Subjective Well-being (subjective + well-being)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Psychology


Selected Abstracts


Job Satisfaction and Subjective Well-Being in a Sample of Nurses

JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2005
Stephen A. Sparks
It is surprising that there are no published studies exploring job satisfaction and subjective well-being (SWB) in nurses given the current shortage (Clark & Clark, 2002). For the present study, 152 nurses completed measures of job satisfaction, SWB, and social desirability. The Dimensions of Satisfaction scale was designed for this study and demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity. Results indicated that the most important aspect to nurses' job satisfaction is pay, followed by staffing and benefits. When entering the field, nurses most valued pay, followed by personal fulfillment and respect. A majority of the sample (59%) indicated satisfaction with their job, but this is well below the national average for American workers (85%; National Opinion Research Center, 2000). Nurses indicated higher SWB than the general population (Myers & Diener, 1996). However, the correlation between job satisfaction and SWB was lower than that of the general population (Tail, Padgett, & Baldwin, 1989). [source]


Subjective Well-Being and Peace

JOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, Issue 2 2007
Ed Diener
Hierarchical generalized linear modeling was employed to examine the relations between person-level subjective well-being (SWB) and peace-relevant attitudes, and how these relations vary across nations in the World Values Survey. Person-level SWB was associated with more confidence in the government and armed forces, greater emphasis on postmaterialist values, stronger support for democracy, less intolerance of immigrants and racial groups, and greater willingness to fight for one's country. These associations were moderated at the nation level by liberal development, violent inequality, gross domestic product, and nation-level SWB. The moderator effects indicate that happy people are not completely blind to the conditions of their society and that their endorsement of peace attitudes is sensitive to whether the conditions for peace do exist. [source]


Institutional Trust and Subjective Well-Being across the EU

KYKLOS INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, Issue 1 2006
John Hudson
SUMMARY This paper analyzes the impact of institutions upon happiness through their intermediary impact upon individual trust. The empirical work is based on Eurobarometer data covering the 15 countries of the EU prior to its expansion in 2004. With respect to trust, we present evidence that, although it is endogenous with respect to the performance of the institution, changes in the individual's personal circumstances can also have an impact, indicating that trust is not simply learned at an early age. Hence unemployed people tend to have lower levels of trust not only in the main economic institutions , government and the Central Bank , but in other state institutions too such as the police and the law. Trust also differs in a systematic manner with respect to education and household income, increases (decreases) in either increase (decrease) trust in most institutions. If we assume that more educated people make better judgments, this suggests that on average people tend to have too little trust in institutions. However, it is also possible that both of these variables impact on the interaction between institutions such as the police and other government agencies and the citizen, with prosperous, well educated people being at an advantage and possibly able to command more respect. Age too impacts on institutional trust. For the UN, the unions, big business, voluntary organizations and the EU, trust first declines and then increases with the estimated turning points ranging between 44 and 56 years. For most other organizations trust significantly increases with age. Turning to subjective well-being, we find the standard set of socio-economic variables to be significant. But the focus here is on the impact of institutional trust. We find that trust (mistrust) in the European Central Bank, the EU, national government, the law and the UN all impact positively (negatively) on well-being. Hence overall our results support the conclusion that happiness does not solely lie within the realm of the individual, but that institutional performance also has a direct impact upon subjective well-being. [source]


Prolactin, Subjective Well-Being and Sexual Dysfunction: An Open Label Observational Study Comparing Quetiapine with Risperidone

