TITLE: Work, Health and the Economy: Examining Predictors of Early Retirement Among Older Canadian Workers OBJECTIVES: To investigate the contribution of socio-demographic, health, work, and health behaviour factors to the transition from work to early non-disability retirement among older Canadian workers during a period of economic recession compared to a period of non-recession. METHODS: A systematic scoping review was conducted to identify the predictors of early retirement reported in the published literature. This study also used data from Statistics Canada’s National Population Health Survey to explore the predictors of early retirement among two prospective cohorts of older Canadian workers aged 45-64 that spanned a non-recessionary economic period in Canada (cohort 1: 1994-1999) and a period which included an economic recession (cohort 2: 2006-2010). The impact of various factors on early retirement was examined using logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Findings from the systematic scoping review were used to construct a list of variables to explore as predictors in the model. Factors which were associated with higher transitions into early retirement included older age (cohort 1: OR=1.42; cohort 2: OR=1.31), living in Quebec (cohort 1: OR=2.26), occasional (cohort 1: OR=2.56) or regular drinking (cohort 1: OR=2.32), low job satisfaction (cohort 1: OR=3.42; cohort 2: OR=3.33), working part-time (cohort 1: OR=2.16; cohort 2: OR=2.26), and employment in public administration (cohort 1: OR=2.77). While being a woman (cohort 1: OR=0.59), immigrant (cohort 1: OR=0.57), and higher job security (cohort 1: OR=0.73) were associated with lower exits to early retirement. There were differences observed in the effects of occasional and regular drinking, and for living in Quebec, on early retirement between the two contrasting economic time periods. The comparison of the provincial effect suggested that early retirement varies to some extent with the provincial unemployment rate. CONCLUSIONS: Predictors of early retirement among older Canadian workers are multifactorial. Results suggest that factors beyond individual determinants may influence early retirement and future research is needed to better understand what aspects of the provincial context are driving retirement decisions. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

En litteraturstudie i form av en scoping review genomfördes för att ta reda på vilka strategier skolan behöver utveckla för att stötta elever med selektiv mutism på organisations-, grupp- och individnivå. Selektiv mutism (SM) är en funktionsnedsättning som yttrar sig i en talångest. Det är även en diagnos enligt DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) som karaktäriseras av en oförmåga att tala i vissa situationer där tal förväntas, t.ex. i skolan, medan individen talar obehindrat i andra miljöer, t.ex. i hemmet. Elever med selektiv mutism är i behov av stöd i skolan, både för att nå målen med sin utbildning och i sociala sammanhang. Forskning visar att skolan behöver mer kunskap om och förståelse för SM för att stötta dessa elever. Därför är den här studien viktig. I studien identifierades fem forskningsartiklar - och tre huvudteman med vardera tre underteman växte fram. Det första temat var ”Strategier i skolan för att stötta elever med SM på organisationsnivå” med undertemana ”lärarnas behov av utbildning kring SM”, ”lärarnas relationskompetens” och ”hälsa och lärande”. Det andra temat var ”Strategier i skolan för att stötta elever med SM på gruppnivå” med undertemana ”systematiskt arbete med anpassningar i klassrummet”, ”socialt samspel” och ”delaktighet och inflytande”. Det tredje temat var ”Strategier i skolan för att stötta elever med SM på individnivå” med undertemana ”individuella anpassningar och stödstrukturer”, ”tal, språk och kommunikation”, ”rätten till kunskapande, vänskapande och välbefinnande”. Resultatet visar att lärare behöver mer kunskap om och förståelse för SM. De behöver förmåga att bygga trygga relationer till elever med SM och deras vårdnadshavare, och förmåga att skapa kommunikationsvänliga klassrumsmiljöer, samt acceptera alternativa kommunikationsmetoder. Skolan behöver arbeta med såväl individuella som generella anpassningar och stödstrukturer, samt ge lärare förutsättningar att kunna ge elever med SM möjligheter till kunskapande, vänskapande och välbefinnande i skolan. / A literature review in the shape of a scoping review was performed to identify which strategies schools need to develop to support students with selective mutism on organizational, group and individual level. Selective mutism (SM) is a disability that manifest itself as a speech anxiety. It is also a diagnosis according to DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) characterized by an inability to speak in certain situations in which speaking is expected, e.g., at school, while the individual speaks freely in other environments, e.g., at home. Students with selective mutism need support both to achieve the goals in their education and in social development. Research shows that school needs more knowledge and a shared understanding about SM to support these students. Therefore, this study is important. The study identified five