Since 2010, Swedish municipalities have been required by law to provide support for relatives and family members. The purpose of this study is to understand how three municipalities in Sweden have chosen to implement and design their support for family members and relatives, as previous research shows that the support varies widely between municipalities. This study is qualitative and we have interviewed eight officials who somehow work with relatives and family members in the municipality's activities. Our findings show that the interviewees' experience is that relatives and family members of close relatives with some form of nursing need are often burned out, suffer from high mental stress and make high demands on themselves. The results also show that the municipalities have chosen to prioritize the support to a different extent, and that the support for relatives and family members of the elderly has a longer tradition than the support offered to other family categories.

One of the major issues concerning old age security is the adequacy of support systems for the aged population. Population aging and economic development in the People's Republic of China have raised the question about the ability of the family to take care of the elderly. Using the latest data collected by the Research Center on Aging in China of a national representative sample of the aged population, this study develops a model to examine the effectiveness of family support for the elderly during the current socio-economic transition of the society. The model also examines the adequacy and effectiveness of state welfare systems on the aged population and the effect of select socio-demographic factors on the well-being of the elderly in China. The investigation into the social, economic, and health aspects of the life of the elderly provides the background knowledge for understanding the support systems for the elderly in China. The multivariate analyses of the effects of the elderly support systems within the framework of shared functions of the primary groups, and the bureaucracy in achieving social goals, identify the important effects of the economic conditions of the family and the state income maintenance programs on the sense of well-being of the elderly. The findings lead to the conclusion that the cooperation of the family and the state is necessary to provide a secure life for an aged population. The patterns and trends of old age support in China are found to be constrained by the interplay of various social forces, among which the effect of politicalization of the social and economic conditions of the elderly is crucial. Policy recommendations include public assistance to the family, encouragement of the local effort, and national legislation on old age security.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T14:22:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Simony Bruziguessi.pdf: 3724395 bytes, checksum: 10fa9ea58e76ac8da1f9afd4891cdc00 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-12-03 / The goal of this research was to investigate the correlation between adherence to treatment after bariatric surgery and socio-economic factors, social support, family support, selfefficacy, and personality traits of obese patients. To accomplish this, a theoretical review of the literature about the aforementioned constructs was performed, followed by an empirical study. The group of participants in the study was composed of 87 patients presenting class II obesity and associated co-morbidities or class III obesity, who were being prepared to undergo bariatric surgery, from December 2008 to March 2009, at a private clinic specialized in this treatment. In order to obtain the data, the following instruments were applied: Perception of Family Support Inventory, Social Support Scale, markers for personality assessment within the framework of the Big Five Personality Factors, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and a demographic questionnaire. The results of this work revealed that the socio-economic factors sex and income influenced adherence to treatment after bariatric surgery, whereas the marital status of the patients did not interfere with continuity of treatment. Furthermore, correlations between adherence to treatment in the post-operative period and social support, family support, and personality were observed. Regarding the factors related to the health system and staff, the distance between the patient s residence and the health service influenced adherence to post-operative therapy. / Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo investigar a correlação existente entre adesão ao tratamento após a cirurgia bariátrica e fatores socioeconômicos, apoio social, suporte familiar, autoeficácia e traços de personalidade do paciente obeso. Para esse fim, foi realizada revisão teórica envolvendo os construtos citados, seguida de estudo empírico. Participaram do estudo 87 pacientes apresentando obesidade grau II e comorbidez ou obesidade grau III, em fase de preparação interdisciplinar para a realização de cirurgia bariátrica, no período de dezembro de 2008 a março de 2009, em uma clínica particular especializada neste tipo de tratamento. Para a obtenção dos dados, foram utilizados os seguintes instrumentos: Inventário de Percepção do Suporte Familiar, Escala de Apoio Social, Marcadores para Avaliação da Personalidade, Escala de Percepção de Autoeficácia Geral e questionário sociodemográfico. Os resultados deste trabalho revelaram que os fatores socioeconômicos sexo e renda influenciaram na adesão ao tratamento após a cirurgia bariátrica, enquanto o estado civil do paciente não interferiu na continuidade do tratamento. Ademais, observou-se correlação entre adesão ao tratamento da obesidade no período pós-cirúrgico com apoio social, suporte familiar e personalidade. No que se refere aos fatores relacionados ao sistema e à equipe de saúde, a distância entre a residência do paciente e o serviço de saúde influenciou em sua adesão à terapêutica pós-cirúrgica.

