Pub Date : 2025-10-24DOI: 10.1016/j.wss.2025.100318
Siow-Kian Tan , Phooi-Kwan Chong , Siow-Hooi Tan , Booi-Chen Tan
A strong sense of place plays an essential role in preserving heritage cities. To foster this sense among local communities, we must understand the heritage experience. However, locals do not always translate their sense of place into active preservation efforts. This study investigates the processes that cultivate a ‘productive’ sense of place. We conducted in-depth interviews and observations in Melaka and George Town, World Heritage Sites of Malaysia. Our research identified forty-eight concepts, categorized them into twenty-one sub-dimensions, and grouped these into nine overarching dimensions. We further identified three key themes—heritage place experience, sense of place, and wellbeing—and explored how they interact. A productive sense of place strengthens identity, fosters emotional attachment, and encourages a shared sense of responsibility for heritage conservation, thereby contributing to individual and collective wellbeing. This process enhances community resilience and cultural continuity. Based on these insights, we developed a model outlining how to generate a ‘productive’ sense of place. The elements of heritage place experience play a critical role in narrating the stories of a heritage city effectively. Local communities and authorities must collaborate strategically to plan and preserve heritage. This joint effort will protect the integrity of our cultural heritage and enrich the cultural landscape for future generations.
{"title":"Cultivating a productive sense of place: Heritage experience, wellbeing, and urban preservation in historic cities","authors":"Siow-Kian Tan , Phooi-Kwan Chong , Siow-Hooi Tan , Booi-Chen Tan","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100318","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100318","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A strong sense of place plays an essential role in preserving heritage cities. To foster this sense among local communities, we must understand the heritage experience. However, locals do not always translate their sense of place into active preservation efforts. This study investigates the processes that cultivate a ‘productive’ sense of place. We conducted in-depth interviews and observations in Melaka and George Town, World Heritage Sites of Malaysia. Our research identified forty-eight concepts, categorized them into twenty-one sub-dimensions, and grouped these into nine overarching dimensions. We further identified three key themes—heritage place experience, sense of place, and wellbeing—and explored how they interact. A productive sense of place strengthens identity, fosters emotional attachment, and encourages a shared sense of responsibility for heritage conservation, thereby contributing to individual and collective wellbeing. This process enhances community resilience and cultural continuity. Based on these insights, we developed a model outlining how to generate a ‘productive’ sense of place. The elements of heritage place experience play a critical role in narrating the stories of a heritage city effectively. Local communities and authorities must collaborate strategically to plan and preserve heritage. This joint effort will protect the integrity of our cultural heritage and enrich the cultural landscape for future generations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100318"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145415157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The government of Laos views agricultural commercialization as a key policy instrument for improving the livelihoods of farm households and contributing to rural development. Recent studies indicate that these commercialization processes are not solely state-driven but are often actively embraced by local communities. Here, we examine how contemporary farming practices in the commercialized landscapes of northern Laos influence farmers’ perceptions of well-being and fairness. Using a combination of participatory methods, an adapted well-being framework, and a multidimensional equity lens, we analyze rural life in northern Laos. The findings reveal that foreign agricultural investments have increased income and asset accumulation, particularly through rubber and sugarcane sales, but economic gains are distributed unevenly. Land-poor farmers are increasingly reliant on wage labor, contributing to growing social inequalities. The paper highlights how social pressures alongside government policies are driving the shift toward industrial agricultural practices and commercial plantations. Additionally, it touches upon the ‘capability approach’, emphasizing access to forests and land as key components of well-being. The central argument is that perceptions of fairness in agricultural commercialization are influenced by factors such as land rights recognition, equitable land distribution, and participation in decision-making processes.
