Although aggression as social phenomenon is widely researched, this research study aimed to illuminate the importance of early identification of excessively aggressive children specifically. The aim was to explore and gain an in-depth understanding of excessive aggressive behaviour during the preschool years. A qualitative research methodology was employed consisting of a parent interview, observations of the research participant and numerous play sessions consisting of various activities including free drawings; ‘Draw-a-Person ‘, a family drawing; the ‘Children’s Apperception Test’, and free play activities. The study explored various factors possibly leading to the onset and continuation of excessive aggressive behaviour. It seems clear that no single factor is responsible for the display of excessive aggression, but rather, multiple factors contribute to the problem of aggression as a whole. Play therapy is suggested as an effective method in the assessment and counselling of excessive aggressive behaviour in preschool children / Psychology / M.Sc. (Psychology)

Våld i nära relation är ett mångfacetterat begrepp som innefattar olika aspekter av en människas utsatthet. Kvinnor utsatta för våld i nära relation där mannen är våldsutövaren är en vanlig företeelse i samhället. Var tredje kvinna utsätts någon gång i livet för våld i nära relation, och många kvinnor söker vård för sin våldsutsatthet. Det är däremot få kvinnor som nämner att våldet är den bakomliggande orsaken till besvär, symtom och känslor. Sjuksköterskor träffar vårdsökande kvinnor oavsett arbetsplats, därför ingår det i sjuksköterskornas profession att ställa frågan om våldsutsatthet och samtala, stötta och hänvisa kvinnorna beroende på behov och vilja. Syftet med litteraturöversikten var att belysa hur sjuksköterskor upplever att möta kvinnor som är utsatta för våld i nära relation. Metoden utgjordes av en litteraturöversikt baserad på tio empiriska tidskriftsartiklar som kvalitetsgranskats och analyserats av författarna, nio kvalitativa samt en kvantitativ. Analysen genererade fyra kategorier; Arbetsplatsens förutsättningar skapar ramar för mötet, Ett behov av att skydda sig själv från utsatthet, Att överta en del av kvinnornas börda samt En professionell utmaning och nio underkategorier. Med stöd från resultatet diskuteras faktorer som bidrar till en direkt påverkan på mötet med kvinnorna utsatta för våld i nära relation. Sjuksköterskorna upplevde motgångar i form av tidsbrist, avsaknad av kunskap, förutfattade meningar och inre konflikter med emotionella reaktioner så som sorg, frustration och förtvivlan. Dessa faktorer samverkade till att identifieringen av våld i nära relation inte genomfördes av sjuksköterskorna. Det anses vara betydande för sjuksköterskorna att få ökad utbildning inom våld i nära relation för att på så sätt erbjuda kvinnorna omsorgsfull omvårdnad. / Intimate partner violence is a multifaceted concept that includes different aspects of a person's vulnerability. Women exposed to intimate partner violence where the man is the perpetrator is a common phenomenon in society. Every third woman is at some point in her life exposed to intimate partner violence, and many women seek treatment for their exposure to violence. However, few women mention that violence is the underlying cause of problems, symptoms and feelings. Nurses meet women seeking care regardless of their workplace, therefore it is part of the nurses' profession to ask the question of exposure to violence and talk to, support and refer the women depending on their needs and wishes. The purpose of the literature review was to highlight how nurses experience meeting women who are exposed to violence in close relationships. The method consisted of a literature review based on ten empirical journal articles that were quality reviewed and analyzed by the authors, nine qualitative and one quantitative. The analysis generated four categories; The conditions of the workplace create a framework for the meeting, A need to protect oneself from vulnerability, To take over part of the women's burden and A professional challenge and nine subcategories. With support from the results, factors are discussed that contribute to a direct impact on the meeting with the women exposed to violence in a close relationship. The nurses experienced setbacks in the form of lack of time, lack of knowledge, preconceived notions and inner conflicts with emotional reactions such as sadness, frustration and despair. These factors combined to make the identification of intimate partner violence not carried out by the nurses. It is considered important for the nurses to receive increased training in intimate partner violence in order to offer the women adequate care.

