The objective of this study was to: (1) assess the overall wellness climate profile of a sample of higher education call centre employees for national benchmarking purposes; (2) explore the relationship between the participants‟ sense of coherence, affective wellbeing and burnout; and (3) determine how the participants differ regarding these variables in terms of socio-demographic contextual factors such as gender, race, age, and marital status. The South African Employee Health and Wellness Survey was used as a measuring instrument. Compared to the national norm, the results indicated a risky wellness climate reflecting a burnout propensity, lower morale (affective wellbeing) and lower resilience (sense of coherence). Significant relations existed between the participants‟ sense of coherence, affective wellbeing and burnout levels. Significant differences regarding these variables were also detected between males and females and the various marital status groups regarding the participants‟ sense of coherence, affective wellbeing and burnout. The findings of this study contributed new knowledge that may be used to inform employee wellness programmes within a higher education call centre environment. The study concluded with recommendations for future research and practice. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Comm. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

This research has utilised Antonovsky's SOC construct and explored its role in a group relations training event. A quantitative and qualitative design was used. A sample of eight (N = 8) human resources practitioners was recruited through convenience sampling. The qualitative analysis of the group relations training event was facilitated by split mean procedure analysis of the SOC results. The research demonstrated that the SOC is a pervasive disposition in determining the way in which one appraises and copes with group relations· training. All participants experienced anxiety, stress, defensive behaviour, negative emotions and learning associated with a group relations training event. However, the high-SOC participants were better able to cope, manage and make sense of the group relations training than low-SOC individuals. Recommendations were formulated in doing future research for human resource practitioners on the role of SOC in group relations training. / Industrial and Organizational Psychology / M.Admin. (Industrial Psychology)

Given the negative consequences the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to both the physical and mental health, there is a growing need to find the ways how to support and strengthen psychological resilience and mental health of the individuals in such an unprecedent situation. Consequently, this thesis explores the A. Antonovsky's salutogenetic model of health with a focus on the concepts of sense of coherence (SOC) and sense of national coherence (SONC) as potential predictors of mental health during COVID-19 pandemic. In the theoretical part, the topic of mental health, it's coneptualisation and predictors are presented, with an emphasis on the concepts of SOC and SONC. Additionally, the review of present research on mental health during COVID-19 pandemic is included. The research project analyses the data obtained through an online survey as a part of an international research study investigating the predictive factors of mental health during COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection in Czech sample was conducted in December 2020 and January 2021, using the Mental Health Continuum, SOC-13 and SONC scales. The sample included 476 participants. Multiple regression analysis confirmed the SOC as a significant predictor of mental health during COVID-19 pandemic among Czech sample. However, the predictive value...

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This study was conducted in South Africa among a total of 86 South African adolescents. The aim of this study was to investigate self-perceived health among youths from two different socio-economic groups in South Africa, what they believe promote their health and what views they have on school health education. The study used a mixed method approach consisting of quantitative questionnaires and qualitative interviews. The study draws Aaron Antonovsky’s theory of health, the salutogenic perspective and the sense of coherence theory. In addition, Antonovsky’s 29-item orientation to life questionnaire formed the quantitative part of the study. The main findings of this study is that higher socio-economic status does not necessarily correlate with higher SOC. Family and supportive people had the greatest affect on the adolescents’ ability to cope with stressors and are therefore the main health promoting factors. Finally, health education and the subject Life Orientation, as well as the school as an institution, are health-promoting factors and have in different ways influenced the participants’ views on health.

