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Wilson Fadiji A, de la Rosa PA, Counted V, De Kock JH, Bronkhorst WLR, Joynt S, Tesfai A, Nyamaruze P, Govender K, Cowden RG. Flourishing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study in South Africa. Psychol Rep 2023:332941231161753. [PMID: 36960947 PMCID: PMC10040464 DOI: 10.1177/00332941231161753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
In this longitudinal study, we examine changes in psychological distress and multidimensional well-being from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic among South African adults. As a secondary purpose, we explore whether pre-pandemic flourishing is protective against subsequent psychological distress during the public health crisis. The analytic sample (n = 293; Mage = 44.27, SD = 14.28; female = 65.19%) completed measures of anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, and well-being shortly before the stringent nationwide lockdown started in South Africa (T1). A follow-up assessment was completed approximately 6 months later (T2). Paired samples t-tests supported very small improvements in anxiety (d = -0.09) and depression symptoms (d = -0.13). For domains of well-being, small increases were found in close social relationships (d = 0.25) and financial and material stability (d = 0.19). Positive changes in the domains of character and virtue (d = 0.10) and meaning and purpose (d = 0.07) were very small. Changes in physical and mental health (d = -0.03) and life satisfaction and happiness (d = 0.02) were more negligible. Results from the generalized linear models indicated that continuous scores of secure flourishing assessed before the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with lower subsequent psychological distress (particularly depression symptoms) during the public health crisis. We discuss the implications of the findings for the development and delivery of interventions to promote and sustain human flourishing during public health crises, especially in contexts of social-structural vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Wilson Fadiji
- Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, 56410University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, Potchefstroom, 56405North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - P A de la Rosa
- Institute for Culture and Society, 16754University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - V Counted
- School of Psychology and Counselling, College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, 8212Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
| | - J H De Kock
- 7709University of the Highlands and Islands, Institute for Health Research and Innovation, Inverness, UK
- NHS Highland, Department of Clinical Psychology, 59801New Craigs Hospital, Inverness, UK
| | - W L R Bronkhorst
- 56723Nelson Mandela University (NMU), Port Elizabeth, South Africa
| | - S Joynt
- University of the Free State, Faculty of Theology and Religion, Department of Practical and Missional Theology, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - A Tesfai
- School of Applied Human Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - P Nyamaruze
- Health Economics and HIV and AIDS Research Division, 56394University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - K Govender
- Health Economics and HIV and AIDS Research Division, 56394University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - R G Cowden
- Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Shiba K, Cowden RG, Counted V, VanderWeele TJ, Fancourt D. Associations of home confinement during COVID-19 lockdown with subsequent health and well-being among UK adults. Curr Psychol 2022:1-10. [PMID: 35309290 PMCID: PMC8922081 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03001-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Kingdom (UK) government introduced public health safety measures to mitigate the spikes in infection rates. This included stay-at-home orders that prevented people from leaving their homes for work or study, except for urgent medical care or buying essential items. This practice could have both short and long-term implications for health and wellbeing of people in the UK. Using longitudinal data of 10,630 UK adults, this study prospectively examined the association between home confinement status during the stringent lockdown in the UK (March 23-May 13, 2020) and 20 indicators of subjective well-being, social well-being, pro-social/altruistic behaviors, psychological distress, and health behaviors assessed approximately one month after the stringent lockdown ended. All analyses adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics and social isolation status in the beginning of the pandemic. Home confinement during the lockdown was associated with greater subsequent compliance with COVID-19 rules, more perceived major stressors, and a lower prevalence of physical activity. There was modest evidence of associations with lower life satisfaction, greater loneliness, greater depressive symptoms, greater anxiety symptoms, and more perceived minor stressors post-lockdown. However, there was little evidence that home confinement was associated with other indices of subsequent health and well-being. While our study shows that home confinement impacts some indices of subsequent health and wellbeing outcomes even after lockdown, the degree of the psychological adaptation to the difficult confinement behavior remains unclear and should be further studied. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-03001-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichiro Shiba
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA USA
- Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Richard G. Cowden
- Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Victor Counted
- School of Psychology and Counselling, College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA USA
| | - Tyler J. VanderWeele
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA USA
- Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA USA
| | - Daisy Fancourt
- Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, UK
