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STATISTICS OF GENERAL HEALTH AND SUBJECTIVE

WELL BEING AMONG IT PROFESSIONALS

KUNAL NEHRUJI

(Reg No: AA3AB0064410059AG)

GREAT EASTERN MANAGEMENT SCHOOL, BANGALORE

2008-2009


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CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Project work Statistics of General Health and

Subjective well being among IT Professionals is submitted to the college by the

candidate Mr. Kunal Nehruji bearing Reg. No. AA3AB0064410059AG is the product

of bonafide research carried out by the candidate under my supervision in Business

Statistics.

(GUIDE)

BANGALORE DR.G.S.HEDGE

Lecturer, Business Statistics

NOV, 2008 Great Eastern Management School


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CONTENTS

Page No.

Acknowledgement i

List of Tables ii

List of Figures iii

Abstract vi

Chapter 1 Introduction 1 30

Chapter 2 Results and Discussion 43 - 51

Chapter 3 Summary and conclusions 52 - 53

References

Appendices


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i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Project work was carried out under the remarkable guidance of Dr. G.S.Hedge

Lecturer, Great Eastern Management School. I am grateful for his guidance, valuable

suggestions and for the constant encouragement and co-operation.

I also express my sincere gratitude and thanks to all the subjects participated in the

study.

I owe the successful completion of my work to Ms. Mythri for her kind support.


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ii

LIST OF TABLES

Titles Page No.

Table 1. Socio demographic characteristics of sample 43

Table 2. Correlation between subjective well being and general

health among males and females

44

Table 3. Mean, Standard Deviation,t value of males and females

on general health

45

Table 4. Mean, Standard Deviation,t value of males and females

on Subjective well being

48


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iii

LIST OF FIGURES

Titles Page No.

Figure 1. Mean score of male and females on General health 46

Figure 2. Mean score of males and females on Subjective Well

Being

49


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vi

ABSTRACT

The present study examines Statistics of General Health and Subjective well being

among IT Professionals. The sample consisted of 60 IT Professionals (30 males and 30

Females) were selected by purposive sampling method. The results of the study were

analyzed by using ttest and correlation. The obtained results show that there is no difference

between male and female IT Professionals.


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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION


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INTRODUCTION

The concept of wellness and well being has been evolving in various disciplines, and

attempts have been made to develop a description of an individuals total well being.

Wellness is an interactive process of becoming aware of practicing healthy choice to

create a more successfully and balanced lifestyle.

You are whole or have well being to the degree that the center of your life is

integrated and energized by love and healthy spirituality. Persons well being includes:

Loving oneself by developing ones unique gifts of body, mind and spirit as one can, at each

stage of ones life, loving other people by encouraging them to develop their unique gifts.

Clinebell (1995)

The aim of life is to be fully born, though its tragedy is the most of us die before we

are social well being, not merely as the absence of disease or infirmity. Sushrutha, a

prominent proponent of traditional system of Indian medicine defines it as a state

characterized by a feeling of spiritual, physical and mental well being. Clinebell (1995)

The term Wellness is intended to anchor one end of a hypothetical continuum,

anchored at the other end by an opposing term such as pathology. a) Wellness should be

seen as an extreme point on a continuum, not as a category in a binary classification system;

and b) Wellness is something more than the absence of disease, that is it is defined by the

extent which positive marker characteristics are present. Cown (1994)


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The psychological well being includes meaning in life, absence of somatic symptoms,

self esteem, positive effect, daily activities, satisfaction, absences of suicidal ideas, personal

control and social support, absence of tension, wellness and general efficiency (Bhogle and

Prakash, 1995).

It is ironic that our society perceives failing in well being more clearly than well being

itself. From its genesis, mental healths focus has been revolving around things that go wrong

psychologically and a limited focus has been on what contributes for total wellness of human

person. The term wellness is intended to anchor one end of the hypothetical continuum,

anchored at the other end by the opposing terms such as pathology (sickness). Two points

that need to be highlighted, according to Cowen (1994) are wellness should be seen as an

extreme point on a continuum not as a category in a binary classification system and wellness

is something more than the absence of disease, that is, it is defined by the extent which

positive marker characteristic are present.

The constitutions of the World Health Organization defines health as a state of

complete physical, mental, spiritual and radiate it in all dimension of their well being.

As the most scientific study of behavior, psychology has made many important

contributions to the understanding of those behavior and lifestyle that relate to health and

illness. As reported most of the leading cause of death in the U.S. is chronic disease that

result in large part from individual behavior and lifestyles. Many of these chronic illnesses

can be changing proper learned response patterns.


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Psychology has made several important contributions to health and medicine. It has

provided a variety of techniques for changing behavior that have been implicated in chronic

disease. Secondly, psychology is committed to keeping people rather than waiting to treat

them after they become ill. Thirdly, psychologies have associated with illness and health.

Fifth, psychology has contributed a solid foundation of scientific methods for studying such

behaviors (Vasanth, 2000).

In recent years, both in the scientific as well as in poplar literature, there is an

increased interest in the quality of life, the attributes that describe the quality of life and

events that affect quality of life. Most often quality of life is conceptualized as a composite of

physical, psychological land social well being of an individual perceives by the person

of the group. A very important aspect of quality is the happiness, satisfaction or he

gratification subjectively experienced which is often called as a subjective well being (SWB)

or psychological well being (PWB). Researchers on subjective well being suggest that:

It is based on subjective conditions of life.

It has positive as well as negative effect.

It is a global experience as opposed to experience in particular domains such

as work (Okum and Stocks, 1987).

Subjective well-being refers to how people evaluate their lives and include variables

such as life satisfaction and martial satisfaction, lack of depression and anxiety and positive

moods and emotions. Most people evaluate what is happening to them as either good or bad,

so they normally able to offer judgments bout their lives. Further more, people virtually

always experience mood and emotion, which have an hedonic component that is pleasant,


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signaling a positive reaction, or unpleasant, signaling a negative reaction, thus, people have a

level of subjective well being even if they do not often consciously think about it

HALLMARKS OF SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING:

There are several cardinal characteristics in the study of SWB (Diener, 1984). First,

the field covers the entire range of well being from agony to ecstasy. It does not focus only

on undesirable states such as depression or hopelessness. Instead, individual differences in

levels of positive well being are also considered important. Thus, the field of SWB includes

the undesirable states that are treated by clinical psychologists, but is not limited to the study

of these undesirable states. In other words, the field is concerned not just with the causes of

depression and anxiety, but also with the factors that differentiate slightly happy people from

moderately happy and extremely happy people.

Second, SWB is defined in terms of the internal experience of the respondent. An

external frame of reference is not imposed when assessing SWB. Although many criteria of

mental health are dictated from outside by researchers and practitioners (e.g., maturity,

autonomy, realism), SWB is measured from the individual's own perspective. If a woman

thinks her life is going well, then it is going well within this framework. Again, this

characteristic focus on the respondent's point of view differentiates the field of SWB from

traditional clinical psychology. In the latter field weight is given to people's own perceptions

of their lives, but oftentimes people are seen to have a problem even if they themselves do not

realize it. In the field of SWB, a person's beliefs about his or her own well-being are of

paramount importance. Naturally, this approach has both advantages and disadvantages.

Although it gives ultimate authority to our respondents, it also means that SWB cannot be a

consummate definition of mental health because people may be disordered even if they are


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happy. Thus, a psychologist will usually consider measures in addition to SWB in evaluating

a person's mental health.

A final hallmark of SWB is that the field focuses on longer-term states, not just

momentary moods. Although a person's moods are likely to fluctuate with each new event,

the SWB researcher is most interested in the person's moods over time. Often, what leads to

happiness at the moment may not be the same as what produces long-term SWB. Thus, we

are interested in relatively enduring feelings of well-being, not just fleeting emotions.

SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING NECESSARY AND SUFFICIENT FOR

MENTAL HEALTH:

Subjective well-being is not synonymous with mental health or psychological health.

A delusional person might be happy and satisfied with his life, and yet we would not say that

he possesses mental health. A person who is out of touch with her own motives and emotions

might say she is happy, but we would not consider her to possess complete psychological

health. Thus, SWB is not a sufficient condition for psychological well-being. Carol Ryff

(1989; Ryff & Keyes, 1995) outlines additional characteristics beyond SWB (e.g.,

environmental mastery, personal growth, and purpose in life) that are important to mental

health. Therefore, although we believe that SWB is important, it is not identical to

psychological health.

Is SWB a necessary condition for mental health? It appears that some people function

well in many aspects of their lives, but are not particularly happy. Examples come to mind of

individuals who are dysphoric, but who make significant contributions to society. Some

might argue, however, that SWB is a necessary condition for mental health because a person

cannot be functioning well if he or she is depressed for prolonged periods of time, or suffers


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from debilitating anxiety. We have not yet determined, however, the level of SWB that is

optimal for mental health and good functioning.

Subjective well-being is only one aspect of psychological well-being. Nevertheless,

the subjective frame of reference implicit in the concept of SWB has the strength of being

based on the respondent's own internal perspective, and thus gives priority and respect to

people's own views of their lives. Rather than a standard imposed by a mental health

professional, SWB grants importance to the experience of people. The focus on an internal

perspective means that other criteria of well-being recognized by the community,

philosophers, or by mental health professionals may not be met in every individual who has

high SWB. Although we cannot say whether high SWB is essential for mental health, we can

say that most people consider it to be a desirable characteristic.

COMPONENTS OF SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING:

There are three primary components of SWB: satisfaction, pleasant affect, and low

levels of unpleasant affect. Subjective well-being is structured such that these three

components form a global factor of interrelated variables. Each of the three major facets of

SWB can in turn be broken into subdivisions. Global satisfaction can be divided into

satisfaction with the various domains of life such as recreation, love, marriage, friendship,

and so forth, and these domains can in turn be divided into facets. Pleasant affect can be

divided into specific emotions such as joy, affection, and pride. Finally, unpleasant or

unpleasant affect can be separated into specific emotions and moods such as shame, guilt,

sadness, anger, and anxiety. Each of the subdivisions of affect can also be subdivided even

further. Subjective well-being can be assessed at the most global level, or at progressively

narrower levels, depending on one's purposes. For example, one researcher might study life

satisfaction, whereas another might study the narrower topic of marital satisfaction. The


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justification for studying more global levels (rather than just focusing on the most molecular

concepts) is that the narrower levels tend to co-occur. In other words, there is a tendency for

people to experience similar levels of well-being across different aspects of their lives, and

the study of molar levels can help us understand the general influences on SWB that cause

these co-variations. A justification for studying narrower definitions of SWB is that we can

gain a greater understanding of specific conditions that might influence well-being in

particular domains. Furthermore, narrower types of measures are often more sensitive to

causal variables.

CROSS CULTURAL FINDINGS:

People in poor nations show average SWB scores close to, or slightly below, the

neutral point. Countries that are wealthier possess greater freedom and human rights, and an

emphasis on individualism, and have citizens with higher SWB (Diener, Diener, & Diener,

1995) -- scoring between slight and strong SWB. Surprisingly, other factors such as the

economic growth and the cultural homogeneity of a society do not correlate with average

levels of SWB.

Although reports of SWB are higher in individualistic nations, the cultural dimension

of individualism versus collectivism produces complex effects. Individualistic cultures are

those that emphasize the individual -- her autonomy, motives, and so forth. In contrast, in

collectivist cultures, the group (e.g., the family) is often considered more important than the

individual. There is an emphasis on harmonious group functioning, and the belief that the

individual's motives and emotions should be secondary. In individualistic nations, reports of

global well-being are high, and satisfaction with domains such as marriage are extremely

high. Nevertheless, suicide rates and divorce rates in these same individualistic nations are

also high (Diener & Suh, in press-b). It may be that people in individualistic nations make


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more attributions for events internally to themselves, and therefore the effects are amplified

when things go either well or badly. It might also be that individualists are more able to

follow their own interests and desires, and therefore more often find self-fulfillment. At the

same time, there may be less social support in individualistic cultures during troubled

periods. Furthermore, individualists are more likely to get divorced, or even commit suicide,

if things do not go well. Thus, individualists may experience more extreme levels of SWB,

whereas collectivists may have a safer structure that produces fewer people who are very

happy but perhaps also fewer people who are isolated and depressed. Our data support this

line of reasoning in that not only do individualistic nations have higher suicide and divorce

rates, but they also have higher reports of SWB.

Another intriguing finding from our laboratory is that individualists and collectivists

construct their life satisfaction judgments in different ways (Suh, Diener, Oishi, & Triandis,

1997). Among college students in individualistic cultures, where a person's internal attributes

are seen as primary determinants of psychological behavior, life satisfaction judgments are

based predominantly on one's recent emotional experiences.

In the case of collectivistic college students, on the other hand, life satisfaction

judgments are based both on emotions as well as the perceived cultural value of a satisfying

life.

Previous studies on life satisfaction judgments were often focused on the effect of

transient factors, such as comparison standards and mood (e.g., Schwarz & Strack, in

press), on this evaluation process. If the field strives to have a better understanding on how

global evaluations of their lives are reached by individuals, our findings suggest that it is also

necessary to study the chronic influence of more stable factors (e.g., culture) on this judgment

process.


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One other finding of note is that there are significant differences across nations in

terms of the norms governing the experience of various emotions. The more interesting

aspect of this finding, however, is that the norm reports and the level of actual emotional

experiences were related across nations only in the case of pleasant emotions, but not of

unpleasant emotions (Diener, Suh, Oishi, & Shao, 1996). In other words, pleasant emotions

were experienced more often among nations that expressed more positive attitudes toward

positive emotions. The normative desirability of unpleasant emotions, on the other hand, did

not covary with the amount of reported levels of unpleasant emotions across nations. Despite

the significance of the question, we cannot be certain from our present data as to why such

contrasting pattern of results were obtained between pleasant and unpleasant emotions.

Theoretically intriguing questions will continually emerge as the field of cross-cultural

psychology and SWB converse more intimately in the future. A challenging, but an

extremely exciting future lies ahead for this burgeoning field (Suh & Diener, 1995)

TEMPERAMENT AND SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING:

Temperament has a powerful effect on SWB. Studies of heritability in which twins

separated at birth are studied as adults found that both pleasant and unpleasant affect have a

strong genetic basis (Lykken & Tellegen, 1996; Tellegen, Lykken, Bouchard, Wilcox,

Segal, & Rich, 1988). In the case of pleasant affect, about half of the variation between

individuals appeared to be heritable in a western sample, and a small proportion of variance

seems to be due to common family environment. In the case of unpleasant affect, the

heritability coefficient is even stronger and little variation was due to shared family

environment. Indeed, Lykken and Tellegen estimated that 80 percent of the variability in

long-term negative affect is due to inherited characteristics. Although heritability coefficients

may differ in other environments, the twin data show convincingly that some proportion of


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SWB is due to one's genetic make-up. Further supporting the idea of an inborn influence on

SWB, measures of emotional reactivity in young infants predicts later fear responses (Kagan,

1994). Thus, even at an early age, individuals react in a characteristic way to stimuli. Another

piece of evidence supporting the importance of temperament to well-being is that people who

undergo changes in marital status, employment status, or residence are no less stable in well-

being over the long-term than individuals who do not change status in these areas (Costa,

McCrae, & Zonderman, 1987).

In adults, optimism, self-esteem, and extraversion are several of the personality traits

possessed by happy people. For example, informant reports of extraversion and sociability

correlate with the amount of pleasant affect that nursing home residents display. Extraverts

in a national probability sample in the U.S.A. who lived in a variety of different

circumstances experienced higher SWB (Diener, Sandvik, Pavot, & Fujita, 1992). It is

useful, however, to differentiate the separate components of SWB. The two major forms of

affect, pleasant and unpleasant, appear to be related to the separate personality factors of

extraversion and neuroticism, respectively. Although extraverts experience more pleasant

affect, they do not experience a predictable level of unpleasant affect. Neurotics are very

likely to experience high levels of unpleasant affect, but are less predictable when it comes to

levels of pleasant affect. When measurement error is controlled, the relations between these

two facets of affect and these two personality dimensions are strong in Western nations. What

is not yet known is whether extraversion predicts pleasant affect to the same extent in

different cultures such as in India or Nepal.

Extraversion and neuroticism are cardinal traits that are part of a system of personality

labelled the Five Factor Model (e.g., McCrae & Costa, 1985). Two more traits in this model,

Agreeableness and Conscientiousness, are correlated moderately with SWB. Agreeableness


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and Conscientiousness might relate to SWB because of environmental rewards. That is, in

many or most environments, people who are agreeable and conscientious may receive more

positive reinforcements from others, and therefore may experience higher SWB. For

example, a conscientious person might receive better grades in school, better pay at work,

and may even be more likely to have a good marriage. Thus, although conscientiousness

might not directly produce greater SWB, it might result in receiving rewards that heighten

one's SWB. If agreeableness and conscientiousness are related to SWB because of the

reinforcement structure, their relation to SWB may differ across cultures.

The fifth cardinal trait in the Five Factor Model, Openness, may relate to emotional

intensity (having both intense unpleasant and pleasant emotions) rather than to hedonic

balance. Larsen and Diener (1987) suggest that emotional intensity is a personality trait that

may influence the quality of one's happiness -- whether one is likely to be elated versus

contented, or is distressed versus melancholic.

CONTEXT THEORIES OF SWB:

Some theorists such as Veenhoven (1991) maintain that SWB is caused by the

satisfaction of basic, universal human needs. He maintains, for example, that people can only

be happy if needs such as hunger, warmth, and thirst are fulfilled. In contrast, context theories

emphasize that the factors that influence SWB are variable across both time and individuals,

and that how good or bad life events are considered to be is based on the circumstances in

which people live. The relevant context varies in different theories. In adaptation theory, for

example, the relevant context is the person's past life, whereas in social comparison models

the context is considered to be social others of whom the target individual is aware. Other

contexts that could influence SWB are the person's ideals, and imagining counterfactual

alternative situations. Finally, in the goal approach, the context is believed to be the person's


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conscious aims. In each of the context models, whether something is good or bad, and how

good or bad it is, is thought to be based on changeable factors rather than on biological

universals.

TYPES OF WELL BEING

Psychological Well being: It includes meaning in life, absence of somatic

symptoms, self esteem, positive effect, daily activities, absence of suicidal

ideas, personal control, social support, absence of tension, wellness and

general efficiency (Bhogle and Prakash, 1995).

Spiritual Well Being: Moberg (1971), has conceptualized spiritual well

being, two faceted, with both vertical and horizontal components. The vertical

dimension refers to our sense of well being in relation to God (Paloutzin and

Ellision 1979). The horizontal dimension refers to a sense of life purpose and

life satisfaction, with no reference to anything specifically religious.

Religious Well Being: It denotes an individuals sense of well being in

relation to God. It denotes the sense of well being experienced because of the

closeness and communion with God.

Existential Well Being: It denotes an individuals sense of life purpose and

life satisfaction, with no reference to anything specifically religious.

Social Well Being: It can be defined as the well being that results from ones

relatedness to the members of the society and ones level acceptance, support

and status in the society.


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FACTORS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL BEING (BHOGLE AND

PRAKASH, 1995)

1.Meaninglessness:

Having no meaning or significance, total lack of meaning or ideas the quality of

lacking any definite purpose. The idea that life is meaningless can be expressed in formal

terms as a philosophical viewpoint called nihilism. Nihilism takes the position that has

nothing many values and that consequently; all human action is ultimately pointless.

2. Somatic Symptoms:

Concern about symptoms is a major reason for patients to seek medical help. Many of

the somatic symptoms that they present with such as pain, weakness and fatigue remain

unexplained by identifiable disease even after extensive medical assessment. Several general

terms have used to describe this problem somatisation, somatoform, abnormal illness

behavior, medically unexplained symptoms and functional symptoms. It is suggested that a

conceptual model to account for these finding arguing that the happiness success link exists

not only because success makes people happy, but also because positive affect engenders

success.

3. Self Esteem:

Self esteem or self worth includes a persons subjective appraisal of himself or herself

as intrinsically positive or negative to some degree.

4.Positive effect:

Positive effect is the scientific term used to describe a subjects externally displayed

mood. Numerous studies show that happy individuals are successful across multiple life


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domains, including marriage, friendship. Income work performance and health. It is

suggested that a conceptual model to account for these finding, arguing that the happiness

success link exists not only because success makes people happy but because positive effect

engenders success.

5. Daily activities:

Generally concerned with daily self care skills. Examples include tooth brushing,

bathing, toileting and hand washing. An activity of daily living is a way to describe the

functional status of a person. It is a tool in the biopsychosocial model of medicine and is

useful for assessing the elderly, the mentally ill, those with chronic diseases and others.

6. Life satisfaction:

Subjective life satisfaction is a measure of an individual perceived level of well being.

It is frequently assessed in surveys by asking individuals how satisfied they are with their

own lives. It is sometimes used as a synonym for subjective happiness and subjective well

being, however questions tapping life satisfaction and happiness are slightly different and

well being can be seen as a broader terms.

7. Suicidal tendencies:

Suicidal tendencies are common phenomena. They can have different causes. Often

suicidal people have the impression that nobody cares about them. They are looking for more

attention. The may even blackmail people by announcing to commit suicide if they will not

do what they are asked to do.

8. Personal control:


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Personal control beliefs are also referred to as locus of control and personal mastery

beliefs, reflect individuals beliefs regarding the extent to which they are able to control or

influence outcomes. A wide variety of the theorists have emphasized the importance of

perception of personal control and suggested that the desire to control the world around us.

Reflecting these varied theoretical perspectives as well as the extensive research interest in

the concept of perceived control, the literature exhibits varying conceptualized of perceived

controls.

9. Social support:

Social support is the physical and emotional comfort given to us by our family,

friendly, co-workers and others. It is knowing that we are part of a community of people who

love and care for us, and value and think well of us. Social support is a way of categorizing

the rewards of communication in particular circumstances. An important aspect of support is

that a message or communicative experiences does not constitute support unless the receivers

view it as such. Many of the studies have demonstrated that social support acts as a

moderating factor in the development of psychological and physical disease such as clinical

depression of hypertension as a result of stressful life events. There is growing evidence to

suggest that social support affects human differently throughout life, suggesting need to

receive and provide social support shifts across development.

10. Tension:

Tension is a colloquial used to refer physiological or mental stress. In medical terms

stress is a physical or physiological stimulus that can produce mental of physiological

reactions that may be triggered by alarming experiences, either real or imaginary.


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11. Wellness:

it is generally used to mean a healthy balance of the mind body and spirit that result in

an overall feeling of well being. This article discusses wellness from an alternative medicine

perspective where wellness means being much more than just disease free. Here, wellness

refers generally to the state of being healthy.

12. General efficiency:

The degree to which a system or component performs its designated function with

minimum consumption of resources.

13. Satisfaction:

Satisfaction is a pleasant feeling. You feel satisfied when you do something

successful, or when something good happens, to you. Satisfaction refers to a feeling of

gratification. The act of satisfying or the state of being satisfied. The mind having a power to

suspend the execution and satisfaction of any of its desires (Locke).

DEFINITION OF HEALTH

In 1948, in its constitution, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as

"a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of

disease or infirmity". In more recent years, this statement has been modified to include the

ability to lead a "socially and economically productive life." It involves more than just

absence of disease. A truly healthy person does not only feel well but he gets along well with

other people and has a realistic outlook on life. Good health helps peop le to achieve their

goals and enjoy life to te full.


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Johoda (1961), proposes three basic features of mental health (a)The person shows

active adjustment and attempts mastery of his enviroment (b)The person manages unity of

personality (c)The person percieves the world and himself correctly.

Stones(1987),define health in two ways: Those that portray health as an ideal state

and tose that portray health as movement in a positive direction. The first definition implies

that any disease or injury is a deviation from good health and that removing the disease or

disability can restore the ideal state. With this limited definition of health, a blind concert

violinist would not be health despite his o her accomplishments,productivity and contibution

to society. The secong definition avoid this problem by continuum, this implies that

movement towards greater health is better than movement in opposite direction. He proposed

that the psychological manifestations of health include the capacity for high levels of social

productivity nd loe demands on heath care system.

Dwayne(1997),efines health as an absence of disease. Healthh is multi-dimensional

all aspects of living biological,psychological and social must be considered mental health is

an important as physical health. If an individual is mentally healthy then he can be a more

productive and creative person.

ASPECTS OF HEALTH

Physical Health:

Physical fitness is good bodily health, and is the result of regular exercise, proper diet

and nutrition, and proper rest for physical recovery.


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Height:

A strong indicator of the health of populations is height, which is generally increased

by improving nutrition and health care, and is also influenced by standard of living and

quality of life matters. The study of human growth, its regulators, and its implications is

known as auxology.

Mental health:

Mental health is a concept that refers to a human individual's emotional and

psychological well-being. Merriam-Webster defines mental health as "A state of emotional

and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and

emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life."

According to the World Health Organization, there is no one "official" definition of

mental health. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional

theories all affect how "mental health" is defined. In general, most experts agree that "mental

health" and "mental illness" are not opposites. In other words, the absence of a recognized

mental disorder is not necessarily an indicator of mental health.

One way to think about mental health is by looking at how effectively and

successfully a person functions. Feeling capable and competent; being able to handle normal

levels of stress, maintain satisfying relationships, and lead an independent life; and being able

to "bounce back," or recover from difficult situations, are all signs of mental health.

Encompassing your emotional, social, and most importantly your mental well-being;

All these aspects emotional, physical, and social must function together to achieve overall

health.


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Determinants of health:

The LaLonde report suggested that there are four general determinants of health

including human biology, environment, lifestyle, and healthcare services. Thus, health is

maintained and improved not only through the advancement and application of health

science, but also through the efforts and intelligent lifestyle choices of the individual. A

major environmental factor is water quality, especially for the health of infants and children

in developing countries.

Health maintenance:

Achieving health and remaining healthy is an active process. Effective strategies for

staying healthy and improving one's health to an optimum level include the following

elements:

Nutrition:

The updated USDA food pyramid, published in 2005, is a general nutrition guide for recommended

food consumption.

Nutrition is the science that studies how what people eat affects their health and

performance, such as foods or food components that cause diseases or deteriorate health

(such as eating too many calories, which is a major contributing factor to obesity, diabetes,

and heart disease). The field of nutrition also studies foods and dietary supplements that

improve performance, promote health, and cure or prevent disease, such as eating fibrous

foods to reduce the risk of colon cancer, or supplementing with vitamin C to strengthen teeth

and gums and to improve the immune system.


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Between extremes of optimal health and death from starvation or malnutrition, there

is an array of disease states that can be caused or alleviated by changes in diet. Deficiencies,

excesses and imbalances in diet can produce negative impacts on health, which may lead to

diseases such as scurvy, obesity or osteoporosis, as well as psychological and behavioral

problems. Moreover, excessive ingestion of elements that have no apparent role in health,

(e.g. lead, mercury, PCBs, dioxins), may incur toxic and potentially lethal effects, depending

on the dose. The science of nutrition attempts to understand how and why specific dietary

aspects influence health.

Sports nutrition:

Sports nutrition focuses on how food and dietary supplements affect athletic

performance (during events), improvement (from training), and recovery (after events and

training). One goal of sports nutrition is to maintain glycogen levels and prevent glycogen

depletion. Another is to optimize energy levels and muscle tone. An athlete's strategy for

winning an event may include a schedule for the entire season of what to eat, when to eat it,

and in what precise quantities (before, during, after, and between workouts and events).

Participants in endurance sports such as the full-distance triathlon actually eat during their

races. Sports nutrition works hand-in-hand with sports medicine.

Exercise:

Exercise is the performance of movements in order to develop or maintain and overall

health. It is often directed toward also honing athletic ability or skill. Frequent and regular

physical exercise is an important component in the prevention of some of the diseases of

affluence such as cancer, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and

back pain.


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Exercises are generally grouped into three types depending on the overall effect they have

on the human body:

Flexibility exercises such as stretching improve the range of motion ofmuscles and joints.

Aerobic exercises such as walking and running focus on increasing cardiovascular endurance and

muscle density.

Anaerobic exercises such as weight training or sprinting increase muscle mass and strength.

Physical exercise is considered important for maintaining physical fitness including

healthy weight; building and maintaining healthy bones, muscles, and joints; promoting

physiological well-being; reducing surgical risks; and strengthening the immune system.

Proper nutrition is just as, if not more, important to health as exercise. When exercising it

becomes even more important to have good diet to ensure the body has the correct ratio of

macronutrients whilst providing ample micronutrients; this is to aid the body with the

recovery process following strenuous exercise. When the body falls short of proper nutrition,

it gets into starvation mode developed through evolution and depends onto fat content for

survival. Research suggest that the production of thyroid hormones can be negatively affected

by repeated bouts of dieting and calorie restriction. Proper rest and recovery is also as

important to health as exercise, otherwise the body exists in a permanently injured state and

will not improve or adapt adequately to the exercise.

The above two factors can be compromised by psychological compulsions (eating

disorders such as exercise bulimia, anorexia, and other bulimias), misinformation, a lack of

organization, or a lack of motivation. These all lead to a decreased state of health.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness can occur after any exercise, particularly if the body is in

an unconditioned state relative to that exercise and the exercise involves repetitive eccentric

contractions.


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Hygiene:

Hygiene is the practice of keeping the body clean to prevent infection and illness, and

the avoidance of contact with infectious agents. Hygiene practices include bathing, brushing

and flossing teeth, washing hands especially before eating, washing food before it is eaten,

sterilizing food preparation utensiles and surfaces before and after preparing meals, and many

others.

Stress management:

Prolonged psychological stress may negatively impact health, such as by weakening

the immune system. See negative effects of the fight-or-flight response. Stress management is

the application of methods to either reduce stress or increase tolerance to stress. Certain

nootropics do both. Exercising to improve physical fitness, especially cardiovascular fitness,

boosts the immune system and increases stress tolerance. Relaxation techniques are physical

methods used to relieve stress. Examples include sexual intercourse, progressive relaxation,

and fractional relaxation. Psychological methods include cognitive therapy, meditation, and

positive thinking which work by reducing response to stress. Improving relevant skills and

abilities builds confidence, which also reduces the stress reaction to situations where those

skills are applicable. Reducing uncertainty, by increasing knowledge and experience related

to stress-causing situations, has the same effect. Learning to cope with problems better, such

as improving problem solving and time management skills, may also reduce stressful reaction

to problems. Repeatedly facing an object of one's fears may also desensitize the fight-or-

flight response with respect to that stimulus -- e.g., facing bullies may reduce fear of bullies.


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Health care:

Health care is the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the

preservation of mental and physical well being through the services offered by the medical,

nursing, and allied health professions. According to the World Health Organisation, health

care embraces all the goods and services designed to promote health, including preventive,

curative and palliative interventions, whether directed to individuals or to populations.[5]

The

organized provision of such services may constitute a health care system. This can include a

specific governmental organization such as the National Health Service in the UK, or a

cooperation across the National Health Service and Social Services as in Shared Care.

Natural health:

In alternative medicine, natural health is an eclectic self-care system of natural

therapies concerned with building and restoring health and wellness via prevention and

healthy lifestyles. Natural health includes diet, exercise, chiropractic, naturopathy, herbalism,

natural hygiene, homeopathy, massage therapy, relaxation techniques (e.g. Yoga, Tai Chi),

accupuncture, sauna, aromatherapy, ayurveda medicine, and Kneipp therapy.

Workplace wellness programs:

Workplace wellness programs are recognized by an increasingly large number of

companies for their value in improving the health and well-being of their employees, and for

increasing morale, loyalty, and productivity. Workplace wellness programs can include

things like onsite fitness centers, health presentations, wellness newsletters, access to health

coaching, tobacco cessation programs and training related to nutrition, weight and stress

management. Other programs may include health risk assessments, health screenings and


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body mass index monitoring. Mostly overseen or not mentioned is a group of determinants of

health which could be called coincidence, hazard, luckor bad luck. These factors are quite

important determinants of health but difficult to calculate.

Public health:

Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and

promoting health through the organised efforts and informed choices of society,

organisations, public and private, communities and individuals." It is concerned with threats

to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis. The population in

question can be as small as a handful of people or as large as all the inhabitants of several

continents (for instance, in the case of a pandemic). Public health has many sub-fields, but is

typically divided into the categories of epidemiology, biostatistics and health services.

Environmental, social and behavioral health, and occupational health, are also important

fields in public health.

Role of science in health:

Health science is the branch of science focused on health, and it includes many

subdisciplines. There are two approaches to health science: the study and research of the

human body and health-related issues to understand how humans (and animals) function, and

the application of that knowledge to improve health and to prevent and cure diseases.

NEED FOR THE STUDY

The IT industry is a booming industry with a turnover of many crores. To cater to the

needs to this mammoth industry, professionals need to work its self can be stressful.

Organizational demands, deadlines and productivity drive IT professionals to meet the


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demands of the market. Individuals working in this industry need to break through different

challenges.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The present study enables to study different subjective well being usually among IT

professionals such as Meaninglessness, Social Support, Suicidal ideas, daily activities,

somatic symptoms, self esteem, positive effect, life satisfaction, general efficiency,

satisfaction, personal control, wellness and tension. The general health was also analyzed.

These health aspects were found to be associated with their current j


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CHAPTER

RESULT AND DISCUSSION


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RESULT AND DICUSSION

The present study focuses on the studying general health and subjective well being.

The obtained data was scored as per the instruction for scoring in the manual. A master sheet

was prepared separately for general health and subjective well being for further analysis of

data. The obtained data was classified based on the objective of the study. To study the

relationship between general health and subjective well being Pearsons correlation was

applied. To study the difference in various psychological attributet test of statistical

significance was applied. Results were presented in the form of statistical table and graphs.

Table 1:

Socio Demographic characteristics of the sample:

MALES FEMALES

SIZE 30 30

EDUCATION B.E/B.TECH/M.C.A/M.TECH B.E/B.TECH/M.C.A/M.TECH

DOMICILE URBAN URBAN

A sample of 30 males and 30 females each with equal number of males and females within an

education qualification of B.E/B.TECH/M.C.A/M.TECH have been drawn from the urban

city of Bangalore.


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Table 2:

Correlation between subjective well being and general health among males and

females.

SAMPLE SIGNIFINANCE

MALES

N=30

+0.O51 N.S

FEMALES

N==30

0.45**

**P < 0.01

There is a positive correlation between subjective well being and general health as the

subjective well being increases there is a corresponding general health among females.

There is no relation between subjective well being and general health among

males. In a study conducted by (Carol Ryff 1989; Ryff & Keyes, 1995) Subjective well-

being is not synonymous with mental health or psychological health. A delusional person

might be happy and satisfied with his life, and yet we would not say that he possesses mental

health. A person who is out of touch with her own motives and emotions might say she is

happy, but we would not consider her to possess complete psychological health. Thus, SWB

is not a sufficient condition for psychological well-being. outlines additional characteristics

beyond SWB (e.g., environmental mastery, personal growth, and purpose in life) that are

important to mental health. Therefore, although we believe that SWB is important, it is not

identical to psychological health


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Table 3:

Mean, Standard Deviation, t value of males and females on general health

AREAS MALES FEMALES SIGNIFINANCE

MEAN S.D MEAN S.D t test

Somatic

Symptoms

1.03 1.44 0.7 0.93 1.5 N.S

Anxiety and

Insomnia

1.1 1.59 0.5 0.67 2.30*

Social

Dysfunctions

0.60 1.12 0.43 0.58 5.6**

Depression 0.46 0.70 0.33 0.78 2.06*

Total 3.2 3.10 1.96 2.18 0.83 N.S

N.S: Not Significant **P


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0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

Somatic

Symptoms

Anxiety and

Insomnia

Social

Dysfunctios

Depression Total

Mean

Males Mean Females Mean

Figure1:

Mean score of male and females on general health

An inspection of the above table revels the mean, S.D and tvalue obtained by males

and females on various factors in general health. The Mean and S.D for Somatic Symptoms is

1.03 and 1.44 whereas for females its 0.7 and 0.93.The obtainedt value is 1.5 which is not

significant .On the area anxiety and Insomnia the mean and S.D for males is 1.1 and 1.59 and

for females the mean and S.D is 0.5 and 0.67. The obtainedt value is 2.30which is

significant. On the area Social Dysfunctions the mean and S.D for males is 0.60 and 1.12 and

for females the mean and S.D is 0.43 and 0.58. The obtained t value is 5.6 which is

significant. On the area Depression the mean and S.D for males is 0.46 and 0.70and for

females the mean and S.D is 0.33 and 0.78 The obtained t value is 2.06 which is significant.

The overall mean and S.D for males is 3.2 and 3.10 for females the mean and S.D is 1.96 and

2.18.The obtained t value is 0.83 which is not significant.

The results indicate that there is significant difference between males and females on

various areas of general health, like Anxiety and Insomnia, Social Dysfunctions, Depression

and not significant in somatic symptoms. The overall result of the general health there is no


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difference between males and females. The alternate hypothesis is framed as Men and

Women differ from each other on Anxiety and Insomnia, Social Dysfunctions, Depression

and somatic symptoms on general health is proved. Hence the Hypothesis is rejected.


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Table 3:

Mean, Standard Deviation,t value of males and females on subjective well being

FACTORS MALES (N=30) FEMALES (N=30) SIGNIFINANCE

MEAN S.D MEAN S.D t value

Meaninglessness 1.9 0.3 1.93 0.06 0.50 N.S

Somatic Symptoms 1.46 0.56 0.7 0.73 9.15**

Self Esteem 1.26 0.62 1.33 0.46 1 N.S

Positive Affect 0.93 0.68 1.3 0.81 5.28**

Daily Activities 1.66 0.45 1.63 0.53 0.55 N.S

Life Satisfaction 1.56 0.49 1.13 0.61 6.82**

Suicidal Ideas 1.23 0.61 1.7 0.58 15.1**

Personal Control 0.86 0.66 1.23 0.58 6.85**

Social Support 1.86 0.33 1.56 0.66 3**

Tension 1.53 0.60 1.4 0.71 0.18 N.S

Wellness0.83 0.68 0.93 0.65 3.2**

General Efficiency 1.36 0.17 1.26 0.50 1.58 N.S

Satisfaction 3.96 0.17 3.43 0.50 1.58 N.S

Total 20.5 2.06 19.5 2.24 7.14**

N.S: Not Significant **P


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0

5

10

15

20

25

Mean

ingles

sness

Soma

ticSy

mptom

s

SelfE

steem

Positi

veAffe

ct

Daily

Acti

vities

Life

Satis

factio

n

Suici

dalId

eas

Perso

nalC

ontro

l

Socia

l Sup

port

Tensi

on

Welln

ess

Gener

alEf

ficien

cy

Satisf

actio

nTo

tal

Males

Females

Figure 2:

Mean score of males and females on Subjective Well Being

An inspection of the above table reveals the mean, S.D and tvalue obtained by males and

females on various factors in Subjective well being. The Mean and S.D for Males in

meaninglessness is 1.9 and 0.3 whereas for females is 1.93 and 0.06.The obtained t value is

0.05 which is not significant. On the area Somatic Symptoms the mean and S.D for males is

1.46 and 0.56 and for females the mean and S.D is 0.7 and 0.73. The obtainedt value is 9.15

which is significant. On the area Self esteem the mean and S.D for males is 1.26and 0.62 and

for females the mean and S.D is 1.33 and 0.46. The obtainedt value is 1 which is not

significant. On the area Positive affect the mean and S.D for males is 0.93 and 0.68 and for

females the mean and S.D is 1.3 and 0.81. The obtainedt value is 5.28 which is significant.

On the area Daily activities the mean and S.D for males is 1.66 and 0.45 and for females the

mean and S.D is 1.63 and 0.53. The obtainedt value is 0.55 which is not significant. On the

area Life satisfaction the mean and S.D for males is 1.56 and 0.49 and for females the mean

and S.D is 1.13 and 0.61. The obtainedt value is 6.82 which is significant. On the area


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Suicidal ideas the mean and S.D for males is 1.23 and 0.61 and for females the mean and S.D

is 1.7 and 0.58. The obtainedt value is 15.1 which is significant. On the area personal

control the mean and S.D for males is 0.86 and 0.66 and for females the mean and S.D is 1.23

and 0.58. The obtainedt value is 6.85 which is significant. On the area social support the

mean and S.D for males is1.86 and 0.33 and for females the mean and S.D is 1.56 and 0.66.

The obtainedt value is 3 which is significant. On the area Tension the mean and S.D for

males is1.53 and 0.60 and for females the mean and S.D is 1.4 and 0.71. The obtainedt

value is 0.18 which is not significant. On the area Wellness the mean and S.D for males is

0.83 and 0.68 and for females the mean and S.D is 0.93and 0.65. The obtainedt value is 3.2

which is significant. On the area general efficiency the mean and S.D for males is 1.36 and

0.17 and for females the mean and S.D is 1.26 and 0.50. The obtainedt value is 1.58 which

is not significant. On the area satisfaction the mean and S.D for males is 3.96 and 0.17 and

for females the mean and S.D is 3.43and 0.75. The obtainedt value is 4.07 which is

significant. The overall mean and S.D for males is 20.5 and 2.06 for females the mean and

S.D is 19.5 and 2.24.The obtainedt value is 7.14 which is significant.

The results indicate that there is significant difference between males and females on

various areas of subjective well being like somatic symptoms, positive affect, life

satisfaction, suicidal ideas, personal control social support, wellness and satisfaction and not

significant in meaninglessness, positive affect, daily activities, tension and general efficiency

The overall result of the general health there is difference between males and females. The

alternate hypothesis is framed as Men and Women differ from each other on various areas is

accepted.


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CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS


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SUMMARY AND CONLUSIONS

IT industry is one of the booming industries in the world market. Lakhs of people

work in this industry which makes an overall turnover of millions every year. Although the

importance of individual difference cannot be ignored, scientific conditions are stressful to

most people. IT professionals constantly work of networking and preparation of codes in a

small time frame.

The present study was conducted with the objective is to assess the relationship

between General health condition and Subjective well being among IT Professionals.

The sample for study consisted of 30 males and 30 females were selected for both the

groups. In order to study the various health conditions and well being, General Health

Questionnaire and Subjective Well Being were administered.

The data was analyzed by working out the descriptive statistics, the mean, the S.D and

the t test have been applied to draw the difference between the group.

The findings of the study are as follows:

There is no relation between general health conditions and subjective well

being.

There is no relation between subjective well being and general among males

and females.

Males IT professionals were found to have better subjective well being

compared to female IT professionals.

Males IT professionals were found to have better general health compared to

female IT professionals.


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IMPLICATIONS

The findings of the studying that IT professionals were found out to be more tensed,

depressed and not satisfied in the profession. They can be counseled regarding the different

problems and for the betterment of psychological functioning. By considering the overall

health conditions, training programmes can be organized for the betterment of subjective well

being of IT professionals.

LIMITATIONS

The findings of the present study cannot be generalized as the sample was

restricted only to IT professionals

Study was focused on only technical based employees and not focused on

managers.

The study was restricted to only one IT company. Hence we cannot generalize

the data

SCOPE FOR THE RESEARCH

A study can be done on large sample

Other factors like work motivation, Emotional Intelligence can be studied.


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REFERENCES


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REFERENCES

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health

http://condor.depaul.edu/~rec/pgmserv/wdw.htm

http://www.ckacademy.co.uk/wellbeing.asp?textpage=wellbeing&mainpage=wellbeing

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