<p><strong>Sammanfattning</strong></p><p><strong>Syfte:</strong> Att få en fördjupad förståelse av hivsmittades erfarenheter av hur det är att leva med sjukdomen i Sverige.</p><p><strong>Bakgrund:</strong> Sedan mitten av 1990-talet definieras hiv som en kronisk sjukdom till följd av bromsmedicinernas utveckling. Detta betyder att de som drabbas måste lära sig att leva med sjukdomen samt hantera omvärldens reaktioner och värderingar som kan vara av diskriminerande/stigmatiserande karaktär.</p><p><strong>Design:</strong> En intervjustudie med kvalitativ ansats som utfördes under 2009.</p><p><strong>Metod:</strong> Nio hivsmittade personer intervjuades och dessa intervjuer analyserades genom att tillämpa Grounded Theory.</p><p><strong>Resultat:</strong> Resultatet synliggör hivsmittades erfarenheter av hur det är att leva med sjukdomen. Fyra kategorier framkom ur analysen; <em>En livssjukdom</em>, <em>Omgivningens förhållningssätt till sjukdomen</em>, <em>Reglerad och spontan diskriminering</em>/<em>stigmatisering</em> samt <em>Strategier vid diskriminering</em>/<em>stigmatisering. </em>Dessa kategorier<em> </em>kunde samtliga relateras till en övergripande kategori; <em>En kamp för livet</em>.</p><p><strong>Slutsats:</strong> Studien har synliggjort att livet för hivsmittade kompliceras av psykosociala faktorer, bromsmedicinernas biverkningar och av den diskriminering/stigmatisering som de erfar. Beroende på vilka copingstrategier som de tillämpar för att hantera sin livssituation, har betydelse för deras hälsa och välbefinnande.</p> / <p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p><strong>Aim:</strong> To get a deeper understanding of HIV-infected peoples experiences on how it is to live with the illness in Sweden.</p><p><strong>Background:</strong> HIV defines as a chronicle disease since the mid-1990s due to the medical development. As a result people that get infected have to carefully manage the illness and also cope with the surrounding world’s reactions and values that can be of discriminating/stigmatised nature.</p><p><strong>Design</strong>: A qualitative interview study undertaken during 2009.</p><p><strong>Method:</strong> Nine HIV-infected people were interviewed and the interviews were analysed using Grounded Theory.</p><p><strong>Findings:</strong> The findings visualized HIV-infected people’s experiences on how it is to live with the illness. Four categories emerge from the analyses; <em>A lifeillness</em>, <em>Surrounding attitudes toward the illness</em>, <em>Regulated and spontaneous discrimination/stigmatisation</em> and <em>Strategies due to discrimination/stigmatisation</em>. These categories could all be related to one all-embracing category; <em>A struggle for life</em>.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The study has shown that psychological factors, the side effects caused by the medications and the discrimination/stigmatisation that they experience, complicate life for HIV-infected people. Depending on what kind of coping strategies they conform to handle circumstances of their life, invariably have consequences of their health and well-being.</p>

This study examines how people in dryland areas cope with food insecurity and adversities over time. It draws from the experience of the Gogo people living in Mvumi in the semiarid zone of central Tanzania, an area with a long history of food shortages. The study specifically examines the potential for dryland resources to sustain livelihoods. The study looks at the historical perspective of the problem in order to explore factors influencing the food situation in the area. It specifically investigates the role of local knowledge as a factor for adapting to dryland conditions by exploiting seasonality and local diversity. A detailed account is made of the coping strategies among three identified wealth groups in the area. Apart from their wealth levels, households in these wealth categories differ in how they mobilise and deal with labour in various seasons. Households in the well-off group have greater ability in mobilising and using external labour as well as accumulating and managing food surplus. The households in the intermediate group are flexible in utilising their own labour by performing various farm and non-farm activities according to their seasonalities. The households in the poor category sell their own labour and perform various farm and non-farm activities regardless of the season. It is clear from the study that different wealth groups differ in their ability to develop immediate coping into more pro-active livelihood strategies. The study winds up by assessing the potentials of the prominent land resource utilisation strategies in terms of economic, social and environmental perspectives.

Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka relationer mellan subjektivt välbefinnande, optimism och copingstrategier. Ett ytterligare syfte var att undersöka eventuella skillnader mellan män och kvinnor angående dels vilka copingstrategier som används, dels skillnader i sambandet mellan copingstrategier, optimism och subjektivt välbefinnande. Studien var baserad på ett stickprov med 106 studenter på grundnivå i olika ämne vid en högskola. Kortversioner av frågeformulären som mäter copingstrategier, optimism och subjektivt välbefinnande delades ut och besvarades enskilt. En multipel korrelationsanalys visade på en modell i vilken coping och optimism förklarade 20% av variansen i subjektivt välbefinnande. Vidare visade resultatet att det inte finns skillnader mellan män och kvinnor när det gäller subjektivt välbefinnande och optimism. Däremot fanns det könsskillnader angående emotionellt stöd, instrumentellt stöd, ventilering av känslor och humor. Copingstrategier medierade inte effekterna av optimism på subjektivt välbefinnande. Subjektivt välbefinnande påverkas till stor del av individens syn på framtiden och livet.