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Cowden RG, Davis EB, Counted V, Chen Y, Rueger SY, VanderWeele TJ, Lemke AW, Glowiak KJ, Worthington EL. Suffering, Mental Health, and Psychological Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study of U.S. Adults With Chronic Health Conditions. Wellbeing Space Soc 2021; 2:100048. [PMID: 34746895 PMCID: PMC8562865 DOI: 10.1016/j.wss.2021.100048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Suffering has been a topic of considerable discussion in the fields of medicine and palliative care, yet few studies have reported causal evidence linking the experience of suffering to health and well-being. In this three-wave prospective cohort study, we explore the potential psychological implications of suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic by examining relations among suffering, mental health, and psychological well-being in a sample of U.S. adults living with chronic health conditions. We analyzed data from n = 184 participants who completed assessments one month before the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (February 2020) and then two months (April 2020) and four months later (May/June 2020). Analyses controlled for a range of factors, including sociodemographic characteristics, physical health, religious/spiritual factors, psychological characteristics, and prior values of the predictor and each of the outcomes assessed one month before the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of the primary analysis indicated that greater overall suffering assessed one month into the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with lower psychological well-being (β = -.17, 95% CI: -.29, -.05) and higher levels of anxiety (β = .27, 95% CI: .13, .41) and depression (β = .16, 95% CI: .03, .29) two months later. In a secondary analysis that explored anxiety, depression, and psychological well-being as candidate antecedents of suffering, depression assessed one month into the COVID-19 pandemic was most strongly associated with worse overall suffering two months later. We highlight the implications of the findings for high-risk populations who are suffering amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Potential benefits of both integrating assessments of suffering into screening procedures and addressing experiences of suffering in mental health service settings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard G Cowden
- Harvard University, Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Science
| | - Edward B Davis
- Wheaton College, School of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy
| | | | - Ying Chen
- Harvard University, Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Science
| | - Sandra Y Rueger
- Wheaton College, School of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy
| | - Tyler J VanderWeele
- Harvard University, Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Science
- Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology
| | - Austin W Lemke
- Wheaton College, School of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy
| | - Kevin J Glowiak
- Wheaton College, School of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy
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Renzaho AMN, Mansouri F, Counted V, Polonsky M. The Influence Region of Origin, Area of Residence Prior to Migration, Religion, and Perceived Discrimination on Acculturation Strategies Among sub-Saharan African Migrants in Australia. Int Migration & Integration 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12134-021-00829-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Counted V, Pargament KI, Bechara AO, Joynt S, Cowden RG. Hope and well-being in vulnerable contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic: does religious coping matter? The Journal of Positive Psychology 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2020.1832247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Victor Counted
- School of Psychology, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Kenneth I. Pargament
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, KY, USA
| | | | - Shaun Joynt
- Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Richard G. Cowden
- Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Counted V, Possamai A, McAuliffe C, Meade T. Attachment to Australia, attachment to God, and quality of life outcomes among African Christian diasporas in New South Wales: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/19349637.2018.1499165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Victor Counted
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Adam Possamai
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Cameron McAuliffe
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Tanya Meade
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
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Counted V. Domains of religious coping behavior among African Christians in NSW Australia: An exploratory qualitative study. Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/19349637.2018.1476948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Victor Counted
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Australia
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Counted
- Psychology of Religion, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
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Counted V. Sense of place attitudes and quality of life outcomes among African residents in a multicultural Australian society. J Community Psychol 2019; 47:338-355. [PMID: 30203846 DOI: 10.1002/jcop.22124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The study examines the association between sense of place (SOP) attitudes (e.g., place attachment, place identity, and place dependence) and health-related quality of life (HQOL) in a sample of 261 African residents in New South Wales (Australia). Participants completed measures of the Sense of Place Scale, the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF questionnaire, and demographic variables. Study findings are as follows: (a) levels of SOP and place attachment are positively associated with all outcomes of HQOL; (b) place identity is also positively related to HQOL in terms of better environmental health, psychological health, and physical health, but not statistically significant for social relationship and general QOL; (c) place dependence is statistically associated with outcomes of HQOL, except for general QOL which remained insignificant in both the unadjusted and adjusted models. Further ad hoc analyses suggest that African residents from Eastern Africa are more likely to develop the "aussie" place identity than those from Central Africa; and (e) African migrants who have been residents of Australia for more than 5 years, and those who are less educated are more likely to have a stronger SOP and to develop place attachment and behavioral place commitments compared with newly arrived and educated migrants, respectively. Study limitations and implications are carefully discussed.
