Successes and Challenges -- "Building Well-Being and Prosperity Together: Taking Action on Poverty in Nova Scotia"

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Ploem ◽  
Andrew Sherin ◽  
Lynn L. Langille
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Taking Action ◽  
Successes And Challenges

Connecting with others: Dispositional and situational relatedness during the college transition

2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752110345
Author(s):  
Jordan A. Booker ◽  
Erika Hernandez ◽  
Karen E. Talley ◽  
Julie C. Dunsmore
Keyword(s):  
College Transition ◽  
Support Services ◽  
College Adjustment ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Student Support Services ◽  
Student Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Successes And Challenges

The college transition involves social challenges for students, including concerns about distance from family and hometown friends, and pressure to build a new social network on campus. Students who are successfully navigating these social challenges should be better adjusted on campus and feel more satisfied with the direction of their lives. We measured two expressions of relatedness in incoming, central US students’ ( N = 244; M age = 18.1 years; 78.6% women) autobiographical recollections of the college transition: (a) dispositional relatedness (DR) and tendencies to emphasize motivations for connecting with others; and (b) situational relatedness (SR) and reflections on successes and challenges within specific relationship domains. We hypothesized that both expressions of relatedness would be positively and distinctly associated with longitudinal reports of college adjustment (i.e., belonging) and subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction). We also hypothesized that changes in college adjustment would mediate associations between expressions of relatedness and well-being. Findings broadly supported expectations. Each expression of relatedness robustly predicted better student outcomes longitudinally. Further, improvements in college belonging and decreases in homesickness mediated the ties between situational relatedness and subjective well-being. We discuss the implications of these findings for the college transition and student support services.

“Everybody’s Really Close-Knit”: Disconnections Between Helping Victims of Intimate Partner Violence and More General Helping in Rural Communities

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria L. Banyard ◽  
Katie M. Edwards ◽  
Elizabeth A. Moschella ◽  
Katherine M. Seavey
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Daily Hassles ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Preventive Actions ◽  
Taking Action

Social support is key to well-being for victims of intimate partner violence (IPV), and bystanders have an important role to play in preventing IPV by taking action when there is risk for violence. The current study used qualitative interviews to explore young adults’ perspectives on helping in situations of IPV, and more general helping, in the rural communities in which they resided. Participants were 74 individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 years from 16 rural counties across the eastern United States. Participants generally described their communities as close-knit and helpful, especially around daily hassles (e.g., broken down car) and unusual circumstances (e.g., house fire). Although participants generated ways in which community members help IPV victims, these mostly focused on providing support or taking action in the aftermath of IPV as opposed to more preventive actions. Lack of financial resources were uniquely cited as a barrier to more general helping, whereas concerns about privacy and lack of deservingness of help were barriers to both general helping and helping in IPV situations, although these were more pronounced in IPV situations than general helping situations. Taken together, these results suggest that although people generally see their communities as helpful and close-knit, these perceptions and scripts did not necessarily translate to helping in situations of IPV. Bystander intervention programs are needed that provide more specific helping scripts for IPV.

scholarly journals The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health and Well-Being of Children and Youth in Nova Scotia: Youth and Parent Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary A. T. Caldwell ◽  
Camille L. Hancock Friesen ◽  
Sara F. L. Kirk
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Anxious Youth ◽  
Health And Well Being

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic led to school closures, cancellations of major events, and loss of in-person social interactions for children and youth. These restrictions undoubtedly impacted the lives of children and youth. This study describes the well-being of children and youth in Nova Scotia during the COVID-19 pandemic and their thoughts and feelings about the return to school, from the perspectives of both youth and parents.Methods: A province-wide survey was conducted in August 2020 with parents of school-age children and youth and youth to measure youth well-being since the pandemic began.Results: Parents of children and youth in grades pre-primary to 12 (n = 699; 53% girls) and youth in grades 3–12 (n = 279; 69% girls) completed the online survey. Perceptions of parents about children's emotions during the pandemic were: bored, safe, lonely, happy, and anxious. Youth reported feeling bored, relaxed, depressed, safe, and worried. Sixty-three percent of youth and 72% of parents reported that they/their child felt they were missing important life events. Parents reported that being with parents, being physically active and being with friends made their child feel positive. Youth reported that being with friends, pets and watching TV made them feel good during this time. Seventy-six percent of parents and 62% of youth reported they/their child were getting more screen time than before the pandemic. With schools closed, participants most frequently shared that they missed friends and social interactions, in-person learning, and extra-curricular activities. Youth and parents expressed worries about COVID-19 outbreaks and related restrictions when schools re-opened to in-person learning.Conclusion: The well-being of children and youth in Nova Scotia was greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and related school closures in 2020. It is essential that pandemic recovery plans prioritize the health and well-being of children and youth.