{"title":"Rural lives and perceived well-being in commercializing landscapes of northern Laos","authors":"Wai Phyoe Maung , Yoth Vanhnasin , Sithong Thongmanivong , Andi Patiware Metaragakusuma , Alimata Sidibe , Grace Yee Wong","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100320","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100320","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The government of Laos views agricultural commercialization as a key policy instrument for improving the livelihoods of farm households and contributing to rural development. Recent studies indicate that these commercialization processes are not solely state-driven but are often actively embraced by local communities. Here, we examine how contemporary farming practices in the commercialized landscapes of northern Laos influence farmers’ perceptions of well-being and fairness. Using a combination of participatory methods, an adapted well-being framework, and a multidimensional equity lens, we analyze rural life in northern Laos. The findings reveal that foreign agricultural investments have increased income and asset accumulation, particularly through rubber and sugarcane sales, but economic gains are distributed unevenly. Land-poor farmers are increasingly reliant on wage labor, contributing to growing social inequalities. The paper highlights how social pressures alongside government policies are driving the shift toward industrial agricultural practices and commercial plantations. Additionally, it touches upon the ‘capability approach’, emphasizing access to forests and land as key components of well-being. The central argument is that perceptions of fairness in agricultural commercialization are influenced by factors such as land rights recognition, equitable land distribution, and participation in decision-making processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100320"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145415155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-23DOI: 10.1016/j.wss.2025.100319
Elisabetta Febe Canaletti , Phyllis Lun , Levi D. Stutzman , Meanne Chan , Felix Cheung
Background
Mounting evidence points to stress being a transdiagnostic contributing factor to health conditions. Given the health significance of stress, characterizing macro-level spatiotemporal trends and disparities of stress is necessary to understanding stress and its potential health burden across populations. The need to investigate structural factors contributing to stress is further underscored by the escalating instability worldwide over the past decade, which can trigger a stress response and lead to adverse health outcomes if left unaddressed.
Methods
This study used nationally representative surveys (N = 2461,226; 146 countries) in 2006–2023 and the Fragile State Index (N = 137 countries) to i) describe global stress trends varied by world regions and demographic groups, and ii) examine whether nation-level state fragility, a summative measure that aggregates 12 economic, social, and political indicators to assess a state’s risk of collapse or conflict, predicts steeper increases in stress over time.
Results
A state’s level of fragility may contribute to individuals’ perceived stress and in turn have profound consequences for population physical and mental health. The current study reveals an alarming increase in stress globally and calls for prioritizing structural approaches to reverse this trend. By doing so, we not only reduce stress but also its related disease burden.
{"title":"Rising tide of stress: Global trends and structural predictors over 18 years","authors":"Elisabetta Febe Canaletti , Phyllis Lun , Levi D. Stutzman , Meanne Chan , Felix Cheung","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100319","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100319","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Mounting evidence points to stress being a transdiagnostic contributing factor to health conditions. Given the health significance of stress, characterizing macro-level spatiotemporal trends and disparities of stress is necessary to understanding stress and its potential health burden across populations. The need to investigate structural factors contributing to stress is further underscored by the escalating instability worldwide over the past decade, which can trigger a stress response and lead to adverse health outcomes if left unaddressed.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study used nationally representative surveys (<em>N</em> = 2461,226; 146 countries) in 2006–2023 and the Fragile State Index (<em>N</em> = 137 countries) to i) describe global stress trends varied by world regions and demographic groups, and ii) examine whether nation-level state fragility, a summative measure that aggregates 12 economic, social, and political indicators to assess a state’s risk of collapse or conflict, predicts steeper increases in stress over time.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A state’s level of fragility may contribute to individuals’ perceived stress and in turn have profound consequences for population physical and mental health. The current study reveals an alarming increase in stress globally and calls for prioritizing structural approaches to reverse this trend. By doing so, we not only reduce stress but also its related disease burden.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100319"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145658600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-21DOI: 10.1016/j.wss.2025.100317
Melissa L. Villodas , Ngozi V. Enelamah , Andrea Cole , Andrew Foell , Alexandria B. Forte , Chrisann Newransky , Camila Natalia Rodriguez , Mansoo Yu , Von E. Nebbitt , Margaret Lombe
Aims
This study investigates the relationship between the presence of neighborhood amenities and parent-reported intensity of depression and anxiety among youth aged 14–17 in low-income households, with a focus on racial and ethnic differences.
