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Abstract: Abstract This study tests the institutional/service mechanism of the neighbourhood effect by investigating the relationship between access to neighbourhood services and subjective poverty in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Data were drawn from the first wave (2015) of the Hong Kong Panel Survey for Poverty Alleviation (n = 1,788). Nineteen types of neighbourhood services were grouped into six categories: health and care, food service, government service, family service, culture and entertainment, and physical activity and sports services. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used. When subjective poverty was measured by the question ‘Do you think that you live in poverty according to your present living condition'’, the regression showed that higher access to a rest garden/park significantly reduced the likelihood of subjective poverty. A rest garden/park has a recreational function that encourages physical exercise and supports social interaction. The findings confirmed that higher access to neighbourhood services compensates for the insufficiency of individual and household resources, making people less likely to feel poor. Policy implications on how improving public space, such as a rest garden/park, may reduce citizens’ subjective poverty in Hong Kong are discussed. PubDate: 2022-12-02
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Abstract: Abstract To a large extent health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a product of life-course experiences. Therefore, we examined employment, marital, and reproductive life-course typologies as predictors of HRQoL in women and men. To determine life course clusters, sequence and cluster analysis were performed on the annual (waves 1990–2019) employment, marital, and children in household states of the German Socio-Economic Panel data (N = 8,998; age = 53.57, 52.52% female); separately for men and women. Using hierarchical linear regression analyses, and Tukey HSD post-hoc tests, associations between clusters and change in life satisfaction, subjective mental, and physical health were examined. Five life-course clusters were identified in the female and six in the male sample. Life courses differed greatly across gender regarding employment aspects (e.g., men generally work full-time vs. women underwent frequent transitions). The family aspects appeared similar – e.g., ‘starting a family’ or ‘marital separation’ clusters – but still differed in the particulars. Life course typologies were related to distinct patterns of HRQoL. For instance, both for men and women the ‘separated’ clusters, as well as the male ‘entering non-employment’ cluster were associated with a steeper decline in HRQoL. However, change in subjective mental health showed few associations. Distinct types of life courses and differential associations with sociodemographic background and HRQoL emerged for women and men. The analyses reveal a burden on individuals who experienced marital separation, and non-employment and thus present important target groups for health prevention, e.g., for physical health problems. PubDate: 2022-12-02
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Abstract: Abstract Handbook of quality of life and sustainability (International handbooks of Quality of Life Series, Graciela Tonon (Ed.), 978-3-030-50540-0, 551 pages, Cham: Springer) is a collective book edited by Javier Martinez, Claudia Andrea Mikkelsen and Rhonda Phillips. It brings a new light on the links between quality of life and sustainability. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Background Well-being has long been recognized as a key construct in human history. Quantitative studies have been limited in their ability to uncover contextual and cultural nuances that can be leveraged to inform the promotion of well-being. The present study employed a qualitative approach informed by narrative inquiry to understand how individuals in a rapidly developing Asian country experience what it means to be well and what contributes to or detracts from their well-being. Methods A purposeful sample of 50 Thai adults living in Bangkok shared their personal stories of times when they experienced high and low levels of well-being. Data were inductively coded and analysed to identify key domains of participants’ well-being and their inter-connections. Results The results reflect three layers of well-being. Social relationships (i.e., family, friends and acquaintances, and relationships at work or education) are at the center of well-being in Thailand, connecting and supporting a second layer of eight constituent domains of well-being (experience of emotions, sense of self, finances, self-care, demands and responsibilities, thoughts and feelings about the future, personal health, spirituality). The third layer is composed of the societal and physical contexts that are formative for well-being. Conclusions Our findings suggest both universal and culturally unique components of well-being among Thai adults. Implications for the promotion of well-being in Thailand are discussed. