Preferred Name
Lynnquell S. Gardiner
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2556-2030
Date of Graduation
5-9-2024
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Department of Graduate Psychology
Second Advisor
A. Renee Staton
Third Advisor
Stephanie Crockett
Abstract
Research on Caribbean individuals’ mental health and wellness is scarce in the literature, especially for those residing in Caribbean regions. The purpose of these studies was to examine local definitions of wellness and explore the role of nature for Afro-Caribbean (AC) individuals who make up most of the Caribbean’s population. Using two popular wellness models, relevance of application was explored for use with AC women participants. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was further used to explore participants definitions of wellness, existing strengths, and challenges in maintaining balance as it relates to wellness. Family connection, rest, and being in nature were significant facilitators of wellness. Being proactive and developing a wellness routine were important methods identified by participants as essential to becoming more balanced. Quantitatively, levels of ecowellness were investigated amongst AC adults revealing moderate-high scores of total ecowellness. Mental ecowellness had noticeably high scores among the three subscales of ecowellness. Blue space visits were further evaluated as a mediator of ecowellness levels but did not yield significant correlations. Overall findings contribute significantly to Caribbean and global wellness literature in considering the role of nature and the need for culturally sound models, interventions, and practices.
