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PurposeThis paper examines the effectiveness of culture-based activities in improving health-related outcomes among middle-aged and older adults. Based on the biopsychosocial model, this review aims to explore the impact of cultural engagement on health and well-being.MethodsWe conducted a systematic literature review based on peer-reviewed articles retrieved from various electronic databases. In total, 11 studies were included in this review. Our study population consisted of healthy adults aged over 40 years.ResultsThe results provide evidence of positive association between cultural participation and better mental health (e.g., cognitive decline, depression, anxiety), frailty, resilience, well-being and social relations.ConclusionThis review suggests that cultural engagement serves as an effective means for individuals to maintain and enhance their health and well-being. The field is mostly limited by the heterogeneity of the studies and poor conceptualization of cultural activities. Thus, it is recommended that future research consider the effects of different cultural interventions in developing effective strategies for promoting healthy lifestyles and enhancing quality of life in later stages of life.

Introduction: Considering the importance of assessing the impacts resulting from a sport career, this study aimed at developing and validating a semistructure interview guide suitable for quantifying the sociodemographic and epidemiological profile of former professional football players. Methods: Based on the theoretical frameworks and several methodological procedures, an interview guide was developed, consisting of 3 areas of conceptual organization (A1. Biographical data; A2. Professional Career; and A3. Post-Career Transition) and 8 data collection categories (C1. Personal data; C2. Professional data; C3. Sociodemographic background; C4. Epidemiological pathway; C5. Moment of career retirement (career transition); C6. Post-career sociodemographic pathway; C7. Post-career epidemiological pathway; and C8. Perceptions of post-career planning). Thus, in procedural terms, four stages were considered for the construction and validation of the interview guide, namely the Ad hoc construction of the interview guide (i), the review of the interview guide by a panel of experts (ii), definition of procedures and protocol for the application of the interview (iii), and the application of the pilot study for the face validation of the interview guide (iv). The sample consisted of two former Portuguese professional players. Results and discussion: To analyze and discuss the data, a content analysis was carried out on all the answers given to each question in the script by the interviewees. From them, matrices were created with the response references to each subcategory. In this way, it was possible to analyse the type of answers given by the interviewees and relate them to the theoretical perspectives of the topic being investigated. The results showed that the interview guide for the study of the impacts of the sports careers on the quality of life of Portuguese former football players shows reliability for the collection of qualitative and quantitative information from the respective content analysis. The use of the interview guide characterizes the path of former player, providing information and knowledge on the sociodemographic and epidemiological impact factors resulting from their post-career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionConsidering the importance of assessing the impacts resulting from a sport career, this study aimed at developing and validating a semi-structure interview guide suitable for quantifying the sociodemographic and epidemiological profile of former professional football players.MethodsBased on the theoretical frameworks and several methodological procedures, an interview guide was developed, consisting of 3 areas of conceptual organization (A1. Biographical data; A2. Professional Career; and A3. Post-Career Transition) and 8 data collection categories (C1. Personal data; C2. Professional data; C3. Sociodemographic background; C4. Epidemiological pathway; C5. Moment of career retirement (career transition); C6. Post-career sociodemographic pathway; C7. Post-career epidemiological pathway; and C8. Perceptions of post-career planning). Thus, in procedural terms, four stages were considered for the construction and validation of the interview guide, namely the Ad hoc construction of the interview guide (i), the review of the in-terview guide by a panel of experts (ii), definition of procedures and protocol for the application of the interview (iii), and the application of the pilot study for the face validation of the interview guide (iv). The sample consisted of two former Portuguese professional players.Results and discussionTo analyze and discuss the data, a content analysis was carried out on all the answers given to each question in the script by the interviewees. From them, matrices were created with the response references to each subcategory. In this way, it was possible to analyse the type of answers given by the interviewees and relate them to the theoretical perspectives of the topic being investigated. The results showed that the interview guide for the study of the impacts of the sports careers on the quality of life of Portuguese former football players shows reliability for the collection of qualitative and quantitative information from the respective content analysis. The use of the interview guide characterizes the path of former player, providing information and knowledge on the sociodemographic and epidemiological impact factors resulting from their post-career.

