Search Results (57)

Maladaptive family interaction is one of the mechanisms through which trauma is transmitted across generations. The current intervention approach for trauma-affected families focuses on traumatized parents and child–parent dyads during childhood. This leaves a gap in how adult children, who might no longer live with their parents, can overcome the negative impacts of maladaptive childhood interactions with parents as a legacy of parental trauma history. This study focuses on the children of Vietnamese boat refugees in their 30s and 40s in two cities in Norway, applying narrative interviews to elicit long narratives about their lifespan experiences. A hybrid analytic approach utilizes Thematic Network Analysis, informed by a conceptual framework integrating salutogenesis theory and Bowen family systems theory. The findings reveal that maladaptive parent–child interactions in Vietnamese boat refugee families include parents’ high expectations, harsh parenting, children’s obligation to please parents, and adultification, which are trauma-shaped and mediated by Vietnamese culture. Developing a strong sense of coherence (SOC), characterized by enhancing one’s understanding of the self in relation to family, making meaning regarding the past, and playing an active role in reframing relationships with one’s parents, serves as a pathway to outgrow the impacts of maladaptive patterns in one’s family of origin. Overall, this paper contributes a salutogenic, lifespan-oriented framework for understanding recovery beyond childhood impacts of intergenerational trauma. Full article

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) involves social, emotional, and behavioral challenges, and conventional therapies show limited effectiveness. Aims: To evaluate the effect of Yoga Therapy (YT) on neurophysiological regulation and behavioral functioning in individuals with ASD. Methods: Thirty-six autistic individuals, aged 6 to 25 years and with Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) scores above 15, were randomly assigned to yoga (YG) and control (CG) groups. YG received 60 min YT sessions twice weekly for six months alongside a regular school routine, while CG followed only a regular school routine. Handgrip strength (HGS), visual reaction time (VRT), systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, heart rate (HR), and CARS scores were assessed at pre-, mid-, and post-intervention. Repeated measures ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation were used for statistical analysis. Results: The study showed an increase in HGS (Δ = 3.27 kg) and a reduction in VRT (Δ = −523.86 ms) with a marked decrease in total CARS score (Δ = −5.67), p < 0.01 in YG. There was a mild, non-significant reduction in cardiovascular (CV) dysfunction in YG, while CG showed no significant changes across all measures. Conclusion: Biweekly YT sessions over six months enhanced neurophysiological regulation, improving sensorimotor integration and accelerating cognitive, emotional, and behavioral outcomes in individuals with ASD. Full article

By 2045, approximately 783.2 million people are projected to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In addition, obesity is expected to affect up to 22% of the world’s population or one in four people. The diabesity epidemic, a worrying trend in which T2DM and obesity co-occur, is becoming increasingly evident and could be the most significant epidemic of non-communicable chronic diseases in human history. The salutogenic pattern of health, which emphasises well-being and resistance resources, could be a promising solution to address this alarming worldwide problem. The salutogenic pattern of health has numerous positive effects on the health of persons with T2DM. These include reducing the risk of it, lowering some biomarkers and laboratory parameters related to its control, and promoting a better lifestyle, ultimately improving the overall quality of life. The salutogenic pattern of health offers an effective and evidence-based approach to address the growing global problem of chronic non-communicable diseases such as T2DM. Integrating this theory into standard modern medical practice has the potential to significantly improve health outcomes and overall patient well-being, making it an important direction for modern medicine. Accordingly, the aim is to explore and analyse the salutogenic pattern of health associated with T2DM in order to prevent it, but also the better management of it. Full article

