A randomized intervention study, with the aim to compare the effects of individual psychosocial support provided by (1) oncology nurses specially trained in psychological techniques (INS), or (2) psychologists (IPS), to (3) standard care (SC). Breast cancer patients, living in Uppsala County, and about to start adjuvant treatment at the Department of Oncology, Uppsala, were consecutively included between 1998 and 2000. The patients were assessed seven times during two years by self-administered questionnaires. Study I revealed positive effects of both INS and IPS as compared to SC on global quality of life, side effects, and post-traumatic distress. A lower proportion of patients in the intervention groups had psychosocial support provided in routine care compared with the SC group. In study II the patients reported being highly satisfied with the intervention, irrespective of profession providing the support. However, patients in the INS group reported higher levels of benefit regarding disease-related problems than those in the IPS group. In study III total Health Care costs were lower in the intervention groups and since a gain in quality-adjusted life years (QALY) was seen (mean .1 QALY), the interventions dominated. The costs for the interventions were 44 291- 48 978 SEK. In study IV, daily reporting of anxiety, depression and activity on Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) were completed during two weeks before and after the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) assessments. A point assessment with the HADS captured the situation better than four weeks assessment on three VAS in the diary. The HADS was considered preferable to the diary. The conclusion is that psychosocial support is beneficial for breast cancer patients and that the intervention delivered by nurses was as effective as that given by psychologists. The costs for the interventions were limited.

Introduktion: Barnmorskan uppmanar rutinmässigt gravida kvinnor att avstå från alkohol men diskuterar inte den blivande pappans alkoholvanor. Inskrivningen på MVC ger en unik möjlighet både för den gravida kvinnan och den blivande pappan att reflektera kring alkoholvanor under graviditeten, inför föräldraskapet och alkoholproblem inom släkten. Syfte: Att undersöka om samtal med båda de blivande föräldrarna leder till reducerad alkoholkonsumtion under graviditet och om psykosocialt stöd från främst blivande pappan har betydelse för valet av alkoholfri graviditet och om han får motsvarande stöd av henne till minskat drickande. Metod: Kvasiexperimentell studie inom ordinarie MVC-verksamhet. I interventionsgruppen deltog 238 par. I två olika kontrollgrupper deltog tillsammans 413 par. Muntlig och skriftlig information i interventionsgruppen gavs före inskrivning på MVC och båda parterna fyllde i frågeformulär vid inskrivningen. Paret fick vidare tillfälle att reflektera kring sina alkoholvanor, attityder till alkohol inför föräldraskapet samt hur det i vissa fall varit att växa upp med alkoholism. I kontrollgrupperna fortsatte barnmorskan med ordinarie alkoholinformation. Interventionsgruppen och första kontrollgruppen fyllde i förmätningsinstrument efter inskrivningen och eftermätningsinstrument i graviditetsvecka 33. Andra kontrollgruppen deltog enbart med eftermätningsinstrument. Resultat och slutsatser: De flesta blivande föräldrarna använde alkohol året före graviditeten men de flesta kvinnor slutade att dricka alkohol vid graviditetsbeskedet. De flesta blivande pappor fortsatte dricka under graviditet men många minskade sin konsumtion. Ungefär 25% av männen drack för avstressning och lika många berusningsdrack. Få män (2-3%) hade någon gång oroat sig för kvinnans drickande men 12% kvinnor hade någon gång oroat sig för mannens drickande. Blivande pappor får mindre stöd än gravida kvinnor till minskat drickande. I 6-13% av svaren uppgavs en alkoholiserad förälder och i 64-68% av svaren uppgavs frånvaro av alkoholism i familjen/släkten. Skillnaderna mellan grupperna var genomgående små. Dock ansåg man i interventionsgruppen i högre grad att MVC givit den viktigaste informationen om alkohol samt upplevde i högre grad stöd från varandra än i kontrollgrupperna / Introduction:In Sweden, midwives as a routine encourage pregnant women to refrain from alcohol use but theydo not discuss the habits of the father. The registration at the ACC provides a unique opportunity for both the mother and the father to reflect over alcohol habits during pregnancy and parenthood and possible alcohol problems among relatives. Purpose: The