scholarly journals Psychological benefits of the person-nature relationship

Author(s):  
Constanza Hidalgo ◽  
Camila Rumián ◽  
Camila Saavedra ◽  
Tania Uribe ◽  
Anny Vidal ◽  
...  

The literature reports different benefits of people's relationship with nature. However, for the field of psychology the evidence is partial and not integrated. Consequently, the aim of this paper is to understand the psychological benefits of people's relationship with nature from a systemic review of empirical articles indexed in the Wos, Scopus and Scielo database, between the years 2015 and 2020. We used the PRISMA model for the search, identification and suitability of the articles, which were analyzed in their bibliometric characteristics and thematic content. The main bibliometric findings show that articles produced in the United Kingdom and the United States predominate, conducted in urban natural environments using quantitative methodologies with the use of surveys and physiological measurements. Thematically, we distinguish five dimensions of psychological benefits: restoration of attention, restoration and/or reduction of stress, psychological well-being, mental health and psychosocial benefits. We argue that these benefits are articulated by an activity that mediates people's relationship with nature. We conclude by pointing out the relevance of future research in the Latin American context, the integration of mediating activities and the use of qualitative methodologies.

Author(s):  
Alexandra Délano Alonso

This chapter demonstrates how Latin American governments with large populations of migrants with precarious legal status in the United States are working together to promote policies focusing on their well-being and integration. It identifies the context in which these processes of policy diffusion and collaboration have taken place as well as their limitations. Notwithstanding the differences in capacities and motivations based on the domestic political and economic contexts, there is a convergence of practices and policies of diaspora engagement among Latin American countries driven by the common challenges faced by their migrant populations in the United States and by the Latino population more generally. These policies, framed as an issue of rights protection and the promotion of migrants’ well-being, are presented as a form of regional solidarity and unity, and are also mobilized by the Mexican government as a political instrument serving its foreign policy goals.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7144
Author(s):  
Hanbyeol Jang ◽  
Jeremy Mennis

UNESCO’s world heritage program aims to protect sites of cultural and natural heritage worldwide. Issues of local communities and well-being have been given increasing attention by heritage conservation scholars, but a systemic review of UNESCO guidelines has not been performed. Here, we examine the evolution of the ‘Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention’, documents representing the heritage conservation policies of UNESCO over the period 1994–2019. Using keyword analysis and document analysis, the findings show evidence of an increasing emphasis on local communities, growing primarily since 2005. However, the theme of well-being only first emerged in the operational guidelines in 2019. Political, economic, and environmental challenges idiosyncratic to specific places often complicate the role of local communities and well-being in heritage conservation priorities. Future research should investigate the potential implementation and implications of these changes for the guidelines at specific UNESCO world heritage sites.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 410-410
Author(s):  
Xin Yao Lin ◽  
Margie Lachman

Abstract Social media platforms allow people to connect and share content online (e.g., Facebook, Twitter). Although older adults are becoming more frequent users of social media, there continue to be mixed views on whether social media positively or negatively impacts well-being. Past studies have mainly focused on cross-sectional analyses for individual differences. However, both the time spent on social media and one’s affect can fluctuate on a daily basis. Thus, it is important to understand how the relationship between daily social media usage and affect varies within individuals from day to day. The current study adds to the literature by examining whether daily variations in time spent with social media are related to daily positive and negative affect and whether there are age differences in these relationships. The current study used an eight-day daily diary from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Refresher dataset for 782 participants (ages 25-75). Multilevel modeling results revealed that age moderated the relationship between daily time spent on social media and negative affect: for younger adults, on days when they spent more time on social media, they had more negative affect. For older adults, on days when they spent more time on social media, they had less negative affect. Surprisingly, daily time spent on social media was not related to daily positive affect, nor did this relationship differ by age. Implications for future research are discussed with a focus on how social media usage can contribute to daily well-being for adults of different ages.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752110435
Author(s):  
Heidi L. Fritz

