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 diploma thesis deals with the current state of libraries in hospitals for patients and their potential future development. At the beginning deals the work with patient's libraries in historical context. The following part introduces to communication processes in hospitals and bibliotherapy. An integral part of the work are evaluated data collected during the survey among hospital patients. End of the paper offers some solutions and directions in which the library for patients in hospitals could go in the future.

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.

No description available.

Social skill instruction is needed in both targeted and universal contexts. This research utilized a universal social skill intervention, Book in a Bag (BIB), to increase the use of a specific social skill by all students within an elementary school, including students identified as at-risk for behavior problems. BIB was designed to integrate social skills into the curriculum by way of children's literature, specifically a read-aloud book using a direct instruction strategy. The results indicate that BIB had a positive effect on students' behavior in the classroom both for students identified and those not identified as being at-risk for behavior problems. Outcomes suggest that students used the skill across a variety of instructional, independent work, and group work settings. Teacher perceptions of the research were reported as acceptable. Teachers noted positive changes in their classroom. Implications of this research for practice include using BIB as a universal intervention to target specific social skill deficits in students, and using social skill instruction to increase positive student behavior.

No description available.

The purpose of this master thesis is to design a good practice for a bibliotherapeutic conversation series in a public library, regarding its preparation and implementation. Action research and its method cycles of inquiry is being used on a testing activity called The line of life. It is a bibliotherapeutic conversation series in five sessions prepared and conducted in the Verner Aspenström – library of Smedjebacken in spring 2024. This study is a contribution to the use of action research in the setting of a public library, and the goal is to develop and improve a practice. The testing activity, The line of life, is documented through my participant observation and journaling, and through the participants own journalling after the last session. In this thesis the action study is reported in a chronological manner. A thematic analysis follows, considering both the perspective of my own and of the participants. The analysis leads to general recommendations in which the following aspects are discussed: Information management, internal and external The value of being present Selection of literature and reading Access to texts and books Room for the bibliotherapy meetings The group The expenditure of time The conversation Many different paths and choices can be taken in the preparation and implementation of a bibliotherapeutic conversation series. These recommendations are grounded in practice, and maybe they can give some courage and confidence to librarians and public libraries who wishes to offer bibliotherapy as a part of their range of activities.

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.