Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in higher-than-normal levels of anxiety and depression, especially among graduate students whose academic trajectory was disrupted. Physical activity and trait resiliency have both been shown to protect against stress-induced anxiety and depression during the pandemic. However, it remains unknown whether the same was true for graduate students and what biological mechanism, such as heart rate variability (HRV) might underpin these relationships. Method: We examined change in stress, current physical activity, and trait resiliency to identify key factors associated with better mental health outcomes in a national sample of graduate students (N = 61) who were recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the unique contributions of change in graduate-school-related stress, physical activity (moderate, vigorous, and fitness), and trait resiliency to both anxiety and depression. We conducted moderation analyses to explore the processes through which these variables interact and mediation analyses to examine whether HRV was part of the underlying mechanism. Questionnaire were used to assess graduate-school-related stress, physical activity (moderate, vigorous), and trait resiliency. We estimated physical fitness using the six-minute walk test and captured resting HRV using a validated mobile application. Results: Graduate students reporting greater change in school-related stress were more anxious and depressed; however, those who engaged in more moderate physical activity were less anxious and those with higher trait resiliency were less anxious and depressed. Moderation analyses revealed a “stress threshold” for moderate physical activity whereby students who were more physically active were more protected from anxiety symptoms than their lower active peers; but this was only true for people whose stress levels increased a little or moderately but not for people whose stress levels increased a lot. In contrast, trait resiliency was shown to buffer against depression regardless of change in stress level. HRV did not mediate these relationships. Conclusion: Graduate students experienced significant mental strain during the COVID-19 pandemic, but physical activity and trait resiliency may be promising protective factors. / Thesis / Master of Science in Kinesiology

<p>Growing old should be the golden years of your life, being able to do whatever you want to do. Instead these years are often combined with both physical and psychological illness. Neither the body or mind are what they once were. It has been shown through empirical studies that many elderly people don’t have any social support at all. The results show loneliness and a lower experience of quality of life. Many elderly people live in community care homes, which give the opportunity of supervision and care, day and night, even though the feeling of loneliness might still be present. The aim with the study was to describe elderly people’s quality of life through the care systems perspective. The method used was a literary study with scientific articles as the foundation. The articles were located through various different data bases. The result of the study is presented through three main categories which show that social support and good physical and psychological health increase the perception of good quality of life. It is important to develop the understanding of quality of life amongst the elderly through research.</p>

Growing old should be the golden years of your life, being able to do whatever you want to do. Instead these years are often combined with both physical and psychological illness. Neither the body or mind are what they once were. It has been shown through empirical studies that many elderly people don’t have any social support at all. The results show loneliness and a lower experience of quality of life. Many elderly people live in community care homes, which give the opportunity of supervision and care, day and night, even though the feeling of loneliness might still be present. The aim with the study was to describe elderly people’s quality of life through the care systems perspective. The method used was a literary study with scientific articles as the foundation. The articles were located through various different data bases. The result of the study is presented through three main categories which show that social support and good physical and psychological health increase the perception of good quality of life. It is important to develop the understanding of quality of life amongst the elderly through research.

No description available.