THE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 12 2008
Jens Westheide PhD
ABSTRACT Introduction., Sexual dysfunction is a frequent side effect of antipsychotic treatment. Increased prolactin levels are believed to be responsible for this sexual impairment despite contradictory results. Aim., The primary objective of the present study was to examine the relationship between sexual dysfunction, subjective well-being and prolactin levels in patients with schizophrenia treated either with risperidone or quetiapine. The secondary objective was to explore the relationship between testosterone and the severity of positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia in male patients. Methods., In a 4-week nonrandomized open label observational study, 102 inpatients with schizophrenia were recruited. Sexual functioning, subjective well-being and endocrinological parameters were assessed as well as psychopathological characteristics. Main Outcome Measures., Two self-rating questionnaires concerned with sexual functioning ("Essener Fragebogen zur Sexualität") and Subjective Well-Being Under Neuroleptic Treatment Scale (SWN) were completed by the patients. Plasma levels of prolactin in male and female patients were measured. Furthermore, in male patients testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were determined. Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) was applied. Results., After 4 weeks, patients treated with quetiapine reported less severe sexual impairment, as well as lower PANSS negative and general score compared with patients treated with risperidone. Additionally, emotional regulation as measured with the SWN was higher in patients treated with quetiapine. Risperidone was significantly associated with elevated prolactin levels. Prolactin levels were not correlated either with sexual dysfunction or PANSS. However, in the group of patients treated risperidone, sexual impairment was significantly associated with the SWN subscale emotional regulation. Conclusions., Increased prolactin levels do not seem to be decisive for antipsychotic induced sexual dysfunction. Improvement of severity of illness and regaining the ability to regulate one's own emotion have positive influence on sexual functioning. Westheide J, Cvetanovska G, Albrecht C, Bliesener N, Cooper-Mahkorn D, Creutz C, Hornung W-P, Klingmüller D, Lemke MR, Maier W, Schubert M, Sträter B, and Kühn K-U. Prolactin, subjective well-being and sexual dysfunction: An open label observational study comparing Quetiapine with Risperidone. J Sex Med **;**:**,**. [source]


Health and Subjective Well-Being in Later Adulthood: Different Health States,Different Needs?

APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, Issue 1 2009
Benjamin Schüz
From midlife on, health problems become more prevalent. Health is one of the key determinants of subjective well-being (SWB), but examining the relation between health and SWB in later adulthood is complicated by the clustering of multiple illnesses. This article proposes Latent Class Analysis (LCA) for a parsimonious description of adult health. This article compares SWB in health classes and examines the relative importance of socioeconomic resources, pain and coping (flexible goal adjustment) for SWB. Data stem from a nation-wide representative sample of adults aged 40,85 (German Ageing Survey, DEAS; N = 3,084). LCA was used to examine different configurations of health. Multiple regression analyses in latent classes were conducted to examine predictors of SWB. LCA generated four distinct classes of health conditions: No disease (n = 807), cardiovascular diseases (n = 405), joint problems (n = 1,612) and multiple illnesses (n = 258). As expected, only small mean differences in SWB indicators were found, whereas discontinuous predictors of SWB were detected: Coping was more strongly associated with SWB in individuals with higher illness burden. LCA can be applied to describe health in later adulthood. Differential prediction patterns suggest distinct factors for SWB depending on individual health status. [source]


The Observational Evaluation of Subjective Well-Being in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, Issue 1 2009
Afton L. Hassett
An important aspect of general health is subjective well-being (SWB), which is defined as happiness and overall satisfaction with life. Herein we examined the reliability and validity of observation-based ratings of SWB in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Ten RA patients experiencing a disease flare (period of increased symptoms) completed two semi-structured interviews (baseline and 4 weeks later) that were digitally recorded. Twelve healthcare professionals watched the 20 brief videos in random order and scored them using the Well-Being Coding System (WBCS) for observer-reported SWB. Patient-reported SWB scores and scores from the Medical Outcomes Study: 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) were compared to observer-reported scores for SWB. We found inter-rater reliability to be extremely high and a significant relationship between observer SWB composite scores and patient SWB composite scores. Observer SWB composite scores and other scores associated with SWB from the SF-36 were also related significantly. There was also some evidence supporting the ability of observers to detect change in SWB. Taken together, we found preliminary evidence suggesting that when using information gleaned from brief patient interviews clinicians can make reliable and valid evaluations of patients' SWB. [source]


Subjective assessments of the quality of life, well-being and self-efficacy in patients with schizophrenia

PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 4 2009
Bun Chino md
Aim:, The present study examined three kinds of subjective assessment scales in the same patient group with schizophrenia to analyze the correlations among scores obtained in relation to the background data. Method:, Thirty-six patients with schizophrenia were examined with the 26-item short form of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHO-QOL 26), Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptic drug treatment: Short Japanese version (SWNS) and Self-Efficacy for Community Life scale (SECL) for subjective assessment scales, five kinds of neurocognitive tests, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for clinical symptom, Social Functioning Scale (SFS), and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale for social functioning. Result:, The scores for delusions (components of positive syndrome), anxiety and depression (components of general psychopathology) on the PANSS significantly correlated with QoL and subjective well-being scores. In contrast, the scores for components of negative syndrome were not correlated with the subjective assessment scores. Furthermore, none of the clinical symptom scores were correlated with the score in self-efficacy scale. The SFS and GAF scores were significantly correlated with the subjective assessment scores. There were significant correlations among the scores on the three subjective assessment scales. Conclusion:, Each scale has different features and should be utilized depending upon the expected effect of treatment or the purpose of assessment. The treatments provided to patients must be directed at improving both psychological and social impairments, in order to enhance the social functioning and QoL of patients. [source]