Base teórica: A qualidade de vida é uma variável amplamente estudada nas ciências da saúde e tem se tornado, cada vez mais, um indicativo importante na avaliação dos estados e desfechos de saúde. As doenças crônicas se caracterizam por curso prolongado, por vezes acompanhando o portador por toda sua vida, o que pode influenciar a percepção que o indivíduo tem de si mesmo e de sua vida. A Neurofibromatose tipo 1 (NF1) é uma doença crônica, genética, que atinge cerca de 1:3500 nascimentos. Além de ser uma doença que acarreta uma maior predisposição ao desenvolvimento de tumores, a NF1 possui sintomas físicos de fácil identificação. Objetivo: O presente estudo visa estudar a qualidade de vida e algumas variáveis emocionais de pessoas com neurofibromatose tipo 1. Método: Trata-se de um estudo transversal. Foram avaliadas as variáveis de qualidade de vida genérica (WHOQOL-bref e SF-36), qualidade de vida específica para pessoas com problemas de pele (DLQI-bra), sintomas depressivos (BDI), sintomas de ansiedade(BAI), percepção de suporte familiar (IPSF) e estratégias de enfrentamento (Inventário de Estratégias de Coping de Folkman e Lazarus). Os participantes deste estudo também foram avaliados quanto à gravidade (Escala de Riccardi) e visibilidade dos sintomas da doença (Ablon). Resultados: Foram coletados dados de 71 pacientes adultos com NF1. Do total 60,0% da amostra foram pessoas do sexo feminino, a média de idade foi de ± 40,36 anos. Dos 52 pacientes avaliados pela escala de Riccardi, 11,3% apresentou gravidade leve, 40,4% gravidade moderada, 42% sintomas graves de gravidade e 6,5% sintomas muito graves da doença. Com relação a visibilidade dos sintomas medidos pela escala de Ablon, 36,5% apresentam visibilidade leve de sintomas, 30,8% visibilidade moderada e 32.7% visibilidade severa dos sintomas. Conclusão: Os resultados da avaliação de qualidade de vida de pessoas com NF1, ao serem comparados com os dados normativos para amostra, não apresentou diferença estatisticamente significativa. A análise dos sintomas depressivos indicou que grande parte dos entrevistados apresentam sintomas leves de depressão e os dados da escala BAI referente aos sintomas de ansiedade constatou que a média dos entrevistados apresentam sintomas graves de ansiedade, podendo sugerir que a ansiedade seja uma característica importante dessa população. As estratégias de enfrentamento mais utilizadas por esta população foram a reavaliação e o suporte social. Com relação aos resultados da percepção de suporte familiar, podemos perceber que os dados da amostra não apresentaram diferença significativa ao serem comparados com os dados normativos da escala. / Theoretical basis: Quality of life is an important studied variable in health sciences and has become an important indicator in assessing states and health outcome. Chronic diseases are characterized by a prolonged course, sometimes accompanying the carrier all his life, which can influence the perception that the individual has of himself and of his life. The neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a chronic and genetics condition that affects about 1: 3500 births. Besides being a disease that leads to a greater predisposition to develop tumors, NF1 has physical symptoms of easy identification. Objective: This project aims to study the quality of life and emotional variables of people with neurofibromatosis type 1. Method: This is an observational study. The overall quality of life variables were evaluated (WHOQOL-bref and SF-36), specific quality of life for people with skin problems (DLQI-bra), depressive symptoms (BDI), anxiety symptoms (BAI), perception of family supports (IPSF) and coping strategies (coping strategies Inventory of Folkman and Lazarus). The participants were also evaluated for the severity (Riccardi Scale) and visibility of disease symptoms (Ablon). Results: Were collected data from 71 adults patients with NF1. From all sample 60% were female. The mean age was ± 40.36 years . Of the 52 patients evaluated for Riccardi scale , 11.3 % had mild severity , 40.4 % moderate severity , 42% Severity of symptoms and 6.5 % symptoms very severe. The data of the visibility of the symptoms were measure by Ablon scale , 36.5 % have mild symptoms visibility , 30.8 % moderate and 32.7 % severe visibility of symptoms. Conclusion: The results of the quality of life of people with NF1, when compared with the normative data for sample, indicate no statistically significant difference. The analysis of depressive symptoms indicated that the majority of respondents have mild symptoms of depression and the BAI scale data related to symptoms of anxiety found that the average of respondents have severe anxiety symptoms and may suggest that anxiety can be an important feature of this population. Coping strategies most used by this population were the re-evaluation and social support. Regarding the results of the perception of family support, we can see that the sample data showed no significant difference when compared with the normative data range.

