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BACKGROUND: Physical activity for the majority of individuals is below recommended levels despite strong evidence of its significant health benefits. Activity tracker devices present as a promising and affordable tool to help promote physical activity and active choices. Additionally, young adults present as an ideal age group to implement behavior change interventions. OBJECTIVE: To determine what features of activity tracker hardware and software are helpful in motivating active choices. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 149 participants ranging in age from 18-29 years old who wore an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer for one week. They then continued to wear the accelerometer in addition to a randomly assigned activity tracker (Apple Watch, Fitbit Surge, Basis Peak, or Microsoft Band 2) for an additional week. They also used the corresponding app for their activity tracker. Participants filled out a survey about their experience at the end of the study RESULTS: Overall hardware rating (p = 0.162) and overall software rating (p = 0.125) did not differ between the four devices. Degree of motivation of the hardware (p = 0.177) and software (p = 0.120) was also similar for all the activity trackers. There were 625 positive comments made about tracker hardware with the majority of these comments concerning mode options (n = 149), other (n = 94), and battery (n = 79). There were 287 positive software comments with the majority in the categories of other (n = 78) and information (n = 68). CONCLUSIONS: The analyses of our data did not show a significant difference between devices in any category. Furthermore, results indicated a high number of positive comments for both hardware and software overall. Users also reported device hardware and software to be personally motivating.

This thesis aims to explore the topic of wisdom and its effect on coping in sample of young adults in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. First, the theoretical part provides an overview of important theories of wisdom, which are dominant in the contemporary psychological research. Afterwards, it introduces theories of coping and coping strategies, it presents existing research concerning the relationship between wisdom and coping and finally, it describes the situation of the COVID-19 outbreak as a potential source of stress. The practical part includes an exploratory and confirmatory part. The exploratory part presents results of detailed mapping of subjective experiences and responses of xoung adults to situation of pandemic. Results show that young adults perceive negative influence of the pandemic on different spheres of their lifes - the most commonly on finances, job and their psychological state. The level of fear of COVID-19 seems to be lower in the Czech samble than in the Iranian or Italian sample. Results of the confirmatory part present relationship between ways of coping and particular wisdom dimensions. Regression analysis revealed that wisdom, coping and perceived control are significant predictors of perceived stress during the pandemic. KEYWORDS Wisdom, Three-Dimensional Wisdom...

Bakgrund: Den psykiska ohälsan bland unga har ökat de senaste två decennierna. Barn- och ungdomspsykiatrin, BUP, ansvarar för den specialiserade psykiatriska vården för de under 18 år medan vuxenpsykiatrin har ansvaret för de som blivit myndiga. Det finns stora skillnader mellan BUP och vuxenpsykiatrin och övergången mellan vårdformerna innebär en process för de unga vuxna, vilket kan beskrivas i termer av transition.  Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka patienternas beskrivna upplevelser av överföring från barn- och ungdomspsykiatrin till vuxenpsykiatrin. Metod: En kvalitativ litteraturöversikt med systematisk ansats. Resultat: Resultatet baseras på 13 vetenskapliga artiklar med kvalitativ design som sammantaget tydliggör tre övergripande teman som beskriver förändring. De unga vuxna beskriver förändrat ansvar, förändrade relationer samt förändrad identitet till följd av övergången mellan BUP och vuxenpsykiatrin. Slutsats: De unga vuxna beskriver bristande information, ostabila vårdrelationer och en ökad känsla av hopplöshet under transitionen. Fram till att de etablerat en tillitsfull kontakt finns en ökad risk att de unga vuxna faller ur vårdsystemet. En viktig faktor för att säkerställa kontinuitet är att det finns närvarande sjuksköterskor som stöd innan, under och efter transitionen. I detta avseende finns strukturell och individuell förbättringspotential som kräver forskning och metodutveckling.

This thesis understands loneliness as a challenge to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The aim is to foster remote social connectedness among young adults experiencing loneliness in the context of a pandemic. The exploration is approached through literature review on loneliness, belonging, social connectedness, including remote communication as a disconnect. The Double Diamond model guided the design process, and design research resulted in insights into loneliness, remote communication challenges for interpersonal settings, and which forms of affection are valued for connectedness. Research findings suggest that openness, attentiveness, and listening are deemed essential for interpersonal connections. Therefore, the concluding design idea targets the dimension of closeness, contact quality, and knowing each other’s experiences to enrich existing social connections. The thesis contributes with insights into what is desired and valued in social connections. Moreover, it proposes a communication tool that could foster social connectedness among young adults experiencing loneliness in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The risks for Swedish citizens' health increased when the COVID-19 pandemic came to the country and the risk communication started. Risk communication entails attempts to change perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, feelings or behavior according to Breakwell (2014, p.144). Sweden has adopted a different strategy to deal with the pandemic in relation to other Nordic countries. In this thesis we have chosen to look at a vulnerable group, Swedish young adults in age 20 to 30 year olds because they are the one of the most active citizens during the pandemic. This thesis is conducted using a qualitative method and collects empirical data from semi-structured interviews of Swedish young adults. The theoretical concept is centred on risk communication, risk society and decisions-making. Based on research evidence, It is a mixed outcome how young adults choose to deal with the restrictions, some follow them closely and some of them still live a social life as before the pandemic. The study concluded that young adult’s behavioral changes played an important role in society

TITLE: The Moral Dimension of Marriage in Young Adults AUTHOR: Alena Pikhartová DEPARTMENT: Department of Psychology SUPERVISOR: PhDr. Miroslav Klusák, CSc. ABSTRACT: The presented thesis is based on a study of moral psychology and its methodological tradition, particularly on Gilligan's morality of care. The marriage has become a subject of this research. The main source of the empirical data are interviews about the Wedding dilemma and following interviews about this topic. The aim of the research is to mediate an insight into young adults' reasoning about moral dilemmatic situations, that deal with a wedding and setting up the family, and to uncover a moral dimension of the marriage. This study is a contribution to the theories of morality, to the discussion about the acceptance and the rejection of the marriage, and to the discussion about moral dimmension of the marriage. According to my findings (and by using my methodological procedures) it is possible to find a difference in reasoning between married and unmarried respondents. The moral dimension of the marriage is consisted in the possibility of hurting the others in the case, that partners don't concur in the question of the marriage. One or the other is pressed (in this case into the marriage), or must renounce his or her needs. An...

Adolescents and young adults represent a growing proportion of people living with HIV around the world and have worse outcomes than all other age groups. Retention along each step of the HIV care cascade is essential for optimal care, but importantly, achieving sustained adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and subsequent viral suppression is necessary for decreasing morbidity and mortality and reducing further transmission. The overarching goal of this dissertation was to assess health-services interventions aimed at improving ART adherence among adolescents and young adults living with HIV, and prospectively evaluate one such intervention – point-of-care viral load testing – in a randomized control trial. First, a systematic review was conducted to assess and synthesize recent research on interventions aimed at improving ART adherence among adolescents and young adults living with HIV in a resource-limited setting. Evidence from the review indicated that comprehensive models of HIV care, re-structuring how HIV services were delivered to patients, which included increased monitoring of adolescents and young adults through home visits or case management in addition to standard clinical care improved ART adherence. Second, a randomized control trial was conducted to evaluate the implementation and effect of point-of-care viral load testing compared to standard laboratory-based testing. The trial had two primary objectives: 1) to assess the efficiency of point-of-care viral load testing, and 2) evaluate the effect of point-of-care viral load testing on health outcomes including ART adherence and viral suppression. The research protocol is described including study design, the point-of-care viral load testing intervention, analysis plan, and outcome definitions. Lastly, the results of this trial are reported which indicate that point-of-care viral load testing can be feasibly integrated into a low-resource, clinical setting. A majority of point-of-care viral load test results (81.8%; 148/181) were processed and returned the same day, with a mean time between blood collection and participant receipt of results of 2.7 hours (IQR: 2.5-3.2; range 1.7-6.0). Point-of-care viral load testing also appeared to improve the accuracy of reported ART adherence, an unanticipated finding. In the point-of-care arm, participants who reported sub-optimal ART adherence on any of 3 adherence questions were more likely to have a VL >1,000 copies/mL (OR: 6.57; 95% CI: 2.12-25.21), compared to participants in the standard arm among whom the association was weaker (OR: 2.62; 95% CI: 0.97-7.44). There was no difference in viral load outcomes between arms. Overall, this dissertation addresses gaps in our knowledge about interventions aimed at improving ART adherence among adolescents and young adults living with HIV. The key finding is that point-of-care viral load testing can simplify the viral load monitoring process and help clinicians accurately identify adolescents and young adults with a high viral load in order to provide enhanced adherence counseling or make clinical decisions regarding appropriate treatment options faster. Point-of-care viral load testing could be used in concert with other interventions which address additional barriers to ART adherence among adolescents and young adults such as forgetfulness, stigma, or lack of social support. As the public health field continues to focus on improving HIV outcomes among this vulnerable age group, these findings can guide the optimization of HIV services and the development of combination interventions which could increase the number of adolescents and young adults who achieve sustained ART adherence and viral suppression.

An extensive literature has linked off-time pubertal maturation to adverse health outcomes among adults. Childhood adversities are also linked to both pubertal development and cardiometabolic disease. Despite the racial and ethnic disparities in pubertal timing and cardiometabolic health in midlife, few studies have investigated if off-time pubertal maturation is associated with Latino individuals' metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, there exists limited data assessing early life risk factors affecting the association between timing of pubertal maturation and metabolic syndrome by sex and in young adults. This dissertation used a life course perspective to test developmental hypotheses of stress on reproductive strategies and cardiometabolic health to address these limitations. The three primary aims of this dissertation research were to 1) estimate the association between family dysfunction and timing of pubertal maturation in Latino boys and girls, 2) systematically review the impact of the timing of pubertal maturation on metabolic syndrome in young adults age 18-40 years, and 3) estimate the association between timing of pubertal maturation and metabolic syndrome in young adult Latino men and women. The analytic aims were explored using data from two population-based cohorts that include different age groups: the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCSH/SOL) Youth Ancillary Study (cross-sectional design) (8-16 years), and the Boricua Youth Study Health Assessment Ancillary Study (prospective design) (5-10 years and 18-23 years). The first empirical study, using HCHS/SOL Youth data, found that the presence of family dysfunction may be associated with delayed pubertal maturation in Latino children and adolescents. The systematic review highlighted the lack of diversity by sex, measurements, and racial/ethnic representation in this area of research, but also suggested that childhood BMI may account for much of the association between pubertal timing and metabolic syndrome. The second empirical study, based on the BYS HA study, did not find meaningful associations between timing of pubertal maturation and metabolic syndrome and cardiometabolic traits in young adults. These results do not support the prevailing hypotheses nor quantitative evidence linking off-time pubertal maturation to poorer cardiometabolic health. Overall, this dissertation utilized a life course perspective to advance understanding and support of the origins of adulthood cardiovascular risk that may begin in childhood. Future investigations should be designed to be longitudinal and include measures characterizing childhood body size, health behaviors, and environmental exposures. Future studies should also explore the specific mechanisms explaining the observed associations, particularly the complex interaction between hormonal and metabolic factors that appear to affect adult health among individuals with off-time pubertal maturation adversely.