Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/10
Browse
12 results
Search Results
Item Restricted Exploring wellbeing and its influencing factors among nursing students in Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Aloufi, Mohammad Ayed M; Cusack, Lynette; Hegney, Desley; Conlon, LisaNursing students may experience high levels of stress and psychological burden, which affects their wellbeing. In the Saudi Arabian context, existing evidence suggests these levels exceed those reported by their international counterparts. Despite this, limited research has explored how wellbeing is understood and experienced by nursing students within the unique cultural and academic environment of Saudi Arabia. Gaining a deeper understanding of students’ wellbeing and the factors that influence it is essential for developing effective strategies that support their academic success and overall health. This will ultimately contribute to improved outcomes for these future nurses and their patients in the healthcare system. The overarching aim of this study was to explore wellbeing and its influencing factors among nursing students in Saudi Arabia. A multi-method research design was adopted in two separate stages. The quantitative stage involved a cross-sectional survey of undergraduate nursing students (n = 307), using validated instruments to measure general wellbeing, academic wellbeing, and resilience. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to assess the current state of these variables and their associations with demographic factors. In the qualitative stage, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 nursing students to gain an in-depth understanding of the factors influencing their wellbeing. The qualitative data were analysed thematically using Braun and Clarke’s approach. A total of 307 nursing students completed the quantitative survey, with a response rate of 93%. The mean scores for general wellbeing, academic wellbeing, and resilience were 70 ± 2.33, 76 ± 13.4, and 19 ± 6 respectively, indicating moderate to high levels overall. Among the demographic variables, gender and family income were found to significantly influence nursing students’ wellbeing. Female students scored slightly higher on academic wellbeing (ß = 3.17, p < 0.01) and slightly lower on resilience (ß = -1.18, p = 0.05) compared to male students. Additionally, students from families with moderate income reported significantly higher general wellbeing scores compared to those with low income (ß = 3.71, p = 0.02). The qualitative findings revealed that students perceived wellbeing as a state of “stress-free living”, “strong family connections” ,“finding joy and happiness”, “living with a sense of purpose”, “having good health”, and “living in a nurturing environment”. The factors influencing their wellbeing were organised into three overarching themes: individual factors, social factors, and environmental-educational factors. This thesis brings new knowledge to the field of nursing education by offering the first in-depth exploration of how nursing students in Saudi Arabia understand and experience wellbeing. Through a multi-method approach, it has established baseline data on general, academic, and psychological wellbeing, while also uncovering the unique, culturally embedded ways in which students define and pursue wellbeing. Notably, the study identified key influences, including family, peers, and educators, that operate in both supportive and detrimental ways, revealing complexities not captured in widely used Western models, for example, PERMA or the Dynamic Model for Wellbeing.29 0Item Restricted Mental Health of Paramedicine Students in the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alzahrani, Adnan Atiah; Johnson, Judith; Keyworth, ChrisResearch has shown higher mental health concerns among healthcare students, with paramedicine students experiencing particularly high levels of psychological distress due to exposure to traumatic incidents, high-pressure training environments, and demanding clinical placements. Unlike other healthcare professions, paramedicine students often encounter potentially traumatic events early in their training, yet they frequently suffer in silence without seeking appropriate support. There is limited research on paramedicine student’ mental health, especially from cross-cultural perspectives, and insufficient understanding of how to improve their wellbeing. This thesis aimed to deepen the understanding of mental health challenges faced by paramedicine students. This thesis presents five studies examining paramedicine students from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Kingdom (UK). The first study was a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the global prevalence of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among paramedicine students. Building on these findings, the next two studies used semi-structured interviews to explore the causes of stress and poor wellbeing among paramedicine students (Study 2) and to investigate their preferences, barriers, and facilitators for accessing mental health support (Study 3). To quantify mental health outcomes and their predictors in cross-cultural settings, the fourth study used a cross-sectional survey design investigating burnout and depression rates, along with their associations with clinical experiences and psychosocial factors. The fifth study employed longitudinal survey methods to monitor changes in mental health outcomes over six months, examining how clinical exposure and perceptions of demand, control, and support influence wellbeing trajectories. Key findings This thesis revealed alarmingly high rates of mental health disorders among paramedicine students globally. The systematic review and meta-analysis (Study 1) found pooled prevalence rates of 56.4% for moderate anxiety, 34.7% for depression, and 17,9% for PTSD - all significantly higher than those reported among