research articles and three main themes with three subthemes each emerged. The first theme was “Strategies in school to support students with SM at organizational level” with the sub-themes “teachers' need for knowledge about SM”, “teachers' relational skills”, “health and learning”. The second theme was “Strategies in school to support students with SM at group level” with the sub-themes “systematic work with adaptation in the classroom”, “social interaction”, “participation and influence”. The third theme was “Strategies in school to support students with SM on an individual level” with sub-themes “individual adaptations and support structures”, “speech, language and communication”, “the student’s right to active learning, doing friendship, and well-being”. The results show that teachers need more knowledge about SM to develop an understanding. They need to be able to build stable relationships with students with SM and their guardians, to create communication-friendly classroom environments, and to accept alternative communication methods. Schools need to work with both individual and general adaptations and support structures. Schools also need to provide teachers with the necessary framework for them to be able to give students with SM opportunities to student active learning, doing friendship and well-being at school.

In this contribution, we investigate the privacy implications of social robots as an emerging mobile technology. Drawing on a scoping literature review and expert interviews, we show how social robots come with privacy implications that go beyond those of established mobile technology. Social robots challenge not only users’ informational privacy but also affect their physical, psychological, and social privacy due to their autonomy and potential for social bonding. These distinctive privacy challenges require study from varied theoretical perspectives, with contextual privacy and human–machine communication emerging as particularly fruitful lenses. Findings also point to an increasing focus on technological privacy solutions, complementing an evolving legal landscape as well as a strengthening of user agency and literacy.

Background: A significant amount of research has previously been conducted in developing countries such as India, to improve women’s sexual and reproductive health. However, women living in North Indian slums still have poor access to proper sexual and reproductive healthcare. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the published literature to create a consolidated understanding of the key barriers faced by women in slum populations when accessing sexual and reproductive health services in Northern India. Methods: A scoping review was carried out following the five stages outlined in Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. Five online databases (MEDLINE, Global Health, Ovid Emcare, Embase, and Web of Science) were searched. An interpretive thematic analysis was conducted to extract meaningful themes from the data using the Conceptual Framework for Reproductive Empowerment developed by the International Center for Research on Women Results: In total, 28 articles were identified to be incorporated into the scoping review. The results of this study were grouped according to the CFFRE to understand how they compared in regard to women’s reproductive empowerment. This scoping review found reproductive empowerment was significantly hindered by women lacking a proper education and understanding of SRH services, lack of employment and financial resources. Additionally, women’s husbands and mothers-in-laws were barriers to contraceptive use. Finally, poor interactions with healthcare providers and the healthcare system, and systemic factors such as behaviours in treatment seeking, son preference and religion were barriers to accessing SRH services. Conclusion: This scoping review investigated the barriers faced by women living in slum populations in Northern India to accessing SRH services. The results of this study contribute to the literature by identifying areas that require improvement to SRH services for women living in slums, and will be integral to implementing strategies and interventions to allow better access to SRH services in the future. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / A significant amount of research has previously been conducted in India, to improve women’s sexual and reproductive health. However, women living in North Indian slums still have poor access to proper sexual and reproductive healthcare. Therefore, this study investigated the key barriers faced by women in slum populations when accessing sexual and reproductive health services in Northern India. A review of previous studies was conducted by searching five electronic databases and a total 28 articles were included into the review. This study found that women lacking a proper education and understanding of SRH services, lack of employment and financial resources, and women’s husbands and mothers-in-laws were barriers to SRH services. Finally, poor interactions with healthcare providers and the healthcare system, and systemic factors such as behaviours in treatment seeking, son preference, and religion were also barriers to accessing SRH services.