This article examines the integration of salutogenic design principles into the legal and regulatory framework for buildings in Poland, situating the analysis within a broader European and international context. The study combines a systematic literature review, a comparative analysis of Polish building law and technical conditions with international standards and empirical evidence from case studies and Post-Occupancy Evaluations (POE) conducted in hospitals, offices, and schools. This triangulated approach allowed for both qualitative and quantitative assessment of key salutogenic factors, including daylight access, acoustic comfort, air quality, thermal conditions, aesthetics, ergonomics, and opportunities for social interaction. The results demonstrate that Polish regulations continue to focus on minimum hygienic and safety requirements, thereby reflecting a pathogenic rather than salutogenic approach. While some factors—such as daylight and ventilation—are partially included, critical dimensions of psychosocial well-being remain underrepresented. By contrast, both European EN standards and voluntary frameworks such as WELL systematically incorporate broader salutogenic dimensions. Evidence from Polish POE studies further highlights gaps between regulatory compliance and actual user experiences, e.g., excessive hospital noise, insufficient lighting in operating rooms, and the absence of biophilic or therapeutic features. The discussion highlights challenges of measurability, economic feasibility, and stakeholder acceptance, while also emphasizing long-term health and social benefits. The conclusions recommend incorporating salutogenic principles into Polish law and sustainability policies, promoting pilot projects, and strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration. In this way, buildings can evolve from merely preventing harm to actively supporting health, well-being, and resilience—aligning with global trends in human-centered sustainable design. Full article

Despite the proliferation of biomedical and psychological treatments, the global burden of chronic intractable (long-term) pain remains high—a treatment-prevalence paradox. The biopsychosocial model, introduced in the 1970s, is central to strategies for managing pain, but has been criticised for being decontextualised and fragmented, compromising the effectiveness of healthcare pain support services and patient care. The aim of this study was to apply a simplified version of Ken Wilber’s All Quadrant All Levels (AQAL) framework to pain in a healthcare context to advance a biopsychosocial understanding. Utilising domain knowledge, the author mapped features of pain and coping to intrasubjective, intraobjective, intersubjective, and interobjective quadrants (perspectives), as well as levels of psychological development. Narratives were crafted to synthesize the findings of mapping with literature from diverse disciplines within the contexts of salutogenesis and a social model of health. The findings showed that AQAL-mapping enhanced contextual biopsychosocial coherence and exposed the conceptual error of reifying pain. Its utility lay in highlighting upstream influences of the painogenic environment, supporting the reconfiguration of pain within a social model of health, as exemplified by the UK’s Rethinking Pain Service. In conclusion, a simple version of the AQAL framework served as a heuristic device to develop an integral vision of pain, opening opportunities for health promotion solutions within a salutogenic context. Full article

Migration generates changes in the quality of life (QoL) of immigrants. One of the difficulties that the process of migrating can entail is discrimination, which is the set of negative attitudes towards a person, in this case, because of their nationality. Objective: To analyze the effect that the sense of coherence (SOC) has on the relationship that discrimination by national origin has on quality of life. Method: The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was used to assess QoL, and Krieger’s Perceived Discrimination Experiences scale and Antonovsky’s SOC-13 scale were applied to 2144 participants (49.9% women), aged between 18 and 82 years, from Venezuela, Colombia and Peru, all of them being first generation migrants living in Chile. Results: In all the national groups evaluated, discrimination has an inverse relationship with both QoL and SOC, while the latter has a positive relationship with QoL. The direct effect of discrimination on QoL life is found to be smaller when this relationship is mediated by the presence of the SOC. This proposed model has good goodness-of-fit indicators in the three national groups evaluated. Conclusions: A strong and well-defined life purpose, a perception of greater control over surrounding events and situations, and perceiving life events as understandable and consistent can be an effective tools to diminish the effect of discrimination on quality of life in the migrant population. Full article

“Whence the strength?” This compelling question, posed by Aaron Antonovsky in 1979, sets the stage for understanding the role of sense of coherence (SOC), a human-focused psychosocial concept, in fostering resilience amidst escalating climate-induced disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. This paper is the first step in a larger research agenda aimed at exploring how the human experience of disasters, guided by Antonovsky’s SOC framework, can be better integrated into disaster recovery planning and design, laying the theoretical foundation for subsequent studies. This paper examines which supports help people stay resilient during disasters, focusing on the role of SOC in recovery. By integrating Antonovsky’s SOC concept with Hobfoll’s Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, it also draws from other published works on stress and disaster recovery to explore how disaster recovery planning and design can be improved. The findings indicate that the post-disaster recovery phase presents a critical window for implementing policies that address vulnerabilities in disaster-prone communities and enhance long-term resilience. Methodologically, this paper advocates for an interdisciplinary approach, suggesting that both quantitative and qualitative insights are vital for capturing human experiences in disaster contexts. Ultimately, this paper presents a framework for integrating human dimensions of resilience into disaster recovery planning. Full article

