The overall aim of this thesis is to investigate if the somatic comorbidity and increased mortality among persons with psychiatric disability (residents in supported housing facilities) can be influenced. The thesis comprises four papers. Paper I describes the lived experience of health and body. Papers II and III examine the effects of a lifestyle programme on physiological markers (II) and on psychological and quality of life parameters (III). Paper (IV) illustrates the meaning of participating in a life style programme. The data in Papers I and IV comprises narrative interviews with residents (n=11). The studies in Papers II and III are focused on residents and were carried out with a randomized design. The randomization was performed on a group level (supported housing facility). The 12 month intervention consisted of study circles with a theoretical and practical application of dietary information and physical activity for two hours, on a twice weekly basis under the supervision of a study circle leader. The controls were offered an aesthetic study circle and met once a week. The data in Paper II comprises physiological quantitative data from both residents (n=41) and staff (n=41) and in Paper III questionnaires on symptoms and quality of life completed only by residents (n=41). The data was analysed with Qualitative description (I), Phenomenological-hermeneutics (IV), and for papers II and III relevant statistical calculations were used. Health is described in paper I as “having a life as others have” and discloses the losses of important life domains (family, work, security) and the experiences of being deviant and stigmatized. Health is described as “absence of psychological and physical problems” and its hampering effects on quality of life and self-esteem. Health is understood as a phenomenon that could “be influenced by one self”, and there is an insight that health is manageable. Participating in a life style intervention (paper II) meant a significant improvement in risk factors for metabolic syndrome among the residents in comparison with controls. No differences were seen on weight, BMI and improved physical capacity. In paper III a significant positive increase in the Sense of Coherence compared to controls was seen. However no effect was seen on quality of life, psychosocial function or on reduction of symptoms in comparison with controls. Participating in a lifestyle intervention can be understood as the gaining of insights that health can be improved and that the daily life is partly given a changed content (paper II). The participation is also described as meaning an increased sense of closeness and equality in relation to the staff and sometimes a painful insight of their life situation. Participating is also described as entailing a hope that one’s life situation can be affected. In summary this thesis shows that there is some possibility of influencing the physical health (reduced risk of metabolic syndrome) among persons with psychiatric disability by participating in a 12 month intervention programme. The intervention does not show any effects on measures such as quality of life, psychosocial function and presence of symptoms. However, the participants describe that the participation had a meaning in a number of respects. This is a finding that is confirmed by the positive change in sense of coherence. The need to develop preventive care for persons with psychiatric disability and the importance of monitoring the treatment with neuroleptics and its side effects on physical health is an important clinical implication. Furthermore the importance of the responsibility of the care staff is emphasized as well as the importance of supporting a change in lifestyle.

Purpose: This study aims to provide a better understanding of the importance of mastering foreign languages in building international business relationships as well as whether English should be considered an interlingua in international negotiations. Theoretical framework: This study ́s theoretical framework consists of the disciplines Business-to-Business (B2B) marketing and psychic distance. In B2B marketing a sustainable business relationship is built on the customer experience which in turn rests the four pillars of trust, integrity, communication, and interdependence. Psychic distance includes the subdisciplines cultural distance, inter-organizational distance, and linguistic distance. Method: This study employs a qualitive research with an abductive approach. The empirical material was collected through semi-structured interviews. The respondents consisted of four employees at Business Sweden, who are working in different markets, and two Swedish export companies in the manufacturing industry. Conclusion: The study shows that the choice of language mainly affects communication and trust between the parties. The perceived integrity is affected more by the parties' socio- pragmatic skills than their linguistic skills. Mutual dependence affects the parties' attitudes towards language choice rather than vice versa. The study also shows that despite the English status as Lingua Franca, misunderstandings can still arise that are based on the communicators' cultural background. / Syfte: Denna studie syftar till att ge ökad förståelse för betydelsen av behärskningen av främmande språk vid skapandet av internationella affärsrelationer samt den funktion som engelskan fyller vid internationella förhandlingar. Teori: Uppsatsens teoretiska referensram utgörs av begreppen Business-to-Business (B2B) marknadsföring och psykiskt avstånd. En hållbar affärsrelation i B2B marknadsföring bygger på kundupplevelsen eller företagens uppfattning av varandra. Denna kundupplevelse bygger i sin tur på fyra grundpelare: förtroende, integritet, kommunikation och ömsesidigt beroende. I psykiskt avstånd ingår kulturellt avstånd, interorganisatoriskt avstånd och språkligt avstånd. Metod: Denna studie är baserad på en kvalitativ med en abduktiv ansats. Det empiriska materialet samlades in via semistrukturerade intervjuer. Respondenterna utgjordes av fyra anställda på Business Sweden, som är placerade på olika marknader, samt två svenska exportbolag inom tillverkningsindustrin. Slutsats: Studien visar på att språkvalet främst påverkar kommunikationen och förtroendet mellan parterna. Den upplevda integriteten påverkas mer av parternas sociopragmatiska kompetenser än deras språkliga kompetenser. Ömsesidigt beroende påverkar parternas attityder gentemot språkvalet snarare än vice versa. Studien visar även på att trots engelskans status som Lingua Franca kan det fortfarande uppstå missförstånd som grundar sig i kommunikatörernas kulturella bakgrund.

