Visiting speaker: Stanley Gaines, Brunel University

“From global south to global north: measuring inner wellbeing among university students in the U.K.”

Date/time/place: Thursday 9th October, 12:00, room C209 (College Building) 

Abstract:
We examine the extent to which 1-factor versus 7-factor models of inner wellbeing can be generalized from the global South to the global North.  Using a sample of 174 university students in the UK, we found that both a unifactorical model and a 7-factor model (i.e., economic confidence, agency/participation, social connections, close relationships, physical/mental health, self-worth, and values/meaning ) fit the correlational data.  However, contrary to findings of previous studies in the global South (in which the 7-factor model yielded significantly better fit than did the 1-factor model), we found that the 1-factor and 7-factor models yielded equal fit to the data.  Whether calculated as one overall score or as seven separate scores, we found that inner wellbeing was significantly related to Ryff’s (e.g., Ryff, 1989) measures of psychological wellbeing and Diener’s (e.g., Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985; see also Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988) measures of subjective wellbeing.

Bio:
Dr. Stanley O. Gaines, Jr. is Senior Lecturer in Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Brunel University (United Kingdom).  Dr. Gaines authored the book, Culture, Ethnicity, and Personal Relationship Processes (Routledge, 1997); and he has written or co-written more than 90 additional publications in the fields of close relationships and ethnic studies.  Dr. Gaines is especially interested in areas of overlap between the subject areas of interpersonal relations (as informed by the literature on close relationships) and intergroup relations (as informed by the literature on ethnic studies).

Website:http://www.brunel.ac.uk/chls/life-sciences/psychology/staff-profiles/stanley-gaines