qualified paramedics and the general population. Regarding factors contributing to poor mental health, the cross-cultural qualitative analysis (Study 2) identified four key themes: exposure to potentially traumatic events during clinical placements; relationship and communication challenges with faculty, peers, and training supervisors; problematic programme atmosphere, including inadequate preparation and support; and career-related concerns about job prospects and professional acceptance. These themes were consistent across both cultural contexts, although with some variation in emphasis. The investigation of support preferences and access barriers (Study 3) revealed that students preferred tailored, culturally sensitive interventions rather than generic student support services. Three main preferences emerged: specialised support addressing paramedicine-specific challenges; privacy protection to safeguard academic and career prospects; and opportunities for peer socialisation and communication. Major barriers included mental health stigma from multiple sources, university environment factors, personal beliefs about help-seeking, operational challenges in accessing services, and concerns regarding professional competency assessments. The cross-sectional survey (Study 4) found significant differences between countries, with students from KSA reporting higher levels of depression but lower burnout scores compared to UK students. Clinical experiences, perceived psychological demands, and lower social support emerged as key predictors of poor mental health outcomes across both cultures. The longitudinal study (Study 5) indicated that mental health outcomes remained relatively stable over six months, with baseline scores being the strongest predictors of follow-up wellbeing. Nevertheless, perceived control and social support showed protective effects against mental health deterioration, while high psychological demands predicted poorer outcomes over time. Implications and conclusions This thesis demonstrates that paramedicine students face significant mental health challenges that exceed those of other healthcare student populations and qualified practitioners. The findings highlight the urgent need for specialised, culturally sensitive mental health interventions integrated into paramedicine curricula. Without targeted support addressing the unique stressors of paramedicine training - including early trauma exposure, demanding clinical environments, and professional identity development - these mental health issues may persist into professional practice, potentially impacting both practitioner wellbeing and patient care quality. The thesis offers the first comprehensive cross-cultural evidence base for developing evidence-informed interventions to support the mental health and wellbeing of this vital healthcare workforce during their formative training years23 0Item Restricted Supporting Clients with a History of Complex Trauma to Build a Life Worth Living(Saudi Digital Library, 2025-07-30) AlSayedNasser, Batool AThis thesis focuses on the extent to which existing therapies are able to build positive mental health in clients exposed to complex trauma and evaluates a novel wellbeing focused therapy for depression in the context of complex trauma. This general introduction chapter will begin by defining complex trauma, reporting frequency of complex trauma exposure, and presenting the mental health consequences following the experience of complex trauma. It will then discuss how building positive mental health alongside symptom relief is key to recovery from mental health problems, particularly for clients who have experienced complex trauma. The chapter will then briefly review existing psychological interventions for the mental health consequences of complex trauma exposure, particularly focusing on treating depression in clients with a history of complex trauma. The general introduction will conclude with a summary of key literature gaps and how this thesis aims to begin to close these gaps.24 0Item Restricted Association between Friendship Quality and Subjective Wellbeing in Adolescents: Social Network Analysis and Investigation of Moderators(Saudi Digital Library, 2025-06-11) Alsarrani, Abdullah Abdulaziz; Garcia, Leandro; Hunter, Ruth; Dunne, LauraBackground: Adolescence is a crucial stage in the development of wellbeing. Recent global trends show a decline in various wellbeing indicators among adolescents. One factor that influences this is peer relationships, which become more important during this stage. Friendships at school form a major part of adolescents’ social lives and may have a strong effect on their wellbeing. This thesis explores both cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between school friendship quality and different dimensions of subjective wellbeing among adolescents. It also examines how behavioral homophily may influence these relationships. Methods: A multi-staged approach was adopted, beginning with a systematic review of 43 studies examining the association between friendship quality and subjective wellbeing (Chapter 2). Two cross-sectional analyses were conducted (Chapter 4) to investigate the relationship between friendship quality and subjective wellbeing among adolescents aged 13–18 years in Northern Ireland. Finally, a two-wave longitudinal social network study (Chapter 5), using the same dataset, was carried out to examine how friendship quality and the maintenance of friendships over time influence students’ subjective wellbeing. Multilevel models with network effects assessed the impact on three outcomes: overall subjective wellbeing, psychological wellbeing, and moods and emotions. Behavioral homophily in tobacco use, alcohol use, and physical activity was also tested as a moderator. Results: The review found consistent cross-sectional associations between friendship quality and wellbeing. Cross-sectional analyses confirmed these patterns, with