The aim of this paper is to examine the experience of two Swedish women who survived the tsunami catastrophe in Thailand 2004. Through their biographies, Sävstam and Ernsth-Ohlsson have revealed their experiences, before, during and after the tsunami catastrophe. Coping theory is used to explain how they cope with the consequences of the tsunami catastrophe, and how culture affects the coping process. Pargament´s (1997) theories in coping are used to examine this paper. Pargament argues that the coping process is influenced by the culture context of the individual. I used a qualitative approach with a theory ruled analysis of the biographies. The analysis shows that several coping strategies are used. The results showed that the culture context has both positive and negative influences in the coping process for Sävstam and Ernsth-Ohlsson. The social support, that is included in the orientation systems, emerges as an important contribution to Sävstam and Ernsth-Ohlsson coping processes. Analysis of the result indicates that coping strategies and the influence of the cultural context are individually based. / Syftet med den här uppsatsen har varit att ur religionspsykologiskt copingperspektiv studera den kulturella kontexten i copingprocessen hos överlevare av tsunamikatastrofen i Thailand 2004. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten har varit Pargaments (1997) religionspsykologiska copingteori. Pargament menar att religion kan användas som resurs i krissituationer. När människor möter kriser visar det sig, enligt Pargament, att de har en reservoar av religiösa tillgångar som de inte alltid är medvetna om. Pargament menar vidare att copingprocessen äger rum i och påverkas av den kulturella kontexten. Den kulturella kontexten menar Pargament är institutioner, lagar, kunskap, tradition, sed, moral, och livsstil. Uppsatsens material är hämtad från två svenska kvinnors upplevelser av tsunamikatastrofen i Thailand 2004. Sävstam och Ernsth-Ohlsson berättelse handlar om katastrofen och tiden efter den. Materialet har undersökts med en teoretiskt styrd analys. I undersökning har berättelserna presenterats var för sig. Resultatet har analyserats med hjälp av begrepp utifrån copingteorin; stressorer, signifikansen, orienteringssystem och den kulturella kontexten. Frågeställningarna som besvarades i uppsatsen handlade om vilka copingstrategier som identifierades hos överlevare av tsunamikatastrofen i Thailand 2004 och hur den kulturella kontexten påverkar copingprocessen. Analysen visar att flera olika copingstrategier har använts. Den kulturella kontexten har påverkat copingprocessen både på ett positiv och negativt sätt. Analysen visar på det sätt som, copingstrategier och den kulturella kontexten påverkar copingprocessen är individuellt. Det sociala stödet som ingår i orienteringssystemet, framkommer som ett viktigt bidrag till en effektiv coping. Kyrkan som traditionsbärande och därmed bidragande till den kulturella kontexten används oberoende av trosuppfattningar.

Nigerian women who migrate to the United States are faced with complex social challenges as they acculturate to a new society. Stressful conditions and acculturation experiences may threaten the overall mental health of these immigrant women. The purpose of this study was to explore the acculturation experiences of Nigerian immigrant women living in the United States, identify stressors associated with the process, and highlight the coping strategies they employed. Stress and coping theory provided the theoretical framework for the study and phenomenological inquiry guided the research questions and method. Data were gathered through face-to-face interviews. Content analysis and coding were utilized to find relevant themes. Participants described their immigration experiences as being difficult although they reported their lives are â??much better nowâ??. The women adopted a positive, hard working attitude; relied on their faith in God; and sought mentors and a supportive community. Most participants reported being unaware of the resources available to them and more than half reported not having access to any resources. Participants reported receiving support from their friends, family members, and communities of faith. Research on the acculturative experiences of these women would be useful in developing gender specific programs that would support the integration process and reduce mental health issues that may arise as a result of acculturation stressors. In an advocacy effort towards social change, results from this study may inform service providers of Nigerian immigrant women's unique cultural needs as they acculturate to living in the United States.

<p>For close to a decade, Zimbabwe has experienced a protracted socio-economic crisis. Although it is affecting both rural and urban areas, major forms of formal safety nets by the Government and Non-Governmental Organisations have been confined to rural areas. On the other hand the virtual collapse of the formal food marketing system in urban areas and the high formal unemployment rates have contributed to increased vulnerability of low income urban households to food insecurity. Using qualitative research methods, the study set out to understand livelihoods of low income urban households in Dzivaresekwa. In particular strategies low income households employ to cope with the negative macro-economic environment prevailing in Zimbabwe.</p>