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Abstract Satisfaction with Life (SWL) is an important component of healthy aging. We sought to examine the determinants of SWL in a large sample (n = 24,221) of mid-aged and older Canadians, with a specific emphasis on the roles of personality and minority stress variables. After accounting for demographic variables, we cross-sectionally examined the contribution of health-related variables, personality traits, and minority stress variables on a continuous measure of SWL. Health-related variables (i.e., self-rated general health, depressive symptoms, activities of daily living, social support availability, caregiving status) accounted for the most variance (24.6%) in SWL. Though accounting for only a small amount of additional variance, personality traits (1.4%) and minority stress variables (0.6%) were statistically associated with SWL. Openness to experience was negatively associated with SWL, whereas neuroticism, agreeableness, emotional stability, and conscientiousness were positively associated. In the full model, minority stress indicators were significantly associated with SWL. For example, self-perceived social standing was positively associated with SWL in the sample. Further, non-White participants reported significantly lower SWL than White participants. Additionally, individuals who reported a higher social standing within their community had higher SWL. Participants who identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual reported higher SWL when compared to heterosexual participants. These findings highlight the importance of considering the social determinants of SWL to promote health equity for an aging population. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Abstract It is estimated that by 2050, the world population over the age of 65 will reach 1.5 billion. The United Nations predicts that the fastest growth will be in Africa, which suffers from extreme poverty and inequalities. Therefore, older people who play an essential role in African culture face significant well-being challenges. To mitigate these challenges and improve quality of life (QoL), we must first assess their well-being levels. Well-being is a multidimensional concept and needs a multidimensional measure. However, the dimensions that explain older people’s QoL differ from other age groups and between developed and developing countries. We construct a unique index applicable to Africa. We functionalised the index using the South African National Income Dynamic Study dataset. By applying the new index empirically, we determine the level of QoL of older adults. Additionally, we establish which dimensions explain the most variance signalling areas for policy intervention. Furthermore, analysing panel data allows us to follow older individuals’ well-being over time to determine the trend. Lastly, we analyse different demographic groups’ well-being to establish the most vulnerable. We find the dimensions that explain the most variance are household services, economic status, safety, mental and physical health. The well-being of older adults increased over time, likely due to policy interventions, and the most vulnerable group is black African women in traditional and farming areas. Other developing countries could adopt our QoL index to measure the well-being of older people at a micro-level. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Abstract Parents have high expectations of being a “good parent”. However, self-oriented perfectionism specific to parenting domain is seldom explored in social sciences literature. The study examined the dimensionality of the Chinese version of Self-oriented Parenting Perfectionism Scale in a sample of 405 pairs of Chinese parent couples (n = 810) with adolescent children in Hong Kong (mean age of fathers = 48.7; mean age of mothers = 44.7). Four factors, parenting organization, high personal parenting standards, concern over parenting mistakes and doubts about parenting actions, were identified in confirmatory factor analysis, with the latter three factors subsumed into a hierarchical factor of maladaptive parenting perfectionism. Furthermore, there was invariance of factor structure of the measurement across parent gender. Moreover, while parenting organization was associated with better well-being of parents in terms of life satisfaction, anxiety, depression and parental stress, maladaptive parenting perfectionism and its components were detrimental to well-being among parents. The findings offer new insights on the conceptualization of self-oriented parenting perfectionism, which facilitate the study of parental attributes that may have impacts on parental behavior and well-being in Chinese contexts. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Abstract We aim to 1) examine changes in the relationship between self-perceived health and life satisfaction; 2) explore potential attributable factors associated with life satisfaction and self-perceived health, and 3) investigate the role of social support in these relationships. Data analyzed were from ten national Canadian Community Health Surveys from 2009 to 2018. We found that self-perceived health and life satisfaction were positively and significantly correlated with each other, and their correlation increased over time. However, life satisfaction and self-perceived health were correlated with different sets of socio-demographic characteristics. The relationship between self-perceived health and life satisfaction varied across different levels of social support, and an additive interaction between social support and self-perceived health was observed in life satisfaction. The combined effect of both self-perceived health as ‘good’ and high social support on life satisfaction was approximately two to four times higher than what was expected from the sum of the effects of social support and self-perceived health alone. The study findings suggest targeting health promotions for population well-being should focus on identified characteristics and pay particular attention to the additive effect of self-perceived health and social support. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Abstract The main aim of this paper is to investigate the determinants of subjective quality of life among Poles aged 50+, with a special focus on leisure activities, participation in social and religious activities and unhealthy behaviors. Data from four waves of the Social Diagnosis Polish panel survey were used, and random effects and fixed effects ordered logit models were estimated for the total population aged 50+ and two subpopulations according to the life course stage: people aged 50–64 and people aged 65+. The modelling results are mostly in line with those obtained in previous research. In particular, participation in religious activities contributed positively to subjective well-being among Poles aged 50+, especially among those aged 50–64 who are more heterogenous with this respect than older people. Engagement in local community activities had no effect on happiness. Unhealthy behaviors (ever smoking and consuming too much alcohol) diminished subjective well-being. It holds true for people aged 50–64 who are probably more exposed to abuse alcohol than their older fellows. Time spent watching TV affected positively subjective well-being among both groups of respondents. A similar effect was found for participation in cultural events, especially among people aged 50–64. The results show the importance of lifestyle for subjective well-being of people 50+ in Poland as well as the moderation effects of age with respect to the associations with selected variables related to lifestyle among people aged 50–64 and aged 65 + . PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Abstract With labour markets already polarised in industrialised economies, if Covid-19 worsens this polarity, young people could be more severely affected. This is because their entry into a post-pandemic economy has ramifications for their divergent or convergent career trajectories far into the future. Therefore, on the premise that work life is central to quality of life, this article assesses the effects of low wage and Covid-19 on the psychological outlook of young people in Singapore. We found that Covid-19 did worsen polarisation. On average, higher wage workers telecommuted more and had more work, but low wage young workers bore the brunt of earnings loss and job disruption. Low wage respondents also experienced poorer psychological well-being, even after adverse child experiences, highest educational qualification and occupation type were controlled for. However, higher wage workers might be more psychologically affected by the Covid-19 impacts. This might be because low earning workers are more accustomed to employment instability. These findings suggest the urgency of policy attention to help low wage young workers recover from Covid-19. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Abstract This study investigates the association between regime type, political trust, and subjective well-being (SWB) in 78 countries. Differently from previous works, democracy was conceptualized in terms of a multidimensional model (i.e., regime type), rather than a bipolar continuum ranging from authoritarian regimes to full democracies. The first question was raised as to whether regime characteristics would be nonlinearly related to SWB. A second question was examined as to whether political trust could moderate the relationship between regime type and well-being, such that under conditions of high or low trust in the government the differences in well-being across the type of regimes would be reduced. Data from the European Values Study as well as from the World Value Survey were used. Moreover, regime types were defined according to the Varieties of Democracy as well as the Economist Intelligence Unit. Multilevel analyses revealed that life satisfaction scores were lower for electoral autocracy compared to closed autocracy and liberal democracy. Moreover, happiness scores were significantly higher for full democracies compared to authoritarian regimes and flawed democracies. Finally, political trust moderated the association between regime type and SWB. Specifically, at higher or lower levels of political trust, the relationship between regime type and well-being tended to decrease. Overall, the findings support the conclusion that the relationship between democracy and subjective well‐being is nonlinear, and that the role of political trust is as important as the role of democracy. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Abstract Current frameworks define flourishing in terms of wellbeing alone. This paper examines whether community members similarly define flourishing in terms of wellbeing or whether they prioritise both wellbeing and mental health. We also compare whether those indicators of wellbeing and mental health prioritised to define flourishing are similarly important for community members’ definition of quality of life. Results are from 2 surveys of community respondents (Survey 1 n = 359; Survey 2 n = 287) aged between 18 and 84 years. Participants were asked to identify 5 indicators of wellbeing or mental health which best reflected ‘Quality of Life’ (Survey 1), and Flourishing (Survey 2). Eleven indicators of wellbeing were from the European Social Survey (ESS) Wellbeing module and nine indicators of mental health were from the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Disorders V.5 (DSM 5) diagnoses for Major Depressive Disorder