more variation in moods and emotions. Longitudinal findings showed that improved friendship quality enhanced wellbeing, while persistent ties had mixed effects. Behavioral homophily moderated these relationships in behavior-specific ways. Conclusion: High-quality friendships support adolescent wellbeing, while friendship stability presents a more complex picture. These findings stress the need for school-based interventions that foster meaningful peer relationships and consider shared behaviors within friendship networks.33 0Item Restricted Creativity, Nature, and Wellbeing: THE INTERSECTION OF CREATIVE HEALTH AND PLANETARY HEALTH IN COMMUNITY PROJECTS(UCL, 2024-09-10) Aldabbagh, Manal; Chatterjee, HelenThis dissertation explores the links between creative health and planetary health, focusing on creative community-based projects addressing human wellbeing and planetary health. This research collaborates with the Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance (CHWA) and will contribute to its mission to support creative community organisations and practitioners. The research aims to identify key project elements by examining their ethos, processes, and outcomes. The research adopts a qualitative approach, using reflexive thematic analysis and semi-structured interviews. Ten community-based projects were included in this research. Eleven themes and 23 sub-themes were identified and clustered under four overarching themes: ethos, process, outcome, and growth. These themes represent key elements in the projects and include creativity, nature connection, wellbeing, engaging body and mind, nature as a facilitator, cultivating care and navigating climate anxiety. The findings suggest that cultivating creativity in nature positively impacts individual wellbeing and develops care for the environment by promoting pro-environmental behaviours. The findings also highlight the need for collaboration and bridging the divide between community practitioners and the academic field. This research contributes to the broader academic discourse on creative health and planetary health, offering insights for facilitators, researchers, and funders interested in addressing human wellbeing and planetary health. The dissertation highlights the transformative potential of creativity and nature-based projects for fostering a healthier and more sustainable world.18 0Item Restricted Using the Concept of Work Alienation as a Lens to Explore Academic Females’ Experiences at King Saud University(University of Leeds, 2024-01-16) Alothaim, Dunya Mohammed A; Grugulis, Irena; Umney, CharlesThe purpose of this research was to explore the experience of Saudi women working in academia by using the concept of alienation as a lens. With this aim, there were three research questions: • To what extent, and in what ways, are dimensions of alienation relevant in understanding the situation of women in academia in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? • How do women working in academia in Saudi Arabia experience gender segregation? • How are these dynamics affected by the new ways of working (notably, Saudi Vision 2030) and the technological innovations introduced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic? The paper begins with a literature review, which established the starting point for answering the research questions. After that, a qualitative methodology was selected to collect and analyse the research data. Data collection took place via face-to-face and Zoom interviews. The study comprised 33 female academics working at King Saud University. Ten of those interviewees were interviewed more than once to collect more data about the Covid-19 pandemic. Thematic analysis was used to highlight codes and develop themes from the data. The results and discussion show that alienation is a valuable concept in exploring phenomena related to women in the workplace. Academic careers were found to have positive features, but these were based on employees’ culturally determined points of view. Aspects such as the level of autonomy enjoyed by the participants, the degree to which they felt they were under control and their sense of meaningfulness is better identified from employees’ perspectives within a specific context. The results also indicate that negative feelings, such as sadness, should not always be understood as a sign of alienation. In contrast, sadness and tiredness arose in informants as an indication of high engagement with their work. Further recommendations include more exploratory studies to enrich the concept of alienation and to provide organisations with an understanding of specific issues rather than just symptoms.20 0Item Restricted Understanding Slow Fashion Adoption in Saudi Arabia: A Theory of Planned Behavior Perspective(University of Strathclyde, 2024-02-26) Alwekail, Sarah; Paddison, AndrewThis quantitative research aims to understand the factors driving and hindering consumers' adoption of slow fashion consumption patterns, using the theory of planned behaviour as a theoretical background to examine consumers' attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and correlating these with the level of intention and actual behaviour. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of Saudi females aged between 18 and 65. Generation-based comparisons were made by equally dividing the sample into two groups: the first group consisting of six participants from the 1980s and 1970s generations, and the second group consisting of six participants from the 1990s and 2000s generations. The findings revealed that subjective norms, high aesthetic desire, and feelings of futility are among the main reasons causing 'attitude-behavioural gap' hindering participants from strictly adopting the slow fashion principle. Additionally, this study reveals that participants born in the 1980s and 1970s had a higher intention and preparation to adopt the slow fashion principle than participants born in the 1990s and 2000s. The difference in intention levels between generations is traced back to subjective norms, where participants born in the 1980s and 1970s experience less social pressure, which validates the theory of planned behaviour. No discernible distinction observed between generations regarding attitude and perceived behavioural control. Reducing stress was the main motivational factor observed to encourage both generations to reduce their consumption. The study's contribution lies in expanding the scope of cultures that can be compared in the field of fashion behaviours and providing a foundation for researchers and practitioners aiming to influence the behaviour of Saudi women.45 0Item Restricted Introducing Stakeholder Perceptions of Refugee Children’s Wellbeing(University of Leicester, 2024-02-23) Alowaybil, Reem; Maltby, JohnThis thesis introduces a new approach of conceptualising refugee children’s wellbeing by incorporating insights of multiple stakeholders. This was achieved by five empirical studies using different qualitative and psychometric designs. The first study aimed to establish the challenges in addressing refugee children’s wellbeing using a sample of refugee children, parents, and professionals. Stakeholders highlighted the challenges in education wellbeing, indicating lack of understanding of refugee children’s mental health needs in the education system. The second study aimed to bridge this gap by introducing a new model of teachers’ perceptions of refugee children’s school wellbeing ‘The WELLS’, and developing a new scale. Study three aimed to test the underlying structure of the new developed scale using an independent sample of schoolteachers. Results suggested a three-dimensional model of teachers’ perception of refugee children’s school wellbeing; mental, academic, and social. The fourth study introduced a short form of the new scale, in order to provide schoolteachers with an efficient measure of refugee students’ mental health needs, and to support the multidimensional nature of the scale. To this end, two samples of schoolteachers were recruited in this study to confirm and test the replicability of the three-factor structure. Finally, a sample of schoolteachers was recruited in the fifth study to align the three dimensions against convergent and discriminant constructs. Overall, this thesis offers a comprehensive theoretical understanding of refugee children’s wellbeing as perceived by stakeholders. Furthermore, a novel measurement tool designed to assess refugee children's school wellbeing from the perspective of teachers was introduced. It contributes to improve our understanding of refugee children's mental health needs and offers a valuable resource for interventions that future research in this area can benefit from.20 0Item Restricted The Association Between Instagram Use And Social Anxiety In Young Adults: A Survey-Based Study In Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2023) Kadi, Mariam; Koya, KushwanthBackground: The past decade witnessed a rapid growth in social media usage, particularly among young adults. In Saudi Arabia, the use of visual media platforms like Instagram is gaining more popularity. Previous studies have examined the interaction between people and digital technology, including research on the effects of engagement with social media and the shift in communication patterns. Empirical evidence revealed both positive and negative effects of social media on its users, with negative impacts on psychological outcomes being notable. The increase in symptoms of social anxiety is one example of a decline in mental health linked to excessive social media use. Given that the prevalence of social anxiety in individuals under the age of 25 is shown to be higher, it prompted many studies to investigate the relationship between the use of social media and levels of social anxiety in younger people. When exploring the connection, the presence of facilitating factors is considered due to its complexity. Prior research has identified several underlying factors, including passive use, social comparison, and addictive tendencies, especially in the context of Instagram use. Aim: This study aims to investigate the different factors correlating Instagram use to high levels of social anxiety among Saudi Arabian young adults. Methods: The present study utilised a deductive approach by using a cross-sectional online questionnaire to obtain its quantitative data. The study sample consists of 51 Saudi undergraduate students from King Abdulaziz University. The participants self-reported by responding to questions regarding demographics, a Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), and Instagram use patterns. The statistical tests performed during the inferential analysis included Spearman’s Rho correlation, Multiple Regression, and a Mediation model.44 0Item Restricted The Effects of Travelling on the Wellbeing of Saudi Millennials(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-10-20) Alashahrani, Shuruq; Ladkin, AdeleIn recent decades, the concept of tourism and wellbeing has gained considerable attention. This research assesses the effects of travel on the wellbeing of Saudi Millennials and their perceptions regarding the importance of tourism in aspects of their wellbeing. It also explores the characteristics and motivations of this specific group towards travel. Using quantitative approaches, a survey was distributed to 535 participants, including both genders. The findings reveal that the majority of Saudi Millennials strongly believe that tourism positively affects their happiness and overall wellbeing. The results further indicate that the act of travelling itself is the biggest motivation for this generation, and it is mostly driven by push motives. Notably, the findings also demonstrate that the quality of social relationships significantly influences the overall wellbeing of Saudi Millennial tourists.25 0