Social Support and its Correlation with Loneliness and Subjective Well-being: A Cross-cultural Study of Older Nepalese Adults

ASIAN SOCIAL WORK AND POLICY REVIEW, Issue 1 2010
Hom Nath Chalise
Population aging in Nepal is a recent phenomenon, due more to demographic changes than to socio-economic development. The study had three goals: to analyze the social support exchange among elderly men and women; to discover the main sources of support in loneliness and subjective well-being in the elderly; and to study the cross-cultural differences in support among elderly Chhetri (N = 137, mean age = 69.1 [7.2] years) and Newar people (N = 195, mean age = 68.8 [7.7] years) in one ward in Kathmandu. The data were collected using face-to-face interviews. The dependent variables were loneliness and subjective well-being (SWB). The results for both ethnic Chhetri and Newar respondents show that their major support comes from their children living in the same household and their spouses. I conclude that the sources of social support and social support exchange are similar between the two castes/ethnicities and that there are no cross-cultural differences between them in terms of support for loneliness and SWB-life stability, although there are cross-cultural differences in their SWB-life satisfaction. Providing social support to friends and neighbors appears to be related to less loneliness and increased SWB in both castes/ethnicities. [source]


The Implications of Prospect Theory for Human Nature and Values

POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2004
Robert Jervis
Central to prospect theory are far-reaching claims about what people fear and what gratifies them. Subjective well-being is a topic that social science has been reluctant to discuss in recent years, but it is central to much of our lives. A loss inflicts more harm than a comparable gain produces pleasure; this fact and the related endowment effect are important parts of our psychological makeup. The importance of change rather than absolute value position, and the related significance of the reference point and how it can be altered, can be seen as integral to human nature. [source]


Epidemiology and natural course of social fears and social phobia,

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2003
H.-U. Wittchen
Objective: To summarize epidemiological studies providing data on prevalence, incidence, comorbidity, natural course, risk factors and consequences of social phobia (SP). Method: Data from cross-sectional studies and prospective longitudinal studies in particular are considered. Results: These studies portray SP as a frequent mental disorder, which begins typically in early adolescence, and is highly comorbid with other anxiety disorders, as well as secondary depression and substance abuse disorders. Several possible risk factors have already been identified for the onset and unfavorable course of SP; some of them have been tested in prospective longitudinal studies. SP is a chronic disorder when compared with other mental disorders and when subclinical symptomatic levels are considered. Impairment caused by SP is considerable and increases over a patient's life span. The negative impact of SP is not only reflected in subjective well-being and reduced quality of life but also in social role functioning, and it impacts negatively on career progression. Conclusion: Prospective longitudinal studies in representative samples drawn from the general population provide information that allows the overall direct and indirect costs of the disorder (treatment costs, disability, social welfare) to be determined, and enables an improvement in long-term care strategies as well as preventive efforts to be established. [source]


Self-esteem and suicide rates in 55 Nations

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 1 2009
Armand Chatard
Abstract Using recent data from the International Sexuality Description Project (ISDP), we examined whether national differences in self-esteem across 55 nations are reflected in suicide rates. Results indicate that suicide is especially common in nations with relatively low levels of self-esteem. This relation is consistent across sex lines, age of suicide and independent from several other relevant factors such as economic affluence, transition, individualism, subjective well-being, and neuroticism. These findings provide support for the predictive validity of self-esteem scores as assessed in the ISDP survey. They also contribute to a growing body of research documenting negative consequences associated with low self-esteem. Possible implications for suicide prevention strategies are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


What shields some can shackle others: the approach-related consequences of threat categorisations vary by agreeableness