and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. Respondents defined flourishing and quality of life in similar ways and in terms of a combination of mental health and wellbeing indicators. Importantly respondents rated both wellbeing and absence of mental illness as reflecting flourishing. There was no single indicator that was endorsed by all participants; instead a range of wellbeing and mental health indicators were endorsed by participants as reflecting flourishing and quality of life. Contrary to current flourishing frameworks, community respondents defined flourishing in terms of both the presence of wellbeing and absence of mental illness. We propose a new model of psychological health that is informed by both wellbeing and mental health/illness and where flourishing is defined in terms of both wellbeing and mental health. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Purpose The purpose of the study was to test the psychometrics of the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS) in a large sample of adolescents (n = 4863, 54.2% females) from Portugal. The six-item version of the BMSLSS measures the self-perceived satisfaction with life in multiple domains (i.e. family life, friends, school experiences, self, where one lives and ‘in general’). Methods The internal consistency of the BMSLSS was evaluated through McDonald’s Omega. For the assessment of factorial structure, we employed a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and then tested measurement invariance with a multi-group CFA (MGCFA). Construct validity was obtained by correlating the BMSLSS scores with multiple wellbeing-related scales. Finally, Item Response Theory (IRT) allowed us to test the properties of the scale at the item and model levels. Results The full scale had good reliability (ω = 0.87), and the CFA’s provided evidences that the one-factor structure has excellent fit (CFI = 0.972, RMSEA = 0.052, 90% CI [0.046, 0.058], SRMR = 0.028). Additionally, the MGCFA indicated that the BMSLSS had configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance across grades, gender and academic ability. Furthermore, student’s LS was related to higher perceived quality of life, satisfaction with social support, and affective wellbeing. Item Response Theory revealed good item discrimination. Conclusions The Portuguese adaptation of the BMSLSS has good psychometrics, and is a reliable tool to measure LS in different groups of adolescents. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Abstract The school environment is a primary realm of life for school-aged children and thus their adaptation to school and academic performance may affect their degree of happiness. The age of smartphone users has declined, and problematic smartphone usage has widely expanded such that young children are also affected by such devices. This study assessed adaptation to school, academic achievement, problematic smartphone usage, and general happiness in a panel data sample of 695 Korean 10-year-old children and their teachers and mothers, and a moderated mediation model of these variables was tested. Results revealed that school adaptation affected general happiness of children through academic performance, and problematic smartphone usage demonstrated significant moderating effects on the relationship between school adaptation and academic achievement. Specifically, in children with a high level of adaptation to school life, the difference in problematic smartphone usage did not affect academic performance. However, lower level of adaptation led to greater differences in academic performance depending on problematic smartphone usage, and children with high problematic smartphone usage showed poorer academic performance. This study is meaningful because variables related to adaptation of 10-year-old children were collected from multiple informants. In addition, this study focused on general happiness, a positive factor, as the outcome variable to test the effects of variables related to school and problematic smartphone usage. Limitations include that a causal relationship cannot be examined, and qualitative differences in smartphone usage were not measured. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Abstract Nostalgia is a sentimental longing for the past that can influence people’s well-being. How this mixed emotion influences well-being may depend on current life circumstances. Nostalgia elicited in negative contexts could be particularly harmful to people’s well-being, whereas nostalgia elicited in positive contexts may not be as detrimental. This hypothesis was tested at the level of individual differences with a nationally representative sample of Americans (N = 6,732) who completed measures of nostalgia proneness and several indicators of well-being. Income was measured as an objective indicator of current life circumstances. Results showed that nostalgia proneness was negatively related to well-being, and income was positively related to well-being. Importantly, these relationships were moderated such that the negative relationships between nostalgia and well-being were stronger among members of low income households than among members of high income households. Consistent with the hypothesis, nostalgia proneness was particularly detrimental to well-being under objectively less desirable circumstances. These findings support an emerging body of research that contends that the effect of nostalgia on well-being depends on the context in which nostalgia is elicited. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Abstract We introduce a comprehensive policy-relevant measure of multidimensional wellbeing conceptually rooted in Amartya Sen’s capability approach and applied to a middle-income country: the Multidimensional Wellbeing Index for Peru (MWI-P). We design and collect a specialized survey in Peru in late 2018, which included data on wellbeing achievements across 12 dimensions, on the value that respondents place upon each of these dimensions, and on self-perceived freedom. Then, we utilize this information to set the weighting structure and select a wellbeing sufficiency threshold for the MWI-P, which we estimate using the capability-inspired Alkire–Foster method. Our results show that only 45.9% of the sample population live above the wellbeing threshold, which involves achieving sufficiency in at least seven out of the 12 weighted dimensions of the MWI-P. Subgroup analyses reveal that rural populations, women, and older adults are at a disadvantage compared with urban populations, men, and younger adults, respectively. These subgroups’ disparities hold valid if we introduce changes in the weighting structure or in the wellbeing sufficiency threshold. We argue that the MWI-P can inspire other low- and middle-income countries to reorient post-pandemic recovery policies from a focus on economic growth to a human flourishing approach based on what people value. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Abstract The present study aimed to examine whether the Big Five personality traits, self-compassion, and religiosity moderate the relationship between negative affect and life satisfaction. A large longitudinal data set collected annually over 6 years was used. The results of Bayesian multilevel analysis showed that only neuroticism and openness moderated the relationship between negative affect and life satisfaction. At higher levels of neuroticism and openness, the negative relationship between negative affect and life satisfaction was stronger. These two personality traits are associated with the use of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, which may explain why they exacerbate the effects of negative hedonic experiences. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Abstract Quality of life following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) has been reported as lower than non-CABG patients, however previous reports pre-date modern developments in PCI and cardiac surgery. This study aimed to examine the 30-day QoL after PCI between patients with and without prior CABG using a contemporary dataset. A retrospective analysis of the Victorian Cardiac Outcomes Registry was undertaken. This study included 36,799 patients who completed the EQ-5D questionnaire that was used to assess the 30-day QoL and was compared between groups with and without prior CABG at baseline. Most of the participants were older than 65 years, more than half were male and had PCI due to acute coronary symptoms (ACS) and nearly 90% of patients received drug eluting stents. Compared to the ‘no prior CABG’ group, the ‘CABG’ group had a significantly higher rate of reporting a health problem (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.10–1.53), presence of a problem in mobility (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.15–1.75), personal care (OR 1.49, 95%CI 1.13–1.97) and usual activities (OR 1.39, 95%CI 1.15–1.68), pain/discomfort (OR 1.31, 95%CI 1.11–1.54), and anxiety/depression (OR 1.20, 95%CI 1.02–1.42). Despite modern developments in both PCI and CABG, our study showed a consistent negative association between prior CABG status and 30-day QoL following PCI. There is a need for better targeted cardiac rehabilitation in patients with prior CABG to address their greater relative risk of experiencing poor health. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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Abstract: Abstract Individuals affected by the Fukushima disaster were found to experience a decline in well-being in accordance with their resilience. Nevertheless, major stressors due to the disaster could clarify and change values in life that the affected individuals had previously endorsed, leading to the promotion of well-being. In this study, we investigated whether values and resilience were associated with well-being among individuals affected by the Fukushima disaster. Questionnaires were distributed randomly to 2,000 individuals aged between 20 and 79 years who lived in municipalities where evacuation orders were lifted in January 2018, and responses were obtained from 826 individuals. We then distributed the follow-up questionnaires in December 2018, obtaining 291 valid responses. Well-being was measured using five subscales: emotion (positive and negative-free emotion), judgments (life satisfaction and general happiness), and psychological well-being (positive characteristics and positive functioning). Resilience and commitment to values were assessed using the Bidimensional Resilience Scale and Personal Values Questionnaire II, respectively. We classified the participants into six clusters according to the type of values they endorsed. We found that there was a positive association between current commitment to values and positive emotion, positive characteristics, and positive functioning, regardless of the changes in commitment to values after the disaster. In addition, innate resilience and endorsing social roles and/or recreation/leisure/sport values were associated with higher levels of well-being. PubDate: 2022-12-01
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