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Counted V, Moustafa A, Renzaho A. Migration and sociodemographic factors associated with sense of place attitudes among migrants of African background in Northern and Western Netherlands. J Community Psychol 2019; 47:238-253. [PMID: 30144094 PMCID: PMC6585797 DOI: 10.1002/jcop.22118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2018] [Revised: 07/04/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
This article investigates migration and sociodemographic factors associated with attitudes toward specific geographic settings (place attachment [PA], place identity, place dependence [PD]) in a cross-sectional data (N = 175) of sub-Saharan African residents in the Northern Netherlands and the Western Netherlands. Overall, it was found that scores of PA and PD were stronger in long-term African residents (more than 5 years) than among short-term residents (less than 5 years). The region of residence was positively related to PD, with participants in western Netherlands having stronger PD compared to those in the northern region. Language proficiency was inversely associated with PD among participants with a little knowledge of Dutch compared to those who could speak Dutch fluently. Older African residents (aged 46-55 years) were more likely to develop PA and PD than their younger counterparts (aged 18-25 years). PA scores were significantly lower for participants with a tertiary education background compared to those with a high school education or less educational attainment. PD scores were lower in females than males, and participants from Western Africa had stronger levels of PD compared to those from Central Africa. Implications of these findings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Counted
- Western Sydney UniversityAustralia
- University of GroningenNetherlands
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Counted V, Possamai A, Meade T. Relational spirituality and quality of life 2007 to 2017: an integrative research review. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2018; 16:75. [PMID: 29690887 PMCID: PMC5926536 DOI: 10.1186/s12955-018-0895-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the increasing number of evidence-based research on relational spirituality (RS) and quality of life (QoL) in medical-health research, little is known about the links between RS and QoL outcomes and the mechanisms by which RS aspects are functionally tied to QoL. OBJECTIVE To determine how RS is perceived/positioned in relation to QoL, we (a) examined recent available data that identify and appraise the links between RS and QoL; (b) identified themes emerging from the association between RS and QoL, and (c) discussed the implications of the effects of RS on QoL outcomes. METHODS We conducted an integrative research review of English-language peer-reviewed articles published between 2007 to March 2017 which examined an association between RS and QoL, as identified from a search of three databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, and ScienceDirect. RESULTS A total of 20 studies were analysed. Of these, twelve (60%) reported positive association between RS and QoL, three (15%) studies reported inverse associations, whereas five (25%) studies showed evidence of lack of association (with two out of the five studies showing an indirect association). Physical health and psychological functioning were the most researched domains of QoL, and some studies suggest an attachment-based model of RS in the last 10 years of RS and QoL research. Studies conducted with participants with serious illnesses ranging from dementia, cardiac arrest, and breast cancer reported no association between RS and physical health. Our review shows evidence of both the direct and/or indirect effects of RS on QoL as a possible spiritual coping model for complementary alternative health therapy, albeit occurring through several religious-related psychosocial conduits. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION RS appears to be associated with health benefits as indicated across QoL domains. General medical practitioners and other healthcare agencies could benefit from the understanding that a spiritual coping model could aid their patients, and therefore their clinical practices, in the healing process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Counted
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.
| | - Adam Possamai
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Tanya Meade
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
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Counted V. God as an Attachment Figure: A Case Study of the God Attachment Language and God Concepts of Anxiously Attached Christian Youths in South Africa. Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/19349637.2016.1176757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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