A feminist post-transsexual autoethnography on challenging normative gender coercion

This in-depth analysis of the autoethnographic subject's life has shed considerable light on the transgender condition, particularly in terms of improving their social determinates of health, psychological wellbeing, agency and in leading more creative livable lives. It also sheds considerable light on the normative operation of gender in society.

A Feminist post-transsexual autoethnography on challenging normative gender coercion.

This in-depth analysis of the autoethnographic subject's life has shed considerable light on the transgender condition, particularly in terms of improving their social determinates of health, psychological wellbeing, agency and in leading more creative livable lives. It also sheds considerable light on the normative operation of gender in society.

La influencia de la religión en la formación de la nación, estudio de caso: el budismo en Bután

El Reino de Bután es el único Estado de la cordillera del Himalaya cuya población es en su mayoría practicante del Budismo Mahayana Tántrico y cuyo desempeño tanto en la arena internacional como en su administración interna está estrechamente vinculado con los valores y principios budistas de reciprocidad, felicidad, solidaridad, vida familiar, cooperación, entre otros. Ejemplo de esto es la creación del Índice de Felicidad Nacional Bruta y la iniciativa del Nuevo Paradigma de Desarrollo. El presente artículo analiza los factores nacionales fundamentales que han permitido el desarrollo de la nación hacia las mencionadas políticas; y explica la influencia del Budismo en la formación de la Nación butanesa, para lo cual se hace un análisis cualitativo de fuentes, biografías, documentos oficiales y encuestas nacionales. Lo anterior permitirá explicar la estrecha relación ente el budismo y la nación butanesa actual, así como la importancia del Nuevo Paradigma del Desarrollo.

Using job strain and psychological contract theories to predict employee wellbeing in a reformed public sector agency

This study investigates the Issues that contribute to employee wellbeing in a public sector agency having undergone substantial reform The research is based on a model that is initially demand-oriented, and is expanded to incorporate psychological contract breach and organisational justice. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted on the 1,010 completed surveys The results confirm the value of the Job strain model (JSM) and that the inclusion of breach and fairness were worthwhile extensions of the JSM Future research may wish to extend this approach and incorporate more of the social aspects of the work situation m studies of employee wellbeing.

Family functioning, parental psychological distress and child behaviours : evidence from the Victorian child health and wellbeing study

We examined, using data from the 2006 Victorian Child Health and Wellbeing Study (VCHWS), whether family functioning is associated with parental psychological distress and children’s behavioural difficulties. The VCHWS was a statewide cross-sectional telephone survey to 5,000 randomly selected primary caregivers of 0- to 12-year-old children between October 2005 and March 2006. Only parents or guardians of children aged 4–12 years (n = 3,370) were included in this study. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables and ethnicity, parents or guardians scoring higher on the family functioning scale (i.e., from poorly functioning households) were at greater risk of psychological distress and had children with lower levels of prosocial behaviour and higher levels of behavioural difficulties relative to those from healthily functioning households. Mental health prevention programmes addressing child mental and conduct problems should consider the family environment and target those families functioning poorly.

Book Review: Diabetes and wellbeing: Managing psychological and emotional challenges of diabetes types 1 and 2

Book Review in peer revewed Journal of Diabetes Nursing about the psychological and emotional challenges associated with living with Diabetes. The book is recommended to both health professionals and people with Diabetes.

Association of different forms of bullying victimisation with adolescents' psychological distress and reduced emotional wellbeing

OBJECTIVE: The frequency and emotional response to bullying victimisation are known to be associated with adolescent mental ill health. A potentially important under-investigated factor is the form of bullying. Four common forms of bullying behaviours are name-calling, physical threats or harm, rumour spreading and social exclusion. To more comprehensively understand bullying victimisation in adolescence, we examined the association of all three factors (frequency, emotional response, form) to psychological distress and emotional wellbeing. METHOD: A stratified, random sample of adolescents (n = 10, 273; mean age = 14.33 years, standard deviation = 1.68 years) completed validated measures of bullying victimisation (Gatehouse Bullying Questionnaire), psychological distress (K10) and emotional wellbeing (Mental Health Inventory) in classroom time. Associations between the form of bullying victimisation and mental health outcomes were examined. RESULTS: Adolescents reported a high prevalence of all four forms of bullying: teased or called names (30.6%), rumour spreading (17.9%), social exclusion (14.3%) and physical threats or harm (10.7%). Victimisation was independently associated with significantly higher levels of psychological distress and reduced levels of emotional wellbeing for all forms of bullying. In particular, social exclusion had a strong association with mental ill health. Adolescents who experienced frequent bullying that was upsetting reported higher psychological distress and reduced emotional wellbeing. CONCLUSION: Different forms of bullying victimisation were independently associated with psychological distress and reduced emotional wellbeing. In particular, frequent and upsetting social exclusion requires a targeted and measured response by school communities and health practitioners.

The effect of social support derived from World of Warcraft on negative psychological symptoms

Previous research examining players of Massively-Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) suggests that players form meaningful relationships with each other. Other research indicates that people may derive social support from online sources and this social support has been associated with greater wellbeing. This study used an online survey of players (N = 206) of the MMOG “World of Warcraft” (WoW) to examine if social support can be derived from MMOGs, and to examine its relationship with negative psychological symptoms. Players of WoW were found to derive social support from playing and a positive relationship was found between game engagement and levels of in-game social support. Higher levels of in-game social support were associated with fewer negative psychological symptoms, although this effect was not maintained after accounting for social support derived from the offline sources. Additionally, a small subsample of players (N = 21) were identified that played for between 44 and 82 hours per week (M = 63.33). These players had significantly lower levels of offline social support and higher levels of negative symptoms compared to the rest of the sample. This study provides evidence that social support can be derived from MMOGs and the associated potential to promote well being, but also highlights the potential harm from spending excessive hours playing.

