Intimate partner abuse (IPA) is a global health problem affecting millions of women. It is linked with a wide range of negative health sequela including injuries, gastrointestinal disorders, chronic pain, depression, gynecological disorders, unwanted pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases (CDC, 2011). In Hong Kong and other Chinese societies, incidence of IPA is likely to be under-reported. This phenomenon is presumably due to the cultural norm in which shameful family issues tend not to be disclosed to members outside the family. However, in light of its related negative health consequences, early identification of IPA is important. In Hong Kong where majority of women attend primary health care settings for routine check-up, identification of IPA in this setting is feasible. The Abuse Assessment Screen (AAS), a well-established screening tool for IPA, suits this purpose. Previous studies in Hong Kong have shown that the Chinese version of AAS has satisfactory validity and high sensitivity for detecting IPA (Tiwari, Fong, Leung, Parker, & Ho, 2007). Therefore, this proposed guideline chose to use the Chinese version of AAS for IPA detection in women’s health services, with the purpose of minimizing under-reporting of IPA in Hong Kong. The objectives of this study are (1) to conduct a systematic literature review on the IPA identification in health care settings; (2) to synthesize the outcomes from the identified literature for the translation of evidence-based practice; (3) to develop a clinical guideline for identifying IPA in women’s health services; (4) to assess the potential of implementing the proposed guideline; (5) to develop an implementation plan; and (6) to develop an evaluation plan for the proposed guideline. A systematic literature search was performed for identifying relevant studies. Three electronic databases including PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE (OvidSP), and CINAHL Plus (EBSCOhost) were used. In total, six papers were yielded based on the inclusion criteria. Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) 2011 grading system was used to evaluate the level of evidence. The potential of implementing the proposed guideline was assessed based on the transferability of the findings, feasibility, and the cost-to-benefit ratio. An evidence-based guideline was developed based on the analysed research findings. Finally, an implementation plan and an evaluation plan for the proposed guideline were designed. An evidence-based guideline for identifying IPA in women’s health services was developed in this translational research. It assists nurses, particularly in the women’s health services, to identify women survivors of IPA. / published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing

Prostatacancer är en av de vanligaste cancerformerna i världen. Behandling av prostatacancern, såsom till exempel kirurgisk behandling, prostatektomi, leder ofta till erektil dysfunktion. Den påföljande sexuella dysfunktionen, påverkar männens självkänsla, hälsa och relationer. Sexualitet generellt är dock någonting som sällan diskuteras inom vården då både vårdpersonal och patienter anser ämnet vara obekvämt och genant. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka prostatacancerpatienters och deras partners upplevelser av den sexuella dysfunktionen som följer prostatektomi. Litteraturstudie användes som metod och 13 vetenskapliga artiklar analyserades och resultatet sammanställdes. Resultatet tyder på att patienterna känner ångest, och har problem med identiteten då manligheten hotas vid sexuell dysfunktion. Många drar sig från interaktion med kvinnor och undviker sexuell kontakt på grund av rädsla för att inte kunna tillfredsställa sin partner. Kvinnor däremot lägger större vikt vid att cancern är borttagen och är mer oroade över männens känslor inför problemet än vad de är bekymrade för sin egen skull. Det finns ett stort behov av stöd hos patienterna, både professionell och av partners. Slutsats: Sexuella problem behöver adresseras i större utsträckning inom sjukvården då männen påverkas, inte bara fysiskt utan även känslomässigt, av sexuell dysfunktion.

Bakgrund I Sverige insjuknar cirka 30 000 personer i stroke årligen. Stroke är ett samlingsnamn för hjärnblödning och hjärninfarkt och sjukdomen kan resultera i en rad funktionsnedsättningar. Livssituationen hos både personen som insjuknat i stroke och närstående kan förändras i form av att personen som fått stroke hamnar i en beroendesituation till sina närstående. Syfte Beskriva hur par upplever relationen efter att en av dem insjuknat i stroke. Metod Litteraturstudie användes som metod för studien och 16 artiklar, varav tio kvalitativa och sex kvantitativa inkluderades. Inkluderade artiklar hade etiskt tillstånd för genomförande.Databassökningar utfördes i databaserna PubMed, Cinahl, SveMed+ samt PsycINFO med varierande sökningsresultat. Vid dataanalys söktes likheter och skillnader i de inkluderade artiklarna. Resultat Relationen förändras och vissa partners uttryckte upplevelser av att vara en vårdande partner. Förlust av kroppsliga funktioner resulterade i ett ökat beroende av andra. Det sexuella samlivet mellan par kunde påverkas efter en stroke med reducerad sexuell aktivitet. Slutsats Efter en stroke kan förlusten av kroppsliga funktioner resultera i minskad självständighet hos personen som insjuknat i stroke. Detta kan leda till ett ökat beroende av andra för att fungera i vardagen och den friska partnern kan då överta rollen som vårdare. En stroke påverkar intimitet och kvalitet i förhållandet och det äktenskapliga förhållandet kan utvecklas till en vänskapsrelation. Denna studie kan ge en bättre förståelse för vårdpersonal, partners samt personer som fått en stroke hur en relation kan påverkas efter en stroke.

Women’s narratives of their lived experience when love and abuse co-exist in intimate partner relationships, provide insight into the ways that their action for safety is impacted by their beliefs about love, the micro-politics of these relationships, and the macro-politics of the structural inequalities that constrain these relationships. Women’s vulnerability to abuse is increased and their access to safety limited by a belief in love as a promise, the dominant romance narratives including the fairy tale and dark romance narratives, by the practice of love with the two core conditions that support abuse, and by the social structures and institutions of society that constrain these relationships. Understanding the impact of how love is practiced, the dominant narratives of love and abuse, and the ways that social structures and institutions constrain women when love and abuse co-exist will enhance women’s access to safety and social work services.

Historically, “playing hard-to-get” or unclearly expressing interest in a potential romantic partner has been regarded as an effective means to elicit a potential partner’s interest and attraction. This study examined the effects of gender and expressed interest (clear or unclear) on returned interest in potential long-term romantic partners. Male (N = 54) and female (N = 63) undergraduate students were administered a vignette, in which the person expressed either clear or unclear romantic interest in the participant. Results indicated that men were not influence by expressed interest in either condition. In contrast, women responded with significantly greater returned interest in the clearly-expressed interest condition than in the unclearly-expressed interest. This effect may be due to the greater assumed supportiveness and lower relative social-status of the person in the clearly-expressed interest vignette. Implications for gender differences in long-term partner preferences are discussed.

The previous study on the experiences of widowhood and beliefs about the mourning process of the Batswana people found that widows were stigmatised due to cultural beliefs that made coping a difficult process for the widow. The literature revealed that widowhood following the death of a partner from AIDS is a difficult process due to HIV and AIDS being highly stigmatized. Stigma is an attribute that is deeply discrediting and devaluating to an individual social identity. It also reduces the person from her usual status to one with a tainted image due to the belief that having contracted HIV and AIDS is a choice and that an individual is responsible for her immoral behaviour. This negative attitude that amounts to prejudice contributes to the women's feelings of unworthiness. It was also found that the stigma against people living with HIV and AIDS is not only directed at them, but also to those having close relationships with them namely, their spouses, children, relatives, as well as health workers, which is known as secondary or associated stigma. The stigma was found to be attributed to discrimination based on gender, age, sexual orientation and race, hence women living with HIV and AIDS were found to be more stigmatised than men. Women whose partners died of AIDS were thus perceived by the community as having infected their partners, therefore, they were blamed, isolated and excluded from community activities. Coping with the loss of a partner was found to be a difficult process for the widow, aggravated by the death from AIDS. Some women coped by denying their late partner's status, while others kept it secret to avoid stigmatization. Some women, however, coped by challenging perpetrators of stigma about their attitude. This study was motivated by the challenge perceived by the researcher concerning women who lost their partners to AIDS who had to be assisted with coping with stigma associated with them having had a partner who was infected and died from AIDS. The objectives of this study were to explore and describe the experiences of coping with stigma by women whose partners died of AIDS, as well as to develop, implement and evaluate a programme to assist women whose partners died of aids to cope with the stigma associated with their partner having had a relationship with an infected partner who died of AIDS. The literature was studied in order to contextualize both stigma and coping. A qualitative phenomenological design was followed in phase one of the study as well as a case study in phase two. A purposive sample was used in phase one as well as in phase two. Data were collected by means of single open ended questions. In-depth interviews were recorded on audio tape and transcribed verbatim. Personal, observational as well as methodological field notes were written after each interview. Data analysis was conducted according to the content analysis technique of Tesch. The co-coder and the researcher analysed the data independently, after which a consensus meeting was held to finalise data. Ethical principles were applied according to Burns and Grove, as well as the Democratic Nurses Organisation of South Africa and the Department of Health. Trustworthiness of the study was ensured through the model of Lincoln and Guba. The criteria of creditability, transferability, dependability, as well as confirmability were ensured. The findings of phase one of the study as well as the literature study of stigma intervention programmes assisted in the formulation of a programme. An eight sessions programme for coping with stigma for women whose partners died of AIDS was developed, implemented and evaluated. Phase two of the study consisted of a holistic multiple case design for presenting the developed programme. Data were collected by means of multiple sources of evidence. Data were analysed by means of a case record. Conclusions indicated that the programme for coping with stigma for women whose partners died of AIDS had a positive impact on the expansion of their coping skills. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Community Psychiatric Nursing))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

I dagens konkurrens mellan företag och individer är det, inom ett företag, ytterst viktigt att placera rätt person på rätt plats samt att ta tillvara på de talanger som en organisation har att arbeta med. “Utan människorna fungerar ingenting, men med rätt personer för uppgiften finns ändlöst med möjligheter att förverkliga den.” (Lindelöw, 2008, s. 18). HR-avdelningen på ett företag bör sträva efter organisationens strategi i syfte att uppnå högre effektivitet och framtida mål (Boglind, Hällstén och Thilander, 2013). Även om det finns en vision om att HR-avdelningen bör inta en strategisk utveckling är det idag inte alltid lika självklart på alla arbetsplatser menar Robinson och Robinson (2006). Utan självklar framgång betonas att en HR-avdelnings största utmaning är att bli en strategisk affärspartner. “Frågan är inte om HR-avdelningen ska bli strategisk. Frågan är när och hur den ska bli det.” (Robinson och Robinson, 2006, s. 265). Uppsatsen syftar till att skapa förståelse för utvecklingsmöjligheter av HR som strategisk partner i företag. Skribenterna har utgått från ett deduktivt synsätt, vilket innebär att arbetet har en teoretisk grund för att sedan mynna ut i en slutsats. Under uppsatsen tog skribenterna kontakt med HR-avdelningar på Linnéuniversitetet, Växjö Kommun, Atea Logistics, Fortnox, Företag X samt Södra Skogsägarna för att hålla semi-strukturerade intervjuer tillsammans med deras HR-representanter. De frågor som skribenterna av uppsatsen ställde under sina inbokade intervjuer på företagen utgår ifrån teori som bygger på företagsstruktur, kärnverksamhet, ledningsgrupp, strategisk HR & affärspartner samt värdeskapande HR. Under intervjuerna tillsammans med företagens HR-representanter undersöktes bland annat hur företagen arbetar idag samt hur de optimalt skulle vilja arbeta i framtiden för att uppnå ett mer strategiskt arbete. Inledningsvis under intervjuerna ombads även representanterna fylla i en HR-positioneringsmodell som syftar till att påvisa hur företagen arbetar idag samt huruvida deras arbete är inriktat mot ett mer traditionellt eller strategiskt HR-arbete. Vidare in i uppsatsen analyserades det insamlade empirimaterialet ställt mot teorin för att finna utveckling och förändringsförslag till hur företag kan arbeta mer med strategiskt partnerskap. För att HR-avdelningen ska få ett större inflytande på ett företag är det viktigt att alla på företaget förändrar sin syn på HR-avdelningen och blir mer mottagliga för att en förändring bör ske. HR-avdelningen bör höja rösten och göra sig hörda bland de övriga avdelningarna på företaget samt även finnas representerade i ledningsgruppen. Genom att i högre grad involvera HR-avdelningen i hela företagets strategiska arbete kan företagets kärnverksamhet få uppstöttning ifrån HR-avdelningen att uppnå sitt strategiska arbete och mål. I vissa fall kan även företag lägga över ansvaret för en del arbetsuppgifter, som inte tillför något värde till kärnverksamheten, men som ändå måste utföras. En del företag väljer att outsourca delar av sin bemanning, löneenhet, rekrytering etcetera, medan andra företag vill göra allt själva.

The relationship between alcohol consumption and alcohol-related violence has been firmly established in a wide array of studies concerning various forms of violence including intimate partner violence, domestic violence as well as sexual assault. One factor which has been highlighted as having a moderating effect on the relationship between alcohol consumption and alcohol-related aggression is the specific aggression-related alcohol expectancies concerning the effects of alcohol consumption on aggressive behaviour. In light of the prevalence of alcohol-related violence in South African communities it becomes important to examine the specific factors that moderate the relationship between alcohol consumption and alcohol-related aggression and violence. The aim of this study was to examine aggressionrelated alcohol expectancies as a moderating factor in the relationship between alcohol consumption and alcohol-related aggression and to examine the possible influence of exposure to community alcohol-related aggression in the formulation of aggression-related alcohol expectancies. The main objectives of this were to examine aggression-related alcohol expectancies as well as exposure to community alcohol-related aggression as domains for intervention to prevent alcohol-related violence. The focus is on establishing alternative areas for intervention aimed at the reduction of alcohol-related violence, specifically domestic violence and sexual assault, in South African communities. The sample was gathered through non-probability sampling methods and consisted of 262 undergraduate students from psychology courses. The study is a quantitative study employing a cross-sectional survey design. A significant relationship was found between alcohol consumption and alcoholrelated aggression with aggression-related alcohol expectancies moderating this relationship,leading to higher alcohol-related aggression. Exposure to community alcohol-related aggression did not predict aggression-related alcohol expectancies. / Magister Psychologiae - MPsych

Women’s narratives of their lived experience when love and abuse co-exist in intimate partner relationships, provide insight into the ways that their action for safety is impacted by their beliefs about love, the micro-politics of these relationships, and the macro-politics of the structural inequalities that constrain these relationships. Women’s vulnerability to abuse is increased and their access to safety limited by a belief in love as a promise, the dominant romance narratives including the fairy tale and dark romance narratives, by the practice of love with the two core conditions that support abuse, and by the social structures and institutions of society that constrain these relationships. Understanding the impact of how love is practiced, the dominant narratives of love and abuse, and the ways that social structures and institutions constrain women when love and abuse co-exist will enhance women’s access to safety and social work services.

The previous study on the experiences of widowhood and beliefs about the mourning process of the Batswana people found that widows were stigmatised due to cultural beliefs that made coping a difficult process for the widow. The literature revealed that widowhood following the death of a partner from AIDS is a difficult process due to HIV and AIDS being highly stigmatized. Stigma is an attribute that is deeply discrediting and devaluating to an individual social identity. It also reduces the person from her usual status to one with a tainted image due to the belief that having contracted HIV and AIDS is a choice and that an individual is responsible for her immoral behaviour. This negative attitude that amounts to prejudice contributes to the women's feelings of unworthiness. It was also found that the stigma against people living with HIV and AIDS is not only directed at them, but also to those having close relationships with them namely, their spouses, children, relatives, as well as health workers, which is known as secondary or associated stigma. The stigma was found to be attributed to discrimination based on gender, age, sexual orientation and race, hence women living with HIV and AIDS were found to be more stigmatised than men. Women whose partners died of AIDS were thus perceived by the community as having infected their partners, therefore, they were blamed, isolated and excluded from community activities. Coping with the loss of a partner was found to be a difficult process for the widow, aggravated by the death from AIDS. Some women coped by denying their late partner's status, while others kept it secret to avoid stigmatization. Some women, however, coped by challenging perpetrators of stigma about their attitude. This study was motivated by the challenge perceived by the researcher concerning women who lost their partners to AIDS who had to be assisted with coping with stigma associated with them having had a partner who was infected and died from AIDS. The objectives of this study were to explore and describe the experiences of coping with stigma by women whose partners died of AIDS, as well as to develop, implement and evaluate a programme to assist women whose partners died of aids to cope with the stigma associated with their partner having had a relationship with an infected partner who died of AIDS. The literature was studied in order to contextualize both stigma and coping. A qualitative phenomenological design was followed in phase one of the study as well as a case study in phase two. A purposive sample was used in phase one as well as in phase two. Data were collected by means of single open ended questions. In-depth interviews were recorded on audio tape and transcribed verbatim. Personal, observational as well as methodological field notes were written after each interview. Data analysis was conducted according to the content analysis technique of Tesch. The co-coder and the researcher analysed the data independently, after which a consensus meeting was held to finalise data. Ethical principles were applied according to Burns and Grove, as well as the Democratic Nurses Organisation of South Africa and the Department of Health. Trustworthiness of the study was ensured through the model of Lincoln and Guba. The criteria of creditability, transferability, dependability, as well as confirmability were ensured. The findings of phase one of the study as well as the literature study of stigma intervention programmes assisted in the formulation of a programme. An eight sessions programme for coping with stigma for women whose partners died of AIDS was developed, implemented and evaluated. Phase two of the study consisted of a holistic multiple case design for presenting the developed programme. Data were collected by means of multiple sources of evidence. Data were analysed by means of a case record. Conclusions indicated that the programme for coping with stigma for women whose partners died of AIDS had a positive impact on the expansion of their coping skills. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Community Psychiatric Nursing))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.