This purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between religious beliefs, religious affiliation, religious orientation, as defined by Allport and Ross (1967) and help-seeking behaviour amongst students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus. The need for this research has been motivated by the limited amount of previous research in this area. The influence of gender on help-seeking behaviour and on religious orientation was also explored. Questionnaires comprising of the Religious Orientation Scale, General Help-seeking questionnaire and demographic information in terms of age, gender and religious affiliation were administered to students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus. The sample consisted of 100 students from various religions, language, sexual orientation, age. The results revealed a significant difference between religious beliefs and religious orientation on help-seeking behaviour. In terms of demographic variables, gender had influence on religious orientation or help-seeking behaviour, respectively. However, religious affiliation had no influence on help-seeking behaviour. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka vilka strategier som är effektivast för att få hjälp och påkalla lärares uppmärksamhet i klassrummet samt om dessa skiljer sig mellan pojkar och flickor respektive årskurs två och sex. Frågeställningarna lyder: hur påkallar eleverna lärares uppmärksamhet och söker hjälp i klassrummet? Hur länge behöver eleverna vänta på hjälp? Metoden för studien är observation och totalt genomfördes 66 observationer i årskurs två och sex. Ett observationsschema med färdiga kategorier, grundade i tidigare forskning, användes. Tre typer av strategier för att be om hjälp och påkalla lärarens uppmärksamhet registrerades: handuppräckning, verbala strategier och fysiska strategier. De två förstnämnda observerades under lärarledd undervisning, medan samtliga strategier observerades under enskilt arbete. Flickor sökte överlag mer hjälp i klassrummet än vad pojkar gjorde. Flickor i årskurs två använde handuppräckning i störst utsträckning, medan pojkar i årskurs två framför allt använde verbala och fysiska strategier. Däremot var det pojkar som väntade kortast tid vid handuppräckning och flickor som väntade kortast tid vid användandet av verbala och fysiska strategier. Det är en signifikant skillnad i väntetiden mellan handuppräckning och de två övriga strategierna. Till exempel väntar elever i årskurs sex i snitt 71,9 sekunder vid handuppräckning medan de får hjälp efter 4,3 sekunder vid användandet av verbala strategier. I årskurs sex sökte pojkar hjälp och påkallade lärarens uppmärksamhet i större utsträckning än flickor i årskurs sex. Av alla elevgrupper behövde flickor i årskurs sex vänta längst tid på hjälp vid handuppräckning respektive kortast tid vid användandet av verbala och fysiska strategier. Studien har bidragit till ökad förståelse om hjälpsökande i klassrummet. Vi tror att valet av strategi har olika betydelse beroende på om man är pojke eller flicka och att det kan förklara varför både strategier och väntetider skiljer sig dem emellan. Elever i årskurs två och sex har olika förväntningar på sig eftersom de befinner sig i olika kognitiva utvecklingsstadier och det är lätt att anta att deras val av strategi således skiljer sig åt. Vi tror dock att det finns andra förklaringar inom till exempel det sociokulturella perspektivet. / The aim of this study is to examine what strategies are the most efficient when pupils ask for help and seek their teachers’ attention in the classroom. In addition we examine whether these strategies differ between boys and girls and between second and sixth year junior pupils. How do pupils seek teachers’ attention and ask for help in the classroom? For how long do pupils wait for teachers’ help? The empirical study was carried out through observation with a total of 66 observations in second and sixth year junior classrooms. A form with premade categories, based on published scientific reports, was used. Three different strategies of help and attention seeking were noted: raising hands, verbal strategies and physical strategies. Raising hands and verbal strategies were observed during teaching while all of the above were observed during self studies. Over all, girls sought help more frequently than boys. Regarding second year junior classes, girls mainly raised hands, while boys mainly used verbal and physical strategies. Meanwhile, the waiting time for boys was the shortest when raising hands while girls waited the shortest when using verbal and physical strategies. Generally, there is a significant difference in waiting time between raising hands and the two remaining strategies. When raising hands second year junior pupils and sixth year junior pupils wait on average 71,9 seconds and 97,1 seconds respectively, in comparison to verbal strategies where they wait on average 9,5 seconds and 4,3 seconds respectively. Boys in sixth year junior classrooms sought teachers’ attention and asked for help more frequently than girls in sixth year junior classrooms. Over all, girls in sixth year junior classrooms waited the longest and the shortest when raising hands and when using verbal and physical strategies respectively. This study has contributed to increased knowledge regarding help and attention seeking in classrooms. We believe that choices of strategies have varied effect depending on sex, which can explain why strategies and waiting time differ between boys and girls. Since second and sixth year junior pupils experience different levels of pressure based on how far gone they are in the cognitive development progress, it seems like a safe assumption that this is why the use of different strategies varies between age groups. However, we argue that other explanations may be found when looked upon through a socio-cultural perspective.