objective was to study if conversationswith both parents-to-be leads to reduced consumption of alcohol during the pregnancy and if psychosocial support primarily from the father is of importance for the mother ́s choice of pregnancy without alcohol and if the father receives corresponding support to decrease drinking. Method: The study was quasi-experimental within regular ACC-activities. The intervention group comprised of 238 couples. Two control groups with together 413 couples participated. The intervention group received written and oral information before registration and the couple filled questionnaires at registration. The couples were given opportunity to reflect about their habits and attitudes concerning alcohol in pregnancy and parenthood. They were also encouraged to think about how it in some cases was to be brought up with alcoholism. In the control groups, the midwife conducted a routine alcoholinformation. The intervention group and the first control group filled premeasuring after registration and filled postmeasuring in pregnancy week 33. The second control group only filled postmeasuring in pregnancy week 33. Results and conclusions:Most parents-to-be, used alcohol the year before the pregnancybut the majority of the women stopped when they got to know they were pregnant. Most fathers-to-be continued drinking but many of them reduced their consumption. One quarter drank for relaxation and about as many drank to become drunk. Few men (2-3%) did ever worry about the alcoholconsumption of the women but 12% of the women did ever worry about the alcohol consumption of the men. Fathers-to-be receive less support for reduced drinking than the pregnant women. In 6-13% of all answers there is a notion of alcohol problems among own father or mother and 64-68% of all answers stated absence of alcoholismamong relatives. The differences between groups were generally small. However, the persons in the intervention group reported that they thought ACC to give the most important information about alcohol. They also perceived that theyto a higher extent got support from each other more often than in the control groups / <p>ISBN 91-7997-113-X</p>

Darbo tikslas: Ištirti krūties vėžiu susirgusių Lietuvos moterų psichosocialinės pagalbos poreikius ir su sveikata susijusią gyvenimo kokybę. Uždaviniai: 1. Išanalizuoti sunkumus ir iššūkius, su kuriais susiduria krūties vėžiu susirgusios moterys; 2. Įvertinti moterų, susirgusių krūties vėžiu, nerimo ir depresijos simptomų raišką; 3. atskleisti psichologinės pagalbos poreikius ir nesinaudojimo ja priežastis. Išvados: 1. Tyrimo rezultatai atskleidė, kad daugiausiai problemų respondentėms sukėlė pablogėjusi bendra sveikata ir emocinis funkcionavimas. Taip pat jas labiausiai vargino nuovargis, nemiga ir patiriami finansiniai sunkumai. 2. Nerimo ir depresijos būsenos būdingos daugumai krūties vėžiu susirgusių moterų. 88,7 % respondenčių išreiškė ribinius arba stiprius nerimo simptomus, 66,3 % - ribinius arba stiprius depresijos simptomus. 3. Psichologinės pagalbos poreikį jautė 20,1 % tiriamųjų. Tik kas trečia moteris, kuriai reikėjo psichologinės pagalbos, kreipėsi į šios srities specialistus. Daugiausiai moterų nurodė, kad pagalbos siekti trukdo ribotos finansinės galimybės ir informacijos stoka. / The aim of the paper: To assess the need of psychosocial support and health related quality of life in newly diagnosed women with breast cancer. Objectives: 1. To evaluate psychosocial issues and difficulties encountered by women newly diagnosed with breast cancer; 2. To analyse the expression of symptoms of anxiety and depression among women diagnosed with breast cancer;3. To determine the need for psychological support and the reasons for not making use of such support. Conclusions: 1. The results of the study revealed that the most problems for respondents were caused by impaired global health and emotional functioning. In addition, they were most affected by fatique, insomnia and financial difficulties. 2. 2. The results revealed that states of anxiety and depression are characteristic of most women diagnosed with breast cancer. 88.7 % of respondents experienced limited or strong symptoms of anxiety, 66.3 % experienced limited or strong symptoms of depression. 3. 3. The need for mental health assistance was felt by 20.1 % of those studied. Only one in three women who needed mental health assistance sought such assistance from mental health specialists. Women most often indicated that limited financial resources and a lack of information hindered them from seeking assistance.

