Samta P Pandya
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 3687744 |
|---|---|
| NOME | Samta P Pandya |
| PRENOMES | Samta P |
| SOBRENOME | Pandya |
| ASSINATURA | PANDYA S P |
| AFILIAÇÕES | Tata Institute of Social Sciences |
| VERIFICADO | Não |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 31 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 2 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 31 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2013 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 1 |
Doctoral students in arts and humanities
Workplace Spirituality, Job Satisfaction and Nonprofit Sector Workers
This article reports a study on the impact of a workplace spirituality training (WPST) programme for South Asian nonprofit sector workers. WPST participants reported higher post-test scores on workplace spirituality and job satisfaction vis-à-vis a waitlist control group. Post-test scores were particularly higher for female workers, gender non-disclosing workers, Hindus and Christians, workers in the child care, development and protection sector,…
Social Work Practice in the Era of Artificial Intelligence
There is a growing proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) in most spheres and sectors of contemporary society including social work. This article reports a survey of South Asian social workers' views on AI and social work including application domains, usefulness, risks and challenges, training needs, and future of the profession. The majority of respondents have suggested that social workers need training on machine learning, reinforcemen…
Spirituality and creativity in the early childhood context
This article reports a study on the impact of a customised spiritual education programme (SEP) on improving creativity for kindergarteners. The SEP was effective, and participants (n = 529) scored higher on creativity domains of figural fluency, originality, elaboration, abstractness of titles, and resistance to premature closure, compared to the waitlist control group. Girls, kindergarteners whose primary caregiver parents had higher formal educ…
Adolescents raised by single parents
In 50s and Married for the First Time
Intergenerational Teaching-learning through Meditation and Smartphone Use Skill-knowledge Transfer between South Asian Grandparent-grandchild Dyads
This article reports the impact of an intergenerational teaching-learning program (ITLP) of meditation and smartphone use on promoting social engagements for grandparents and attachment security for their young adult grandchildren. Grandparent-grandchildren dyads from two South Asian cities were randomized into intervention (IN1 = 86; IN2 = 78) and control groups (CN1 = 86; CN2 = 72). Grandparents’ scores on Lubben Social Network Scale-6 (LSNS-6)…
Meditation app alleviates burnout and builds resilience for chaplains in hospices for older adults in Asian and African cities
This article reports a one-year study examining the effect of a smartphone meditation app (M-App) in alleviating burnout and promoting resilience among chaplains working in hospices of older adults in Asian and African cities (N1 = 96; N2 = 85). Results indicated that chaplains who used the M-App exhibited lesser emotional exhaustion and depersonalization as burnout markers and higher personal achievement and resilience as compared to leisure app…
Older women and wellbeing through the pandemic
The researcher reports the impact of online yoga lessons on a cohort of community-dwelling older adult women in mitigating fears, anxieties and promoting resilience, wellbeing and salutogenic wellness during the pandemic as compared to a control group. Online yoga lessons were effective and economic class, education, religion, marital status, and living arrangements were significant moderators. Intervention adherence had the strongest predictor e…
Intervention Outcomes, Anxiety, Self-Esteem, and Self-Efficacy With DHH Students in Universities
This article reports the impact of an online spiritual counseling (OSC) program in mitigating anxiety and building self-esteem and academic self-efficacy among deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students in universities. Compared to online relaxation sessions, the OSC was more effective. Male DHH students and those whose parents were highly qualified exhibited less anxiety and higher self-esteem and self-efficacy at pretest (T1). Post-test (T2) male …
The role of spiritual lessons and creative arts for adaptation of international doctoral students
This article reports a study on the impact of spiritual training lessons as compared to creative arts lessons with a cohort of Indian and Sri Lankan doctoral students immigrated to the US. The aim was to examine programme effectiveness in mitigating their acculturative stress, promoting self-efficacy, and wellbeing. Spiritual training lessons were more effective (p ≤ .01, Hedges’ g = −3.59–3.22); however, creative arts lessons also mitigated accu…
