Volunteerism and its rationale
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15448/1980-6108.2016.4.25777Keywords:
volunteering, volunteerism, happiness, beneficence, students, medical.Abstract
The contemplation of volunteerism as activity in medical school, put forward by Sapiro and Mattiello in the present issue of Scientia Medica, brings to light the idea that those who provide benefits have to understand why they do so, as occurs among adults. And to understand selflessness, a topic that has been recurrent in medicine over time, reading about what has already been produced is not enough, since exposure to the practice of concern for the welfare of others is essential.
Observational evidence suggests that volunteerism may be beneficial to the mental health and survival of exposed individuals, even though the causal mechanisms remain unknown. Consequently, further studies are needed to shed more light upon the topic, but while that does not occur, the following quotation gives us some food for thought: “If you would like to be selfish, you should do it in a very intelligent way. The stupid way to be selfish is … seeking happiness for ourselves alone. … the intelligent way to be selfish is to work for the welfare of others”. The Dalai Lama.Downloads
References
Meier S & A. Stutzer. Is Volunteering Rewarding in Itself? Economica. 2008; 75:35-9.
Sapiro A, Mattiello R. Voluntariado: benefício a quem presta e a quem recebe. Sci Med. 2016;26(4):ID25631. http://dx.doi.org/10.15448/1980-6108.2016.4.25631
Jenkinson CE, Dickens AP, Jones K, Thompson-Coon J, Taylor RS, Rogers M, Bambra CL, Lang I, Richards SH. Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers. BMC Public Health. 2013;13:773. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-773
Tabassum F, Mohan J, and Smith P. Association of volunteering with mental well-being: a lifecourse analysis of a national population-based longitudinal study in the UK. BMJ Open. 2016;6:e011327. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011327
Li YP, Chen YM, Chen CH.Volunteer transition and physical and psychological health among older adults in Taiwan. J Gerontol G Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2013;68:997-1008. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbt098
Musick MA, Herzog AR, House JS. Volunteering and mortality among older adults: findings from a national sample. J Gerontol G Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 1999;54:S173-80. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/54B.3.S173
Schreier HMC, Schonert-Reichl KA, Che E. Effect of volunteering on risk factors for cardiovascular disease in adolescents. JAMA Pediatr. 2013;167(4):327-32. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.1100
Meier S & Stutzer A. Is volunteering rewarding in itself? IZA Discussion Paper nº 1045, march 2004. [Internet]. [Cited November 2016]. Available from: http://ftp.iza.org/dp1045.pdf