The aim of this study is to investigate whether professionals' work with women exposed to violence has changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of the study has focused on investigating whether the pandemic has affected the interaction and meeting between women exposed to violence and  professionals, as well as the presumed impact on women's opportunity to seek help during this period through the professionals' perception. This work follows a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews. Six Interviews have been made with five social secretaries and one social worker within a non-profit organization. The collected empirical evidence has undergone a thorough thematic analysis in relation to our theories; professionals' room for action, the professional approach and non-verbal communication. The results of the study show that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the work with women exposed to violence, to the extent that adjustments have been made to the work even though the actual way of helping has persisted and not changed. The pandemic has in many ways made the human interaction between professional and client more difficult, and women's search for help has been affected to some extent. The isolation has lead women to be more cautious and therefore made it more difficult to seek help. In order to facilitate the professionals' work and enable the meeting with clients, digitization has been of great help in this and the biggest change in the professional work as a result of the pandemic. However, professionals feel that digitization as a tool should be used with great caution, as they work with women who do not live free and are exposed to violence. The digital communication can easily be discovered by the perpetrator of violence. It is in the professionals greatest interest to ensure the safety and security of their clients, both in terms of the spread of the virus but also in the use of digital tools. The conclusion of this study is that the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the work by making digitization a new way of executing their work, which in turn has contributed with both advantages and disadvantages. It can affect the interaction between the professional and the client, as it can be a risk to communicate via digital tools, and the human encounter can be difficult to maintain. It may also be beneficial in many cases as it is an efficient and time-saving way of working, for both parties. In conclusion, the use of digital tools will most likely not disappear, even if the pandemic will. It is largely appreciated and will be useful for various aspects in the future of social work.

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo estimar la presencia del Trastorno por Estrés Postraumático (TEPT) en menores que han sufrido maltrato intrafamiliar crónico y presentan alteraciones psicológicas graves. La muestra está formada por 102 menores entre 8 y 17 años. Se divide en dos grupos: I (64 menores que viven con su familia biológica y han estado expuestos/as a violencia de género) y II (38 menores tutelados/as por la Administración). El instrumento utilizado es el Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS) de Foa et al. (2001). Las conclusiones son: los criterios DSM son muy exigentes y no sensibles para detectar TEPT en infancia; es necesario valorar la afectación subsindrómica; el criterio de Evitación es demasiado restrictivo. Si se baja el umbral, tal como propone el DSM-V, se mejora la detección de casos; se encuentra mayor prevalencia de TEPT en chicas; no se hallan diferencias significativas entre grupos de edad ni entre submuestras.

