scholarly journals What positives can be taken from the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Cornell ◽  
Brooke Nickel ◽  
Erin Cvejic ◽  
Carissa Bonner ◽  
Kirsten J McCaffery ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Daily Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Pandemic Preparedness ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Family Time ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Positive Experiences ◽  
Positive Effect

Objective: To investigate whether Australians have experienced any positive effects during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the disruption to society and daily life. Methods: National online longitudinal survey. As part of a June 2020 survey, participants (n=1370) were asked "In your life, have you experienced any positive effects from the COVID-19 pandemic" (yes/no), with a free-text explanation if yes, and also completed the WHO-Five well-being index. Differences were explored by demographic variables. Free-text responses were thematically coded. Results: 960 participants (70%) reported experiencing at least one positive effect during the COVID-19 pandemic. Living with others (p=.045) and employment situation (p<.001) at baseline (April), were associated with experiencing positive effects. Individuals working for pay from home were more likely to experience positive effects compared to those who were not working for pay (aOR=0.45, 95%CI: 0.32, 0.63, p<.001), or who were working for pay outside the home (aOR=0.40, 95%CI: 0.28, 0.58, p<.001). Age and education were not associated with positive effects when controlling for employment and household numbers. There was an overall effect of gender (p=.001), where those identifying as female were more likely than males (aOR=1.62, 95%CI: 1.25, 2.09) to report experiencing a positive effect. 54.2% of participants reported a sufficient level of wellbeing, 23.2% low wellbeing and a further 22.6% very low wellbeing. Of those experiencing positives, 945/960 (98%) provided an explanation. The three most common themes were "Family time" (33%), "Work flexibility" (29%), and "Calmer life" (19%). Conclusion: A large proportion of surveyed Australians reported positive effects resulting from changes to daily life due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Enhancing these aspects may build community resilience to cope with future pandemic responses. The needs of people living alone, and of those having to work outside the home or who are unemployed, should be considered by health policy makers and employers in future pandemic preparedness efforts, as these groups were least likely to report positive experiences and may be more vulnerable.

scholarly journals The Association Between Electronic Device Use During Family Time and Family Well-Being: Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

10.2196/20529 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. e20529
Author(s):  
Sheng Zhi Zhao ◽  
Ningyuan Guo ◽  
Man Ping Wang ◽  
Daniel Yee Tak Fong ◽  
Agnes Yuen Kwan Lai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Family Communication ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Adjusted Odds Ratio ◽  
Electronic Device ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Communication Quality ◽  
Family Time ◽  
Family Dinner

Background Electronic devices (eDevices) may have positive or negative influences on family communication and well-being depending on how they are used. Objective We examined eDevice use during family time and its association with the quality of family communication and well-being in Hong Kong Chinese adults. Methods In 2017, a probability-based 2-stage random sampling landline telephone survey collected data on eDevice use in daily life and during family time (eg, family dinner) and the presence of rules banning eDevice use during family dinner. Family communication quality was rated from 0 to 10 with higher scores being favorable. Family well-being was calculated as a composite mean score of 3 items each using the same scale from 0 to 10. The associations of family communication quality and well-being with eDevice use in daily life and during family time were estimated using beta-coefficient (β) adjusting for sociodemographics. The mediating role of family communication quality in the association between eDevice use and family well-being was analyzed. Results Of the 2064 respondents (mean age 56.4 [SD 19.2] years, 1269/2064 [61.48%] female), 1579/2059 (76.69%) used an eDevice daily for a mean of 3.6 hours (SD 0.1) and 257/686 (37.5%) used it for 30+ minutes before sleep. As much as 794/2046 (38.81%) often or sometimes used an eDevice during family time including dinner (311/2017, 15.42%); 713/2012 (35.44%) reported use of an eDevice by family members during dinner. Lower family communication quality was associated with hours of eDevice use before sleep (adjusted β=–.25; 95% CI –0.44 to –0.05), and often use (vs never use) of eDevice during family dinner by oneself (adjusted β=–.51; 95% CI –0.91 to –0.10) and family members (adjusted β=–.54; 95% CI –0.79 to –0.29). Similarly, lower family well-being was associated with eDevice use before sleep (adjusted β=–.26; 95% CI –0.42 to –0.09), and often use during family dinner by oneself (adjusted β=–.48; 95% CI –0.83 to –0.12) and family members (adjusted β=–.50; 95% CI –0.72 to –0.28). Total ban of eDevice use during family dinner was negatively associated with often use by oneself (adjusted odds ratio 0.49; 95% CI 0.29 to 0.85) and family members (adjusted odds ratio 0.41; 95% CI 0.28, 0.60) but not with family communication and well-being. Lower family communication quality substantially mediated the total effect of the association of eDevice use time before sleep (61.2%) and often use at family dinner by oneself (87.0%) and by family members (67.8%) with family well-being. Conclusions eDevice use before sleep and during family dinner was associated with lower family well-being, and the association was substantially mediated by family communication quality. Our results suggest that interventions on smart use of eDevice may improve family communication and well-being.