Method
Weighted logistic regression with interaction terms for amenities and race was conducted using data from the 2021 National Survey of Children’s Health, involving families with youth ages 14 to 17 and who earn 0–199 % of the federal poverty level (N = 3258). A series of stratified logistic regression models examined the relationship between neighborhood amenities and mental health by race.
Results
Interactions revealed that sidewalks were associated with a higher likelihood of anxiety for Black and Hispanic youth, but a lower likelihood of depression for multiracial youth. Parks were associated with a higher likelihood of depression among Hispanic youth. Recreation centers were associated with a higher likelihood of depression among multiracial youth. Community-based adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) were associated with higher depression and anxiety. Nearly all racial groups experienced lower odds of depression when the youths’ mothers’ mental health was positive. Finally, neighborhood support was associated with lower odds of anxiety for Black youth, while neighborhood detractors increased the odds of depression.
Conclusions
We highlight the need to promote equity and a shared concern for youth mental health shaped by environmental context. Future research should explore how diverse youth experience neighborhood amenities, emphasizing the role of cross-cultural dynamics in shaping mental health.
{"title":"Exploring associations between neighborhood amenities and mental health: Insights from parent reports of older youth in low-income households","authors":"Melissa L. Villodas , Ngozi V. Enelamah , Andrea Cole , Andrew Foell , Alexandria B. Forte , Chrisann Newransky , Camila Natalia Rodriguez , Mansoo Yu , Von E. Nebbitt , Margaret Lombe","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100317","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100317","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Aims</h3><div>This study investigates the relationship between the presence of neighborhood amenities and parent-reported intensity of depression and anxiety among youth aged 14–17 in low-income households, with a focus on racial and ethnic differences.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Weighted logistic regression with interaction terms for amenities and race was conducted using data from the 2021 National Survey of Children’s Health, involving families with youth ages 14 to 17 and who earn 0–199 % of the federal poverty level (<em>N</em> = 3258). A series of stratified logistic regression models examined the relationship between neighborhood amenities and mental health by race.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Interactions revealed that sidewalks were associated with a higher likelihood of anxiety for Black and Hispanic youth, but a lower likelihood of depression for multiracial youth. Parks were associated with a higher likelihood of depression among Hispanic youth. Recreation centers were associated with a higher likelihood of depression among multiracial youth. Community-based adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) were associated with higher depression and anxiety. Nearly all racial groups experienced lower odds of depression when the youths’ mothers’ mental health was positive. Finally, neighborhood support was associated with lower odds of anxiety for Black youth, while neighborhood detractors increased the odds of depression.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>We highlight the need to promote equity and a shared concern for youth mental health shaped by environmental context. Future research should explore how diverse youth experience neighborhood amenities, emphasizing the role of cross-cultural dynamics in shaping mental health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100317"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145362182","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-20DOI: 10.1016/j.wss.2025.100316
Rachel Deshpande , Meya Jurkus , Valorie A. Crooks , Benjamin Nii Badu Lartey , Geoff Bardwell
Given the ongoing overdose crisis, it is imperative to investigate how physical environments facilitate or protect against overdose in order to inform place-based interventions that seek to reduce risk. This scoping review synthesizes qualitative literature on the built environment and overdose to provide indepth perspectives and experiences of decision-making and drug use navigation. Studies published between January 1980 and October 2024 that describe built environment factors related to fatal and non-fatal overdose were included. The review followed the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis scoping review methodology, including the standardized checklist for reporting on scoping reviews(PRISMAScR). Forty articles were included. Results were divided into four overarching categories: indoor and outdoor locations that shape drug use behaviour and overdose; intersections of built environments and other social/structural factors impacting risk navigation, including privacy, sociability, and comfortability; and targeted interventions for the built environment that are intended to reduce overdose, including technologies and service availability. Key findings from this scoping review focus on how the built environment influences the consumption practices and experiences of people who use drugs when navigating harm reduction practices and the integrity of their drug-taking experience. Tensions exist between privacy and comfortability, and experiences of sociability and safety. Balancing surveillance versus monitoring is essential to consider when implementing built environment interventions that support individual autonomy. This research is important for understanding the built environment factors that facilitate or reduce the risk of overdose and is integral for informing policy and place-based interventions.
