The GHQ-12 has been recommended as a reliable screening instrument for psychological distress in all clinical groups. The usefulness of the GHQ-12 was evaluated in individuals with significant facial disfigurement by examination of the impact of alternative scoring methods on case detection rates. The type of scoring method used had a significant impact on the relative prevalence of `cases'. However, examination of the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) of the alternative scoring methods revealed a good fit between methods. The use of the GHQ-12 as a screening instrument to determine psychological distress in individuals with facial disfigurement may be enhanced by inclusion of an appearance-specific measure in the screening schedule and by the adoption of one scoring method; the GHQ method.

Bakgrund: Den psykiska hälsan hos sjuksköterskor kan påverka den givna vårdkvaliteten gentemot patienter. Oregelbundna arbetstider, dålig arbetsmiljö och stress är några av de faktorer som kan ge en försämrad psykisk hälsa. Syfte: Syftet med detta arbete är att studera om det finns ett samband mellan skattningen av psykisk hälsa och skattning av given vårdkvalitet hos sjuksköterskor vid ett sjukhus i Mellansverige. Jämförelse görs även utifrån variablerna kön, ålder och aktiva år i sjuksköterskeprofessionen och om det finns ett samband mellan ovan variabler. Metod: Data samlades in via en enkät med två skalor; GHQ-12 som avser att upptäcka psykisk ohälsa och påvisa tecken på depression, samt ett självskattningsformulär som behandlar kvaliteten av given vård. Resultat: Det kunde inte påvisas något signifikant samband mellan skattad psykisk hälsa och skattad given vårdkvalitet. Det fanns ett statistiskt signifikant samband mellan skattad psykisk hälsa och inkludering av patienten och anhöriga i utformning och genomförandet av vården. Studien visar att kvinnliga sjuksköterskor skattar sin psykiska hälsa sämre jämfört med manliga sjuksköterskor. Slutsats: Det fanns i denna studie inget signifikant samband mellan skattad psykisk hälsa och skattad given vårdkvalitet. Vid analys av delskalor inom variabeln vårdkvalitet fann vi att sjuksköterskor som skattar en lägre psykisk hälsa även skattar att de är sämre på att inkludera patienten och/eller anhöriga i utförandet och utformningen av vården / Background: The psychological health in nurse practitioners can affect the quality of the care given to patients. Irregular work hours, bad working environment and stress are some of the factors that can result in a decline in psychological health. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to compare the self-perceived psychological health in nurse practitioners at Academic Hospital in Uppsala with their own perception of quality of given care. Comparisons will also be done regarding gender, age and active years in the nursing profession. Methods: Data was collected via a survey with two scales; GHQ-12 which is used to distinct psychological disorders and signs of depression, along with a self-assessment form regarding quality of given care. Results: There was no significant correlation between self-perceived psychological health and self-perceived quality of given care. There is a statistical significant connection between psychological health and inclusion of the patient and relatives regarding planning and giving care. This study shows that female nurses grade their psychological health as lower compared to male nurses. Conclusions: This study showed no significant correlation between self-perceived psychological health and self-perceived quality of given care. The result shows that nurses that have a lower self-perceived psychological health grade themselves lower regarding the inclusion of the patient and/or their relatives in the planning and implementation of the care

Samhället uppmuntrar individer att se över sina hälsovanor för att öka välbefinnandet. Syftet var att undersöka om val av fysisk aktivitet hade effekt på den generella hälsan i ökat subjektivt välbefinnande samt om det fanns könsskillnader i dessa. Sextio män och kvinnor mellan 25-50 år valdes slumpmässigt ut från träningsanläggningar för att besvara the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) samt Swedish Core Affect Scale (SCAS). Resultatet visade på signifikant ökning av välbefinnande efter fysisk aktivitet samt inga könsskillnader. Dock fanns en signifikant interaktionseffekt mellan kön och fysisk aktivitet, de män som promenerade och kvinnor som konditionstränade hade högst välbefinnande och generell hälsa. Slutsatsen blev att välbefinnandet ökade oavsett kön efter fysisk aktivitet dock gav olika aktiviteter varierande ökningar mellan könen. / The society encourages individuals to promote their health habits in order to improve their well-being. The aim was to investigate the effect of different types of physical activity on experience of general health in well-being in men and woman. Sixty men and women in ages 25-50 years old were randomly chosen from training facilities to answer the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and Swedish Core Affect Scale (SCAS). The results showed a significant increase in positive well-being due to the practice of physical activity, but there were no gender difference. However, it was found a significant interaction effect of age and physical activity on health, the men who walked and women who conditioning trained showed highest well-being and general health. The conclusion was that the well-being increase regardless of sex after physical activity, however, different activities gave varying increases between the sexes.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka psykisk hälsa och välbefinnande i en grupp som äter LCHF (Low Carb High Fat). I studien deltog 246 personer, rekryterade från intressegrupper om LCHF på Facebook. Deltagarna delades in i två grupper efter hur strikt och hur länge de ätit LCHF. Studien genomfördes som en enkätundersökning. Psykiskt välbefinnande och nedsatt psykiskt välbefinnande undersöktes med GHQ-12. Psykiskt hälsotillstånd undersöktes med en självskattad retrospektiv före- och eftermätning. Resultaten av nedsatt psykiskt välbefinnande jämfördes med Folkhälsomyndighetens nationella populationsvärde. Resultaten visade att båda LCHF-grupperna skattade sitt psykiska hälsotillstånd signifikant bättre efter LCHF diet än före. Hela LCHF gruppen skattade nedsatt psykiskt välbefinnande signifikant bättre än den svenska populationen. Resultaten tyder på att LCHF diet har en positiv inverkan på den psykiska hälsan och välbefinnandet. / The purpose of the study was to investigate mental health and mental well-being in a group eating LCHF (Low Carb High Fat). In the study, 246 people recruited from interest groups about LCHF on Facebook participated. The participants were divided into two groups by how strictly and how long they had eaten LCHF. The study was conducted as a questionnaire survey. Mental well-being and impaired mental well-being were investigated with GHQ-12. Mental health status was investigated with self-assessed retrospective pre- and post-measurement. The results of impaired mental well-being were compared with the The Public Health Agency of Swedens national population value. The results showed that both LCHF groups estimated their mental health status significantly better after LCHF diet than before. The entire LCHF group estimated its impaired mental well-being significantly better than the Swedish population. The results indicate that LCHF diet has a positive impact on mental health and well-being.

Med hjälp av personlighetstester och genom att känna till individers personlighet har forskning visat att man i viss mån kan förutsäga beteende och upplevd mental hälsa. Föreliggande studie syftade till att undersöka om och hur personlighetsdraget agreeableness (svenskans välvillighet) samverkar med upplevt välmående hos personer med en ledarroll. I en ledarroll förväntas personen kunna hantera beslutsfattande och konfrontationer. Furnham, Richards och Paulhus (2013) menar att Dark Triad, socialt avvikande personlighetsdrag, är en förlängning av agreeableness. Därför användes Dark Triad i studien och även för att eventuellt finna ytterligare samband med välmående i rollen som ledare. Mätinstrument som användes var IPIP-NEO-120 (α=.87) utifrån Big Five teorin vilken är den vanligaste teorin bland forskning om personlighet. För att mäta Dark Triad användes Dirty Dozen (α=.86). För att mäta välmående användes GHQ-12 (General Health Questionnaire) (α=.87). Studien utfördes med en online-enkät som besvarades av respondenter som har eller har haft en ledarposition (N=99). Respondenternas ålder varierade mellan 25-67, könsfördelningen var 54% män och 46% kvinnor. Insignifikanta resultat återfanns mellan agreeableness och upplevt välmående. Signifikanta resultat återfanns mellan Dark Triad och upplevt välmående (r=.22*) vilket vidare kan tolkas som att personer tenderar att må bättre om de besitter socialt avvikande personlighetsdrag. En rimlig slutsats av resultatet är därmed att det inte går att predicera hur välmående upplevs hos personer med en ledarroll med hjälp av agreeableness, dock i viss mån med hjälp av Dark Triad. / With the help of personality tests and by knowing the individual's personality, research has shown that it's possible to predict behavior and perceived mental health to some extent. The present study aimed to examine whether and how the personality trait agreeableness relates to perceived well-being among leaders. Furnham, Richards and Paulhus (2013) argue that Dark Triad, socially deviant personality traits, is an extension of agreeableness. Therefore Dark Triad was used in this study and in order to possibly obtain more connections for perceived well-being. Instruments used were IPIP-NEO-120 (α=.87), based on the Big Five theory, the most common theory among personality research. To measure Dark Triad traits Dirty Dozen (α=.86) was used. To measure well-being GHQ-12 (General Health Questionnaire) (α=.87) was used. The study was conducted by an online survey that was answered by respondents who have or have had a leader position (N=99). Respondents age ranged from 25-67, the gender distribution was 54% male and 46% female. Insignificant results were found between agreeableness and perceived well-being. Significant results were found between Dark Triad and perceived well-being (r=.22*), which is further interpreted to mean that people tend to feel better if they possess deviant personality traits, and particularly narcissism. A reasonable conclusion from the study is that it's not possible, based on our sample, to predict how well-being is perceived in the role of leader with agreeableness but to some extent with the help of Dark Triad.

