The main aim of this thesis was to study children’s mental health with focus on family arrangements. The thesis was based on four studies (I-IV). Study number I, III and IV were quantitative studies with cross sectional design, using the Swedish version of Health behaviour in School- aged children (HBSC), including children aged 11, 13 and 15 years. The data was analysed with multiple linear regression analysis (I) and multivariate logistic regression analysis (III, IV). Study II was of qualitative descriptive design, based on 28 interviews with parents living in shared physical custody with their children. The qualitative study was analysed with inductive latent content analysis. Study I showed that lower levels of SHC and higher levels of SWB were associated with higher degrees of social capital in the family, school and neighbourhood. Social capital in family, school and neighbourhood had a cumulative influence on children’s SHC and SWB. In study II the participating parents described their own as well as the perceptions of their children and former partners. Parents’ perceptions changed from the beginning of shared physical custody, through the current situation, ending with perception of the future. The fifteen year old boys and girls (III) living in shared physical custody were more at risk of being a smoker or having been drunk compared with children living in two parent families. The results of sex <15 years and conduct problems showed that the risks didn’t differ significantly between these two groups. Study IV showed that children living in shared physical custody with their parents were more likely than children in two parent families to report multiple SHC, and low SWB. The variable of communication did not moderate the SHC and SWB of the children in any of these two groups. This thesis contribute with new and deeper understanding of the relatively new phenomenon: shared physical custody, and its associations to children’s mental health. The parent’s perceptions were an important complement to the children’s self reported health. In order to influence the decreasing mental health among children and adolescents, their opinions contributes to further understanding. Narratives from children, parents and practitioners are required in order to further study the association between children’s health outcomes and different family arrangements. Additional studies are needed to clarify how children’s mental health and different family arrangements are related to school, community economy, and society. / Avhandlingens huvudsyfte var att studera barns mentala hälsa med fokus på familjekonstellationer. Fyra olika studier ligger till grund för avhandlingen (I-IV). Studie I, II och IV var kvantitativa studier med tvärsnittsdesign. Datamaterialet utgjordes av den svenska versionen av Health Behaviour in School- aged Children (HBSC) (Svenska skolbarns hälsovanor). De deltagande barnen var i åldrarna 11, 13 och 15 år. Datamaterialet analyserades med hjälp av multipel linjär regressions analys (I) samt multivariat logistisk regressionsanalys (III, IV). Studie II var av kvalitativ karaktär och baserades på 28 intervjuer med föräldrar som bodde växelvis boende med sina barn. Den kvalitativa studien analyserades med hjälp av induktiv latent innehållsanalys. Studie I visade att lägre nivåer av SHC (subjektiva hälsobesvär) och högre nivåer av SWB (subjektivt välbefinnande) hade ett samband med högre nivåer av socialt kapital i familjen, skolan och närområdet. Socialt kapital i familjen, skolan och närområdet hade en kumulativ effekt på barnens självrapporterade SHC och SWB. I studie två beskrev de deltagande föräldrarna sina egna upplevelser, samt upplevelser relaterat till barnen samt och den före detta partnern. Föräldrarnas upplevelser förändrades från den första tiden av växelvis boende till nuvarande situation och avslutades med tankar om framtiden. De växelvis boende femtonåriga pojkarna och flickorna i studie III rapporterade ökad risk för att vara såväl rökare som att ha varit berusade jämfört med 15- åringarna i traditionella familjer. Resultaten avseende sex <15 år samt beteendeproblem visade inga signifikanta skillnader mellan dessa två grupper. Studie IV visade att barn som bodde i växelvis boende rapporterade fler subjektiva hälsobesvär och lägre välbefinnande jämfört med barn i traditionella familjer. Kommunikationsvariabeln hade ingen modererande effekt på någon av dessa båda grupper. Föreliggande avhandling bidrar med såväl ny som fördjupad kunskap för det relativt nya fenomenet, växelvis boende, och dess relation till barns mentala hälsa. Föräldrarnas upplevelse var ett viktigt bidrag till barnens självrapporterade hälsa. För att kunna påverka barn och ungas rapporter om allt sämre mental hälsa, är deras åsikter ett viktigt inslag för ökade kunskaper inom området. Vi behöver barns, föräldrars och yrkesverksammas åsikter för att vidare kunna studera relationen mellan barns hälsoutfall och olika familjekonstellationer. Vi behöver också veta mer om olika familjekonstellationers relation till skolan, närområdet samt det övriga samhället.