Fatigue secondary to chronic illness (FSCI) is a common experience in individuals with chronic conditions, with fatigue impacting on performance of daily activities and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Due to the higher prevalence of FSCI in women, they may experience even greater disruption to roles and activity engagement. The literature consistently points to three main aspects when defining fatigue regardless of diagnoses; a physical aspect, a psychological aspect, and the impact on activity and participation. Research into the first two aspects has demonstrated relationships between fatigue, pain, depression, and social support. However, examination of the third aspect has been largely overlooked with respect its relationship to, and impact on, fatigue. Leisure theorists have hypothesized that engagement in leisure activities makes a positive contribution to physical and mental health. Previous research has measured leisure activities based on frequency of, or satisfaction with, participation. While some research has shown that physical and social activities have positive health benefits, gaps still exist in understanding the relative contribution of different types of leisure participation to fatigue and HRQoL.For example, little research has examined the contributions of leisure participation and leisure satisfaction to HRQoL and fatigue in women with chronic conditions. One explanation for the lack of research may be the absence of measurement tools developed to classify and quantify participation in different types of leisure activities for women with FSCI. Without a measurement tool, the relative contribution of participation in different activities (by frequency and/or satisfaction) to fatigue and HRQoL cannot be examined. / This PhD research aimed to fill the current gaps in understanding different types of leisure participation in related to fatigue and HRQoL. It sought to address two component parts: development and testing of the Classification of Leisure Participation (CLP) Scale; and an examination of the contribution of leisure participation to fatigue and HRQoL in women with FSCI.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka utlandsföddas erfarenheter av arbetslöshet och hur de upplever att deras fysiska samt psykiska hälsa påverkas. Forskning indikerar att arbetslöshet kan leda till ohälsa och att utlandsfödda löper en större risk för ohälsa i jämförelse med inrikes födda individer. En kvalitativ metod användes i denna empiriska studie och intervjuer genomfördes för att samla in data. Urvalet var tre kvinnor och tre män som bott i Sverige mellan fyra och åtta år. Av dessa informanter hade fem uppehållstillstånd och en hade haft ett arbetstillstånd. De hade inte arbetat på minst sex månader vilket gjorde dem till långtidsarbetslösa. Resultatet visade att utlandsföddas psykiska hälsa hade påverkats och de upplevde stress, oro och trötthet. De oroade sig över att arbetslöshet under en längre tid skulle leda till psykisk och fysisk ohälsa. De upplevde att stöd var en viktig faktor i hanteringen av arbetslösheten och deras familj och vänner var ett stort stöd för dem. Myndigheter upplevdes ej som ett socialt eller psykologiskt stöd. Däremot hade informanterna stort förtroende för att få ekonomiskt stöd om de behövde det. De hinder utlandsfödda upplevde i sitt arbetssökande var språket och kompetens. De upplevde att dessa brister hade stor inverkan på deras chanser till att få ett arbete. Slutsatsen av denna studie var att utlandsföddas psykiska hälsa har påverkats negativt av arbetslösheten men inte deras fysiska hälsa. De var dock oroliga för att få både psykisk och fysisk ohälsa om de inte får ett jobb inom en snar framtid. Mer kvalitativa studier behövs för att få ökad förståelse för utlandsföddas situation under arbetslöshet. / The purpose of this study was to explore foreigners’ experiences of unemployment and health. Research indicates that unemployment can lead to reduced health and it also shows that people born abroad have a greater risk of health problems compared with those born in Sweden. A qualitative method was employed in this empirical study. Interviews were conducted to collect data. The selection was three women and three men who had lived in Sweden for less than ten years. They had not worked for at least six months, which made them long-term unemployed. The results illustrated that they experienced that their mental health had been affected and they experienced stress, anxiety and fatigue. They worried that unemployment could lead to mental and physical ill health. They perceived that support was an important factor in dealing with unemployment and informants' family and friends were a great support for them. Authorities were not supportive socially or psychologically, but they were a financial support that foreigners could turn to when they needed help. The obstacles that foreigners face in their job search are language and lack of skills and they feel that these obstacles highly affect their chances of getting a job. The conclusion of this study was that foreigners’ mental health has been affected negatively by the unemployment but not their physical health. But they were worried that both their mental and physical health would worsen if they don’t get a job in the near future. More qualitative research is required to understand the experiences of foreigners’ situations while unemployed.