Background and aimsSince the COVID-19 pandemic, several studies have reported a decrease in adolescents' well-being. We aim to describe life satisfaction over the last decade and examine the factors associated with its variations between 2020 and 2021 among French students in their last year of middle school (around 14–15 years old).MethodsData were drawn from a repeated biennial cross-sectional national survey conducted in French schools over the last decade (EnCLASS study), using a self-administered questionnaire. After describing life satisfaction trends between 2012 and 2021 using the Cantril ladder, we examined individual changes in life satisfaction between 2020 and 2021 and their associations with housing and studying conditions during the COVID-19 lockdown, using multinomial logistic regression analysis (decrease, increase, no change as reference).ResultsAmong the 17,686 survey respondents, an overall slight decrease in the prevalence of adolescents reporting high life satisfaction (i.e., Cantril score ≥6) was observed since 2012 with the lowest proportion reported in 2021 (77.4%). Between 2020 and 2021, 16.3% of French adolescents experienced an improvement in life satisfaction, while 17.7% experienced the opposite. Decrease in life satisfaction between 2020 and 2021 was more likely experienced by adolescents living in reconstructed families [aOR 2.09 (95%CI, 1.58–2.77)], those who did not have their own room [aOR 1.58 (1.16–2.15)], nor access to the Internet to interact with their friends during the lockdown [aOR 1.47 (1.09–1.98)]. Interestingly, more girls than boys were represented in both those reporting increase and decrease in life satisfaction [aOR 1.82 (1.40–2.37) and 1.43 (1.14–1.79), respectively].ConclusionsThis study shows that the way adolescents experienced the first 2020 lockdown in France was not uniform, and that one must consider sex as well as housing and studying conditions when interpreting adolescents' life satisfaction decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: This paper examines the effectiveness of culture-based activities in improving health-related outcomes among middle-aged and older adults. Based on the biopsychosocial model, this review aims to explore the impact of cultural engagement on health and well-being., Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review based on peer-reviewed articles retrieved from various electronic databases. In total, 11 studies were included in this review. Our study population consisted of healthy adults aged over 40 years., Results: The results provide evidence of positive association between cultural participation and better mental health (e.g., cognitive decline, depression, anxiety), frailty, resilience, well-being and social relations., Conclusion: This review suggests that cultural engagement serves as an effective means for individuals to maintain and enhance their health and well-being. The field is mostly limited by the heterogeneity of the studies and poor conceptualization of cultural activities. Thus, it is recommended that future research consider the effects of different cultural interventions in developing effective strategies for promoting healthy lifestyles and enhancing quality of life in later stages of life., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Viola, Martorana, Ceriotti, De Vito, De Ambrosi and Faggiano.)

The article outlines and explores the concept of quality of life, as well as its similar essence - standard of living, well-being, subjective well-being, well-being, satisfaction, happiness, trust, freedom, and human rights. The concepts related to the object of research are interpreted, and a definition of quality of life as a major role in the lives of individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generic aim of this study was to estimate the happiness rates and its association with well – being and religiosity. A sample of 400 college students from four universities in Yemen was recruited. They responded to (1) the Arabic Scale of Happiness, (2) well – being self – rating scales to assess physical health, mental health, happiness, and satisfaction with life, and (3) religiosity. Results indicated that women obtained significantly high mean scores on the self – rating scales of physical health and religiosity than did their male counterparts. All the Pearson correlations between the scales were significant and positive. A principal component analysis retained one high – loaded factor in men and women separately and labeled "Well- being and religiosity". It was concluded that those who consider themselves as happy reported higher religiosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