scholarly journals Impact on staff of the Mentally Healthy Schools Framework

2020 ◽  
Vol 120 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 289-296
Author(s):  
Julia Anwar-McHenry ◽  
Catherine F. Drane ◽  
Phoebe Joyce ◽  
Robert J. Donovan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Student Mental Health ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Whole School ◽  
Healthy Schools ◽  
Whole School Approach ◽  
Taking Action

PurposeThe Mentally Healthy Schools Framework (MHSF), based on the population-wide Act-Belong-Commit mental health promotion campaign, is a whole-school approach primarily targeting student mental health, but it is also intended for staff. This paper presents the results of an impact survey on staff after the implementation of the Framework in a number of schools in Western Australia.Design/methodology/approachA baseline questionnaire was completed by n = 87 staff at schools that had just signed up to the programme, and a participant questionnaire was completed by n = 146 staff at schools that had been participating for at least 17 months.FindingsThe results show that the Framework has had a substantial impact on many staff in terms of increased mental health literacy and taking action to improve their mental health.Originality/valueMental health interventions in schools generally focus on students' well-being and how to deal with student mental health problems. There are few comprehensive interventions that also include staff well-being.

Young adult women’s narrative resilience in relation to mother-daughter communicated narrative sense-making and well-being

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 1146-1167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haley Kranstuber Horstman
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Narrative Construction ◽  
Turn Taking ◽  
Taking Action ◽  
Silver Lining ◽  
Over Time

Grounded in communicated narrative sense-making (CNSM) and resilience theorizing, the current study investigated the effects of mother-daughter communication on young adult women’s ( n = 60) narrative construction of resilience over time. Participants wrote stories of difficult experiences at Time 1, discussed the story with their mother in a research lab two days later, and wrote the story again at Time 2. Inductive analyses of daughters’ stories revealed four themes of resilience: acknowledging the struggle, taking action, seeking silver lining, and finding strength in others. Mother-daughter interactions were analyzed for CNSM behaviors—engagement, turn-taking, perspective-taking, and coherence. Mother-daughter coherence and engagement illuminated differences in daughters’ themes of resilience, and all CNSM behaviors positively related to daughters’ increased narrative resilience over time. Findings demonstrated the effect of mother-daughter interaction on young adult women’s resilience, suggesting that CNSM contributes to the meaning-making component of resilience. Implications for advancing CNSM and resilience theorizing are explored.

scholarly journals Understanding the Environment for Health-Promoting Schools Policies in Nova Scotia: A Comprehensive Scan at the Provincial and Regional School Level

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 3411
Author(s):  
Anna Graham-DeMello ◽  
Joshua Yusuf ◽  
Margaret Kay-Arora ◽  
Camille L. Hancock Friesen ◽  
Sara F. L. Kirk
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
School Level ◽  
World Health ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Provincial Level ◽  
Health Promoting Schools ◽  
Health Promoting

The World Health Organization has identified the school community as a key setting for health promotion efforts, laying out its priorities in the Health-Promoting Schools (HPS) framework. This framework offers a comprehensive approach that has been adopted in countries around the globe, with defining characteristics focused around the school curriculum and environment. Nova Scotia (NS) adopted the HPS framework at a provincial level in 2005, but it has been variably implemented. We aimed to identify, categorize, and broadly describe the environment for HPS policies in NS. Four iterative steps were employed: (1) a scan of government and regional school websites to identify publicly available policies; (2) consultations with provincial departments with respect to policy relevance and scope; (3) cross-comparison of policies by two reviewers; (4) compilation of policies into an online database. Seventy policies at the provincial level and 509 policies across eight public school regions were identified. Policies focusing on a ‘safe school environment’ were most common; those addressing mental health and well-being, physical activity, nutrition and healthy eating, and substance use were among those least commonly identified. This scan provides a comprehensive overview of HPS-relevant policies in NS, along with relative proportions and growth over time. Our findings suggest areas of policy action and inaction that may help or hinder the implementation of HPS principles and values.

