Föreliggande studie syftar till att undersöka och analysera vilka utbildningsmässiga och organisatoriska förutsättningar som socialarbetarna upplever att det finns för att tillgodose stödbehoven för den som upplevt våld i en HBT-relation. Syftet är vidare att undersöka och analysera socialarbetarnas beskrivningar och föreställningar kring begreppen makt, normer och värderingar kopplat till det praktiska arbetet med våld i HBT-relationer. Studien har en fenomenografisk ansats och bygger på intervjuer med socialarbetare som arbetar med våld i nära relation. Maktperspektiv har använts som teoretisk referensram i studien. Av resultatet framkommer att både de egna och samhällets normer och värderingar har stor påverkan på bemötandet i det praktiska arbetet. Socialarbetarna framhåller vikten av reviderade riktlinjer och handlingsplaner då de utgör en trygghet i det dagliga arbetet. Att HBT-personer är en osynlig grupp är socialarbetarna överens om då endast en av våra informanter har erfarenhet av att ha träffat personer som upplevt våld i HBT-relationer. Socialarbetarna framhåller vikten av att vara könsneutral i sitt bemötande samtidigt som det är viktigt att föra en kritisk diskussion inom organisationen för att synliggöra målgruppen. Sammanfattningsvis påvisar resultatet i vår studie att makt förekommer både på individ-, organisations- samt samhällsnivå när det gäller socialt arbete med våld i HBT-relationer. / The objective of the study at hand is to analyze and study which educational and organizational conditions the social workers believe exist in order for them to meet the need for support for those who have experienced violence in an LGBT-relationship. Furthermore, the purpose is to investigate and analyze the social workers' descriptions and notions of the terms "power", "norms" and "values" in conjunction with the practical work with violence in LGBT-relationships. The study has a phenomenographical approach and is based on interviews with social workers who work with violence in close relationships. In the study, we have used the perspective of power as a theoretical frame of reference. The result shows that personal as well as the society's norms and values have a great influence on how the clients are treated in the practical work carried out. The social workers accentuate the importance of revised policies and action plans, since they make a good support in the daily work. The fact that LGBT-persons are a neglected group, the socialworkers agree upon, since only one of our informants have experience of meeting people who have been subjected to violence in LGBT-relationships. The social workers stress the importance of being gender-neutral in their approach, at the same time as it is crucial to keep a scrutinizing discussion within the organization, in order to make this group visible. To sum up, the result in our study shows that power is present in both individual, organisational and community levels, when it comes to social work regarding violence in LGBT-relationships.

The present study aimed to reveal the effect of family functioning, attachment styles in romantic relationships, and city of origin on the emotional well-being of first year university students. 286 first-year university students from the Department of Basic English at Middle East Technical University participated in the study. They completed a demographic information sheet, the McMaster Family Assessment Device, the short-form Version of Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Hopelessness Scale. ANOVAs were run to find out if there are significant differences in the emotional well-being of participants with different cities of origin and gender. To assess if there are significant differences in the emotional well-being between participants with different attachment styles and cities of origin, ANCOVAs (Gender as the covariate factor) were conducted. Finally, regressions were run to find out the relationship between demographic variables, attachment styles, family functioning, and emotional well-being of first-year university students. The participants who moved to Ankara when they started university were found to report more depressive symptoms than the participants who had been living in Ankara. Further significant differences were observed in the depression and hopelessness levels of participants with different attachment styles. In general, those participants having fearful attachment styles tended to have more depressive symptoms and hopelessness as compared to those having secure and preoccupied attachment styles. Regression analyses revealed that absence of secure attachment style, fearful attachment style, and problems in affective responsiveness in the family were associated with symptoms of depression. Gender, fearful attachment style, and communication problems in the family were found to be associated with symptoms of anxiety / and fearful attachment style, communication problems in the family and inappropriate family roles were found to associate with hopelessness. These findings were discussed with reference to relevant literature. Future research topics were suggested and thereupatic implications of the study were stated.

This thesis pursues the topic of satisfaction in romantic relationships. The previous research was focused mainly on unhappy relationships, marital crises and divorce. This thesis follows the other direction. Its aim is to describe variables which make longterm romantic relationships satisfying. In the theoretical part is an overview of literature and researches that adressed this topic. In the empirical part of this thesis is qualitative research that tries to enlighten the specifics of happy couples in Czech Republic. The grounded theory was used to analyze interviews with 22 respondents. The results are 10 categories representing various areas that contributed to satisfaction in respondents' relationships: harmony, safety, good choice of spouse, stable financial situation, family, overcoming of differences and obstacles, doing things together, communication, endurance and trying not to solve everything.