我國自1993年進入高齡化國家以來，人口老化的速度相較於歐美國家更為迅速驚人，高齡少子化的影響下，人口結構呈現倒金字塔，此意味著對老年退休生涯的重新詮釋。退休是生命歷程中的重大轉折點，現代退休者通常需面臨20-30年以上漫長退休生活，如何能活得老、活得好，增進老年退休的生活適應，是當前重要課題。 本研究旨在了解台北市退休人員於退休後的生活適應歷程，以及在適應過程中其家庭、社會支持的支援現況，採用深度訪談法，共訪談了10位年齡為56歲至82歲、居住於台北市且從職場退出2年以上之已退休人員。 本研究結果發現如下：1.受訪者的家庭支持之於家庭適應的支援情形，係以情緒性支持為最重要，獲得的主要來源為子女、孫子女，其次為配偶、兄弟手足，顯見晚輩的陪伴與所提供的情緒慰藉是退休後生活適應的重要影響因素。2.其次在工具性支持方面，則隨著社會結構的變遷，由傳統仰賴子女轉變為傾向自我規劃、準備，甚至還需要提供子女、兄弟手足協助；至於在意見、資訊傳遞的訊息性支持，則是採雙向交流、互動的溝通模式進行。3.退休代表著社會地位的改變、人際關係的疏離等，然而透過休閒娛樂的選擇安排、終身學習及志願服務的參與等，甚至從中獲得自我成長與貢獻的成就感，降低喪失社會地位的失落感。4.經由政府單位、社會機構等主動提供有關健康、居住安養、休閒娛樂及教育、志工等訊息，使得人們得以尋求合適的支援甚至提前準備。5.從支持的來源區別，志同道合的老友與其他親友鄰居則提供簡易的物質支援或資訊，而老友所提供的情緒支持則非親友或鄰居可相比擬，但是人際關係的窄化確是不爭的事實。6.由於資訊科技的發達與知識水準的提升，受訪者多數無退休適應不良的問題，對於面對臨終的態度與安排，也多能坦然接受。此外受訪者皆認同維持身體健康是適應退休生活的首要目標。 依據本研究發現，提供以下建議：1.未來能透過教育來加強家庭傳統價值，維持優良孝道觀念。2.在老年生活消費上建立補貼或優惠制度，紓緩經濟壓力、加強居住硬體設備並考量安養機構普及化、廣設老人活動中心。3.提供多元休閒選擇以維持人際互動、宣導志願服務以傳承經驗並發揮所長。4.結合社區環境並使老人教育課程多元化、政府主動推廣醫療照護訊息，讓大家能預先認識而預作準備。 / Since Taiwan became an aging country in 1993, increase in population aging rate has been more dramatic than Europe and North America. In addition to being a new aging country, decrease in fertility rate has turned Taiwan’s population structure into reverse pyramid. This phenomenon indicates a need to re-interpret senior post-retirement plans. Retirement is a crucial turning point in life; yet, retirees now face, on average, 20-30 years of retirement which is substantially longer then before. For citizens to - as captured in a Chinese saying- ‘live long live good’, improving the adaptability of post-retirement life becomes a critical question in contemporary society. This study focuses on retirees of Taipei City, their post-retirement adaptation, and family and social support received after retirement. This study conducted in-depth interviews with 10 retirees, between the ages of 56-82 and have retired for at least 2 years. The findings of this study are: 1.In terms of family support, emotional sustainment ranks as the most important element. Furthermore, the majority of interviewees reported that their source of emotional support are their children and grandchildren, then followed by spouse, family and friends. This shows company and emotional consolation provided by junior generations is a critical factor in determining whether or not the retirees adapts to the post-retirement life. 2.Secondly, in terms of instrumental support, traditional tendency to rely on children has changed, retirees now prepare and plan by themselves, as align with the change in social structure. Sometimes the retirees even provide assistance to their children, siblings and friends. In terms of information support, interviewees reported a more balanced two directional and interactive method of communication, yet another difference from traditional understanding. 3.Retirement means change of social statues, distancing of personal relationship, and etc., but through leisure and entertainment arrangement, lifelong learning program, volunteer participations, retirees gain confidence in self development and through contribution, and consequently decrease feeling of uneasiness with the change in social statues. 4.Information provided by government and social institutions on health, living arrangement, leisure and entertainment, education and volunteering opportunities, makes it possible for retirees to find suitable resource and prepare before retirement takes place. 