Meditation to improve the quality of life of community-dwelling ever-single older adults
This article reports a multi-city five-year follow-up study on the effect of meditation in improving the quality of life of community-dwelling ever-single older adults. Post-test quality of life, sense of coherence, peace of mind and life satisfaction scores of the intervention group were significantly higher in relation to the control group (Cohen’s d range = 0.69–0.72, p = .01–.03) and their own pre-test scores (Cohen’s d range = 0.66–0.91, p ≤…
Meditation to Improve Concentration Among Children with Auditory Processing Disorder
The author reports on a two-year longitudinal intervention examining the effect of meditation to improve concentration among children affected with auditory processing disorder (APD). The treatment group comprised 212 APD-affected children across eight Asian and African cities and an equal number were randomly assigned to the control group. Results showed positive postmeditation effect on the treatment group. Meditation had greater positive effec…
Meditation for meaning in life and happiness of older adults
This article reports on a multi-city experiment of a customized Raja yoga meditation program in enhancing the meaning in life and happiness of older adults. Participant cohort was comprised of 698 older adult followers across 10 European and African cities with an equal number in the comparison group. Results indicated that meditation positively impacted the life satisfaction and happiness of participants. Post-test outcome measure scores were hi…
Facebook and Yoga
This article reports a three-year repeated measures study on the effect of guru-led new religious movements’ ( gnrm ) customized Facebook yoga lessons on followers’ spiritual experiences and religious commitment. Participants comprised 3,488 followers across four gnrm s. During the study period, each gnrm Facebook page had an average of 1,095 daily posts and 156 weekly yoga lessons. Results showed that at phase 2, scores of participants on spirit…
Auroville as an intentional spiritual community and the practice of Integral yoga
This paper discusses Auroville as an intentional spiritual community in South India and the way facets of Integral yoga are manifested. The existential thinking, aspirations, existential anxieties, daily spiritual experiences and worldview of the residents also called Aurovilians, were studied through a 10-year period. Aurovilians’ scores on measures of existential thinking, aspirations, and spiritual experiences were higher and existential anxie…
Attachment to a charismatic religious figure and development of virtues
This article reports on a 10-year longitudinal study across nine cities in five countries of Jalaram Bapa followers. Jalaram Bapa (JB) is a Gujarati Hindu eighteenth-century charismatic God-like figure. The aim was to examine how attachment to JB leads to the development of virtues. Data were collected from 12,069 followers during phase 1 (2002–2003) and 11,034 followers during phase 2 (2012–2013). They were compared to an equal number of Gujarat…
Spirituality and Parents of Children With Disability
Based on a study of 1,138 practitioners in the field of disability across 12 countries, the author examines the practitioners' views on spirituality for parents of disabled children. Results of the logistic regression analysis showed that the following practitioners were more likely to see spirituality as an instrument to help parents to cope and build resilience against disability: those from European countries, the United States, Australia, and…
Millenarianism and Yoga
This article is based on a study with 1,914 participants in select cities across nine countries of the Raja Yoga spiritual program of the Brahmakumaris. It examines how their millenarian stance, which combines meditation and a belief among the participants of having averted the apocalypse and embarked the Noah’s Ark, promotes mental health and well-being. Results showed that participants who engaged with the program tenets through self-study and …
Effect of a spiritual education programme in developing altruism and prosocial behaviour among children
This article reports on a two-year experimental study with 3278 children from schools in 15 countries, who underwent a spiritual education programme (SEP) aimed at enhancing altruism and prosocial behaviour. Results showed that post-test scores of the participant children on the self-report altruism scale and prosocial personality battery were higher than the comparison group, and their own pre-test scores. Participant children from affluent coun…
Faith Movements and Social Transformation
Promoting spiritual well-being among Hindu children in South Asian, Southeast Asian and African Countries