Mäns våld mot kvinnor i nära relationer är ett växande problem. Närmare en femtedel av övergreppsfall som rapporterades 2019 inträffade i nära relationer. Syftet med följande studie är att utforska och illustrera barriärer som kan uppstå i mötet mellan sjuksköterskan och den utsatta kvinnan. Ett vidare mål är att utforska vilka verktyg som kan användas för att minska på dessa barriärer. Studien använder social konstruktivism och symbolisk interaktionism som teoretisk ramverk. Studien bidrar till en förståelse för ett socialpsykologisk perspektiv hur sjuksköterskornas kvalifikationer att arbeta med våld i nära relationer. Tio respondenter i olika åldrar har valts ut för en semi-strukturerad intervju vilket användes och analyserades genom tematisk analys. Studien visar att de flesta respondenterna upplevde barriärer vid det första mötet med den våldsutsatta kvinnan. De främsta barriärerna som identifierades var maktlöshet, tidsbrist, kunskapsbrist, språksvårigheter och kulturella barriärer. Studien visar även att sjuksköterskornas främsta verktyg som använts för att underlätta mötet var ökad kunskap, samtalsteknik samt journalföring. / Men’s violence against women in close relationships is a rising issue. Further, a fifth of abuse cases reported in 2019 happened in close relationships. The purpose of the following study is to explore and illustrate the barriers that might appear in the meeting between the nurse and the abused women. A further goal is to explore what tools can be used to abate these barriers. The study uses social constructivism and symbolic interactionism as theoretical framework.The study contributes to an understanding for the social psychological perspective regarding nurse’s qualifications to work with violence in close relationships. Ten respondents in mixed ages participated in semi-structured interviews which was further analysed using thematic analysis. This study shows that most informants had experienced barriers in their first meeting with abused women. The main barriers that were experienced were powerlessness, lack of time, lack of knowledge, language barriers and cultural barriers. The study also shows that the nurses' main tools used to facilitate the meeting were increased knowledge, conversational techniques, and record-keeping.

SAMMANFATTNING Bakgrund: Våld i nära relationer är ett globalt folkhälsoproblem. Våldet mot kvinnor kan ta sig uttryck på flera olika sätt, vilket innebär att sjuksköterskan kan möta våldsutsatta kvinnor inom alla områden av vården och dess verksamhet. Bemötandet kan vara avgörande i mötet med en våldsutsatt kvinna för att hon ska känna trygghet och öppna upp om sin historia. Sjuksköterskan har som ansvar att identifiera våldsutsatta kvinnor.  Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva sjuksköterskans upplevelse av att möta kvinnor utsatta för våld i nära relationer.  Metod: En litteraturöversikt med induktiv ansats där tolv artiklar genom kvalitativ design har analyserats med stöd av Fribergs femstegsmodell.  Resultat: Litteraturöversiktens resultat visar utmaningar i mötet med våldsutsatta kvinnor. Resultatet delades upp i två teman, vilka var utmaningar i vårdmötet och ansvar i vårdrelation.  Slutsatser:  Sjuksköterskor upplever att mötet med kvinnor utsatta för våld i nära relationer som komplext. Det visade sig att sjuksköterskor behöver utbildning, stöd och tydliga riktlinjer i ämnet för att kunna uppleva trygghet och kompetens i mötet. Vid ökad trygghet och erfarenhet ges möjlighet att identifiera kvinnor som är våldsutsatta, vilket leder till bättre vård. Vidare forskning i ämnet behövs för att kunna förbättra sjuksköterskors arbetssituation. / SUMMARY Background: Violence in close relationships is a global public health issue.  Violence against women can be expressed in several different ways which means that nurses can meet women exposed to violence in all different parts of the healthcare system. The caring can be crucial in the meeting with a woman who has been exposed to violence for her to feel safe and open. The nurse is responsible for identifying women who been exposed to violence.  Aim: The aim was to describe nurses’ experiences of meeting women exposed to violence in close relationships.   Method: A literature review where twelve articles through qualitative design have been analyzed with the support of Friberg's five-step model.  Result: The results of the literature review showed challenges in the encounter with women exposed to violence. The results were divided into two themes which were challenges in the care meeting and responsibilities in the care relationship.  Conclusions: Nurses experience that meeting women exposed to violence in close  relationships are complex. It turned out that nurses need training, support and clear guidelines on the subject to be able to experience competence and a sense of comfort in the meeting. With increased comfort and experience, it is possible to identify women who are victims of violence, which leads to better care. Further research on the subject is needed to be able to improve the work situation for nurses.

