Systematic review of mental health and well-being outcomes following community-based obesity prevention interventions among adolescents.

This paper aimed to systematically evaluate the mental health and well-being outcomes observed in previous community-based obesity prevention interventions in adolescent populations.

The subjective well-being of paralympic athletes

 Paralympic athletes represent a very high functioning group within the population. They not only report high levels of SWB but also have robust psychological resources that support adaptation to environmental challenges and athletic success. This would suggest that important lessons in resilience could be learned from this high profile group.

Well-being and Resilience in Education

Compared to previous generations, today’s youth appear to be poorly equipped to meet the life challenges they face. This chapter focuses on two approaches to developing positive and resilient behavior in young people, namely the student well-being approach and the social and emotional learning (SEL) approach. These two approaches have slowly emerged to fill the void created by the failed self-esteem movement that began in the 1970s. Both approaches have strong links with positive psychology, a model that emphasizes the conditions, strengths, and behaviors that enable people to develop well-being, act resiliently, and thrive. Evidence-informed guidelines for developing and implementing universal school-based programs designed to enhance well-being and SEL are identified and examples of national and specific initiatives are outlined.

Impact of individual coping strategies and organisational work–life balance programmes on Australian employee well-being

This paper examines several individual coping strategies and employees' perception of organisational provision of work–life balance (WLB) programmes with a sample of 700 Australian employees. The combined effects of individual coping strategies and organisational provision of WLB programmes on employee affective well-being are examined, using structural equation modelling. Results indicate that individuals with positive attitudes and life coping strategies were more capable of achieving overall well-being. Both monetary- and non-monetary-based organisational WLB provision had no direct association with employee well-being, but had indirect effects via individual coping strategies to help employees achieve better well-being. Employee well-being was found to have a stronger association with individual effort than organisational deliberation in providing WLB programmes. Theoretical and practical implications of these study outcomes are discussed.

Bayesian hierarchical modeling of the temporal dynamics of subjective well-being: A 10 year longitudinal analysis

This study demonstrates, for the first time, how Bayesian hierarchical modeling can be applied to yield novel insights into the long-term temporal dynamics of subjective well-being (SWB). Several models were proposed and examined using Bayesian methods. The models were assessed using a sample of Australian adults (. n=. 1081) who provided annual SWB scores on between 5 and 10 occasions. The best fitting models involved a probit transformation, allowed error variance to vary across participants, and did not include a lag parameter. Including a random linear and quadratic effect resulted in only a small improvement over the intercept only model. Examination of individual-level fits suggested that most participants were stable with a small subset exhibiting patterns of systematic change.

Young children learning about well-being and environmental education in the early years: a funds of knowledge approach

Early childhood educators currently provide content focused learning opportunities for children in the areas of well-being and environmental education. However, these are usually seen as discrete content areas and educators are challenged with responding to children’s interests in popular-culture inspired food products given these influence their consumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor and highly packaged food in the early childhood setting. This paper reports preliminary findings from a pilot randomised trial examining the interconnectedness of sustainability, well-being and popular-culture in early childhood education. Planning, assessment documentation and summaries from twenty-four learning experiences implemented by six educators over a six-week period were analysed using a deductive approach. Twenty well-being and environmental education topics were identified and shown to be generated by the educators when considering the children’s ‘funds of knowledge’ on popular-culture inspired food products. We argue that topics derived from children’s engagement with popular-culture may help educators to create an integrated approach to curriculum provision. This may impact child weight and facilitate obesity prevention and environmental sustainability as children create stronger connections between these content areas and their everyday choices and practices.

Autobiographical memory and depression: identity-continuity and problem-solving functions indirectly predict symptoms over time through psychological well-being

The aim of this study was to assess the longitudinal associations between adaptive autobiographical memory functions and depressive symptoms. Consistent with the proposed mechanisms of change underpinning cognitive-reminiscence therapy (CRT), it was hypothesised that more frequent adaptive reminiscence would lead to increases in psychological resources over time and indirectly affect depressive symptoms through this pathway. A sample of 171 young adults (mean age=25.9years, SD=3.5) completed measures of how frequently they utilised autobiographical memory for identity-continuity and problem-solving purposes, depressive symptoms and personal resources (self-esteem, self-efficacy, meaning in life and optimism) at two time-points. The results of structural equation modelling supported the model of indirect influence between reminiscence functions and depression through these psychological resources. These findings clarify the effects of adaptive autobiographical memory on depressive symptoms in young adults and indicate potential benefits of interventions such as CRT.

