers are perceived by many employers as liabilities and thereby confined to secondary labour markets. This research study aims to challenge prevailing narrowing attitudes towards older workers above the age of 50 by discovering their appreciative factors through the involvement of key stakeholders in Singapore’s employment sector. Through the appreciative inquiry methodology, the concept of ‘dynamic-grit mindset’ was developed from a detailed thematic analysis of the data. The findings indicated that older workers were disadvantaged by the systemic inequities within Singapore’s workforce and revealed that older workers in Singapore use the dynamic-grit mindset to mitigate and overcome the pressures of these systemic inequities within the workforce.
The study focuses on investigating the mental health status and implementing educational countermeasures among college students in Tianjin Normal University (TJNU) and The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) during the post-epidemic era. This study holds significant importance as It aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the mental well-being of college students in these regions and identify effective strategies and interventions to address their mental health needs. To accomplish the thesis objectives, an interpretive thesis methodology has been employed in this dissertation. Educational institutions in Mainland China and Hong Kong should prioritize mental health education and equip students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and support systems to enhance their mental well-being. Establishing comprehensive mental health programs, counseling services, and accessible helplines are essential. Moreover, it is crucial to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and foster a supportive environment that encourages open dialogue and emotional well-being among college students.
This chapter is a personal experience case-study of living in Melbourne, Australia, during the COVID19 pandemic period of 2020–2022. Through this personal experience case-study I describe my lived experience in Melbourne during “lockdown,” informed by my expertise in psychology and wellbeing, and my interest in political philosophy, to examine social justice issues during the pandemic. I will highlight how the long rivalry between the Australian cities of Sydney and Melbourne played out once again, this time in terms of the politics during the pandemic, illustrating well-known concepts of political philosophy, including positive and negative liberty (Berlin 1969) and Etzioni’s (2015) notion of balancing individual rights with responsibilities to the community. The armory of tools from governments, health services and the law, including lockdowns (“stay at home” restrictions, including schools), domestic and national border restrictions, mandatory masks, testing, contract tracing, isolation, quarantine vaccinations with cohort staggered availability, social distancing and designation of essential workers, sanitization, ventilation and deep cleaning, were all used and conversely criticized depending on political orientations of governments and media.
Purpose
To investigate the impact of human-society relationships on individual post-traumatic growth (PTG) in the post COVID-19 era, this study examined the association between group identity (GI) and PTG, and explored the mediating role of social-emotional competence (SEC).
Patients and Methods
In this cross-sectional study, we surveyed 1203 high school students in an eastern region of China using the GI Scale, the SEC Scale, and the PTG Scale. We conducted correlation and mediation analyses using SPSS 23.0 and PROCESS software.
Results
The results indicated that GI was a significant positive predictor of PTG (β=0.219, p<0.001), and that the pathway between GI and PTG was partially mediated by SEC (Effect=0.074, 95% CI= [0.045,0.104]).
Conclusion
GI can have both direct and indirect effects on PTG, with the latter mediated by SEC. These findings hold important theoretical and practical implications for promoting PTG and enhancing mental health in the post COVID-19 era.
Esta publicación cumple el objetivo de analizar a profundidad las estrategias, experiencias o modelos de tecnología aplicadas a la educación superior que demuestran que, con ellas, se está incidiendo en los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje, es por esto, que el libro recibió trabajos que versaron sobre lo que pasaba antes del primer confinamiento provocado por el COVID-19, y logra también ofrecer un panorama después de lo que se ha denominado: la educación en postpandemia. Esos análisis y conclusiones derivadas del ejercicio académico de la investigación, son entregados a sus lectores en este libro, y se convierte en un panorama actualizado sobre el papel de la tecnología en las universidades en el momento actual.
Todos los 14 capítulos cumplen con la misma estructura metodológica de artículo de investigación: título, identificadores de los autores con ORCID y filiación institucional, resumen, introducción con objetivos, marco teórico, resultados, conclusiones y referencias bibliográficas. Los capítulos han sido desarrollados desde dos metodologías: los que cumplen con resultados productos de alguna intervención, diagnóstico o caracterización (N=9), y aquellos que se estructuran como revisiones sistemáticas (N=5).
The covid 19 pandemic has been globally taxing. The city of Melbourne has surpassed Buenos Aires and has gained the world record title for the time most spent in lockdown. In total, the people of Melbourne have endured 260 days over six lockdowns between March 2020 – October 2021. As such, the widespread economic toll the state has faced is devasting. Moreover, the latest research indicates that approximately 17% of Australians across varying industries experienced mental distress in April 2020 (University of Melbourne, 2020). This quantitative study aimed to examine the impact of self-efficacy and optimism on Melbourne business owners’ post-traumatic growth, thus understanding the varying degrees of both personal and business success post-pandemic. Correlations demonstrated that there was a significant positive relationship between general self-efficacy and post-traumatic growth, and age and gender also contributing to this positive relationship. Optimism demonstrated a markedly weak association with post-traumatic growth. Training programs can be designed and implemented in the workplace to support the growth and development of self-efficacy and optimism in times of crisis.
There is substantial interest among psychologists in the psychological processes of engaging arts and humanities. Despite this, there is still a need for methodological tools to investigate the psychological mechanisms through which engagement in arts and humanities enhances individual well-being. Using four rounds of data collection (including one retest), we document the development and validation of the scales measuring each of the five theorized mechanisms: reflection, acquisition, immersion, socialization, and expression. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, we found a three-factor structure for reflection (life/worldview, emotional, and external), and six-factor for acquisition (vicarious experience, direct encouragement, social persuasion, experience of mastery—ability, experience of mastery—success, and positive physiological response), two-factor structure for immersion (effort and passage of time), three-factor for socialization (relationships, identity, conversation), and one-factor structure for expression. We also reported measurement invariance in mechanisms of engagements in arts vs. humanities and between males and females and over time. The measure demonstrated predictive and concurrent validity for flourishing outcomes, good test–retest reliability, and measurement equivalence across gender, between arts and humanities, and over time.
The Positive Humanities can be defined as the branch of learning concerned with culture in its relation to human flourishing. This new field advocates for a eudaimonic turn in the humanities, an explicit recognition of and commitment to human flourishing as a central theme of study and practical aim of the humanities. It holds that this eudaimonic turn can reconnect the humanities with their initial values and goals and provide a unifying and inspiring rationale for the humanities today, opening pathways for greater individual and collective flourishing in societies around the world. After exploring the historical roots and conceptual orientations of the Positive Humanities (which are inclusive of the arts), I present five recommendations for strengthening the focus of the humanities on human flourishing: emphasize 1) wisdom as much as knowledge, 2) collaboration as much as specialization, 3) the positive as much as the negative, 4) effective friction as much as increased efficiency, and 5) the flourishing of humans as much as the flourishing of the humanities.
