Promoting Family and Community Wellness Through Value-Based Research

1. Promoting Family and Community Wellness Through Value-Based Research Isaac Prilleltensky Peabody College, Vanderbilt University Isaac.Prilleltensky@Vanderbilt.edu

2. What is Wellness? Wellness is a positive state of affairs, brought about by the simultaneous and balanced satisfaction of personal, relational, and collective needs of individuals, families, and communities.

3. Webs of Wellness • There cannot be wellness but in the combined presence of personal, relational, and collective well-being relational W personal collective

4. Personal Wellness in Families and Communities • Sense of control • Physical health • Love • Optimism • Competence • Growth • Self-esteem

5. Relational Wellness in Families and Communities • Support • Affection • Bonding • Cohesion • Collaboration • Respect for diversity • Democratic participation

6. Collective Wellness • Economic prosperity • Social justice • Adequate health and social services • Low crime • Adequate housing • Clean environment • Support for community structures

7. Positive Web-like Interactions Easy temperament Physical health Adequate birth weight Good parenting Mutual Support Good mental health Child Parental & Family Child care Adequate housing Cohesion Access to health care Community Employment Safety nets Quality education Societal

8. Negative Web-like Interactions Temperament Poor health Birth weight Teen parenting Family size Stressors Poor parenting Addictions Poor mental health Child Parental & Family No child care Poor housing Lack of cohesion Crime Community Poverty Violence Discrimination Societal

9. Web-like Interactions of Social Capital Low SC: LA, MS, GA Med SC: CA, MO, OK Hi SC: ND, SD, VT, MN

10. Web-like Interactions in Kerala Personal Empowerment Social Movements Government Action Processes Collective Well-being Personal Well-being Relational Well-being Social support Sense of cohesion Tenancy laws Nutrition in school Distribution Of resources Land reform Infant mortality Literacy Nutrition Life expectancy Outcomes

11. Values for Family and Community Wellness

12. Value-Based Research Outcomes • Self determination: Ability of community members to pursue goals • Avoid colonizing research • Collaboration: Meaningful opportunities for community members to have input in decisions affecting their lives • Voice and choice • Social justice: Fair and equitable allocation of resources in the community • Caring does not replace justice

13. Value-Based Research Process • Self determination: Voice and choice in research • The client knows best! • Collaboration: Meaningful input regarding needs • Nothing about us without us!! • Social justice: Equal access to resources brought about by the partnership • What’s in it for me?

14. Research Partnerships • Step 1: Create ownership in community • Step 2: Clarify vision and values • Step 3: Amalgamate strengths of partners • Step 4: Research and act collaboratively

15. Conclusions If you want to make a change in a group or community, engage them in ways that enhance the level of control over their lives and affords them a voice in research • If you want to make a change in the health of a community, change the social environment and not just the behaviors of individuals • If you want to improve society, don’t work only at the individual or group level, and don’t work only on personal and societal wellness, but on social justice as well, for without justice there is no wellness.