Research on international relationships is plentiful but research on the roles of social contacts in international relationships has not been forthcoming. Additionally, recent research on companionate marriages suggests that couples who have relationships that mimic companionate marriages have weak ties to their community. This research uses participant narratives to understand the social network of internationally married couples and divorced individuals in an effort to understand the roles that social contacts may play in international marriages. The research findings challenge pre-existing arguments about the companionate model of marriage and suggest that simplistic marriage models are inadequate frameworks used to understand complex marriages.

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The emergence of covid-19 has been declared as an international public health emergency in January 2020 by the World Health Organization and has affected millions of people across the world ever since. Public health interventions focused on controlling person-to-person infections to mitigate the number of infections and possible severe or fatal health effects. The absence of meaningful connections and social interactions with others can have an indirect adverse impact on psychological health outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the consequences of the current pandemic, and its associated measures, on human social well-being and sustainability. A meta-analytical approach based on original results of scientific research published in peer-reviewed journals and written in English has been used. The findings reveal no consistent findings regarding the level of loneliness whereas the level of social support remained stable or even increased over time. For the levels of violence within the home environment (domestic violence, child abuse and intimate partner violence) both an increase and decrease have been reported, indicating a possible impact of covid-19 pandemic on the tension within the family. The pandemic has complicated the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and thus slowed down society's attempts to achieve sustainability at an international level. The results of this study provide policy makers and professionals with knowledge on the social consequences of the covid-19 pandemic to protect human health and well-being in line with the sustainability goals.

In my Diploma Thesis, I focused on quality and quantity of the social contacts of elderly persons above 70 years of age. This Diploma Thesis is divided into two parts. Part one is a theoretical application of terms age and aging, demographical aging of the current population, age conditioned changes, needs of elderly, socio-psychological aspects of age, social substance of age and the important meaning of elderly life. And last but not least is elderly welfare and social security scheme. The second part is practical. Another target of my thesis is to ascertain elderly above 70 years of age suppositions to establish social contacts and relationships, and what are the contact?s quantity and quality in their surroundings and how are they satisfied with those contacts. I have compared results in three different environments in which the elderly live. To achieve set targets I chose qualitative research. This research had three sections: identification questions, questions in accordance with WHO DAS II scale and open questioning. Elemental company made a group of thirty elderly persons between 70 ? 85 years of age. I approached those seniors in their common environment, in a nursing home or home for the elderly. The research results showed that social contacts are fully dependent on family functionality and friendly contacts. A senior who has lost his or her life partner often loses even many social contacts. This fact may even contribute to social isolation, which significantly affects the individual's state of health. Elderly are also insufficiently informed about opportunities to establish social contacts. This fact also negatively affects their socialization.

