Psychological well-being and work in the dramatic arts: qualitative research of actors’ experiences

Objective: Examining the experiences of students of a theater company pertaining to the impact of work in the dramatic arts on their psychological well-being. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 students of a theater company of different ages and levels of experience. The collected qualitative data were analyzed in the context of the six-factor Theory of psychological well-being, which includes: self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth. In addition to the above topics derived from a deductive approach to data, two additional topics are also discussed: reasons for enrolling in the theater and participants’ progress. Results: The results of this research showed that acting contributes to the personal well-being of individuals. The participants most often mentioned an increase in self-confidence, a decrease in anxiety levels, a connection with other students, courage, and awareness of one’s own capabilities. In addition to the positive impact of acting on their lives, the participants also mentioned some negative aspects they had noticed when it comes to the behavior of others, such as a lack of accountability of some students, “pretending” in everyday life, and some prejudices regarding acting. Conclusion: The results of the research support the idea that working in the arts, in this case the dramatic arts, can contribute to the psychological well-being of individuals. Sharing their experiences of working in the dramatic arts, the students of a theater company touched on all six domains of psychological well-being pertaining to the Theory of psychological well-being (Ryff & Keyes, 1995)

Worldwide trends in hypertension prevalence and progress in treatment and control from 1990 to 2019: a pooled analysis of 1201 population-representative studies with 104 million participants

Background Hypertension can be detected at the primary health-care level and low-cost treatments can effectively control hypertension. We aimed to measure the prevalence of hypertension and progress in its detection, treatment, and control from 1990 to 2019 for 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 1990 to 2019 on people aged 30–79 years from population-representative studies with measurement of blood pressure and data on blood pressure treatment. We defined hypertension as having systolic blood pressure 140 mm Hg or greater, diastolic blood pressure 90 mm Hg or greater, or taking medication for hypertension. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate the prevalence of hypertension and the proportion of people with hypertension who had a previous diagnosis (detection), who were taking medication for hypertension (treatment), and whose hypertension was controlled to below 140/90 mm Hg (control). The model allowed for trends over time to be non-linear and to vary by age. Findings The number of people aged 30–79 years with hypertension doubled from 1990 to 2019, from 331 (95% credible interval 306–359) million women and 317 (292–344) million men in 1990 to 626 (584–668) million women and 652 (604–698) million men in 2019, despite stable global age-standardised prevalence. In 2019, age-standardised hypertension prevalence was lowest in Canada and Peru for both men and women; in Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and some countries in western Europe including Switzerland, Spain, and the UK for women; and in several low-income and middle-income countries such as Eritrea, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Solomon Islands for men. Hypertension prevalence surpassed 50% for women in two countries and men in nine countries, in central and eastern Europe, central Asia, Oceania, and Latin America. Globally, 59% (55–62) of women and 49% (46–52) of men with hypertension reported a previous diagnosis of hypertension in 2019, and 47% (43–51) of women and 38% (35–41) of men were treated. Control rates among people with hypertension in 2019 were 23% (20–27) for women and 18% (16–21) for men. In 2019, treatment and control rates were highest in South Korea, Canada, and Iceland (treatment >70%; control >50%), followed by the USA, Costa Rica, Germany, Portugal, and Taiwan. Treatment rates were less than 25% for women and less than 20% for men in Nepal, Indonesia, and some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. Control rates were below 10% for women and men in these countries and for men in some countries in north Africa, central and south Asia, and eastern Europe. Treatment and control rates have improved in most countries since 1990, but we found little change in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. Improvements were largest in high-income countries, central Europe, and some upper-middle-income and recently high-income countries including Costa Rica, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Brazil, Chile, Turkey, and Iran. Interpretation Improvements in the detection, treatment, and control of hypertension have varied substantially across countries, with some middle-income countries now outperforming most high-income nations. The dual approach of reducing hypertension prevalence through primary prevention and enhancing its treatment and control is achievable not only in high-income countries but also in low-income and middle-income settings

Psychological Well-being and Theater Work: a Qualitative Study of Actors' Experiences

Cilj ovoga istraživanja bio je ispitati iskustva polaznika kazališnoga studija PlayDrama vezana uz utjecaj dramskoga rada na njihovu psihološku dobrobit. Teorija psihološke dobrobiti sastoji se od šest međusobno povezanih dimenzija koje ispituju na koje načine životna iskustva utječu na brojna čovjekova opažanja samoga sebe. Metodom intervjua ispitalo se svih šest dimenzija psihološke dobrobiti: samoprihvaćanje, pozitivni odnosi s drugima, autonomija, nošenje s okolinom, svrha u životu i osobni rast. Tijekom provođenja intervjua razvile su se i dvije neplanirane dimenzije istraživanja: razlozi upisa u studio i napredak u ostalih polaznika. Intervju se proveo na uzorku od petnaest polaznika studija. Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su da bavljenje glumom podržava osobnu dobrobit sudionika. Najveći napredak primijećen je u porastu samopouzdanja, smanjivanju treme, oslobođenju, povezanosti s drugim polaznicima, hrabrosti i osvještavanju vlastitih mogućnosti. Osim pozitivnih značajki, sudionici su prepoznali i manjak odgovornosti u pojedinih polaznika, „glumu“ drugih ljudi u svakodnevnome životu te predrasude o bavljenju glumom. Također, gluma pomaže polaznicima u primjerenomu djelovanju u konfliktima s drugim osobama.The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of actors in the theatre group PlayDrama related to the influence of theatre work on their psychological well-being. The theory of psychological well-being consists of six mutually connected dimensions which explore the ways in which life experiences affect numerous people's perceptions of themselves. All six dimensions of psychological well-being were explored by means of interviews: self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life and personal growth. During the interviews, two unplanned dimensions of research have emerged: reasons of attending the drama group and progress of fellow colleagues. The interview sample consisted of fifteen participants. The results of this research have shown that theatre work supports actors' psychological well- being. The greatest progress was seen in the growth of self-confidence, decrease of stage fright, feeling of liberation, connecting with other actors, bravery and realizing their own potentials. Besides the positive characteristics of theatre work, participants have also recognized the lack of responsibility in some colleagues, people’s “acting” in everyday life, as well as prejudice about acting. Also, acting helps participants with resolving conflicts in appropriate ways

