The relation between work-family balance and quality of life

We examined the relation between work-family balance and quality of life among professionals employed in public accounting. Three components of work-family balance were assessed: time balance (equal time devoted to work and family), involvement balance (equal involvement in work and family), and satisfaction balance (equal satisfaction with work and family). For individuals who invested substantial time in their combined work and family roles, those who spent more time on family than work experienced a higher quality of life than balanced individuals who, in turn, experienced a higher quality of life than those who spent more time on work than family. We observed similar findings for involvement and satisfaction. We identified the contributions of the study to the work-family balance literature and discussed the implications of the findings for future research.     

Flourishing of Students in a Tertiary Education Institution in South Africa

The aims of this study were to examine the relationship between flourishing and academic performance (AP), life satisfaction (SWT), and positive affect (PA). A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used on a convenience sample of university students (n = 845). The Mental Health Continuum Long Form (MHC-LF), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) and Satisfaction with Life Scales (SWLS) were administered. Academic performance was determined through averaging all the participants' modules for the first semester. Individuals with moderate levels of flourishing typically performed in the ‘above average’ to ‘excelling academically’ range. Furthermore, a large number of individuals who were underperforming were also languishing. Flourishing students experienced higher levels of positive affect and life satisfaction, as well as lower levels of negative affect than their languishing and moderately flourishing counterparts. The relationship between flourishing and academic performance is complex, it would seem that flourishing/languishing plays a role in academic performance. Finally, flourishing relates to both PA and SWL, which supports the construct validity of flourishing's conceptualisation.     

Young children's performance on the balance scale: the influence of relational complexity

Three experiments investigated the effect of complexity on children's understanding of a beam balance. In nonconflict problems, weights or distances varied, while the other was held constant. In conflict items, both weight and distance varied, and items were of three kinds: weight dominant, distance dominant, or balance (in which neither was dominant). In Experiment 1, 2-year-old children succeeded on nonconflict-weight and nonconflict-distance problems. This result was replicated in Experiment 2, but performance on conflict items did not exceed chance. In Experiment 3, 3- and 4-year-olds succeeded on all except conflict balance problems, while 5- and 6-year-olds succeeded on all problem types. The results were interpreted in terms of relational complexity theory. Children aged 2 to 4 years succeeded on problems that entailed binary relations, but 5- and 6-year-olds also succeeded on problems that entailed ternary relations. Ternary relations tasks from other domains--transitivity and class inclusion--accounted for 93% of the age-related variance in balance scale scores.     

Bridging the gap between theory and model: a reflection on the balance scale task

At first glance, the two lead articles in this issue share little except the balance scale task, yet we view them as complementary rather than unrelated or contradictory. Our Reflection focuses on the individual strengths of the two lead articles and, to a greater extent, the potential power of their combined perspectives. Our general approach is to allow psychological theory to suggest a model of performance that can both evaluate specific theoretical claims and reveal important features of the data that had been previously obscured using conventional statistical analyses. Our guiding principle is that model, theory, and data all should be connected.     

Are The Very Happy Too Happy?

Although positive emotions undoubtedly confer benefits, one can have too much of it. There is probably a point beyond which enjoyment interferes with realism, yet it is unclear where that point is. The original States of Mind (SOM) model (Schwartz and Garamoni, 1986; 1989) proposed that a ratio of [positive] to [positive plus negative] affective/cognitive states [P/(P+N)] of about 0.62 is optimal, but previous research indicated that higher ratios may go with good mental health. The revised balanced states of mind (BSOM) model (Schwartz, 1997) suggests a higher cutoff, with ratios above 0.90 being dysfunctional. This paper reports a study of 72 very positive subjects (mean ratio = 0.85) and assessed possible dysfunction by means of questionnaires, role-plays, and physiological responses to induced stress. Signs of dysfunction were no more frequent among the most positive subjects (ratios of 0.90 and above) than among moderately positive subjects. This suggests that there is nothing wrong with the high levels of happiness in present day society. As yet, it is still not established how much more happiness will be too much. One possibility is that standard cognition/emotion measures need to be revised in order to detect truly excessive positivity in a sensitive manner.     

The dynamics of standing balance

The control of standing is a complicated task that involves the action of muscles distributed over the whole body. Forces arising from gravity, external events or our own actions all tend to disturb the unstable equilibrium that preserves posture. For the central nervous system the problem of standing can be cast in terms of finding appropriate relations among body segments to maintain the desired position of the body as a whole with respect to the environment. In this review we evaluate some recent discoveries on the effects of predictable and unpredictable perturbations, and the role of perceptual information, attention and cognitive processes in the control of upright stance.     

College Student High-Risk Drinking as a Maladaptive Serious Leisure Hobby

The role of occupational therapy in community child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) multidisciplinary teams is not well documented. This qualitative study investigated the perception of occupational therapy practice held by community CAMHS workers in the Perth, Australia, metropolitan region. Eight mental health community CAMHS professionals took part in semi-structured interviews. Three themes emerged which included team membership, the nature of the work, and the team and occupational therapy. This article focuses on the third theme. Findings suggest a limited understanding of the scope of occupational therapy practice. Implications for occupational therapy in CAMHS are discussed.     

The Effects of Adapted Tango on Spatial Cognition and Disease Severity in Parkinson's Disease

The authors determined effects of community-based adapted tango on spatial cognition and disease severity in Parkinson's disease (PD) while controlling for the effects of social interaction. Thirty-three individuals with mild-to-moderate PD (stage I–III) were assigned to twenty 90-min tango (n = 24) or education (n = 9) lessons over 12 weeks. Disease severity, spatial cognition, balance, and fall incidence were evaluated pre-, post-, and 10–12 weeks postintervention. The authors evaluated differences using t tests and analyses of variance. Twenty-three tango and 8 education participants finished. Tango participants improved on disease severity (p = .008), and spatial cognition (p = .021) compared with education participants. Tango participants also improved in balance (p = .038), and executive function (p = .012). Gains were maintained 10–12 weeks postintervention. Multimodal exercise with structured syllabi may improve disease severity and spatial cognition in PD.     

The Development of Compensatory Stepping Skills in Children

The development of the ability to use the step for balance recovery was studied among twenty-five 9- to 19-month-old children. The children were grouped according to walking experience (4 levels) and exposed to backward support surface translations, 8 cm in amplitude, under 3 velocity conditions: 15, 20, and 25 cm/s. New walkers (up to 2 weeks' walking experience) used the step infrequently and ineffectively in response to threats to balance. Intermediate walkers (1-3 months' walking experience) showed an increasing use of the step and significant improvement in step execution compared with new walkers. Advanced walkers (> 3 months' walking experience) experienced no falls throughout the protocol, capturing balance with feet-in-place or step responses under all perturbation conditions. A significant developmental transition in the emergence of the compensatory step occurred between the new walker and the intermediate walker experience levels, that is, within the first 3 months of walking experience. Three to 6 months' experience was required for the development of an effective stepping response. A concomitant change in mediolateral stability paralleled the emergence of compensatory stepping.