Les mesures de distanciation sociale pendant la pandémie de la COVID-19 ont engendré de l’isolement et ont soulevé des inquiétudes concernant la solitude de la population. Étant donné les multiples conséquences de la solitude sur la santé, il est primordial de mieux comprendre comment ce phénomène évolue dans le temps, et d’identifier qui, dans la population, est particulièrement susceptible d’être touché par un sentiment de solitude prolongé. Les études existantes sur le sujet sont souvent transversales et donc n’examinent pas la chronicité de la solitude. De plus, elles ne s'interrogent pas sur la relation entre l’isolement et la solitude ni sur les variations interindividuelles et la vulnérabilité de certains sous-groupes, notamment les jeunes adultes. À partir d’une étude longitudinale (n=1763) s’échelonnant sur 11 temps de mesure entre avril 2020 et avril 2021, nous avons identifié des trajectoires de solitude au sein de la population canadienne. Nous avons identifié cinq trajectoires différentes, que nous avons numérotées comme suit : [1] très faible et stable (8,9%); [2] faible et instable (21,1%); [3] modéré et instable (38,8%); [4] élevé et stable (25,6%); [5] très élevé et décroissant (5,6%), indiquant une hétérogénéité dans l’expérience de la solitude. Nous avons ensuite examiné les facteurs de risque liés à l’appartenance à ces trajectoires, en lien avec différents indicateurs d’isolement et l’âge. Nous avons constaté que vivre seul était associé à de plus hauts niveaux de solitude, tandis que le respect élevé des mesures sanitaires et les contacts sociaux en ligne réduits étaient associés à des trajectoires moins élevées. De plus, les jeunes adultes et plus particulièrement ceux vivant seuls étaient plus susceptibles d’appartenir aux groupes de trajectoires de solitude élevées. Notre étude approfondit la compréhension de la solitude ressentie par les individus dans un contexte d’isolement aussi inusité que celui de la pandémie de la COVID-19 en identifiant la composition des sous-groupes les plus affectés. / Social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to isolation and raised concerns about population loneliness. Given the multiple health consequences of loneliness, it is crucial to understand better how this phenomenon evolves over time and identify who in the population is particularly susceptible to prolonged feelings of loneliness. Existing studies on the subject are often cross-sectional and do not examine the chronicity of loneliness. Additionally, they do not investigate the relationship between isolation and loneliness, nor do they explore inter-individual variations and vulnerability among certain subgroups, particularly young adults. Using a longitudinal study (n=1763) spanning 11 measurement points between April 2020 and April 2021, we identified trajectories of loneliness within the Canadian population. Five different trajectories were identified, which we numbered as follows: [1] very low and stable (8.9%), [2] low and unstable (21.1%), [3] moderate and unstable (38.8%), [4] high and stable (25.6%), [5] very high and decreasing (5.6%), indicating heterogeneity in the experience of loneliness. We then examined risk factors associated with belonging to these trajectories, in relation to different indicators of isolation and age. We found that living alone was associated with higher levels of loneliness, while high compliance with health measures and reduced online social contacts were associated with lower trajectories. Moreover, young adults, especially those living alone, were more likely to belong to the high loneliness trajectory groups. Our study deepens the understanding of individuals' experienced loneliness in the unprecedented context of COVID-19 isolation by identifying the composition of the most affected subgroups.

Denna uppsats behandlar frilansare i mediebranschen. Studien syftar till att bidra till den redan existerande förståelsen för hur mediebranschen ser ut idag, men också för att öka förståelsen för hur frilansare marknadsför sig via sociala medier. Genom kvalitativa intervjuer med frilansare har sociala medier som marknadsföringsverktyg undersökts. Resultatet beskriver vilka sociala medier som används av de frilansande intervjupersonerna men också hur mediebranschen i dess kontext ser ut idag, vilken betydelse kontakter har samt betydelse av ett personligt varumärke. Med en abduktiv ansats har det insamlade materialet analyserats genom ett växelspel mellan empiri och teori. Slutsatsen att dra är att sociala medier är ett nödvändigt marknadsföringsverktyg för att nå ut med det personliga varumärket, för att visa att du som frilansare finns bland dina kontakter men också för potentiella uppdragsgivare. Kontakter har också en viktig betydelse för frilansare i mediebranschen men kan kompletteras med marknadsföring på sociala medier då sociala medier kan hjälpa till med att få ut det egna personliga varumärket i branschen, vilket är viktigt för en frilansares professionella framgång. / How freelancers in the media business use social media as a marketing toolThis paper is about freelancers in the media industry. The study aims to contribute with information to the already existing understanding of how the media industry looks today, but also to increase the understanding of how freelancers use social media within their marketing. The use of the social media as a marketing tool has been studied through qualitative interviews with freelancers. The result describes which social medias are used by the freelancing respondents, but also how the context of the media industry looks today. It also enlightens the importance of social contacts for the freelancers and the meaning of self-branding. The collected material has been analyzed through an abductive approach, which means that an interaction between empirical data and theory-based information has been done. The conclusion of this study shows that social media is a necessary tool for the freelancers to succeed with their self-branding, not only to be noticed by your own contacts, but for the potential clients as well. The importance of contacts also has a big role for freelancers in the media industry, but in the lack of it, it can be supplemented with social media marketing since social media can help you with your self-branding, which is important for the professional success of a freelancer.

