Rosenthal, Grace (2014) Exploring Mindfulness, Rural Men’s Sheds and the Possible Benefits to Psychological Practice. Coursework Masters thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Older men in rural areas have been identified as being at high risk of experiencing isolation, loss of relationships and are also vulnerable when their working life ends and retirement begins. Issues such as depression and suicide are ones prevalent in this population. Community initiatives such as the Men’s Shed movement are aimed at addressing these issues and providing men with a place where they feel they belong, contribute and are valued. A number of formal studies have explored the basic motivations for attending a Men’s Shed as well as the benefits experienced as a result of attending which includes increased sense of wellbeing. Another way to increase the sense of wellbeing is to develop what psychologists call mindfulness skill. Mindfulness includes aspects of psychological mindedness and flexibility. The current qualitative study aimed to explore how participating in a Men’s Shed may be related to the participant’s mindfulness skill in both the shed context as well as in their daily lives. Findings indicated seven major themes within participant narratives related to mindfulness experience: Connectivity to others, values and action, environment, reflection and transience, the physical state, skills and learning and attention to details. These findings represent what this population of men experience and describe as their daily life world. There are no past studies that allow for direct comparison, however generally findings here appear consistent with studies exploring why men attend shed’s and what benefits they gain. Framing these experiences within the concept of mindfulness reveals that formal measures of this concept may not necessarily capture what it means to be mindful but rather the clinician needs to approach this type of work with older men in rural areas on a case by case basis, listening intently to their narrative and remaining aware of how mindfulness may live in these stories.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Coursework Masters) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology, Counselling and Community (1 Jul 2013 - 31 Dec 2014) |
| Supervisors: | Gavin Beccaria; Jan Du Preez |
| Qualification: | Master of Psychology (Clinical) |
| Date Deposited: | 15 Oct 2025 03:28 |
| Last Modified: | 15 Oct 2025 03:28 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52714 |
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