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 7 2005
Michael D. Robinson
It is common to think that threat categorisation tendencies (TCTs) should undermine a person's subjective well-being. However, recent research has suggested that the hedonic impact of such tendencies varies considerably according to a person's traits. The present research seeks to extend such a perspective by considering potential interactions between TCTs and the trait of agreeableness. TCTs were measured through the use of choice reaction time tasks contrasting the threat and non-threat categories. As expected, TCTs were not correlated with the trait of agreeableness, but interacted with this trait in predicting the dependent measures. Within three studies involving 184 undergraduates, TCTs were associated with the higher levels of approach-related behaviour and positive emotion among disagreeable individuals, but lower levels of these same variables among agreeable individuals. The authors suggest that threat categorisation tendencies psychologically protect or burden the individual, depending on the levels of agreeableness. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Constructive thinking as a mediator of the relationship between extraversion, neuroticism, and subjective well-being

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 5 2005
Peter Rustin Harris
Mechanisms by which personality affects well-being are not well understood. Following recommendations to examine intermediate process variables that may help explain the personality,subjective well-being (SWB) relationship, the authors tested whether constructive thinking (CT) mediated the relationships between both neuroticism and extraversion and SWB components. Measures of each construct were administered to 147 undergraduate volunteers twice over four weeks. In analyses controlling for time 1 SWB and time 2 mood, time 2 CT fully mediated the relationship between time 1 neuroticism and time 2 negative affect and emerged as a strong predictor of negative affect (inversely), positive affect, and happiness. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Doing one's duty: chronological age, felt autonomy, and subjective well-being

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2005
Kennon M. Sheldon
Existential, psychosocial, and organismic theories propose that human beings tend towards greater autonomy over the lifespan, and that greater autonomy is associated with greater happiness. We tested these two ideas in the under-studied domain of social duties by examining the associations between chronological age, felt autonomy while engaging in various social duties, and subjective well-being (SWB). Study 1 found that older Americans felt more autonomous while voting, tipping, and paying taxes, Study 2 showed that American parents felt more autonomous in their work and citizenship roles compared with their own children, and Study 3 found that older Singaporeans felt more autonomous while obeying authorities, helping distant relatives, and staying politically informed. In all three studies, felt autonomy was also associated with higher SWB. It appears that older persons better internalize their social duties, to their own and societies' benefit. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Self-esteem: a behavioural genetic perspective

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 5 2002
Michelle B. Neiss
Self-esteem, the affective or evaluative appraisal of one's self, is linked with adaptive personality functioning: high self-esteem is associated with psychological health benefits (e.g. subjective well-being, absence of depression and anxiety), effective coping with illness, and satisfactory social relationships. Although several pathways have been hypothesized to effect within-family transmission of self-esteem (e.g. parenting style, family relationship patterns), we focus in this article on genetic influences. Genetic studies on both global and domain-specific self-esteem and on both level and stability of self-esteem converge in showing that (i) genetic influences on self-esteem are substantial, (ii) shared environmental influences are minimal, and (iii) non-shared environmental influences explain the largest amount of variance in self-esteem. We advocate that understanding of current issues in self-esteem research will be enriched by including behavioural genetic approaches. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Discontented people: reactivity and locus of control as determinants of subjective well-being

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 1 2001
Tatiana Klonowicz
This study examines the effects of reactivity temperament and locus of control variables on subjective well-being (SWB). SWB is operationalized as positive affect, the absence of somatic concerns, and heightened life satisfaction. The study hypotheses were that (1) reactivity and locus of control influenced SWB and that (2) affect either mediated or moderated the influence of these traits on SWB. As expected, high reactivity and external locus of control were associated with lower SWB, whereas low reactivity and internal locus of control were associated with higher SWB. However, the data indicate that reactivity and locus of control influenced different components of SWB and that locus of control predicted SWB more consistently than reactivity. Somatic health is influenced by reactivity, locus of control and negative affect, but not positive affect. Current life satisfaction is influenced by locus of control,but not reactivity,and by both positive and negative affect. Hope is related to reactivity but not to either locus of control or affect. The data corroborate the expectation that affect serves as a mediator in the trait,SWB relations, whereas the view that affect moderates the effect of stable dispositions on SWB finds scant support. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Political participation and procedural utility: An empirical study

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2006
ALOIS STUTZER
In this article, it is argued that people have preferences about both aspects and that they derive utility from the processes involved in decision making over and above the utility gained from outcomes. The authors study political participation possibilities as an important source of procedural utility. To distinguish between outcome and process utility, they take advantage of the fact that nationals can participate in political decision making, while foreigners are excluded and thus cannot enjoy the respective procedural utility. Utility is assumed to be measurable by individually reported subjective well-being. As an additional indicator for procedural utility, reported belief in political influence is analyzed. [source]