5.From the perspective of support source, old friends and other friends/neighbors may both easily provide material resource and information, yet a major distinction lies in the fact that only old friends can offer emotional consolation. Hence, limited personal relationship still remains an irrefutable fact. 6.With the development of information technology and increase in knowledge accessibility, most of the interviewees reported no serious adaptability issues. Furthermore, they generally hold healthy attitude toward the end of life and their arrangement, accepting the natural course of life with embracement. Finally, all interviewees identified leading a healthy life to be the prime goal in post-retirement life. Recommendations based on the findings of this study: 1.The value of family should be implemented in future education to stress and maintain the concept of filial piety. 2.The government should devote specific senior subsidy and other incentive programs, because relieving financial pressure would be key to stabilizing post-retirement life. Furthermore, policies on facility and hardware establishment should focus on poularizing senior homes and dissemination of senior activity centers. 3.Options for leisure and entertainment should be expanded to maintain personal interaction and volunteer promotion, as these are effective ways for retirees to share their valuable life experience as well as crucial source for confidence-building. 4.Education on the diversity of post-retirement life and information on health care should be community-based, rendering knowledge more accessible to the population would better encourage understanding and preparation before retirement.

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Family Studies and Social Work, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 34-36).

<p>In addition to all our soldiers and officers who do military services abroad there are a lot of people who are affected by their choice to contribute, namely their next of kin. This report deals only with those who are next of kin to those who perform service abroad. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relatives' need for emotional and social support as well as practical and economical support. The main question is What kind of practical/economical and emotional/social support do close relatives require when a relative does military service abroad? The method used in this paper is a qualitative research interview. Interviews have been made with four women, who are next of kin to soldiers and officers who are or have been abroad for military services during the last two years. The result of this study is that all respondents have a need for emotional / social support linked to their partner’s deployment abroad; however, people require different types of support. Regarding practical / financial support the informants' needs differ, this is due to their different living situations.</p>

In addition to all our soldiers and officers who do military services abroad there are a lot of people who are affected by their choice to contribute, namely their next of kin. This report deals only with those who are next of kin to those who perform service abroad. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relatives' need for emotional and social support as well as practical and economical support. The main question is What kind of practical/economical and emotional/social support do close relatives require when a relative does military service abroad? The method used in this paper is a qualitative research interview. Interviews have been made with four women, who are next of kin to soldiers and officers who are or have been abroad for military services during the last two years. The result of this study is that all respondents have a need for emotional / social support linked to their partner’s deployment abroad; however, people require different types of support. Regarding practical / financial support the informants' needs differ, this is due to their different living situations.