This diploma thesis deals with the issues of a family of a newborn with a developmental risk. The theoretic part deals with the most common problems endangering the healthy development of a newborn, also with family and the process of coping with the crisis. Further on, it deals with possibilities of family support during their stay in hospital and also after the baby has been discharged into home care, using the support of non-health care groups. The objective of the diploma thesis was to detect possibilities of psycho-social support for the family of a newborn with a developmental risk. The thesis answers questions of, how parents feel in this situation after the birth of their child, during its stay in hospital and subsequently after the discharge into home care, what kind of support services they use to help them manage this period. Further on it deals with questions of whether the information of support options is sufficient and whether this support system works from the parent?s perspective.This diploma thesis was processed on a basis of qualitative survey results. The questioning method of half-format with parents was used and the method of document summary analysis. The investigated samples were parents of ten children treated in The Developmental Care Unit of Neonatology ward in the hospital of České Budějovice a.s. During the hospitalization of the child, it is important, that the medical team communicates openly, gives well timed and clear information and allows direct involvement in the child care. The outcome of this investigation points out the important role of the partner, family and friends as the main source of support. Also sharing feelings and needs with other parents is rand as a considerable source of support. However, the mothers especially, miss this sharing opportunity after their baby has been discharged into home care. Another interesting outcome is the absence of a psychologist, who specializes in newborn matters as an important source of support for parents. The survey shows, how important the psychosocial support is for parents, not just during hospitalization, but also after the discharge of their baby. Whereas they feel that the healthcare service is adequate, they especially miss the psychosocial support after the discharge from hospital. This is especially true of families of babies with developmental risk, without any serious health problem. Listed subjects could be used by professionals dealing with care of newborn with developmental risk, who provide complex care for families of the children with perinatal condition. Therefore, specialized psychological help should be an evident part of the care provided. The hypothesis were determined on the basis of qualitative survey results, which could be verified by further investigation:Hypothesis 1: For mothers of a newborn with developmental risk it is important to get help in the framework of supporting parental groups.Hypothesis 2: After the discharge of their child into home care, parents would appreciate psychosocial support in the framework of outpatient service.

The dissertation deals with holistic approach of nursing staff of the Rescue Service by providing pszchosicial support and crisis communication to the survivors or direct sudden death participants from nurse´s }member of the Rescue Service team]perspective. The goal of the dissertation has been 1. To detect problems which nursing staff members of the Rescue Service are prepared for communication with the survivors.

This masters thesis deals psychosocial specifics of patients with multiple sclerosis. My study consists of five main parts. In the first part I am discussing multiple sclerosis, the special emphasis placed on physical changes. In the second part I am discussingp sychosocial specifics of patients with multiple sclerosis. I try to show the wide complexity of the MS problem. In the third part I showing case studies of five patients with MS. In fourth I am discussingsocial system in Czech Republic, in the main support for patients with MS. In the last part I try to acquainted with the research results "Psychosocial Support for Patient with MS".