{"title":"Between solitude and safety: A qualitative scoping review of overdose risk and the built environment","authors":"Rachel Deshpande , Meya Jurkus , Valorie A. Crooks , Benjamin Nii Badu Lartey , Geoff Bardwell","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100316","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100316","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Given the ongoing overdose crisis, it is imperative to investigate how physical environments facilitate or protect against overdose in order to inform place-based interventions that seek to reduce risk. This scoping review synthesizes qualitative literature on the built environment and overdose to provide indepth perspectives and experiences of decision-making and drug use navigation. Studies published between January 1980 and October 2024 that describe built environment factors related to fatal and non-fatal overdose were included. The review followed the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis scoping review methodology, including the standardized checklist for reporting on scoping reviews(PRISMAScR). Forty articles were included. Results were divided into four overarching categories: indoor and outdoor locations that shape drug use behaviour and overdose; intersections of built environments and other social/structural factors impacting risk navigation, including privacy, sociability, and comfortability; and targeted interventions for the built environment that are intended to reduce overdose, including technologies and service availability. Key findings from this scoping review focus on how the built environment influences the consumption practices and experiences of people who use drugs when navigating harm reduction practices and the integrity of their drug-taking experience. Tensions exist between privacy and comfortability, and experiences of sociability and safety. Balancing surveillance versus monitoring is essential to consider when implementing built environment interventions that support individual autonomy. This research is important for understanding the built environment factors that facilitate or reduce the risk of overdose and is integral for informing policy and place-based interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100316"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145519375","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this article, we examine how precarious access to food and other essential resources, shaped by structural violence, poverty, and inequalities, is mitigated through community ties and community-based action. Communities in South Africa face chronic socioeconomic challenges, including high unemployment and inadequate access to resources such as food, water, energy, and shelter. We highlight how governmental neglect and exclusionary policies exacerbate these hardships, creating entrenched cycles of deprivation. Drawing on ethnographic research, including two case studies from Lorentzville (Gauteng province) and Mqanduli (Eastern Cape province), we explore community-based initiatives that demonstrate how residents leverage social networks to share resources, address immediate needs, and sustain livelihoods. Our findings show that while these grassroots efforts provide critical support, they remain constrained by broader structural conditions that perpetuate food insecurity and economic marginalization. Ethnographic evidence illustrates how the spatial and social organization of these communities influences the effectiveness of informal support mechanisms. This article contributes to scholarship on well-being and space by illustrating how localized strategies of resource-sharing shape survival within contexts of chronic deprivation.