Psychological Well-being and Theater Work: a Qualitative Study of Actors' Experiences

Cilj ovoga istraživanja bio je ispitati iskustva polaznika kazališnoga studija PlayDrama vezana uz utjecaj dramskoga rada na njihovu psihološku dobrobit. Teorija psihološke dobrobiti sastoji se od šest međusobno povezanih dimenzija koje ispituju na koje načine životna iskustva utječu na brojna čovjekova opažanja samoga sebe. Metodom intervjua ispitalo se svih šest dimenzija psihološke dobrobiti: samoprihvaćanje, pozitivni odnosi s drugima, autonomija, nošenje s okolinom, svrha u životu i osobni rast. Tijekom provođenja intervjua razvile su se i dvije neplanirane dimenzije istraživanja: razlozi upisa u studio i napredak u ostalih polaznika. Intervju se proveo na uzorku od petnaest polaznika studija. Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su da bavljenje glumom podržava osobnu dobrobit sudionika. Najveći napredak primijećen je u porastu samopouzdanja, smanjivanju treme, oslobođenju, povezanosti s drugim polaznicima, hrabrosti i osvještavanju vlastitih mogućnosti. Osim pozitivnih značajki, sudionici su prepoznali i manjak odgovornosti u pojedinih polaznika, „glumu“ drugih ljudi u svakodnevnome životu te predrasude o bavljenju glumom. Također, gluma pomaže polaznicima u primjerenomu djelovanju u konfliktima s drugim osobama.The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of actors in the theatre group PlayDrama related to the influence of theatre work on their psychological well-being. The theory of psychological well-being consists of six mutually connected dimensions which explore the ways in which life experiences affect numerous people's perceptions of themselves. All six dimensions of psychological well-being were explored by means of interviews: self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life and personal growth. During the interviews, two unplanned dimensions of research have emerged: reasons of attending the drama group and progress of fellow colleagues. The interview sample consisted of fifteen participants. The results of this research have shown that theatre work supports actors' psychological well- being. The greatest progress was seen in the growth of self-confidence, decrease of stage fright, feeling of liberation, connecting with other actors, bravery and realizing their own potentials. Besides the positive characteristics of theatre work, participants have also recognized the lack of responsibility in some colleagues, people’s “acting” in everyday life, as well as prejudice about acting. Also, acting helps participants with resolving conflicts in appropriate ways

Psychological Well-being and Theater Work: a Qualitative Study of Actors' Experiences

Cilj ovoga istraživanja bio je ispitati iskustva polaznika kazališnoga studija PlayDrama vezana uz utjecaj dramskoga rada na njihovu psihološku dobrobit. Teorija psihološke dobrobiti sastoji se od šest međusobno povezanih dimenzija koje ispituju na koje načine životna iskustva utječu na brojna čovjekova opažanja samoga sebe. Metodom intervjua ispitalo se svih šest dimenzija psihološke dobrobiti: samoprihvaćanje, pozitivni odnosi s drugima, autonomija, nošenje s okolinom, svrha u životu i osobni rast. Tijekom provođenja intervjua razvile su se i dvije neplanirane dimenzije istraživanja: razlozi upisa u studio i napredak u ostalih polaznika. Intervju se proveo na uzorku od petnaest polaznika studija. Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su da bavljenje glumom podržava osobnu dobrobit sudionika. Najveći napredak primijećen je u porastu samopouzdanja, smanjivanju treme, oslobođenju, povezanosti s drugim polaznicima, hrabrosti i osvještavanju vlastitih mogućnosti. Osim pozitivnih značajki, sudionici su prepoznali i manjak odgovornosti u pojedinih polaznika, „glumu“ drugih ljudi u svakodnevnome životu te predrasude o bavljenju glumom. Također, gluma pomaže polaznicima u primjerenomu djelovanju u konfliktima s drugim osobama.The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of actors in the theatre group PlayDrama related to the influence of theatre work on their psychological well-being. The theory of psychological well-being consists of six mutually connected dimensions which explore the ways in which life experiences affect numerous people's perceptions of themselves. All six dimensions of psychological well-being were explored by means of interviews: self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life and personal growth. During the interviews, two unplanned dimensions of research have emerged: reasons of attending the drama group and progress of fellow colleagues. The interview sample consisted of fifteen participants. The results of this research have shown that theatre work supports actors' psychological well- being. The greatest progress was seen in the growth of self-confidence, decrease of stage fright, feeling of liberation, connecting with other actors, bravery and realizing their own potentials. Besides the positive characteristics of theatre work, participants have also recognized the lack of responsibility in some colleagues, people’s “acting” in everyday life, as well as prejudice about acting. Also, acting helps participants with resolving conflicts in appropriate ways