The research is focused on exploring of multiple relations between interpersonal and attachment characteristics, job performance, job satisfaction and well-being of employees in contact centres. Global assessment of well-being represents cognitive and emotional approach of one ́s life as a whole. However, global view can be deformed by distorted perception of reality, so therefore it is necessary to evaluate well-being not only in general, but also as many different aspects of human life. This study is focused on working environment as one of thesignificant parts of life. Our sample consisted of 176 employees of contact centres, 116 of them were women (65,91%) and 60 men (34,09%). The age range was from 21 to 56 years (average –29,78 years). The average length of employment of a telephone operator was 14 months. The major part of workforce were workers in permanent employment – 54,55% (N = 96), performance contract employees – 40,91% (N = 72), students employed based on agreement on temporary job of student – 3,41% (N = 6) and freelancers / self-employed – 1,14% (N = 2). The quantitative and qualitative data were obtained using standardised questionnaires. A short form of Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran (s-E.M.B.U.; Willem et al., 1999), which is bas ed on Bowlby attachment theory, was used to measure attachment style. The interpersonal characteristics were measured by Interpersonal Check List (ICL; Kožený & Ganický, 1976). The job performance was measured by means of a call centre software system called Aheeva CCS Manager. Other questionnaires were focused on job satisfaction and well-being. The evaluation of job satisfaction was realised by means of Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ; Weiss et al., 1967) and well-being was measured by means of two questionnaires - Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985) and Scales of Psychological Well-Being (SPWB; Ryff, 1989). The results of this study confirmed the relationship between attachment styles and interpersonal characteristics in job satisfaction, which is strongly connected with well-being. Job satisfaction is a statistically significant predictor of well-being, but it has not been clearly demonstrated that increased job satisfaction contributes to a better job performance. Regression analysis indicated that attachment characteristics (secure attachment style), interpersonal characteristics (affiliation, dominance and submissiveness) and job satisfaction are significant predictors of well-being for employees in telemarketing. These findings suggested that secure attachement style and interpersonal characteristics contribute to a higher job satisfaction and well-being as well as minimalise emotional problems and reduce the possibility of burn-out syndrome. The results also indicated that employees, who scored higher in dimensions affiliation, dominance and submissiveness, experienced a higher job satisfaction. The partial results showed gender differences, especially women demonstrated a higher performance, particula rly in the group of married workers. The highest work performance was identified in the age group of 30-39 years old employees. Significantly low levels of well-being were identified in the group of divorced emploeeys aged 50 to 59 years. Based on these findings an optimum profile of potential employees in contact centres can be formed. A confirmation in a larger sample is needed. Further directions are discussed in research study.

The generic aim of this study was to estimate the happiness rates and its association with well - being and religiosity. A sample of 400 college students from four universities in Yemen was recruited. They responded to (1) the Arabic Scale of Happiness, (2) well - being self - rating scales to assess physical health, mental health, happiness, and satisfaction with life, and (3) religiosity. Results indicated that women obtained significantly high mean scores on the self - rating scales of physical health and religiosity than did their male counterparts. All the Pearson correlations between the scales were significant and positive. A principal component analysis retained one high - loaded factor in men and women separately and labeled "Well- being and religiosity". It was concluded that those who consider themselves as happy reported higher religiosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine sheltered housing tenants' views of health and well-being, the strategies they adopted to support their well-being, and their use of health and social care services through a Health Needs Assessment. Sheltered housing in the UK is a form of service-integrated housing for people, predominantly over 60. The study used a parallel, three-strand mixed method approach to encompass the tenants' perceptions of health and well-being ( n = 96 participants), analysis of the service's health and well-being database, and analysis of emergency and elective hospital admissions ( n = 978 tenant data sets for the period January to December 2012). Tenants' perceptions of well-being were seen to reinforce much of the previous work on the subject with strategies required to sustain social, community, physical, economic, environmental, leisure, emotional and spiritual dimensions. Of the tenants' self-reported chronic conditions, arthritis, heart conditions and breathing problems were identified as their most common health concerns. Hospital admission data indicated that 43% of the tenant population was admitted to hospital (886 admissions) with 53% emergency and 47% elective admissions. The potential cost of emergency as opposed to elective admissions was substantial. The mean length of stay for emergency admissions was 8.2 days (median 3.0 days). While elective hospital admission had a mean length of stay of 1.0 day (median 0.0 days). These results suggest the need for multi-professional health, social care and housing services interventions to facilitate sheltered housing tenants' aspirations and support their strategies to live well and independently in their own homes. Equally there is a need to increase tenants' awareness of health conditions and their management, the importance