Fifteenth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Depressive symptoms in university students are a risk factor for their academic career and well-being. According to Seligman (2022), the optimal state of mental health and well-being is known as flourishing. All students have the right to develop their full potential, that is, to flourish, and when there are depressive symptoms, this task becomes more complicated, so it is necessary for Psychology to promote strategies for this purpose. The World Health Organization (2022) explains that self-care interventions are the most promising for global healthcare. This is why the objective of this work was to measure the effect of an experiential self-care workshop of 12 sessions, 2 hours a week each, on the depressive symptoms and flourishing of university students. It is a quantitative research, of descriptive scope, with a quasi-experimental design of pretest - intervention - posttest. 30 first-semester students of the Psychology degree from a public university in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico participated. The Beck Depression Inventory (1996) and the Diener and Biswas-Diener (2009) Flourishing scale were applied. The results show that in all students the score of depressive symptoms decreased at the end of the workshop and those of flourishing increased. It is concluded that a self-care workshop is effective in reducing depressive symptoms in university students and increasing their flourishing. It is suggested to replicate the intervention or carry out other self-care interventions in this population that serve as a protective factor to benefit their mental health.

Alzheimer Fest

Giulia Alonzo
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

The research explores the intersection between cultural festivals and Alzheimer’s disease, examining whether these seemingly disparate realms can converge. Festivals are public celebrations that foster community and shared experiences, as articulated by Richards (2017) and supported by the concept of collective mental states described by Giannini (2020). This study investigates whether an Alzheimer Festival can serve as a platform for enhancing understanding and reducing stigma surrounding the disease. The theoretical framework integrates Event Studies, emphasizing how festivals can create communal bonds (Getz 2009; Alonzo & Ponte di Pino 2021), and theories related to the communication of illness. Previous studies indicate that caregivers often experience isolation and loneliness due to the stigma associated with Alzheimer's (Hung et al. 2021; Bolland et al. 2015). The research seeks to determine if a festival focused on Alzheimer's can shift narratives and foster community among caregivers. Methodologically, the study will employ an ethnographic approach featuring participant observation and semi-structured interviews, with data collection occurring between September and October 2024. Ultimately, the research seeks to answer several critical questions: Can festivals change social representations and combat stigma? Is the festival a venue for advocacy? What roles do various participants play, and how might their interactions at the festival influence caregivers' well-being post-event? This study contributes to an understanding of how festivals can impact the communication of serious illnesses like Alzheimer’s, facilitating connections and support within affected communities.

A Lifelong Journey to Combat Non-Communicable Diseases

Xuemei Zhang
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally. NCDs commonly happen in adulthood, while their roots may be traced back to early life stages. However, existing studies mostly examined childhood or adulthood socioeconomic status (SES) independently. This study explores the interaction of NCDs, childhood SES, adulthood SES, and (Socioeconomic) SEE mobility. Method This project used longitudinal data obtained from nationally representative health surveys-China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Participants aged 25 years and older are included, with self-reported doctor-diagnosed NCDs. Participants reported their own and their parents’ highest level of education was used as the proxy of adulthood and childhood SES. Childhood SES and adulthood SES were categorized into two groups (low vs high) and the SES mobility variable was then constructed comprised of four categories: stable low, upward, downward, and stable high. We finally included 25,167 participants. 67.60% of the participants are stable in their SES and 51.07% among these are in the ‘stable low’ category. Participants who have a higher childhood SES (14.25%), and higher adulthood SES (13.92%) have higher NCD prevalence. Participants who experienced upward mobility (15.03%) had the highest NCD prevalence. There is a significant positive relationship between childhood SES and adulthood SES and NCD prevalence is more significant in the older cohorts and reversed in the younger cohorts. Adulthood SES has a more significant effect on the development of NCD, while childhood situation has a certain lag in its impact on NCDs.

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