In its broadest meaning, salutogenesis denotes an orientation toward the origins and assets for positive health, as opposed to the origins and risk factors associated with disease (i.e., pathogenesis). While salutogenesis continues to inspire health promotion, it has been noted that qualitative studies can further its understanding and broaden its use in research, clinical practice, and policies. The present study is based on an analysis of structured and unstructured recorded interviews with six refugee musicians. Applying interpretive phenomenological analysis, we comparatively explored the factors contributing to persistence in music between participants. Five factors were found: (a) long-term participation and identity as musicians; (b) desirable effects of music performance; (c) competence, talent, and social recognition; (d) management of social and cultural differences; and (e) locally organized refugee events. The links between music performance and salutogenesis include the following: (1) the inclusion of salutogenic orientation (in addition to pathogenic orientation) toward health; (2) that music invigorated generalized resistance resources so that their expression was augmented, steady, and enduring; and (3) that a high sense of coherence (SOC) was demonstrated. Future studies are needed to reveal whether other activities can take similar roles in developing SOC, and experimental studies are needed before health policy recommendations regarding activities can be made for people that need improved SOC. Full article

Background: With increased life expectancy, the coexistence of functional impairment and multimorbidity can negatively impact life quality and coherence in geriatric individuals. The self-report 10-item Internal Coherence (ICS) measures how individuals cope with and make sense of disease-specific life challenges. The aim of this study was to validate the ICS in a sample of geriatric individuals. Methods and Procedure: In a cross-sectional study, geriatric individuals with and without chronic diseases were recruited. A factor analysis with principal component extraction (PCA) and a structural equation model (SEM) was conducted to assess the ICS factor structure in a geriatric sample. To measure convergent validity, the following scales were used: Short Health Survey (SF-12), Karnofsky Performance Index (KPI), Trait autonomic regulation (Trait aR), Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Results: A sample of n = 104 (70–96 years of age) patients with Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (n = 22), cancer diseases (n = 31) and healthy controls (n = 51) completed the ICS. PCA and SEM yielded the original two-factor solution: 1. Inner resilience and coherence and 2. Thermo coherence. Overall internal consistency for this cohort was satisfying (Cronbach’s α with r_α = 0.72), and test-retest reliability was moderate (r_rt = 0.53). ICS scores were significantly correlated to all convergent criteria ranging between r = 0.22 * and 0.49 ** (p < 0.05 *; p < 0.01 **). Conclusion: Study results suggest that the ICS appears to be a reliable and valid tool to measure internal coherence in a geriatric cohort (70–96 years). However, moderate test-retest reliability prompts the consideration of potential age-effects that may bias the reliability for this specific cohort. Full article

Extensive research shows nurses’ work environment to be particularly stressful. This study develops, explores, and psychometrically tests a new profession-specific questionnaire identifying generalised and specific resistance resources, that make it possible to measure resources to manage work-related stress. An exploratory study design was employed. The questionnaire development was inspired by the MEASURE approach and the salutogenic theory of health. Building on the results from a literature review of nursing research and salutogenesis, supplemented by twelve interviews with hospital nurses, an item pool was generated. The first version was pilot-tested in a group of nurses who were studying to become specialist nurses. The second version of the questionnaire was psychometrically tested on a sample of registered nurses in close patient care (n = 475), analysed using confirmatory factor analysis to test seven predefined domains of the questionnaire. The analysis revealed a first order seven-domain model of 21 items: job satisfaction, professional role, work motivation, commitment, belonging in the workplace, factors and conditions for remaining in the profession, and workload. The structure of the questionnaire indicates its usefulness in clinical practice for measuring resistance resources. Full article

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed a new awareness of what living and working spaces should look like from a different perspective, and healthier cities and architecture have arisen because of inescapable public demand. Society has become clearly aware that there are still unhealthy concentrations within its environment. Spaces in cities are still being built that can favour the spread of diseases, in addition to using harmful construction materials. Living spaces must not only be sustainable, functional, and aesthetically beautiful but also comfortable, safe, and accessible, and, above all, they must be healthy. Healthy architecture has emerged as a new paradigm. This is the subject area of this work. This paper describes and develops the nature of this concept and proposes a novel definition of healthy architecture, aiming to compile state-of-the-art knowledge with a qualitative empirical and multi-method process, using case studies. This article provides a global perspective on new approaches and proposes a Decalogue with the basic principles that an environment or building must comply with in order to be healthy. The main contribution is to establish the basis for the creation of a new healthy architecture epistemology, focussing on cognitive, emotional, and physiological stimuli. This paper can help health professionals, designers, and architects, as well as companies and public administrations, to follow an innovative path in the planning of healthier cities and buildings. Full article