The general aim of the thesis was to contribute to the knowledge about co-occurring symptoms of ADHD and depression in adolescence, focusing on sex differences, as well as aetiology, help-seeking and assessment. Studies I–III used epidemiological samples of self-reports from all students in Västmanland aged 15–16 and 17–18 years. Study I investigated the prevalence of co-occurring symptoms of ADHD and depression, as well as associations between co-occurring symptoms of ADHD and depression and one environmental stress factor; experience of sexual abuse. Study II examined associations between one biological factor—a polymorphism in TFAP-2β—and co-occurring symptoms of ADHD with andco-occurringsymptoms of depression. Study III investigated the association between the parent–adolescent relationship and seeking help from specialized mental health services in relation to symptoms of ADHD and/or depression. Study IV was a clinical study among adolescent psychiatric patients that compared self-reported ADHD symptoms via the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale–Adolescent version (ASRS-A) and the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale–Adolescent–Screening version (ASRS-A-S) with an ADHD diagnosis determined by the gold-standard method; the Kiddie Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia diagnostic interview. Studies I–III showed that the phenotype of co-occurring symptoms of ADHD and depression is frequent, with a distinct preponderance among girls. Approximately 50% of both boys and girls with co-occurring symptoms of ADHD and depression had also experienced sexual abuse, indicating that this is a group with multiple risk factors for long-term impaired mental health. Results also support biological sex differences because girls with symptoms of ADHD and a common polymorphism of TFAP-2β (absence of a 9 repeat) reported more symptoms of depression, but boys did not. Further, only 5% of the adolescents with symptoms of ADHD and/or depression sought help from specialized mental health services. The co-occurrence of symptoms of ADHD and depression was a stronger predictor of help-seeking than all other psychosocial factors investigated, including secure attachment cognitions styles to parents. Among help-seeking girls, co-occurring symptoms of ADHD and depression were more common than symptoms of ADHD without co-occurring symptoms of depression. The ASRS-A/ASRS-A-S showed promising psychometric properties for further validation in adolescentsresults as a screening tool for use in adolescents.

Women treated for a gynecological cancer report longstanding post-treatment difficulties for which they rarely seek or receive help. Few intervention studies have successfully improved global sexual health within this population. Research in this domain is challenging due to inconsistent measurements of sexuality, low response rates and high attrition rates. The overarching study objectives were: (a) To contribute to the advancement of research on supportive care needs (including sexual health needs), desire for help, and predictors of needs; and, (b) To inform the development of services for gynecological cancer survivors. In Study 1, a qualitative interview study explored the experiences of 15 gynecological cancer survivors. Interviews were conducted and analysed based on the Interpretive Description approach . In Study 2 (for which results were analyzed in two parts), a descriptive, cross-sectional needs assessment was conducted to measure supportive care needs, desire for help, sexual health and vaginal changes, and service format preferences in 113 patients. In Part 1 of Study 2, descriptive and regression analyses explored patient needs, desire for help and potential predictors of these variables. In Part 2, a descriptive analysis explored sexual health needs and vaginal changes, desire for help with sexual health needs, and their associations with sociodemographic and medical variables. Qualitative results from Study 1 suggested that psychological, emotional and relational aspects of sexuality were as important to the participants as physiological sexual response. In the needs assessment, the strongest predictors of greater unmet needs and increased readiness for help were younger age and shorter time since treatment. Moderate to high sexual and social needs were equally prevalent in women recently treated and those treated several years prior to the study, suggesting that sexual and social needs may remain unaddressed over time. Further, many women who reported a need did not desire help, demonstrating the subjectivity of needs and distress, as well as the potential presence of barriers to seeking help. Both studies revealed a common finding, where sexual health needs were a product of the discordance between participants’ current sexual experiences and their perceptions of ideal sexual health. Overall, the two studies indicate that a significant subgroup of patients experience unmet needs in cancer survivorship, most of which are non-physical; also, while some needs were higher following treatment, unmet social and sexual health needs show little relationship with time since treatment. Ambivalence about receiving help with unmet needs is related to beliefs about the role of the health care team in meeting non-physical needs, as well as other perceived barriers. Patient’s perceived sexual health needs and barriers to receiving help should be evaluated within a comprehensive framework of needs and discussed one-on-one. Future research should explore the added predictive value of other groups of medical and psychological variables.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2008. / Title from title screen. Vita. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-91).

