Tidigare studier har visat att faktorerna KASAM, flow samt prestationsbehov har betydelse för hög upplevd arbetstillfredsställelse. I denna studie undersöks om dessa faktorer även är aktuella under svenska förhållanden. En enkätundersökning genomfördes på 137 anställda på tre olika företag för att mäta om de tre faktorerna kan predicera arbetstillfredsställelse. Resultatet visade att KASAM, och särskilt komponenten meningsfullhet, var en stark prediktor av arbets-tillfredsställelse. Även flow, och särskilt dimensionen inomboende arbetsmotivation, hade ett signifikant prediktionsvärde medan det visade sig att prestationsbehov inte predicerade arbetstillfredsställelse. Ökad arbetstillfredsställelse borde kunna uppnås om företagen kan se till att de anställdas arbetsuppgifter innebär en lagom stor utmaning. Likaså att deras inställning till och förståelse för arbetsuppgifterna gör att arbetet känns meningsfullt.

Forskning visar att ungdomar verkar må allt sämre. Undersökningen testade eventuella samband mellan ungdomars stödnätverk och deras känsla av sammanhang (KASAM), språk/kulturs påverkan på dessa faktorer, samt vad som är viktigt hos en stödperson. Enkätfrågor om det sociala nätverket, för att fastställa KASAM samt om vem man vänder sig till i olika situationer besvarades av 147 gymnasieungdomar från Mälardalen. Positivt samband mellan KASAM och ungdomarnas stödnätverk påvisades. Ungdomarna vände sig främst till familjen vid behov av stöd, men kompisar var också viktiga, speciellt för tjejer. Det viktigaste hos en stödperson var att lyssna, vara förstående, finna lösningar, att den känner individen, samt att den är snäll. Tidigare forskning verkar kunna befästas - att ungdomar med ett starkt stödnätverk mår bättre.

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In Sweden, there are considerable health differences between social groups and between women and men. Regardless of social position, women often report more symptoms than men. The aim of this study was to investigate how education is related to job satisfaction and to different aspects of well-being and symptoms in a nationally representative cohort of middle-aged women and men with children. Moreover, the study aimed to investigate the associations between education, job satisfaction, working-hours, partner status, number of children and various aspects of health. Regardless of gender, a long education was associated with significantly higher levels of general job satisfaction, sense of coherence, self-acceptance, purpose in life, personal growth and fewer physical and mental symptoms. General job satisfaction was a significant predictor of all health-related measures, apart from purpose in life. On the whole, men reported a better health compared to women who reported significantly more physical as well as psychological symptoms.

The objective of this literature study was to describe how the school nurse can adopt the salutogenic perspective in her health promoting work. The articles were examined in order to identify what was written about the school nurse’s work from the salutogenic perspective. In parallel, Eriksson’s, Orem’s, and Newman’s nursing theories were examined from the same perspective. Health promotion enables people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. Aaron Antonovsky coined the term salutogenesis to describe why certain people can stay healthy despite stressful situations, and even grow and develop. The concept “sense of coherence” (SOC) is an important factor in this context. The Salutogenic model was a new way to develop knowledge in nursing. As caregivers capable of structuring life experiences and providing health information and services, nurses can foster and strengthen SOC. Salutogenesis promoted the understanding and the identification of factors relevant to child protection. It was also found that many factors, e.g., gender, lifestyle, habits and school climate correlated with SOC. The study showed a strong support for adopting the Salutogenic model in school health work, and that nursing theories can be used as analytical tools in the application of this model in practice.

Chronic illness is associated with conditions that may result in psychological ill-health in the adolescence. Consequently there is a need for development of preventive psychosocial support interventions for this target group. The objective was to develop, implement, and evaluate the effect of supportive intervention group program for teenagers suffering from chronic illness - aiming at increasing quality of life and supporting mental and physical health. Method: Six different intervention groups were conducted between 2007 and 2011, age 13–17. The participants diagnoses were Diabetic, Epilepsy, Lung/allergy and Turners syndrome. Eight sessions, once a week, two hours each time. Parents participated on the first and last occasion in all groups. Psychodrama exercises complemented group sessions. All groups had a part of the same program as starting point, with the two main points; psychosocial education and salutogenetic approach with adherence to Aaron Antonovskys theory on “Sense of Coherence” (SOC). Results from the evaluation with the questionnaires SOC-13 and The Ladder of Life, indicate increased mental well-being and sense of meaningfulness for all groups directly after the intervention. The qualitative evaluation show, that to meet others in the same situation created hope and the program contributed to notable therapeutic effects.

