Overall Life Satisfaction In Latvia

The concept of life satisfaction has always been important part of providing well-being of population. Life satisfaction of inhabitants of the country is becoming a greater challenge for country to solve as it affects both personal and professional life of citizens and performances that are made in these fields therefore it is necessary to be aware of the current situation in order to know in what situation Latvia is, what are the challenges and what needs to be improved in the future. The purpose of the study is to analyse overall life satisfaction development in Latvia by gender, age group and education level. The tasks of the study: 1. to analyse different approaches of theoretical findings reflected in scientific publications and previous conducted research results of overall life satisfaction; 2. to investigate existing research findings of overall life satisfaction in the regions in EU and OECD countries; 3. to analyse main factors and problems affecting overall life satisfaction among inhabitants of Latvia. Research methods used in preparation of the paper: scientific publication and previous conducted research results analysis and analysis of Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia conducted survey data on Quality of Life results. Survey results are analysed using indicators of descriptive statistics (indicators of central tendency or location – arithmetic mean, mode, median), indicators of variability (indicators of dispersion – range, standard deviation and standard error of mean), cross-tabulations by age groups, by gender, by education level and by type of household. The results of analysis indicated that Latvia is among the most dissatisfied countries in Europe and for decision makers there are several challenges that need to be overcome.The research was supported by the NATIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAMME “LATVIAN HERITAGE AND FUTURE CHALLENGES FOR THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE STATE” project “CHALLENGES FOR THE LATVIAN STATE AND SOCIETY AND THE SOLUTIONS IN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT" (INTERFRAME-LV, Project No.VPP-IZM-2018/1-0005

Internet Addiction and Correlates Among Tertiary Students in a Sub-Saharan African Country – Case of KNUST, Ghana: A Follow Up Study

Background:  A major drawback of the revolutionary technology of the internet is the tendency for addiction. Internet addiction (IA) is a modern menace affecting mostly the youth. Preventive counseling (PC) is needed to deal with this growing public health concern, however empirical data as a basis in terms of prevalence and corelates are non – existent in Ghana. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of IA and its psychological corelates among Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) students. Methods: Online cross-sectional method was used to survey one thousand, one hundred and sixty-five (1,165) students. Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Beck’s Depressive Inventory (BDI), Index of Self-Esteem (ISE), Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (RULS) and Satisfaction with Life (SWL) measures were used for data collection. The data was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 25. Results: 36.2% of the study participants (SPs) were normal internet users and 39%, 19.0% and 1.1% were mildly, moderately and severely addicted to the internet respectively. Also, with higher scores indicating greater magnitude of problem, there were significant positive correlations between IAT and their Self-esteem (r = 0.288, N= 1165, p = 0.000), loneliness (r = 0.228, N= 1165, p = 0.000) and depression (r = 0.270, N= 1165, p = 0.000) scores. Moreover, there was a significant inverse relationship with their IAT and SWL (r = - 0.209, p = 0.000) scores. Conclusion: Approximately 1% of KNUST students sampled need addictive psychotherapeutic intervention. Also 58% (i.e. 39% mild plus 19.0% moderate prevalence of addiction) need preemptive counselling since they stand the chance of continuing to the severe end of IA continuum. Implications for policy, promotion of preventive health behaviors and clinical intervention at the institutional and national levels have been discussed

Proaktif Kişiliğin Yaşam Doyumuna Etkisinde Covid-19 Korkusunun Aracılık Rolü Üzerine Bir Araştırma

Küresel çalışma yaşamında hızla değişen ve çevreye uyum sağlayabilen örgütler başarıya ulaşmaktadırlar. Değişime ayak uydurmak, geleceği öngörebilmenin yanı sıra geleceğe hazırlıklı olmaya bağlı bulunmaktadır. Değişim karşısında sağlanan başarı yaşamdan duyulan mutluluğa ve örgütsel başarıya etki etmektedir. Önceden hazırlıklı olmakla açıklanabilen proaktif kişilik ile mutlu olmakla özdeşleşen yaşam doyumu kavramları hem sosyal yaşamda hem de örgütsel yaşamda oldukça önem arz etmektedir. Çalışmada proaktif kişilik ile yaşam doyumu ilişkisinin araştırılmasının yanı sıra Covid-19 korkusunun bu ilişkideki aracılık etkisi ölçülmek istenmiştir. Bu amaçla Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi Sağlık Hizmetleri Meslek Yüksekokulu öğrencilerinden anket yöntemiyle elde edilen veriler Yapısal Eşitlik Modeli (YEM) ile analiz edilmiştir. Verilerin analizi sonucunda, proaktif kişilik ile yaşam doyumu arasında olumlu bir etki tespit edilirken, bu değişkenlere Covid-19 korkusunun negatif yönlü kısmi aracılıkta bulunduğu tespit edilmiştir

