Education, Faculty of

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https://opus.uleth.ca/handle/10133/3348

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Browsing Education, Faculty of by Subject "Adjustment (Psychology)"

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    Female gamers’ perceptions of their mental health influenced by the online gaming space
    (Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 2023) Fong, Andrea L.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education; Beaudin, Lorraine C.
    Video games have become an increasingly popular form of entertainment that can now allow for social bonds to be established and can contribute to an individual’s mental health. This thesis investigates female gamers, and their perceptions of how online gaming may affect their own mental health (n= 197). Previous research has found that female gamers are often treated differently in games based on their gender identity. Utilizing mixed methods, this study furthers the exploration of female gamers’ mental health as they interact with other players during online multiplayer games. Findings suggest that the purpose of the game interactions, views about the community, and the motivations of female gamers determine the effect that negative player-to-player interactions may have on their perceptions of stress levels, loneliness, and social support.
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    Sources of stress, stress reactions and coping strategies used by elite female golfers
    (Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 2004, 2004) Spriddle, Jennifer W. Miller-Tait; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education; Magnusson, Kris C.
    Golf is an individual sport in which performance is publicly judged daily on the basis of a golfer's scores. Elite golfers, who are required to play well on a consistent basis in order to maintain rankings, must be able to handle competitive situations and pressure in order to succeed. This study explores the sources of stress, stress reactions (emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and physiological), and coping strategies used by elite amateur and professional female golfers. Four elite amateur golfers and four professional golfers participated in this study. Structured individual interviews were used to gain insight into the sources of stress, stress reactions, and coping strategies used by the two groups of golfers. The responses given by the elite amateur golfers and the professional golfers were analyzed, and common themes were developed. The results indicate that stress is an individual response to each golfer's perception of her ability to cope with a situation. Although they recognized stress at different and in different ways, these golfers used some common cognitive and behavioral strategies to deal with stressful situations. It is important for sport psychologists to understand the common sources of stress, stress reactions, and effective coping strategies used by elite golfers, in order to generate effective stress intervention programs for golfers of all skill levels.
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    The use of fashion as a mood enhancer and its effect on mental health in emerging adults in Canada during a global pandemic
    (Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 2023) Wenderski, Malgosia; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education; Wasilewski, Julia; Jung, Jaehee
    Literature demonstrates that clothing has a positive influence on aspects of mental health, and this study frames the use of clothing to enhance one’s wellbeing as a coping mechanism. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted lifestyles as individuals were isolated in their homes in accordance with lockdown restrictions. There were global reports of isolation and diminished mental health (Rajkumar, 2020). It was unknown if emerging adults continued their high engagement with clothing during the peaks of the pandemic. The relationship between clothing, mood, and mental health is also unknown. This thesis surveyed 574 emerging adults (individuals 18 to 29) in Canada to investigate how the peaks of the pandemic had affected both clothing engagement and the use of clothing as a mood enhancer, and how this relationship impacted mental health. The mixed methods study found that participants either increased or decreased their engagement with clothing. Greater fear of COVID-19 predicted and positively correlated with fashion involvement and mood enhancement through clothing. Emerging adults reported multiple motivations to enhance mood through clothing, including bolstering the self concept, self-esteem, and comfort. While there was no relationship between mood enhancement and mental health, the thematic analysis revealed reports of both positive and negative effects of clothing on mental health. The study found that emerging adults used clothing as a coping mechanism to support their wellbeing. Furthermore, engagement with clothing, or a lack thereof had consequences to their experience. Participants shared that clothing enhanced their self-esteem, mood, self-empowerment, self-congruency, and self-efficacy. Emerging adults who did not sustain high engagement with clothing reported negative impacts to self-esteem, self-efficacy, connection with self, and mood. Future research is encouraged to further explore and clarify the relationship between clothing, mood, and mental health.