Application of the PERMA Model of Well-being in Undergraduate Students.

The PERMA model was introduced by Seligman in 2011 to increase and measure well-being. This model defines well-being in terms of Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment (PERMA). Mental health concerns are common in undergraduate students and may prevent them from obtaining optimal well-being. The purpose of this study was to test whether all five PERMA elements of well-being could be constructed from items within the 2018 Purdue University Student Experience at a Research University (SERU) survey. Using confirmatory factor analysis, all five PERMA constructs were supported and demonstrated good model fit statistics. A second order PERMA well-being construct was built and demonstrated adequate model fit with RMSEA = 0.04. All five constructs were significant at p < .001. Accomplishment had the highest factor loading (0.76) and Meaning had the lowest factor loading (0.25). Results for this study support use of well-being theory in the context of undergraduate students and provides enhanced understanding of well-being characteristics in this population.

Exploring Select U. S. Community Foundations and COVID-19 Responsive Community Philanthropy.

This article examines the extent that community foundations (CFs) are funding COVID-19 mitigation in their communities. We examine 877 of the 894 National Standards accredited community foundations in the United States for both general discretionary grantmaking to COVID-19 responsive discretionary grantmaking in a purposeful sample. Exploring the landscape of national standard certified community foundations COVID19 funding patterns in local communities presents as statistically significant. Exploratory research is presented regarding the connections between the CFs increase community well-being through early responsive discretionary grantmaking during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to mid-November 2020.

When Will the Pandemic End? Suggestions for US Communities to Manage Well-Being in the Face of COVID-19.

With COVID-19 largely spread through communities, and the lack of a national strategy to manage the spread and impact of COVID-19 into communities in the United States (US), community well-being is at risk. Without a vaccine, the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to continue for years and cause millions of deaths, primarily among the elderly and the chronically ill. A vaccine for the COVID-19 could safeguard community well-being, but cannot be counted upon at this point. We believe it is imperative for communities to form and implement strategies to manage the spread and impacts of COVID-19 and that understanding the overall death rate and for young people (ages 15-35) as well at the length of the pandemic in important to planning. We calculate an overall death rate at 1/116, a death rate of 1/3944 for young adults, and that at the current rate of infection the pandemic will last for just under 10 years or possibly indefinitely as there is no guarantee that immunity will last. Measures such as social distancing and self-quarantining are effective but have detrimental economic, educational, social and psychological impacts. Community leaders and organizers need to understand that a growing number of young people will likely not adhere to social distancing and self-quarantining indefinitely. We recommend that communities form and implement plans to managing the spread and impact of COVID-19 within a specific time frame and urge young people to adhere to measures to stop the spread for the specific time frame. Community plans should be based on a community development (CD) approach and should entail inclusive and participatory decision-making process that engaged young people. Communities should use this time to transitioning to a well-being-based local economy and implement interventions that allow for human interaction such as negative pressure ventilation and filtration of air in indoor spaces, availability of universal testing, contract tracing and the widespread use of personal powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs).

Well-Being Data Gathering during COVID-19: Exploring the Feasibility of a Contact Tracing and Community Well-Being Safeguarding Framework.

Given the need for real time data to aid in decision-making at the community level, contact tracing applications (apps) are explored as a potential method of gauging overall community well-being. The context of contact tracing effectiveness and integration with artificial intelligence is provided, as well as ideas and suggestions for how to expand for use as a community-wide data gathering approach. This commentary seeks to explore dimensions around the use of such apps to help manage in times of crisis given the widespread and destructive impacts the pandemic has on community well-being, including negative economic impacts and social declines. By connecting with community well-being, the idea of a contact tracing framework would enable communities to track data and make decisions to help foster well-being across public health, economic and social domains.

Understanding the essence of home: older people's experience of home in Australia.

This qualitative inquiry explores the experiences of community-living older people in Australia living in their home environment. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 30 older people, aged 56-90, from three states in Australia. Purposive or maximum variation sampling was used to recruit people with diverse characteristics in terms of age, gender, living situation, dwelling type, tenure and location (urban/rural). Older people in this study stated that they were interested in the capacity of the house to support their many and varied occupations, particularly their ability to care for others. They also enjoyed the independence and autonomy that living in their own home afforded them. The location of the home in the community provided general convenience and offered opportunities for social connectedness. The home environment and the surrounding community also created an ambience and afforded people a particular lifestyle. The importance of the history of the home environment and the emotional connection older people have with the dwelling was another prevalent theme. Future research is recommended to investigate whether these views of the home are representative of other groups of older people and which aspects of the home they seek to retain when adapting their homes or relocating.