Well-being in Thailand: A Culturally Driven Grounded Inquiry Exploration of a Complex Construct

Autor: Panita Suavansri, Nipat Pichayayothin, Patricia Rodriguez Espinosa, Poonsub Areekit, Chureerat Nilchantuk, Torin S. Jones, Joanna J. French, Emily Mam, Jessie B. Moore, Catherine A. Heaney
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Applied Research in Quality of Life. 17:3327-3347
ISSN: 1871-2576
1871-2584
DOI: 10.1007/s11482-022-10067-7
Popis: Background Well-being has long been recognized as a key construct in human history. Quantitative studies have been limited in their ability to uncover contextual and cultural nuances that can be leveraged to inform the promotion of well-being. The present study employed a qualitative approach informed by narrative inquiry to understand how individuals in a rapidly developing Asian country experience what it means to be well and what contributes to or detracts from their well-being. Methods A purposeful sample of 50 Thai adults living in Bangkok shared their personal stories of times when they experienced high and low levels of well-being. Data were inductively coded and analysed to identify key domains of participants’ well-being and their inter-connections. Results The results reflect three layers of well-being. Social relationships (i.e., family, friends and acquaintances, and relationships at work or education) are at the center of well-being in Thailand, connecting and supporting a second layer of eight constituent domains of well-being (experience of emotions, sense of self, finances, self-care, demands and responsibilities, thoughts and feelings about the future, personal health, spirituality). The third layer is composed of the societal and physical contexts that are formative for well-being. Conclusions Our findings suggest both universal and culturally unique components of well-being among Thai adults. Implications for the promotion of well-being in Thailand are discussed.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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