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the use of Gestalt therapy as an alternative assessment technique with two primary school girls who have been sexually abused. The empirical study of limited extent, was qualitative in nature and conducted from the interpretivist paradigm. I used two in-depth clinical case studies situated within the context of psychotherapy outcome research as research design. I developed and implemented alternative assessment based on Gestalt therapy and employed observation, interviews, informal discussions, analysis of documentation, a reflective diary, field notes and visual data (photographs and original media) as data collection and documentation methods. I purposefully selected two primary school girls who have been sexually abused as participants in the study. The findings of the study were, firstly, that Gestalt therapy could be used as an effective alternative assessment technique with the target participants as it seemingly provided a safe setting to express emotions, fears and needs related to the trauma of sexual abuse. In this regard, a finding was that the primary participants had to deal with challenging emotions including anxiety, fear, aggression, anger, hatred, rage, sadness and depression. A related finding was that they experienced a need for love, unconditional acceptance, support and protection. Similarly, the study found that they also displayed negative behaviour such as inadequate social behaviour, restlessness and withdrawal from challenging social situations. Most importantly, utilising this mode of assessment rendered insight into the defence mechanisms they employed such as denial, avoidance, suppression and escapism. Secondly, alternative assessments based on Gestalt therapy seemed to have a positive effect on both participants, as indicated by change during and after the process of assessment in terms of emotions, behaviour and the use of defence mechanisms. / Dissertation (MEd (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Educational Psychology / MEd / unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the use of Gestalt therapy as an alternative assessment technique with two primary school girls who have been sexually abused. The empirical study of limited extent, was qualitative in nature and conducted from the interpretivist paradigm. I used two indepth clinical case studies situated within the context of psychotherapy outcome research as research design. I developed and implemented alternative assessment based on Gestalt therapy and employed observation, interviews, informal discussions, analysis of documentation, a reflective diary, field notes and visual data (photographs and original media) as data collection and documentation methods. I purposefully selected two primary school girls who have been sexually abused as participants in the study. The findings of the study were, firstly, that Gestalt therapy could be used as an effective alternative assessment technique with the target participants as it seemingly provided a safe setting to express emotions, fears and needs related to the trauma of sexual abuse. In this regard, a finding was that the primary participants had to deal with challenging emotions including anxiety, fear, aggression, anger, hatred, rage, sadness and depression. A related finding was that they experienced a need for love, unconditional acceptance, support and protection. Similarly, the study found that they also displayed negative behaviour such as inadequate social behaviour, restlessness and withdrawal from challenging social situations. Most importantly, utilising this mode of assessment rendered insight into the defence mechanisms they employed such as denial, avoidance, suppression and escapism. Secondly, alternative assessments based on Gestalt therapy seemed to have a positive effect on both participants, as indicated by change during and after the process of assessment in terms of emotions, behaviour and the use of defence mechanisms. / Dissertation (MEd (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

This thesis aims to explore why, and in what ways football is, and can be used within humanitarian action. I will discuss the reasons why football is particularly suitable, and how to build an effective program. I will take a closer look at peacebuilding and psychosocial support, how it connects to football and what attributes of the game that promotes a project’s success. The research is based on a literature study, and I have taken examples from both academic articles and other books. I have found a range of attributes that makes football particularly good to work with, including the physical aspect of the game, the joy it brings to the participants, and that it is a safe framed space where to explore new perspectives. That football is a team sport is essential when working with both peacebuilding and psychosocial support. The social platform football consists of is the foundation to cooperation and changing the view of ‘the other’. Moreover, it can build a sense of belongingness, not only to the players themselves but also to the team and the club which might be crucial in a volatile context such as forced migration. I partly challenge the idea that sport does not have any inherent positive factors for people’s well-being. I found the physical aspect and that it is teams that are winning, not individuals as reasons for this. But I also found, that creating an environment where the actors are autonomously motivated is the most important factor, not only to give optimal opportunity for the actors to perform in the best way but for their well-being as well.