Sources of distinctiveness: position, difference and separateness in the identities of Anglican parish priests

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2002
Vivian L. Vignoles
We investigated the implications of three sources of distinctiveness,position, difference and separateness,for identity and subjective well-being in a survey of 149 Anglican parish priests. Distinctiveness was examined within parish and clergy comparative contexts. Each source contributed substantially and uniquely to ratings of the distinctiveness associated with identity elements in each context. Parish-context position was emphasised within identity and was positive for affect, while parish-context separateness was negative for affect. Distinctiveness in the clergy context was not emphasised within identity and was unrelated to affect. This shows that distinctiveness is not a unitary construct: extending existing theories (Breakwell, 1993; Brewer, 1991; Triandis, 1995), we argue that different forms of distinctiveness will have different implications for identity and well-being according to culture and context. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Combined effect of factors associated with burdens on primary caregiver

GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2009
Hyuma Makizako
Background: It is argued that a multidimensional approach is necessary for burden assessment. Reducing caregiver burden is a social problem in the ageing Japan society. We examined the combined effect of factors affecting the care burden among community-dwelling handicapped people and their caregivers. Methods: The participants were 49 handicapped people (aged 53,104 years) who received home-visit rehabilitation, and their 49 caregivers (age 42,85 years). Caregivers were provided questionnaires consisting of questions on social support, subjective well-being, self-efficacy with regard to care continuation, the Motor Fitness Scale and caregiver burden. Care recipients were assessed using the Bedside Mobility Scale and the Barthel Index. Results: We prepared the hypothesis model using structural equation modeling with the bootstrap method within outcome measures. The hypothesis model did not fit the data well. The impact of the Motor Fitness Scale was shifted from the caregiver burden to care self-efficacy and well-being, having a cooperator for care and variable of spouse caregiver or others associated with caregiver well-being in the revised model. The fit of the revised model was acceptable (goodness of fit index, 0.903; comparative fit index, 0.998; root mean square error of approximation, 0.017). In the revised model, the care recipients' disabled state was associated with caregiver burden. In addition, higher burden and poor motor fitness of caregivers might lead to lower care self-efficacy in providing continuous care and lower caregiver well-being. Conclusion: These findings suggested that the program to reduce caregiver burden should focus on aspects of the care recipients' disabled state, the caregivers' well-being, fitness, and care self-efficacy. [source]


Difference in subjective well-being between ethnic Korean and Japanese elderly residents in an urban community in Japan

GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 4 2007
Jong-Seong Moon
Background: The ethnic Korean community in Japan has witnessed the increasing aging of their population structure. The purpose of our study was to clarify the differences in standards of living between elderly ethnic Korean and elderly Japanese populations living in Japan, and to examine whether there is any difference in subjective well-being between the two populations. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey that consisted of items addressing ethnicity, age, gender, literacy, living conditions, mental health, "sense of purpose in life", activities of daily living (ADL), medical history, quality of life (QOL), and receipt of pension benefits and public assistance; the participants were 425 elderly people (ethnic Korean residents in Japan, n = 204; Japanese, n = 221) aged 65 and older living in a community in Osaka City. Findings from the two groups were compared using the Student's t -test and the ,2 test. We also employed multiple linear regression analysis. Results: We found that the ethnic Korean group had less formal education (P < 0.001), lower ADL (P < 0.05) and QOL (P < 0.001), higher illiteracy (P < 0.05) and depression rates (P < 0.001), and a higher prevalence of hypertension, myocardial infarction and diabetes mellitus than the Japanese group. Ethnicity was a significant variable for subjective well-being in simple linear regression analysis. After adjusting for literacy, absence of sense of purpose in life and mental health in multiple regression analysis, ethnicity remained a significant variable. Conclusions: The present findings indicate that ethnic Korean elderly have poor health and social situations compared with the Japanese group, and that there was a difference in subjective well-being between the two ethnic groups. [source]


Effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to support people with dementia living in the community: a systematic review