Forskning kring arbetslöshet har ofta fokuserat på bemästringsstrategier (eng. coping strategies), men flera studier har även pekat på betydelsen av tron på den egna förmågan (eng. self-efficacy) och den kognitiva tolkningen (eng. cognitive appraisal) för valet av bemästringsstrategi. Genom att mäta individens tro på den egna förmågan, den kognitiva tolkningen och bemästringsstrategier syftar denna undersökning till att identifiera de faktorer som sannolikt leder till försämrad generell mental hälsa och längre tids arbetslöshet. I undersökningen deltog 194 arbetslösa som fick besvara en enkät. Resultatet visade att höga nivåer av de primära tolkningsdimensionerna hot och förlust tillsammans med låg tro på den egna förmågan relaterades till maladaptiva bemästringsstrategier, vilket kopplades till sämre generell mental hälsa och längre arbetslöshet. Både den primära tolkningen och tron på den egna förmågan är således fundamentala i processen att bemästra arbetslösheten.

En enkätundersökning utfördes på ledare inom olika företag i Örebro och Tranås. Syftet var att jämföra ledares upplevda stressnivå på små, mellanstora och stora företag, samt att undersöka deras stresshanteringsförmåga, hälsa och arbetstillfredsställelse. Enkäten bestod av 117 frågor som mätte olika stressförhållanden som t.ex. kvantitativ överstimulering, rolloklarhet och ledarskap. Vidare mätte enkäten mental och fysisk hälsa, stresshanteringsmetoder, individegenskaper och arbetstillfredsställelse. Ingen signifikant gruppskillnad fanns gällande ledarnas upplevda stressnivå beroende på om de arbetade på ett litet, mellanstort eller stort företag. Ledarna hade en låg upplevd stressnivå, god fysik och mental hälsa och trivdes med sin arbetssituation. Respondenterna använde sig av konstruktiva stresshanteringsmetoder så som förnuftsorientering och uppgiftsorientering. Svagt ledarskap var den faktor som starkast korrelerade med upplevd stressnivå och arbetstillfredsställelse. / A survey was done on leaders in different companies in Örebro and Tranås. The purpose was to compare leaders perceived stress level i small, medium and large companies, and to examine their coping strategies, health and work satisfaction. The survey consists of 117 questions which measured different stress conditions like quantitative over stimulation, roll ambiguty and leadership. Further on the survey measured mental and physical health, coping strategies, individual characteristics and work satisfaction. No significant groupe difference was found for the leaders perceived stress level depending if they worked in a small, medium or large company. The leaders had a low perceived stress level, good physical and mental health and were satisfied with theire work situation. The respondents used constructive coping methods like rational orientation and task orientation. A powerless leadership was the factor that had the strongest correlation with perceived stress level and work satisfaction.

The objectives of this study was to test the Transition Monitoring Survey (TMS) and to examine similarities and differences in the transition experiences between athletes in the beginning of the transition and in the middle of the transition from junior to senior sport. A pilot study (n = 10) was conducted with a combination of survey and debriefing. The main study (n =135) was quantitative with a cross-sectional approach. Participants were divided into two groups; athletes in the beginning and athletes in the middle of the transition. The results showed thirteen significant differences in demands, coping strategies, resources and perceived stress. Athletes in the middle of the transition showed more adaptation to the transition process then athletes in the beginning. The study also shows that the TMS works well. The results are discussed based on frameworks and previous research.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur proffessionstillhörighet och antal copingstrategier respondenterna använder, påverkar skattad stress samt att studera hur arbetsfaktorer påverkar skattad stress. Totalt 84 personer, inom samma organisation, fördelade över två avdelningar med olika arbetsuppgifter - besvarade en enkätundersökning, om stress, coping och arbetsfaktorer. Resultatet av undersökningen visar på en tendens att de respondenter som använder sig av ett fåtal copingstrategier har en lägre skattad stressnivå, (borderline-signifikans), samt att avdelning inte påverkar antalet använda copingstrategier (dvs. ingen interaktionseffekt mellan antalet använda copingstrategier och avdelning). Resultatet visar även att arbetsfaktorerna, vilka delades upp i fyra kategorier; otydlig organisation och konflikter, individuella krav och engagemang, inflytande på arbetet samt konflikt mellan arbete och fritid, predicerar den skattade stressnivån och speciellt individuella krav och engagemang var den kategori som påverkade den skattade stressnivån.Nyckelord: / The purpose of this study was to examine how profession and number of coping strategies used by the respondents affected the estimated stress level and to study the impact on estimated stress level of work factors. 84 persons within the same organization, allocated over two different departments, with different tasks - responded to a survey, about stress, coping and work factors. The results of this study showed a tendency that people who use few coping strategies, showed a lower level of estimated stress (borderline significance), and the number of used coping strategies do not depend on department (i.e. there were no interaction effect between the number of used coping strategies and department). Furthermore, the result showed that work factors, which were categorized into four groups; vague organization, individual demands and commitment, influence over work, and conflict between work and spare time, predict the estimated stress level, especially the individual demands and commitment category affected the estimated stress level.