Ethnic identity is a significant psychological variable for the study of African Americans in the United States and often associated with psychological health. However, the nature of this relationship is sometimes unclear. One reason for the confusion may be that ethnic identity is often confounded with acculturation as they are sometimes used interchangeably in research. Because of this confounding problem, it is not clear whether the relationship between ethnic identity and psychological health is really a reflection of ethnic identity or of ethnic identity confounded with acculturation. Thus, the aim of this study was to use factor analysis to separate ethnic identity and acculturation at the measurement level and examine the unique impact of each on both positive and negative psychosocial functioning among African Americans. Two ethnic identity measures (MEIM and the MIBI) and two acculturation measures (AfAAS and the MASPAD) were administered to 173 (65 males and 118 females) African American students attending a historically Black university (mean age = 21, SD = 2.7). The 96 items from these measures were factor analyzed using principal components analysis. Findings support the hypothesis of confounding in existing measures. However, results indicate that acculturation and ethnic identity are differentiable at the item level and are multidimensional. Eight internally reliable factors emerged representing different dimensions of these constructs. Three of the factors (ethnic pride, ethnic belonging, and public regard) were consistent with existing definitions of ethnic identity. The remaining five factors (out-group comfort, in-group rejection, assimilationist ideology, traditional behaviors/beliefs, and in-group preference) were consistent with the bi-dimensional definition of acculturation. These ethnic identity and acculturation factors predicted some outcomes similarly but differentially predicted others. Several implications follow from this study. First, in order to better understand the relationship between ethnic identity and psychosocial functioning, researchers need to use measures that are not confounded with other related but different constructs. Future research should focus on the dimension level rather than the overall construct level. Focusing more narrowly on the dimension level may produce research that can more accurately inform interventions with African Americans.

Low-literate consumers display distinctive behaviour in the marketplace, and in the first phase of a mixed method study, the aim was to explore the challenges and coping strategies of low-literate clothing consumers. Due to fairly high levels of low-literacy in South Africa and limited research, this research was undertaken to better understand the behaviour of low-literate clothing consumers in the marketplace. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data, and through inductive, interpretative data analysis three broad themes were identified, namely personal (cognitive, social, financial and affective), product (types and format of product information, evaluative criteria) and store-related (store assistants’ behaviour, store selection and in-store information) challenges and associated coping strategies. The results of this study can be used to advise marketers regarding the needs of these consumers, and were also used to develop a quantitative measuring instrument to investigate low-literate consumers’ use of clothing labels in the retail setting. In the second quantitative phase of the study, the use of clothing label information amidst low-literate respondents’ personal- (reading and numeracy skills, concrete and pictographic thinking) and product-related challenges (the format of labels, care-label knowledge and evaluating clothing products’ quality) were investigated. The study sample consisted of 450 black female consumers with literacy levels between Grades 5 and 8, residing in the Emfuleni Local Municipality area, in the southern part of Gauteng, South Africa. Interviewer administered questionnaires were filled out, and it was examined for validity and reliability. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and correlations were drawn between reliable factors, and practical significant correlations were reported. ANOVA’s indicated statistically significant differences with mostly medium effect sizes between the occupation of respondents and selected factors. Respondents indicated that they do read and understand clothing labels, but results revealed that they did experience problems when using information on labels. Their numeracy skills were average, and abstract thinking related to numeracy, were fair. Pictographic thinking was evident in their preference for symbolic and graphic presentation of size format, but not when they were presented altered store logos. Care label knowledge was poor, and clothing products were evaluated concretely. Some of the respondents, especially the older respondents were inclined to follow the peripheral route of elaboration when reading clothing label information. / Thesis (PhD (Consumer Sciences))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Low-literate consumers display distinctive behaviour in the marketplace, and in the first phase of a mixed method study, the aim was to explore the challenges and coping strategies of low-literate clothing consumers. Due to fairly high levels of low-literacy in South Africa and limited research, this research was undertaken to better understand the behaviour of low-literate clothing consumers in the marketplace. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data, and through inductive, interpretative data analysis three broad themes were identified, namely personal (cognitive, social, financial and affective), product (types and format of product information, evaluative criteria) and store-related (store assistants’ behaviour, store selection and in-store information) challenges and associated coping strategies. The results of this study can be used to advise marketers regarding the needs of these consumers, and were also used to develop a quantitative measuring instrument to investigate low-literate consumers’ use of clothing labels in the retail setting. In the second quantitative phase of the study, the use of clothing label information amidst low-literate respondents’ personal- (reading and numeracy skills, concrete and pictographic thinking) and product-related challenges (the format of labels, care-label knowledge and evaluating clothing products’ quality) were investigated. The study sample consisted of 450 black female consumers with literacy levels between Grades 5 and 8, residing in the Emfuleni Local Municipality area, in the southern part of Gauteng, South Africa. Interviewer administered questionnaires were filled out, and it was examined for validity and reliability. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and correlations were drawn between reliable factors, and practical significant correlations were reported. ANOVA’s indicated statistically significant differences with mostly medium effect sizes between the occupation of respondents and selected factors. Respondents indicated that they do read and understand clothing labels, but results revealed that they did experience problems when using information on labels. Their numeracy skills were average, and abstract thinking related to numeracy, were fair. Pictographic thinking was evident in their preference for symbolic and graphic presentation of size format, but not when they were presented altered store logos. Care label knowledge was poor, and clothing products were evaluated concretely. Some of the respondents, especially the older respondents were inclined to follow the peripheral route of elaboration when reading clothing label information. / Thesis (PhD (Consumer Sciences))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Klimakteriet är en naturlig process i kvinnanslivscykel där kroppen genomgår fysiologiska förändringar på grund av omställningari hormonnivån. Samtidigt är klimakteriet en utvecklingsrelaterad transition. Enligttransitionsteorin sker övergångsprocesserna inom en bestämd tidsram, följer enriktning och leder till förändringar i identitet, roll, relationer ellerbeteendemönster. Kunskap om dessa skeenden ochvad som påverkar kvinnors beteende under transitionen är en förut-sättning föratt sjuksköterskan skall kunna hjälpa dem att nå en hälsosam transition. Syftet med litteraturstudien var att belysa faktorer som påverkar val avkvinnors copingstrategier. Till resultatet användes 12 artiklar som granskadesoch analyserades utifrån syftet. Resultatet visade att det finns fem grupper avfaktorer som påverkar kvinnors val av copingstrategi: sociokulturella och socioekonomiska,typ och svårighetsgrad av klimakteriesymptom, tillgång till stödjande socialtnätverk, personlighetsrelaterade samt aktuell livssituation. Kvinnor som har etablerade nätverk kan söka hjälp och stöd i sin familjoch bland vänner. När nätverk saknas kan sjukvården bli den enda kontakten attdiskutera sina klimakteriebesvär med. Med beaktande av faktorerna som ligger till grund förolika copingstrategier bör sjukvården skapa utbildningsformer och modeller somkan hjälpa kvinnor medklimakteriesymtom att utveckla en effektiv copingstrategi. / Menopause is a natural process during a woman’slifecycle when her body goes through physiological changes due to hormonalalterations. Also, menopause is a development-related tran-sition.According to the theory of transition it will appear within a certain timeframe, follows a clear route and leads to alterations in identity, role,relations or behavioral patterns. Knowledge of these stages of change and whataffects women’s behavior during transition is a vital qualification requiredfor nurses to succeed in providing healthy transition. Thepurpose of this literature study was to high-light factors that affect thechoice of coping strategies. Twelve articles were studied and analyzed based onthe purpose of the study. The result showed that there are five groups offactors that can affect women’s choice of coping strategies; socio-cultural andsocio-economical, type and severity of menopause symptoms, availability ofsupportive social networks, personality related factors and the current lifesituation. Women with established networks can seek help and support withintheir family and amongst their friends. When there is a lack of these types ofnetworks, healthcare personnel can become the only resource for discussingmenopause-related issues. Keeping these factors in mind, which serve the basisfor different coping strategies, healthcare-institutions should createeducation and models to assist women with menopause symptoms and develop aneffective coping-strategy.