Against the background of various socio-economic barriers in many South African school-community contexts, I compared how teachers in four schools implemented an asset-based intervention aimed at school-based psychosocial support. The working assumption was that teachers could act as protective resources in implementing the asset-based approach (following their participation in STAR1) to promote psychosocial support in their school-community contexts. The four schools were conveniently selected as information-rich cases to participate in the research study. The four cases comprised one informal settlement primary school in the Eastern Cape, two urban primary schools in Gauteng and one rural secondary school in Mpumalanga. Purposeful sampling was used to select ten participating teachers (n=40) in each school. Methodologically, the study followed a qualitative paradigm and a comparative case study design, implementing participatory rural appraisal (PRA) principles. The asset-based approach was used as theoretical framework. Multiple data gathering (focus groups, observation and intervention artefacts) and documentation procedures (verbatim transcripts, field notes, research journal and visual data) were implemented over a period of three years. Following constructivist grounded theory analysis, three main themes emerged: teachers using an asset-based approach for psychosocial support; teachers addressing barriers resourcefully; and teachers’ demonstrated asset-based competencies. The findings of the current study confirm that schools as part of unique systems are interrelated in terms of networks that mobilise assets, irrespective of the context. Teachers experience and prioritise a) socio-economic barriers (HIV/AIDS, financial constraints due to poverty and unemployment, and child abuse) and b) stressors of teaching (workload and related time constraints, attrition of group members, low levels of parent involvement, as well as context-specific factors). Teachers’ identification of barriers is determined by school contexts. Across school contexts teachers identified a) internal assets in their classrooms, the school context and in their communities together with b) community resources (physical resources, natural and environmental resources, community organisations and institutions). In psychosocial support, teachers mobilised identified assets and resources to ameliorate the impact of barriers. Teachers therefore promoted resilience by means of psychosocial support. The characteristics of school-based psychosocial support include identifying assets, prioritising barriers, mobilising assets to ameliorate the presence of barriers and establishing systemic networks and partnerships. When providing psychosocial support, teachers demonstrated asset-based competencies (positive identity formation, group effectiveness skills and management skills) signified as internal protective resources. By dynamically engaging in the challenges of their school-community contexts, teachers demonstrated self-determination (Deci&Ryan, 1985, 2002; Ryan&Deci, 2000, 2002) In the process, teachers displayed and actualised asset-based competencies, which in turn fulfilled the underlying psychological needs of competence, relatedness and autonomy. When they implemented the asset-based approach, it seemed to enhance teachers’ sense of coherence (Antonovsky, 1987) as they viewed the existence of barriers as being comprehensible, manageable and meaningful. Teachers were able to address barriers at an intrapersonal and interpersonal level as well as by deploying management skills. The three levels on which teachers addressed barriers correlate with their asset-based competencies. Their asset-based competency of positive identity formation was utilised to address barriers on an intrapersonal level; their group effectiveness skills addressed barriers on an interpersonal level and their management skills were deployed to address barriers on a level of administrating barriers efficiently. The study provides empirical evidence to broaden the current knowledge bases of the asset-based approach, resilience and school-based psychosocial support. The study contributes to the existing knowledge base of the asset-based approach by firstly highlighting social capital in school-community contexts as potential outcome of the implementation of the asset-based approach. Secondly, the study introduces asset-based competencies, as well as the dynamic relationship between these competencies and fundamental psychological needs (competence, relatedness and autonomy) as signified in self-determination theory (Deci&Ryan, 1985, 2002; Ryan&Deci, 2000, 2002). Lastly, the study conjectures the interconnectedness between the asset-based approach and a sense of coherence, in the sense that implementation of the asset-based approach could result in enhanced eustress (Simmons&Nelson, 2005) and sense of coherence (Antonovsky, 1987, 1993) when faced with and addressing barriers. Within the context of the existing knowledge base of resilience in schools and school-based psychosocial support, the findings suggest that resilience in schools could be promoted by teacher-driven psychosocial support initiatives. Firstly, the study signifies greater insight in teachers’ perspective on the potential assets and resources available in school-community contexts that could be mobilised for psychosocial support and the promotion of resilience. Secondly, the findings suggest empirical evidence that teachers (in a school context) can mobilise resources so that schools may serve as protective resources to promote resilience through school-based psychosocial support. Thirdly, the study contributes to new insight in possible barriers that teachers could encounter on a daily basis as well as the sort of psychosocial support that could be expected from similar school-based interventions. Lastly, the study provides insight into potential ways in which teachers can address barriers on an intrapersonal and interpersonal level and by deploying management skills. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted