Essays on debt, personality and well-being in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand and Vietnam, have made remarkable progress in terms of economic development over the past decades. Yet, rural areas in these countries lag behind. This dissertation studies households in such rural areas in Thailand and Vietnam. It sheds light on (i) the influence of local shocks on individual well-being, (ii) household debt behaviour and expectations towards future income, and (iii) the role of non-cognitive skills on individual labour market outcomes. Hence, it provides rich insights into the factors influencing household perceptions and decision making behaviour as well as the importance of non-cognitive skills in rural areas of Southeast Asia. The first chapter of this dissertation provides information on the study background, the data and presents an overview of each Chapter. The remainder of the dissertation consists of four essays stretching out over the next Chapters. Chapter 2 analyses the impact of witnessing nearby flood events on a person's individual subjective well-being. While previous studies and a negative effect of directly experienced environmental shocks, this Chapter shows that observing such events also has detrimental consequences for individual well-being. We hereby compare individuals that self-reported a direct flood shock with those who did not. Additionally, it demonstrates that observing traumatic events not only impact current evaluations of subjective well-being but translate into negative future well-being expectations. Chapter 3 studies the relation between high income expectations and over-indebtedness. Extensive survey data on households´ borrowing behavior and future income expectations were collected for this study. Using indicators of objective and subjective over indebtedness, a strong positive relation between high income expectations and household over-indebtedness can be shown. An additional lab-in-the-field experiment reveals that over-confidence is related to over-borrowing. The last two Chapters (Chapter 4 and 5) focus on the importance of non-cognitive skills for individual labour market outcomes in a rural labour market setting. Measures of non-cognitive skills are validated in Chapter 4, studying one of the most commonly used models capturing a person's personality, the Big Five Factor model. The results reveal a five factor structure similar to that found in samples from industrialised countries. In a next step, Chapter 5 analyses the importance of non-cognitive skills for individual occupational attainment and earnings. The findings show that non-cognitive skills are important determinants for labour market outcomes in rural labour markets. A high level of responsibility and efficiency are important characteristics with respect to occupational attainment and emotional stability is associated with higher earnings.Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/Thailand Vietnam Socio Economic Panel; Graduiertenkolleg Globalisierung und Entwicklung/283672937; RTG 1723/E

The Six Dimensions of Child Welfare Employees’ Occupational Well-Being

The objective of this paper is the creation of a multidimensional model of occupational well-being for child welfare professions and the definition of the model’s six dimensions of well-being: affective, social, cognitive, professional, personal, and psychosocial well-being. Previous concepts that were used to describe child welfare employees’ well-being at work focused, primarily, on single aspects of work-related mental distress or well-being, disregarding the complexity of well-being in child welfare professions. The model presented here is based on an analysis of theoretical concepts and empirical studies addressing child welfare workers’ mental distress and well-being. The body of variables, consisting of individual and organizational factors and gathered from the analysis, is used to create a positively oriented model. The key processes in developing psychological distress, as well as employee well-being, are seen in worker–client relationships and the interactions of organizations with their employees. The presented model reveals the importance of constructive interaction between organizations and employees concerning the creation and maintenance of occupational well-being. Application of the model will contribute to the enhancement of the occupational well-being of child welfare employees and, thereby, of organizational well-being. Additional investigations are needed for the empirical validation of the model

An analysis of Space Shuttle countdown activities: Preliminaries to a computational model of the NASA Test Director

Before all systems are go just prior to the launch of a space shuttle, thousands of operations and tests have been performed to ensure that all shuttle and support subsystems are operational and ready for launch. These steps, which range from activating the orbiter's flight computers to removing the launch pad from the itinerary of the NASA tour buses, are carried out by launch team members at various locations and with highly specialized fields of expertise. The liability for coordinating these diverse activities rests with the NASA Test Director (NTD) at NASA-Kennedy. The behavior is being studied of the NTD with the goal of building a detailed computational model of that behavior; the results of that analysis to date are given. The NTD's performance is described in detail, as a team member who must coordinate a complex task through efficient audio communication, as well as an individual taking notes and consulting manuals. A model of the routine cognitive skill used by the NTD to follow the launch countdown procedure manual was implemented using the Soar cognitive architecture. Several examples are given of how such a model could aid in evaluating proposed computer support systems

THE CENTRAL ROLE OF ENGAGEMENT AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING IN VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES

Individuals’ willingness to help the virtual community (VC) and individual members are is known as a key to the survival and success of a virtual community. Prior research on has proposed that engagement plays a central role in online communities. Although researchers implicitly concur on the significance of happiness and satisfaction with online social life in the context of VC, the notion of subjective well-being itself remains relatively little understood in the information systems literature. We propose that subjective well-being is critical to active participation in online social environments. We will construct and test a framework that demonstrates how it powerfully explains members’ helping behaviors in VCs. In particular, our model predicts that subjective well-being will promote willingness to help the VC, while engagement will promote subjective well-being and willingness to help individual members. In addition, three types of social (community) identity (cognitive, evaluative and affective), psychological climate and social support will have direct or indirect effects on engagement and subjective well-being. We will test the proposed research model through the use of data collected from users of a professional virtual community dedicated to sharing knowledge about information technology

Intra‐individual variability in task performance after cognitive training is associated with long‐term outcomes in children

The potential benefits and mechanistic effects of working memory training (WMT) in children are the subject of much research and debate. We show that after five weeks of school-based, adaptive WMT 6–9 year-old primary school children had greater activity in prefrontal and striatal brain regions, higher task accuracy, and reduced intra-individual variability in response times compared to controls. Using a sequential sampling decision model, we demonstrate that this reduction in intra-individual variability can be explained by changes to the evidence accumulation rates and thresholds. Critically, intra-individual variability is useful in quantifying the immediate impact of cognitive training interventions, being a better predictor of academic skills and well-being 6–12 months after the end of training than task accuracy. Taken together, our results suggest that attention control is the initial mechanism that leads to the long-run benefits from adaptive WMT. Selective and sustained attention abilities may serve as a scaffold for subsequent changes in higher cognitive processes, academic skills, and general well-being. Furthermore, these results highlight that the selection of outcome measures and the timing of the assessments play a crucial role in detecting training efficacy. Thus, evaluating intra-individual variability, during or directly after training could allow for the early tailoring of training interventions in terms of duration or content to maximise their impact

Conceptualising women's perinatal well-being: a systematic review of theoretical discussions

Background: Perinatal well-being has increasingly become the focus of research, clinical practice and policy. However, attention has mostly been on a reductionist understanding of well-being based on a mind-body duality. Conceptual clarity around what constitutes well-being beyond this is lacking. Aim: To systematically review theoretical discussions of perinatal well-being in the academic literature.Design and methods: A search of online databases identified papers which discussed perinatal well-being theoretically, taking a multi-dimensional approach to well-being. Thematic synthesis was used to identify and synthesize relevant elements within the included papers.Findings: Eight papers were identified for inclusion in this review. All contributed a number of elements towards a theoretical discussion of perinatal well-being. Three themes were developed: (1) the importance of a number of general domains of women’s lives and domains specific to the perinatal period, (2) well-being as a subjective and individual experience with physical/embodied, affective, and psychological/cognitive aspects, and (3) the dynamic nature of well-being. Conclusions and implications for practice: Perinatal well-being is a complex, multi-dimensional construct. Current theoretical discussions in the academic literature do not provide a comprehensive model or conceptualisation covering all aspects of well-being during the perinatal period. Further theoretical work is required, particularly with regards to theorising well-being during labour and birth, the perinatal period as a continuum, and the role played by women’s expectations. The themes identified in this review contribute to a tentative model of perinatal well-being, taking note particularly of the dynamic nature of well-being. This model should be refined and validated through empirical work and can then be used to underpin further research and the development of a multi-dimensional measure of perinatal well-being

AMO perspectives on the well-being of neurodivergent human capital

Purpose: Existing management research and management practices frequently overlook the relationship between the above-average human capital of highly functioning neurodivergent employees, their subjective well-being in the workplace and performance outcomes. This paper calls for greater attention to the hidden human capital associated with neurodiversity by mainstreaming implementation of neurodiversity-friendly policies and practices. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on the ability, motivation and opportunity (AMO) framework, this conceptual paper integrates research on employee neurodiversity and well-being to provide a model of HR-systems level and human capital development policies, systems and practices for neurodivergent minorities in the workplace. Findings: This paper illustrates that workplace neurodiversity, like biodiversity, is a natural phenomenon. For subjective individual psychological and organisational well-being, neurodivergent employees require an empathetic culture and innovative talent management approaches that respect cognitive differences. Practical implications: The case is made for neurodivergent human capital development and policy-makers to promote inclusive employment and decent work in a context of relatively high unemployment for neurodivergent individuals. Originality/value: This paper extends current debates on organisational equality, diversity and inclusion to a consideration of workplace well-being for highly functioning neurodivergent workers. It calls for more equitable and empathetic approaches to investing in employees with neurodevelopmental and cognitive disabilities