{"title":"Strengthening community ties in South Africa: tackling food insecurity and structural challenges through community-led initiatives","authors":"Lucy Khofi , Eileen Moyer , Andries Bezuidenhout , Lenore Manderson","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100315","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100315","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this article, we examine how precarious access to food and other essential resources, shaped by structural violence, poverty, and inequalities, is mitigated through community ties and community-based action. Communities in South Africa face chronic socioeconomic challenges, including high unemployment and inadequate access to resources such as food, water, energy, and shelter. We highlight how governmental neglect and exclusionary policies exacerbate these hardships, creating entrenched cycles of deprivation. Drawing on ethnographic research, including two case studies from Lorentzville (Gauteng province) and Mqanduli (Eastern Cape province), we explore community-based initiatives that demonstrate how residents leverage social networks to share resources, address immediate needs, and sustain livelihoods. Our findings show that while these grassroots efforts provide critical support, they remain constrained by broader structural conditions that perpetuate food insecurity and economic marginalization. Ethnographic evidence illustrates how the spatial and social organization of these communities influences the effectiveness of informal support mechanisms. This article contributes to scholarship on well-being and space by illustrating how localized strategies of resource-sharing shape survival within contexts of chronic deprivation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100315"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145415156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fostering an inclusive neighbourhood environment is a critical part of the social responsibility to support people living with dementia to participate in community activities and maintain autonomy, identity, health, and wellbeing. Dementia scholars and advocates have emphasized the need to understand how people living with dementia interact with and adapt to the neighbourhood environment. This understanding will inform dementia-inclusive policy and practice to create enabling physical and social environments. The present study explores the experiential knowledge of people living with dementia gained through their awareness of age and disease-related changes, perceptions of the neighbourhood environment, and adaptive processes to maintain outdoor walking. Sequential semi-structured sit-down and video-documented go-along interviews were conducted with 14 people living with mild to moderate dementia in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. Thematic analysis produced two themes: 1) Awareness of needing to adapt to changing abilities to walk in the neighbourhood, and 2) Heightened awareness of risk factors and influence of neighbourhood environment on outdoor mobility adaptations. Recognizing people’s awareness and adaptive responses, and cultivating relational understandings of the agency and capacities of people living with dementia are integral to creating inclusive neighbourhood environments that enhance the capabilities for participation in the community.
{"title":"Exploring the awareness of changes in outdoor mobility and the influence of the neighbourhood environment among people living with dementia in British Columbia, Canada","authors":"Kishore Seetharaman , Habib Chaudhury , Lillian Hung , Atiya Mahmood , Alison Phinney , Richard Ward","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100314","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100314","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fostering an inclusive neighbourhood environment is a critical part of the social responsibility to support people living with dementia to participate in community activities and maintain autonomy, identity, health, and wellbeing. Dementia scholars and advocates have emphasized the need to understand how people living with dementia interact with and adapt to the neighbourhood environment. This understanding will inform dementia-inclusive policy and practice to create enabling physical and social environments. The present study explores the experiential knowledge of people living with dementia gained through their awareness of age and disease-related changes, perceptions of the neighbourhood environment, and adaptive processes to maintain outdoor walking. Sequential semi-structured sit-down and video-documented go-along interviews were conducted with 14 people living with mild to moderate dementia in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. Thematic analysis produced two themes: 1) Awareness of needing to adapt to changing abilities to walk in the neighbourhood, and 2) Heightened awareness of risk factors and influence of neighbourhood environment on outdoor mobility adaptations. Recognizing people’s awareness and adaptive responses, and cultivating relational understandings of the agency and capacities of people living with dementia are integral to creating inclusive neighbourhood environments that enhance the capabilities for participation in the community.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100314"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145324214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-13DOI: 10.1016/j.wss.2025.100313
Imogen M. Sloss , Jasmine Zhang , Alison Pearson , Dillon T. Browne
The goal of the current study was to explore the association between belonging and well-being in children and youth. Close attention was paid to the role of neighbourhoods, where associations were permitted to operate differentially across youths’ local environment, in addition to individual and interpersonal factors that may account for this effect modification. Data came from a regional survey in Southern Ontario designed to monitor well-being in young people (n = 1842; aged 9-18 years). Youth provided their forward sortation area (FSA), permitting linkage with 2021 census-defined socioeconomic status (SES) and immigration levels. Two-level multilevel models revealed statistically significant variance in well-being at neighbourhood (11.1%) and individual (88.9%) levels (plus error). A random slope was observed for belonging, suggesting that the belonging/well-being association varied across neighbourhoods. Greater well-being was observed in youth born outside of Canada, and when youth reported higher family or friend support, and neighbourhood safety and resources. Effect modification (moderation) on the belonging/well-being association was observed for gender, family support, country of birth, and neighbourhood safety. Findings affirm theoretical models suggesting that well-being in young people emerges in a complex multilevel ecology. There is an ongoing need for public health programs that are sensitive to local geographic differences, while considering the role of belonging within the proximal and distal social contexts of young people.
