Browsing by Subject "wellbeing"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Critical Consciousness and Whole-Person Health of Public Health Nurses
    (2023-05) Pirsch, Ann
    There is a need to understand the perspectives and wellbeing of public health nurses (PHNs). Critical consciousness is sociopolitical awareness and engagement to change oppressive systems. MyStrengths+MyHealth (MSMH) assesses health across environmental, psychosocial, physiological, and health behaviors domains. Study aims: (1) synthesize current research examining critical consciousness and health, (2) describe PHN critical consciousness, and (3) characterize PHN whole-person health. Methods Aim 1. A critical review of studies (n = 10) examining relationships between critical consciousness and health. Aim 2. PHNs (n = 173) completed the Short Critical Consciousness Scale (ShoCCS); results were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Aim 3. PHNs (n = 132) completed the MSMH; results were analyzed using exploratory data visualization. Results Aim 1. Multiple complex associations between critical consciousness and health (wellbeing, self-esteem, life satisfaction, affect, HIV markers, and smoking) were observed. Aim 2. PHNs scored highest in the Critical Motivation subscale, followed by Critical Reflection and Critical Action. PHNs who responded “strongly agree” for the question “Poor people have fewer chances to get ahead” vs. others differed in age (p = 0.039), work setting (p = 0.003), and role (p = 0.001) and scored higher in all subscales (p < 0.001). Aim 3. PHNs had more strengths than challenges and more challenges than needs. Four patterns were discovered: 1) an inverse relationship between strengths and challenges/needs; 2) many strengths; 3) Income needs; 4) fewest strengths in Sleeping, Emotions, Nutrition, and Exercise. Comparison of PHNs who reported strength in Income vs. others had more strengths (p < 0.001) and fewer challenges (p < 0.001) and needs (p = < 0.001). Conclusion Results from the survey align with existing research and demonstrate that PHNs have relatively high critical consciousness and are resilient. PHNs needs around health behaviors and mental health should be studied further. Future research is needed to identify causal factors.
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    The Effectiveness of the ACHIEVER Adult Resilience Curriculum in Promoting Teacher Wellbeing
    (2017-06) Christian, Elizabeth
    Teaching is a multifaceted profession, capturing a range of experiences that are exciting, rewarding, challenging, frustrating, and exhausting. Research has shown that teachers are at high risk of chronic stress and burnout which impacts teacher health, wellbeing, and effectiveness in the classroom. In the present study, the effectiveness of a theoretically based professional development program—the ACHIEVER Resilience Curriculum (ARC)—to increase teacher wellbeing and decrease symptoms of burnout was examined. The ARC training integrates several wellness promotion practices into one comprehensive program. To evaluate the effectiveness of the ARC, a randomized block controlled study with pre-post data collection was performed. The sample included 67 teachers from six schools in one large urban school district. Analyses showed that teachers who received ARC training experienced increased feelings of efficacy, overall subjective wellbeing, and reduced emotional exhaustion compared to an attention control group. In addition, increased feelings of wellbeing and reduced emotional exhaustion were correlated with higher quality teacher-student interactions. Evidence from this study also suggests that demographic variables such as grade level taught or number of years of teaching experience may moderate the effects of the ARC, indicating a need for continued research on the function and effectiveness of this program. Finally, teachers who received the ARC training indicated they found it to be feasible and acceptable for use in schools to promote teachers’ wellbeing. The implications of these findings for teacher training and practice, suggestions for future research, and the limitations of this study are discussed.
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    Manager Autonomy Support as a Moderator of Job Insecurity and Subjective Wellbeing
    (2023-05) Swenson, Sara
    Job insecurity is an inescapable workplace experience in the United States that reduces wellbeing and health (e.g., Burgard et al., 2009; De Witte et al., 2016; Dekker & Schaufeli,1995; Hellgren et al., 1999; Sverke & Hellgren, 2002) and organizational commitment behaviors (e.g., Cheng & Chan, 2008; Dekker & Schaufeli, 1995; Shoss, 2017). Job insecurity corelates to job control (e.g., Brockner et al., 2004; Karasek, 1979; Schreurs et al., 2010) and employees who experienced restricted autonomy, one application of a lack of job control, demonstrated lower health and work performance (Fallman et al., 2019). Conversely, employees who experienced job control were less negatively influenced by job insecurity (e.g., Schreurs et al., 2010) and reported increased wellbeing (Lee & Ravichandran, 2019). Rooney et al. (2009) observed that managers influenced employees’ perceptions of job control. Manager autonomy support, which is a managerial style that allows employees to make decisions about their work, determine their work tasks and goals, and provide input on work matters, is one way managers can enable job control.A quantitative survey methodology was employed to understand the relationships between manager autonomy support, job insecurity, and subjective wellbeing and between work climate, job insecurity, and subjective wellbeing. The survey methodology allowed for consistent data collection of the following: perception of manager autonomy support received via participative decision making and autonomy providing behaviors, positive affect and life satisfaction experienced (subjective wellbeing), the presence of job insecurity and details about work climate experienced by participants. The sample consisted of employees in the United States within a large global high tech/manufacturing organization. In addition to correlational results between the study’s variables, the findings identified that manager autonomy support was a predictor of positive affect and job insecurity was a predictor of subjective wellbeing. Limitations, study contributions, and implications for future research and practice are provided.