Psychosomatic health, including sleep, is important for adolescent well-being and daily functioning. Sleep difficulties are more seldom studied per se and whether there is socio-demographic variation in sleep difficulties among adolescents in Sweden is less known. The overall aim of the present study was to examine the frequency and social distribution of sleep difficulties among adolescents in Sweden. The child supplements of the Survey of Living Conditions, a Swedish nationally representative sample of ages 10-18, from years 2002 and 2003 were used (n=2531). Information from adolescents was linked to information from parents in a cross-sectional study design. Based on logistic regression analyses, variation in sleep difficulties was present according to gender, age, family structure, family economy, parent’s unemployment and residential area. No systematic sleep inequality by social class was found in the present study. The main results showed that adolescent girls, older age groups of adolescents, adolescents living in reconstituted families, living in families with a lack of cash margin, having unemployed parents and living in big cities reported sleep difficulties to a greater extent. Social factors, together with biological, psychological and cultural factors interact in explaining the variation in sleep difficulties.

Abstract available in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

Associations between the experience of traumatic events and illness behaviors such as health complaints and healthcare use are reported in recent studies. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and diagnosis have been found to mediate this trauma-illness relationship. Differences in health behaviors have additionally been noted in the literature, with trauma victims engaging in more negative health behaviors, which may subsequently affect illness status. Further, illness behaviors such as somatic complaints and healthcare utilization are influenced by modeling and reinforcement of such behaviors. The current study sought to evaluate the contributions of negative health behaviors, illness-related learning history, and PTSD symptoms on trauma victims' health complaints, functional health status, and utilization of healthcare services. The final sample included 298 undergraduate students at a large southeastern university. Participants provided information about their trauma histories, health behaviors, illness-related learning history and current illness behaviors on group-administered self-report questionnaires. Consent to obtain utilization information from the university health center was also obtained. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to assess the additive contributions of the predictor variables. The results indicated that health complaints, functional health status, and utilization behavior are each influenced by trauma history, with more illness behavior associated with greater trauma severity. In addition, health behaviors, illness-related learning history and PTSD symptoms all contribute to the prediction of health complaints and functional health status. Utilization behavior, however, was predicted only by trauma history and learning history. Further, the different types of learning history (modeling, reinforcement, priming) appear to affect different illness behaviors. Implications of the study are discussed. / Ph. D.

The neighbourhood is an essential arena for adolescents’ health development and research suggests that perceived neighbourhood insecurity (PNI) is associated with socio-economic status and self-rated health. The present study explored the distribution of adolescents’ PNI and its association with psychosomatic health complaints across districts. It also examined gender differences and whether family socio-economic position, foreign background and previous exposure to crime could explain part of the association. Data came from classroom-surveys within Stockholm municipality’s 14 districts in 2010, 2012 and 2014 (n=10,291). Linear and logistic multilevel regression models were applied. Results showed that the average level of PNI varied considerably between districts and were strongly connected to its socio-demographic composition. However, individual characteristics in terms of family background and previous exposure to crime only explained a minor part of the variation in PNI across districts. Girls reported more insecurity than boys in all districts. Gender differences in PNI decreased in absolute numbers, but increased in relative numbers, as the overall ‘neighbourhood safety’ increased. Between-district differences in health were minor, but PNI was still a strong predictor of individual-level health, especially for boys. Furthermore, the predictive power of PNI on health was stronger in districts perceived as safer.