{"title":"The association between well-being and belonging differs across census-defined neighbourhoods for Ontario youth","authors":"Imogen M. Sloss , Jasmine Zhang , Alison Pearson , Dillon T. Browne","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100313","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100313","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The goal of the current study was to explore the association between belonging and well-being in children and youth. Close attention was paid to the role of neighbourhoods, where associations were permitted to operate differentially across youths’ local environment, in addition to individual and interpersonal factors that may account for this effect modification. Data came from a regional survey in Southern Ontario designed to monitor well-being in young people (n = 1842; aged 9-18 years). Youth provided their forward sortation area (FSA), permitting linkage with 2021 census-defined socioeconomic status (SES) and immigration levels. Two-level multilevel models revealed statistically significant variance in well-being at neighbourhood (11.1%) and individual (88.9%) levels (plus error). A random slope was observed for belonging, suggesting that the belonging/well-being association varied across neighbourhoods. Greater well-being was observed in youth born outside of Canada, and when youth reported higher family or friend support, and neighbourhood safety and resources. Effect modification (moderation) on the belonging/well-being association was observed for gender, family support, country of birth, and neighbourhood safety. Findings affirm theoretical models suggesting that well-being in young people emerges in a complex multilevel ecology. There is an ongoing need for public health programs that are sensitive to local geographic differences, while considering the role of belonging within the proximal and distal social contexts of young people.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100313"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145362183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lifestyle migration refers to voluntary urban-rural relocation in pursuit of self-realization and a better quality of life. Although its popularity has grown particularly in aging societies and amid the expansion of remote work, empirical evidence on its relationship with subjective wellbeing (SWB) remains limited. This study examines associations among actual lifestyle migration, SWB, and personality traits in Japan, a context paralleling European trends but features strong policy support for regional relocation. A web-based survey of 905 adults in Japan (230 lifestyle migrants and 675 urban residents [non-migrants]) assessed SWB using three indicators (Cantril’s Ladder [CL], Satisfaction With Life Scale [SWLS], Interdependent Happiness Scale [IHS]) and personality using the Japanese Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI-J). Lifestyle migrants scored higher in openness and conscientiousness and lower in neuroticism, whereas no significant differences were observed for extraversion or agreeableness. Between-group differences in SWB were limited: the migration status was not significantly associated with CL or IHS and showed a small positive association with the 10 % level for SWLS after adjustment for covariates. Within the lifestyle migrants, openness was negatively associated with CL, agreeableness was positively associated with IHS and marginally with SWLS, and neuroticism was negatively associated with SWLS. Self-rated health was positively associated with all outcomes. Overall, the findings partly support the existence of a distinct migrant profile but indicate only modest adjusted SWB advantages after migration. The negative association between openness and CL may reflect friction between novelty seeking and adaptation to local norms. Receptive communities may help mitigate this friction and enhance wellbeing.
{"title":"Relationship between subjective wellbeing, personality traits, and lifestyle migration: A web-based survey analysis in Japan","authors":"Kento Katsuragawa , Ryo Saito , Anna Suzuki , Makiko Takao","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100312","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100312","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lifestyle migration refers to voluntary urban-rural relocation in pursuit of self-realization and a better quality of life. Although its popularity has grown particularly in aging societies and amid the expansion of remote work, empirical evidence on its relationship with subjective wellbeing (SWB) remains limited. This study examines associations among actual lifestyle migration, SWB, and personality traits in Japan, a context paralleling European trends but features strong policy support for regional relocation. A web-based survey of 905 adults in Japan (230 lifestyle migrants and 675 urban residents [non-migrants]) assessed SWB using three indicators (Cantril’s Ladder [CL], Satisfaction With Life Scale [SWLS], Interdependent Happiness Scale [IHS]) and personality using the Japanese Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI-J). Lifestyle migrants scored higher in openness and conscientiousness and lower in neuroticism, whereas no significant differences were observed for extraversion or