Title of publication

The association between loneliness, mental wellbeing, and self-esteem among adolescents in four Nordic countries

Abstract 

Positive mental health is central to adolescent well-being. The present study examines the prevalence of loneliness and positive mental health indicators (mental well-being and self-esteem) in four Nordic countries and associations between loneliness, mental well-being, and high self-esteem. This study is based on data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study which was conducted in 2018 in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden. Participants were 5883 15-year-old boys and girls. To examine the associations between loneliness, mental well-being, and self-esteem, structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied. In the comparison of Nordic countries, the prevalence of loneliness was highest among Finnish and Icelandic adolescents. High mental well-being and high self-esteem were most prevalent in Denmark and Sweden. In general, boys scored higher on positive mental health indicators and girls on loneliness. Loneliness was also a strong indicator of low mental well-being and low self-esteem in all Nordic countries. Loneliness is not only associated with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, but it is also a risk factor for adolescents’ positive mental health. Positive mental health is important for healthy maturation and there is a need to develop initiatives to reduce adolescent loneliness and so support positive development.

Full text

Full text at https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/14/7405  

Cite

Lyyra, N., Thorsteinsson, E. B., Eriksson, C., Madsen, K. R., Tolvanen, A., Löfstedt, P., & Välimaa, R. (2021). The association between loneliness, mental wellbeing, and self-esteem among adolescents in four Nordic countries. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, Article 7405. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147405 

Neighborhood predictors of life domain satisfaction

Title of publication

Neighborhood predictors of life domain satisfaction and subjective wellbeing in rural and urban groups: Implications for health policy and practice

Abstract

This research investigates the extent to which satisfaction with thirteen aspects of neighborhood predicts the life domain satisfaction and subjective wellbeing (SWB) of rural (n = 408) and urban (n = 1,690) groups as measured by the seven life domains of the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) using Australian data. Open space and sharing and borrowing between neighbors were found to predict life domain satisfaction for rural respondents but not urban respondents. On the other hand, leisure facilities predict domain satisfaction for urban but not rural respondents, while trust between neighbors predicts a greater number of domains for urban respondents. Greater awareness of neighborhood predictors unique to rural or urban groups could help target public health policy aimed at maintaining SWB is these populations.

Links

http://ijw.cgpublisher.com/product/pub.198/prod.273

Cite

Kennedy, W., & Thorsteinsson, E. B. (2017). Neighborhood predictors of life domain satisfaction and subjective wellbeing in rural and urban groups: Implications for health policy and practice. The International Journal of Health, Wellness, and Society, 7, 83-97. 

Exercise and workplace burnout

Title of publication

Reducing workplace burnout: The relative benefits of cardiovascular and resistance exercise

Abstract 

Objectives. The global burden of burnout cost is in excess of $300 billion annually. Locally, just under half of working Australians experience high levels of occupational burnout. Consequently, burnout interventions are paramount to organisational productivity. Exercise has the potential to provide a multilevel and cost effective burnout intervention. The current study aims to extend the literature by comparing cardiovascular with resistance exercise to assess their relative effectiveness against well-being, perceived stress, and burnout. Design. Participants were 49 (36 females and 13 males) previously inactive volunteers ranging in age from 19 to 68 that completed a four week exercise program of either cardiovascular, resistance, or no exercise (control). Randomised control trial design was employed. Method. Participants were measured against the Subjective Exercise Experience Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Results. After four weeks of exercise participants had greater positive well-being and personal accomplishment, and concomitantly less psychological distress, perceived stress, and emotional exhaustion. Cardiovascular exercise was found to increase well-being and decrease psychological distress, perceived stress, and emotional exhaustion. Resistance training was noticeably effective in increasing well-being and personal accomplishment and to reduce perceived stress. The present findings revealed large effect sizes suggesting that exercise may be an effective treatment for burnout. However, given a small sample size further research needs to be conducted. Conclusion. Exercise has potential to be an effective burnout intervention. Different types of exercise may assist employees in different ways. Organisations wishing to proactively reduce burnout can do so by encouraging their employees to access regular exercise programs.

Cite

Bretland, R. J., & Thorsteinsson, E. B. (2015). Reducing workplace burnout: The relative benefits of cardiovascular and resistance exercise. PeerJ, 3, e891. doi:10.7717/peerj.891

Data

Bretland, R. J., & Thorsteinsson, E. B. (2017). Reducing workplace burnout through exercise [DATA]. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4762495.v2

Link 

https://peerj.com/articles/891/?td=bl

Covered in 

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Ergolog. (2015, June 15). Resistance training and cardio training offer protection against burnout. Physical Culturist.

IRON Magazine. (2016, September 16). Burnout protection with resistance training and cardio training. IRON Magazine

Jennings, M. (2017, February 1). 4 weeks of pumping iron to avoid office burnout. Men'sHealth. 

Reeder, M. (2016, May 3). Exercise and Burnout - One More Benefit! cycling cme.