Bakgrund: Implanterbar defibrillator (ICD) är en medicinsk teknisk dosa som bryter livshotande arytmier med en defibrillering. För personer med en förhöjd risk att få ett plötsligt hjärtstopp kan ICD:n vara en direkt livräddande behandling. I dag finns närmare 7800 personer i Sverige som har ICD, vilket är en grupp som stadigt ökar i antal. Syfte: Att beskriva patienters upplevelser av att leva med implanterbar defibrillator. Metod: Litteraturöversikt som baseras på elva vetenskapliga artiklar som analyserats utifrån Fribergs mall för kvalitativ ansats. Resultat: Ur analysen framkom tre huvudteman, Att tappa kontrollen över livet, Ett förändrat liv med begränsningar och en andra chans med sju subteman. Resultatet visar på att patienter med ICD upplever en förändrad livssituation som påverkar dem på ett fysiskt, psykiskt och socialt plan. Reaktioner som osäkerhet, rädsla och oro är vanliga känslor som patienterna upplever. Flera av patienterna utvecklar även ett undvikande beteende på grund av rädsla för tillslag från ICD;n vilket leder till att livskvalité påverkas negativt. Allteftersom som tiden fortskrider så minskas de negativa följderna av behandlingen och de flesta av patienterna känner en djup tacksamhet till att ha fått en andra chans till livet. Diskussion: Sjuksköterskan behöver kunskap om de förändringar och begränsningar som det innebär att leva med en ICD. Samlivet, den fysiska förmågan och arbetslivet påverkas och sjuksköterskan behöver informera om dessa områden för att kunna stötta patienten att anpassa sig till det nya livet. Slutsats: Majoriteten av ICD-bärarna upplever en rädsla för inadekvata tillslag, ovisshet och osäkerhet när ett tillslag kommer att uppstå ligger till grund för de begränsningar patienterna upplever. Sjuksköterskor kommer allt oftare möta denna kategori av patienter vilket gör att det är viktigt med kunskap om deras upplevelser för att kunna möta dem och ge en korrekt vård. / Background: Implantable cardioverter defibrillator is a technological medical controller that interrupts life-threatening arrhythmias with an electrical shock. The ICD could have a direct life-saving impact for persons that have an increased risk to suffer a sudden cardiac arrest. About 7800 people have ICD in Sweden currently, however the group is steadily increasing in numbers. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the patients' experiences of living with implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Method: Literature overview that is based on eleven scientific articles analyzed based on Friberg’s template for qualitative approach. Findings: Three main topics arose from the analysis after working to the results, To lose control over life, A change life with limitations and A second chance with seven sub-themes. The results points at the patients with ICD goes through a change in their life situation, which affects them at a physical, psychical and social level. Reactions such as insecurity, fear and anxiety are common emotions the patients will feel. Many of the patients will also develop an avoidance behavior because of fear for an electrical shock from the ICD, that will lead to an adverse effect on their quality of life. The negative effects of the treatment will be reduced as time goes on and most of the patients will feel a deeper gratitude to having a second chance to life. Discussion: The nurse needs to know about the changes and limitations that are involved living with an ICD. The co-habitation, the physical ability and the ability to work are all affected and the nurse need to inform the patients about these changes in order to support them to adjust to this new way of life. Conclusion: The majority of ICD-carriers are experiencing a fear of inadequate electrical shock, uncertainty and insecurity when a electrical shock will occur is the basis for the restrictions that patients experiences. Nurses in Swedish healthcare system will encounter this group of patients more often and that makes it crucial that nurses have knowledge about their experiences in order to meet them and give proper care.

Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka om det fanns någon association mellan deltagande i kulturella aktiviteter och känsla av sammanhang bland äldre personer på två äldreboenden. Metod: Ett frågeformulär baserat på Antonovskys SOC-13-formulär med tillagda egenformulerade frågor, såsom kön, ålder, deltagande i kulturella aktiviteter och funktionsnivå användes.  Frågeformuläret delades ut till 76 personer över 65 år utan demenssjukdom på två äldreboenden i mellansverige och besvarades av 40 respondenter. Materialet bearbetades och analyserades i statistikprogrammet SPSS, där beskrivande statistik framställdes och ett chi-två-test samt en logistisk regression genomfördes. Resultat: Ingen statistiskt signifikant association mellan deltagande i kulturella aktiviteter och känsla av sammanhang fanns. Däremot fanns en association mellan funktionsnivå och KASAM-poäng.  Ju lägre funktionsnivå, det vill säga ju mer hjälp respondenten behövde i sin vardag, desto lägre känsla av sammanhang tenderade respondenten att ha. Slutsats: Funktionsnivå verkade ha högre inverkan på en individs känsla av sammanhang än deltagande i kulturella aktiviteter i den givna studiepopulationen. / Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there was any association between participation in cultural activities and sense of coherence among seniors living in two nursing homes. Methods: A questionnaire based on Antonovskys SOC-13-questionaire was used, with added self-formulated questions including gender, age, level of physical function and participation in cultural activities. The questionnaire was distributed to 76 people 65 years and older without dementia at two nursing homes in central Sweden and 40 respondents answered the questionnaire. The material was processed and analyzed in the statistic computer program SPSS, where descriptive statistics were prepared and a chi-square analysis and logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: No statistically significant relationship between participation in cultural activities and sense of coherence could be seen. However, there was a correlation between the level of function and SOC scores. The lower level of function, i.e. the more help the respondent needed in everyday life, the lower sense of coherence. Conclusion: Functional level seems to have greater impact on an individual's sense of coherence than participation in cultural activities in the given study population.

In the following essay, I will present my fieldwork that I've conducted in Radhakund India. For three weeks I was living in a hindu monastery (eg. ashram) that primarily houses a group of swedes who have formerly suffered from substance-abuse and have gone through medical detoxification, rehabilitation and 12-step treatment. They have all eventually taken up the religious/spiritual practice that the monastery focuses on; meditative and ritual practice in the tradition of gaudiya-vaishnavism. The monastery, namned Bhajan Kutir Ashram, was formed by the psychologist and author Torbjörn Fjellström, who himself is a practitioneer of gaudiya-vaishnavism. Besides rituals and meditation, pilgrimage to Radhakund is part of the religious practice and tradition these people adhere to. My ambition has been to investigate if their religious/spiritual practice in this tradition has been helpful in their recovery. My conclusion is that they have recovered through the cognitive and emotive tools, analytically called Sense of Coherence (SOC) that are found both in the 12-step treatment and the gaudiya-vaishnava-tradition. While the 12-step treatment has helped the respondents to recover from substance-abuse, their religious/spiritual practice in the context of gaudiya-vaishnavism is seen as a natural continuation of the 12 steps and a deepening of its principles. Another theoretical conclusion drawn from the material is that the way the respondents describe recovery, is practically impossible to separate from their religious/spiritual practice and perspectives.