of services which offer facilitation, resources and support, and the key role played by prevention and reablement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbage feeding with only little input of concentrates plays an important role in milk production in grassland dominated countries like Switzerland. The objective was to investigate the effects of a solely herbage-based diet and level of milk production on performance, and variables related to the metabolic, endocrine and inflammatory status to estimate the stress imposed on dairy cows. Twenty-five multiparous Holstein cows were divided into a control (C+, n = 13) and a treatment group (C−, n = 12), according to their previous lactation yield (4679-10 808 kg) from week 3 ante partum until week 8 post-partum (p.p.). While C+ received fresh herbage plus additional concentrate, no concentrate was fed to C− throughout the experiment. Within C+ and C−, the median of the preceding lactation yields (7752 kg) was used to split cows into a high ( HYC+, HYC−)- and low-yielding ( LYC+, LYC−) groups. Throughout the study, HYC+ had a higher milk yield (35.9 kg/d) compared to the other subgroups (27.2-31.7 kg/d, p < 0.05). Plasma glucose (3.51 vs. 3.72 mmol/l) and IGF-1 (66.0 vs. 78.9ng/ mL) concentrations were lower in HYC−/ LYC− compared to HYC+/ LYC+ cows (p < 0.05). Plasma FFA and BHBA concentrations were dramatically elevated in HYC− (1.1 and 1.6 mmol/l) compared to all other subgroups (mean values: 0.5 and 0.6 mmol/l, p < 0.05). Saliva cortisol, plasma concentrations of serum amyloid A ( SAA), haptoglobin (Hp), beta-endorphin ( BE) and activity of alkaline phosphatase ( AP) were not different between C+ and C−. In conclusion, herbage-fed high-yielding cows without supplementary concentrate experienced a high metabolic load resulting in a reduced performance compared to cows of similar potential fed accordingly. Low-yielding cows performed well without concentrate supplementation. Interestingly, the selected markers for inflammation and stress such as cortisol, Hp, SAA, BE and AP gave no indication for the metabolic load being translated into compromised well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined differences in women's anticipated emotional orientations toward unintended pregnancy by relationship status and race and ethnicity. Data from a prospective survey of 437 women aged 18 to 44 years who intended no more children for at least 2 years were analyzed along with 27 in-depth interviews among a diverse subsample. Cohabiting women and women in romantic relationships not living together were less likely to profess happiness (odds ratio = 0.42, p < .05, odds ratio = 0.25, p < .01, respectively), even when partners' intentions and feelings were controlled. The most prominent factor underlying negative feelings was partners' anticipated lack of engagement with the emotional, physical, and financial toll of unintended childbearing. Contrary to conventional wisdom regarding the 'Hispanic paradox,' foreign-born and U.S.-born Latinas were no more likely to profess happiness than non-Hispanic Whites or Blacks. Moreover, foreign-born Latinas whose survey responses indicated happiness often revealed highly negative feelings at in-depth interview, citing pressure to conform to sociocultural norms surrounding motherhood and abortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, several studies have reported a decrease in adolescents' well-being. We aim to describe life satisfaction over the last decade and examine the factors associated with its variations between 2020 and 2021 among French students in their last year of middle school (around 14-15 years old)., Methods: Data were drawn from a repeated biennial cross-sectional national survey conducted in French schools over the last decade (EnCLASS study), using a self-administered questionnaire. After describing life satisfaction trends between 2012 and 2021 using the Cantril ladder, we examined individual changes in life satisfaction between 2020 and 2021 and their associations with housing and studying conditions during the COVID-19 lockdown, using multinomial logistic regression analysis (decrease, increase, no change as reference)., Results: Among the 17,686 survey respondents, an overall slight decrease in the prevalence of adolescents reporting high life satisfaction (i.e., Cantril score ≥6) was observed since 2012 with the lowest proportion reported in 2021 (77.4%). Between 2020 and 2021, 16.3% of French adolescents experienced an improvement in life satisfaction, while 17.7% experienced the opposite. Decrease in life satisfaction between 2020 and 2021 was more likely experienced by adolescents living in reconstructed families [aOR 2.09 (95%CI, 1.58-2.77)], those who did not have their own room [aOR 1.58 (1.16-2.15)], nor access to the Internet to interact with their friends during the lockdown [aOR 1.47 (1.09-1.98)]. Interestingly, more girls than boys were represented in both those reporting increase and decrease in life satisfaction [aOR 1.82 (1.40-2.37) and 1.43 (1.14-1.79), respectively]., Conclusions: This study shows that the way adolescents experienced the first 2020 lockdown in France was not uniform, and that one must consider sex as well as housing and studying conditions when interpreting adolescents' life satisfaction decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Hurel, Ehlinger, Molcho, Cohen, Falissard, Sentenac and Godeau.)

