scholarly journals Making the best of it: Adolescents' perceptions of how their home and neighborhood spheres shape their lives

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-131
Author(s):  
Vibeke Krane ◽  
Ellen Andvig
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Experiences ◽  
Income Family ◽  
Future Outcomes ◽  
Housing Standards ◽  
Underlying Processes ◽  
Depth Interviews

Adolescents’ homes are fundamental components of their living conditions and essential for their everyday life, health, well-being and development. Previous research has focused on how housing affects adolescents through investigating certain aspects of adolescent health and future outcomes. In this qualitative study, we explored low-income family adolescents’ subjective experiences of their homes and in what ways their experiences of housing influenced their everyday lives. Seven participants aged between 12 and 20 years were recruited through a housing project. The participants were interviewed using individual in-depth interviews. The data were analysed using a thematic analysis and organised into four themes: 1) housing features affecting social life and privacy, 2) moving around, 3) the importance of neighbourhood and 4) worries and dreams. The findings show how the housing standards affected adolescents’ social life and privacy. House moves could provide new opportunities but also lead to a lack of continuity in relationships. The neighbourhood was highlighted as a public sphere, providing access to places and friends. Adolescents’ worries and dreams concerning housing conditions are also presented. The results show how housing is central in shaping adolescents’ social relationships, the importance of access to neighbourhood spheres and how adolescents adapt to their situation. The findings further reveal the important underlying processes to facilitate a greater understanding of the role of housing in low-income family adolescents’ lives.

scholarly journals The Influence of Masculinity and the Moderating Role of Religion on the Workplace Well-Being of Factory Workers in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6250
Author(s):  
Quan Gao ◽  
Orlando Woods ◽  
Xiaomei Cai
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Spiritual Support ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Factory Workers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Being There ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Moderating Role

This paper explores how the intersection of masculinity and religion shapes workplace well-being by focusing on Christianity and the social construction of masculinity among factory workers in a city in China. While existing work on public and occupational health has respectively acknowledged masculinity’s influences on health and the religious and spiritual dimensions of well-being, there have been limited efforts to examine how variegated, and especially religious, masculinities influence people’s well-being in the workplace. Drawing on ethnography and in-depth interviews with 52 factory workers and 8 church leaders and factory managers, we found that: (1) Variegated masculinities were integrated into the factory labor regime to produce docile and productive bodies of workers. In particular, the militarized and masculine cultures in China’s factories largely deprived workers of their dignity and undermined their well-being. These toxic masculinities were associated with workers’ depression and suicidal behavior. (2) Christianity not only provided social and spiritual support for vulnerable factory workers, but also enabled them to construct a morally superior Christian manhood that phytologically empowered them and enhanced their resilience to exploitation. This paper highlights not only the gender mechanism of well-being, but also the ways religion mediates the social-psychological construction of masculinity.

The role of the intelligentsia in building a new Kyrgyz society

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indira Bektemirovna Karabaeva
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Transitional Period ◽  
Subsistence Level ◽  
Social Tension ◽  
Large Families ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Economics And Politics

In the transitional period of changes in all spheres of social life, the formation of new views and relations in the economy, politics and socio-cultural environment is taking place. The struggle between the new and the old leads to social tension in society. In our opinion, the main reason for the growth of social tension in modern Kyrgyz society is the crisis in the field of economics and politics. To a large extent, the crisis manifests itself in the growth of unemployment and an increase in the population with incomes below the subsistence level, which leads to the marginalization of society and a change in the image, quality and lifestyle. There are so-called "points" of concentration of social tension in modern society. In social terms, these are groups of people of retirement age, youth, the unemployed, public sector workers, the intelligentsia, low-income, large families, etc. The purpose of this article is to show the role of the intelligentsia in building a new Kyrgyz society.

The experiences of grandparents raising grandchildren in Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-26
Author(s):  
Rista Fauziningtyas ◽  
Retno Indarwati ◽  
Delisa Alfriani ◽  
Joni Haryanto ◽  
Elida Ulfiana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Cultural Aspect ◽  
Supportive Role ◽  
The Family ◽  
Rest Time ◽  
Depth Interviews

PurposeThe raising of grandchildren by grandparents is a global phenomenon, and it is common in Indonesia. This is because parents are often unable or unwilling to raise their own children. However, the debate around “grandparenting” is still limited in Indonesia. The purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the experience and views of grandparents on “grandparenting.”Design/methodology/approachThe methodology employed was qualitative and informed by phenomenology. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with 13 grandparents who were raising their grandchildren who were under five years old. The data were analyzed using thematic content analysis.Findings5 main themes and 13 subthemes emerged from the analysis of the data. The themes were responses, strategies for overcoming negative responses, the grandparents’ role, the reason for raising grandchildren, and the cultural aspect of “grandparenting” in Java. All of the grandparents enjoyed their roles as grandparents. They felt that they helped fulfill their grandchildren’s physical and educational needs.Social implicationsThe experience of raising a grandchild can be both positive and negative, depending on the cultural aspects in the Java and the family as a whole system. Grandparents require healthcare and informal support to maintain their well-being.Originality/valueThis paper provides new insights into “grandparenting” closely related to social and cultural aspect within the community. Grandparents enjoy being a part of the Javanese tradition. The supportive role of grandparents in Indonesia is important. However, older adults need to balance the role of “grandparenting” and rest time so that they remain healthy and happy.

scholarly journals The Experience Qualities Approach to Leadership and Employee Well-being

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilkka Salmi ◽  
Ville Pietiläinen ◽  
Antti Syväjärvi
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Professional Organization ◽  
Organizational Studies ◽  
Phenomenological Method ◽  
Phenomenological Psychology ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

A phenomenological psychology approach in organizational studies has been somewhat overlooked, particularly in research on leadership and employee well-being. This study presents a new way of examining leadership and employee well-being. A novel experience qualities approach was utilized with the aim of revealing the authentic structure of human experiences, particularly experience qualities such as emotions, knowledge, and assumptions. This study investigated the role of leadership in creating employee well-being experiences in a professional organization. The data were collected from 23 in-depth interviews conducted with company leaders and employees in Finland and then analyzed using the phenomenological method. The results indicated affirmative similarities and differences (experience domains) in experience qualities of well-being between leaders and employees. By identifying different experience qualities of well-being, leaders can promote their own and employees’ well-being more precisely and effectively. Practical implications for leaders are discussed.

scholarly journals Stress of Language Brokering and Mexican American Adolescents’ Adjustment: The Role of Cumulative Risk

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 400-425
Author(s):  
Yishan Shen ◽  
Eunjin Seo ◽  
Dorothy Clare Walt ◽  
Su Yeong Kim
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Mexican American ◽  
Cumulative Risk ◽  
Early Adolescents ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Language Brokering ◽  
Adjustment Problems

This study focused on early adolescents’ stress of language brokering and examined the moderating role of family cumulative risk in the relation of language brokering to adjustment problems. Data came from self-reports of 604 low-income Mexican American adolescent language brokers (54% female; [Formula: see text]= 12.4; SD = 0.97; 75% born in the United States) and their parents (99% foreign-born) in central Texas. Path analyses revealed that brokering stress, but not frequency, was positively associated with adolescents’ adjustment problems, including depressive symptoms, anxiety, and delinquency. We also found that the relation between stress of brokering for mothers and adolescents’ depressive symptoms was stronger among families with a high cumulative risk. Further, with a high cumulative risk, adolescents exhibited delinquent behaviors regardless of the levels of stress from translating for fathers. Current findings underscore the importance of examining family contexts in assessing the consequences of language brokering for Mexican American early adolescents’ well-being.

scholarly journals The Role of Humour in the Social Care Professions: An Exploratory Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 778-796
Author(s):  
Molly Fogarty ◽  
Dely Lazarte Elliot
Keyword(s):  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
The Social ◽  
Care Training ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Six social care professionals were recruited to take part in in-depth interviews that sought to explore their phenomenological experiences of humour within their place of work. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach, the results suggest that humour serves various important functions within social care. Humour can allow social care professionals to relieve themselves of negative emotions, to avoid stress and cynicism, to achieve a sense of normality and perspective and to engage with service users. The positive impact humour appears to have upon these professionals is in keeping with the humour–health hypothesis, which posits that humour enhances well-being. However, results from this study also suggest that humour may be capable of negatively impacting well-being. Arguably, these findings highlight the need to extend the humour–health hypothesis and incorporate the negative effects humour can have upon well-being. Results also indicate that, if used appropriately, humour can be utilised to benefit work performance and service user outcomes. The findings of this research hold important implications for how humour may be understood and fostered in social care training, practice and policy.

