Previous research on cosmetic surgery and teenage girls is limited and fails to provide information regarding how teenage girls construct these procedures. A social constructionist approach informed by a discursive psychology methodology was used to study how teenage girls and message board respondents construct cosmetic surgery through the language they use and the social actions performed through their talk. I analyzed questions posted by teenage girls between the ages of 13 to 19 on online message boards, as well as responses to these questions posted by other message board users. Social actions identified in the teenage girls talk included: advice and information seeking, approval seeking, and justification of cosmetic surgery. Social actions identified in the respondents talk included: provision of advice and information, warning, approval, disapproval, criticism and judgement, reassurance, empathy, encouragement, and support. In general, teenage girls constructed cosmetic surgery as a way for them to feel better about themselves, as a way for them to feel better about the body part they were seeking surgery for, and as a way for them to fit in and be accepted by others. The results of this study are discussed in relation to the existing research on teenage girls and cosmetic surgery, Daviss (1995) feminist perspective on cosmetic surgery, Fredrickson and Robertss (1997) objectification theory, and embodiment. Implications for teenage girls, parents of teenage girls, physicians, and psychologists are also discussed, and recommendations for future research are suggested.

Because of what I perceive to be important contributions to female youth empowerment and the construction of culture and community, I chose to conduct a qualitative case study that explores the methods utilized in the performance of Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls, as well as the experiences of camp administrators, participants, and volunteers, in order to identify feminist constructs, aims, and outcomes of Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls. My interests lie in the feminist and activist approaches in the construction and production of Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls, as well as in the quest for equity, community building, and the production of culture that arises through participation. This thesis discusses the themes of feminism, feminist activism, networking, community building, cultural production, and the waging of equity as they are found in the production and performance of Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls.

Sexual abuse is defined as any act which forces or coerces a child into engaging in non-consensual sexual activities that they may not understand. As child sexual abuse is recognized as a mental health and public health concern, increased research efforts have been directed towards identifying the physical, emotional, and cognitive effects of child sexual abuse. The majority of such research uses adult survivors of child sexual abuse and is quantitative, retrospective, and correlational in design. Qualitative approaches with adults are few; thus far, descriptive research with children is largely limited to forensic applications. Pargament (1997) proposes the existence of religious coping, or the introduction of the sacred in an individual’s search for significance in times of stress. Initial research efforts have begun to delineate the positive and negative religious coping strategies used within various adult populations. The purpose of the present investigation is to gain an experiential understanding of religious coping from the perspective of adolescent girls who have experienced sexual abuse. Open-ended interviews and phenomenological analysis with each of the 6 participants revealed the complexity present in their experience of religious coping. The presence of a highly relationship-based experience of religious coping is discussed and its implications for the assessment and treatment of complex posttraumatic stress disorder are explored. Finally, implications of the present investigation for the adolescent participants and members of spiritual communities are delineated.

Despite decreasing rates of teen pregnancy within the U.S., rates remain high for African American girls (Guttmacher Institute, 2006). Comprehensive youth development programs aim to address teen pregnancy. This study examined the role of natural mentors in relation to participation in Cool Girls, Inc. and girls’ sexual efficacy among middle school girls. Furthermore, the quality of natural mentor relationship was assessed. Results provide no support that participation in the program and the presence of a natural mentor significantly affects sexual efficacy. Furthermore, the quality of natural mentor relationship did not significantly increase girls’ sexual efficacy. However, while not explicitly hypothesized, older girls reported significantly higher sexual efficacy. Limitations and strengths of the study are discussed. Directions for future research and intervention are suggested.

The purpose of the current study is determine if the presence of a natural mentor, and/or the quality of relationship within protégé-mentor relationships, predicts the development of Future Orientation (FO) among African American girls living in conditions of risk. A sample of 160 girls of African descent was recruited from 6 elementary and middle schools. An exploratory factor analysis of 19 FO items suggested a 2-factor model consisting of (1) motivation and (2) planning. The model did not support the third expected factor, evaluation. The presence of natural mentors failed to predict concurrent levels of FO. Relationship quality did significantly predict concurrent levels of FO. Post-hoc analyses indicated that the consistent presence of a natural mentor predicted the development of FO. Post-hoc analyses also indicated the relationship quality with one’s, significantly predicted the development of FO among consistently mentored girls. Methodological limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

Mitt arbete syftar till att åskådliggöra de genusföreställningar som skapas av vårt samhälle kring sättet vi lever och verkar på. Mitt fokus ligger på tjejer som tränar eller verkar inom kampsport, deras uppfattning av sig själva som kvinnliga utövare samt deras tolkning av samhällets syn på dem. Studien är kvalitativ och baseras på teoretisk forskning kring genus, kön, idrott och idrottshistoria. Till detta har jag valt att addera tolv intervjuer med personer som faller inom ramen av mitt urval, det vill säga personer som under en längre tid varit med och verkat för kampsporten. Då jag har riktat in mig på fyra olika kampsporter och för att få en bra bredd, har jag valt att intervjua en kille och två tjejer från varje sport.                       Resultatet redovisas i löpande text och är baserad på frågeställningen i den ordning de kommer. Vidare har jag också valt att diskutera kring respondenternas svar i förhållande till tidigare forskning för att undersöka om det finns olika föreställningar beroende på om du befinner dig inom kampsporten eller om du ser den utifrån. Målet är att få igång en diskussion och att väcka en tanke kring inverkan av genusuppfattningar och gränsbrytare. Slutsatsen syftar till att våga öppna dörrar och bortse från förlegade normer och regler, att det kanske är hög tid att förändra de regler som samhället skapat, för att kunna utvecklas åt det håll vi strävar efter. / This research is aiming to illustrate the views of gender, created by our society, around the way we live and act. My focus is girls who are training or acting within Martial Arts, their self-perception as a female practitioner together with their interpretation of the way the society see them.  The study is qualitative and based on theoretical research about gender, sex, sports and sports history. To this, I have chosen to add twelve interviews with people who fall within the frame of my selection, that is people who during a longer period of time has been within and acting for the Martial Art. Since I focus on four different types of Martial Arts, to create a good distribution, I have chosen to interview one boy and two girls from each sport within Martial Arts. The result will be reported in text and based on the questions in the aim of this research, in the same order as they are written. Furthermore I have also chosen to discuss the answers of the respondents, in relation to previous research, to investigate if there are different conceptions depending on if you are acting within the Martial Art or if you observe it from the outside. My aim with this is to start a discussion and to create a thought or an idea about gender conception and people who break the boundary. The intention of the conclusion is to dare to open new doors and to look beyond antiquated values and codes, maybe it is time to change the rules created by society, to be able to develop in the direction we are striving for.

In this study the aim is to examine how employees in treatment programmes relate to girls that self-harm. To achieve this four questions were formulated: (1) What experiences does the empolyees have of meeting girls that self-harm? (2) Based on the employees’ experiences, what has been the background to why the girls self-harm? (3) Based on the employees’ experience, what increases or decreases the risk of self-harm? (4) How do the employees’ work with girls that self-harm? The method being used was qualitative interviews with vignettes. The theoretical framework is Becker’s Labeling Theory and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecology of Human Development. The result shows that according to the employees issues in the family is a common factor among girls that self-harm. It also shows that the employees’ opinions on how to work with the girls’ physical wounds are divided. Some think that paying attention to the wounds can increase the risk of self-harm while others think that paying attention to the wounds can be helpful for the girls.

No description available.

Bakgrund: Kvinnlig könsstympning är en gammal sed som är vanligt förekommande i flera länder. Seden innebär att delar av det kvinnliga könsorganet avlägsnas. Det beräknas att två miljoner flickor utsätts årligen. I vilken omfattning ingreppet sker i Sverige är okänt, men det förekommer. I Sverige är alla former av ingreppet förbjudet. Skolsköterskan har möjlighet att möta och hjälpa flickor som riskerar eller har utsatts för kvinnlig könsstympning. Syftet: Syftet med denna studie är att belysa skolsköterskors upplevelser kring kvinnlig könsstympning bland flickor i skolan. Metod: Kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra skolsköterskor i en kommun i Mellansverige samt frågeformulär från sju skolsköterskor i olika delar av Sverige. Kvalitativ innehållsanalys användes som analysmetod. Resultat: Skolsköterskorna upplevde känslor av Kluvenhet, Osäkerhet och Medkänsla. Samt att kvinnlig könsstympning var Känsligt men angeläget att samtala om. Diskussion: Resultatet i denna studie fokuserar på skolsköterskors upplevelser, vilket skiljer sig ifrån tidigare studier i ämnet. I denna studie framkommer det en osäkerhet och rädsla inför att samtala, samt en vilja att hjälpa utan att döma. Detta tyder på att skolsköterskor upplever en utmaning. De behöver stöd och utbildning för att våga möta flickor som utsatts eller riskerar att utsättas för kvinnlig könsstympning. / Background: Female genital mutilation is an old ritual common in several different countries. In female genital mutilation parts of the female genital organ are removed. About two millions girls are exposed every year. Female genital mutilation occurs in Sweden, but to what extent is unknown. All types of genital mutilation are forbidden in Sweden. School nurses have an opportunity to meet and aid girls who are at risk or have been subject to genital mutilation. Aim: The aim of this study is to highlight school nurses´ experience of female genital mutilation among girls in school. Method: A qualitative interview study with four school nurses in a municipality in the central of Sweden as well as qualitative questionnaire from seven school nurses in different parts of Sweden. The material was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: School nurses experienced feelings of Ambivalence, Uncertainty and Compassion. As well as the subject being Sensitive but Vital to talk about. Discussion: The results of this study focus on school nurses experience, which differs from previous studies on the subject. The study shows an uncertainty and fear of talking, and a willingness to help without judging. This indicates that school nurses experience challenges and are in need of support and training in order to meet girls who have been or may be subject to female genital mutilation.

This essay was underpinned by the premise that boys and girls receive an equal education in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) in Swedish schools. The purpose with this essay was to examine whether there are any differences between boys and girls when it comes to understanding grammatical structures and listening comprehension in English in a county in central Sweden. The investigation focused on tests that were carried out after every section of teaching in the various areas. A descriptive method was used which consisted of quantitative approaches; i.e. content analysis of questionnaires answered by 60 pupils in the ages of 10-11. A following analysis was thereafter conducted with reference to the theories by Vygotskij, Piaget and Skinner that are used in the investigation. The results showed that the girls had slightly better results in all of the tests in grammatical structures except one, and in all of the listening comprehension questionnaires, which indicates a better understanding of these parts in EFL learning. It remains to be established why these differences have occurred as the number of pupils in the study cannot be considered valid as representations of Swedish pupils in general. The conclusion of the result however, was that educators in EFL need to increase their knowledge concerning differences in learning between boys and girls. They also need to consider whether the EFL lessons being delivered in classrooms are equally beneficial to both sexes.