title: Examining the Role of Positive Experiences of Wellbeing in Shaping Lifestyle-Related Thinking and Behaviours Among Emerging Adults
Creators: name: Sofija, Ernesta
Publisher: name: Griffith University
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: emerging adults
subject: wellbeing
subject: lifestyle behaviours
subject: photo-elicitation
subject: visual methods
subject: nature experiences
subject: lived experiences
subject: public health

description: Emerging adulthood (aged 18 to 29 years) is a distinct life stage experienced as young people transition into adulthood, and where they make important decisions that impact on the remainder of their lives. Emerging adulthood, with its frequent lifestyle changes, is also the most fast-paced and unstable period of the lifespan, leading to increased stress on emerging-adults’ coping resources. This group is consistently identified as vulnerable to mental wellbeing and behavioural issues. Wellbeing, as a positive subjective experience, is identified as a factor that encourages self-care, and may steer individuals away from risky lifestyle behaviours. Viewing lifestyle behaviours through a wellbeing lens can enable consideration of the individual as a holistic entity when they make health-related decisions. The importance of this is increasingly highlighted in the contemporary literature, although only a few studies specifically focus on investigating young people’s interpretations and lived experiences of wellbeing. This means that young people’s views have been largely underrepresented in discussions about their wellbeing, undermining their role in making their own worlds and health. To contribute to the growing body of work that aims to unpack the complex and dynamic relationship between wellbeing and lifestyle behaviours, this program of research examined the role that the subjective experience of wellbeing plays in shaping lifestyle-related thinking and behaviours among emerging adults. The research used a mixed method approach underpinned by a pragmatic research paradigm and collected data via a quantitative cross-sectional survey (n=1,155) and qualitative participant-driven photo-elicitation interviews (n=18) with emerging adults (aged 18-26 years) residing on the urban east coast of Australia. The findings are presented in four papers which build on each other, and are under review in peer-reviewed journals. Papers 1 and 2 quantitatively examine the prevalence and predictors of wellbeing and its behavioural links in emerging adults. The survey measured key demographics, wellbeing, health status, social resources (social networks and social connectedness) and a comprehensive range of 26 lifestyle behaviours surrounding substance use, physical activity, diet, sex, sun protection, and driving, all known major risk factors for preventable causes of youth mortality and morbidity. In these two papers wellbeing is conceptualised as flourishing, that is, the experience of high levels of both hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing. Paper 1 examines the prevalence of flourishing and its association with socio-demographics, health status, and social resources among emerging adults. The findings revealed that most participants (60.4%) experienced moderate levels of wellbeing, 38.6% were flourishing (high wellbeing) and 1% were languishing (low wellbeing). Flourishers were more likely to be older, identify as Indigenous, be in a romantic relationship, study at university, perceive their family background as wealthy, rate their general health as excellent, and have higher perceived social resources. The findings stress the importance of attending to emerging adult wellbeing while simultaneously treating mental ailments to achieve optimal mental health in this population subgroup. Paper 2 examined wellbeing-behaviour links, using bivariate and multivariate statistics to examine the relationship between wellbeing (flourishing, hedonic, and eudaimonic) and risky and unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. Risky lifestyle behaviours were found to be prevalent in this population with participants on average engaging in 10 risky/unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. Flourishing was a significant negative predictor for 11, hedonic wellbeing for seven, and eudaimonic wellbeing for eight out of 26 studied individual behaviours. The findings revealed that flourishing was negatively associated with more dangerous risk behaviours, such as driving under the influence of drugs and was positively associated with self-care behaviours, such as healthy dietary behaviour and sun protection. Paper 3 explored, through photo-elicitation interviews, how the 18 participants understood and managed wellbeing in their daily lives. Findings revealed that, based on their experience, participants defined wellbeing as ongoing, multifaceted, dynamic, and fluid. Five themes important to wellbeing were identified: maintaining supportive relationships, looking after yourself, accepting yourself, progressing yourself, and centreing yourself. The findings highlighted that maintaining supportive relationships was most crucial to emerging adult wellbeing. Paper 4 reported the findings from 14 out of 18 photo-elicitation interviews where, without a priori mention, participants identified contact with nature as a resource for wellbeing. Thus, this paper delves deeper into the findings around nature, with a focus on the elements which these emerging adults identify as important for their wellbeing, and the perceived nature-wellbeing pathways. The findings revealed four distinct perceived pathways, including symbiotic nurturing, building social glue, maintaining a positive outlook, and centreing yourself. The elements of nature that facilitated these pathways were: domesticated fauna and flora, wild fauna, and surrounding nature. The findings help build an understanding of how emerging adults perceive elements of nature as resources for wellbeing and highlight the potential of nature-based interventions to improve wellbeing of emerging adults. Collectively, the findings highlight the significant role positive experiences of wellbeing play in shaping lifestyle-related thinking and behaviours among emerging adults. This research identified quantitatively significant associations between wellbeing and lifestyle behaviours. Further, it offered qualitative insights into the meaning, interpretations, and lived experiences of wellbeing from an insider’s perspective. The findings can inform public health professionals and researchers of the importance of attending to the wellbeing of emerging adults as part of efforts to address their risky and unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. Emerging adulthood is undeniably an important period of life that sets the foundation for adult life and influences health and wellbeing outcomes throughout adulthood. How we act to promote health and wellbeing during this crucial life stage holds the potential to dictate the future health challenges and collective wellbeing of our contemporary society.