Il presente programma di ricerca si è proposto di valutare l’utilizzo di un intervento di scrittura su una popolazione di soggetti adolescenti iscritti al primo anno di scuola superiore. Ciò nei termini di risultati (effetti a breve e lungo termine), mediatori e moderatori. Tali questioni sono state esplorate nell’ambito di due diversi progetti. Il primo progetto si è esplicato in uno studio sperimentale sull’efficacia di un intervento di Expressive Writing [EW] standard rispetto ad un compito di scrittura focalizzato sugli aspetti positivi di un evento (Benefit Finding [BF]) e ad un gruppo di controllo che scriveva su temi superficiali (Trivial [TR]). Le analisi quantitative sono state effettuate all’interno di due studi finalizzati a testare gli effetti della modificazione delle consegne di scrittura e gli effetti di mediazione del linguaggio sui risultati dell’intervento (Studio 1), nonché gli effetti di moderazione di ottimismo, supporto familiare e relazioni interpersonali (Studio 2). Questi studi hanno fornito supporto alla letteratura di ricerca che ha messo in luce gli effetti positivi della scrittura tra gli adolescenti, rivelando risultati migliori per il gruppo BF. Il secondo progetto ha implicato uno studio naturalistico condotto in una scuola superiore del Nord Italia due settimane dopo la morte di uno studente, avvenuta durante le lezioni. In particolare è stato esaminato il processo della scrittura, considerando i cambiamenti linguistici in funzione di variabili legate al trattamento (le tre sessioni di scrittura) e ai partecipanti (l’ottimismo e le traiettorie individuali di adattamento). / The current research program aimed to evaluate the use of a writing intervention on an adolescent population transitioning from middle school to high school in terms of outcomes (short and long term effects), mediating mechanisms, and moderators. These issues have been investigated within two different projects. The first project implied a longitudinal, randomized, controlled trial on the efficacy of a standard Expressive Writing [EW] intervention relative to a writing assignment focused on positive aspects of an event (Benefit Finding [BF]) and a control group writing on neutral topics (Trivial [TR]). Quantitative analyses were performed within two studies aimed to test the effects of altering writing assignments and the mediating effects of language on writing outcomes (Study 1), and the moderating effects of optimism, family support, and interpersonal relationships (Study 2). These studies provided support to research literature showing positive effects of writing among adolescents, revealing greater outcomes for the BF group. The second project implied a small, naturalistic study conducted in a high school of Northern Italy two weeks after a student died during classes (Study 3). The process of writing was examined, considering linguistic changes in writing as a function of treatment variables (the three writing sessions) and participant variables (optimism and individuals’ adjustment trajectories).

In recent years, studies have discussed the abusive supervision behavior in the organizations. Especially, supervisors¡¦ abusive supervision behaviors were believed to have negative effects on subordinates. However, the relationship between supervisors¡¦ abusive supervision behaviors, subordinates¡¦ work-family conflict, and deviant behavior remained unclear. For this reason, this study intends correlating supervisors¡¦ abusive supervision behaviors and subordinates¡¦ work-family conflict with deviant behavior. In this study, abusive supervision is the independent variable; Deviant behavior is the dependent variable; Work-family conflict is the mediator. Besides, we defined social support (family-supportive policies, perceived organizational work¡Vfamily support, and perceived coworker support) as a moderator not only between supervisors¡¦ abusive supervision behaviors and subordinates¡¦ work-family conflict, but also between work-family conflict and deviant behavior. The subjects of the study who are selected by convenience sampling and the data are collected using dyad-approach are common enterprise employees from manufacturing, high-tech industry, and service industry in Taiwan. Two hundred and twelve effective questionnaires (106 supervisor-subordinate dyadic data) of the survey are retrieved. Moreover, the analytic tools such as descriptive analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), linear structural relation, hierarchical regression analysis, and sobel test are utilized to analyze the result of the survey and to verify the assumptions of the study. The findings of the study are as follows. (1) Abusive supervision correlates positively with work-family conflict. (2) Work-family conflict also has significantly positive correlation with deviant behavior. (3) Mediating effect of work-family conflict is significant. (4) Family-supportive policies moderate the relationship between Abusive supervision and work-family conflict. The findings highly support the hypothesis I made, and also testify some researcher¡¦s suggestions. Further from this research, I also offer some suggestions for management and practice to the issue and following related research.