scholarly journals On the Playing Field to Improve: A Goal for Autism

Medicina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (11) ◽  
pp. 585
Author(s):  
Luigi Vetri ◽  
Michele Roccella
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Team Sports ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Cognitive Outcome ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Positive Effect

In recent years, there has been a renewed attention to lifestyle-based interventions in people with autism spectrum disorder. The positive effects of physical exercise programs have been well documented both in healthy people and in people with disabilities in the fields of psychological well-being, cognitive outcome and medical health. There is much less evidence about the opportunity to attempt a team-group sport for people with autism. Although researchers seem to suggest an overall positive effect, playing team sports for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) means dealing with difficulties in social interactions and limitations in motor functions. This narrative review aims to report studies about the effects, improvements and difficulties that people with autism have to face when they play the world’s most popular team sport: soccer.

scholarly journals Perceived efficacy of COVID-19 restrictions, reactions and their impact on mental health during the early phase of the outbreak in six countries

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Jensen Mækelæ ◽  
Niv Reggev ◽  
Natalia Bezerra Dutra ◽  
Ricardo M. Tamayo ◽  
Reinaldo A. Silva-Sobrinho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Early Phase ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Effective School ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
School Closings ◽  
Life Habits

The COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of people to drastically change their social life habits as governments employed harsh restrictions to reduce the spread of the virus. Although beneficial to physical health, the perception of physical distancing and related countermeasures could impact mental health. In a pre-registered online survey, we assessed how effective a range of countermeasures were perceived, how severely they affected daily life, general distress and paranoia during the early phase of the outbreak in Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Israel, Norway and US. Most of our over 2000 respondents rated the countermeasures as effective. School closings were perceived as having the strongest effect on daily life. Participants who believed their country reacted too mildly perceived the risk of contracting Sars-CoV-2 to be higher, were more worried and expressed reduced beliefs in the ability to control the outbreak. Relatedly, dissatisfaction with governmental actions corresponded with increased distress levels. Together, we found that satisfaction with one’s governmental actions and fear appraisal play an important role in assessing the efficacy of countermeasures during the pandemic and their related psychological outcomes. These findings inform policy-makers on the psychological factors that strengthen resilience and foster the well-being of citizens in times of global crisis.

scholarly journals Dynamic Associations Between Lifestyle Factors and Positive and Negative Affect in Middle-Aged African Americans

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 364-364
Author(s):  
Raheem Paxton ◽  
Chuong Bui ◽  
Rebecca Allen ◽  
Edward Sazonov
Keyword(s):  
African Americans ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Lifestyle Factors ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Positive Effect