Title: “I did not deserve that, nobody does” - A qualitative study about the effect of generational affiliation on abused women’s role exit.   Authors: Emelie Jonsson and Shirin Tousi. This study intends to gain understanding about the process of role exit for women who once lived in violent and abusive close relationships, and what the generation the women belong to may mean. The empirical data is based on women’s histories and experiences of living in and leaving violent relationships. The data has been collected through a qualitative method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 women, of which half took place with women aged 20-30 and half with women aged 50-60. To understand the empirical data three different theoretical perspectives have been chosen. The theories that have been chosen are Yvonne Hirdmans’ (2004) theory about gender structures, Helen Rose Ebaughs’ (1988) theory about the process of role exit and lastly Clary Krekula and Barbro Johansson’s (2017) generational perspective. Some of the theoretical concepts that have been used in order to gain understanding of the women’s experiences are gender relations, hierarchy, dichotomy, gender contract, role exit and generation.   The results of this, show that generational affiliation has a notable impact on women’s exit from violent close relationships. The first question is, In what way does generational affiliation affect women's initial thoughts of wanting to leave a violent relationship? The results show that women's generational belonging affected their first initial thoughts about leaving the violent relationship greatly. Women who belong to the younger generation are more individualistic in their way of thinking and acting, whilst women who belong to the older generation are guided and moulded by their close surroundings.  The second question in this study is, What significance does generational affiliation have on women’s actual exit from violent relationships? This study’s results show that the generation one belongs to is of great importance for a woman's actual exit from violent relationships, but the effect is expressed differently within the two different generations. The women from the older generation do not act on their own needs and wants but on the needs of their children and family. The women who belong to the younger generation are more individualists and choose to leave the violent relationships as a result of violent incidents that have harmed them personally.   The third question discussed in this study is, In what way has one’s generation affected the women after their exit from the violent relationships? The results show that the women from the younger generation have been able to move on after exit from the violent relationships, whilst the women from the older generation have gotten stuck in a hangover identity from their ex-role of being exposed to violence.

In 2006, the Swedish government established the gender equality policy "women and men should have the same power to shape the society and their own lives", together with six sub-goals. This thesis has examined the governments sixth equality sub-goal "men's violence against women should cease". There is a national strategy to prevent and combat this violence, where collaboration is highlighted as an important factor. The thesis also elevates how men´s violence against women in close relationships is currently a global societal problem that extends beyond categories such as social class, ethnicity, age et cetera.  The aim of this thesis was to investigate how the local collaboration is structured and worksbetween the police, social services and the women's shelter in Västerås, regarding the implementation of the governments sixth equality sub-goal. A qualitative method was used in form of semi-structured interviews to answer the purpose and the questions of the thesis. Two employees from each authority and a non-profit organization were selected as informants, determined through three categories. The theoretical framework was based both on a collaborative theory and an implementation theory.  The result showed that collaboration is necessary as a method while working for women who are vulnerable to violence in order for them to receive adequate support and assistance. It´s also important for the employees, since no individual authority or organization can be responsible to solve men's violence against women. Currently, the collaboration between the three actors in Västerås work relatively well. However, this thesis shows that more resources need to be invested in the collaboration. Communication needs to be improved and clearer goals that formulates the legitimacy of everyone participating in the collaboration work need to be set. The conclusion partly shows that collaboration needs, not only to exist, but also be prioritized at all levels of the institutions working with this issue. Even politicians need to prioritize and invest resources that may enable a well-functioning collaboration which is vital for the work against men’s violence against women.

