Through convergence and governance: embedding empowerment in community development interventions

Author(s):  
Shubham Kumar ◽  
Deepak Kumar ◽  
Keya Sengupta ◽  
Tapas Kumar Giri

Abstract To achieve social justice, equality, and quality of life under the concerted efforts deliberated for community development, countries engage in a range of interventions focusing on participation, capacity building, and sustainability. In this study, we examine two specific characteristics of livelihood interventions, development and empowerment; their relationship; and impact on community well-being. The findings suggest that while outcomes related to development and empowerment processes have a positive but meagre impact on community well-being, there is lack of continuum between them and the relationship is conditioned by convergence and governance. Further, insights from interviews also suggest that though there are institutional voids, challenging changing context, and variations in the way mobilization and participation are employed, those that will integrate good governance and strong convergence can deliver better outcomes.

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. 115s-115s
Author(s):  
E. Smith ◽  
A. Gow ◽  
L. Forsyth ◽  
B. Bryne ◽  
L. Howells ◽  
...  

Background: Receiving a cancer diagnosis can have detrimental effects on an individual's psychological flexibility (ability to adapt constructively to reality), emotional well-being and ability to live aligned with personal values, for example, in relationships and work. Higher levels of psychological flexibility and emotional well-being are associated with better quality of life and lower psychological cancer-related distress. In turn, value-based living is positively associated with psychological flexibility and emotional well-being. There is, however, limited research specifically exploring the relationship between value-based living and emotional well-being within individuals affected by cancer. Maggie's Centres ( www.maggiescentres.org ) offer an innovative, multidisciplinary model of holistic supportive cancer care, widely regarded as an exemplar of best practice in cancer rehabilitation and supported self-management. In 2017 Maggie's received 249,247 visits across the network of Centres in the UK, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Principles of ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) are incorporated within the program of individual support, psychoeducational courses and groups to help people maximize their quality of life. Aim: To explore the associations between psychological flexibility, value-based living and emotional well-being in individuals affected by cancer. Methods: Sixty-five people, affected by a cancer diagnosis personally or in a family member, were recruited from four UK Maggie's Centres. Participants completed standardized questionnaires measuring psychological flexibility, valued-based living and emotional well-being. Results: Moderate positive associations were found between emotional well-being and psychological flexibility (r=.4750), as well as emotional well-being and valued-living (r=.37983). Psychological flexibility was also positively associated with valued living (r=.443474). Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant model (F(5,54)=9.35, P < .001), accounting for 41.4% of the variance in emotional well-being (adjusted R2 = .414). Both psychological flexibility (b=.357, P = .002) and valued-living (b=.337, P = .004) were predictors of emotional well-being across all ages, gender and time since diagnosis. Conclusion: The study provides support for the positive associations between psychological flexibility, valued-living and emotional well-being and indicates that psychological flexibility and valued-living may be predictors of emotional well-being. This was a small observational study, so conclusions about causation or change over time cannot be made. Longitudinal intervention studies need to explore the potential impact valued-living and psychological flexibility may have on emotional well-being in those affected by cancer, and so contribute to understanding the potential importance of encouraging valued-living as a therapeutic tool within cancer care.


Author(s):  
Germina-Alina Cosma ◽  
Alina Chiracu ◽  
Amalia Raluca Stepan ◽  
Marian Alexandru Cosma ◽  
Marian Costin Nanu ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to analyze athletes’ quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved 249 athletes between 15 and 35 of age, M = 21.22, SD = 5.12. The sample was composed of eight Olympic Games medalists, three European medalists, 67 international medalists, and 63 national medalists. The instruments used were: (1) COVID-19 Anxiety Scale, (2) Athlete Quality of Life Scale, (3) Impact of Pandemic on Athletes Questionnaire, and (4) International Personality Item Pool (IPIP Anxiety, Depression, and Vulnerability Scales). The results indicate significant differences in COVID-19 anxiety depending on the sport practiced, F (9239) = 3.81, p < 0.01, showing that there were significant differences between sports. The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic mediates the relationship between trait anxiety and the athletes’ quality of life. The percentage of mediation was 33.9%, and the indirect effect was −0.11, CI 95% (−0.18, −0.03), Z = −2.82, p < 0.01. Trait anxiety has an increasing effect on the intensity of the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 0.23, CI 95% (.10, 0.35), Z = 3.56, p < 0.01, and the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has a decreasing effect on quality of life, −0.47, CI 95% (−0.67, −0.27), Z = −4.62, p < 0.01. Gender and age did not moderate the relationship between the negative impact of COVID-19 and athletes’ quality of life. The results of the study highlighted the impact that social isolation and quarantine have on athletes’ affective well-being.


2021 ◽  
pp. 089443932110329
Author(s):  
Paul Dodemaide ◽  
Mark Merolli ◽  
Nicole Hill ◽  
Lynette Joubert

There is a growing body of literature exploring the general population’s use of social media for assistance in dealing with stigmatized health issues. This study presents novel research examining the relationship between social media use and young adults. It utilizes a therapeutic affordance (TA) framework. Quantitative results from this study are complemented by qualitative data. The relationships between distinct social media and their TA (a–b) are presented to highlight their potential to impact positively on social and emotional well-being outcomes. Evidence includes broad support for “connection,” “narration,” and “collaboration” TAs in this context and the relationship between the use of distinct social media and perceived quality of life (QOL) outcomes (a–c). TA provides an appropriate and valuable theoretical framework which is useful for the development of an evidence-base from the analysis of young adult’s social media usage. An analysis of the association between social media and their QOL outcomes is presented according to the TA relationship pathway (a–c–b). The adoption of a TA framework enables a nuanced analysis of significant associations between specific social media, TA, and improved QOL outcomes. This study demonstrates the significant association between social media and perceived QOL outcomes in young adults.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Karol ◽  
Dianne Smith