The main objective of the study is to examine whether the Bala Vihars (BVs) of Chinmaya Mission promote spiritual well-being among Hindu children in different cultural contexts. Deploying a comparative survey design, 1194 BV participants aged 11–15 years, across 13 South Asian, African and Southeast Asian cities comprised the sample and an equal number comprised the comparison group. Email questionnaire was used comprising scales to assess spirit…
Hindu women in religious orders
The study aims to understand determinants of well-being of Hindu women in old age who have committed their lives to religious orders. Data was obtained across eight countries from a sample of 12,082 older Hindu women renunciants belonging to two religions orders: Brahmakumaris and Chinmaya Mission. An e-mail questionnaire was administered comprising basic background profile questions and four scales to measure aspects of well-being, satisfaction …
‘Guru’ Culture in South Asia
Guru culture is a prominent phenomenon in contemporary South Asia. The guru is a charismatic figure and the bedrock of the concerned institution, which very often assumes the form of a movement. Recognition of the power of that charisma is the central aspect in the social and psychological dynamics of guru-led movements. They attract a large number of followers and social service engagements are a part of their common repertoire, reflecting and f…
Sect Culture and Social Service
This article is based on fieldwork with a branch of the popular Hindu sect, the Swaminarayan, in Gujarat, India. The branch is called the Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). It has spread throughout the world. I examine its cultural nuances and its seva, that is, its social service and outreach work. Seva implements the mandate for, and ideology of, social service and entails aspects of volition and institutionalize…
Sociality and guru-led movements
This article discusses the various facets of sociality of guru-led movements in the contemporary social milieu. It argues that sociality is the key to deciphering the numerous manifestations of the guru-led movements within the social domain. Sociality is the essence of tradition, continuity and perpetuation of these movements. This sociality as imagined here is a result of a meta-analysis of the guru-led movements, reflecting on their socio-poli…
The Vivekananda Kendra in India
This article is based on field work with the Vivekananda Kendra in Kanyakumari, India. The Vivekananda Kendra ("the Kendra") is a Hindu spiritual organization founded in 1972, based on principles promoted by Swami Vivekananda. The organization's members translate Vivekananda's Vedanta and Yoga ideals into national reconstruction. The efforts of Eknath Ranade as the key transmitter of Vivekananda's ideals, the way he effectively wove austerity, re…
Beneficiaries of Social Initiatives of Indic Faith-Based Organizations
This article is based on a study of a sample of 966 beneficiaries of selected social initiatives across nine Indic Faith-Based Organizations (IFBOs) in India. Findings revealed that IFBO beneficiary profiles resemble the general public welfare user in terms of financial/economic status. Service experiences entailed duration, type, influence of faith in terms of teachings, vision–mission familiarity, and personnel contact. In general, there was a …
Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayama
This article is based on an Indic spiritual practice called the Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayama (SK&P) developed by Art of Living Foundation, a fast-growing, transnational, and popular new religious movement started by the charismatic teacher Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in India. Drawing from the experiences of 828 participants of this spiritual and meditative technique, the focus is to look at its efficacy to promote well-being. Factors that led the part…
The Vivekananda Kendra in India
This article is based on field work with the Vivekananda Kendra in Kanyakumari, India. The Vivekananda Kendra ("the Kendra") is a Hindu spiritual organization founded in 1972, based on principles promoted by Swami Vivekananda. The organization's members translate Vivekananda's Vedanta and Yoga ideals into national reconstruction. The efforts of Eknath Ranade as the key transmitter of Vivekananda's ideals, the way he effectively wove austerity, re…
Adolescents, well-being and spirituality
This paper is a study of adolescents, well-being and spirituality. I have looked at the All Round Training in Excellence (ART-Excel) program for adolescents developed by an international spiritual organisation called the Art of Living Foundation (AOL Foundation). Adolescents participants (n = 396) of this program from four cities – Vancouver, London, Johannesburg and Mumbai – comprised of the sample. An equal number comprised of the control group…
Promoting spiritual well-being among Hindu children in South Asian, Southeast Asian and African Countries