Våld i nära relationer är ett stort samhällsproblem som ständigt återkommer i debatter och att komma tillrätta med detta problem är ett av de politiska delmålen. I och med pandemin har vi även kunnat se en ökning i antalet anmärkningar och allt fler kvinnor riskerar att utsättas för våld på grund av de rådande restriktionerna. Studien syftar till att undersöka missbruksproblematiks påverkan på våld i nära relationer utifrån en kvalitativ ansats. Vidare undersöker den socialarbetares arbetsmetoder och tillvägagångssätt i arbetet med våldsutsatta kvinnor. Med hjälp av fyra semistrukturerade intervjuer med socialarbetare, tidigare forskning och teorier har vi kommit fram till ett resultat som visar hur missbruksproblematiken kan vara en bidragande faktor till våld i nära relation. Studien belyser den vanligaste typen av våld hos missbrukande förövare. Avslutningsvis förklarar studien vad missbruk kan användas till, exempelvis som kvarhållande faktorer, självmedicinering samt något att beskylla. Med kvarhållandefaktor menas att kvinnan hamnar i ett medmissbruk med sin partner och får något gemensamt som försvårar ett uppbrott ytterligare. Det kan även användas som självmedicinering i syfte att dämpa ångest, smärta och skam som kan vara en följd av våldet. I förövarens fall kan han skylla på missbruket och mena att missbruket är orsaken till att han utövar våld. / Violence in close relationships is a social problem that is constantly reoccuring in debates and is one of the political goals, the goal in this case is to eliminate violence in close relationships. During the pandemic we have seen an increase in the number of police reports and an increased risk for women to be exposed to violence due to the current restrictions. The study aims to investigate what impact drug- and alcohol abuse has on violence in close relattionships through a qualitative approach. Furthermore in investigates the workmethods and proceedings in social work with women exposed to intimate partner violence. With the help of four semi-structured interviews with social workers, earlier research, and theories, a summary of how drug abuse can be a contributing factor to violence in close relationships has been made. Furthermore the study explains what abuse can be used for, for example as a detaining factor, self-medication and something to put the blame on. The abuse becomes a detaining factor when the women has this in common with her partner which makes the breakup process even harder. Abuse can be used as self-medication against anixiety, pain and shame that could have been caused by the violence. The abuser could also blame their actions on the abuse that they have, for example alcohol and/or drugs abuse and are beacause of that aggressive towards their partner.

Violence in close relationships is a social problem that occurs worldwide. Women who are exposed to violence in close relationships often experience shame and guilt. The need for support from various authorities and voluntary organizations is common. The woman exposed to violence is entitled to support from the social services, which is regulated in the social service law. This thesis aims to observe the abused woman's unique experience of the social services and the support she has received. Through a qualitative method, five semi-structured interviews have been conducted with women who have been exposed to violence in close relationships and have been in contact with the social services to receive support. The collected material has been divided into different themes which are; The Social Services ignorance, The trust to get the right help, To have the Social Services' trust, The abused woman's information seeker and Expected improvements of the Social Services. With the help of previous research and Empowerment, the various themes that are based on the content of the interviews are analysed and discussed. Finally, some concluding words are written about the results and proposals for further research. / Våld i nära relationer är ett socialt problem som förekommer världen över. Kvinnor som utsätts för våld i nära relationer upplever ofta skam och skuld. Behovet av stöd från diverse myndigheter och frivilligorganisationer är vanligt. Den våldsutsatta kvinnan är berättigad stöd av Socialtjänsten, vilket regleras i Socialtjänstlagen. Detta examensarbete ämnar till att få ta del av den våldsutsatta kvinnans unika erfarenhet av Socialtjänsten och det stöd hon har fått. Genom en kvalitativ metod har fem semistrukturerade intervjuer utförts med kvinnor som har utsatts för våld i nära relationer och varit i kontakt med Socialtjänsten för att få stöd. Resultatet har delats upp i olika teman vilka är; Socialtjänstens okunskap, Tilliten för att få rätt hjälp, Att ha Socialtjänstens förtroende, Den våldsutsatta kvinnans informationssökande och Förväntade förbättringar av Socialtjänsten. Med hjälp av tidigare forskning och Empowerment analyseras och diskuteras de olika temana som är baserade på innehållet av intervjuerna. Avslutningsvis skrivs några slutord om examensarbetets resultat och förslag till vidare forskning. Resultatet delas avslutningsvis upp i punkter vilka bland annat är; Att Socialtjänsten saknar kunskap om våld i nära relationer och att kvinnorna önskar ett ökat samarbete mellan kvinnojourer/ relationsvåldscentrum och Socialtjänsten

Auditor independence is a well-discussed topic. Previous research shows that it is difficult to know where to draw the line of independence and highlights several factors that affect the auditor's independence in a negative direction. However, there is a lack of studies on how auditors' independence is affected by being active in a smaller city. The purpose of this study was therefore to increase the understanding of how auditors' independence is affected by operating in smaller cities. To achieve the aim, a qualitative method has been used, in the form of semi-structured interviews with accountants operating in smaller cities. The results of the study show that there are certain problems with being an active accountant in a small town. It can be stated that the familiarity threat is more tangible, which is natural as relationships and contact networks become more intertwined. However, this does not mean that the auditors compromise their independence, but it requires higher demands on the individual auditor's morals and integrity in his professional role in order to withstand threats and pressure. Threats of self-interest and threats of self-review were also threats that increased in the smaller city. However, these threats could be counteracted through implemented procedures, which resulted in these threats not being considered to affect the auditors' independence. Something that was considered to strengthen independence was the awareness of the importance of maintaining a good reputation and trust in the smaller city.