Introduction: Athletes have demonstrated a significant increase in anxiety and stress connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on the theory of salutogenesis, this study examined the relationship between the sense of coherence and social support and competitive elite-level athletes’ perception of the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Materials and Methods: The perceived secondary gains associated with the pandemic were analysed with a quasi-qualitative research methodology. The sample consisted of 204 competitive elite-level female football players aged 14–36 (M = 17.61, SD = 4.42) who completed the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SOC-29), the Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS), and the researchers’ own questionnaire to assess the perception of the COVID-19 situation. Results: The results confirmed a relationship between a sense of coherence and coping better with the difficult situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic. No protective role of social support in the adaptive perception of the pandemic situation was identified. Conclusions: The data from the quasi-qualitative study testify to the use of the adversity of the pandemic to grow in many areas of female football players’ lives. The sense of coherence was a protective factor in mitigating the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Full article

Aboriginal Australians have a fundamental human right to opportunities that lead to healthy and flourishing lives. While the impact of trauma on Aboriginal Australians is well-documented, a pervasive deficit narrative that focuses on problems and pathology persists in research and policy discourse. This narrative risks further exacerbating Aboriginal disadvantage through a focus on ‘fixing what is wrong’ with Aboriginal Australians and the internalising of these narratives by Aboriginal Australians. While a growing body of research adopts strength-based models, limited research has sought to explore Aboriginal flourishing. This conceptual paper seeks to contribute to a burgeoning paradigm shift in Aboriginal research, seeking to understand what can be learned from Aboriginal people who flourish, how we best determine this, and in what contexts this can be impactful. Within, we argue the case for a new approach to exploring Aboriginal wellbeing that integrates salutogenic, positive psychology concepts with complex systems theory to understand and promote Aboriginal wellbeing and flourishing. While deeper work may be required to establish the parameters of a strength-based, culturally aligned Aboriginal conceptualisation of positive psychology, we suggest the integration of Aboriginal and Western methodologies offers a unique and potent means of shifting the dial on seemingly intractable problems. Full article

In 2011, NIOSH launched the Total Worker Health (TWH) strategy based on integrating prevention and health promotion in the workplace. For several years now, in Italy, this integration has led to the creation of workplace health promotion embedded in medical surveillance (WHPEMS). WHPEMS projects, which are also implemented in small companies, focus each year on a new topic that emerges from the needs of workers. During their regular medical check-up in the workplace, workers are invited to fill in a questionnaire regarding the project topic, its outcome, and some related factors. Workers receive advice on how to improve their lifestyles and are referred to the National Health Service for any necessary tests or treatments. Results collected over the past 12 years from more than 20,000 participants demonstrate that WHPEMS projects are economical, sustainable, and effective. The creation of a network of occupational physicians who are involved in WHPEMS projects could help to improve the work culture, health, and safety of workers. Full article

Background: Participation is essential in health promotion initiatives such as the Norwegian Healthy Life Centres (HLCs) which offer lifestyle-related guidance to people with lifestyle-related diseases or at risk for such diseases. While participation has been studied in this setting from the perspectives of health personnel or service users, no studies have been conducted on the contextual aspects of participation through studying the interactions between the actors involved in group activities within the service. To lead group activities requires competency in facilitation of learning in groups. The aim of this study is to explore participation in group activities in the context of a Norwegian HLC by studying the interaction between the various actors involved in the activities there. Methods: An ethnographic study was designed based on participant observation of physical activity groups and a healthy nutrition group in a Norwegian HLC over a period of three months. Findings: The findings suggest that (1) the multiple roles of the Health Professional (HP), (2) the process of goal setting, and (3) time frames and the physical context are central contextual aspects of participation in this setting, leading to an ambiguous facilitation of group activities. Full article