Community Links
Examining the Mental Health, the Reasons, and the Coping Strategies of Individuals Remaining Single in Indonesia
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Karel Karsten Himawan, Matthew Bambling, Sisira Edirippulige, Mair Underwood
Despite being in the society where marriage is a norm, the proportion of single adults in Indonesia consistently grows in the last four decades, with limited academic attention. Living in the society that highly favors marriage, singles are undervalued and they experience considerable marriage pressures. This study aims at examining the mental health profile of Indonesian singles along with their reasons on remaining singles and their coping strategies. Guided by the Theory of Need to Belong (Baumeister & Leary, 1995), singles’ coping strategies are focused on two alternative relationships: social- and religious- based relationship. A mixed-method design was applied through an online survey to 635 heterosexual young adults aged 26-50 years (M = 31.49; SD = 5.49). Results showed that most participants were involuntarily singles. When compared to marrieds, singles were significantly less satisfied with life, more lonely, and more stressful. Religiosity levels were the best predictor of singles’ life satisfaction, albeit both religiosity and social support were significant predictors. Reasons on remaining single were explained through four themes: compliance to the socially constructed ideal marital relationship, various perceptions of marriage, the degree of readiness to marry, and situational shortcomings. Indonesian singles face considerable societal pressures that influence their well-being. Adopting religious coping strategy and having sufficient social support are proven to be effective to mitigate challenges of being single. The study outcome is essential for policy makers and mental health practitioners in adjusting cultural perceptions toward the universality of marriage and to focus on destigmatization strategies toward singles.
Estonia’s e-Health System: A Real Challenge for the Elderly
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Marianne Paimre
Estonia, sometimes called the “European Silicon Valley,” is often referred to as one of the most advanced countries in the field of information technology where citizens have digital access to all public services. These services include e-voting, e-tax board, e-business, e-banking, e-ticket, e-school, university via internet, the e-governance academy, as well as the release of several mobile applications. E-health is a prime example of such state-of-the-art programmes set out to improve public health by offering new preventive measures and increasing the awareness of patients. My presentation focuses on the ability of elderly people in Estonia to benefit from the highly acclaimed national e-health system and to retrieve health related information from the online environment. A focus group interview with the senior citizens that was the first step to study patterns of online health information behaviour of Estonians elderly revealed that elderly often lack the skills and experience necessary to search for online health information as well as cope with e-health solutions. My study confirmed that, the wholesome public image of Estonia’s e-success does not always correspond to the reality. Fortunately, the first steps have been taken nationally to eliminate the digital divide, for example, the government has allocated millions to teach the elderly to use the internet and IT tools. In addition to improving the lives and e-literacy among senior citizens, I suggest bolstering the role of health and social workers as well librarians to bridge the digital divide in the realm of online health information.
Gender Differences for Adults Who Practice Yoga in the United States and Canada
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Brandon Eggleston, Casey Mace, Michelle Beaupre
Yoga is a mind-body activity that has grown in popularity over the past several decades in the United States and Canada. Originally, yoga was practiced by only men in India, but as it came to the West it became especially popular with women. In recent years though, more Western men have begun to practice yoga, but little research is known on the difference in benefits and challenges associated with practicing yoga today in the United States and Canada. This study surveyed 700 adults who regularly practice yoga and included a sample with 40% male participants and 60% female participants. While both men and women practice to improve flexibility and relaxation, women were more likely to report the benefits of strength, clearer skin, weight loss, and. Women who practiced hot yoga were more likely then men to report the adverse outcomes of confusion, dizziness, and dehydration. Men were less likely to believe yoga is a spiritual activity, and practiced primarily to improve flexibility and relaxation.
Community Awareness in Improving Access to Mental Health Services in Bali
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Cokorda Lesmana, Niko Tiliopoulos, Annemieke Bikker
Chronic mental disorders’ treatments in Bali, and generally in Indonesia, tend to use the typical hospital-based, mental health institution approach. These institutions are usually psychiatry wards in general hospitals, or, when present in rural areas, sections of community healthcare centers that collaborate with the general hospitals. Changing attitudes and behavior is recognized to be a complex process, with simple exchange of information or knowledge not being an inevitable predictor of behavior change. A further common barrier in identifying and treating mental disorders worldwide is the lack of awareness about them within communities, with stigma towards, and discrimination against, people with mental health problems being widespread. This is important, because effective awareness-raising campaigns can result in increased presentation of persons with mental illness to primary health care. A further common barrier in identifying and treating mental disorders worldwide is the lack of awareness about them within communities, with stigma towards, and discrimination against, people with mental health problems being widespread. Regrettably, this approach was never adopted by the Indonesian or Balinese mental health systems, and outreach services have not been nationally promoted as a means of improving access and mental health outcomes. As a consequence, outpatients are not normatively followed up, nor do they receive any further course of medication or counseling once discharged from the hospital.
