title: Stress, Health, and Mindfulness: Exploring Relationships and Mechanisms Using Self-Report Measures

authors: Foster, Kristal Claire

subjects: stress

abstract: The relationship between stress and physical health has been well established in the medical and psychological literature. Mindfulness meditation is a practice that has been successfully used to reduce stress in several populations, and the construct itself has recently begun to be measured as a naturally occurring characteristic. A recent study demonstrating the significant relationships between mindfulness, stress, and physical health prompted the investigation in the present study of the possible mechanisms underlying these relationships. It was hypothesised that the relationship between mindfulness and physical health would be largely mediated by stress, and that in addition, mindfulness would explain a significant proportion of the variance in health after stress had been accounted for. Participants were 129 undergraduate students who completed a battery of self-report questionnaires including the Perceived Stress Scale, the Short-Form 36 Health Survey, and two recently developed measures of mindfulness; the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale and the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills. Perceived stress was shown to account for a large proportion of the relationship between mindfulness and health, and mindfulness was also shown to explain a significant proportion of the variance in physical health after stress had been controlled for. An additional finding was that acceptance demonstrated stronger relationships with both physical and mental health than any of the other components of mindfulness studied. Potential mechanisms of mindfulness that may help explain these findings are discussed.

text: Stress, Health, and Mindfulness: Exploring Relationships and Mechanisms Using Self-Report Measures The relationship between stress and physical health has been well established in the medical and psychological literature. Mindfulness meditation is a practice that has been successfully used to reduce stress in several populations, and the construct itself has recently begun to be measured as a naturally occurring characteristic. A recent study demonstrating the significant relationships between mindfulness, stress, and physical health prompted the investigation in the present study of the possible mechanisms underlying these relationships. It was hypothesised that the relationship between mindfulness and physical health would be largely mediated by stress, and that in addition, mindfulness would explain a significant proportion of the variance in health after stress had been accounted for. Participants were 129 undergraduate students who completed a battery of self-report questionnaires including the Perceived Stress Scale, the Short-Form 36 Health Survey, and two recently developed measures of mindfulness; the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale and the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills. Perceived stress was shown to account for a large proportion of the relationship between mindfulness and health, and mindfulness was also shown to explain a significant proportion of the variance in physical health after stress had been controlled for. An additional finding was that acceptance demonstrated stronger relationships with both physical and mental health than any of the other components of mindfulness studied. Potential mechanisms of mindfulness that may help explain these findings are discussed.

year: 2007

title: Book review: Blubberland: The Dangers of Happiness. By Elizabeth Farrelly. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 2008. 219 pp. $19.95/£12.95 paperback. ISBN: 9780262562362

authors: Longhurst, Robyn

subjects: book review

abstract: This article reviews the book: “Blubberland: The Dangers of Happiness”, by Elizabeth Farrelly.

text: Book review: Blubberland: The Dangers of Happiness. By Elizabeth Farrelly. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 2008. 219 pp. $19.95/£12.95 paperback. ISBN: 9780262562362 This article reviews the book: “Blubberland: The Dangers of Happiness”, by Elizabeth Farrelly.

year: 2010-07

title: He oranga tō te wai: Māori Pedagogies - A Culturally Responsive View of Aquatic Education and Drowning Prevention in Aotearoa

authors: Haimona, Mark Waihape

abstract: Drowning is a leading cause of accidental death and hospitalisation among Māori in Aotearoa. Drowning reports (Water Safety New Zealand, 2010, 2016, 2019) indicate Māori are over-represented in drowning compared to non-Māori, and on average account for up to a quarter of all drowning fatalities each year. Māori male aged 15-44 years and Māori children under five are most at risk of drowning (WSNZ, 2018, 2). A recent Aotearoa study on children’s water survival skills suggest changes are needed to improve how children develop fundamental aquatic skills and how teachers can best teach those skills (Button et al., 2017). In particular, the teaching of water safety skills for broader use in the open water environments of Aotearoa. 
Māori pedagogies within physical education, health, and education in the outdoors (Hemara, 2000; Jackson et al, 2016; Phillips, 2018) have demonstrated the benefits of Māori teaching methods that foster positive learning outcomes for Māori. (Bishop & Berryman, 2006, 2009). As such, this research investigated core components of Māori pedagogies that can improve aquatic education for Māori. It sought to validate traditional and contemporary aquatic teachings and water safety practices that Māori exercise as an expression of ira tangata (human development) and their relationship with te ao tūroa (the long-standing world). By means of kaupapa Māori research and the development of a new framework - Tāne Whānau Mārama, this thesis offers valuable insights into the importance of culturally responsive pedagogies in aquatic education that will enhance the health, educational achievements, and well-being of Māori whānau and communities.

text: He oranga tō te wai: Māori Pedagogies - A Culturally Responsive View of Aquatic Education and Drowning Prevention in Aotearoa Drowning is a leading cause of accidental death and hospitalisation among Māori in Aotearoa. Drowning reports (Water Safety New Zealand, 2010, 2016, 2019) indicate Māori are over-represented in drowning compared to non-Māori, and on average account for up to a quarter of all drowning fatalities each year. Māori male aged 15-44 years and Māori children under five are most at risk of drowning (WSNZ, 2018, 2). A recent Aotearoa study on children’s water survival skills suggest changes are needed to improve how children develop fundamental aquatic skills and how teachers can best teach those skills (Button et al., 2017). In particular, the teaching of water safety skills for broader use in the open water environments of Aotearoa. 
Māori pedagogies within physical education, health, and education in the outdoors (Hemara, 2000; Jackson et al, 2016; Phillips, 2018) have demonstrated the benefits of Māori teaching methods that foster positive learning outcomes for Māori. (Bishop & Berryman, 2006, 2009). As such, this research investigated core components of Māori pedagogies that can improve aquatic education for Māori. It sought to validate traditional and contemporary aquatic teachings and water safety practices that Māori exercise as an expression of ira tangata (human development) and their relationship with te ao tūroa (the long-standing world). By means of kaupapa Māori research and the development of a new framework - Tāne Whānau Mārama, this thesis offers valuable insights into the importance of culturally responsive pedagogies in aquatic education that will enhance the health, educational achievements, and well-being of Māori whānau and communities.

year: 2023