Aim:The objective of this article is to identify and analyze what is known about characteristics in and around the home that support well-being for those with cognitive impairment. This could provide direction for designers of homes in general, but specifically for designers trying to meet the needs of people with cognitive impairment.Background:It has been established that there is a relationship between psychological well-being and a person’s environment. Research also shows that particular design aspects can reduce the impact of cognitive impairment. However, there is limited design expertise in the Australian housing market to create supportive spaces which will help to reduce the impact of the disability for those with cognitive impairment.Method:A literature review was carried out to determine the extent and details of what is known about the relationship of home design and its impact on emotional, psychological, or social well-being for people with cognitive impairment.Conclusions:The study indicates that researchers in various disciplines understand that pragmatic design inputs such as thermal comfort and adequate lighting are important for people with cognitive impairment. In addition, some researchers have shown or surmise that there are other “intangible” designer-controlled elements that have beneficial impacts on people with cognitive impairment. Details of these intangible elements are sparse, and how much they might improve the quality of life for a person with cognitive impairment is not well understood. Further research is required to meet a growing need.


2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Skinner

This article examines the relationship between gender and cancer survivorship. I argue that gender is as critical as a category of analysis for understanding cancer survivorship as it is missing from survivorship studies, particularly as concerns the identificatory basis of survivor culture and clinical studies regarding survivors’ quality of life (QOL). This under-studied question of the gendering of survivorship is critical because the consequences of the social production of disease is far-reaching, from the nature of medical research to social awareness, to funding to the well-being of cancer survivors themselves.


Author(s):  
Yi Liu ◽  
Jason Draper

Participants attending a festival(s) with children is a family activity that influences family relationships. This study examines the relationship between attending status (e.g., with or without children), event experience, subjective well-being, and family quality of life (FQOL). A total of 585 festival participants’ data analyzed by structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that participants attending with children have a higher level of subjective well-being and FQOL compared to those without children. Participants attending with children have a higher level of cognitive engagement and experience novelty in festivals compared to those without children. Event experience results in a significant positive relationship with subjective well-being. This study expands current event literature in terms of FQOL and provides a practical guideline to event organizers to better understand the significance of festivals.


Author(s):  
Rosario Adapon Turvey

This review chapter explores place-making in terms of how it is linked with sustainable community development (SCD). Place-making as it relates to sustainable community development has not been understood in the practice of sustainability, urban planning, and community development. Here, place-making is a process of planning, designing, managing, and programming spaces to create patterns and activities in cultural, social, economic, and ecological terms to achieve a better quality of life, a prosperous economy, and healthy environment. As informed by research, it can be an approach to sustainability thinking as a strategy for transforming cities and public spaces to promote well-being and prosperity in a local place, urban area, or neighborhood. In the long-term, the theory and practice of sustainable community development relative to place-making will evolve and eventually produce well-grounded meanings and conceptualizations as we engage in more research on sustainability and sustainable development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 2505
Author(s):  
Zenon Brzoza ◽  
Katarzyna Nabrdalik ◽  
Lukasz Moos ◽  
Hanna Kwiendacz ◽  
Karina Badura-Brzoza ◽  
...  

Background and aims: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and diabetes mellitus type 1 (T1DM) may compromise the quality of life (QoL). We decided to compare the QoL of T1DM patients to those suffering from CSU. Materials and methods: Sixty-six patients with well-controlled T1DM (male 52%) in the mean age of (SD) 36.3 (11.09) years and 51 patients with CSU (male 33%) in the mean age of (SD) 35.8 (8.53) years were enrolled in this observational study. All the participants completed a Short-Form 36 (SF-36) QoL. Results: The QoL related to social functioning was significantly worse among CSU patients. There were differences related to gender found in the group of patients with T1DM—where men tended to declare a better quality of life than women (p = 0.015)—especially in the area of energy/fatigue and pain. It appeared that due to physical and emotional problems occurring in married patients, the QoL is lower in T1DM group in comparison to the CSU one. Conclusions: The patients with CSU presented significantly worse social functioning compared to the ones with T1DM. This fact proves the QoL impairment level is not always related to the level of health danger. The differences in the QoL related to gender and marital status found among T1DM patients point to the necessity for further exploration in a larger group of patients. Due to the fact that optimal disease management should ensure patient’s good emotional well-being, there is a need for additional psychological and social care for patients from those two groups.


2020 ◽  
pp. 027614672093515
Author(s):  
Zeynep Baktir ◽  
Forrest Watson

This article explores community well-being (CWB) outcomes of institutional trust (and distrust) through entrepreneurship in the context of a refugee-hosting society in Turkey. Existing studies show the positive relationship between institutional trust and quality of life (QOL) as well as entrepreneurship and QOL in subsistence contexts. This research, however, explores the relationship between institutional (dis)trust and entrepreneurship on a path to CWB with a special emphasis on refugee and local interactions in the marketplace. Three different paths to the QOL of refugees and/or locals are presented, but only two lead to CWB outcomes encompassing both refugees and locals. Consideration of refugees and locals as both consumers and business owners provides perspective on the interplay between social trust and institutional trust in a socio-culturally heterogeneous subsistence context. The article also discusses implications for theory and practice.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 1701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Forouhari Sedighe ◽  
Atefeh Zare ◽  
NamavarJahromi Bahia ◽  
Fereshteh Eidy ◽  
Neda Adib

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