agreeableness. Between-group differences in SWB were limited: the migration status was not significantly associated with CL or IHS and showed a small positive association with the 10 % level for SWLS after adjustment for covariates. Within the lifestyle migrants, openness was negatively associated with CL, agreeableness was positively associated with IHS and marginally with SWLS, and neuroticism was negatively associated with SWLS. Self-rated health was positively associated with all outcomes. Overall, the findings partly support the existence of a distinct migrant profile but indicate only modest adjusted SWB advantages after migration. The negative association between openness and CL may reflect friction between novelty seeking and adaptation to local norms. Receptive communities may help mitigate this friction and enhance wellbeing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100312"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145324082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1016/j.wss.2025.100307
Emily T Murray , Avril Keating , Cara Booker , Claire Cameron , Sam Whewall , Stephen Jivraj
Previous research has shown that English adolescents who lived in the most deprived coastal neighbourhoods had worse mental health up to 11 years later than if they had lived in equivalent inland neighbourhoods. We used the same twelve waves (2009–2022) of Understanding Society, to examine whether this association was explained by the places the study members lived (31 objectively measured built, social, economic and educational indicators linked via residential lower-super output areas) or their collective individual socio-demographics when they were adolescents (aged 10–15yrs). Coastal youth (n = 764) were exposed to worse average levels of sixteen environmental measures and better average levels for five environmental measures, than their peers inland (n = 4157). The concentration of area deprivation was also greater for coastal youth compared with their inland peers. When longitudinal models were fitted between environmental measures and SF-12 mental functioning scores (MCS) during adulthood (age 16+), only local crime and higher education participation were independently associated with MCS [Top 20 % vs Bottom 20 % (95 % Confidence interval): -1.20 (-2.38, -0.03) and Middle 20 % vs Worse 20 %: 1.07 (0.09, 2.05)] after adjustment for socio-demographics. As well, the amplified effect of area deprivation on MCS in coastal, compared to inland, areas was reduced the most by adjustment for individual socio-demographics [interaction term coastal*Top20 % deprived area: -5.1 (-8.1, -2.2) to -4.3 (-7.0, -1.6)], rather than the two environmental measures [further reduced to -3.9 (-6.7,-1.1)]. Results from this paper suggest policies to improve young adult’s mental health in England should target the socioeconomic circumstances of households in the most deprived coastal areas.
{"title":"Is it the place or the people in the places? Exploration of why young people in deprived coastal communities of England have worse mental health than their peers inland","authors":"Emily T Murray , Avril Keating , Cara Booker , Claire Cameron , Sam Whewall , Stephen Jivraj","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100307","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100307","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previous research has shown that English adolescents who lived in the most deprived coastal neighbourhoods had worse mental health up to 11 years later than if they had lived in equivalent inland neighbourhoods. We used the same twelve waves (2009–2022) of Understanding Society, to examine whether this association was explained by the places the study members lived (31 objectively measured built, social, economic and educational indicators linked via residential lower-super output areas) or their collective individual socio-demographics when they were adolescents (aged 10–15yrs). Coastal youth (<em>n</em> = 764) were exposed to worse average levels of sixteen environmental measures and better average levels for five environmental measures, than their peers inland (<em>n</em> = 4157). The concentration of area deprivation was also greater for coastal youth compared with their inland peers. When longitudinal models were fitted between environmental measures and SF-12 mental functioning scores (MCS) during adulthood (age 16+), only local crime and higher education participation were independently associated with MCS [Top 20 % vs Bottom 20 % (95 % Confidence interval): -1.20 (-2.38, -0.03) and Middle 20 % vs Worse 20 %: 1.07 (0.09, 2.05)] after adjustment for socio-demographics. As well, the amplified effect of area deprivation on MCS in coastal, compared to inland, areas was reduced the most by adjustment for individual socio-demographics [interaction term coastal*Top20 % deprived area: -5.1 (-8.1, -2.2) to -4.3 (-7.0, -1.6)], rather than the two environmental measures [further reduced to -3.9 (-6.7,-1.1)]. Results from this paper suggest policies to improve young adult’s mental health in England should target the socioeconomic circumstances of households in the most deprived coastal areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100307"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145362181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}