Is being childless detrimental to a woman's health and well-being across her life course?

BACKGROUND: Childlessness is a growing phenomenon. Previous research examining health and well-being differentials between women with and without children has produced conflicting results. Most of this research has been conducted in the United States or parts of Europe. There has been limited research in Australia that has examined the health and well-being of women with and without children across the life course. The aim of the current study was to examine the association between motherhood status and general physical and mental health and well-being over a 10-year time period. METHODS: Using 10 waves of data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia study, longitudinal linear mixed models with time varying variables (both dependent and independent) were constructed to assess the effect of childlessness on health and well-being based on the Short Form-36 Health Survey Version 1 (n=52,381 observations). FINDINGS: Findings suggest that childless women experience poorer physical and mental health and well-being during the peak reproductive years; however, this trend is reversed for women aged 65 years or more. Although never-married, childless women experienced better health and well-being compared with mothers, this was not the case for childless women who were divorced, separated, or widowed or in a relationship. CONCLUSION: The findings support the notion that whether or not a woman has children does have consequences for her health and well-being; however, this differs across the life course.

Health and well-being in maritime pilotage: exploring the factors that matter

Maritime pilotage is a demanding occupation where pilots are required to perform complex procedures in sometimes unfamiliar working environments. The psychological (e.g., stress) and physical demands (e.g., reduced sleep, boarding, and departing vessels) may over time have a damaging effect on pilots’ physical and mental health. This presentation will focus on findings from a recent systematic review on maritime pilots’ health and well-being.
Materials and methods
The databases Academic search complete, MEDLINE and MEDLINE Complete, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, PubMed, and ScienceDirect were searched from the earliest available record until 1 May 2015. From an initial pool of 167 manuscripts retrieved, only 18 were peer-reviewed original research and discussed topics associated with maritime pilots’ health and well-being.
Results
Twenty-nine factors associated with maritime pilot health and well-being were identified, and were categorised into physical (n=14), psychosocial (n=8), and workplace issues (n=7). The most commonly investigated factors were blood pressure or heartrate, sleep or fatigue, smoking and alcohol consumption, perceived stress, and shift duration or cycle.
Conclusion
Results from the review suggest that the number of modern-day pilots presenting as overweight or obese, and that the prevention of CVD and associated cardio-metabolic risk factors is of paramount importance. In presenting the findings, recommendations for multidisciplinary approaches to better quantify the impact of maritime pilotage on long-term health and well-being will be made.

Living alone and living together: their significance for well-being

Differential rates of demographic change between the developed and developing nations contribute to disparate living arrangements and contrasting cultural understandings of living together and alone. Among some cohorts in the developed world, who can afford it, living alone is seen as a lifestyle choice and representative of independence, thus not compromising of wellbeing. In some contexts living arrangements have minimal impact on wellbeing. However, in parts of the developing world, and among other cohorts in developed countries, living alone represents despair, abandonment and loneliness leading to diminished wellbeing. Overriding this cultural difference is the unambiguous population level data from across the world showing that intimate partnerships, particularly marriage, provide a protective shield against low personal wellbeing scores. The jury is still out on whether this protective effect necessarily involves cohabitation. The current rise in living- apart-together relationships and the possible future trend of living together virtually, through second life and other digital media, raises further questions about the nexus between living arrangements and wellbeing.

Brief reminiscence activities improve state well-being and self-concept in young adults: a randomised controlled experiment

Reminiscence-based psychotherapies have been demonstrated to have robust effects on a range of therapeutic outcomes. However, little research has been conducted on the immediate effects of guided activities they are composed of, or how these might differ dependent on the type of reminiscence. The current study utilised a controlled experimental design, whereby 321 young adults (mean age = 25.5 years, SD = 3.0) were randomised to one of four conditions of online reminiscence activity: problem-solving (successful coping experiences), identity (self-defining events contributing to a meaningful and continuous personal identity), bitterness revival (negative or adverse events), or a control condition (any memory from their past). Participants recalled autobiographical memories congruent with the condition, and answered questions to facilitate reflection on the memories. The results indicated that problem-solving and identity reminiscence activities caused significant improvements in self-esteem, meaning in life, self-efficacy and affect, whereas no effects were found in the bitterness revival and control conditions. Problem-solving reminiscence also caused a small effect in increasing perceptions of a life narrative/s. Differences between the conditions did not appear to be explained by the positive-valence of memories. These results provide evidence for the specific effects of adaptive types of problem-solving and identity reminiscence in young adults.