The purpose of this thesis is to compile current research knowledge about the social worker’s psychosocial work environment in social services, focusing on themes as work-related stress, psychological well-being, social support and professional identity. The aim is to discover areas of change or improvement within the work environment in social services. The thesis is answering the following research question: what does research, published within the timeframe of 2017-2020, say about the social worker’s psychosocial work environment considering themes as work-related stress, social support, psychological well-being and professional identity? Two theoretical perspectives are applied to make understanding of the empirical data: cognitive theory with a coping perspective and social constructionism. The method used in this study is a thematic analysis. The purpose of this method is to compile research regarding the social worker’s psychosocial work environment according to different themes. The results of the study show that social workers experience both stress and well-being within their work environment. Stress is caused by high demands, lack of resources and lack of control. Work-related stress affects social workers’ health, professionality and their attitudes towards their job. Psychological well-being is promoted by resources such as social support, quality of work, work experience and client affirmation. Social support is a high valued resource among social workers and is often a reason for staying in social services. The social worker’s professional identity is both individual and shared, and built on solidarity. The results show that professional identity is affected negatively by conflicting demands within social services.

Psykisk ohälsa är ett ökande problem samtidigt som symptomen ofta behandlas med medicinering istället för psykologiska behandlingsmetoder där individen får möjlighet att läka i lugn och ro. Hästunderstödda insatser är en behandlingsmetod som innefattar glädje och struktur för att lyfta individens självkänsla och egenskaper. Syftet med studien är att undersöka behandlarens syn på hästens roll i arbetet med psykisk ohälsa. Studien fokuserar på att utreda om hästen påverkar relationen mellan klient och behandlare samt huruvida häst och behandlare inverkar på klientens återhämtning. Det är en kvalitativ studie med semistrukturerade intervjuer och tematisk analys. Resultatet visar att hästunderstödda insatser kan vara en metod där det finns möjlighet att med hjälp av djur och natur, återhämta sig från psykisk ohälsa i lugn och ro. Hästen kan motivera samtidigt som relationen mellan behandlare och klient förbättras. Metoden kräver dock mer forskning för starkare evidens för att utvidga användningen i samhället. / Mental ill-health is a growing problem, where symptoms are often treated with medication instead of psychological treatment that allows the individual to recover in peace and quiet. Equine-assisted intervention is a treatment method that improves an individual's self-esteem and attitude by providing joy and structure. This study investigates the therapist's view of a horse's role in the treatment of mental ill-health. It examines whether a horse can influence the relationship between the client and the therapist, and whether the horse, together with the therapist, can influence the client's recovery. It is a qualitative study, with semistructured interviews and thematic analysis. The result shows that equine-assisted interventions can, with the help of animals and nature, provide the opportunity to recover from mental ill-health with tranquility and improve the client’s relationship with the therapist. However, more research is needed to strengthen the evidence and encourage the adoption of the method in society.