The growing literature on the impact of doctoral programs on marriages has identified four major areas of concern: financial difficulties, change of lifestyle, lack of time, and communication issues (Bergen & Bergen, 1978; Cao, 2001; Giles, 1983; Middleton, 2001; Norton, Thomas, Morgan, Tilley, & Dickins, 1998; Williams, 1977). In addition, Looney, Harding, Blotcky and Branhart (1980) found that psychotherapists were more likely to have marital discord and failure in their marriages than in the general population. Moreover, studies have shown that female doctoral students reported more stress compared to male students (Mallinckrodt, Leong, & Kralj, 1989). With the recognition that marital conflicts are a significant indicator for lower persistent rates for married graduate students, it is critical to examine how married counseling doctoral students cope with their marital conflicts during the program. Following a constructionist philosophical stance, this exploratory study examined how married female counseling doctoral students cope with marital conflicts during their program using a phenomenological method approach. Fourteen married female counseling doctoral students in the development of competence stage of their program of study (Bowen & Rudenstine, 1992; Lovitts, 2001) were interviewed, and 13 interviews were analyzed in a recursive manner. The findings indicated that female counseling doctoral students utilized both couple-focused coping strategies and individual-focused coping strategies to balance two distinct lives, school and marriage. In addition, the participants identified a solid marriage, their husband’s support, cohort’s support, and other married couples’ support as coping strategies for maintaining balance between school and marriage. Factors that might influence coping strategies of married female counseling doctoral students are discussed. Implications for counselors and recommendations for future research are discussed.

This study investigated the experience of posttraumatic growth for breast cancer survivors who volunteered to complete a survey (N = 277). A number of participants also provided narrative responses containing their personal experiences of breast cancer (N = 100). Demographic characteristics, breast cancer variables, optimism, coping strategies, and participation in psychosocial interventions were examined in relation to posttraumatic growth as measured by the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Differences between those who participated in psychosocial interventions versus those who did not were examined. The relation of coping strategies utilized and optimism level to interventions accessed was also of interest. Predictors of posttraumatic growth were examined via generalized linear modeling. Finally, the narrative responses were investigated by means of content analysis. The results provided evidence that demographic characteristics (i.e., affiliation with religion and lower levels of education) and one breast cancer variable (i.e., increased number of years since diagnosis) were related to experiences of posttraumatic growth for breast cancer survivors. Use of active forms of coping, optimism level, and participation in recreational interventions were also related to posttraumatic growth. Those who participated in psychosocial interventions were more likely to be employed and have higher levels of education than those who did not access interventions. Use of several active coping strategies and one passive coping strategy increased the likelihood of accessing a number of different psychosocial interventions. Posttraumatic growth was predicated by affiliation with religion, lower levels of education, increased number of years since diagnosis, knowledge of breast cancer stage, higher levels of optimism, and use of one passive and two active coping strategies. Many of these findings support previous research, however some conflict with prior results. The narrative responses contained information regarding diagnosis and treatment, impact of breast cancer, coping with breast cancer, and support accessed. Although the negative impact of breast cancer was discussed in terms of short and long-term, positive long-term changes were also reported. A variety of coping strategies and supports were utilized by the participants as well.

This study investigated the experience of posttraumatic growth for breast cancer survivors who volunteered to complete a survey (N = 277). A number of participants also provided narrative responses containing their personal experiences of breast cancer (N = 100). Demographic characteristics, breast cancer variables, optimism, coping strategies, and participation in psychosocial interventions were examined in relation to posttraumatic growth as measured by the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Differences between those who participated in psychosocial interventions versus those who did not were examined. The relation of coping strategies utilized and optimism level to interventions accessed was also of interest. Predictors of posttraumatic growth were examined via generalized linear modeling. Finally, the narrative responses were investigated by means of content analysis. The results provided evidence that demographic characteristics (i.e., affiliation with religion and lower levels of education) and one breast cancer variable (i.e., increased number of years since diagnosis) were related to experiences of posttraumatic growth for breast cancer survivors. Use of active forms of coping, optimism level, and participation in recreational interventions were also related to posttraumatic growth. Those who participated in psychosocial interventions were more likely to be employed and have higher levels of education than those who did not access interventions. Use of several active coping strategies and one passive coping strategy increased the likelihood of accessing a number of different psychosocial interventions. Posttraumatic growth was predicated by affiliation with religion, lower levels of education, increased number of years since diagnosis, knowledge of breast cancer stage, higher levels of optimism, and use of one passive and two active coping strategies. Many of these findings support previous research, however some conflict with prior results. The narrative responses contained information regarding diagnosis and treatment, impact of breast cancer, coping with breast cancer, and support accessed. Although the negative impact of breast cancer was discussed in terms of short and long-term, positive long-term changes were also reported. A variety of coping strategies and supports were utilized by the participants as well.