Allyship is increasingly viewed as a crucial practice to address social and economic inequities faced by marginalized groups. However, little research explores how dominant group members can behave as allies and what marginalized group individuals consider as valuable. Research shows that women faculty in male-dominated academic disciplines regularly experience gendered microaggressions and sexism. In this study, using qualitative narratives from 202 women and men faculty in male-dominated academic departments, we explore women’s experiences as recipients of allyship and men’s experiences engaging in allyship. Further, we compare narratives about and from men considered “good colleagues” versus “exceptional allies.” The findings reveal that good colleagues engage in an array of interpersonally supportive allyship behaviors (e.g., active listening). In contrast, exceptional allies go beyond them by undertaking consequential and conspicuous actions on behalf of women (e.g., impression promotion), a set of behaviors we term as visible advocacy. By exploring the range of allyship behaviors engaged in by men and viewed by women as valuable, we highlight implications for literature on gender equity and allyship. This study carries practical implications for men who desire to become better allies to women.
“The approaches outlined in this volume will help expand the narrow focus on academic success to include psychological well-being for students and educators alike. It is a must-read for anyone interested in how positive outcomes such as life satisfaction, positive emotion, and meaning and purpose can be optimized in the educational settings.”
— Judith Moskowitz, PhD MPH, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, USA, IPPA President 2019-2021
This open access handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the growing field of positive education, featuring a broad range of theoretical, applied, and practice-focused chapters from leading international experts. It demonstrates how positive education offers an approach to understanding learning that blends academic study with life skills such as self-awareness, emotion regulation, healthy mindsets, mindfulness, and positive habits, grounded in the science of wellbeing, to promote character development, optimal functioning, engagement in learning, and resilience.
The handbook offers an in-depth understanding and critical consideration of the relevance of positive psychology to education, which encompasses its theoretical foundations, the empirical findings, and the existing educational applications and interventions. The contributors situate wellbeing science within the broader framework of education, considering its implications for teacher training, education and developmental psychology, school administration, policy making, pedagogy, and curriculum studies.
This landmark collection will appeal to researchers and practitioners working in positive psychology, educational and school psychology, developmental psychology, education, counselling, social work, and public policy.
Margaret (Peggy) L. Kern is Associate Professor at the Centre for Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne’s Graduate School of Education, Australia. Dr Kern is Founding Chair of the Education Division of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). You can find out more about Dr Kern’s work at www.peggykern.org.
Michael L. Wehmeyer is Ross and Mariana Beach Distinguished Professor of Special Education; Chair of the Department of Special Education; and Director and Senior Scientist, Beach Center on Disability, at the University of Kansas, United States. Dr Wehmeyer is Publications Lead for the Education Division of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). He has published more than 450 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and is an author or editor of 42 texts.
This study aimed at accessing the impact of Covid-19 on learning. The study employed a Descriptive survey design in which 11 item Likert-scale type of questionnaires was administered to 214 respondents mainly students in the second cycle and tertiary institutions of Ghana. The study employed simple random sampling technique in selecting the respondents for the study. The study revealed some challenges students encounter in the close down of schools due to the outbreak of the pandemic Covid-19. Students are unable to study effectively from the house thus, making the online system of learning very ineffective. Again, parents are incapable of assisting their wards on how to access online learning platform, neither can they entirely supervise the learning of their children at home without any complications. It came to light that the pandemic really has had a negative impact on their learning as many of them are not used to effectively learn by themselves. The e-learning platforms rolled out also poses challenge to majority of the students because of the limited access to internet and lack of the technical knowhow of these technological devices by most Ghanaian students. The study therefore recommends that students should be introduced to innovative and offline e-learning platforms to supplement classroom teaching and learning and also be of benefit to students who may not have access to internet connectivities.
The move to remote learning during COVID-19 has impacted billions of students. While research shows that school closure, and the pandemic more generally, has led to student distress, the possibility that these disruptions can also prompt growth in is a worthwhile question to investigate. The current study examined stress-related growth (SRG) in a sample of students returning to campus after a period of COVID-19 remote learning (n = 404, age = 13–18). The degree to which well-being skills were taught at school (i.e., positive education) before the COVID-19 outbreak and student levels of SRG upon returning to campus was tested via structural equation modeling. Positive reappraisal, emotional processing, and strengths use in students were examined as mediators. The model provided a good fit [χ² = 5.37, df = 3, p = 0.146, RMSEA = 0.044 (90% CI = 0.00–0.10), SRMR = 0.012, CFI = 99, TLI = 0.99] with 56% of the variance in SRG explained. Positive education explained 15% of the variance in cognitive reappraisal, 7% in emotional processing, and 16% in student strengths use during remote learning. The results are discussed using a positive education paradigm with implications for teaching well-being skills at school to foster growth through adversity and assist in times of crisis.
This systematic review aimed to investigate the type of physical activity carried out in green urban spaces by the adult population and to value its impact on the population's health. Additionally, another purpose was to examine if the presence of outdoor gyms in green urban spaces can promote participation in physical activity among adults. Searches of electronic databases, with no time restrictions and up to June 2020, resulted in 10 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. A quantitative assessment is reported as effect size. Many people practiced walking activity as a workout, which showed improvements in health. Walking is the most popular type of training due to its easy accessibility and it not requiring equipment or special skills. Outdoor fitness equipment has been installed in an increasing number of parks and has become very popular worldwide. Further, outdoor fitness equipment provides free access to fitness training and seems to promote physical activity in healthy adults. However, other studies about outdoor fitness equipment efficiency are needed. People living near to equipped areas are more likely to perform outdoor fitness than those who live further away. The most common training programs performed in green urban spaces included exercises with free and easy access, able to promote physical health and perception.
As the COVID-19 global health disaster continues to unfold across the world, calls have been made to address the associated mental illness public crisis. The current paper seeks to broaden these calls by considering the role that positive psychology factors can play in buffering against mental illness, bolstering mental health during COVID-19 and building positive processes and capacities that may help to strengthen future mental health. The paper explores evidence and applications from nine topics in positive psychology that support people through a pandemic: meaning, coping, self-compassion, courage, gratitude, character strengths, positive emotions, positive interpersonal processes and high-quality connections. In times of intense crisis, such as COVID-19, it is understandable that research is heavily directed towards addressing the ways in which people are wounded and weakened. However, this need not come at the expense of also investigating the ways in which people are sustained and strengthened.