The exercise of autonomy and self-regulation is seen in the literature as one of the basic criteria of professionalism. Since in modern states Medicine has generally been the occupational grouping which has most completely attained that status, it is seen as the model or archetype of professionalism. This study focuses on just one aspect of medical autonomy, that relating to the right of medical professionals to be accountable only to their fellow professionals as far as the maintenance of practice standards are concerned. In this thesis, the theory underlying this system of "peer review" is examined and then its application during the course of the 20th century is traced in one particular jurisdiction, that of the State of New South Wales in Australia. The reason for the focus on NSW is that in this jurisdiction, medical autonomy existed and was exercised in a particularly pure and powerful form after it was instituted in 1900. However, it was also in NSW that for the first time anywhere in the world, an institutional challenge to medical disciplinary autonomy emerged with the establishment in 1984 of the "Complaints Unit" of the Department for Health. The thesis of this study is that as a result of this development, which within a comparatively short space of time led to the emergence of a system of "co-regulation" of medical discipline, medical disciplinary autonomy and peer review had within a decade, been so severely challenged as to be almost extinct in this State. In the light of theoretical frameworks provided by Weber, Habermas and the American scholar Robert Alford, the study examines the long drawn out struggle to institute medical autonomy in NSW in the 19th century, its entrenchment by subsequent legislation over the next eight decades and the "counter-attack" staged by the emergent forces of consumerism, supported by the forces of the ideology of "Public Interest Law" in the last two decades of the century. The study concludes with a discussion of the implications for definitions of professionalism which might result from the loss by Medicine in NSW, of its right to exclusive control of medical discipline and the consequent disappearance of medical peer review.

Tyrimo tikslas - įvertinti emigracijoje gyvenančių lietuvių asmenybės bruožų, sveikatos rodiklių ir prisitaikymo naujoje aplinkoje sąsajas, bei skirtumus su Lietuvoje gyvenančiais lietuviais. Tyrime dalyvavo 409 tiriamieji: 199 emigracijoje gyvenantys lietuviai ir 209 Lietuvoje gyvenantys lietuviai. Tiriamieji pildė klausimyną, kurį sudarė BFI (asmenybės bruožams tirti) skalė, HAD (nerimastingumo ir pablogėjusios nuotaikos skalė), nusiskundimų sveikata dažnumo vertinimas, ir prisitaikymo naujoje aplinkoje strategijų klausimynas. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad Lietuvių emigrantai nepasižymi didesniu polinkiu į ekstraversiją, atvirumą patirčiai, neurotiškumą, sutarimą su kitais ir sąžiningumą, nei Lietuvoje gyvenantys lietuviai. Emigrantų stipriau išreikštas neurotiškumas siejasi su didesniu polinkiu į separatizmą, švelniau išreikštas neurotiškumas, ryškesnis sąžiningumas siejasi su geresne integracija. Nenustatyta neurotiškumo su asimiliacija ir atvirumo patyrimui su integracija sąsajų. Lietuvių emigrantai nurodo mažiau nusiskundimų sveikatos būkle, vyrauja stipriau išreikštas nerimastingumas ir pablogėjusi nuotaika, palyginti su Lietuvoje gyvenančiais lietuviais. Be to, emigrantų didesnis nerimastingumas siejasi su stipriau išreikšta ekstraversija, sutarimu su kitais ir sąžiningumu, blogesnė nuotaika būdinga pasižymintiems didesniu sąžiningumu, bei vyrams su stipresniu ekstraversijos ir sutarimo kitais bruožu. Mažiau nusiskundimų sveikata nurodo linkusieji į ekstraversiją... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The purpose of this study is to ascertain personality traits, health complaints and acculturation strategies in the sample of Lithuanian emigrants living abroad and compare with Lithuanian local inhabitants. The research involved 409 participants: 199 Lithuanian emigrants, living abroad and 209 local citizens that live in Lithuanian. Participants had to fill in a questionnaire made up of BFI (Big Five Inventory), HAD (Hospital anxiety and depression scale), health complaints scale and Acculturative Behavior Scale. The research results showed that Lithuanian emigrants and non-emigrants do not differ in the level of extraversion, openness to experience, neuroticism, agreeableness and consciousness. Higher level of neuroticism tends to correlate with higher rates of separatism, lower neuroticism and stronger consciousness correlates with better integration. The results also showed that Lithuanian emigrants report less health complaints, but tend to have more anxiety and state of mind symptoms to compare with non-emigrants. The greater degrees of anxiety result in higher rates of extraversion, agreeableness and consciousness. Lithuanian emigrants with higher rates of consciousness and especially men with higher degree of extraversion and agreeableness tend to have worse state of mind. It is noticed that less heath complaints demonstrate those who are more extraverted, agreeable, less neurotic and men who are more open to experience. Moreover, higher degree of separatism enhances... [to full text]

Darbo objektas: Fizinio aktyvumo ir miego kokybės sąsajos su sveikatos nusiskundimais. Darbo tikslas: Įvertinti sąsajas tarp studentų fizinio aktyvumo, miego kokybės ir sveikatos nusiskundimų. Hipotezė: Mažiau fiziškai aktyvūs studentai pasižymi blogesne miego kokybe ir dažnesniais sveikatos nusiskundimais. Uždaviniai: 1. Palyginti LSMU ir kolegijos studentų fizinio aktyvumo lygį, miego kokybę, mokymosi trukmę, patiriamą distresą, žalingus įpročius, vidinės darnos lygį ir sveikatos nusiskundimų dažnį. 2. Įvertinti sąsajas tarp studentų miego kokybės ir sveikatos nusiskundimų, patiriamo distreso, mokymosi trukmės, vidinės darnos lygio. 3. Įvertinti sąsajas tarp studentų fizinio aktyvumo lygio ir miego kokybės, sveikatos nusiskundimų, patiriamo distreso, nuovargio mokymosi procese, vidinės darnos lygio, žalingų įpročių. Tyrimo imtis ir organizavimas: Momentinė anketinė apklausa buvo vykdoma 2012 m. spalio – lapkričio mėn. Viso apklausta 150 LSMU medicinos ir 150 Kauno kolegijos vadybos ir kraštotvarkos studentų. Rezultatai: Žemu fizinio aktyvumo lygiu (mažiau nei kartą per savaitę) pasižymėjo 47,3 proc. LSMU ir 34,0 proc. kolegijos studentų (p = 0,004 ). 56,1 proc. kasdien sportuojantys studentai skundėsi miego trūkumu, tuo tarpu mažiau nei kartą per savaitę sportuojančių studentų tarpe miego trūkumu skundėsi 68,9 proc. (p = 0,04). Su blogesne miego kokybe patikimai siejosi neigiamas savo sveikatos vertinimas (p < 0,0001), silpna vidinė darna (p < 0,0001), kaklo skausmai (p < 0... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Work object: physical activity and sleep quality associations with healh complaints. The aim of the work: to eveluate associations between physical activity, sleep quality and health complaints among students. Hypothesis: Less physically active students have poorer sleep quality and more frequent health complaints. The tasks: 1. To compare physical activity level, sleep quality, learning time, experienced distress, addictions, internal coherence level and frequency of health complaints between LUHS and college students. 2. To eveluate links between students sleep quality and health complaints, experienced distress, learning time, internal coherence level. 3. o eveluate links between students physical activity and sleep quality, health complaints, experienced distress, fatigue in the learning process, internal coherence level, addictions. Research process and the organization: instant questionnaire survey was carried out in October and November in 2012. There were questioned 150 medical students of LUHS and 150 management and landscape students of Kaunas college. The results: low level of physical activity was prevalent in 47, 3% among students of LUHS and 34,0 % students of college (p-0,004). These students go in for sports less than once a week. 56, 1 % students who go in for sports every day complained about the lack of sleep. While 68, 9 % (p=0,04) students who go in for sports less than once a week complained about the lack of sleep. According to poorer sleep quality... [to full text]

Family and school are the two major socialization agents for young people with important implications for their social, psychological and cognitive development. This thesis aimed to investigate the extent to which family conditions in terms of parental attachment and support (PAS) and school conditions in terms of participation and teacher support were associated with adolescents’ psychosomatic health. The thesis also explored whether school participation and support (SPS) could compensate for the potentially negative health implications of experiencing poor relational support at home. Association patterns according to gender and grade were also investigated. Data were derived from a classroom survey of all ninth and eleventh-grade students carried out in Stockholm 2006 (n=9,560). Results from linear regression analyses showed that both PAS and SPS were negatively associated with psychosomatic complaints. Gender and grade differences were also noted in respect to PAS and SPS as well as in the interaction between them. The study failed to find a compensatory function of school characteristics for less advantaged students, but modifying effects were nevertheless found. Students with a combination of high PAS and low SPS had worse health than expected, thus indicating that poor condition in school modifies the positive health effect of PAS in a negative way.

Background: Research points in different directions when looking at possible increases in mental health problems among adolescents. Findings in favor of an increase are questioned due to methodological problems. Aim: Investigating whether mental health problems among young adolescents are increasing over time in Europe and North America. If so, does the trend apply both to mean levels of symptoms and to the proportion of adolescents with substantial problems? Are the time-trends similar over sex and age-categories?                                                                                                    Method: A total of 401 089 adolescents from a total of 38 countries are included in the analysis. Based on the eight health variables on self-rated health provided by the HBSC study, a measurement of mental health problems was created using factor analysis in SPSS. Results: Increases of mental health problems were found in Europe and North America. Increases were found both in terms of mean levels of symptoms and to the proportion of adolescents with substantial problems. Increases were seen in all age groups and among both girls and boys. Conclusion: Reasons behind the discovered increases are not known and should be further investigated as extensive research point to severe consequences of mental health problems in adolescence for later life.       Key words   Adolescents, mental health problems, trends, self-reported health (SRH), psychological health complaints (PHC)

2012 m. rugsėjo, spalio ir lapkričio mėnesiais buvo atlikta trijų Kauno m. vidurinių mokyklų 6, 7, 8, 9 ir 10 klasių moksleivių anoniminė anketinė apklausa, kurios metu buvo apklausti 446 moksleiviai (230 mergaičių ir 216 berniukų). Klausimynas buvo sudarytas iš klausimų, susijusių su patiriamu priekabiavimu mokykloje, taip pat tyrėme ar moksleiviai turi sveikatos nusiskundimų: galvos skausmą, skrandžio ir pilvo skausmą, liūdesį, nerimą, blogą nuotaiką, nemigą, nervinę įtampą ir t.t. Moksleivių psichologinei būsenai įvertinti buvo įtraukta jau aprobuota A. Antanovsky vidinės darnos sutrumpinta 13 teiginių skalės versija. Potrauminio streso simptomai buvo vertinami Įvykio poveikio skale. Taip pat tyrėme moksleivių suvartojamų, kai kurių maisto produktų dažnį, buvome įtraukę tokius maisto produktus: alkoholiniai, energetiniai ir saldūs gazuoti gėrimai, bulvių traškučiai, saldainiai, šokoladai, picos, mėsainiai, šaldyti pusfabrikačiai, švieži vaisiai ir daržovės, košės, natūralios vaisių sultys, mėsa, žuvis ir t.t. Statistinė duomenų analizė atlikta naudojant kompiuterinį SPSS 15.0 for Windows versijos statistinį duomenų analizės paketą ir Microsoft Office Excel. / In 2012. September, October and November have been carried out an anonymous questionnaire in three high school between 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10th grade student; there was questioned 446 students (230 girls and 216 boys). The questionnaire consisted of questions related to school bullying also investigated whether students have health complaints: headaches, stomach and abdominal pain, sadness, anxiety, low mood, insomnia, nervous tension, etc. To evaluate psychological state of pupils was used an approved A. Antonovsky Sense of Coherence condensed statements 13 scale version. Post-traumatic stress symptoms were rated by using Event scale. Also it was investigated frequency of students' usage of some food; there were added these foods: alcohol, energy and sweet fizzy drinks, crisps, sweets, chocolates, pizzas, burgers, frozen semi-finished goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, cereals, natural fruit juices meat, fish, etc. Statistical analysis was performed by using a computer SPSS for Windows version 15.0 statistical package and Microsoft Office Excel.