Abstract The law with special provisions on the care of young people (SFS 1990: 52) (LVU) regulates a possible way out for the social service to compulsorily act to protect children and young people who in different ways are disadvantaged. When an intervention is made in accordance with this law, high legal security requirements are set for each child in each unique case. The purpose of this essay is to analyze whether the administrative law highlights the rights of the children and the best interests of the child in a legal process regarding. This is done through an analysis of administrative law judgments. The study also includes an examination of how the administrative law chooses to take the best interest of the child into account when making a decision. The results of the study show that, in the majority of cases, administrative law emphasizes the importance of the best interests of the child coming to the forefront and the rights of the child to be fulfilled. It also emerges that the child's age and maturity are of great importance for how the administrative law views the credibility of the child's story. If the child has been able to maintain his story over time, it also appears to be something that the administrative law takes into account in the decision-making process. Whether a child is to be represented in the legal process is clear in guidelines and conventions, but how the child's story is taken into account seems ambiguous. How the children should be considered in a legal process seems obvious in theory, but through the course of the study, the reality has turned out to be different. Although the child's perspective and the best interests of the child are described as important, in some cases the administrative law is considered to have a poor child perspective.

Syftet med denna studie är att skapa en ökad förståelse för hur svenska industriföretag kan arbeta på en utländsk marknad för att ta sig runt det psykiska avståndet. Detta har gjorts genom att titta på hur ABB, Sandvik, Scania och Volvo Cars arbetar i Malaysia med nätverk och olika åtgärder för att hantera skillnader mellan länderna. Den reviderade Uppsalamodellens definition av nätverk och CAGE-ramverkets definition av psykiska avstånd används för att studera företagensoch medias narrativ. En kvalitativ metod används där en innehållsanalys av sekundärkällor har kodats för att ta ut information som varit relevant för denna studie. De fyra företagen har använt sig av nätverk för att kunna bedriva en fungerande verksamhet och två av företagen har vidtagit åtgärder för att minska det psykiska avståndet. Erkännanden: Vi skulle vilja tacka vår handledare Lena Zander och seminariegruppen för diskussionerna och den konstruktiva feedback de bidragit med under uppsatsskrivandet. / The purpose of this study is to create a better understanding of how Swedish industrial companies can work in a foreign market to overcome the psychic distance. This has been done by looking at how ABB, Sandvik, Scania and Volvo Cars work in Malaysia with networks and different measures to manage differences between the countries. The definition of networks used in the revised Uppsala model and the definition used in the CAGE-distance framework of psychic distance are applied to study corporate and media narratives. A qualitative method is used where a content analysis of secondary sources has been coded to extract information relevant to this study. The four companies have used networks to operate and two of the companies have taken steps to reduce psychic distance. Acknowledgements: We would like to thank our supervisor Lena Zander and the seminar group for the discussions and constructive feedback they have provided during the essay process.

Idag finns ett starkt forskningsstöd som visar att små barn utvecklar PTSD eller andra stressrelaterade symtom i samband med trauma i lika eller högre grad än äldre barn, ungdomar och vuxna. De yngsta barnens starka beroende av sina vårdnadshavare för överlevnad och skydd i kombination med deras utvecklingsmässiga omognad gör de minsta barnen till en särskilt utsatt och sårbar grupp. Syftet med denna litteraturöversikt är att undersöka forskningsstödet för olika psykoterapeutiska metoder för små barn (noll till fem år) med trauma. Översikten omfattar 29 artiklar med olika metodologiska tillvägagångssätt. Sammanfattningsvis visar litteraturöversikten att det saknas forskning om behandling av små barn samt att det finns studier som påtalar behov av att anpassa behandlingen till barnens ålder och behov. Detta inkluderar till exempel att involvera barnets primära omsorgsperson/er, att använda lek som metod, att ge åldersanpassad psykoedukation samt att identifiera känslor utifrån ålder och mognad. Framtida forskning om små barn har flera frågeställningar som behöver besvaras; Hur går en evidensbaserad diagnostisk process till för de små barnen? Vilka symtom behöver premieras i behandlingen? Vilka barn bör erbjudas behandling och hur kan effekten av terapin mätas? Ytterligare studier med fokus på genomförbarhet och enhetliga utfallsmått rekommenderas. / There is ample evidence to suggest that infants and small children can develop PTSD and other stress-related symptoms as a result of trauma, to an equal or greater degree than older children, adolescents and adults. Particularly, their strong reliance and dependence on their caregivers for protection and survival, in combination with their developmental immaturity, makes them an especially vulnerable group. This review aims to investigate the evidence base for varying psychotherapeutic methods specifically targeting small children zero to five years of age who have experienced trauma. A structured search was conducted using two databases; PsychInfo and Web of Science. The results includes 29 articles with diverse methodological approaches. In essence, the discussion highlights that there is sparse research concerning small children and the treatment of trauma. Studies that exist, put forward the need to conduct therapy with the small children and their caregivers, so called “dyadic therapy” regardless of psychotherapeutic orientation. Also, adapting therapy to suit the small children's cognitive, language and social development is imperative. This is done, for example, through the use of play, by providing age appropriate psychoeducation, and identifying emotions based on age and maturity. Still, there are many questions remaining that may need to be answered in order to provide evidence-based treatment to small children and their families, for example; How do we best conduct an evidence-based assessment of trauma in small children? Which trauma-symptoms should be treated and how should the treatment outcome be measured? Further studies are recommended.