Bakgrund: Tonårsperioden är en avgörande tid för unga. Ungdomars utsatthet för våld utgör en väsentlig folkhälsofråga globalt och nationellt. Vid mötet med ungdomar kan barnmorskor på ungdomsmottagningar ta upp ämnen som relationer, livsstil och sexuellt beteende. Västra Götalandsregionen har utvecklat SEXIT, en metod som kan bidra till att identifiera ungdomars sexuella risker och våldsutsatthet.   Motiv: Ungdomars sexuella och reproduktiva hälsa och rättigheter behöver förbättras. Genom att kartlägga ungdomars självrapporterade sexuella beteende och erfarenheter av våldsutsatthet kan en bättre uppfattning om vilka risker som de utsätter sig eller andra för nås.    Syfte: Att via SEXIT kartlägga ungdomars sexuella beteende och deras utsatthet för våld samt att utforska eventuella skillnader mellan ålder och kön.   Metod: Stickprovsundersökning med 284 ungdomar vid en ungdomsmottagning i Norrland under 2022, som besvarat SEXIT enkäten som innehöll bakgrundsfrågor, våldsutsatthet och sexuella riskbeteenden. 96 sorterades bort, 188 deskriptiva statistiska analyser utfördes i statistikprogrammet Jamovi 2.4.8.0., med uppdelning i ungdomar och unga vuxna samt jämförelser mellan våldsutsatthet, sexuellt risktagande, ålder och kön.   Resultat: En hög andel ungdomar och unga vuxna rapporterade utsatthet för fysiskt, psykiskt och sexuellt våld. Fler kvinnor uppger att de blev pressade till sex (kvinnor 22%, män 3%). Mer än en tredjedel (34%) av kvinnor rapporterade utsatthet för psykiskt våld och motsvarande siffra för män är 38%. Unga vuxna män angav att de oftare har blivit utsatt för fysiskt våld jämfört med unga vuxna kvinnor (p=0.018). Mer än hälften av kvinnor (60%), rapporterade att de hade utsatts för oönskade handlingar mot sin vilja. 15% använde sex som en strategi för att hantera känslomässiga svårigheter eller en form av självskada.  Konklusion: En betydande andel ungdomar rapporterade att de utsatts för psykiskt, fysiskt och sexuellt våld, och de tar stora sexuella risker. Tillgängliga ungdomsmottagningar är väsentligt för deras hälsa. / Background: Adolescence is a crucial period for youth. Youth exposure to violence is a public health issue globally and nationally. Midwives at youth clinics adress topics such as relationships, lifestyle and sexual behaviour. Västra Götaland Region has developed SEXIT, method to identify youth’s sexual risks and experiences of violence.  Motive: Adolescents' sexual and reproductive health needs to be improved and their rights strengthened. By mapping young people's sexual behavior and experiences of violence, we can see what risks they expose themselves to or expose others to.  Aim: to map adolescens´ sexual behavior and their exposure to violence through SEXIT and to explore potential differenses between age and gender.  Method: Survey with 284 youths at a youth clinic in Norrland during 2022, responding to the SEXIT questionnaire containing background questions,exposure to violence, and sexual risk behaviors. 96 were excluded, and 188 analyses were conducted using the statsistical software Jamovi 2.4.8.0, categorized by youths and young adults, including comparisions between exposure to violence, sexual risk-taking, age and gender.   Results: A high proportion of adolescents and young adults reported exposure to physical, psychological and sexual violence. More women state that they are pressured into sex (women 22%, men 3%). Over a third(34%) of women report exposure to psychological violence, corresponting to men who report 38%. Young adult men indicated that they have often been exposed to physical violence compared to young adult women (p=0.018)  More than half of women reported experiencing unwanted actions against their will. 15% used sex as a strategy to cope with emotional difficulties or as a form of self-harm.   Conclusion: A significant proportion of youths report exposure to psychological, physical and sexual violence, and they take substantial sexual risks. Accessible youth clinics are crucial for their health.

Constant exposure to community violence has very detrimental and pervasive effects on children. These effects range from behavioural, cognitive and neuro-developmental problems to a variety of psychiatric disorders. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Karate programs can be used in violent communities to help children circumvent these detrimental effects of exposure to violence. This study adopted a qualitative research approach and the epistemological framework used was social constructivism. Group interviews were conducted with the research participants. The case study method was chosen, and thematic analysis was used as the method of analysis of the children’s stories. These stories were reconstructed in terms of themes. The themes that emerged included: anxiety, fear, discipline, respect for self, others and authority. After exposure to a traditional karate program for a period of time, the participants’ attitudes towards violence changed. They believed that violence was a last resort and that there were better ways to deal with conflict. They began developing more self-discipline, not just in the dojo but in other areas of their lives as well. The participants learnt to respect others, as well as themselves and their instructors, teachers, parents and friends. They also felt less afraid to be in their community and developed more self-confidence. Karate programmes can be used in violent communities to help prevent the negative outcomes in children associated with exposure to violence. These programmes can be used in conjunction with other developmental programmes to help improve the outcomes of these children. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)