scholarly journals KESEJAHTERAAN PSIKOLOGI MANGSA BENCANA DI PENEMPATAN SEMULA KOMUNITI MANGSA BENCANA BANJIR

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-144
Author(s):  
Che Su Mustaffa ◽  
Mohamad Sukeri Khalid
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disaster ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Element ◽  
Interview Protocol ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Disaster Victims ◽  
Interview Methods ◽  
Major Floods ◽  
Taking Action

Abstract: Disasters have had an impact on the psychological well-being of victims for a long period of time.  Past research related to the psychological well-being of disaster victims shows the negative and positive psychological well-being experienced by victims even though actions have been taken by certain parties in helping disaster victims.   Flooding is a natural disaster that often occurs in Malaysia. Major floods that occurred in 2014 in several states in Malaysia, especially on the east coast, have resulted in certain parties taking action to move disaster victims to new resettlement to avoid repeated tragedies. Thus, the present study was conducted to identify the level of psychological well-being of disaster victims in the relocation area. The study was conducted using a qualitative design where data collection was done  through interview methods. A total of 23 informants were interviewed using an interview protocol formed based on previous theories and studies. Data is analyzed using thematic analysis.  The results found that stress, sadness and anxiety are elements of negative psychological well-being that informants feel when recalling these events. This negative element is balanced with the positive element of gratitude, acceptance and social support received. This study contributes to the theories of psychological well-being by the addition of acceptance and grateful as a new dimension.  The results of this study also contributed to strengthen policies in relation to the importance of intervention from the psychological aspect provided to disaster victims.  Keywords: Psychological effects, Natural disaster, Floods, Relocation of flood victims, Qualitative research     Abstrak: Bencana mendatangkan kesan terhadap kesejahteraan psikologi mangsa untuk satu tempoh masa yang agak panjang. Penelitian berkaitan kesejahteraan psikologi mangsa bencana menunjukkan kesejahteraan psikologi  secara negatif dan positif dialami oleh mangsa meskipun tindakan telah diambil oleh pihak tertentu dalam membantu mangsa bencana.   Banjir adalah merupakan bencana alam yang seringkali terjadi di Malaysia. Banjir besar yang dialami pada tahun 2014 di beberapa buah negeri di Malaysia terutama di pantai timur telah mengakibatkan pihak-pihak tertentu mengambil tindakan untuk memindahkan mangsa bencana ke penempatan semula bagi mengelak tragedi ini berulang. Lantaran itu, kajian ini dilakukan  bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti tahap kesejahteraan psikologi mangsa bencana di kawasan penempatan semula. Kajian ini dilakukan menggunakan reka bentuk kualitatif  iaitu pengumpulan data melalui kaedah temubual. Sejumlah 23 orang informan telah ditemubual menggunakan protokol temubual yang dibentuk berdasarkan teori dan kajian lepas. Data  dianalisis menggunakan analisis tematik. Hasil kajian mendapati tekanan, kesedihan dan kebimbangan adalah merupakan elemen kesejahteraan psikologi negatif yang dirasai oleh informan ketika mengenangkan peristiwa berkenaan. Elemen negatif ini diseimbangkan dengan elemen positif iaitu syukur, redha dan sokongan sosial yang diterima. Kajian ini menyumbang kepada teori  psikologi iaitu Teori Kesejahteraan Psikologi, Teori Penentuan Diri dan Teori Modal Insan dengan menyumbang kepada penambahan redha dan bersyukur sebagai dimensi baru. Hasil kajian ini turut menyumbang kepada pengukuhan polisi berkaitan dengan kepentingan intervensi dari aspek psikologi diberikan kepada mangsa bencana. Kata kunci: Kesan psikologikal, Bencana alam, Penempatan mangsa banjir, Kajian kualitatif

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