No description available.

Adolescent and young Canadians are a group with the highest rates of symptoms of anxiety and depression. Such conditions, when unaddressed, negatively impact the development of a person, restricting their chances of attaining a fulfilling future and career. Even when deciding to reach out to access care, the process can be a challenging one with many barriers along the way. Online therapies in the form of online Cognitive Behavioural Therapies, have shown to be a promising format for some, but have faced some shortcomings with low uptake and variable results. Adding guidance and support to such therapies has been shown to help address these barriers. The objective of this research is to explore how support is currently provided for online cognitive behaviour therapies for anxiety and depression, targeting adolescents and young adults. To achieve this objective a scoping review methodology was utilized to identify relevant articles. The approach taken in a scoping review methodology allows for identification of a wide range of articles, which was necessary in this case because research isolating support features from other interventions is very limited. The scoping review identified fifty articles to be reviewed, and they were analyzed using a framework created for this review. The framework covered human, delivery, and design factors. Consultations with five key informants was also used to identify more findings related to the themes identified in the framework and to complement the findings from the articles in the scoping review. The resulting picture identified the field of support for online CBT for anxiety and depression in adolescents and young adults, covering a field with a great diversity ranging from virtual guides to face-to-face support from therapists. The features were organized into groups of ‘toolkits’ that can be considered by CBT developers for different situations and needs. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

This is a sandwich thesis / In an interrupted time series (ITS) design, data are collected at multiple time points before and after the implementation of an intervention or program to investigate the effect of the intervention on an outcome of interest. ITS design is often implemented in healthcare settings and is considered the strongest quasi-experimental design in terms of internal and external validity as well as its ability to establish causal relationships. There are several statistical methods that can be used to analyze data from ITS studies. Nevertheless, limitations exist in practical applications, where researchers inappropriately apply the methods, and frequently ignore the assumptions and factors that may influence the optimality of the statistical analysis. Moreover, there is little to no guidance available regarding the application of the various methods, and a standardized framework for analysis of ITS studies does not exist. As such, there is a need to identify and compare existing ITS methods in terms of their strengths and limitations. Their methodological challenges also need to be investigated to inform and direct future research. In light of this, this PhD thesis addresses two main objectives: 1) to conduct a scoping review of the methods that have been employed in the analysis of ITS studies, and 2) to develop improved methods that address a major limitation of the statistical methods frequently used in ITS data analysis. These objectives are addressed in three projects. For the first project, a scoping review of the methods that have been used in analyzing ITS data was conducted, with the focus on ITS applications in health research. The review was based on the Arksey and O’Malley framework and the Joanna Briggs Handbook for scoping reviews. A total of 1389 studies were included in our scoping review. The articles were grouped into methods papers and applications papers based on the focus of the article. For the methods papers, we narratively described the identified methods and discussed their strengths and limitations. The application papers were summarized using frequencies and percentages. We identified some limitations of current methods and provided some recommendations useful in health research. In the second project, we developed and presented an improved method for ITS analysis when the data at each time point are aggregated across several participants, which is the most common case in ITS studies in healthcare settings. We considered the segmented linear regression approach, which our scoping review identified as the most frequently used method in ITS studies. When data are aggregated, heterogeneity is introduced due to variability in the patient population within sites (e.g. healthcare facilities) and this is ignored in the segmented linear regression method. Moreover, statistical uncertainty (imprecision) is introduced in the data because of the sample size (number of participants from whom data are aggregated). Ignoring this variability and uncertainty will likely lead to invalid estimates and loss of statistical power, which in turn leads to erroneous conclusions. Our proposed method incorporates patient variability and sample size as weights in a weighted segmented regression model. We performed extensive simulations and assessed the performance of our method using established