Salutogenesis as a Theory, as an Orientation and as the Sense of Coherence

In this chapter, the authors convey some of the main ways the term ‘salutogenesis’ is used today. Antonovsky introduced the term salutogenesis in his 1979 and 1987 books on the Salutogenic Model of Health, but salutogenesis subsequently has come to refer to a core concept in the model in particular; the sense of coherence. This usage has advanced to the point that some writers have coined the term ‘sense of coherence theory’. The term salutogenesis is also frequently used to refer, more generally, to an approach to health theory, research and practice emphasising resources that people may call on to improve health.

Critical Holism as Public Health Theory: Towards A Unifying Framework for Research, Policy and Planning

The wide range of subject matter Public Health (PH) incorporates makes it a synthesizing science that draws upon very many disciplines of the natural, applied and social sciences. The sub-fields of research and application PH, epidemiology, health systems research, policy studies, health education and further sub-fields within each of these, draw from the theories of relevant base disciplines and thereby tend to think in silos rather than make the interlinkages between them. This paper argues for Critical Holism (CH) as an overarching theoretical framework that can provide PH and its sub-fields a unifying structure within which they can locate themselves in relation to each other. Thereby CH would remind PH researchers about attending to interlinkages between elements of a health problem and across problems, their multi-level and multi-dimensional complexity. Policy, planning and implementation require such unifying thought processes in order to ensure coherence between the various elements of PH action for a common objective such as policy formulation for improving the health of populations, health system strengthening, designing of programmes, pandemic response strategies and so on. PH research that generates knowledge to inform these politico-administrative processes, has also to provide them with the comprehensive lens with which to perceive the complexity of health problems, assess the resources at hand and design interventions. The paper presents an outline of what PH research adopting the Critical Holism theoretical frame would look like, as an invitation to further developments of the theoretical frame and its application.

Health, Hygiene and Diets: Medical Missionaries and the Daily Life of Shanghai Residents (1870-1938)

Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century, China was the main area of western medical missions. Medical missionaries, one of the largest cross-cultural groups, left a wealth of records in a foreign land. In this article the author explored how the housing, environment, drink and diets habits of British medical missionaries in China spread the western medical knowledge, and how the medical missionaries constantly recognized, interpreted and improved the health concept toward Chinese in their daily life. The intercultural communication of medical knowledge between China and the West enriched the western public health theory on the one hand, and promoted the establishment of modern public health system in China on the other hand.

General and Gambling-Specific Types of Control: Extending Mental Health Theory and Concepts to Problem Gambling

Rationale: A key factor in our understanding of problem gambling is control: over gambling outcomes (illusion of control) and behaviours (gambling self-efficacy). Research in the gambling field rarely looks beyond these gambling-specific types of control to more general types when identifying predictors of gambling problems. This work begins to integrate control concepts from the mental health and problem gambling fields by examining the importance of a more general type of control from the Stress Process Model: sense of control over life events. Methods: Closed-ended questionnaire and open-ended interview responses from 30 frequent (weekly or more) gamblers were used to examine whether general and gambling-specific types of control are linked as predicted in a conceptual model of control. Results: For some people, beliefs about one type of control are extended to inform beliefs about another type of control. In many cases, understandings of outcomes in life inform beliefs about controlling gambling outcomes and behaviours. Conclusions: Different types of control work together, and general understandings can translate into gambling-specific beliefs. Future work is needed to confirm and specify these relationships and clarify their importance to understanding the development of gambling problems.

The Effect of Coping on Family Health in Dealing with COVID-19 Pandemic

The emergence of the COVID 19 pandemic is perceived as an unprecedented pressure. If the pandemic is prolonged, it will be able to reduce family health. This study provides an analysis of the effect of coping on family health in dealing with COVID 19. Researchers use the family health theory approach to answer the research objectives. Using a sampling quota, an online survey of 90 respondents throughout Indonesia. The results showed that 15% of family health is determined by the family's coping during the face of the COVID 19 pandemic. It is necessary to apply various coping strategies to support optimal family health. Keywords: COVID 19, coping, family health, pressure.