Engagement with information and communication technology and psychological well-being

The impact of technology on the health and well-being of workers has been a topic of interest since computers and computerized technology were widely introduced in the 1980s. Of recent concern is the impact of rapid technological advances on individuals’ psychological well-being, especially due to advancements in mobile technology which have increased many workers’ accessibility and expected productivity. In this chapter we focus on the associations between occupational stress and technology, especially behavioral and psychological reactions. We discuss some key facilitators and barriers associated with users’ acceptance of and engagement with information and communication technology. We conclude with recommendations for ongoing research on managing occupational health and well-being in conjunction with technological advancements.

‘I can’t get no satisfaction’...or can I? A study of satisfaction with financial planning and client wellbeing

This paper reports findings from an ongoing collaborative research project with the Financial Services Council (FSC), which contributed funding and facilitated the survey of financial planners’ clients through FSC member organisations. The article draws on the report to the FSC that was prepared by the QUT researchers, reporting findings on the initial exploratory stage of the project.1 The lyric in the title of this paper has become a catchcry for consumers dissatisfied with a range of financial services and products, and, as recent Federal Government inquiries have revealed, there is some truth to the claim. But as financial planning undergoes a series of reforms, including increased professionalism (FPA 2009) and improved quality of advice (Australian Government 2011), there are good reasons to explore the conditions under which clients report satisfaction with their financial planners; not least because the provision of effective financial planning and advice, delivered in accordance with, or transcending, the rules and norms of industry best-practice has the potential to benefit clients, not just financially, but across a number of life domains. In this paper, we report findings from an exploratory study investigating whether financial planning and advice contribute to client well-being, beyond effects on financial well-being. While anecdotal evidence supports psychological benefits such as a sense of security, little research has explored these links in any systematic or theoretically driven way. However, theory and research from cognate disciplines, such as psychology, indicate clear links between planning, goal setting and well-being that are likely to arise in the financial planning domain. Surveyed clients were asked to indicate their satisfaction with their financial advisers, the planning process and the advice they received. Clients responded to items designed to reflect key areas for financial planners in the shift towards increased professionalism, improved disclosure and greater client focus (e.g. FPA 2009). Clients also reflected on their financial situations before and after seeing their advisers, and considered the impact of their financial situations on a number of life areas including family relationships, mental health and well-being, and overall life satisfaction.

Positively playful : when videogames lead to player wellbeing

Videogames are an increasingly popular entertainment choice, yet we have a limited understanding of their potential wellbeing benefits. The current research used an online survey (N = 429) to investigate how gameplay choices and the psychological experience of gameplay impact on player wellbeing. Specifically, a hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to determine if, controlling for age and gender, current gameplay choices (amount of play, game genre, mode of play) and play experience (flow, psychological need satisfaction) predicted current wellbeing. Results indicated that age, social play, relatedness during gameplay and flow were positively associated with player wellbeing. Implications for our understanding of player wellbeing, as well as directions for future research are discussed.

Psychological stress and employee engagement

“The challenge today is not just retaining talented people, but fully engaging them, capturing their minds and hearts at each stage of their work lives” (Kaye & Jordan-Evans, 2003, p. 11). Engaged employees produce positive work outcomes such as increased productivity satisfaction, and reduced turnover (Kahn, 1990, 1992; Saks, 2006). Engaged employees also impact on customers and co-workers’ positive experiences such as increased customer satisfaction (Wagner & Harter, 2006). Further, engaged employees demonstrate higher levels of trust in management and share more positive experiences with co-workers than disengage employees (Payne, Cangemi, Fuqua, & Muhleakamp, 1998). Past studies show that having a high proportion of engaged employees increases organizational performance, such as profitability and reputation (Wagner & Harter, 2006; Fleming & Asplund, 2007; Ketter, 2008). Having experienced the benefits of having engaged employees, organizations have become more aware of this issue and have been focusing on facilitating engagement climate within workplaces. Recently, an interest in positive psychology, instead of negative aspects of human behaviours, has become a focus for both scholars and practitioners. The trend towards positive psychology has led to the emergence of the concept of work engagement(Chughtai & Buckley, 2008). This article reviews literatures in the area of positive psychology and psychological stress, and discusses how organizations can increase work engagement among their organizational members. The remainder of this article is organised in four sections. First, we define work engagement as used in this article and psychological outcomes of work engagement. Second, we identify ways to increase work engagement among employees. Following this, we further discuss how gender roles influence individuals’ engagement at work. The final sections conclude the paper with a discussion of the practical implications.

A five year longitudinal study of wellbeing in resettlement amongst humanitarian migrants from Burma

This thesis research was conducted to identify factors that impact the psychological well-being of refugees from Burma who have been resettled in Australia. Qualitative analysis of interviews conducted within the first year of resettlement, and again at four years and five years post-resettlement demonstrated that refugee well-being is influenced by the context of resettlement and the continuity of existing relationships. Results have implications for immigration policy and contribute to knowledge of understanding and assisting with the process of resettlement.

Make-or-break : work and family interface and wellbeing among small business owners

This study responds to calls for research on work-family aspects in entrepreneurship research. Our study examined the role of work-family conflict and enhancement on small business owners’ (SBOs) wellbeing. We found work-family has negative direct effect on mental health, job and family satisfactions. Furthermore, we found that under high level of work-family conflict condition, SBOs who perceive a greater level of work-family enhancement would feel more satisfy with their life, job as well as family aspects. Interestingly, under high level of conflict, even SBOs perceive greater level of enhancement, it would not lessen the negative impact of the conflict on their mental health. These results suggest that once psychological health is harmed by work-family conflict, its negative consequences remain unchanged.