<p>THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE YOUNG ADULTS EXPERIENCE´ OF RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT. THE STUDY WAS QUALITATIVE, BASED ON INTERVIEWS WITH FIVE RESPONDENTS WHO HAD STAYED AT A TREATMENT HOME FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. THE FOCUS WAS ON THE RESPONDENTS´ EXPERIENCES OF MILIEU THERAPY AND THEIR VIEW ON NORMALITY. THE RESULTS WERE ANALYZED FROM EARLIER RESEARCH, THEORIES FROM SYMBOLIC-INTERACTIONISM AND ANTONOVSKYS´ THEORY ABOUT SENSE OF COHERENCE. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE RESPONDENTS HAD TO EXAGGERATE THEIR DYSFUNCTIONAL BEHAVIOUR IN ORDER TO FIT AMONG THE OTHER RESIDENTS. THE GROUP OF RESIDENTS HAD A MAJOR IMPACT ON THE RESPONDENTS´ EXPERIENCE OF THE STAY. THEY ALSO EXPERIENCED THAT SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS WERE CONTAGIOUS WITHIN THE GROUP. AFTER THE TREATMENT THE RESPONDENTS FELT MORE SECURE IN THEMSELVES AND HAD A BETTER CONNECTION WITH THEIR FAMILIES. NORMALIZATION THROUGH EDUCATION SEEMS TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE SINCE ALL THE RESPONDENTS EXCEPT ONE ARE INVOLVED IN AN EDUCATION-PROGRAM NOW.</p>

Vidinė darna įvairių autorių yra laikoma vienu iš fizinės ir psichinės sveikatos išteklių, žmogaus atsparumo ir sėkmingos adaptacijos pagrindu. Nustatyta, kad pedagogų darbas yra vienas stresiškiausių, o tyrimų nagrinėjančių pedagogų vidinę darną atlikta per mažai, todėl šio darbo tikslas buvo įvertinti Vilniaus universiteto dėstytojų vidinės darnos lygį, gyvenseną ir jų sąsajas. Medžiaga ir metodai. Tyrime dalyvavo 289 VU dėstytojai, nuo 25 iki 72 m. amžiaus. Duomenų rinkimui buvo naudotas anoniminės anketinės apklausos metodas. Respondentams pateikta anketa, kurioje buvo demografinius duomenis, gyvenseną bei vidinę darną vertinantys klausimai (3 ir 13 klausimų klausimynai). Vidinė darna ir jos komponentai buvo vertinami pagal „Gyvenimo orientacijos anketą“ (A. Antonovsky, 1987), kurią sudarė 13 klausimų. Naudotas paplitimo epidemiologinis tyrimo tipas. Duomenų analizė atlikta statistine programa SPSS for Windows 13 versija. Naudotas statistinio reikšmingumo lygmuo p < 0,05. Rezultatai ir išvados. Rezultatai parodė, kad VU dėstytojai savo gyvenimo kokybę ir sveikatos būklę dažniausiai vertina kaip gerą. Gyvenimo kokybę geriau įvertino moterys, vieniši ir kelias darbovietes turintys dėstytojai. Lėtinėmis ligomis sirgo 43 proc. dėstytojų, iš jų dažniausiai našliai/ės. Tyrimo metu nustatyti, statistiškai reikšmingi skirtumai tarp gyvensenos veiksnių ir dėstytojų lyties, amžiaus bei šeimyninės padėties. Šiuo metu rūkantys prisipažino 38 proc. dėstytojų. Didesnis rūkymo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Different authors consider sense of coherence to be one of the physical and mental health resources, stress resistance and successful adaptation basis. It is done not enough researches dealing with educationalists and sense of coherence, although it was found that pedagogical work is one of the most stressful. The aim of this work was to analyse the health behaviour, Sense of Coherence (SOC) and interfaces between them in the population of the lecturers in Vilnius University. Materials and methods. 289 Vilnius university lecturers of 25-72 years old age (mean age 43,82) participated in this survey. An anonymous questionnaire for getting data about social-demographic factors, health behaviour, subjective health assessment created by author was used in the survey. In the questionnaire Sense of coherence was measured with “The orientation to life questionnaire” consisting of 13 questions. It was composed by A. Antonovsky (1987). Data analysis was performed using Statistical program SPSS for Windows 13 version. Level of statistic significance was p< 0.05 Results and conclusions. The results showed that the quality of life and subjective health assessment mostly was reported as good. Single respondents ant those who had more than one workplace reported to have better quality of life. 43 % of lecturers reported to have chronic diseases, most of them were widows(-ers). Examination revealed that it was statistically significant differences between lifestyle and respondents gender... [to full text]