The role of two leadership factors (autonomy-supportive and autonomy-thwarting leadership) and one personal resource (workplace buoyancy) were examined as predictors of three teacher outcomes: somatic burden, stress related to change, and emotional exhaustion. Data were collected from 325 Australian teachers in May, 2020 during the first wave of COVID-19. During this time, many Australian children were being taught remotely from home, while other students were attending schools in-person. Findings showed that autonomy-supportive leadership was associated with greater buoyancy and, in turn, lower somatic burden, stress related to change, and emotional exhaustion (while controlling for covariates, including COVID-19 work situation). Autonomy-thwarting leadership was positively associated with emotional exhaustion. In addition, autonomy-supportive leadership was indirectly associated with the outcomes. The findings provide understanding of factors that may be harnessed to support teachers during subsequent waves of COVID-19 and other future disruptions to schooling that may occur.
Italy was one of the strongest hit countries from the SARS-CoV-2 and the healthcare system was put under exceptional stress during the outbreak. The lockdown imposed on the population put the economy on hold and opened the way for a crisis that would have an impact on the healthcare system and the economy of the country. This study compares levels of subjective wellbeing among healthcare professionals before the outbreak and during the most critical moment of the lockdown, when Italy was the first country in the world by number of infections. Subjective wellbeing was measured with emotional wellbeing, job satisfaction, global happiness and satisfaction with life. Each measure was compared before and during the outbreak as well as among different subgroups of respondents. A special attention was put on inequalities in professional level, gender and educational level as well as their effect on subjective wellbeing. The study finds that while emotional wellbeing had a slight decrease, other measures were untouched and job satisfaction even increased during the lockdown period. Present wellbeing differences based in inequalities in professional and educational level were lifted once professionals were fighting the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. This decrease in inequalities and increase in job satisfaction might be strongly related to a newfound trust in healthcare professionals, a high gratitude from the population and a feeling of accomplishment and meaning as described in the PERMA model. The findings of this study should help healthcare organizations to keep inequalities low as well as other organizations to apply those learnings in their structure. © 2020, International Journal of Wellbeing Charitable Trust. All rights reserved.
This paper combines novel data on the time use, home‐learning practices and economic circumstances of families with children during the COVID‐19 lockdown with pre‐lockdown data from the UK Time Use Survey to characterise the time use of children and how it changed during lockdown, and to gauge the extent to which changes in time use and learning practices during this period are likely to reinforce the already large gaps in educational attainment between children from poorer and better‐off families. We find considerable heterogeneity in children's learning experiences – amount of time spent learning, activities undertaken during this time and availability of resources to support learning. Concerningly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, this heterogeneity is strongly associated with family income and in some instances more so than before lockdown. Furthermore, our analysis suggests that any impacts of inequalities in time spent learning between poorer and richer children are likely to be compounded by inequalities not only in learning resources available at home, but also in those provided by schools.
Across diverse contexts, emerging evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic is increasing levels of anxiety and stress. In calling for greater attention to people’s psychosocial and emotional well-being, global actors have paid insufficient attention to the realities of the pandemic in low- and middle-income countries, where millions of people are already exposed to intersecting vulnerabilities. Chronic poverty, protracted violence, conflict and displacement, coupled with weak health, education and protection systems, provide the backdrop of many adolescents’ lives. Drawing on qualitative in-country telephone interviews with over 500 adolescents in Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire and Lebanon, this article unpacks the age and gendered dimensions of COVID-19 and its response. We conclude by discussing the implications for COVID-19 recovery efforts, arguing that embedding adolescent-centred, inclusive approaches in education, community-based health and social protection responses, has the potential to mitigate the psycho-emotional toll of the pandemic on young people and promote resilience.
The present study uses a qualitative approach to understand the impact of COVID-19 on family life. Australian parents of children aged 0–18 years were recruited via social media between April 8 and April 28, 2020, when Australians were experiencing social distancing/isolation measures for the first time. As part of a larger survey, participants were asked to respond via an open-ended question about how COVID-19 had impacted their family. A total of 2,130 parents were included and represented a diverse range of family backgrounds. Inductive template thematic analysis was used to understand patterns of meaning across the texts. Six themes were derived from the data, including “Boredom, depression and suicide: A spectrum of emotion,” “Families are missing the things that keep them healthy,” “Changing family relationships: The push pull of intimacy,” “The unprecedented demands of parenthood,” “The unequal burden of COVID-19,” and “Holding on to positivity.” Overall, the findings demonstrated a breadth of responses. Messages around loss and challenge were predominant, with many families reporting mental health difficulties and strained family relationships. However, not all families were negatively impacted by the restrictions, with some families reporting positive benefits and meaning, including opportunities for strengthening relationships, finding new hobbies, and developing positive characteristics such as appreciation, gratitude, and tolerance.
Canadian teachers (N = 1626) took part in a longitudinal, national survey conducted at two points early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicated that teacher efficacy, attitudes toward change, and perceptions of administrative support were correlated with teacher resilience and burnout at the onset of the pandemic. Over the first three months of the pandemic, teachers demonstrated increasing exhaustion and cynicism but also increased efficacy for classroom management and increased sense of accomplishment. In addition, teachers' cognitive and emotional attitudes toward change became more negative. Implications of the deficit of resources to demands that result in teacher stress and burnout over time are discussed.
During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic lockdowns, stay at home or work from home, many have argued that the westernised non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) do not provide remedial in lowincome countries like Nigeria, where informal job seekers, street traders, informal labourers and artisans depend mainly on the informal economy. By applying social solidarity (SS) and community-based approach (CBA), the authors evaluate individual acts (trust, altruism and reciprocity) during the lockdown and how these
practices evolve from individual approaches to collective actions. This study reflects on pragmatism research paradigm that enables researchers to maintain both subjectivity in their reflections and objectivity in data collection and analysis. The authors adopt a qualitative method through purposeful and convenience sampling procedure. Data were
analysed thematically to identify elements of SS, individual acts, collective or community actions and perceptions. The findings reveal that COVID-19 had a disproportionate impact (lack of food and a fall in daily income) on workers, informal job seekers, informal businesses operators and the poor households. As such, the study developed a reflective model of solidarity exhibited by individual acts and collective acts (practices of
resource pooling, information sharing, women empowerment, distribution of palliatives and donations) within trusted circles that helped people cope with the lockdown experiences. Solidarity represents beliefs, practices of values and norms. The SS exhibited by people through NPI would have implications on planning and monitoring the effectiveness of public health programmes during a pandemic in the future. The findings of citizens and community actions have implications related to the process of building communities – coming together – and solidarity that enhances social development with
implications on community health policy agenda during disasters, emergencies and health pandemic. This is one of the first studies to analyse the relationship between trust, altruism, reciprocity, SS and CBA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, it seems reasonable to clarify the concept of SS given the lack of clarity about the definitions from previous studies.
It is widely thought that children are much less susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection than adults and do not play a substantial role in transmission. However, emerging research suggests this perception is unfounded. Seroprevalence and contact tracing studies show children are similarly susceptible and transmit the virus to a meaningful degree. Research suggesting otherwise is hampered by substantial bias. Additionally, large clusters in school settings have been reported, with implications for the control of community transmission. Risk-reduction strategies must be implemented in schools as a matter of urgency.
Background:
Interest is growing in digital and telehealth delivery of mental health services, but data are scarce on outcomes in routine care. The federally funded Australian MindSpot Clinic provides online and telephone psychological assessment and treatment services to Australian adults. We aimed to summarise demographic characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients registered with MindSpot over the first 7 years of clinic operation.
Methods:
We used an observational design to review all patients who registered for assessment with the MindSpot Clinic between Jan 1, 2013, and Dec 31, 2019. We descriptively analysed the demographics, service preferences, and baseline symptoms of patients. Among patients enrolled in a digital treatment course, we evaluated scales of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale [GAD-7]), as primary measures of treatment outcome, from the screening assessment to post-treatment and a 3 month follow-up. The Kessler Psychological Distress 10-Item Plus Scale was also used to assess changes in general distress and disability, and course satisfaction was measured post-treatment.
Outcomes:
A total of 121 652 screening assessments were started, of which 96 018 (78·9%) were completed. The mean age of patients was 35·7 years (SD 13·8) and 88 702 (72·9%) were women. Based on available assessment data, 36 866 (34·5%) of 106 811 participants had never previously spoken to a health professional about their symptoms, and most people self-reported symptoms of anxiety (88 879 [81·9%] of 108 494) or depression (78 803 [72·6%] of 108 494), either alone or in combination, at baseline. 21 745 patients started treatment in a therapist-guided online course, of whom 14 503 (66·7%) completed treatment (≥four of five lessons). Key trends in service use included an increase in the proportion of people using MindSpot primarily for assessment and information, from 52·6% in 2013 to 66·7% in 2019, while the proportion primarily seeking online treatment decreased, from 42·6% in 2013 to 26·7% in 2019. Effect sizes and percentage changes were large for estimated mean scores on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 from assessment to post-treatment (PHQ-9, Cohen's d effect size 1·40 [95% CI 1·37-1·43]; and GAD-7, 1·45 [1·42-1·47]) and the 3 month follow-up (PHQ-9, 1·36 [1·34-1·38]; and GAD-7, 1·42 [1·40-1·44]); proportions of patients with reliable symptom deterioration (score increase of ≥6 points [PHQ-9] or ≥5 points [GAD-7]) were low post-treatment (of 13 058 respondents, 184 [1·4%] had symptom deterioration on the PHQ-9 and 282 [2·2%] on the GAD-7); and patient satisfaction rates were high (12 452 [96·6%] of 12 895 respondents would recommend the course and 12 433 [96·7%] of 12 860 reported the course worthwhile). We also observed small improvements in disability following treatment as measured by days out of role.
Interpretation:
Our findings indicate improvement in psychological symptoms and positive reception among patients receiving online mental health treatment. These results support the addition of digital services such as MindSpot as a component in contemporary national mental health systems.
Funding:
None.
Due to the COVID- 19 outbreak in the Netherlands (March 2020) and the associated social distancing measures, families were enforced to stay at home as much as possible. Adolescents and their families may be particularly affected by this enforced proximity, as adolescents strive to become more independent. Yet, whether these measures impact emotional well-being in families with adolescents has not been examined. In this ecological momentary assessment study, we investigated if the COVID-19 pandemic affected positive and negative affect of parents and adolescents and parenting behaviors (warmth and criticism). Additionally, we examined possible explanations for the hypothesized changes in affect and parenting. To do so, we compared daily reports on affect and parenting that were gathered during two periods of 14 consecutive days, once before the COVID-19 pandemic (2018–2019) and once during the COVID-19 pandemic. Multilevel analyses showed that only parents’ negative affect increased as compared to the period before the pandemic, whereas this was not the case for adolescents’ negative affect, positive affect and parenting behaviors (from both the adolescent and parent perspective). In general, intolerance of uncertainty was linked to adolescents’ and parents’ negative affect and adolescents’ positive affect. However, Intolerance of uncertainty, nor any pandemic related characteristics (i.e. living surface, income, relatives with COVID-19, hours of working at home, helping children with school and contact with COVID-19 patients at work) were linked to the increase of parents’ negative affect during COVID-19. It can be concluded that on average, our sample (consisting of relatively healthy parents and adolescents) seems to deal fairly well with the circumstances. The substantial heterogeneity in the data however, also suggest that whether or not parents and adolescents experience (emotional) problems can vary from household to household. Implications for researchers, mental health care professionals and policy makers are discussed.
The purpose of this study is to identify and obtain information about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the learning process. This research uses the literature study method which is an analysis that aims to describe the main content based on the collection of information obtained. The information in question originates from various scientific articles related to the implementation of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The scientific articles in question are articles obtained from reputable national journals and international journals indexed by Scopus. The data and information that have been obtained are then collected, analyzed, and concluded so as to get a recommendation as a literature study. Conclusion The results of this study are that there are several obstacles experienced by students, teachers and parents in online teaching and learning activities, namely mastery of technology is still lacking, additional internet quota costs, additional work for parents in assisting children in learning, communication and socialization between students. , teachers and parents are reduced and working hours are unlimited for teachers because they have to communicate and coordinate with parents, other teachers, and school principals. The COVID-19 pandemic affects many things including educational life, parents of students, students and the learning process, as a teacher who has the responsibility to educate students cannot stop. Teachers must find appropriate ways to promote the learning process academically and socio emotional. Teachers must be able to manage classrooms in classrooms and online classes.