Evidence demonstrates that group singing improves health and well-being, but the precise mechanisms remain unknown. Given that cohesive social networks also positively influence health, we focus on the social aspects of singing, exploring whether improvements in health and well-being are mediated by stronger social bonds, both to the group as a whole (collective-bonding) and to individual classmates (relational-bonding). To do so, seven newly formed community-based adult education classes (four singing, N = 84, and three comparison classes studying creative writing or crafts, N = 51) were followed over seven months. Self-report questionnaire data on mental and physical health, well-being and social bonding were collected at Months 1, 3 and 7. We demonstrate that physical and mental health and satisfaction with life significantly improved over time in both conditions. Path analysis did not show any indirect effects via social bonding of Condition on health and well-being. However, higher collective-bonding at timepoint 3 significantly predicted increased flourishing, reduced anxiety and improved physical health independently of baseline levels. In contrast, relational-bonding showed no such effects, suggesting that it is feeling part of a group that particularly yields health and well-being benefits. Moreover, these results indicate that singing may not improve health and well-being more than other types of activities. Nonetheless, these findings encourage further work to refine our understanding of the social aspects of community-based adult education classes in promoting health, well-being and community cohesion. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doctors sometimes tell patients with rare but highly treatable cancers that they have 'good' cancer which some patients have found unhelpful, but this has been little explored. The aim of this study was to explore how patients reacted to being told they had a 'good' cancer. Qualitative interviews were carried out with 25 people with rare but prognostically favourable cancers who had received treatment at two hospitals within a cancer network. Results showed that despite good treatment outcomes, patients are still very shocked to hear the word cancer and react in similar ways to those with other forms of cancer. The potential effects of treatment should be recognised as having a detrimental effect on patient well-being whatever the prognosis. We should therefore avoid using 'good' and 'cancer' in the same sentence. In addition, the impact on all family members should not be underestimated. The data can be used to improve clinical practice and improve support for people affected by cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study aims to investigate the factors associated with sexual function in Korean patients with schizophrenia. Methods This study evaluated 169 patients with schizophrenia who were receiving risperidone monotherapy. The Visual Analog Scale was used to assess sexual function in terms of sexual desire, sexual arousal, and sexual satisfaction. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Korean version of the Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptic Treatment-Brief Form (SWN-K) scale, and the Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI) were also administered. Results Sexual function was negatively associated with age, duration of illness, gender (female), marital status (single), the presence of tardive dyskinesia, and Beck Depression Inventory score, but positively associated with the SWN-K and DAI scores. A linear regression analysis revealed that being male and married had significant positive associations with sexual arousal, sexual satisfaction, and/or sexual desire, while the presence of tardive dyskinesia and a longer duration of illness were associated with poor sexual arousal and/or sexual desire. Additionally, sexual function was significantly associated with the SWN-K and DAI scores in multivariate analysis. Conclusions The acknowledgement and management of sexual dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia by clinicians may be important for improvement of their quality of life and adherence to medication. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The aim of the study was to examine the efficacy of body-mind-spirit Intervention in improving the outcomes (well-being, quality of life and functional impairment) among depressive patients. Background Depressive disorders lead to significant dysfunction, disability and poor quality of life among sufferers. Body-mind-spirit intervention has been associated with improvements in the outcomes; however, few studies have examined this among depressive patients. Design True experimental pre-post equivalent groups design was adopted with longitudinal measurement of outcomes. Methods Participants were 120 adult depressive patients visiting the psychiatric outpatient department in a District Hospital in India. The participants were randomly assigned to either the body-mind-spirit group or the treatment-as-usual group between July 2011-January 2013. The treatment-as-usual group ( n = 64) received only routine treatment (antidepressants and structured psycho-education) in the hospital. The body-mind-spirit group ( n = 56) received four weekly body-mind-spirit group sessions in addition to the routine treatment. Outcome measures on depression, well-being, functional impairment and quality of life were evaluated for both groups at baseline and at four follow-up assessments in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th month. Treatment effects of the body-mind-spirit intervention were analysed by repeated-measures analysis of covariance. Findings Compared with the treatment-as-usual group, the body-mind-spirit group showed significant reduction in depression and functional impairment, and significant improvement in the well-being and quality of life scores over the 6-month study period. Conclusion The present findings provided evidence for the effectiveness of integrating a complementary therapy such as the body-mind-spirit intervention with conventional treatment in improving prospective outcomes among the depressive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Dementia prevalence and the demand for dementia care are increasing. Informal caregiving accounts for a large proportion of dementia care, but can come at high cost for caregivers. Informal dementia caregivers are at higher risk for mental health problems than the general population. This study examines whether perceived change in leisure activities is one working mechanism linking stress and burden experience in dementia caregiving to lower mental health (depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and reduced satisfaction with life), and whether there are group-based leisure activities that can buffer this detrimental effect. Methods A total of 346 informal Australian dementia caregivers (88.15% female, age 18-82 years) participated in an online study. Results Mediation and moderation analyses using multiple regression demonstrated that perceived changes in leisure activities linked caregiving stress and burden to lower mental health, and that membership in groups engaging in affiliation or social activities attenuates negative effects of caregiving. Conclusion Informal dementia