performance criteria, such as bias, mean squared error, level and statistical power. We also compared our method with the segmented linear regression approach. The results indicated that the weighted segmented regression was uniformly more precise, less biased and more powerful than the segmented linear regression method. In the third project, we extended the weighted method to multisite ITS studies, where data are aggregated at two levels: across several participants within sites as well as across multiple sites. The extended method incorporates the two levels of heterogeneity using weights, where the weights are defined using patient variability, sample size, number of sites as well as site-to-site variability. This extended weighted regression model, which follows the weighted least squares approach is employed to estimate parameters and perform significance testing. We conducted extensive empirical evaluations using various scenarios generated from a multi-site ITS study and compared the performance of our method with that of the segmented linear regression model as well as a pooled analysis method previously developed for multisite studies. We observed that for most scenarios considered, our method produced estimates with narrower 95% confidence intervals and smaller p-values, indicating that our method is more precise and is associated with more statistical power. In some scenarios, where we considered low levels of heterogeneity, our method and the previously proposed method showed comparable results. In conclusion, this PhD thesis facilitates future ITS research by laying the groundwork for developing standard guidelines for the design and analysis of ITS studies. The proposed improved method for ITS analysis, which is the weighted segmented regression, contributes to the advancement of ITS research and will enable researchers to optimize their analysis, leading to more precise and powerful results. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Syftet med denna scoping review är att identifiera och syntetisera publikationer om förebyggande arbete mot ungdomskriminalitet. Arbetet strävar efter att sammanställa forskningsläget kring arbetssätt inom preventionsarbetet med ungdomskriminalitet. En litteratursökning har genomförts för insamling av data och en deduktiv manifest innehållsanalys användes för att identifiera, kategorisera och analysera relevant information. Sju studier identifierades där interventionerna som framkom i litteraturen kategoriserades in i tre olika teman: utbildningsbaserade interventioner, samhällsbaserade interventioner samt interventioner för individ och familj. Resultatet visar att interventionerna övervägande fungerar bra i det förebyggande arbetet för de ungdomar som interventionerna riktar sig till, men mer kvalitativ svensk forskning behövs inom området. / The purpose of this scoping review is to identify and synthesize publications on preventive work against juvenile delinquency. This paper aims to put together a compilation of the current state of research regarding working methods within the prevention work with juvenile delinquency. A literature search was conducted to collect data, and a deductive manifest content analysis was used to identify, categorize, and analyze relevant information. Seven studies were identified and the interventions that were found in the literature were categorized into three different themes: education-based interventions, community-based interventions, and interventions for the individual and family. The results show that the interventions predominantly work well for the youths targeted by the interventions, but more qualitative Swedish research is needed on this topic.

En av skolans viktigaste uppgifter är att skapa de förutsättningar som krävs för att ge eleverna ett ändamålsenligt och användbart språk. För språklärare med många elever innebär detta en avsevärd utmaning. Läraren behöver identifiera på vilken nivå enskilda elevers läs- eller skrivförmågor befinner sig och utifrån denna kunskap ge eleverna adekvat stöd och individuellt anpassade uppgifter. I ljuset av moderna tekniska landvinningar framställs ibland artificiell intelligens som en möjlig lösning. Trots detta är forskning om AI i undervisning eftersatt. Denna scoping review syftar till att undersöka hur AI används för att stödja elevers läs- och skrivutveckling. Genom artikelsökning med EBSCO Discovery identifierades nio artiklar som sedan granskats. Resultaten visar att AI har stor potential att förbättra elevers läs- och skrivförmågor genom att ge omedelbar återkoppling, anpassa svårighetsgrader, berika skrivuppgifter, organisera idéer, bredda ordförråd och förbättra stavning. Idag finns det redan en rad AI-verktyg tillgängliga som kan stödja elevernas läs- och skrivutveckling. Dessutom kan AI frigöra lärares tid genom att automatisera vissa uppgifter, till exempel rättning av prov. Detta ger lärarna mer tid att fokusera på individuell handledning och relationsbyggande med eleverna. Trots de många fördelarna med AI är det viktigt att vara medveten om potentiella risker och utmaningar. Ansvarsfull användning av AI är avgörande för att undvika spridning av fördomar, plagiering och fusk. Ytterligare forskning behövs för att fullt ut förstå AI:s potential och begränsningar. Longitudinella studier efterfrågas likaså studier inom en svensk utbildningskontext.