The efforts to create an equal non-discriminatory South African society should also manifest in the workplace and, more specifically, in the academic arena. Academics are regarded as the leaders of society and the shapers of the future of a country. Their conduct should be of the highest ethical and moral standards, and no form of discrimination should be allowed by or against them. In terms of the Employment Equity Act, sexual harassment is a form of unfair discrimination and carries a substantial penalty should an employer be found guilty of vicarious liability. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived incidence of sexual harassment of academic staff at higher education institutions in South Africa, as well as their awareness of the policies dealing with sexual harassment. The sufficiency of the grievance procedures designed to deal with complaints of sexual harassment was also evaluated. A cross-sectional survey design was used to reach the research objectives. The Sexual Harassment Questionnaire (SHQ) was randomly distributed amongst a sample of 710 academic staff members from 10 higher education institutions in South Africa. A response rate of 22,8 percent (n = 162) was achieved. The statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS 15.0 program (SPSS 2007), a program that is used to conduct statistical analysis regarding reliability and validity of the measuring instruments, descriptive statistics, /-tests, analysis of variance, correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis. Article 1 focuses on the perceived incidence of sexual harassment. In this article, five categories of sexual harassment were used as indicators of the incidence thereof, namely verbal, non-verbal, physical, gender and quid pro quo harassment. A statistically significant correlation coefficient with a large effect was found between verbal and non-verbal harassment. A practically significant correlation of a medium effect was also found between physical, verbal, non-verbal and quid pro quo harassment and sexism, as well as between the control item of sexual harassment and physical, verbal, non-verbal and quid pro quo harassment. Analyses of variance were performed on the different demographic groups using various variables and the findings indicate no practically significant effect of gender, age, population group or years of service on sexual harassment. In Article 2, the awareness of sexual harassment policies and procedures were determined. Various aspects of policies were investigated, such as content, development, types and implementation. The results show that despite indications that sexual harassment policies do exist and that they are regarded as effective tools in addressing sexual harassment, the implementation of such policies is not effective. In addition, few academic staff members receive training/guidance on the utilisation of these policies. Significant correlation coefficients were found between the elements of an effective policy and between population groups and some of the elements. Article 3 reports on findings regarding the sufficiency of grievance procedures in dealing with complaints of sexual harassment. The results show a positive correlation between confidence in the grievance procedure, the amount of attention that supervisors pay to grievances, regular feedback to employees regarding the progress of grievances, willingness of supervisors to take decisions, the amount of confidence in supervisors and the effectiveness of the procedure. The reluctance of management to deal with grievances unless they are reported via the grievance procedure was related to the perceived effectiveness of the procedure. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Sociology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

The efforts to create an equal non-discriminatory South African society should also manifest in the workplace and, more specifically, in the academic arena. Academics are regarded as the leaders of society and the shapers of the future of a country. Their conduct should be of the highest ethical and moral standards, and no form of discrimination should be allowed by or against them. In terms of the Employment Equity Act, sexual harassment is a form of unfair discrimination and carries a substantial penalty should an employer be found guilty of vicarious liability. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived incidence of sexual harassment of academic staff at higher education institutions in South Africa, as well as their awareness of the policies dealing with sexual harassment. The sufficiency of the grievance procedures designed to deal with complaints of sexual harassment was also evaluated. A cross-sectional survey design was used to reach the research objectives. The Sexual Harassment Questionnaire (SHQ) was randomly distributed amongst a sample of 710 academic staff members from 10 higher education institutions in South Africa. A response rate of 22,8 percent (n = 162) was achieved. The statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS 15.0 program (SPSS 2007), a program that is used to conduct statistical analysis regarding reliability and validity of the measuring instruments, descriptive statistics, /-tests, analysis of variance, correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis. Article 1 focuses on the perceived incidence of sexual harassment. In this article, five categories of sexual harassment were used as indicators of the incidence thereof, namely verbal, non-verbal, physical, gender and quid pro quo harassment. A statistically significant correlation coefficient with a large effect was found between verbal and non-verbal harassment. A practically significant correlation of a medium effect was also found between physical, verbal, non-verbal and quid pro quo harassment and sexism, as well as between the control item of sexual harassment and physical, verbal, non-verbal and quid pro quo harassment. Analyses of variance were performed on the different demographic groups using various variables and the findings indicate no practically significant effect of gender, age, population group or years of service on sexual harassment. In Article 2, the awareness of sexual harassment policies and procedures were determined. Various aspects of policies were investigated, such as content, development, types and implementation. The results show that despite indications that sexual harassment policies do exist and that they are regarded as effective tools in addressing sexual harassment, the implementation of such policies is not effective. In addition, few academic staff members receive training/guidance on the utilisation of these policies. Significant correlation coefficients were found between the elements of an effective policy and between population groups and some of the elements. Article 3 reports on findings regarding the sufficiency of grievance procedures in dealing with complaints of sexual harassment. The results show a positive correlation between confidence in the grievance procedure, the amount of attention that supervisors pay to grievances, regular feedback to employees regarding the progress of grievances, willingness of supervisors to take decisions, the amount of confidence in supervisors and the effectiveness of the procedure. The reluctance of management to deal with grievances unless they are reported via the grievance procedure was related to the perceived effectiveness of the procedure. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Sociology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

The overall aim of the thesis was to describe patient−health-professional interactions in a hospital setting, with a specific focus on the surgical care unit. The thesis consists of four studies and includes both qualitative and quantitative studies. Content analysis and phenomenography were used in the qualitative studies; the quantitative study was an intervention study with a three-phase quasi-experimental design. The findings of study I showed that patient complaints to a local Patients’ Advisory Committee about negative interactions with health professionals most often concerned the perceived insufficiencies of information, respect, and empathy. The findings of study II showed that experiences of negative interactions with health professionals caused long-term consequences for individual patients and reduced patients’ confidence in upcoming consultations. The findings of the phenomenographic study (III) showed that surgical nurses understand an important part of their work in qualitatively different ways, which can be presented as a hierarchy of increasing complexity and comprehensiveness. In the most restricted understanding, surgical nurses focus on the work task, whereas in the others surgical nurses demonstrate increasing degrees of patient-centeredness. Finally, the results of study IV showed that an uncomplicated intervention that invited patients to express their daily questions and concerns in writing (using the ‘Tell-us card’) improved the patients’ perceptions of participation in their care in a surgical care unit. For further implementation of the Tell-us card to succeed, it needs to be prioritized and supported by leaders in ongoing quality improvement work. The value of a patient-focused interaction needs to be the subject of ongoing discussions in surgical care units. Patients’ stories of negative interactions could be used as a starting point for discussions in professional reflection sessions. It is important to discuss and become aware of different ways of understanding professional interactions and relationships with patients; these discussions could open up new areas of professional development. Providing patients an opportunity to ask their questions and express their concerns in writing, and using this information in the patient−health-professional interaction, could be an important step towards improved patient participation.