This report presents the findings of the Living,
working and COVID-19 e-survey, carried out by
Eurofound to capture the far-reaching implications
of the pandemic for the way people live and work
across Europe. The survey was fielded online,
among respondents who were reached via
Eurofound’s stakeholders and social media
advertising. Two rounds of the e-survey have been
carried out to date: one in April, when most
Member States were in lockdown, and one in July,
when society and economies were slowly re-opening.
The findings of the e-survey from the first round
reflected widespread emotional distress, financial
concern and low levels of trust in institutions.
Levels of concern abated somewhat in the second
round, particularly among groups of respondents
who were benefiting from support measures
implemented during the pandemic. At the same
time, the results underline stark differences
between countries and between socioeconomic
groups that point to growing inequalities.
The results confirm the upsurge in teleworking
across all countries during the COVID-19 pandemic
that has been documented elsewhere, and the
report explores what this means for work–life
balance and elements of job quality
Background:
On 20 March 2020, in response to COVID-19, UK schools were closed to most pupils. Teachers were required to put remote teaching and learning in place with only two days' notice from the government.
Aims:
The current study explores teachers' experiences of this abrupt change to their working practices, and during the 5-6 weeks that followed.
Sample:
Twenty-four teachers from English state schools were interviewed, representing mainstream primary and secondary schools and a range of years of experience and seniority.
Methods:
Participants were asked to tell stories of three key scenes during the first 5-6 weeks of lockdown: a low point, a high point, and a turning point. A reflexive thematic analysis of their narratives was conducted.
Results and conclusions:
Six themes were identified: uncertainty, finding a way, worry for the vulnerable, importance of relationships, teacher identity, and reflections. Teachers' narratives suggest that, after an initial period of uncertainty they settled into the situation and found a way forward, supported by strong relationships. However, they remain extremely worried about the most vulnerable pupils and want more joined-up thinking from the government on how to support them effectively, along with clarity from policymakers to enable planning ahead. Teachers reflected on how to use their learning during this period to improve pupils' experiences of education post-COVID-19, and on how aspects of shared teacher identity have worked as stressors and coping mechanisms. These initial interviews form the baseline for a longitudinal interview study of teachers' experiences of COVID-19 in England.
College is filled with opportunity, challenge and growth-as students expand their relationships and social capital, make formative life decisions, and overcome stress to achieve life goals. The current short-term longitudinal study started before campus closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ended at the completion of the semester at an urban university. It investigates the stress and subjective wellbeing of freshmen, impacts of the pandemic on their psychological, academic and financial wellbeing and their resilience to the pandemic during this period, and the role of socioeconomic status. It also examines whether grit and gratitude helped in these areas. First, we compared students (N = 86 freshmen) in terms of their parents' education level; high vs. low groups were created (i.e., completed high school or less vs. started or completed college up to graduate school). The low group reported significantly more perceived stress and subjective wellbeing than the high group prior to the pandemic. Next, examination of the two groups in terms of pandemic impacts and pandemic resilience revealed that the low group reported significantly more financial and academic impacts than the high group, but not more resilience or life event stress. Finally, we examined grit and gratitude prior to the pandemic and found that grit predicted significantly greater pandemic resilience and marginally lower psychological impact and that gratitude predicted significantly less impact to academic functioning at the end of the semester. However, the low parent education group also increased in grateful emotion, whereas the high parent group decreased, suggesting that gratitude helped the low group more during the pandemic. Overall results suggest that grit and gratitude can be promoted to protect college students' subjective wellbeing and better cope with adversity of the pandemic. The study closes with suggestions for intervention. Practice implications The current study occurred prior to and during the onset of a global pandemic that has disproportionately influenced minorities in the U.S. It compares how urban college students of lower versus higher socioeconomic status (SES) faired in terms of the pandemic's impacts on their lives and whether the two personality factors of grit and gratitude helped predict improved impact outcomes. It also examined whether the subjective wellbeing (SWB) of these two groups differed before and during the pandemic and whether it was improved by grit and gratitude. Results indicated that students of parents with education limited to high school face more stress, and less SWB than peers whose parents were college-educated, and they provide clues to better support students' mental health and wellbeing during adversities like the COVID-19 pandemic. First, low parental education students did not differ from their high parent education counterparts in grit prior to the pandemic and in resilient responding to the pandemic. These findings suggest that these two behavioral strengths are common in equal supply to all incoming urban college students, regardless of SES, making intervention universally amenable. Research can explore how the sources and forms of grit and resilience vary among college students, though, to create more targeted intervention. Second, that low parent education students were lower in gratitude prior to the pandemic but increased more during the pandemic, compared to high parent education students, has implications for improving gratitude intervention in two ways. Research should not only consider how to address the obstacles of greater daily stress and lower SWB among low SES students in creating more effective gratitude interventions in general, but it should also consider how to harness the higher tendency of low SES students to rely on social support more during adverse or traumatic events. Third, a finding that low parent education students were harmed more than high parent education students by the pandemic in terms of academic, financial, and possibly psychological functioning indicate that resources targeting these areas would reduce the immediate harms that lower SES students are experiencing because of the pandemic.
This paper unfolds how informal civil society quickly mobilised citizen-to-citizen support when government and non-government organisations locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper focuses on two elements of the mobilisation: the role of social networks and social media groups. It reveals that the vast majority of this support was distributed through existing social networks and, therefore, not available to those lacking social connections. However, we also find that social media groups played an important role in the mobilisation, that support organised on social media does not diverge significantly in commitment or kind from support organised in other settings. The paper concludes by discussing the potential of social media to mitigate the impact of social networks on the distribution of support, pointing to some of the potential barriers to social media groups' successful facilitation of support to those without a social network.
As witnesses to workplace sexism, male leaders have the opportunity to leverage both their relative social privilege as men and authority as leaders to enact allyship. However, allyship is fraught. Expression of indignation may be viewed by observers as unprofessional, yet a muted response may lead observers to question their motives for allyship. Further, allyship that does not hit the mark may have a ripple effect on observers' perceptions of the leader-ally, victim, transgressor, and organization. Thus, the present research (1) examined whether emotion expression during allyship influences observers' motive inferences of the leader-ally, (2) examined whether emotion expression influences favorability of the leader-ally, and (3) explored how a leader-ally's emotional (or not) allyship behavior influences observers' perceptions of the victim, transgressor, and organization. Study 1 (n = 298) showed that prejudice confrontation accompanied by anger or sadness (vs. not) is associated with intrinsic motive inferences of the leader-ally, and anger is seen as more appropriate and sincere when confronting prejudice. Study 2 (n = 112) showed that the leader-ally was viewed as more favorable when prejudice confrontation was accompanied by anger (vs. not) because the leader-ally was perceived as more sincere. Finally, qualitative data from thought-listings across both studies showed that leader-allies' anger expression was associated with greater calls for accountability of the transgressor and more positive impressions of the organization. However, anger expression also wrought highly polarized responses toward the victim, consisting of both support and victim-blaming. Thus, authentic but measured emotion expression during confrontation is recommended.
The pursuit of culturally responsive approaches for designing and evaluating programs to promote social justice has become of the utmost importance to the evaluation community in the past decade. A strengths-focused evaluation approach has great promise for empowering individuals, groups, communities, and organizations, and identifying program strengths to build upon in addition to illuminating program deficits. However, there is a dearth of literature on using a strengths approach to evaluate interventions and programs to promote social justice. Drawing from the two disciplines of positive psychology and evaluation, this article illustrates a strengths-focused approach to formative evaluation using a case example of a halfway house for previously incarcerated women. The findings exemplify the positive psychological phenomena that emerge as a result of focusing the evaluation on program strengths. The case demonstrates that the application of a strengths-focused approach to evaluating social justice interventions can be empowering for institutions and the communities they serve.
The arts and humanities have enriched human life in various ways throughout history. Yet, an analysis of empirical research into the effects of arts and humanities engagement remains incomplete, calling for a systematic and integrative understanding of the role of arts and humanities in promoting human flourishing. The present study used a mixed studies systematic review approach to integrating recent evidence from 27 intervention studies on the effectiveness of arts and humanities interventions on psychological flourishing of healthy adults. Our final dataset both represented quantitative and qualitative data on real-world interventions that encompassed a range of arts and humanities domains, including music, theater, visual arts, and integrative arts. A separate quantitative and qualitative data synthesis on study characteristics and psychological flourishing outcomes and a meta-integration of both types of evidence were conducted. Overall, arts and humanities interventions were associated with positive changes in a range of psychological flourishing outcomes, with overlapping quantitative and qualitative evidence for emotional, social, and sense of self outcomes. A secondary analysis explored key contextual and implementation features that contributed to effectiveness. Recommendations for future research and practice are provided based on our review.
This book integrates research in positive psychology, Islamic psychology, and Muslim wellbeing in one volume, providing a view into the international experiential and spiritual lives of a religious group that represents over 24% of the world’s population. It incorporates Western psychological paradigms, such as the theories of Jung, Freud, Maslow, and Seligman with Islamic ways of knowing, while highlighting the struggles and successes of minoritized Muslim groups, including the LGBTQ community, Muslims with autism, Afghan Shiite refugees, and the Uyghur community in China.
It fills a unique position at the crossroad of multiple social science disciplines, including the psychology of religion, cultural psychology, and positive psychology. By focusing on the ways in which spirituality, struggle, and social justice can lead to purpose, hope, and a meaningful life, the book contributes to scholarship within the second wave of positive psychology (PP 2.0) that aims to illustrate a balance between positive and negative aspects of human experience. While geared towards students, researchers, and academic scholars of psychology, culture, and religious studies, particularly Muslim studies, this book is also useful for general audiences who are interested in learning about the diversity of Islam and Muslims through a research-based social science approach.
Increased social justice awareness in the United States and shifting demographics are giving birth to a more diverse and egalitarian generation. Improving relations across social categories has been a key topic in diversity, equity, and inclusion work, but less emphasis has been placed on cross-racial allyship within minority populations. While allyship in racial contexts is often perceived as a White versus non-White issue, this binary position erases the diversity that exists within communities of color. A dichotomous approach to allyship that positions White heterosexual males as the primary holders of privilege does not address the disparities that exist within and across minoritized communities. While Arabs and South Asians are minorities in the US on a macrolevel, they often hold privileged positions in Islamic centers and other Muslim spaces—even though Black Americans make up a larger percentage of the Muslim population. Additionally, there is an increasing number of Latino/a Muslims in the US, but they are often invisible in larger conversations about Islam in America as well as in discourse among Muslim Americans. In this chapter, we explore the concept of allyship and how South Asian and Arab Muslims can support and advocate for Black and Latino/a Muslims in American Islamic centers. We also discuss Islamophobia in the US as well as the anti-Blackness and racism that exists within Muslim communities and provide suggestions on how Islamic centers can serve as spaces of allyship and cross-racial dialogue.
This narrative review addresses a notable gap in initial teacher education research by exploring the impact of positive education—a growing international change initiative—in schools. Launched in 2009, positive education is defined as education for both traditional skills and happiness. This narrative review examines how positive education has contributed to a change in schools and related curriculum issues. It draws on various studies from the past decade to evaluate positive education definitions, examine two periods in positive education research from 2009–2014 and 2015–2020. The review argues that positive education concepts may enrich initial teacher education discourse and enhance teacher professional practice; but, the term may be too narrow. Finally, the review recommends adopting the more inclusive term wellbeing education. This term may guide future research of culturally diverse case studies, thereby supporting the greater integration of wellbeing science with teaching theory and practise in initial teacher education.
Allyship is increasingly viewed as a crucial practice to address social and economic inequities faced by marginalized groups. However, little research explores how dominant group members can behave as allies and what marginalized group individuals consider as valuable. Research shows that women faculty in male-dominated academic disciplines regularly experience gendered microaggressions and sexism. In this study, using qualitative narratives from 202 female and male faculty in male-dominated academic departments, we explore women’s experiences as recipients of allyship, and men’s experiences engaging in allyship. Further, we compare narratives about and from men considered ‘good colleagues’ versus ‘exceptional allies.’ The findings reveal that good colleagues engage in an array of interpersonally supportive allyship behaviors (e.g., active listening). In contrast, exceptional allies go beyond them by undertaking consequential and conspicuous actions on behalf of women (e.g., impression promotion), a set of behaviors we term as visible advocacy. These have the potential to not only bolster women but also shift institutional culture. By exploring the range of allyship behaviors engaged in by men and viewed by women as valuable, we highlight implications for literature on gender equity and allyship. This study carries practical implications for men who desire to become better allies to women.
In response to prejudiced behaviors, the emotional experience of leaders influences whether and how they confront prejudice, but more importantly, their emotional expression serves a crucial communicative function to signal to observers the motivations and characteristics of the leaders and the organization. A qualitative study of exceptional allies revealed that even those committed to confronting prejudice are afraid to do so because of impression management and relational concerns. When they do act, their emotional experiences of empathic sadness on behalf of the stigmatized target or anger toward the transgressor spur action whereas not intervening leads to feelings of guilt. However, they struggle with regulating these emotions due to the belief that non-emotional confrontations are better received by others. On the contrary, two experimental studies showed that the same verbal confrontation accompanied by anger (versus not) is viewed as more sincere and in fact, improves the impressions of the leader and the organization.
The pursuit of culturally responsive approaches for designing and evaluating programs to promote social justice has become of the utmost importance to the evaluation community in the past decade. A strengths-focused evaluation approach has great promise for empowering individuals, groups, communities, and organizations, and identifying program strengths to build upon in addition to illuminating program deficits. However, there is a dearth of literature on using a strengths approach to evaluate interventions and programs to promote social justice. Drawing from the two disciplines of positive psychology and evaluation, this article illustrates a strengths-focused approach to formative evaluation using a case example of a halfway house for previously incarcerated women. The findings exemplify the positive psychological phenomena that emerge as a result of focusing the evaluation on program strengths. The case demonstrates that the application of a strengths-focused approach to evaluating social justice interventions can be empowering for institutions and the communities they serve.
This study investigates the role of sense of community in harnessing the wisdom of the crowd and creating collaborative knowledge during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also explores the impact of collaborative knowledge creation on the perceived value of social media crowdsourcing in such crises. PLS-SEM was used to analyze the data and test the research model. The results show that sense of community has a significant role in harnessing the wisdom of the crowd and creating collaborative knowledge. The results confirm a significant impact of sense of community, the wisdom of the crowd, and collaborative knowledge creation on the perceived value of social media crowdsourcing in responding to the COVID-19 crisis.
Background
Loneliness is a public health problem that is expected to rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, given the widespread policy of quarantine. The literature is unclear whether loneliness during COVID-19 is similar to those of non-pandemic seasons. This study examined the expression of loneliness on Twitter during COVID-19 pandemic, and identified key areas of loneliness across diverse communities.
Methods
Twitter was searched for feeds that were:(1) in English; (2) posted from May 1, 2020 to July 1, 2020; (3) posted by individual users (not organisations); and (4) contained the words ‘loneliness’ and ‘COVID-19’. A machine-learning approach (Topic Modeling) identified key topics from the Twitter feeds; Hierarchical Modeling identified overarching themes. Variations in the prevalence of the themes were examined over time and across the number of followers of the Twitter users.
Results
4492 Twitter feeds were included and classified into 3 themes: (1) Community impact of loneliness during COVID-19; (2) Social distancing during COVID-19 and its effects on loneliness; and (3) Mental health effects of loneliness during COVID-19. The 3 themes demonstrated temporal variations. Particularly in Europe, Theme 1 showed a drastic reduction over time, with a corresponding rise in Theme 3. The themes also varied across number of followers. Highly influential users were more likely to talk about Theme 3 and less about Theme 2.
Conclusions
The findings reflect close-to-real-time public sentiments on loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic and demonstrated the potential usefulness of social media to keep tabs on evolving mental health issues. It also provides inspiration for potential interventions to address novel problems–such as loneliness–during COVID-19 pandemic.
Objectives. The global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 heavily affected the arts and creative industries due to the instigation of lockdown measures in the UK and closure of venues. However, it also provided new opportunities for arts and cultural engagement through virtual activities and streamed performances. Yet it remains unclear (i) who was likely to engage with the arts at home during lockdown, (ii) how this engagement differed from patterns of arts engagement prior to COVID-19, and (iii) whether home-based arts engagement was related to people’s ability to cope with their emotions during lockdown. This study was therefore designed to address these questions. Methods. We used data collected in late May from the UK COVID-19 Social Study run by University College London. Multivariate regressions were used for the analysis (N=19,384). Identified confounders included demographic factors, socio-economic position, psychosocial wellbeing and health conditions, adverse events/worries, and coping styles.Results. Four types of home-based arts engagement were identified during the COVID-19 pandemic: digital arts & writing, performing arts, crafts, and reading for pleasure. Our results show that the strongest predictors of the engagement were age, education levels, social support, social network size, and trait emotion-focused or supportive coping styles. In particular, younger adults (aged 18-29), non-keyworkers, people with greater social support, and those with a trait emotion-focused coping style were more likely to have increased arts engagement during lockdown. Arts activities were used as approach and avoidance strategies to help cope with emotions, as well as to help improve self-development. Conclusions. Overall, our study suggests that some people who engaged in the arts during the COVID-19 pandemic were those who typically engage under normal circumstances. However, there were also some heterogeneity across social, cultural and economic groups when comparing normal circumstances and the pandemic. Additionally, this study highlights the value of the arts as coping tools during stressful situations.
As coronavirus rages around the globe, its impact extends to 1.6 billion students (94% of the learner population) across almost 200 countries (UN, 2020), many of whom do not have adequate resources to fully engage in remote learning (Hall et al., 2020). Coronavirus pandemic has quickly changed the context in which people live, increasing exposure to risks. The pandemic’s disruptions are far-reaching. Compared to pre-pandemic indicators, many young people are craving the social aspect of their school lives (Burke & Dempsey, 2020), reporting less engagement with play (Moore et al., 2020), and lower levels of wellbeing (Quinn et al., 2020). Teachers and school leaders find remote instruction challenging (Devitt et al., 2020), and the prospect operating schools side-by-side with the pandemic fills many with apprehension (Burke, 2020). In these unsettled times, more than ever, positive school psychology research is required.
With increasing levels of teacher accountability, more knowledge and an understanding of student achievement in reading, writing and scientific knowledge, educators and school leaders are confronted by the pace of change in the twenty-first century and the educational disruption of COVID-19. The aim of this chapter was to provide an overview of significant international forces considered in this book and an overview of the conceptual framework of appreciative inquiry. By adopting a practitioner-researcher perspective, we considered the problem of how to strengthen educational outcomes considering the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment results. While controversy abounds in the interpretation and education policy responses to trends in these surveys, there is a body of evidence about the roles teachers and teaching play in enhancing educational outcomes. Finally, we contend because of the appreciative approach; the book is new knowledge on enhancing educational outcomes essential for developing a well-educated population.
International research has established that well-being, engagement and belonging are crucial factors for establishing and maintaining positive learning environments in schools. This qualitative study investigated pre-service teachers’ perceptions of character, well-being and pedagogy. Two questions framed this research, ‘What are the perceptions of pre-service teachers regarding character and well-being in education’? and ‘How do pre-service teachers describe the characteristics of a good teacher’? A total of 54 pre-service teachers volunteered to participate in the study from the Bachelor of Teaching or a Master of Teaching degrees. The anonymous survey included categorical questions, items from a slider scale, open-ended answers to questions on teacher character development, well-being and academic growth. The results generated descriptive data that is displayed via bar plots and analysis of open-ended questions focusing on participants’ thoughts and feelings in their own words. This chapter argues that initial teacher education programme are fertile ground for integrating research-informed approaches concentrating on the teacher’s role and exploring the pedagogies for creating and establishing positive student engagement and engaging learning.
Purpose
This paper is focussed on answering the following questions: How are poor families surviving in this era of COVID-19? What is life for children from poor families? What has become of their reality? To understand the realities of poor families and children during COVID-19, specifically in Ghana, this paper aims to analyse how COVID-19 has affected children from poor families in Ghana and how welfare institutions can work to provide rapid help to such families.
Design/methodology/approach
COVID-19 is affecting different populations in almost all parts of the world. One group that is likely to experience challenges are children because they have to depend on others for their survival. This study, therefore, provides an expert opinion on the issues that children in Ghana might face because of the global public health pandemic. Nonetheless, this research relied on secondary data from articles, journals, related studies, textbooks and relevant web pages to support the points made in the paper.
Findings
COVID-19 has put a lot of undue economic and social pressure on poor families. Due to these pressures, children from such families are likely to suffer a higher risk of child labour and streetism. Furthermore, they may miss out on the social and economic benefits the school system provides such as the free meals provided for public schools by the Government of Ghana under the school feeding programme.
Originality/value
Admittedly, there have been numerous studies since the outbreak of C0VID-19 pandemic. However, this paper is the first paper discussing into detail how COVID-19 has affected children from poor families and addresses how state welfare institutions can leverage on the use of efficient management information system to identify and support poor families during and post-COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic has potentially a serious impact on many people's mental well-being. This study analyses the influence of the perceived threat of COVID-19 on subjective mental well-being with an online survey (n = 711). Findings confirmed the hypothesized model that provides a process explanation for this effect through the mediating influence of the activation of future anxiety. In addition, results confirmed that this influence via future anxiety is moderated by resilience, a personality trait that enables individuals to cope better with stressful or traumatic events. Individuals with higher levels of resilience compared to those with lower levels registered a lower impact of perceived Covid threat on future anxiety and, in turn, on subjective well-being. This study contributes theoretically to a better understanding of the factors that determine the impact of traumatic events such as a pandemic on people's mental health. The implications of this study indicate interventions that may be carried out to minimize the pandemic's negative psychological consequences.
As the United States considers reopening schools after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers and administrators need to consider how to reopen in a way that keeps students and staff safe. This brief provides insight into health and safety guidelines and social distancing strategies used in other countries that have successfully reopened their schools in the context of COVID-19. Examples are intended to support school policymakers and administrators in the United States as they plan for reopening.
Previous research has shown that women are disproportionately negatively affected by a variety of socio-economic hardships, many of which COVID-19 is making worse. In particular, because of gender roles, and because women’s jobs tend to be given lower priority than men’s (since they are more likely to be part-time, lower-income, and less secure), women assume the obligations of increased caregiving needs at a much higher rate. This unfairly renders women especially susceptible to short-and long-term economic insecurity and decreases in wellbeing. Single-parent households, the majority of which are headed by single mothers, face even greater risks. These vulnerabilities are further compounded along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, class, and geography. Drawing upon the philosophical literature on political responsibility and structural injustice (specifically, the work of Iris Marion Young), I argue that while the state may not have had either foresight into, or control over, the disproportionate effect the pandemic would have on women, it can nonetheless be held responsible for mitigating these effects. In order to do so, it must first recognize the ways in which women have been affected by the outbreak. Specifically, policies must take into account the unpaid labor of care that falls on women. Moreover, given that this labor is particularly vital during a global health pandemic, the state ought to immediately prioritize the value of this work by providing financial stimuli directly to families, requiring employers to provide both sick leave and parental leave for at least as long as schools and daycares are inoperational, and providing subsidized emergency childcare. © 2020, International Journal of Wellbeing Charitable Trust. All rights reserved.
Background
There are now over 800,000 registered deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. Researchers have suggested that COVID-19 death characteristics (e.g., intensive care admission, unexpected death) and circumstances (e.g., secondary stressors, social isolation) will precipitate a worldwide increase of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) and persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD). Yet, no study has investigated this. Since acute grief is a strong predictor of future pathological grief, we compared grief levels among people recently bereaved due to COVID-19, natural, and unnatural causes.
Methods
People bereaved through COVID-19 (n = 49), natural causes (n = 1182), and unnatural causes (n = 210), completed self-report measures of demographic and loss-related characteristics and PGD and PCBD symptoms.
Results
COVID-19 bereavement yielded higher symptom levels of PGD (d = 0.42) and PCBD (d = 0.35) than natural bereavement (but not unnatural bereavement). Effects held when limiting analyses to recent losses and those who participated during the pandemic. Expectedness of the death explained this effect.
Limitations
Limitations include using a convenience sample and self-report measures.
Conclusions
Higher grief levels occur among people bereaved due to COVID-19 compared to people bereaved due to natural loss. We predict that pandemic-related increases in pathological grief will become a worldwide public health concern.
Prolonged school closures are one of the most disruptive forces in the COVID‐19 era. School closures have upended life for children and families, and educators have been forced to determine how to provide distance learning. Schools are also an essential source of nonacademic supports in the way of health and mental health services, food assistance, obesity prevention, and intervention in cases of homelessness and maltreatment. This article focuses on the physical and emotional toll resulting from school closures and the withdrawal of nonacademic supports that students rely on. The COVID‐19 pandemic is shining a spotlight on how important schools are for meeting children's nonacademic needs. We argue that when students return to school there will be a more acute and wider‐spread need for school‐based nonacademic services and supports. Further, we expect that COVID‐19 will serve as a focusing event opening a window of opportunity for programmatic and policy change that improves nonacademic services and supports in the future.