Dissertation (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

<p>The main cause of environmental disturbance in the Fennoscandian boreal forests today is forestry. Natural disturbances are important to maintain diversity, but anthropogenic disturbance, such as forestry, differs in many ways from the natural ones. Forestry is a big industry in Sweden and only a small remnant of old-growth forest is left. Several studies have shown an initial decrease in e.g. dragonfly diversity a few years after logging, followed by an increase up to numbers comparable with the original species number. In this study I examined whether the new, quite diverse, species composition is similar to the one present before the logging or if some species are disappearing and are replaced with other, maybe opportunistic species. Other factors such as ongoing changes in climate also will be considered. A resampling of 34 (and an additional 4) lakes that also were sampled in 1996-97 was done during summer of 2006. Analyses of data from the two sampling occasions were done. I found that even if the diversity is just temporarily affected (or not affected at all), it is not always the same species involved. This means that the diversity in a single lake can appear to be high, but the total diversity in Sweden, or Scandinavia, is declining. I also found some interesting new species for the area, such as Nehalennia speciosa, Sympecma fusca and Aeshna mixta.</p>

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2007.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Montana, 2006. / Title from title screen. Description based on contents viewed Mar. 29, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-125).

The purpose of this study was to determine how the presence of resilience was manifested in a population of children within homeless families and more specifically, whether the sibling relationship provided a unique contribution to child psychological adjustment. Analyses were conducted to determine if the sibling relationship provided a unique contribution to the amelioration of child psychological distress among children within homeless families, thereby promoting child resilience. The variables of the study included resilience, sibling relationship, and psychological distress among children within homeless families. Data was collected from 60 school-aged children (26 boys and 34 girls), ages 9 to 17, who, along with their parents and siblings, resided in two, agency-operated, emergency housing centers located in Miami-Dade County. Hypothesis 1 predicted that high resilience would be related to low psychological distress. Hypothesis 2 predicted that positive sibling relationship would be related to low psychological distress and Hypothesis 3 predicted that high resilience and positive sibling relationship would be related to low psychological distress. It was concluded that resilience was partially related to low psychological distress; however, the relationship between positive sibling relationship and low psychological distress was not supported by the data in this study. The clinical and service implications of this study are discussed and recommendations are made for future research on this subject.

<p>The thesis hopes to augment this focus by exploring the multitude of discourses women make in terms of oppression, resilience being one such possible response. It is proposed that the research may expand on existing literature, offering an alternative perspective as to why women often remain in abusive relationships. Furthermore, the rationale of the thesis is to contest the notion that women who remain in domestically violent relationships do so for underlying pathological reasons.</p>

The main cause of environmental disturbance in the Fennoscandian boreal forests today is forestry. Natural disturbances are important to maintain diversity, but anthropogenic disturbance, such as forestry, differs in many ways from the natural ones. Forestry is a big industry in Sweden and only a small remnant of old-growth forest is left. Several studies have shown an initial decrease in e.g. dragonfly diversity a few years after logging, followed by an increase up to numbers comparable with the original species number. In this study I examined whether the new, quite diverse, species composition is similar to the one present before the logging or if some species are disappearing and are replaced with other, maybe opportunistic species. Other factors such as ongoing changes in climate also will be considered. A resampling of 34 (and an additional 4) lakes that also were sampled in 1996-97 was done during summer of 2006. Analyses of data from the two sampling occasions were done. I found that even if the diversity is just temporarily affected (or not affected at all), it is not always the same species involved. This means that the diversity in a single lake can appear to be high, but the total diversity in Sweden, or Scandinavia, is declining. I also found some interesting new species for the area, such as Nehalennia speciosa, Sympecma fusca and Aeshna mixta.