Underbyggd av ett teoretiskt ramverk inom livsloppssociologin undersöker föreliggande studie effekterna av Sense of Control (SoC) och framtidsutsikter på den teoretiska relationen mellan psykiskt välbefinnande och arbetsmarknadsposition (LMP) hos unga studenter på högskolenivån. Materialet består av enkätsvar från totalt 155 studenter, i åldrarna 19-30, boende på olika platser i Sverige. En multipel regressionsanalys genomfördes där välbefinnande, LMP, framtidsutsikter och Sense of Control (SoC) ingick. Tvärtemot hypotesen förmådde LMP inte predicera välbefinnande. SoC, däremot, förmådde måttligt predicera välbefinnande (β = .237). Multivariat analys visade även på ett måttligt samband mellan LMP och SoC (r = 0.226, p = 0.005), samt mellan SoC och framtidsutsikter (r = 0.275, p < .001). / Underpinned by a theoretical framework within life course sociology, this study examines the effects of Sense of Control (SoC) and future expectations on the theoretical relationship between psychological well-being and labour market position (LMP) among young students within the academia. The data consists of survey responses from a total of 155 students, aged 19-30, living in various parts of Sweden. A multiple regression analysis was conducted in which well-being, LMP, future expectations and Sense of Control (SoC) were featured. Contrary to the hypothesis, LMP was unsuccessful at predicting well-being. SoC, on the other hand, was found to modestly predict well-being (β = .237). Multivariate analysis also showed a modest relationship between LMP and SoC (r = 0.226, p = 0.005), as well as between SoC and future expectations (r = 0.275, p < .001).

Den psykiska hälsan har haft en negativ utveckling och sedan coronapandemin har den försämrats ytterligare, även bland ungdomar. Trots att den psykiska hälsan i allmänhet är god så uppger många ungdomar att de mår dåligt. Den psykiska hälsan påverkar såväl individen som samhällsutvecklingen. Bland ungdomar påverkar den psykiska hälsan skolprestationen och skoltrivsel, något som påverkar ungdomarnas framtidsmöjligheter. Det sociala stödet anses vara en skyddande faktor för ungdomars psykiska hälsa. Syftet med studien var att undersöka socialt stöd, psykiskt välbefinnande och stress bland gymnasieungdomar i mellersta Sverige och studera om det föreligger samband mellan dessa. Totalt 120 gymnasieungdomar deltog i en kvantitativ tvärsnittsstudie. Datainsamling bestod av en enkätundersökning. Resultatet analyserades med Spearman’s rangkorrelationsanalys. Resultatet visar att det finns ett positivt samband mellan socialt stöd och psykiskt välbefinnande. Vidare visar resultatet på ett svagt negativt samband mellan socialt stöd och stress. Sammanfattningsvis, det föreligger ett samband mellan socialt stöd, psykiskt välbefinnande och stress. Sambandet är starkare mellan socialt stöd och psykiskt välbefinnande än mellan socialt stöd och stress. Detta indikerar på att det finns andra faktorer som har starkare samband med ungdomarnas stressnivå, men att det sociala stödet är betydelsefullt för den psykiska hälsan. / Mental health has had a negative development and since the corona pandemic it has deteriorated further, also among young people. Although mental health is generally good, many adolescents state that they don’t feel good. Mental health affects both the individual and the development of society. Among adolescents, mental health affects school performance and enjoyment of school, something that affects young people's future opportunities. Social support is considered a protective factor for adolescents’ mental health. The purpose of the study was to investigate social support, psychological well-being, and stress among upper secondary school students in middle Sweden and to study whether there is a correlation between these. A total of 120 upper secondary school students participated in a quantitative cross-sectional study. Data collection consisted of a questionnaire survey. The result was analyzed with Spearman's rank correlation analysis. The results show that there is a positive relationship between social support and psychological well-being. Furthermore, the results show a weak negative relationship between social support and perceived stress. In conclusion, there is a relationship between social support, psychological well-being, and stress. The relationship is stronger between social support and psychological well-being than between social support and stress. This indicates that there are other factors that have a stronger connection with adolescents’ stress experience, but that social support is important for mental health.

