<p>Abstract</p><p>Intimate partner violence (IPV) is highly prevalent in Pakistan. Social support is associated with a reduced risk for violence and adverse mental health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between social support and the occurrence of IPV and adverse mental health among Pakistani women exposed to IPV, along with exploring help-seeking behaviour using qualitative interviews. Data from a cross-sectional survey of 759 women, aged 25–60, were analyzed using logistic regression. The results demonstrated that informal social support was associated with fewer occurrences of all forms of IPV and less likelihood of adverse mental health when exposed to psychological violence, whereas formal social support was associated with more occurrences of all forms of IPV and more likelihood of adverse mental health when exposed to psychological violence. The qualitative result showed that fear of social stigma and low autonomy were, among others, obstacles for seeking help. Suggestions for future interventions include strengthening informal social networks and expanding formal resources, as well as raising awareness of IPV in order to address the issue.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> / This thesis was made possible by a Minor Field Study grant from the Swedish International Developmental Agency (SIDA) distributed by the department of Psychology at Stockholm University and we would like to express our gratitude for assisting us financially. / PhD project by Tazeen Saeed Ali, School of Nursing, Aga Khan University, called, “Living with violence in the home - a normal part of Pakistani women's life or a serious transgression of human rights.”

Abstract Intimate partner violence (IPV) is highly prevalent in Pakistan. Social support is associated with a reduced risk for violence and adverse mental health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between social support and the occurrence of IPV and adverse mental health among Pakistani women exposed to IPV, along with exploring help-seeking behaviour using qualitative interviews. Data from a cross-sectional survey of 759 women, aged 25–60, were analyzed using logistic regression. The results demonstrated that informal social support was associated with fewer occurrences of all forms of IPV and less likelihood of adverse mental health when exposed to psychological violence, whereas formal social support was associated with more occurrences of all forms of IPV and more likelihood of adverse mental health when exposed to psychological violence. The qualitative result showed that fear of social stigma and low autonomy were, among others, obstacles for seeking help. Suggestions for future interventions include strengthening informal social networks and expanding formal resources, as well as raising awareness of IPV in order to address the issue. / This thesis was made possible by a Minor Field Study grant from the Swedish International Developmental Agency (SIDA) distributed by the department of Psychology at Stockholm University and we would like to express our gratitude for assisting us financially. / PhD project by Tazeen Saeed Ali, School of Nursing, Aga Khan University, called, “Living with violence in the home - a normal part of Pakistani women's life or a serious transgression of human rights.”

This study aimed to explore the relationship between ideas and practices of masculinity and help-seeking behaviour amongst young South African men. The need for this research has been motivated by both the limited amount of previous research in this area, and the importance of this kind of research. It was hypothesized that there would be a relationship between the intended and actual help-seeking behaviour, and the common ideas and practices of masculinity amongst the young men taking part in this research. It was hypothesized that where young men agreed with traditional conceptualizations of masculinity their intention and rate of actual help-seeking would be less. The sample included a diverse group of 100 young men attending the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg. Participants included young men from various religious, language, sexual orientation and faculty groups. The data for this research was collected using a questionnaire assessing intended and actual help-seeking behaviour, and participants‟ acceptance of traditional conceptualizations of masculinity. The findings of this study have shown that young men in this context have a low intention and rate of help-seeking behaviour from various help sources, but especially from formal sources such as mental health professionals and general practitioners. It has also found that there are differences in the common ideas and practices of masculinity between young men from different religious, faculty and sexual orientation groups. However, despite the initial hypothesis, this study has been unable to show a clear relationship between ideas and practices of masculinity and help-seeking behaviour. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, PIetermaritzburg, 2008.

