The Eudemonic Wellbeing of Volunteers in a Public Health Emergency: COVID-19 in China

Abstract

With improvements in the public awareness regarding volunteer opportunities, more people are participating in social work, particularly during emergency events. The mental health of volunteers has been attracting more academic attention due to its increasing social significance. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior, a qualitative interview was conducted to identify important attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control factors guiding people’s volunteering behaviors in an emergency context. Then, a sequential quantitative survey was implemented based on the results of the qualitative study to explore the impact of the aforementioned factors and job involvement on eudemonic well-being. The moderating role of empathy in these relationships was also investigated in this nested design. The results indicate that behavioral attitudes, perceived control, and job involvement have significant positive effects on volunteers’ eudemonic well-being. A high perspective taking (cognitive empathy) of volunteers positively moderates the relationship between job involvement and eudemonic well-being, while high personal distress (affective empathy) buffers this relationship. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed in relation to emergency volunteer activities.

Exploring the positive aspects of caregiving among family caregivers of the older adults in India

“…In the case of the first theme, Caregiver’s attitude, many caregivers across four cities reported that their caregiving experiences had helped them develop positive attitudes, making life more meaningful and satisfying. This is strongly related to the “meaning” domain of the PERMA model and justifies that getting involved in a cause that matters can bring more meaning to life ( 38 ). Similar results were observed in the study by Sánchez-Izquierdo and associates ( 8 ).…”

“…Studies have highlighted that having a purpose in participants’ lived experiences reduces health problems ( 37 ). It has also been found that getting involved in a cause that matters can bring more meaning in life ( 38 ). Accomplishment (A) in PERMA is also known as achievement, mastery, or competence.…”

How sleep disturbance is associated with Chinese police officers' job satisfaction: A moderated mediation model

“…Job involvement was measured by five items (e.g., ‘I usually show up for work a little early to get things ready.’) adapted from the Job Involvement Scale (Lodahl & Kejner, 1965). This scale has been widely used in Chinese adults to assess the levels of job involvement (Liu et al., 2020; Tang et al., 2022). Participants were asked to rate each item on a 5‐point scale, ranging from 1 ( strongly disagree ) to 5 ( strongly agree ).…”

Taking care of your own wellbeing

“…Getting involved in a cause or organization that matters to you (i.e. planetary health, a local community center) (Tang et al, 2022) or trying something new to discover what inspires you contribute to subjective wellbeing and foster resilience (Steptoe, 2019).…”