caregivers benefit from satisfying leisure activities. In particular, engaging in social activities and self-help groups buffered the negative impact of caregiving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Family members play a crucial role in supporting the recovery of loved ones with psychosis. The journey of recovery is not only traversed by the person experiencing the mental illness but also by their family. Interventions to support these families have traditionally either focused on psychoeducation or addressed problematic interactions or expressed emotion. Family programmes have far less frequently emphasized supporting family members' adjustment to the challenges posed by their relative's disorder or their recovery from associated distress. The study compared a control condition that received only a psychoeducational booklet (Information) and a condition also receiving a correspondence-based interactive recovery-oriented intervention (Connections). The Connections group was expected to show greater improvements in recovery knowledge, well-being, experiences of caregiving, hopefulness and distress. Method A randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of two correspondence-based family interventions delivered to 81 carers of relatives with psychosis. Results Intent-to-treat analyses showed no differential outcomes between conditions, but an analysis of participants who substantially completed their allocated treatment showed that carers receiving Connections had significantly more improvements in well-being, positive experiences of caregiving and distress. Conclusions Correspondence interventions that support carer's recovery may result in more positive mental health for those who complete key elements of the programme compared with information alone. However, many carers do not complete a correspondence programme and this may limit its impact. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message A focus on recovery-oriented interventions holds relevance for carers as well as their loved ones with mental illness., To our knowledge, this is the first randomized controlled trial of a recovery-focused intervention for carers., Carers may receive positive mental health benefits from recovery-focused correspondence programmes to the extent that they can be encouraged to remain engaged with such programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines intercessory prayer, specifically, petitions to the divine as they are performed in Mass and in prayer groups at a Catholic convent in the midwestern United States. It demonstrates that these petitions function on multiple levels. Petitions are designed primarily as a form of communication with the divine, intended to elicit divine aid. In addition to functioning as requests to the divine, the petitions function on a number of socio-communicative levels: first, as an index of the presence of the divine; second, as a means for individuals to communicate social support to copresent participants; and third, as a mode of peer socialization. Finally, these multiple functions of prayer provide spiritual and social support that may contribute, in the context of the convent, to the inhabitant nuns' documented success in achieving physical and mental well-being throughout their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telecare devices have been put forward as a potentially effective intervention to benefit the well-being and functioning of informal carers of people with social care needs, and to reduce the negative effects of providing care to a family member or friend. Much of the evidence used to support this view is qualitative, and therefore does not provide good-quality evidence to answer questions about its effect on carer outcomes. This review aimed to document and evaluate the quantitative evidence base for the effect of telecare interventions on outcomes for informal carers. A systematic search was conducted between October 2009 and January 2010 to identify peer-reviewed and 'grey' intervention evaluations, using electronic databases and expert/interested party recommendations. Clear inclusion and exclusion criteria and a reliable screening process were applied to select papers for inclusion in the review, and a checklist was used to assess risk of bias for each evaluation. Of 1071 identified evaluations, seven fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of these, two were peer-reviewed, and the remainder were unpublished or internal reports. Included evaluations were heterogeneous; they had investigated diverse technologies and outcomes, using varied evaluation designs and measures. All included evaluations were rated as being of weak methodological quality, indicating risk of bias within the evidence base. The evidence tentatively indicated that telecare exerts a positive effect on carer stress and strain, but there is no evidence to indicate benefits on burden or quality of life. The evidence is conflicting about the effect of telecare on the amount of time carers spend on their caring duties, and on relationships between the carer, cared-for person and other family members. Additional good-quality evaluations are required to establish the effects of telecare on informal carer outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background While several validated measures of the life circumstances of people with intellectual disabilities ( ID) have been developed, this stream of research has not yet been well integrated with environmentally oriented criminological theory to explain offending among people with ID. In this study, we attempt to provide a preliminary integration through an investigation of the relationship between contemporary life experiences, well-being, choice and offending among people with ID, exploring the relevance of two classic criminological theories (theories of strain and social control). Materials and Methods Questionnaire measures were used to compare a range of 'ordinary' life experiences [the ' Life Experiences Checklist' (LEC)], subjective well-being (the ' Personal Well-being Index - ID') and the extent of choice (the ' Choice Questionnaire'), between offenders ( N = 27) and non-offenders ( N = 19) with ID recruited through integrated ( NHS and Local Authority) multi-disciplinary teams (community teams for adults with learning disabilities). Results Using regression analyses to explore the strength of associations with offending, it was found that an indicator of impoverished personal relationships, from the LEC provided the best predictor of offending. This finding appears to favour criminological explanations based on social control. Conclusions Existing measures of life circumstances can be used to explore environmentally oriented criminological theories, bringing benefits to our understanding and treatment of offenders with ID living in community settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which explored the lay meanings of mental health in a sample of urban college youth in India. Results of the study highlight the need to expand the scope of existing theorizing and research on mental health literacy to include lay perspectives on mental health. It also illustrates multiple implications of uncovering lay perspectives on mental health for development and contextually sensitive promotive programs.