The main objective of the study is to examine whether the Bala Vihars (BVs) of Chinmaya Mission promote spiritual well-being among Hindu children in different cultural contexts. Deploying a comparative survey design, 1194 BV participants aged 11–15 years, across 13 South Asian, African and Southeast Asian cities comprised the sample and an equal number comprised the comparison group. Email questionnaire was used comprising scales to assess spirit…
Hindu women in religious orders
The study aims to understand determinants of well-being of Hindu women in old age who have committed their lives to religious orders. Data was obtained across eight countries from a sample of 12,082 older Hindu women renunciants belonging to two religions orders: Brahmakumaris and Chinmaya Mission. An e-mail questionnaire was administered comprising basic background profile questions and four scales to measure aspects of well-being, satisfaction …
‘Guru’ Culture in South Asia
Guru culture is a prominent phenomenon in contemporary South Asia. The guru is a charismatic figure and the bedrock of the concerned institution, which very often assumes the form of a movement. Recognition of the power of that charisma is the central aspect in the social and psychological dynamics of guru-led movements. They attract a large number of followers and social service engagements are a part of their common repertoire, reflecting and f…
Sect Culture and Social Service
This article is based on fieldwork with a branch of the popular Hindu sect, the Swaminarayan, in Gujarat, India. The branch is called the Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). It has spread throughout the world. I examine its cultural nuances and its seva, that is, its social service and outreach work. Seva implements the mandate for, and ideology of, social service and entails aspects of volition and institutionalize…
Governmentality and guru-led movements in India
The concept of governmentality has a textual and philosophical basis as well as being concerned with what might be called the practices of government. This article discusses and develops the governmentality argument with respect to the guru-led movements. It outlines the basics of Michel Foucault's concept of governmentality, its analytical frame, the fact that governmentality moves beyond only the practices of the state and its nuances in a neol…
Sociality and guru-led movements
This article discusses the various facets of sociality of guru-led movements in the contemporary social milieu. It argues that sociality is the key to deciphering the numerous manifestations of the guru-led movements within the social domain. Sociality is the essence of tradition, continuity and perpetuation of these movements. This sociality as imagined here is a result of a meta-analysis of the guru-led movements, reflecting on their socio-poli…
Spirituality and Parents of Children With Disability
Based on a study of 1,138 practitioners in the field of disability across 12 countries, the author examines the practitioners' views on spirituality for parents of disabled children. Results of the logistic regression analysis showed that the following practitioners were more likely to see spirituality as an instrument to help parents to cope and build resilience against disability: those from European countries, the United States, Australia, and…
Millenarianism and Yoga
This article is based on a study with 1,914 participants in select cities across nine countries of the Raja Yoga spiritual program of the Brahmakumaris. It examines how their millenarian stance, which combines meditation and a belief among the participants of having averted the apocalypse and embarked the Noah’s Ark, promotes mental health and well-being. Results showed that participants who engaged with the program tenets through self-study and …
Effect of a spiritual education programme in developing altruism and prosocial behaviour among children
This article reports on a two-year experimental study with 3278 children from schools in 15 countries, who underwent a spiritual education programme (SEP) aimed at enhancing altruism and prosocial behaviour. Results showed that post-test scores of the participant children on the self-report altruism scale and prosocial personality battery were higher than the comparison group, and their own pre-test scores. Participant children from affluent coun…
Faith Movements and Social Transformation
Auroville as an intentional spiritual community and the practice of Integral yoga
This paper discusses Auroville as an intentional spiritual community in South India and the way facets of Integral yoga are manifested. The existential thinking, aspirations, existential anxieties, daily spiritual experiences and worldview of the residents also called Aurovilians, were studied through a 10-year period. Aurovilians’ scores on measures of existential thinking, aspirations, and spiritual experiences were higher and existential anxie…
Attachment to a charismatic religious figure and development of virtues