Conflict of interest allegations became a prominent part of the political and public sector in the 1980s and 1990s in Australia and elsewhere. The arena of policing was not immune, and in Victoria, the Ombudsman drew particular attention to the problem and expressed concern about the rise in public complaints relating to alleged conflicts of interest on the part of police officers. Against this background, permission was granted by Victoria Police for a major study of conflict of interest complaints against police officers within their jurisdiction. Access was granted to all public complaint case files where conflict of interest was the focus of the allegations, from the period 1988???1998. A total of 377 usable complaints files were examined, involving 539 police officers. Through extensive examination and analysis of these complaint case files, a comprehensive map of the particular kinds of interest involved, the nature of the conflicts with official police duties, and the particular contexts within which conflicts of interest emerged, was developed. Analysis of the case files identified 25 different types of problems related to conflict of interest. These were spread across the private and public realms of police officers??? involvements. Previous studies of conflict of interest have focused largely on the opportunities for misconduct arising in the public realm of police work and police duty, largely neglecting attention to the private realm of the relationships and involvements of a police officer that give rise to conflicts of interest. In this study, the specific private interests that gave rise to problems were able to be identified in 35 percent of all cases. Three broad problem areas were identified: (i) outside employment, private business interests, political, social, and sporting interests and involvements; (ii) family-based involvements, especially those involving family law problems; and (iii) problematic personal relationships, including relationships with criminals, informers, and persons of ill repute. These conflicts of interest were related to a range of breaches of official police duty, including the misuse of police authority for personal or family benefit, the use of police position to facilitate personal relationships, and inappropriate disclosure of confidential police information. When the conflict of interest identified related specifically to a police officer???s official or public role as a member of the police force, the main types of misconduct identified included three broad areas: (i) the use and abuse of police powers and authority; (ii) the use and abuse of police resources, including information; and (iii) the receipt of gratuities and breaches of the law. These problems were shown to play out in a range of ways, encompassing such behaviours as misuse of the police identity, inappropriate accessing of police information, involvement in investigations where the police officer concerned has a personal interest in the matter, failing to take appropriate police action against friends, family, or associates, the exercise of improper influence in civil matters, and engagement in harassment and discrimination. This study offers some important conceptual developments in relation to the notion of conflict of interest, focusing on the importance of the distinction between a conflict of interest and an associated breach of duty. The study noted that it is often erroneously assumed by police that if there is no breach of duty evidenced, then there is no problem of conflict of interest. The study also offers an important insight into the oversight and accountability processes involved in Victoria Police, emphasising the importance and effectiveness of the oversight role of the office of the Victorian Ombudsman. Evidence also suggests that the internal review processes within Victoria Police are by-and-large stringent, and that senior police management are genuinely interested in making police officers more accountable for their actions. However, it is concluded that both front-line operational police officer and police management often have a limited understanding of conflict of interest, and problems attendant to conflicts of interest. The study???s insights into the problem of conflict of interest are significant insofar as this problem is related to police misconduct???ranging from minor to serious???of various kinds. Attention to the problem of conflict of interest may be an important element in preventing ???upstream??? police misconduct and corruption.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2006--Regensburg.

Orientador: Carina Alexandra Rondini / Resumo: O presente estudo tem como objetivo identificar características de estudantes com indicadores de Altas Habilidades/Superdotação (AH/SD) observadas por suas mães em algum campo do saber, e suas relações/associações com queixas escolares e problemas de comportamento. Participaram do estudo 13 mães, com idade de 29 a 48 anos e nível de escolaridade do Ensino Fundamental ao Doutorado e seus(suas) filhos(as) com idade de 5 a 14 anos. Os dados foram obtidos a partir dos intrumentos: Checklist de Características Associadas à Superdotação – CCAS; Avaliação de Conhecimentos Acerca da Superdotação (ACAS); Roteiro de Entrevista Semiestruturada para a Família; Entrevista de Anamnese e Questionário de Capacidades e Dificuldades (SDQ-Por). A coleta foi realizada nas dependências do Centro de Psicologia Aplicada (CPA), na Universidade Estadual Paulista – UNESP – campus de Bauru, Estado de São Paulo, em 2016/2017. Os dados qualitativos da entrevista, foram analisados e categorizados de acordo com a análise de conteúdo de Bardin e do software IRAMUTEQ. Os dados do CCAS, ACAS, Anamnese e SDQ-Por foram contabilizados para dois grupos de mães em função da escolaridade, utilizando-se estatística descritiva e teste estatístico de hipóteses, para verificar associação entre variáveis qualitativas. Como resultados, no CCAS, as mães apontaram em seus(as) filhos(as) características associadas à superdotação, tais como: capacidade incomum de raciocínio lógico; vocabulário avançado para a idade; curiosid... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The present study aims to identify characteristics of students with indicators of High Abilities /Giftedness (AH/SD) observed by their mothers in some field of knowledge, and their relationships/associations with school complaints and behavior problems. A total of 13 mothers, aged between 29 and 48 years old, were enrolled in the study, and the level of schooling from the Elementary School to the Doctorate and their children aged 5 to 14 years. The data were obtained from the instruments: Checklist of Characteristics Associated with Supervision - CCAS; Assessment of Knowledge about Giftedness (ACAS); Semistructured Interview Roadmap for the Family; Anamnesis Interview and Capacities and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-Por). The collection was carried out at the Center for Applied Psychology (CPA), at the Paulista State University - UNESP - campus of Bauru, State of São Paulo, in 2016/2017. Qualitative interview data were analyzed and categorized according to the Bardin content analysis and IRAMUTEQ software. Data from the ACAS, ACAS, Anamnesis and SDQ-Por were counted for two groups of mothers according to schooling, using descriptive statistics and statistical test of hypotheses, to verify association between qualitative variables. As results, in the CCAS, the mothers pointed out in their children the characteristics associated with giftedness, such as: unusual capacity for logical reasoning; advanced vocabulary for age; curiosity and questioning sense. In ACAS, it was obser... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

FundaÃÃo de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Cearà / Este trabalho tem por objetivo contar como foi sendo constituÃda a instruÃÃo pÃblica na ProvÃncia do CearÃ. Serà analisada documentaÃÃo produzida pela InstruÃÃo PÃblica, ÃrgÃo do Governo Provincial responsÃvel pela educaÃÃo na ProvÃncia. Essa vasta documentaÃÃo, presente no Arquivo PÃblico do Estado do CearÃ, à composta de queixas contra professores que atuavam no ensino pÃblico durante o perÃodo analisado. A marcaÃÃo temporal serà delimitada pelo aparecimento das queixas contra professores, em 1858, e do desfecho do processo iniciado a partir da Ãltima queixa, em 1889. Buscou-se dialogar com os RelatÃrios dos Presidentes de ProvÃncia do CearÃ; as leis criadas relativas à instruÃÃo no ImpÃrio e na ProvÃncia; romances, contos e poemas relacionados ao tema da educaÃÃo. O perÃodo estudado à pautado pelas discussÃes sobre o que e para quem deveria ser ensinado, delimitaÃÃes sobre as relaÃÃes dentro do ambiente escolar em construÃÃo e estabelecimento dos modelos que seriam utilizados para a organizaÃÃo da instruÃÃo na ProvÃncia. / This research takes as propose tell how the public instruction in the Province of Ceara was made. It will be analyzed documentation that was produced by âInstruÃao Publicaâ, a public institution in the Provincial Govern responsible for the education at Ceara. This extensive documentation, that is present in the Public Archives of the State of CearÃ, is made up of complaints against teachers who worked in public education during the period analyzed. The period of study in this research is bounded by the appearance of complaints against teachers, in 1858th, and the date of the results of the last complaint, in 1889th. We tried to make the conection between the Presidents Reports of the Province of Ceara, the laws created for the instruction in the Brazilian Empire and the Province, novels, short stories and poems related to the topic of education. The period studied is guided by the discussions about what and who should be taught; boundaries on relations within the school and which models would be used otherwise for the organization of education in the Province.

The search for service and product quality has come to the forefront of business studies as the most important consumer trend of the past two decades. Studies conducted indicate that the 1990s saw a dramatic change in customer expectations concerning service quality and standards with a corresponding increase in the number of complaints from disgruntled customers. In response to this, many organisations have established customer care and complaints management services to respond to the need of customers. A substantial amount of literature exists on the subject of complaints management and its role in service quality, however, the focus has been on organisations in the private sector. The research undertaken in this paper aimed to investigate the role of complaints management systems (CMS) to evaluate service quality. The focus of this research was on local government with special attention on George Municipality. A literature review was done to establish the importance of service quality for local government as well as to investigate the link between an effective complaints management system and improvement in service quality. Furthermore, it was necessary to investigate the characteristics, design and implementation of an effective complaints management system. A questionnaire was developed in order to obtain primary data from a selected sample group. The data obtained from the questionnaire was statistically analysed and interpreted. The core findings from the analysed questionnaire indicated the following:  service quality is relevant in local government;  there is no clear method to measure service quality;  no formal and structured complaints management system exist, and  the implementation of an effective complaints management system will both improve service delivery and provide benefits to all involved. iv This study recommends that:  service quality standards and measurement be of strategic importance to local government;  customers should be consulted and involved when determining the service quality standards and measurement, and  an organised and structured complaints management system that seeks to address all complaints in order to improve the level of service quality to customers be developed. Finally, the success of the CMS will depend on management’s commitment to change on a continuous basis as well as the degree to which management proactively resolves customer complaint through the involvement of the customer.

No description available.