Background: The Syrian refugee crisis is one of the most significant humanitarian crises of our time and has resulted in over 6.5 million displaced individuals worldwide. Syrian refugees are a vulnerable population and are at considerably higher risk for mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, despite the high prevalence, there is insufficient utilization of mental health services among Syrian refugees resettled in high-income countries. To help address this gap this study aims to investigate mental health conceptualization, coping, and help-seeking among Syrian refugee parents resettled in Canada to build a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing perception and the decisions to seek help, thus adding to the knowledge base for refugee mental health and generating insight to help inform policy and program decisions for Syrian refugees resettled in Canada. Methods: Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with Syrian refugee parents (N=31) who have been permanently resettled in Canada. Interviews were conducted in Arabic and transcribed verbatim and were subsequently translated into English. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results Significant interlinkages were observed between the factors that influence mental health conceptualization, coping, and help-seeking. Our findings suggest that many refugees perceive mental health concerns as part of daily life and do not believe it requires professional intervention. This along with personal, cultural, and religious context have strong implications for help-seeking behaviour. Moreover, the availability of culturally sensitive services has the potential to increase service utilization. Knowledge of how individuals conceptualize mental health and cope can be leveraged to design more impactful mental health services for Syrian refugees. Conclusion: The factors influencing mental health conceptualization, coping, and help-seeking are deeply interconnected and must be considered holistically to improve policies and programming to increase the uptake of mental health services. / Thesis / Master of Health Sciences (MSc)

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.

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.

This study explored the patterns of help-seeking of 64 urban high school adolescents in Grades 10 and 11 in two South African provinces, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo. The type of problems faced by these adolescents such as interpersonal relationships, family and peer pressure, and whether or not they sought help for these problems was explored. Adolescents' preference for different sources of help for different problems is also discussed. Of concern was what mediated whether and where help was sought. This study also examined the role that the Life Orientation Programme and Guidance Programme played in the help-seeking behaviours of these adolescents. Data was collected using focus groups and individual interviews and analysed using a thematic method of data analysis. Adolescents across the two provinces seemed to have common problems and dealt with them in a similar manner. The adolescents' problems included peer pressure, family, academic anxiety and drug usage. To solve those problems adolescents seemed to prefer informal to formal sources to confide in. The Life Orientation Programme (LOP) seemed to play no significant role at this stage to the adolescents concerned. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

