Studiens syfte är att genomföra en närläsning av Sonja Åkessons dikter Bedrägeri, Jag stirrar, Omöjligt och Öron med målet att påvisa hur dessa dikter kan användas för att öka förståelsen för upplevelser av ångest. I ett bredare sammanhang är studiens syfte att kunna påvisa lyrikens användbarhet i klassrummet. I bakgrundskapitlet redogörs vad som åsyftas med didaktisk potential, vad biblioterapi är och slutligen studiens koppling till skolans styrdokument. I kapitlet tidigare forskning framkommer det att mycket lite forskning finns om lyrik i klassrummet, och ännu mindre om hur biblioterapi kan användas i svensk skola. Det framkommer även att lärare ofta känner sig osäkra på hur de ska undervisa lyrik. Vidare utgår studien ifrån Thorssons didaktisk läsart (2005), vars delmoment didaktisk läsart utgör grunden för analyskapitlet. Slutligen beaktar studien även hur receptionsteorier och estetisk och efferent läsning påverkar läsandet. Material utgörs av fyra dikter av Sonja Åkesson där den didaktiska läsarten formas utefter lyrikanalytisk begreppsapparat. Av analysen framkommer det att samtliga analyserade dikter har ett ångesttema. I diskussionen bekräftas det att Sonja Åkessons dikter har en didaktisk potential att utgöra material för ett ångesttematiskt arbete.

The purpose of this thesis is to look into the accuracy of various depictions of mental illness in YA literature, and to discuss the benefits of such literature in understanding adolescent mental illness, given a background of bibliotherapy and illness narratives. This paper analyzes five fictional novels that were selected with consideration to their popularity, relevance, and relatability. These are analyzed using the method of content analysis. The results bring up the depictions of symptoms of depression, mania, trauma, obsessions and compulsions, and suicidal ideations. To evaluate the clinical accuracy of the symptoms described in the selected books, they are compared to the DSM5. The disorders considered in this paper are Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar I Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder, and the suicidal risk of these. The results suggest that the literature has accurate representations of adolescent mental illness. Furthermore, the use of metaphors deepens the reader’s understanding of the characters’ subjective experiences of mental illness. Thanks to its accuracy and ability to convey subjectivity, reading this kind of literature may be beneficial to anyone who seeks to further understand adolescent mental illness. / Syftet med denna rapport är att undersöka hur verklighetstrogna skildringar av psykisk ohälsa är i ungdomslitteratur och att diskutera fördelarna med sådan litteratur när det gäller att förstå psykisk ohälsa hos ungdomar, med bakgrund av biblioterapi och sjukdomsberättelser. Denna artikel analyserar fem ungdomsromaner som valts ut med hänsyn till deras popularitet, relevans och reliabilitet. Dessa analyseras med hjälp av metoden content analysis. Resultaten tar upp skildringar av symtom på depression, mani, trauma, tvångstankar och självmordstankar. För att utvärdera skildringarna av symptom som beskrivs i de utvalda böckerna jämförs de med den diagnostiska manualen DSM-5. De störningar som behandlas i denna rapport är Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar I Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder och Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, och självmordsrisken för dessa. Resultaten tyder på att litteraturen har verklighetstrogna framställningar av psykisk ohälsa hos ungdomar. Dessutom fördjupar användningen av metaforer läsarens förståelse för karaktärernas subjektiva upplevelser av mental sjukdom. Tack vare litteraturens realistiska skildringar och förmåga att förmedla subjektivitet kan läsning av denna typ vara till nytta för alla som försöker att bättre förstå ungdomars psykiska ohälsa.