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the dynamic association between lifestyle factors and both positive and negative effect in middle-aged African Americans. Methods Study participants (N = 69, Mean age=51 years, 80% female) were recruited from two African American churches in the Deep South. Participants completed daily surveys on positive and negative effect, physical activity, sedentary behavior, diet quality, and sleep quality daily for up to 10-days. Mixed-effect models were used to examine associations between the variables of interest. Results On days that participants were more active, they experienced higher mean positive effect (P = .015) and lower mean negative effect (P = .028) scores. Conversely, more time spent sitting in lagged models (i.e., T-1) was associated with higher mean negative effect (P = .001) and lower mean positive effect (P = .040) scores. In lagged models, better sleep quality was associated with higher positive effects (P = .007) scores but reported lower negative effects (P &lt; .0001) scores on the same day. Lastly, on days where diet quality was higher, positive effect scores were higher (P &lt; 0.05). Association between diet quality and positive effect was moderated by age (P = .025). Conclusion The data suggest that same and previous day health behaviors may have a significant impact on the health and well-being of middle-aged African Americans. More research is needed to determine whether these behaviors can be targeted in real-time as a means of improving mental health outcomes in this population.

scholarly journals Perceived efficacy of COVID-19 restrictions, reactions and their impact on mental health during the early phase of the outbreak in six countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 200644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Jensen Mækelæ ◽  
Niv Reggev ◽  
Natalia Dutra ◽  
Ricardo M. Tamayo ◽  
Reinaldo A. Silva-Sobrinho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Early Phase ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Effective School ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
School Closings ◽  
Life Habits

The COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of people to drastically change their social life habits as governments employed harsh restrictions to reduce the spread of the virus. Although beneficial to physical health, the perception of physical distancing and related restrictions could impact mental health. In a pre-registered online survey, we assessed how effective a range of restrictions were perceived, how severely they affected daily life, general distress and paranoia during the early phase of the outbreak in Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Israel, Norway and USA. Most of our over 2000 respondents rated the restrictions as effective. School closings were perceived as having the strongest effect on daily life. Participants who believed their country reacted too mildly perceived the risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 to be higher, were more worried and expressed reduced beliefs in the ability to control the outbreak. Relatedly, dissatisfaction with governmental reactions corresponded with increased distress levels. Together, we found that satisfaction with one's governmental reactions and fear appraisal play an important role in assessing the efficacy of restrictions during the pandemic and their related psychological outcomes. These findings inform policy-makers on the psychological factors that strengthen resilience and foster the well-being of citizens in times of global crisis.

scholarly journals Does Taking a Short Break from Social Media Have a Positive Effect on Well-being? Evidence from Three Preregistered Field Experiments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew K. Przybylski ◽  
Thuy-vy T. Nguyen ◽  
Wilbert Law ◽  
Netta Weinstein
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive And Negative Affect ◽  
Social Relatedness ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Positive Effect

AbstractConcerns about the consequences of social media use on well-being has led to the practice of taking a brief hiatus from social media platforms, a practice known as “digital detoxing.” These brief “digital detoxes” are becoming increasingly popular in the hope that the newly found time, previously spent on social media, would be used for other, theoretically more rewarding, activities. In this paper, we test this proposition. Participants in three preregistered field experiments (ntot = 600) were randomly assigned to receiving each of two conditions on each of two different days: a normal-use day or an abstinence day. Outcomes (social relatedness, positive and negative affect, day satisfaction) were measured on each of the two evenings of the study. Results did not show that abstaining from social media has positive effects on daily well-being (in terms of social relatedness, positive and negative affect, day satisfaction) as suggested by the extant literature. Participants reported similar well-being on days when they used social media and days when they did not. Evidence indicated that abstinence from social media had no measurable positive effect on well-being, and some models showed significant deficits in social relatedness and satisfaction with one’s day. We discuss implications of the study of social media hiatus and the value of programmatic research grounded in preregistered experimental designs.

Tourism intensity impact on satisfaction with life of German residents

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 1315-1331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oksana Tokarchuk ◽  
Roberto Gabriele ◽  
Oswin Maurer
Keyword(s):  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Tourism Impact ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Spillover Theory ◽  
Tourism Destinations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect

Tourism researchers as well as policy makers are interested in knowing the impact of tourism on residents’ life. Recent studies address this issue by looking at residents’ quality of life measures. These studies, however, are based on convenience sample with investigation that is usually limited to one single destination at a given point of time. Socioeconomic characteristics of individuals have strong effect on the perception of tourism impact. In the present study, we investigate the impact of tourism intensity on residents’ satisfaction with life using the theoretical framework of the bottom-up spillover theory. The analysis is based on a representative socioeconomic panel of German households over a period from 2000 to 2011. The analysis conducted involves the whole country distinguishing tourism destinations at administrative districts level. The empirical models suggest that tourism intensity and well-being of employed and unemployed residents present nonlinear U-shaped relationship. For low tourism intensities, residents’ well-being is weakly affected while for higher intensities, the positive effect is stronger.

scholarly journals Segregation and Life Satisfaction

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Montero ◽  
Miguel Vargas ◽  
Diego Vásquez
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Residential Segregation ◽  
Empirical Test ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Socioeconomic Background ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Socioeconomic Segregation ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Municipal Level

Our aim is to cast light on socioeconomic residential segregation effects on life satisfaction (LS). In order to test our hypothesis, we use survey data from Chile (Casen) for the years 2011 and 2013. We use the Duncan Index to measure segregation based on income at the municipality level for 324 municipalities. LS is obtained from the CASEN survey, which considers a question about self-reported well-being. Segregation’s impact upon LS is not clear at first glance. On one hand, there is evidence telling that segregation’s consequences are negative due to the spatial concentration of poverty and all the woes related to it. On the other hand, segregation would have positive effects because people may feel stress, unhappiness, and alienation when comparing themselves to better-off households. Additionally, there is previous evidence regarding the fact that people prefer to neighbor people of a similar socioeconomic background. Hence, an empirical test is needed. In order to implement it, we should deal with two problems, first, the survey limited statistical significance at the municipal level, hence we use the small area estimation (SAE) methodology to improve the estimations’ statistic properties, and second, the double causality between segregation and LS; to deal with the latter, we include lagged LS as a regressor. Our findings indicate that socioeconomic segregation has a positive effect on LS. This result is robust to different econometric specifications.

scholarly journals Are Trade Liberalization and Democracy Driving Development in Central Africa Region? Empirical Lessons

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tchouassi Tchouassi
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Trade Liberalization ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Least Square ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Positive Effect

This paper documents that trade liberalization and democracy contribute positively to economic development. A panel of 11 Central Africa countries with 176 observations from 1995 to 2010 was used to econometrically verify this assertion. Estimation using the general least square (GLS) with the overall R-square (R2 = 0.0325) shows that there is a relationship between the economic development captured here with Human development indicators (HDI), democracy, importations, exportations, inflation and regional integration. Inflation and exports negatively affect the well-being of the population. An increase in inflation rate causes a reduction in purchasing power. An increased in exports commodities tends to decrease the quantity of goods available for the country of origin. Imports have a positive effect on HDI probably because this variable tends to increase the quantity of goods available. Imports and democracy have a positive effect on the level of development among Central African countries. The paper’s findings are important to Central Africa policy makers towards creation and increasing trade within, between and with other democratic countries.

scholarly journals Asymmetric Social Comparison and Life Satisfaction in Social Networks

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Olivos ◽  
Pablo Olivos-Jara ◽  
Magdalena Browne
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Social ◽  
Upward Comparison ◽  
Downward Comparison ◽  
Positive Effect

The aim of this study is to understand the effect of asymmetric social comparison on subjective well-being, and how it differs due to reciprocity. Our approach considers the social network of individuals as a local reference group. We tested competing hypotheses on negative and positive effects of comparison with worse-off (downward) and better-off (upward) targets with a representative sample of 1,596 Chileans over the age of 18. The findings support that life satisfaction is influenced by social comparison. By considering the social network as a reference group, the positive effect of downward comparison and the negative effect of upward comparison are confirmed. Upward comparison seems to be more substantial than downward comparison. Additionally, the positive effect of downward comparison decreases slightly with a reciprocal exchange of support between respondents and targets. The application of social network analysis opens a path to understanding the mechanisms underlying social comparison processes.

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