This thesis is about the situation and possibilities in a refugee situation. The aim is to deepen the understanding of the situation for Colombian refugee children and how they are able to handle the adjustments related to a refugee situation, both in a neighbouring country like Venezuela and in a foreign country like Sweden. First, quantitative data were collected and analyzed in order to obtain a general picture of the situation for the refugee children. Further, grounded theory was used to analyze some of the interviews, which resulted in a generated theory. During the process of developing the theory, a case study was carried out with a Colombian refugee family in Sweden. The interviewed persons are fifty Colombian refugee children (boys, girls, and teenagers) who lived in the border states of Venezuela, and a Colombian refugee family (the parents and their two children) who now live in Sweden. The generated theory deals with how the refugee children are able to relate to and manage the new refugee situation. The core concept is possibility-finding: the developed ability to find possibilities in the refugee situation. It is a way of thinking as well as practical action. The latter is evident in the way the refugee children see the possibilities and deal with the challenges and problems they are facing. By the solutions they find and the results that are developing into growth. All of this influences and helps to build up their personal stability. The foundations that emerge, and which support or strain possibility-finding, are peace, culture, language, and networks like familyship and friendship. There is an emphasis on the importance of peace and dreams in order to handle times of huge challenges.

Objective – Some of the most vulnerable children and youths in our country are those in out of home care, and these children demonstrate higher rates of psychopathology and fare more poorly in school and in social relationships than their peers. Typically, when studying at risk populations, negative outcomes are examined, thereby ignoring those who do well despite their vulnerability. These children, who demonstrate positive patterns of functioning and development despite their exposure to adversity, are considered resilient. The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with a resilient outcome among children and youths in out of home care. Method – The study sample was comprised of 417 children 10 to 15 years old in Ontario who had been removed from their homes of origin and placed in out of home care. Predictor variables were selected based on previous research findings in the area of resilient outcome. In the cross-sectional study, a series of sequential logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with a resilient outcome among children in out of home care. These children were then followed one year later. In the longitudinal study, another series of sequential logistic regression analyses were used to identify variables that were related to future resilient outcomes among the same children in out of home care. Results – The findings showed that many of the independent variables predicted resilient outcome on the different dimensions. Furthermore, overall resilient outcome was best predicted by the foster parental report of high sociability. Conclusion – The findings in the present study confirmed that there exists a subset of resilient children among children in out of home care. The findings allowed for the identification of some factors related to resilient outcome among this population. The practical implications of these findings are discussed.

These two mixed method studies are among the first to focus on resilience among Canadian Aboriginal (i.e., First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) youth living in out-of-home care. The first study was quantitative and consisted of cross-sectional and longitudinal components. For the cross-sectional investigation, the participants consisted of 510 First Nations (237 females, 273 males aged 10-16 years), 39 Métis (15 females, 24 males aged 10-16 years), and 10 Inuit young people (2 females, 8 males aged 10-16 years) who were drawn from an ongoing study of young people in out-of-home care in Ontario collected during 2007-2008. The second Canadian adaptation of the Assessment and Action Record (AAR-C2-2006; Flynn, Ghazal, & Legault, 2006) from the ongoing Ontario Looking After Children (OnLAC) project was used to collect data. The criterion variables were the young person’s self-esteem, score on a suicidality index, educational performance, pro-social behaviour, and positive emotional and behavioural development. The predictor variables included the young person’s gender, ethnicity, age, behavioural difficulties, cognitive impairments, attainment of LAC goals, and number of developmental assets. The longitudinal investigation used the same design as study one, but examined the OnLAC data for year eight (2008-2009) in following 260 young people from the sample in study one. The second study was qualitative and involved interviewing 21 First Nations children and adolescents residing in out-of-home care in northern Ontario to obtain their views about resilience and the factors related to the presence or absence of resilient outcomes. The results provided some support for the hypothesis, in that a greater number of developmental assets were related to more positive outcomes on four of the five criterion variables. The results of the focus groups and in-depth interviews suggested that family members, members of the community (coaches), teachers, and child welfare workers, all play important roles in fostering the youths’ success.