Psychosocial determinants of the humanities and social sciences brain drain

Tema „odljeva mozgova“ zahtijeva stalno praćenje. Ovo istraživanje predstavlja upravo pokušaj ispitivanja opsega i karakteristika potencijalnog „odljeva mozgova“ iz Hrvatske na uzorku od 520 studenata društveno-humanističkog područja Sveučilišta u Zagrebu. Rezultati su pokazali da 72.5% studenata namjerava ostati u Zagrebu nakon završetka studija. Za 39 % sudionika koji nisu iz Zagreba povratak u svoje ranije mjesto nakon završetka studija prilično je ili vrlo vjerojatan. Tek 10.4 % studenata namjerava karijeru nastaviti bilo gdje u Hrvatskoj. 27.6 % sudionika prilično će ili vrlo vjerojatno otići iz Hrvatske na neko vrijeme, dok svega 11.3% sudionika iskazuje priličnu ili vrlo vjerojatnu namjeru odlaska iz Hrvatske za stalno. Psihosocijalne varijable, i to u prvom redu životne vrijednosti, pokazale su se najistaknutijom odrednicom namjere trajnog odlaska u inozemstvo. Namjera rada u struci, percepcija nepravde hrvatskog društva, doživljena podrška uže obitelji, zadovoljstvo životom, znanje jezika te rad uz studij također predviđaju namjeru trajnog odlaska.Brain drain is a subject that requires continuous tracking. The present study is an attempt to capture the extent and characteristics of the brain drain in a sample of 520 humanities and social sciences students studying at the University of Zagreb. The results have shown that as much as 72.5% of students intend to stay in Zagreb after graduation. 39 % of respondents who are not from Zagreb are likely to go back to their former place of residence after graduation. Only 10.4% of students intend to develop their career anywhere in Croatia. 27.6% of respodents are likely to leave Croatia temporarily, whereas only as much as 11.3% of respondents are likely to migrate from Croatia permanently. Psychosocial variables, in particular life values, are the main determinants of intention to migrate abroad permanently. Planning one's job search in major field, perceived injustice of Croatian society, perceived family support, life satisfaction, knowledge of foreign languages and working while studying are also predictors of intention to migrate abroad permanently

Psychosocial determinants of the humanities and social sciences brain drain

Tema „odljeva mozgova“ zahtijeva stalno praćenje. Ovo istraživanje predstavlja upravo pokušaj ispitivanja opsega i karakteristika potencijalnog „odljeva mozgova“ iz Hrvatske na uzorku od 520 studenata društveno-humanističkog područja Sveučilišta u Zagrebu. Rezultati su pokazali da 72.5% studenata namjerava ostati u Zagrebu nakon završetka studija. Za 39 % sudionika koji nisu iz Zagreba povratak u svoje ranije mjesto nakon završetka studija prilično je ili vrlo vjerojatan. Tek 10.4 % studenata namjerava karijeru nastaviti bilo gdje u Hrvatskoj. 27.6 % sudionika prilično će ili vrlo vjerojatno otići iz Hrvatske na neko vrijeme, dok svega 11.3% sudionika iskazuje priličnu ili vrlo vjerojatnu namjeru odlaska iz Hrvatske za stalno. Psihosocijalne varijable, i to u prvom redu životne vrijednosti, pokazale su se najistaknutijom odrednicom namjere trajnog odlaska u inozemstvo. Namjera rada u struci, percepcija nepravde hrvatskog društva, doživljena podrška uže obitelji, zadovoljstvo životom, znanje jezika te rad uz studij također predviđaju namjeru trajnog odlaska.Brain drain is a subject that requires continuous tracking. The present study is an attempt to capture the extent and characteristics of the brain drain in a sample of 520 humanities and social sciences students studying at the University of Zagreb. The results have shown that as much as 72.5% of students intend to stay in Zagreb after graduation. 39 % of respondents who are not from Zagreb are likely to go back to their former place of residence after graduation. Only 10.4% of students intend to develop their career anywhere in Croatia. 27.6% of respodents are likely to leave Croatia temporarily, whereas only as much as 11.3% of respondents are likely to migrate from Croatia permanently. Psychosocial variables, in particular life values, are the main determinants of intention to migrate abroad permanently. Planning one's job search in major field, perceived injustice of Croatian society, perceived family support, life satisfaction, knowledge of foreign languages and working while studying are also predictors of intention to migrate abroad permanently

Understanding participant actions in OR interventions using practice theories: a research agenda

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordPractice theory is a collective concept embodying a group of social theories that take practice, in other words actions, as the central focus of their theorising. In this paper we examine the intellectual development of practice theory, highlighting the importance of the key ideas that have shaped thinking on organisational activities and show their relevance to OR. In particular, we examine the social theories that OR researchers have adopted, what data was captured, and how it was analysed in order to establish empirical grounding in case studies involving workshops and meetings published by OR researchers. The cases thus provide a useful empirical basis for comparison to outline the prospects for the use of practice theories by OR academic researchers. Finally, we propose an agenda to advance the understanding of practice theories and their contribution to the theory and practice of OR

Effects of proactive decision making on life satisfaction

Proactive decision making, a concept recently introduced to behavioral operational research and decision analysis, addresses effective decision making during its phase of generating alternatives. It is measured on a scale comprising six dimensions grouped into two categories: proactive personality traits and proactive cognitive skills. Personality traits are grounded on theoretical constructs such as proactive attitude and proactive behavior; cognitive skills reflect value-focused thinking and decision quality. These traits and skills have been used to explain decision satisfaction, although their antecedents and other consequences have not yet been the subject of rigorous hypotheses and testing. This paper embeds proactive decision making within a model of three possible consequences. We consider-and empirically test-decision satisfaction, general self-efficacy, and life satisfaction by conducting three studies with 1300 participants. We then apply structural equation modeling to show that proactive decision making helps to account for life satisfaction, an explanation mediated by general self-efficacy and decision satisfaction. Thus proactive decision making fosters greater belief in one's abilities and increases satisfaction with one's decisions and with life more generally. These results imply that it is worthwhile to help individuals enhance their decision-making proactivity. Demonstrating the positive effects of proactive decision making at the individual level underscores how important the phase of generating alternatives is, and it also highlights the merit of employing decision quality principles and being proactive during that phase. Hence the findings presented here confirm the relevance of OR, and of decision-analytic principles, to the lives of ordinary people. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V