Prior research links adaptive humor styles (affiliative and self-enhancing) with enhanced psychological well-being and maladaptive humor styles (aggressive and self-defeating) with worse psychological well-being, primarily through humor styles’ influence on individuals’ social interactions and efforts to positively reframe stressors. The present study examined the unique relation of each humor style with psychological well-being with a focus on understanding mechanisms of adjustment under highly stressful conditions. Ninety-nine parents of children with disabilities were surveyed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in March 2020, and 79 parents completed follow-up surveys in July 2020. As predicted, at T1, self-enhancing humor was associated with less psychological distress and greater family satisfaction, self-defeating humor was associated with greater distress, and aggressive humor was associated with lower family satisfaction. Moreover, affiliative humor predicted decreased psychological distress over time, whereas self-defeating humor predicted increased psychological distress and decreased family satisfaction over time. Relations were largely mediated by caregiver positive reappraisal, family efforts to reframe daily disability-related challenges, and negative social interactions. Future research should further examine the influence of caregiver humor styles on family dynamics, family reframing norms, and caregiving efficacy.


2002 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 883-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mladen Koljatic ◽  
Monica Silva

Examination of estimates of prevalence of 28 dishonest academic behaviors provided by 217 students and 38 faculty members from the same Latin American institution shows faculty's perceptions differed from those held by students. Students perceived dishonest behaviors to be more widespread while faculty's estimates were on average more conservative and closer to actual self-reported rates. These results are not consistent with findings from a study conducted in the United States. The reasons for this discrepancy may reflect institutional or cultural factors, which should be explored in future research.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026921632110458
Author(s):  
Jenny Baxley Lee ◽  
Sonja McIlfatrick ◽  
Lisa Fitzpatrick

Background: Living with life-limiting illness significantly impacts quality of life. A growing body of evidence suggests that arts engagement facilitated by artists promotes well-being. However, no synthesis of the literature exists to describe arts engagement delivered by artists with individuals receiving palliative care. Aim: To systematically review and synthesize evidence to identify outcomes and key knowledge gaps to inform future research and practice. Design: A systematic integrative literature review was conducted using a pre-defined search strategy and reported using PRISMA guidelines. Analysis was conducted iteratively and synthesis achieved using constant comparison to generate themes. Data sources: PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase were searched for studies published between database inception and August 2020. Search terms included variations on arts/artists; patients/service users; and palliative or end-of-life care. Eligibility criteria was applied and study quality assessed. Results: Seven reviewed studies explored literary, performing, and visual arts engagement in hospitals, hospice and community settings in England, the United States, France, and Canada. Study designs, interventions and findings were discussed. Themes identified across studies associated arts engagement with (1) a sense of well-being, (2) a newly discovered, or re-framed, sense of self, (3) connection with others, and (4) challenges associated with practice. Conclusion: Recommendations for future research were offered in order to maximize benefits, minimize risks and address complexity of artists’ engagement in palliative care including: (1) consistency in methods and reporting; (2) inclusion of wider perspectives; and (3) key considerations for adapting the arts by health condition and art form.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 876-876
Author(s):  
Setarreh Massihzadegan ◽  
Jan Mutchler

Abstract Utilizing the first set of 5-year American Community Survey data available since the United States’ legalization of same-sex marriage in mid-2015, this poster investigates the economic security of older adults (age 50+) in same-sex marriages compared to those in same-sex partnerships who are cohabiting but not married. Viewed through the lens of cumulative disadvantage theory, we consider differences in the economic circumstances of same-sex couples by gender and by geographic location. Findings point to gender differences in economic well-being, but relatively few differences based on marital status. For example, rates of low income are somewhat higher among female couples than among their male counterparts, but marital status differences are not substantial. These findings suggest that the benefits of being married that have long been recognized among older adults may not extend equally to same-sex couples. Findings are discussed with respect to the emerging salience of marriage within the LGBTQ older community, future research opportunities, and important policy implications.


