Faculty of Health Sciences
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Item Spiritual wellness as a tool against the effects of a pandemic : experiences of some Australian families in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic(Otjivanda Presse.Essen, 2023-10-18) Dorasamy, Jirushlan; Bhagwan, RaisuyahBased on the mixed feelings as to whether spirituality offers wellness during trouble times, this study explored how families used spiritual wellness as a tool against the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective was to understand the participant’sspiritual wellness in order to find out the impact of the pandemic on their specific aspects of spiritual wellness and then to determine the spiritual pathways they used to manage their challenges during COVID-19, as well as further recommendations made by participants toward enhancing spiritual wellness in the future especially during crisis situations, such as the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. The aftermath effect of the pandemic still lingers among many lives today. Therefore, knowing how some used spiritual wellness as a dimension of wellness to overcome the chaos will be a lesson for many to consider. The study followed a qualitative approach (interviews), involving 12 families based in Melbourne, Australia, to examine how the pandemic impacted their spiritual wellness, the pathways of wellness they used as they transitioned through the pandemic, as well as recommendations made by families going forward.. The findings revealed that spiritual wellness was maintained through engaging in virtual spiritual activities, keeping a positive spirit, and being motivation, while practicing yoga and meditation offered optimism, hope, and confidence as well as positive feelings about the future. This attests to the fact that, spirituality can serve as a great source of power that can transcend beyond all situations to generate wellnessItem Occupational wellness approaches among families who transitioned through the COVID-19 pandemic(2023-08-14) Dorasamy, Jirushlan; Bhagwan, RaisuyahThe worldwide outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected various dimensions of human wellness. More so, the various protocols implemented to mitigate the spread of the pandemic had significant effects on the occupational wellness dimension. This study explored the occupational wellness challenges experienced by some families in Melbourne, Australia, during the COVID-19 pandemic and the strategies they used as they transitioned through the pandemic. The study framed three possible inductive themes aligned to the impact of COVID-19 on specific aspects of occupational wellness, pathways to the management of occupational wellness during COVID-19, and recommended future changes to occupational wellness by the sampled families in Melbourne, Australia. The study findings indicated that COVID-19 had both positive and negative effects on the occupational wellness of the families. The strategies of the families are worthy for consideration, for future approaches to deal with any pandemic. It is expected that the proper adoption of the proposed strategies to cope with occupational wellness will significantly contribute toward occupational wellness for individuals and families facing occupational wellness challenges, especially during pandemicsItem Reconstructing wellness among Australian families transitioning through the COVID-19 pandemic(2023-05-31) Dorasamy, Jirushlan; Bhagwan, RaisuyahThere is a general understanding that wellness is a holistic, multidimensional concept, encompassing various aspects of human life, which complement one another. Studies have found different key dimensions that make up wellness. However, this study limited itself to the following eight dimensions - occupational, emotional, spiritual, environmental, financial, physical, social, and intellectual at the interface of Australian families transitioning through the COVID-19 pandemic. These eight usually surface in many other studies. Given the lack of empirical research related to family well-being, the study sought to explore how family wellness was affected in a multidimensional way within the COVID-19 pandemic and tried to understand how family life may be reconstructed in light of the stressors relating to the wellness dimensions that have been brought to bear upon these families. Hence, a qualitative approach was deployed as the study became inquiry grounded. Thus, it was conducted through semi-structured interviews in which the researcher interrogated the lived experiences and perspectives of families based in Melbourne, Australia. A non-probability/convenience sampling approach was used to recruit 12 families until saturation was reached. The collected data was analysed by classifying the identical narratives through thematic analysis and the results showed that COVID-19 negatively impacted all eight wellness dimensions used to assess family wellness during the pandemic. The key findings show that some of families suffered job losses and business shutdown, while many families experienced heightened psychological and mental effects. Equally, the closure of religious centres contributed to feelings of hopelessness and loss of direction, while household domestic waste increased due to families working and schooling from home. Families experienced financial instability; and physical activities were disrupted which contributed to weight gain. In addition, the families experienced social isolation, while their intellectual wellness was compromised due to limited access to learning materials. Nevertheless, the families managed to create pathways to circumvent the constraints imposed by the lockdown among which included maintaining connections with family friends and colleagues; working from home; controlling expenditure; managing work-life balance; engaging in indoor exercises and outdoor activities within the social isolation mandates; observing conservation practices, showing altruistic behaviour, and playing games/online reading and viewing. The pathways of wellness pursued by families illustrated the connectivity between the wellness dimensions and the moderating influence of wellness support programmes. The critical finding of this study revealed that the support structure provided by families has a major effect on how the families reconstructed and maintained their wellness during the pandemic, and thus the family-centric support system was recommended in this study. Based on the analysed information, the study put forth a wellness framework for consideration. This study will contribute to the growing research on the COVID-19 pandemic, by exploring its influence (COVID-19) on family wellness, as well as contribute to the awareness and understanding of pandemics and their effect on family wellness. The study is also expected to contribute both locally and globally in shaping strategies and policies to mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic in relation to wellness and ensure that family life is restored and preserved immediately afterwards. Furthermore, the research highlighted diverse holistic approaches as alternative methodologies in preserving and reconstructing family life regarding wellness across the eight dimensions. These were considered in a recommended wellness frameworkItem COVID-19 Pandemic : physical wellness approaches used by Australian families in Melbourne(2023-03-21) Bhagwan, Raisuyah; Dorasamy, JirushlanThe global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected all dimensions of human well-being. Protocols established to mitigate the spread of the epidemic have had significant results on levels of well-being related to physical fitness. This study discusses the disposal practices of several households in Melbourne, Australia, during the Covid-19 pandemic and the transition through the pandemic. The study addressed five potential factors including pre-Covid-19 physical fitness, the overall impact of Covid-19 on physical fitness, the incidence and use pathways of Covid-19 on specific aspects of physical fitness. . A critical analysis of the COVID-19 physical fitness and suggested changes in households for physical fitness in research. According to the results of the study, the epidemic had both positive and negative effects on the physical well-being of the family. They outline the household's strategy for future possibilities to deal with any epidemic. It is expected that appropriate implementation of the suggested strategies will significantly contribute to the physical well-being of individuals and families facing physical well-being challenge