This study examines the impact welfare regimes might have on the individual’s social network – more specifically, the study investigates the individuals' number of social contacts and the diversity in their social networks. Are there differences in the individual's social network between the different welfare regimes? Does this correlate with the social safety nets provided by the different regimes? The study also aims to compare the strength of this correlation with other variables such as gender, age, educational level, partnership, and employment. This study is based on research theories of social capital, social contacts, and social welfare regimes. The study is quantitative in its nature and uses secondary data from the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) 2017. The method used are two different binary multiple logistic regression models. The first regression model examines the number of social contacts and the second one network diversity. The results indicate that there is a correlation between the number of social contacts, network diversity and welfare regimes. According to this study the stronger the social safety net is, the less diversified the individual’s social network is - and the lower the number of social contacts. This is particularly evident among older individuals in the population. Furthermore, this study suggests that partnership, education,and employment are influential variables for network diversity and the number of social contacts. The study contributes to an understanding on how the social security of welfare regimes tends to reduce individuals' need of creating and maintaining their own social networks. This area, separate from social capital, can contribute to better understanding on how, for example, social isolation can emerge from a macro perspective. However, we recommend further research in this area to provide deeper insight on the effects that may arise.

During the past thirty years several models for lifelong education after retirement have been developed worldwide, one of them being the University of the Third Age (U3A). This study explored the contributions of the U3A to the educational needs of older adults and evaluated the benefits they perceived from their participation in U3A by means of a literature study and an empirical investigation. The latter used a survey to explore the experiences of U3A members of two U 3As and presidents of 68 U3As in Victoria, Australia by means of two different questionnaires. As only 1.47 percent of the over-55 population of Victoria are U3A members, the survey also investigated barriers to U3A participation in general and with special reference to the male population. The findings indicated that member respondents were very satisfied with their U3A experiences which had made substantial differences in their lives. Both male and female respondents saw personal, mental, social, and physical improvement as a result of U3A participation. The majority indicated that participation had improved their intellectual development. Significant differences in the perceptions of male and female participants emerged: female members outnumbered males by three to one. Both the presidents and the members expressed some programmatic concerns, primarily obtaining tutors and classroom availability. The subject areas covered by courses presented were extensive. There was a difference in the subjects desired by males and female respondents; very few courses are offered in science and economics. Some barriers to participation identified are a lack of awareness of U3A, the stereotypical attitudinal barrier of `I am too old' and negative past educational experiences. Moreover, U3As should increase marketing endeavours. Although most U3As advertise, almost a third of the respondents indicated that they would have joined earlier if aware of U3As. A contributing factor appears to be a virtual lack of research and information provided in educational academic journals and other media about lifelong education after retirement. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for future research and for improved practice in the U3A environment as a means to enhance the quality of life for older adults. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Comparative Education)

During the past thirty years several models for lifelong education after retirement have been developed worldwide, one of them being the University of the Third Age (U3A). This study explored the contributions of the U3A to the educational needs of older adults and evaluated the benefits they perceived from their participation in U3A by means of a literature study and an empirical investigation. The latter used a survey to explore the experiences of U3A members of two U 3As and presidents of 68 U3As in Victoria, Australia by means of two different questionnaires. As only 1.47 percent of the over-55 population of Victoria are U3A members, the survey also investigated barriers to U3A participation in general and with special reference to the male population. The findings indicated that member respondents were very satisfied with their U3A experiences which had made substantial differences in their lives. Both male and female respondents saw personal, mental, social, and physical improvement as a result of U3A participation. The majority indicated that participation had improved their intellectual development. Significant differences in the perceptions of male and female participants emerged: female members outnumbered males by three to one. Both the presidents and the members expressed some programmatic concerns, primarily obtaining tutors and classroom availability. The subject areas covered by courses presented were extensive. There was a difference in the subjects desired by males and female respondents; very few courses are offered in science and economics. Some barriers to participation identified are a lack of awareness of U3A, the stereotypical attitudinal barrier of `I am too old' and negative past educational experiences. Moreover, U3As should increase marketing endeavours. Although most U3As advertise, almost a third of the respondents indicated that they would have joined earlier if aware of U3As. A contributing factor appears to be a virtual lack of research and information provided in educational academic journals and other media about lifelong education after retirement. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for future research and for improved practice in the U3A environment as a means to enhance the quality of life for older adults. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Comparative Education)