No setor saude no Brasil, o termo gestao do trabalho passou a ser utilizado principalmente apos a 12ª Conferencia Nacional de Saude, por haver criticas ao termo gestao de recursos humanos. Entretanto, o que e gestao do trabalho em saude? O que se tem produzido no Brasil a respeito desse tema? Como essa expressao vem sendo utilizada na producao cientifica brasileira? Esta pesquisa busca analisar a producao cientifica publicada em periodicos brasileiros com relacao a incorporacao da expressao gestao do trabalho em saude. Foi realizado um scoping review na base de dados Lilacs, com exclusao de teses, livros, estudos sem resumo, estudos repetidos, monografias e documentos governamentais. Foram encontrados 495 estudos, submetidos a criterios de inclusao e exclusao por tres juizes, 74 artigos foram considerados na integra para mapeamento. Dos artigos mapeados, 34 foram selecionados para pesquisa. Com relacao as caracteristicas dos estudos, os especialistas do Sudeste e Sul brasileiro produziram mais artigos sobre o tema, com abordagem metodologica predominantemente qualitativa publicados nos periodicos Cadernos de Saude Publica e Ciencia & Saude Coletiva. Tais publicacoes apresentaram crescimento numerico principalmente apos 2006, com a 3ª Conferencia Nacional de Gestao do Trabalho e Educacao em Saude. Com relacao a incorporacao, os dados extraidos resultaram no mapeamento de cinco temas: conceito de gestao do trabalho em saude, formulacao de politicas, participacao dos trabalhadores nos processos de trabalho (desalienacao e autonomia), precarizacao do trabalho e desafios para o gestao do trabalho em saude. Apesar do consenso a respeito da complexidade conceitual da expressao, sao explorados aspectos distintos, de acordo com a interpretacao de cada autor com destaque para alguns desafios na gestao do trabalho em saude: novas exigencias na qualificacao profissional, equipes heterogeneas de trabalho, presenca predominantemente da mulher no mercado de trabalho, burocratizacao e predominio de rotinas e protocolos. As discussoes teoricas sao amplas mas as aplicacoes praticas sao escassas, restando um questionamento que nao foi totalmente desvelado: gestao do trabalho em saude, uma mudanca terminologica ou de paradigma? / The expression work management in healthcare has been used mainly after the 12ª National Conference of Health, because the expression human resour- ce management was being criticized. However, what is work management in healthcare? What has been done concerning this issue in Brazil? How is this expression being used by the Brazilian scientific production? This research aims to analyze the scientific production published in Brazilian journals and related to the expression work management in healthcare. A scoping review was made using the LILACS database as a reference, with the exception of thesis, books, papers without abstract, duplicate studies, monographs and governmental documents. 495 studies were found and subjected to inclusion and exclusion criteria by three judges; 74 articles were fully considered for mapping. From the mapped articles, 34 were used for research. Regarding the studies characteristics, specialists from the Brazilian South and Southeast areas produced more papers about the issue on journals such as Cadernos de Saude Publica and Ciencia & Saude Coletiva, with the predominance of qualitative methodological approach. These publications presented numerical growth especially from 2006 onwards, after the 3rd National Conference of Work Management and Education in Healthcare. Regarding the expression usage, the extracted data resulted on the mapping of five topics: concept of work management in healthcare, policy formulation, participation of workers in the work processes (disalienation and autonomy), precarious work and challenges for the work management in healthcare. Despite the consensus about the conceptual complexity of such expression, distinct aspects are explored according to each authors interpretation highlighting some challenges for work management in healthcare: new job requirements, many kinds of professionals in work team, women in the labor market bureaucratization, routines and protocols. The theoretical discussions are broad and the practical applications are scarce, generating a question that was not completely answered: does work management in healthcare represent a change of terminology or paradigm?