Author(s):  
Patricia Crittenden ◽  
Susan J. Spieker ◽  
Steve Farnfield

Attachment may have reached a turning point in which two sometimes incompatible approaches to individual differences in attachment are being compared. The outcome could influence future work in attachment. This article focuses on individual differences because applications of attachment are predicated on the consequences of individual differences for adaptation and well-being. The issue is which model is better suited to future research and clinical applications. Both models augment the original Ainsworth ABC model that everyone agrees is not sufficiently differentiated to cover the range of human behavior. The two models are “ABC+D” (the model that has disorganization (D) as its fourth category) and “DMM” (the model that expands the A and C categories from two subcategories each to a total of eight each, plus A/C combinations). The current disagreement has two sources: (a) the increasing acceptance outside the United States of the DMM, particularly in clinical and forensic settings, while the US remains largely unaware of the DMM; and (b) the recent announcement by prominent ABC+D researchers from Europe and the US that D is not a suitable category for clinical or forensic use. ABC+D researchers have not proposed an alternative, and some US funding sources and courts eschew attachment altogether, believing the theory itself lacks validity and utility, thus weakening attachment’s potential to inform clinical research and decision-making. This article proposes DMM as a viable alternative to both ABC+D and psychiatric diagnoses and examines the development and contributions of each model for the purpose of creating a model of individual differences in attachment that is scientifically robust, open to change as new evidence becomes available, and applicable to troubled individuals and families. Notably, attachment theory has engendered controversy from its beginnings. When John Bowlby offered attachment as a universal human characteristic that promoted species and individual survival, he was criticized by others in his field. When Mary Ainsworth identified the ABC categories of individual differences in attachment, her ideas were attacked from outside attachment theory. While the “first generation” issue around the existence of attachment has largely died away, a second generation of attachment theorists is disputing the nature of individual differences, their focus on individuals (ABC+D) or interpersonal systems (DMM Family Functional Formulations), and their relevance to clinical work. The ABC+D and DMM models that expand Ainsworth’s work were developed by two of her students, Mary Main (ABC+D) and Patricia Crittenden (DMM). They and their colleagues have worked separately for half a century producing two large and sometimes discrepant bodies of work, which have now become the topic of open debate. This bibliography focuses on the conceptual and empirical bases for that exchange. Part I outlines the roots of the ABC+D and DMM models, together with comparative validating information. Part II presents the central research findings on individual differences in attachment from four decades of research with each model. The authors wish to thank Robbie Duschinsky, Udita Iyengar, and Andrea Landini for their helpful comments on this bibliography.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Abigail R. L. Bullock ◽  
B. Cameron Stumpf ◽  
Kelly B. T. Chang

Objectives: The objective of this study was to observe the relation of Values In Action (VIA) virtues, well-being, and resilience within a unique, non-Western population of Indigenous youth in the Peruvian Amazon. Methods: Data were collected from students (n = 172, age range: 11-16 years) attending a rural village school via self-report surveys to assess relationships using the VIA Youth-96 (VIA-Y-96) Assessment, Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI-A), and the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-28). Results: The factor analysis of the CYRM-28 yielded a 3-factor breakdown (Social Engagement, Cultural Citizenship, and Guidance) instead of eight. Different VIA virtues predicted each of the three factors of the revised 3-factor CYRM-21-Peru model (CYRM-21-P); Transcendence, Humanity, and Wisdom were predictors of well-being; and higher reported resilience leads to higher well-being. Most participants scored very high on the PWI-A. Implications: Research presented in this paper involved a unique population of Indigenous youth residing in the Peruvian Amazon, and found that (a) VIA virtues were differentially associated with well-being, (b) Humanity was a significant predictor across Cultural Citizenship and Social Engagement in the revised CYRM-21-P, and (c) higher resilience was correlated with higher well-being. Implications of this research can be used to inspire future research of Indigenous populations in a Latin American context to develop youth development programs that teach students from a strength-based perspective to improve vocational, academic, psychological, and social well-being.


2021 ◽  
pp. 073346482110482
Author(s):  
Takashi Yamashita ◽  
Wonmai Punksungka ◽  
Samuel Van Vleet ◽  
Abigail Helsinger ◽  
Phyllis Cummins

Little is known about the overall experiences and feelings of diverse older populations during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. To provide the baseline information for future research and policy, this study analyzed the 2020 Health and Retirement Study COVID-19 project data ( n = 1782). More than 70% of older adults reported the following activities: watching TV (98%), reading (90%), using a computer and the internet (83%), gardening (82%), walking (75%), baking and cooking (73%), and praying (73%). Volunteering and attending community groups, which are known to benefit well-being, were unpopular (less than 8%). During the pandemic, older adults were generally satisfied with their lives, but more than half of them were concerned about their own health, family’s health, and future prospects. Our study also showed the differences in the experiences and feelings by gender and race as well as the intersection of gender and race in the United States.


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