Self-defining Memories, Scripts, and the Life Story: Narrative Identity in Personality and Psychotherapy

An integrative model of narrative identity builds on a dual memory system that draws on episodic memory and a long-term self to generate autobiographical memories. Autobiographical memories related to critical goals in a lifetime period lead to life-story memories, which in turn become self-defining memories when linked to an individual\u27s enduring concerns. Self-defining memories that share repetitive emotion-outcome sequences yield narrative scripts, abstracted templates that filter cognitive-affective processing. The life story is the individual\u27s overarching narrative that provides unity and purpose over the life course. Healthy narrative identity combines memory specificity with adaptive meaning-making to achieve insight and well-being, as demonstrated through a literature review of personality and clinical research, as well as new findings from our own research program. A clinical case study drawing on this narrative identity model is also presented with implications for treatment and research

Engagement and Well Being of Students of Vocational Education

Recently, it has been observed an increased theoretical interest and research in relation to the engagement of the student in activities and school contexts, as a possible explanation for the high dropout rates and poor academic results. It is, therefore, that joining this theme so actual and complex of understanding is a risky decision but simultaneously also innovative and rewarding because of the contributions that may arise. Anchored in the theoretical framework of the engagement of Jimerson & Lam (2008) model, this article reflects part of the study conducted under the engagement of students in vocational education at school. Given this multidimensionality, we sought to understand the possible changes of causal variables: well-being and engagement. This option builds on the theoretical evidence and it shows that is extremely important to study the influence of various factors on the existence of more or less well-being and ability to adapt to each subject. Connecting with other constructs such as engagement, since this is a key means by which the students develop feelings about their peers, as his/her teachers and the institutions that give direction of connection and belonging affiliation, while simultaneously offering them opportunities for learning and development. One can, then, empirically conclude that if his/her adaptation is viewed positively, the consequences to the well-being level will be emphasized. Since working this connection (with the engagement), there is an interaction between the emotional and cognitive processes, that is to say, if on one hand the emotion cognitive processes are activated, on the other hand, the emotion also influences the type of information processing the individual runs, which has behavioral implications. In Portugal, and as a way to integrate the prospects of conceptualization of the construct of well-being, Bizarro built a model that served as the basis for the development of an instrument to assess psychological well-being in adolescence, a multidimensional model that includes subjective components which include emotional and cognitive areas. Looking, then, to understand the relationship between engagement and well-being there were used the scale the Student Engagement in School - EEEE (2012 version) and the Scale of Psychological Well-Being for Adolescents (EBEPA). Linear regression model, with the assumptions of normal distribution and homoscedasticity of residuals were validated through the interpretation of PP and Scatterplot graphs were created. In what concerns to the model (dependent variable: psychological well-being independent variable engagement), it appears that it is a fitted model F (4) = 125.444, p = 000 (statistically significant regression). With the exception of engagement, all variables are considered statistically significant for explaining the psychological well-being. At the level of multicollinearity and the values of tolerance and VIF is concluded that there is a given R2a =, and R2 = 494, 498, the linear regression explains 50% of the variance, that is, a good percentage (half) of the variability of the psychological well-being (F (4) = 125.444, p =, 000). These data allowed us to understand the relationships that are established between the study variables, however, it is necessary to investigate further more the multidimensionality of engagement

Risk perception and affective state on work exhaustion in obstetrics during the COVID-19 pandemic

Amulticenter cross-sectional survey study involving four Italian University Hospitals was performed to test the hypothesis that negative affect and positive affect (affective dimensions) mediate the association between risk perception (perceived risk of infection and death; cognitive dimensions) and the feeling of work exhaustion (WE) among obstetrics healthcare providers (HCPs) during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Totally, 570 obstetrics HCPs were invited to complete the 104-item IPSICO survey in May 2020. A theoretical model built on the tested hypothesis was investigated by structural equation modelling. The model explained 32.2% of the WE variance. Only negative affect mediated the association between cognitive dimensions and WE and also the association between WE and psychological well-being before the pandemic, experiences of stressful events, female gender, and dysfunctional coping. Non-mediated associations withWE were observed for work perceived as a duty, experience of stressful events, support received by colleagues, and the shift strategy. Only previous psychological well-being, support by colleagues, and shift strategies were inversely associated with WE. Based on study results, monitoring negative than positive affect appears superior in predicting WE, with practical implications for planning psychological interventions in HCPs at the individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels