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

Panita Suavansri, Nipat Pichayayothin, Patricia Rodriguez Espinosa, Poonsub Areekit, Chureerat Nilchantuk, Torin S. Jones, Joanna J. French, Emily Mam, Jessie B. Moore and Catherine A. Heaney ()
Additional contact information
Panita Suavansri: Chulalongkorn University
Nipat Pichayayothin: Chulalongkorn University
Patricia Rodriguez Espinosa: Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford School of Medicine
Poonsub Areekit: Chulalongkorn University
Chureerat Nilchantuk: Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University
Torin S. Jones: Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford School of Medicine
Joanna J. French: Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford School of Medicine
Emily Mam: Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford School of Medicine
Jessie B. Moore: Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford School of Medicine
Catherine A. Heaney: Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford School of Medicine

Applied Research in Quality of Life, 2022, vol. 17, issue 6, No 5, 3327-3347

Abstract: Abstract 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.

Keywords: Well-being; Thailand; Social relationships; Family; Qualitative methods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11482-022-10067-7 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:ariqol:v:17:y:2022:i:6:d:10.1007_s11482-022-10067-7

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/journal/11482

DOI: 10.1007/s11482-022-10067-7

Access Statistics for this article

Applied Research in Quality of Life is currently edited by Daniel Shek

More articles in Applied Research in Quality of Life from Springer, International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().