Bakgrund: Den psykiska ohälsan ökar i Sverige, forskning visar att över hälften av ungdomar i Sverige påvisat någon form av psykisk ohälsa före 14 årsåldern.  Studier visar att unga idag är mer benägna att prata om vad som främjar psykiskt välbefinnande. Socialt stöd påvisas som en tydlig faktor för psykiskt välbefinnande. Socialt stöd för psykiskt välbefinnande beskrivs utifrån flera perspektiv. Syfte: Syftet är att undersöka socialt stöd för psykiskt välbefinnande hos ungdomar (16–19 år). Metod: En kvantitativ undersökning, med tvärsnittsdesign. Ett bekvämlighetsurval gjordes där enkätundersökningar skickades ut till gymnasieskolor i Västmanland. Totalt 165 enkätsvar till dataunderlaget. Dataunderlaget har analyserats via generering av frekvenstabeller, korstabeller och Chi2-test har utförts mellan självskattat psykiskt välbefinnande, kön och olika variabler för socialt stöd. Resultat: Resultatet visar både att ungdomar önskar mer socialt stöd från formella aktörer och att de allra flesta (61%) av ungdomar önskar att få socialt stöd i form av fysiska samtal. Ungdomarna och i synnerhet flickor önskar att bli erbjuden socialt stöd. Generellt sätt visar både forskningsstudier och examensarbetet hur flickor nyttjar det sociala stödet i högre grad än pojkar, samt att flickor hellre ser ökad tillgänglighet av socialt stöd från formella aktörer.  Slutsatser: Ungdomar rapporterar hög tillgänglighet av socialt stöd, men önskar mer. Ungdomar önskar att bli erbjudna socialt stöd och föredrar fysiskt samtal som form av socialt stöd. Ungdomar som mår sämre, samt flickor generellt var oftare missnöjda kring sociala stödet, samt hade mer behov. / Background: Mental illness is increasing in Sweden, research tells that over 50% of youth in Sweden have shown signs of mental illness before their 14th birthday. Studys show that the youth today are more outspoken about mental well-being and the factors that promotes it. Social support have shown to be an indisputable factor for mental well-being. Social support for mental well-being is despicted from multiple perspectives. Aim: The purpose is to examine social support for mental well-being in youth (16-19 years). Method: A cross-sectional study, with quantitative approach. The survey was sent to high schools in Västmanland. Convenience sample, in total 165 surveys in the dataset. The dataset has been analyzed with frequency tables, crosstables and Chi-squared test have been executed between self-assessed mental well-being, gender and different variables for social support. Results: The results show both that youth want more social support from formal actors and most of youth (61%) wish for social support in the form of peer-on-peer conversations. The youth and foremost girls wish to be provided social support. Both research studies and this examination paper show how girls use social support more than boys and that girls prefer more availability of social support from formal actors. Conclusions: Youth report high availability of social support but wish for more. Youth want to be offered social support and prefer psychical conversations as form of social support. Those youth who reported worse mental well-being and girls in general were more often unhappy with social support and had bigger needs.