This master thesis investigates Bibliotherapy at a Public Library in Sweden. The result is based on the experiences of the participants in an ongoing group in the spring of 2019. The result is also based on the views of professionals within the area of Bibliotherapy. This essay has the following research questions: Why and how do the Public Libraries choose to work with Bibliotherapy? How and why do people choose to participate in Bibliotherapy? What are the potential effects (of Bibliotherapy) for Public Libraries and what effects are stated from the people using it? Fenomenological interviews were carried out with three professionals within the area of Bibliotherapy and three participants in the bibliotherapy group. The interviews were conducted in a semi-structured manner. Theories applied in the analyzis of the interviews were Anthony Giddens theory of latemodernity and reflexive identity, psykological theories of the bibliotherapeutic process and theories regarding reading and its effects on people.  The results showed that profesionals expressed that Bibliotherapy is an important tool for people regarding the importance of conversations and in dealing with existential themes in their life. The participants expressed that they appreciated Bibliotherapy as a platform for indepths conversations and regarding existential themes. They also expressed the benefits of taking part of other peoples experiences. They also stated that the group was an important area for creating space for own time, away from demands in everyday life. The result also showed exemples of people relating to the bibliotherapeutic experience in a way that corresponds to aspects of reflexive identity. In the experiences of the participants there were examples of the bibliotherapeutic process mostly through expressions of identification and katarsis. Reading effects were also expressed as aestethic pleasure, transportation and escapism. The professionals stated that Public Libraries should work with bibliotherapy due to their aims in reading promotion. Also due to their obligation to take part in fullfilling the needs of the citizens in society, the potential library user aswell as the user. The Public Library can also benefit från being a platform for bibliotherapy thus confirming the importance of their role in society. This is a two year master´s thesis in Library and Information Science.

Introduction. Bibliotherapy is still in its infancy in Sweden compared to the USA which is seen as a pioneer country when it comes to applied bibliotherapy. Research on bibliotherapy shows that the benefits are many and the negative side effects are few, if any. This thesis seeks to understand what factors affect the diffusion of bibliotherapy among Sweden’s public libraries.   Method and theory. A link to a web based qualitative survey questionnaire was emailed to public libraries in all regions of Sweden. 90 individuals responded by answering the questionnaire which served as the basis for the analysis. E. M Rogers theory on the Diffusion of innovations was applied to gain a deeper understanding of the collected data.   Analysis. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the collected data. Meaning units were chosen from the data and then condensed without losing the underlying meaning. Subthemes and themes were then extracted from the condensed meaning units. The data was analysed in relation to E. M. Rogers theory and previous research which is presented in this paper.   Results. Six themes arose during the analysis of the collected data: the role of libraries, employee's needs, effects of bibliotherapy, the concept of therapy in bibliotherapy, knowledge of bibliotherapy and other methods than bibliotherapy. The results of the analysis of the collected data are presented under each theme.  Conclusion. The results show that the factors which affect the diffusion of bibliotherapy among Sweden’s public libraries are: knowledge, interest, time, resources, and the name bibliotherapy which in itself causes confusion and expectations.

Sammanfattning: Nationella folkhälsokommittén menar att kultur är hälsofrämjande, och då i synnerhet för utsatta grupper. Folkhälsokommittén menar att kulturella aktiviteter så som läsning av böcker betyder mycket för den känslomässiga och den intellektuella utvecklingen. Barn som lever i dysfunktionella miljöer av olika slag behöver hjälp i sin bearbetning av svåra situationer på olika sätt. Kanske kan kultur och då främst litteratur här vara till hjälp för barnen. Syftet med studien är att studera vad barnböcker har för betydelse i socialt arbete med utsatta barn och hur olika verksamheter arbetar med barnboken som verktyg. De tre frågor som studien ämnar besvara är: Hur arbetar olika verksamheter med barnböcker i behandling av barn som har upplevt svåra situationer? Vad har läsning av barnböcker av olika slag för betydelse för barnet och dess utveckling? Vad är viktigt i innehållet i en barnbok? För att svara på dessa frågor har vi gjort en litteraturstudie av böcker och vetenskapliga artiklar som vi har bedömt som relevanta för syftet liksom intervjuer med personal inom verksamheter som arbetar med barn och som använder böcker som en del av arbetet. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att barnböcker är en del i arbetet med utsatta barn. I studien framkommer begreppet biblioterapi som relevant då det innebär läsning av böcker i behandlingsarbete. Det finns emellertid inga tydliga riktlinjer kring hur detta arbete ska vara utformat och begreppet biblioterapi är inget vedertaget begrepp i Sverige. Läsning av barnböcker kan göra vardagssituationer begripliga för barnet, hjälpa dem att bearbeta svåra upplevelser och hitta lösningar på problem. Åsikterna går isär vad gäller innehållet i böckerna, men gemensamt är vikten av att berättelsen förmedlar hopp. / Abstract: The National Public Health Committee of Sweden argues that culture is good for the health, and especially for vulnerable groups. The committee argues that cultural activities, such as reading books, play a significant role in the emotional and intellectual development of a child. Children living in dysfunctional environments need help in processing the difficult situations in different ways. Perhaps culture, and mainly literature, can be helpful in this process. The aim of this study is to see what children’s books can mean in social work with exposed children and how different organisations can use children’s books as a tool. The questions which the study is aiming to answer are: How are different organisations working with children’s books in treatment of children who have experienced difficult situations? What importance does the reading of different children’s books play for the children’s development? What is important in the contents of the books? To answer these questions, we have made a literature study of books and scientific articles that we have evaluated as relevant for the aim of the study. We have also conducted interviews with people active in the field who are working with children’s literature as part of their work. In the study, the concept bibliotherapy - the use of books for treatment purposes - has emerged as significant. Bibliotherapy is not well-recognized in a Swedish context and there are no clear guidelines about how the integration of books in social work should be designed. Reading of children’s books can make everyday situations comprehensible for the child, as well as help children process difficult situations and find solutions to their problems. The perspectives differ regarding the story told in the books, but what they have in common is that the story should convey hope.

För att möta ett växande behov av tillgänglig hjälp för studiestressproblematik vid högskolor och universitet kan självhjälp som behandlingsform vara viktig att testa. I denna pilotstudie undersöktes effekten av deltagandet i ett textbaserat självhjälpsprogram utifrån kriterierna: perfektionism, prokrastinering, oro och livskvalitet, följsamhet och nöjdhet. Interventionen bestod av fem moduler för deltagarna att arbeta sig igenom under 5-7 veckor med minimal terapeutassistans. Nitton deltagare från ett universitet tackade ja till att delta i studien varav 11 inkom med såväl för- som eftermätningar.  Beroende t-test visade signifikanta skillnader mellan för- och eftermätning för utfallsmåtten prokrastinering (IPS (d=1.0)) och oro (GAD-7 (d=0.7)). För resterande utfallsmått för perfektionism (FMPS-PS, FMPS-CM) och livskvalitet (BBQ) uppvisades inga signifikanta skillnader. Följsamheten var låg, flertalet deltagare genomförde endast programmet till någon del. Uppfattningen fångades av CSQ-8 och visade att deltagarna till största delen var nöjda. Resultaten i pilotstudien ger argument för fortsatt studerande av självhjälp för studiestress och öppnar upp för en vidareutveckling av programmet i fokus, till exempel i form av en större kontrollerad studie med ökad terapeutassistans. / In order to meet a growing need for accessible support for student-related distress at universities, self-help as a treatment form may be important to test. This pilot study examined the effect of participation in a text-based self-help program based on the criterias: Perfectionism, Procrastination, Worry, Quality of Life, Compliance and Satisfaction. The intervention consisted of five modules for the participants to work through during 5-7 weeks with minimal therapist assistance. Nineteen participants from a university participated in the study, of which 11 handed in both pre- and post-measurement.Dependent T-tests showed significant differences between pre- and post-measurement for outcome measurement progression (IPS (d = 1.0)) and anxiety (GAD-7 (d = 0.7)). There were no significant differences for the remaining outcome measures for perfectionism (FMPS-PS, FMPS-CM) and quality of life (BBQ). The compliance was low, most of the participants only carried out the program to some extent. The level of satisfaction was captured by CSQ-8 and showed that the participants were mostly satisfied. The results of this pilot study provide argument for future study of self-help for student-related distress and opens up for further development of the program in focus, for example in the form of a larger controlled study with increased therapeutic assistance.

The aim for this master’s thesis is to clarify users’ and librarians’ views on patient libraries today. This aim is achieved by answering the following research questions: Which are the most important functions and tasks of the patient library, according to users and librarians? Which views on the patient library’s activity come with these functions and tasks? How does the connection to different cultural institutions, such as the library and the hospital, affect users’ and librarians’ views on the patient library? In what ways is the patient library regarded as an asset for health care? As a background for my study, and to give a context to the results, a historical background on the evolvement of hospital libraries in general, and of the case of S:t Görans patient library in particular, is given. Previous research on the subject of hospital libraries from different perspectives is presented and discussed. Aspects such as the hospital library as a bearer of cultural activity, hospital libraries as information centers and collaboration between library and hospital are discussed. Studies from the field of culture and health, about how cultural activity can improve patients’ health and about how health professionals can benefit from reading fiction, are included in the background of the thesis. The theoretical framework is a sociocultural perspective based on the works of Roger Säljö, with the concept of cultural institutions as a tool to analyze the views on the patient library. The method used is qualitative semistructured interviews with library users and librarians.  One of the tasks and functions that arise from the interview is to make literature available for more people. Another is to be a calm room within the hospital. The conclusion is that the patient library has a strong connection to the public library as well as to the hospital. Users connect the patient library more to the public library, but the function of being a part of the hospital is important too. The librarians connect the patient library strongly to the public library. At the same time, they express loyalty towards the hospital.

The purpose of this master thesis is to investigate how people who work with bibliotherapy view the method itself and if it may enhance mental health and well-being. The study also wants to investigate what possible disadvantages that the practitioners consider with the method. To investigate this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve persons who in some capacity work with bibliotherapy in Sweden. The interviews took place during March of 2020. The result of the study suggest that bibliotherapy can be an effective method of promoting mental health and well-being. Bibliotherapy is consistently described in the interviews as a kind of coping strategy and an undemanding activity that the participant performs on the basis of their own conditions. Literature is described to have a therapeutic property which can give us insights and understanding of our own life situation and a sense of coherence. The term bibliotherapy is described as broad and difficult to define. There is a common desire by the interviewees to continue working with bibliotherapy to a greater extent than today and several participants highlights the importance of more clinical studies on the method.

This thesis investigates the effects of bibliotherapy on children and adolescents with a parent in prison. In addition, it also investigates why someone would choose to use bibliotherapy when leading a group of children and adolescents with a parent in prison. In addition, it aims to compare the effects of structured bibliotherapy to an unstructured bibliotherapy done without guidance. The organization BUFFF is used in order to get in contact with people that had a parent in prison when they were young and used bibliotherapy to cope and improve their mental wellbeing. Specifically, Pia Bergström who led a bibliotherapeutic group focused on writing at BUFFF.                   Interviews were conducted with Pia Bergström because of her involvement as a leader of bibliotherapy and four adults who, during their childhood, had an incarcerated parent and used bibliotherapy in different ways to endure and process their situation. Audio from the interviews were recorded and transcribed. During their transcription the interviews were slightly adjusted to preserve the interviewees anonymity and to make the transcriptions easier to read. The answers were then organized into thematic subjects that were used to structure the analysis. Most of the answers were positive towards bibliotherapy and the effect that it has had on the interviewee’s lives. Everyone interviewed would recommend bibliotherapy as a form of therapy both for children with an incarcerated parent or other traumatic circumstances. The importance of context was evident, and it seemed to help the interviewee’s cope because they realized that they were not alone and could experiment in a safe environment, something that the two people interviewed that used bibliotherapeutic methods on their own did not experience. Ultimately the thesis results answered what they aimed to investigate and indicate that bibliotherapy can have a positive impact for many children in trying situations.

Syftet med denna kvalitativa intervjustudie är att studera gruppterapeutiska upplevelser från biblioterapi. Med en socialpsykologisk ansats studeras detta genom teorier om gruppkohesion, feedback och självutlämnande. 5 semistrukturerade intervjuer med deltagare som någon gång under de senaste tio åren har deltagit i biblioterapi genomfördes. Resultat visar bland annat att slutsatser om att biblioterapi som ett gruppterapeutiskt tillvägagångsätt med ovan nämnda teorier, visar sig vara en positiv terapimetod bland de deltagande som bland annat sökt sig till terapin för psykisk ohälsa. Resultat i denna studie visar även biblioterapi som en terapeutisk metod, verkar inunder en miljö, som redan i början av terapin får deltagarna att känna en god samhörighet med andra deltagare. / The purpose of this qualitative interview study is to study group therapy experiences from bibliotherapy. With a social psychological approach, this is studied through theories of group cohesion, feedback and self-disclosure. 5 semi-structured interviews with participants who have participated in bibliotherapy at some point in the last ten years were conducted. The results show amongst many conclusions that bibliotherapy, as a group therapeutic approach with the above-mentioned theories, proves to be a positive method of therapy among the participants who, among other things, applied to the therapy for mental illness. Results in this study also show bibliotherapy as a therapeutic method, acting in an environment that already at the beginning of the therapy makes the participants feel a good connection with other participants.