Evidence supporting a range of 6-14 years between mental illness symptom recognition and psychological help seeking has spurred a substantial interest in help seeking barriers. The present study suggests that mind and body dualism, the perceiving of the mind as an entity distinct from the body, is one such barrier to help seeking. Despite the fact that beliefs in mind-body dualism or its opposite, that of physicalism, are evident in virtually all human cultures and religions, surprisingly little is known about the psychological and behavioral implications of holding such beliefs. An exception to this disparity is a study that demonstrated a connection between dualism and decreased engagement in healthy behaviors, such as exercise and eating habits (Forstmann et al., 2012). The aim of the present study was to expand on these findings by investigating the effects of mind-body beliefs and gender on attitudes towards professional psychological help and holistic or alternative medicines. In accordance with my hypothesis, a MANOVA indicated a main effect of gender, such that women felt more positively than men about seeking professional help for their own mental health problems as well as about the general value of therapy for others. A secondary analysis indicated that participants who self-identified as Jewish felt significantly more positive about psychotherapeutic treatment compared to Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist religious groups. Future research should continue to examine the links between mind-body ideologies, religion, culture, and help seeking through a large-scale correlational analysis utilizing naturally occurring mind-body beliefs.

Närstående som mist någon i suicid är i riskzonen för att utveckla psykisk ohälsa. Få studier har undersökt närståendes upplevelse av samhällets stödinsatser. Det är även få studier som undersökt relationen mellan närståendes grad av self-compassion och hjälpsökandebeteende. Syftet med denna studie var därför att undersöka hur närstående upplever samhällets stödinsatser, samt om det finns ett samband mellan grad av self-compassion, antalet stödinsatser de sökt och vilken stödinsats de vänt sig till. Studien bestod av 174 personer som var medlemmar i den ideella organisationen Suicidprevention och efterlevandestöd (SPES) där samtliga var över 18 år. Oberoende t-test användes för att se skillnad i medelvärde mellan olika grupper av self-compassion och antalet stödinsatser de sökt. Vidare gjordes chi-två test och ANOVA-analyser för att se om det fanns en statistisk signifikant skillnad mellan grad av self-compassion, antalet stödinsatser de sökt samt vilken typ av stöd. Resultatet visade att närstående fått mest stöd från framförallt familjemedlem/vän eller partner men även från ideell organisation och religiöst förbund. Minst stöd upplevde de att de fått från vuxenpsykiatrin, vårdcentral och privat professionell behandlare. Det fanns ett signifikant samband mellan antalet stödinsatser deltagare sökt och grad av self-compassion, där de med lägre grad av self-compassion sökte fler stödinsatser. Resultatet visade även en signifikant skillnad i skattningen mellan olika grader av self-compassion och vilka som sökt stödinsatserna vuxenpsykiatrin och familjemedlem/vän eller partner. Resultatet tyder på att det nuvarande stödet är bristande och det behövs mer forskning inom området som underlag till förbättring. / People bereaved by suicide are at risk to develop mental health problems. Few studies have aimed to research on their experience of support efforts in combination with self-compassion and how it influences help-seeking behaviour. The purpose of the study was to investigate how the bereaved experience support efforts, and whether the degree of self-compassion affects how much support they sought and which support effort they turned to. The participants were 174 persons from the non-profit organization Suicidprevention och efterlevandestöd (SPES) and all participants were over 18 years old. Independent t-test was used to see the difference in means between groups of self-compassion and the number of support efforts they sought. Chi-square test and ANOVA-analyzes were used to calculate the significant difference between groups in self-compassion, how much and what kind of support they sought. Results showed that the bereaved experienced most support from family members/friends or partners, non-profit organizations and religious associations. They experienced least support from adult psychiatry, primary care and private practicing psychologists. There was a significant association between how many support efforts bereaved sought and degree of self-compassion, where they with lower degree of self-compassion sought more support efforts. The result showed a significant difference between degree of self-compassion and those who sought help from adult psychiatry and family member/friend or partner. As the result indicates that the current support is inadequate, more research in this area is needed as a basis for improvement.

Organisations are increasingly using e-learning as a tool to train employees due to its flexibility and cost-efficiency. Training and development plays a central part in onboarding of new employees where e-learning is used to help new employees getting up to speed in their roles and become an effective member in the organisation. Self-regulatory learning is an important theory to consider when managing learning in organisations. It provides insight on what learners do in educational environments in order to learn, and what important underlying behaviours that make a learning process flourish. Researchers call for an examination of the learning process of e-learners. Understanding learning processes can deepen our understanding of what support employees need and thereby provide important insights in how to support learners during e-learning. This paper presents a qualitative study, which applies four elements of self-regulatory learning to the phenomenon of e-learning during onboarding in IT-organisations. The aim is to understand new employees e-learning processes in their new roles. Our findings display the prevalent role of goal setting and help seeking during onboarding. This research identifies different types of goals and how a combination of distant and proximal goals provide learners with a good foundation for professional development during onboarding. Furthermore, we acknowledge the importance of help seeking within the organisational context and its vital role in early stages of using e-learning systems.