ABSTRACT The relationships between individual values (Schwartz, 1992), life events, and psychological symptoms were analyzed in a general population sample from a Finnish rural community. The design was a cross-sectional survey. Data were gathered in 1993 ( n = 174) and 2007 ( n = 226). We investigated whether personal values would predict the number of life events. Results showed that openness to change values was positively and conservation values, negatively related to life events (those over which the individual had certain degree of control, e.g. getting a new job) in 1993. As expected, an increase in the importance of conservation values from 1993 to 2007 weakened the association between values and life events so that in 2007, only stimulation values were related to events. Although no consistent direct relations were found between single values and symptoms, we found that the higher the value congruence between individual and group values, the fewer the reported symptoms, for both time points. This research provided evidence suggesting that life events are also related to one's personal value priorities. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with intellectual disabilities have poorer health than their non-disabled peers. They are also more likely to be exposed to a wide range of environmental adversities in childhood. Research undertaken in the general population has demonstrated that exposure to environmental adversity in childhood can have an adverse impact on health and well-being across the life course. Recently, research in this area has added new breadth and depth to our understanding of: (1) the extent to which cumulative exposure to environmental adversities across the life course, but especially in early childhood, can reduce health and well-being; (2) the social, psychological and biological mediating pathways through which environmental adversities may impair health; (3) the processes associated with resilience and vulnerability in the face of exposure to adversity; and (4) the social significance of these effects in accounting for the magnitude of the inequalities in health that are apparent both between and within populations. This new knowledge is making a significant contribution to the development of social policies that seek to combine health gain with the reduction in health inequalities. This paper attempts to apply this knowledge to research aimed at understanding and improving the health and well-being of people with intellectual disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stiglitz's Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress (CMEPSP) argued that well-being is multidimensional and identified eight distinct dimensions. Conventional linear techniques confirm that a large number of dimensions are needed to describe development. In contrast, a new non-linear technique that we introduce from chaos theory shows that a smaller number of dimensions are needed to span the development space. From the analysis, variables representing the Health, Education, Inequality and Individual Rights areas of life quality would provide a broad picture of development, whereas income per capita adds little extra information. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To examine the associations between diet and mental health indicators in adolescents.Methods: Data were drawn from the Youth 2012 survey, a national survey of the health and well-being of adolescents in New Zealand (n = 8500). Multiple regression models were used to determine the associations between healthy and unhealthy eating and mental health indicators while adjusting for sex, age, ethnicity, small area deprivation and household poverty as covariates.Results: Approximately 30% of young people in the lowest quartile for healthy eating reported significant depressive symptoms. Greater healthy eating was significantly associated with fewer depressive symptoms, better well-being and fewer emotional difficulties (all P < 0.001 after adjusting for covariates). Greater unhealthy eating was significantly associated with greater depressive symptoms, poorer well-being and greater emotional difficulties (all P < 0.001 after adjusting for covariates).Conclusions: Findings from this study contribute to a growing body of literature that indicate that eating behaviours are associated with mental health indicators among adolescents. Findings from the current study suggest that efforts to enhance healthy eating may also have a positive impact on mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]