This article reports on a 10-year longitudinal study across nine cities in five countries of Jalaram Bapa followers. Jalaram Bapa (JB) is a Gujarati Hindu eighteenth-century charismatic God-like figure. The aim was to examine how attachment to JB leads to the development of virtues. Data were collected from 12,069 followers during phase 1 (2002–2003) and 11,034 followers during phase 2 (2012–2013). They were compared to an equal number of Gujarat…
Meditation to Improve Concentration Among Children with Auditory Processing Disorder
The author reports on a two-year longitudinal intervention examining the effect of meditation to improve concentration among children affected with auditory processing disorder (APD). The treatment group comprised 212 APD-affected children across eight Asian and African cities and an equal number were randomly assigned to the control group. Results showed positive postmeditation effect on the treatment group. Meditation had greater positive effec…
Meditation for meaning in life and happiness of older adults
This article reports on a multi-city experiment of a customized Raja yoga meditation program in enhancing the meaning in life and happiness of older adults. Participant cohort was comprised of 698 older adult followers across 10 European and African cities with an equal number in the comparison group. Results indicated that meditation positively impacted the life satisfaction and happiness of participants. Post-test outcome measure scores were hi…
Facebook and Yoga
This article reports a three-year repeated measures study on the effect of guru-led new religious movements’ ( gnrm ) customized Facebook yoga lessons on followers’ spiritual experiences and religious commitment. Participants comprised 3,488 followers across four gnrm s. During the study period, each gnrm Facebook page had an average of 1,095 daily posts and 156 weekly yoga lessons. Results showed that at phase 2, scores of participants on spirit…
Meditation to improve the quality of life of community-dwelling ever-single older adults
This article reports a multi-city five-year follow-up study on the effect of meditation in improving the quality of life of community-dwelling ever-single older adults. Post-test quality of life, sense of coherence, peace of mind and life satisfaction scores of the intervention group were significantly higher in relation to the control group (Cohen’s d range = 0.69–0.72, p = .01–.03) and their own pre-test scores (Cohen’s d range = 0.66–0.91, p ≤…
Meditation app alleviates burnout and builds resilience for chaplains in hospices for older adults in Asian and African cities
This article reports a one-year study examining the effect of a smartphone meditation app (M-App) in alleviating burnout and promoting resilience among chaplains working in hospices of older adults in Asian and African cities (N1 = 96; N2 = 85). Results indicated that chaplains who used the M-App exhibited lesser emotional exhaustion and depersonalization as burnout markers and higher personal achievement and resilience as compared to leisure app…
Older women and wellbeing through the pandemic
The researcher reports the impact of online yoga lessons on a cohort of community-dwelling older adult women in mitigating fears, anxieties and promoting resilience, wellbeing and salutogenic wellness during the pandemic as compared to a control group. Online yoga lessons were effective and economic class, education, religion, marital status, and living arrangements were significant moderators. Intervention adherence had the strongest predictor e…
Intervention Outcomes, Anxiety, Self-Esteem, and Self-Efficacy With DHH Students in Universities
This article reports the impact of an online spiritual counseling (OSC) program in mitigating anxiety and building self-esteem and academic self-efficacy among deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students in universities. Compared to online relaxation sessions, the OSC was more effective. Male DHH students and those whose parents were highly qualified exhibited less anxiety and higher self-esteem and self-efficacy at pretest (T1). Post-test (T2) male …
The role of spiritual lessons and creative arts for adaptation of international doctoral students
This article reports a study on the impact of spiritual training lessons as compared to creative arts lessons with a cohort of Indian and Sri Lankan doctoral students immigrated to the US. The aim was to examine programme effectiveness in mitigating their acculturative stress, promoting self-efficacy, and wellbeing. Spiritual training lessons were more effective (p ≤ .01, Hedges’ g = −3.59–3.22); however, creative arts lessons also mitigated accu…
In 50s and Married for the First Time
Psychology (23 obras) · Social Psychology (16 obras) · Medicine (15 obras) · Sociology (15 obras) · Clinical Psychology (13 obras) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (13 obras) · Spirituality (11 obras) · Political science (10 obras) · Developmental psychology (8 obras) · Law (8 obras)