Job Crafting (JC) är en teori om hur anställda aktivt formar sina jobb. I denna tvärsnittsstudie undersöktes hur 530 anställda och chefer i svensk och spansk äldreomsorg skattade JC. Syftet var att undersöka hur land, position och JC kunde predicera psykisk hälsa och vårdkvalitet. JC mättes med Job Crafting Questionnaire, JCQ. Variablernas relation analyserades med multipel hierarkisk regressionsanalys. Huvudresultaten visade att variabelmodellen i viss mån predicerade psykisk hälsa och vårdkvalitet. Land gav högst grad av utfall. De svenska skattningarna visade lägre psykisk hälsa och vårdkvalitet än de spanska. Fler studier kan ge förståelse skillnaderna mellan länderna som framkom. För kunskap om JC behövs longitudinella studier av både kvalitativ och kvantitativ art. Det kan visa sätt att hantera europeisk äldreomsorgs framtida rekryteringsbehov och arbetsvillkor.

Self–regulation is a psychological skill that helps individuals to flexibly plan, execute and monitor their own behaviour. The key self–regulation processes include goal establishment, planning, the striving towards a goal and the revision thereof. Although it is clear that poor self–regulation is associated with psychopathology, the role gender plays is not well understood. Some differences between men and women suggest that gender may be a possible factor in self–regulation and the development of specific forms of psychopathology. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the relationship between self–regulation, psychopathology and gender amongst a group of university students. Participants consisted of an availability sample of 384 (284 female and 100 male) students at the NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus. Self–Regulation was measured with the Shortened Self–Regulation Questionnaire (SSRQ) of Carey, Neal and Collins (2004). In this study, the factor structure proposed by Potgieter and Botha (2009), based on a factor analysis of the SSRQ in the South–African context, was used. Psychopathology was measured with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) of Goldberg and Hiller (1979) as well as with a selfcompiled Alcohol and Eating Risk Questionnaire (AERQ). Data were captured and analysed using SAS. The two gender groups did not differ clearly regarding either self–regulation or psychopathology. This supports other studies that found no gender differences in specific selfregulation contexts, but contradicts a number of studies which indicate gender differences related to psychopathology. Interesting tendencies were noted regarding the association between self–regulation and psychopathology, independently for male and female students. Decision making and learning from mistakes, was found to be an important self–regulatory skill for both gender groups in this study, but with practical significance for male students only. For male students, differences in self–regulation were found regarding lower and higher risk for alcohol–related problems in contrast to female students, where differences were found only regarding risk for eating–related problems. It is more acceptable for males to misuse alcohol than it is for females in many societies, and this might explain why self–regulation is important for men regarding alcohol use. Current cultural values, attitudes, and practices and social norms, with particular emphasis on the sexualisation and objectification of women and their bodies, contribute to eating disorders and body image distress in females across their life span and specifically in college women. Thus, self–regulation becomes more important for females, as they are more vulnerable to eating–related problems. It was concluded that there is an important relationship between self–regulation and psychopathology, and in this study this relationship was found to be somehow different for male and female students. The results of this study have great implications both for further research and for clinical practice. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Self–regulation is a psychological skill that helps individuals to flexibly plan, execute and monitor their own behaviour. The key self–regulation processes include goal establishment, planning, the striving towards a goal and the revision thereof. Although it is clear that poor self–regulation is associated with psychopathology, the role gender plays is not well understood. Some differences between men and women suggest that gender may be a possible factor in self–regulation and the development of specific forms of psychopathology. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the relationship between self–regulation, psychopathology and gender amongst a group of university students. Participants consisted of an availability sample of 384 (284 female and 100 male) students at the NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus. Self–Regulation was measured with the Shortened Self–Regulation Questionnaire (SSRQ) of Carey, Neal and Collins (2004). In this study, the factor structure proposed by Potgieter and Botha (2009), based on a factor analysis of the SSRQ in the South–African context, was used. Psychopathology was measured with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) of Goldberg and Hiller (1979) as well as with a selfcompiled Alcohol and Eating Risk Questionnaire (AERQ). Data were captured and analysed using SAS. The two gender groups did not differ clearly regarding either self–regulation or psychopathology. This supports other studies that found no gender differences in specific selfregulation contexts, but contradicts a number of studies which indicate gender differences related to psychopathology. Interesting tendencies were noted regarding the association between self–regulation and psychopathology, independently for male and female students. Decision making and learning from mistakes, was found to be an important self–regulatory skill for both gender groups in this study, but with practical significance for male students only. For male students, differences in self–regulation were found regarding lower and higher risk for alcohol–related problems in contrast to female students, where differences were found only regarding risk for eating–related problems. It is more acceptable for males to misuse alcohol than it is for females in many societies, and this might explain why self–regulation is important for men regarding alcohol use. Current cultural values, attitudes, and practices and social norms, with particular emphasis on the sexualisation and objectification of women and their bodies, contribute to eating disorders and body image distress in females across their life span and specifically in college women. Thus, self–regulation becomes more important for females, as they are more vulnerable to eating–related problems. It was concluded that there is an important relationship between self–regulation and psychopathology, and in this study this relationship was found to be somehow different for male and female students. The results of this study have great implications both for further research and for clinical practice. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Syftet med studien var att kvantitativt undersöka förekomsten av negativ kroppsuppfattning samt sambandet mellan negativ kroppsuppfattning och psykisk ohälsa hos unga män. Frågeställningarna var hur vanligt det var med negativ kroppsuppfattning hos unga män på gymnasieskolor i södra Sverige, samt om det fanns ett samband mellan negativ kroppsuppfattning och psykisk ohälsa hos samma målgrupp. Urvalet bestod av 116 deltagare ( M = 17 år), vilka besvarade en enkät där negativ kroppsuppfattning och psykisk ohälsa mättes med hjälp av mätinstrumenten Appearance Evaluation respektive Global Health Questionnaire 12 . Resultaten visade att 23 % av deltagarna hade en negativ kroppsuppfattning, och att det fanns ett signifikant samband med medium effektstorlek mellan negativ kroppsuppfattning och psykisk ohälsa. Slutsatsen blev att negativ kroppsuppfattning förekom hos unga män på gymnasieskolor i södra Sverige, samt att det fanns ett samband mellan negativ kroppsuppfattning och psykisk ohälsa hos de unga männen. Emellertid bidrog metodologiska svårigheter till att resultaten inte är generaliserbara. / The purpose of this study was to quantitatively investigate the prevalence of negative body image and the correlation between negative body image and psychological distress in young men. The research questions were how common negative body image was in young men in high schools in southern Sweden, and if negative body image correlated with psychological distress within the target group. The sample consisted of 116 participants ( M = 17 years), who answered a survey where negative body image and psychological distress was measured by Appearance Evaluation and General Health Questionnaire 12. Results showed that 23 % of the participants had a negative body image, and that there was a significant correlation with medium effect size between negative body image and psychological distress. The conclusion was that negative body image existed in young men in high schools in southern Sweden, and that there was a correlation between negative body image and psychological distress among these young men. However, the methodological difficulties contributed to the results not being generalizable.

This study examined the role of people’s changing work roles and choice of work position for job satisfaction, turnover intention and general health after organizational change. Participants were 131 government agency managers undergoing a change of the management structure whereupon manager positions were cut down and everyone had to re-apply for the positions they wanted. Questionnaire data was collected before the organizational change and afterwards, when 43 of the participants were no longer managers. Four groups were formed from a combination of getting first choice of position or not and transferring down or not. A repeated measures ANOVA showed that the combination of not getting first choice of position and downward transfer resulted in significantly larger decrease in job satisfaction, larger increase in turnover intention and bigger decrease in general health than all other combinations. Practical implications for human resources management are discussed.