Suicide is among the major public health problems in Sweden and worldwide with social, emotional and financial consequences. Suicide is present in almost all age groups, and the elderly shows no exception of this trend. The research defines the elderly as those 65 years of age and older. Among the elderly, the risk factors to commit suicide mainly include health-related causes, but also other social issues, such as the severity of depression and hopelessness, lack of reasons for living, social isolation, loneliness and the occurrence of stressful life events. The current paper focuses on loneliness as a risk factor. Loneliness among older adults contributes to several health- related issues such as self-assessed poor health status, mental decline, anxiety, depression and suicide. Research has demonstrated that many of the elderly experience loneliness. Several different methods and models are used both within and outside the primary care to prevent elderly loneliness. To understand the processes of suicide risk the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide has been used. It explains the different factors and processes that happen within and around a person ́s life when being in suicidal risk. The theory focuses on loneliness and burdensomeness as two main factors that can lead to suicide. The research aims to understand and analyse how different staff members and the Swedish healthcare deal with loneliness as a risk factor among old people that have suicidal behaviour. The research also aims to find out how this risk of loneliness could be managed. A qualitative case study was implemented that included semi-structured interviews with personnel from Region Skåne. The selection of the interviewees followed both purposive sampling and snowball sampling. In addition, online documents and reports from Region Skåne ́s website were used to complete the interview material in order to implement triangulation and to increase validity. The collected data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results show that staff members at Region Skåne’s Psychiatry departments use several different methods to identify the risk of loneliness among the elderly. The most remarkable results to emerge from the data are the several ways of communication they use with the patients, the different team-works they establish, as well as the time invested into gaining competences about the risk of suicide. / Självmord är bland de största folkhälsoproblemen i Sverige och världen över och leder till sociala, emotionella och ekonomiska konsekvenser. Självmord finns i nästan alla åldersgrupper, och de äldre visar inget undantag från denna trend. Forskningen definierar de “äldre” som är 65 år gamla och äldre. Bland äldre inkluderar riskfaktorerna för att begå självmord, huvudsakligen av hälsorelaterade orsaker (såsom förekomst av fysisk sjukdom, funktionella begränsningar), men också andra sociala problem, tex allvarlig depression och hopplöshet, brist på skäl att leva, social isolering, ensamhet och förekomsten av stressande livshändelser. I den här uppsatsen är det fokus på ensamhet som en riskfaktor. Ensamhet bland äldre vuxna bidrar till flera hälsorelaterade frågor såsom självbedömd dålig hälsostatus, mental nedgång, ångest, depression och självmord. Forskning har visat att många av de äldre upplever ensamhet. Flera olika metoder och modeller användes både inom och utanför primärvården för att förhindra ensamhet bland äldre. För att förstå processen för självmordsrisk har den interpersonella teorin om självmord tillämpats. Den förklarar de olika faktorerna och processerna som händer inom och runt en äldre vuxens liv när de är i självmordsrisk. Teorin fokuserar på ensamhet och känslan att man är en börda för samhället, som två huvudfaktorer och som eventuellt kan leda till självmord. Forskningen syftar till att förstå och analysera hur olika anställda inom den svenska sjukvården och hur man i allmänhet hanterar ensamhet som en riskfaktor bland äldre som har självmordsbeteenden. Forskningen syftar också till att ta reda på hur denna risk för ensamhet kan hanteras. En kvalitativ fallstudie genomfördes och inkluderade semistrukturerade intervjuer med personal från Region Skåne. Urvalet av de intervjuade togs avsiktligt och med snöbollseffekt. Dessutom användes ett online dokument och rapporter från Region Skånes webbplats för att slutföra och komplettera intervjumaterialet för att öka validiteten. Den insamlade data analyserades med användning av en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultaten visar att anställda vid Region Skånes psykiatriska avdelningar använder flera olika metoder för att identifiera risken för ensamhet bland äldre. De mest anmärkningsvärda resultaten som framgår av uppgifterna är de olika kommunikationssätten de använder med patienterna, de olika teamarbeten som de skapar, samt den tid som investerats för att få kompetens om risken för självmord.

Denna studie har två övergripande syften. Det första är att undersöka om gymnasieelever tror att de kan påverka sin matematiska intelligens eller inte. Det andra syftet är att undersöka hur gymnasieelevers hjälpsökande beteende ser ut och vilka faktorer som påverkar dessa beteenden. Data samlades in via enkäter på i en skola i Norrbotten, totalt besvarade 250 gymnasieelever enkäten. Resultatet från undersökningen visade att gymnasieeleverna generellt hade en mer dynamisk än statisk syn på sin egen matematiska intelligens. Resultatet visade även att andelen gymnasieelever som hade ett undvikande hjälpsökande beteende var 21.6 % samt att få gymnasieelever sökte hjälp publikt medan merparten av gymnasieeleverna sökte hjälp privat, dock i olika hög grad. Slutligen visade resultatet att gymnasieelevernas undvikande hjälpsökande beteende påverkades av deras rädsla att uppfattas som dum av klasskamrater och utav deras syn på sin egen matematiska intelligens. Resultatet visade även att gymnasieelevernas publika hjälpsökande beteende korrelerade med deras rädsla att uppfattas som dum utav klasskamrater. / This study has two overall aims. The first is to investigate whether high school students believe that they can influence their mathematical intelligence or not. The second aim is to investigate high school students' help-seeking behaviour and which factors influence these behaviours. Data was collected via questionnaires at a school in Norrbotten, a total of 250 high school students answered the questionnaire. The results of the survey showed that the high school students generally had a more dynamic than static view of their own mathematical intelligence. The results also showed that the percentage of high school students who had an avoidant helpseeking behaviour was 21.6% and that few high school students sought help publicly, while most high school students sought help privately, although to varying degrees. Finally, the results showed that high school students' avoidant help-seeking behaviour was influenced by their fear of being perceived as dumb by classmates and by their view of their own mathematical intelligence. The results also showed that the high school students' public helpseeking behaviour correlated with their fear of being perceived as dumb by their classmates.