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVIDENCE BASED HEALTHCARE, Issue 2 2008
Deborah Parker BA, MSocSci
Executive summary Objectives, The objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to provide support for people living with dementia in the community. Inclusion criteria, Types of participants, Adult caregivers who provide support for people with dementia living in the community (non-institutional care). Types of interventions, Interventions designed to support caregivers in their role such as skills training, education to assist in caring for a person living with dementia and support groups/programs. Interventions of formal approaches to care designed to support caregivers in their role, care planning, case management and specially designated members of the healthcare team , for example dementia nurse specialist or volunteers trained in caring for someone with dementia. Types of studies, This review considered any meta-analyses, systematic reviews, randomised control trials, quasi-experimental studies, cohort studies, case control studies and observational studies without control groups that addressed the effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to provide support for people living with dementia in the community. Search strategy, The search sought to identify published studies from 2000 to 2005 through the use of electronic databases. Only studies in English were considered for inclusion. The initial search was conducted of the databases, CINAHL, MEDLINE and PsychINFO using search strategies adapted from the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group. A second more extensive search was then conducted using the appropriate Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and keywords for other available databases. Finally, hand searching of reference lists of articles retrieved and of core dementia, geriatric and psycho geriatric journals was undertaken. Assessment of quality, Methodological quality of each of the articles was assessed by two independent reviewers using appraisal checklist developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute and based on the work of the Cochrane Collaboration and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Data collection and analysis, Standardised mean differences or weighted mean differences and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each included study reported in the meta-analysis. Results from comparable groups of studies were pooled in statistical meta-analysis using Review Manager Software from the Cochrane Collaboration. Heterogeneity between combined studies was tested using standard chi-square test. Where statistical pooling was not appropriate or possible, the findings are summarised in narrative form. Results, A comprehensive search of relevant databases, hand searching and cross referencing found 685 articles that were assessed for relevance to the review. Eighty-five papers appeared to meet the inclusion criteria based on title and abstract, and the full paper was retrieved. Of the 85 full papers reviewed, 40 were accepted for inclusion, three were systematic reviews, three were meta-analysis, and the remaining 34 were randomised controlled trials. For the randomised controlled trials that were able to be included in a meta-analysis, standardised mean differences or weighted mean differences and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each. Results from comparable groups of studies were pooled in statistical meta-analysis using Review Manager Software and heterogeneity between combined studies was assessed by using the chi-square test. Where statistical pooling was not appropriate or possible, the findings are summarised in narrative form. The results are discussed in two main sections. Firstly it was possible to assess the effectiveness of different types of caregiver interventions on the outcome categories of depression, health, subjective well-being, self-efficacy and burden. Secondly, results are reported by main outcome category. For each of these sections, meta-analysis was conducted where it was possible; otherwise, a narrative summary describes the findings. Effectiveness of intervention type, Four categories of intervention were included in the review , psycho-educational, support, multi-component and other. Psycho-educational Thirteen studies used psycho-educational interventions, and all but one showed positive results across a range of outcomes. Eight studies were entered in a meta-analysis. No significant impact of psycho-educational interventions was found for the outcome categories of subjective well-being, self-efficacy or health. However, small but significant results were found for the categories of depression and burden. Support Seven studies discussed support only interventions and two of these showed significant results. These two studies were suitable for meta-analysis and demonstrated a small but significant improvement on caregiver burden. Multi-component Twelve of the studies report multi-component interventions and 10 of these report significant outcomes across a broad range of outcome measures including self-efficacy, depression, subjective well-being and burden. Unfortunately because of the heterogeneity of study designs and outcome measures, no meta-analysis was possible. Other interventions Other interventions included the use of exercise or nutrition which resulted in improvements in psychological distress and health benefits. Case management and a computer aided support intervention provided mixed results. One cognitive behavioural therapy study reported a reduction in anxiety and positive impacts on patient behaviour. Effectiveness of interventions using specific outcome categories, In addition to analysis by type of intervention it was possible to analyse results based on some outcome categories that were used across the studies. In particular the impact of interventions on caregiver depression was available for meta-analysis from eight studies. This indicated that multi-component and psycho-educational interventions showed a small but significant positive effect on caregiver depression. Five studies using the outcome category of caregiver burden were entered into a meta-analysis and findings indicated that there were no significant effects of any of interventions. No meta-analysis was possible for the outcome categories of health, self-efficacy or subjective well-being. Implications for practice, From this review there is evidence to support the use of well-designed psycho-educational or multi-component interventions for caregivers of people with dementia who live in the community. Factors that appear to positively contribute to effective interventions are those which: ,,Provide opportunities within the intervention for the person with dementia as well as the caregiver to be involved ,,Encourage active participation in educational interventions for caregivers ,,Offer individualised programs rather than group sessions ,,Provide information on an ongoing basis, with specific information about services and coaching regarding their new role ,,Target the care recipient particularly by reduction in behaviours Factors which do not appear to have benefit in interventions are those which: ,,Simply refer caregivers to support groups ,,Only provide self help materials ,,Only offer peer support [source]