Commentary 1: The Role of Ethical Reflexivity in Conducting Ethically Challenging Qualitative Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 462-465
Author(s):  
Simon Woods
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
The Family ◽  
Decisive Action ◽  
Older Child

This paper is a commentary on Herzog et al.’s vignette drawn from their experience of conducting ethically challenging qualitative research. They describe an encounter with a family in which an older child has acted as a sibling donor to a sick younger sibling. It is evident that the process has taken its toll on the well-being of the older child and has created tensions within the family. What then are the ethical boundaries and responsibilities of researchers who enter the private domain of the family? This commentary responds with a model of “ethical reflexivity” which shows how a reflexive researcher can incorporate moral reflection at the different stages of the research process. Reflexivity works differently at different points, upstream it allows for anticipation and planning, incorporating ethical strategies into the methodology. Midstream reflexivity allows for evaluation, reflection and strategic response as the research unfolds and downstream it allows for a critical evaluation of how the research played out. Although it is a vital resource for any society to allow a wide degree of freedom for social scientists to research the social life, this freedom also brings responsibilities. Participation in research both creates and reveals the vulnerabilities of participants and since the researcher is entangled in these complexities they must also be prepared to respond and act. At times it may be necessary to step out of the role of researcher in order to offer support or take more decisive action especially when the well-being of vulnerable participants is at stake.

Resilience in Urban African American Adolescents: The Protective Enhancing Effects of Neighborhood, Family, and School Cohesion Following Violence Exposure

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (9) ◽  
pp. 1286-1321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara M. DiClemente ◽  
Catherine M. Rice ◽  
Dakari Quimby ◽  
Maryse H. Richards ◽  
Cordelia T. Grimes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Low Income ◽  
African American Adolescents ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
School Cohesion ◽  
External Characteristics

Exposure to violence (ETV) poses a serious threat to adolescents’ safety and well-being; however, some adolescents who grow up in such toxic environments are able to thrive due to a combination of internal and external characteristics. The current study examines the role of cohesion across contexts (i.e., family, school, and community) as moderating the relation between ETV and positive internal outcomes characteristic of resilient youth (i.e., ethnic identity, positive affect, and self-esteem) in a sample of low-income, urban, African American adolescents ( N = 269, 60% female) from seventh grade to eighth grade. Results indicated that greater cohesion in each context was directly related to more positive outcomes. Family and neighborhood cohesion additionally served as protective enhancing factors for males exposed to high levels of violence. These findings expand the current research on positive youth development and help locate potential environmental targets for prevention and intervention research.

scholarly journals “Living Between Two Different Worlds”: Experiences of Leaving a High-Cost Religious Group

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Björkmark ◽  
Peter Nynäs ◽  
Camilla Koskinen
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Religious Group ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Life Change ◽  
Subjective Experiences ◽  
Comprehensive Understanding ◽  
Interdisciplinary Study ◽  
Depth Interviews

AbstractThe aim of this interdisciplinary study is to gain a comprehensive understanding of individuals’ subjective experiences after leaving a high-cost religious group and how these experiences have affected their lives. In-depth interviews were done with 18 participants who had left different religious communities in Finland. The interviews were analysed through a thematic analysis. The results show that religious disaffiliation is a life change that may affect an individual’s life in profound ways. Life after being a member of a high-cost group may involve experiences of fear, guilt, sorrow, pain, loss and even suffering on an existential level. These experiences can have serious implications for one’s well-being and health. However, life after religious disaffiliation also includes many positive aspects, such as experiences of joy, freedom, relief, gratitude and empowerment.

scholarly journals There Is No Performance, There Is Just This Moment: The Role of Mindfulness Instruction in Promoting Health and Well-Being Among Students at a Highly-Ranked University in the United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 909-918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deanna Kerrigan ◽  
Victoria Chau ◽  
Melissa King ◽  
Emily Holman ◽  
Alain Joffe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
University Culture ◽  
High Level ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Health And Well Being

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been shown to improve health outcomes across populations. We explored the feasibility, acceptability, and initial effects of a pilot MBSR program at a highly-ranked university in the United States. We conducted 23 in-depth interviews with 13 students. Interviews explored stressors and coping mechanisms, experiences with MBSR, and its reported impact and potential future use. Interviews were analyzed using thematic content and narrative analyses. Results indicated that students are exposed to a very high level of constant stress related to the sheer amount of work and activities that they have and the pervasive surrounding university culture of perfectionism. MBSR offered an opportunity to step back and gain perspective on issues of balance and priorities and provided concrete techniques to counter the effects of stressors. We conclude that MBSR and mindfulness programs may contribute to more supportive university learning environments and greater health and well-being among students.

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