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Studies which examine conflict have identified coping strategies as potent variables for the social competencies of children. To extend these ideas to more specific indicators of social adjustment this study examined emotional impairments and coping strategies of victims and bullies. Inventories measuring emotional impairment: depression, anger, anxiety and self-concept were completed by 103 primary school children aged 9-11. A questionnaire measured five coping strategies: problem solving, social support seeking, distancing, externalising and internalising. Bully and victim nominations identified almost 5 times as many male bullies compared to girls therefore findings which specifically relate to bullying refer to boys only. Emotional impairments were identified as predictory variables for bullying and victimisation particularly for boys where anger was identified as moderating the relationship between externalising and bullying behaviour while anxiety was identified as a mediating variable between problem solving and victimisation. Findings here also suggest that all children learn how to cope with negative emotions through their experiences with adults. For bullies internalisation as a result of poor experiences during problem solving with adults makes problem solving with peers less likely.

The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to determine the relationships between changes in coping strategies and community integration at 6 and 12 months post traumatic brain injury (TBI). Seventy-one participants were adult significant others (SOs) (family members/friends) of people with TBI. SOs, proxies for TBI patients, completed coping and community integration questionnaire to describe TBI patients’pre-injury status immediately post-injury as baseline information. Followed-up interviewed were completed at 6 and 12 months. Results showed that increased emotional preoccupation coping from baseline to 6 months were significantly associated with decreased productive activities and decreased social integration at 6 months and 12 months and modestly associated with decreased home integration at 12 months. Multivariable regressions showed that changes in emotional preoccupation coping from baseline to 6 months contributed significantly to social integration and productive activities above and beyond demographic factors and injury severity. Implications for cognitive rehabilitation are discussed.