Discrimination and Well-Being: Perceptions of Refugees in Western Australia

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION REVIEW, Issue 1 2008
Farida Fozdar
This paper reports the apparent paradox of high levels of discrimination experienced by humanitarian migrants to Australia, in the labor market and everyday life, yet simultaneous reporting of positive well-being. How can people feel discriminated against, yet still be relatively satisfied with life? The study draws on quantitative and qualitative data from a study of 150 refugees from the former Yugoslavia, the Middle East, and Africa. Possible reasons for the level of well-being are explored, including "relative deprivation theory," as well as various resiliency and mitigating factors, including personal and social supports. The notion of eudaimonic well-being , whereby experiences of difficulty produce positive well-being , is also applied to the findings. The negative experiences and perceptions appear to map onto low-level dissatisfaction or disgruntlement, and specifically directed or contained disappointment, rather than serious dissatisfaction with life generally, orientation to Australia, or negative subjective well-being. [source]


Gender-role attitude and psychological well-being of middle-aged men: Focusing on employment patterns of their wives

JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2006
JUNKO SAGARA
Abstract:, In this study, the relationships between husbands' attitudes towards gender roles and their psychological well-being were examined in 244 middle-aged men who had a working wife. Employment patterns of the wives were separated into full-time employment and part-time employment, and a model showing relationships among factors, such as attitudes towards gender roles, workplace satisfaction, and subjective well-being of the husbands, was created and analyzed using a structural equation model. Attitudes towards gender roles comprised gender conception and the view on gender-based division of work. Husbands with a wife employed part-time that held a stronger gender conception had a lower subjective well-being, mediated by their lower workplace satisfaction. However, the view of husbands with a wife employed full-time on gender-based division of work was directly related to subjective well-being. That is, the husband's subjective well-being was lower when support of gender-based division of work was stronger. [source]


Predicting Mother/Father,Child Interactions: Parental Personality and Well-being, Socioeconomic Variables and Child Disability Status

JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 1 2010
Laraine M. Glidden
Background, Child and parent characteristics as well as socioeconomic family variables can influence the quality of parent,child interactions. Methods, Coders rated parent behaviour from a video-taped 30-min family interaction in 91 families rearing children who were either typically developing or had intellectual/developmental disabilities. In addition, mothers and fathers completed NEO-FFI personality items as well as subjective well-being ratings. Results, Coder ratings were factor analysed, resulting in a four-factor parent behaviour inventory. The disability status of the children did not predict ratings on three of the factors, but parents of children with disabilities were perceived as less negative on one factor than parents of typically developing children. Extraversion, occupational status, and subjective well-being related to the child also predicted some parenting behaviours. Conclusions, Parenting a child with intellectual/developmental disabilities did not result in identifiably adverse outcomes for either mothers or fathers as determined by both behavioural and self-report measures. [source]


The Effect of Reminiscence Group Work on Life Satisfaction, Self-Esteem and Mood of Ageing People with Intellectual Disabilities

JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 1 2009
Joris Van Puyenbroeck
Background, This study evaluates the effects of reminiscence group work on the subjective well-being of ageing people with intellectual disabilities. Methods, The content of the successive group work sessions was manipulated as follows: a control-phase with three ,current topics' sessions, an experimental phase with six ,reminiscence' sessions and finally three ,current topics' sessions. Life satisfaction, perceived self-competence and mood were measured by questionnaires, filled in by the participants and direct support workers. Results, A quasi-experimental pre-test,post-test design (n = 41) did not detect any changes in life satisfaction and perceived self-competence. For mood, a quasi-experimental ABA-design (n = 41) did not yield an experimental treatment effect, but a significant increase in scores was observed over time. Personality characteristics ,extraversion' and ,emotional stability', but not memory specificity were found to be significant covariates for the mood scores. Conclusion, Although the study's design did not allow us to confirm the effect of reminiscence group work, the analysis nonetheless revealed some useful indications for further research. Also, interviews conducted before and after the programme resulted in positive appraisals of the programme as a worthwhile and meaningful activity for ageing people with intellectual disability. [source]


Goals and Social Relationships: Windows Into the Motivation and Well-Being of "Street Kids",

JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2009
Esther Usborne
Research investigating homeless youth or, as they prefer, "street kids," has primarily described their dysfunction. In order to more thoroughly document their psychological reality and account for variability in their functioning, this study explored the close relationships and personal projects of 50 street kids. Self-determination theory provides a theoretical framework for hypotheses concerning the relationships that social networks and goals have with motivation and subjective well-being. The size of participants' social networks was positively related to internalization and positive well-being. Goal pursuit was also positively related to internalization and positive well-being. These findings,along with descriptive information documenting street kids' motivation, well-being, and family contact,afford us a view beyond their dysfunction, and elucidate factors associated with their optimal functioning. [source]


Job Satisfaction and Subjective Well-Being in a Sample of Nurses

JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2005
Stephen A. Sparks
It is surprising that there are no published studies exploring job satisfaction and subjective well-being (SWB) in nurses given the current shortage (Clark & Clark, 2002). For the present study, 152 nurses completed measures of job satisfaction, SWB, and social desirability. The Dimensions of Satisfaction scale was designed for this study and demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity. Results indicated that the most important aspect to nurses' job satisfaction is pay, followed by staffing and benefits. When entering the field, nurses most valued pay, followed by personal fulfillment and respect. A majority of the sample (59%) indicated satisfaction with their job, but this is well below the national average for American workers (85%; National Opinion Research Center, 2000). Nurses indicated higher SWB than the general population (Myers & Diener, 1996). However, the correlation between job satisfaction and SWB was lower than that of the general population (Tail, Padgett, & Baldwin, 1989). [source]


"Moved by the spirit": does spirituality moderate the interrelationships between subjective well-being subscales?

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2010
James Schuurmans-Stekhoven
Abstract Despite the recent escalation of research into the spirituality and well-being link, past efforts have been plagued by methodological problems. However, the potential for measurement error within psychometric instruments remains largely unexplored. After reviewing theory and evidence suggesting spirituality might represent an affective misattribution, moderation modeling,with each subjective well-being (SWB) subscale as a dependent variable as predicted by the remaining SWB subscales,is utilized to test the assumption of scale invariance. These interrelationships were shown to vary in conjunction with spirituality; that is the analysis revealed significant spirituality,×,subscale interactions. Importantly, in all models the spirituality main effect was either nonsignificant or accounted for by other predictors. In combination, the findings suggest the interrelationship between the subscales rather than the level of SWB varies systematically with spirituality and casts considerable doubt on the previously reported "belief-as-benefit" effect. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: 66:1,17, 2010. [source]


Overt and covert aggression in work settings in relation to the subjective well-being of employees

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 5 2001
Ari Kaukiainen
Abstract Aggressive behavior was studied in workplaces having (1) predominantly male, (2) predominantly female, or (3) both male and female employees in equal or near equal frequencies. In addition to examining the occurrence of different types of aggression in these workplaces, the question of whether being a target of aggression is related to employees' subjective well-being was addressed. One hundred sixty-nine participants (mainly 30,50 years of age) employed in a wide range of organizations in the public sector completed a questionnaire measuring four types of observed and experienced aggression: direct overt, indirect manipulative, covert insinuative, and rational-appearing aggression. Indirect manipulative and rational-appearing aggression were perceived to be the most widely used aggression styles in the work context. In the predominantly male workplaces, the men were perceived to use more of all types of aggression than in the predominantly female workplaces. The women's aggression was not related to the relative number of females and males with whom they worked. Participants were divided into two groups on the basis of the extent to which they estimated themselves to be targets of workplace aggression. Those who considered themselves to be victims of workplace aggression suffered significantly more from psychosocial problems and physical symptoms than those who had been victimized to a lesser extent or not at all. The victimized group also considered the aggression they had suffered to be the reason for their psychosocial and health problems. Aggr. Behav. 27:360,371, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Beyond Parental Status: Psychological Well-Being in Middle and Old Age

JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 4 2002
Tanya Koropeckyj-Cox
Surveys show little evidence of psychosocial disadvantage among childless middle-aged and older adults, but less is known about the diverse experiences that influence subjective well-being among parents and childless adults. In this article, the author uses the National Survey of Families and Households to test a parental-status typology on the basis of attitudes among childless adults and parent-child relationship quality and the connection of these factors with loneliness and depression. Poorer parent-child relationships are linked to worse outcomes for both mothers and fathers, net of other factors. For childless adults, negative attitudes about childlessness are associated with greater distress for women than for men. [source]