Å arbeide som miljøarbeider i psykisk helsevern er krevende, og kan føre til utmattelse, utbrenthet og sykemeldinger. Dette forskningsarbeidet har som tema hvordan veiledning kan være helsefremmende for de som deltar. Med utgangspunkt i Aaron Antonovskys teori om salutogenese og sense of coherence, på norsk opplevelse av sammenheng, har jeg undersøkt hvordan veiledning kan bidra til en slik opplevelse av sammenheng. Gjennom en kvalitativ studie med dybdeintervju av tre miljøarbeidere som arbeider i psykisk helsevern, har jeg sett på hvordan elementer i veiledning bidrar til opplevelse av begripelighet, håndterbarhet og mening. Jeg har hatt et spesielt fokus på narrativer og nyskriving av historien, som en måte å skape sammenheng i tilværelsen. For analysering av datamaterialet har jeg brukt både en Voice Centred Relational- metode og Interpretativ Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Studien viser at det er betydningsfullt for opplevelse av sammenheng å få hjelp til å sette ord på erfaringer og å reflektere over egen person og praksis. Det er også betydningsfullt å være i deltager i en gruppe. Forskningen min viste at i tillegg til veiledningsgrupper var det et viktig supplement at miljøarbeiderne også får kollegaveiledning og kollegial bistand i avdelingen der de jobber. Forskning som kunne vært interessant i kjølvannet av denne studien, men som det ikke har vært mulighet for å gjøre innenfor oppgavens rammer er om kjønn har betydning for hvordan veiledning oppleves, og veiledning som kompetansehevende verktøy. / Working as a social worker in mental health care is demanding, and can lead to exhaustion, burnout and sick leave. This thesis is based on a qualitative research project where the main topic is how counseling can be health enhancing for those who participate. Empirical basis are in-depth interviews with three social workers working in mental health care. The research material is viewed through the lenses of Aaron Antonovsky’s theory on salutogenesis and sense of coherence. Analysis the data I have used both Voice Centred Relational method and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The aim has been to examine how counseling can contribute to a sense of coherence. More specifically I have looked at how elements in counseling contribute to experience of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness. I have had a special focus on narratives and rewriting of one's history as a way to create coherence in the existence. The study shows that to articulate experiences and reflect on own person and practice is an important contribution in creating and maintaining sense of coherence. It is also significant to participate in a group. My research showed that in addition to counseling groups, colleague counseling and collegial assistance in the department where they work, is an important supplement for the social workers that participated in the study. In the wake of this study I find it would be both interesting and useful to do research into the role of gender in counseling: to take a look at how men and women experience counseling, and its use as a tool for increasing competency. This lies outside of this project and cannot be investigated at this time.

The aim of this study was to examine the relations between sense of coherence (SOC), perceived social support and mood, the study also included gender and civil status in the analysis. In the analysis mood was the dependent variable. The study included 81 respondents, all students from Växjö university, who answered a survey with three parts: SOC 13, Mood Adjective Checklist (MACL), and an own constructed instrument that measured perceived social support. The result showed that those with a high SOC tended to have a greater mood. High scores on perceived social support also were related to a greater mood. No significant interaction effects was found between SOC and perceived social support. In the whole sample SOC was the strongest predictor for MACL. Women reported higher social support from friends than men, but this variable had no effect on women’s MACL. Among men the perceived social support from friends was the strongest predictor for MACL.

In 1946 the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that in order to promote overall health in a given population, it is necessary to identify factors that contribute to health and well-being, and not to solely focus on methods to reduce vulnerability to distress. Over 50 years later the WHO (2006) identified the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) community as a specific sub-population that requires particular investment in finding ways to reduce their observed higher rates of distress and suicidality. During this same half-century, U.S. colleges and universities transitioned from being fundamentally mono-cultural student bodies to becoming more multicultural in nature. In essence, each college’s student body is now a population of populations. One prominent population among the larger student body is the LGBTQ college student community. Furthermore, the LGB portion of this college sub-population has been identified as an under-researched subset of the larger LGBTQ population (Russell et al., 2011). This is because past research has been limited by drawing primarily upon non-college adolescent LGBTQ samples and has over generalized its findings by the inclusion of the Transgender and Questioning populations, which have been observed to report even higher rates of distress and suicidality than the LGB community (Clements-Nolle et al. 2006; Goldblum et al. 2012). This study is designed to refine our understanding of the LGB college sub-population by first examining if trends of increased acquired vulnerability for distress and suicidality found in studies of the adolescent LGBTQ population (Garofalo, Wolf, Kessel, Palfrey, & DuRant, 1998; Russell & Toomey, 2010; Haas et al., 2011; King et al., 2008) also exist in the LGB college sub-population. Second, in line with the World Health Organization’s goal of identifying protective qualities capable of enhancing and preserving one’s state of well-being and resilience, this study will be the first to examine if Sense of Coherence (SOC) serves as a moderating factor on LGB college students’ vulnerability to distress and suicidality, and thereby, contributes to overall well-being and health. Through this study, we hope to achieve a better understanding of LGB students’ vulnerability to distress and suicidality during the college years, as well as to examine the applicability of the SOC construct for health promoting interventions in the college population. / text

Suicide ideation is a growing phenomenon that can be observed in stressful environments such as those of a correctional official, and it is a cause for concern. Suicide ideation is seen as the first step of suicidal behaviour and refers to thoughts, cognitions and overt intent to kill oneself. The root causes for correctional officials experiencing such a severe state of hopelessness that they feel death must be the only escape, can be ascribed to different factors. The objective of this research is to establish the relationship between psychological strengths, stress and suicide ideation of employees of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). Three concepts of psychological strength namely locus of control, sense of coherence and affect as independent variables, were compared, with suicide ideation as a dependant variable. The relationship between suicide ideation and stress as an independent variable was also established. A cross-sectional design was used. A simple random sample (n=157) was taken from correctional officers from a management area in the Freestate Province. The Work Locus of Control Scale, Orientation to Life Questionnaire, Affectometer 2, and the Adult Suicide Ideation Questionnaire were administered. In addition, the Correctional Officer Stress Inventory was developed and administered. Principal component and factor extraction with Oblique rotation, Cronbach alpha and inter-item correlation coefficients, factor analysis, a discriminant analysis and a stepwise multiple regression analysis were used to analyse the data. Results showed that positive affect and external locus of control were associated with suicide ideation. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.