This case study touches on the development of refugees’ mental and physical health from their stays in the refugee facilities during and after the limbo process for a temporary and permanent visa, which in turn affected their socioeconomic integration. Seven refugees and their families that came to Sweden during the refugee crisis in 2015-2016 and were moved to a facility where I worked, were interviewed on how those issues impacted them. With the help of Egon Kunz’s [Refugee Theory] theory, the study showed that constant relocation to different facilities in Sweden, and experienced events and conflicts at the facilities have resulted in long-term health and socioeconomic problems. Such as PTSD, mental and physical recovery from occurred events at the facilities, in turn, negatively affecting socioeconomic integration. Additional research in those issues showed that other countries like Germany, which also had a large influx of refugees during that time, had better and faster success with integration when they helped the refugees with the language and societal information at the beginning of limbo. Because their interest in learning and integrating is higher, and the health and integration issues are much lower than when refugees are sometimes forced to wait at least two years, which is what some of the participants and other refugees in this study did before starting SFI, integration programs and have their own private place live in.  The temporary visa, especially with no help to integrate, caused the lack of interest in learning the language; socioeconomic integration, mainly when the person was alone with no family. Moreover, their developed health from their time at the facilities is still a recovering process.

Introduction: Physical inactivity is thought to contribute to the emergence of non-communicable diseases in post-conflict settings of low-income countries. Sport-for-development (SfD) organisations in these regions claim to improve the health of programme participants. However, there is a paucity of supporting evidence. I assessed the impact of a voluntary community-based SfD intervention on the physical activity (PA), physical fitness (PF) and mental health (MH) of adolescents in Gulu, Uganda. Methods: The Acholi Psychosocial Assessment Instrument (APAI), standing broad jump (SBJ), multi-stage fitness test (MSFT) and BMI-for-age (BFA) were adapted to the local context. I tested their feasibility and reliability with a repeat-measures design (n=70). A cross-sectional analysis of a random sample was used to assess the local needs and establish the PF and MH of the adolescents reached by the intervention (n=1464). This was also the baseline assessment for the impact evaluation. It comprised a randomised control trial (n=144) nested within a cohort study (n=1400) and triangulated by cross-sectional assessment of PA using accelerometry (n=54). Results: The adapted PF and MH measures demonstrated good intra-tester reliability (ICC>0.75). Adolescents in Gulu predominantly had “healthy” BFA (>90%). They performed better than global norms for the SBJ (p<0.001), but worse for the MSFT (p<0.05). The girls who registered for the intervention had higher PF at baseline (p<0.05) and experienced no significant benefits when compared to the community. The aerobic capacity of the boys intervention group increased relative to the community (p<0.01), but was not significantly different to the trial control group whose PF also improved. The PA results concurred with this finding. Boys in the intervention group experienced a deterioration in MH relative to their peers (p<0.05). Implications: It is feasible to apply rigorous evaluation methods to SfD interventions. Although adolescents in Gulu have poor aerobic capacity, a voluntary programme may not reach those at risk. Interpreting the impact evaluation was limited by a lack of programme development theory, but suggested that opportunities for non-competitive play may confer PF benefit without harming MH. Further investigation is warranted.

本研究旨在比較台北市參加試辦「自願就學方案」自學班學生和普通班學 生在升學壓力､因應行為､身心健康和班級氣氛之差異性。以台北市七十 九學年度參加試辦「自願就學方案」21所學校學生為取樣對象。共抽取6 所國中﹐一､二､三年級各取「自學班」與「普通班」一班﹐共 36 班﹐ 自學班學生 669 人﹐普通班學生669 人﹐共 1338 人。本研究之工具為 「升學壓力量表」､「升學壓力因應行為量表」､「日常作息時間量表」 ､「學生生活經驗問卷」､「一般健康量表」和「學習環境量表」﹐以三 因子變異數分析､三因子多變項變異數分析､單因子變異數分析､t 考驗 ､卡方考驗和 Scheffe' 事後考驗進行資料分析。研究結果為︰ (一)普 通班比自學班學生感受升學壓力強度高﹐尤其在自我壓力､教師壓力､考 試壓力､和時間壓力源方面﹐普通班比自學班壓力強﹐呈顯著差異。前途 壓力源強度﹐自學班高於普通班；父母壓力則兩班無差異。 (二)普通班 與自學班學生在作業份量､作業方式､晚上作息時間沒有差異；但在考試 科目､補習科目方面﹐普通班學生顯著多於自學班﹐而睡眠時數﹐普通班 顯著少於自學班。 (三)普通班比自學班學生較多採用「面對問題」和「 置之不理」方式因應升學壓力；其餘「紓解情緒」､「情緒困擾」和「投 射」等方式﹐兩班無差異。 (四)普通班比自學班學生在「社會官能障礙 」､「嚴重憂鬱」､「焦慮不眠」､「生理症狀」得分較高﹐有顯著差異 ；亦即普通班學生身心較不健康。 (五)普通班比自學班學生知覺班級組 織較混亂､同學較競爭；而「教師偏愛」和「多樣性」兩班無差異。 (六)年級､性別對升學壓力總量表和分量表強度﹐有顯著交互作用；而內 外控和學業成績沒有顯著交互作用﹐但有主要效果影響。 (七)年級對升 學壓力因應行為有顯著交互作用；其餘性別､內外控和學業成績只有主要 效果影響。 (八)班級､年級､內外控和學業成績對身心健康僅具主要效 果影響。 (九)班級和性別對班級氣氛有顯著交互作用；而內外控和學業 成績僅具主要效果影響。 (十)一般國中生感受升學壓力高者﹐較常採取 消極因應﹐對其身心健康和所知覺的班級氣氛有不利的影響。本研究綜合 研究結果加以討論﹐並提出若干建議﹐以供教育行政單位和教師與父母之 參考。

Im Mittelpunkt dieser kumulativ angefertigten Forschungsarbeit stehen vier prospektive Beobachtungsstudien, die die physischen und psychischen sowie sozial-emotionalen Effekte konventioneller Krebstherapien (Operation, Chemotherapie, Radiotherapie und Hormontherapie) auf Brustkrebspatientinnen in frühen Krebsstadien von der Diagnose über die Behandlung hinweg untersuchen. In der ersten Studie wird die feinmotorische Geschicklichkeit inklusive der Hand- und Fingerfunktion überprüft. Die zweite Studie beschäftigt sich mit individuellen Veränderungen physischer Leistungsfähigkeit und Aktivität, bioelektrischem Phasenwinkel, Symptomen krebsbedingter Fatigue, Angst und Depressivität sowie dem Auftreten von Risikoparametern. Im Fokus der dritten Studie stehen patientenberichtete Endpunkte der gesundheitsbezogenen Lebensqualität und der wahrgenommenen kognitiven Funktion. Ein biopsychosoziales Profil einschließlich klinischer Charakteristika, physischer Leistungsfähigkeit, Phasenwinkel, Angst, Depressivität, Fatigue-Symptomatik sowie gesundheitsbezogener Lebensqualität wird in einer vierten Studie erstellt.:In Kapitel 1 der vorliegenden kumulativen Dissertationsschrift erfolgt die Herleitung der dieser Arbeit zugrunde liegenden wissenschaftlichen Untersuchungen. In Kapitel 2 werden theoretische Grundlagen zur Brustkrebserkrankung erläutert, um dem Leser einen besseren Einblick in die Thematik zu bieten und das Verständnis der eigenen Beiträge zu fördern. Die Publikationen selbst können dem Anhang entnommen werden und stehen als Veröffentlichungen nach Peer-Review-Verfahren in internationalen Fachzeitschriften zur Verfügung. In Kapitel 3 wird das methodische Vorgehen zum Ablauf, Umsetzung und Analyse der Studien beschrieben. In Kapitel 4 werden die einzelnen Studien zur Übersicht zusammengefasst und die wichtigsten Ergebnisse präsentiert. Anschließend erfolgt die Diskussion der gewonnenen Erkenntnisse zu physischen und psychischen sowie sozial-emotionalen Effekten konventioneller Krebstherapien auf Brustkrebspatientinnen (Kapitel 5). Den Abschluss bildet eine kurze Zusammenfassung der Untersuchungen (Kapitel 6).