The current research was designed to add to the youth sport coping literature by examining adolescent athletes’ stressor appraisals and coping and to understand the way in which athletes learn to cope. Two studies were conducted. Study one was a metastudy (Paterson, Thorne, Canam, & Jillings, 2001) of the qualitative research on stressor appraisals and coping among adolescents in sport. Following database searches, 20 studies were retained for analysis. Meta-data, meta-theory, and meta-method analyses were conducted followed by a final meta-synthesis of findings. Analyses produced four themes: contextual and dynamic stressor appraisals, contextual and dynamic coping, coping resources and processes of acquisition, and social networks as assets and liabilities. These findings highlighted the need for precise use of theory in the study of coping. There was also scope for greater methodological diversity to advance our understanding of coping among adolescent athletes. The second study examined how adolescent athletes learn to cope and the role of social agents (e.g., parents and coaches) in adolescent athletes’ acquisition of coping skills. Grounded theory methodology was used (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). Interviews were conducted with 17 athletes (8 females, 9 males, Mage = 15.6 years), 10 parents (6 mothers, 4 fathers), and 7 coaches. Learning to cope was an experiential process consisting of the athlete – sport experiences and learning through trial and error, reflective practice, and coping outcomes (consistent performance, independence in coping, and persistence in coping). Learning was facilitated by athletes being exposed to multiple situations and reflecting on their coping efforts. Parents and coaches helped athletes learn to cope by creating a supportive context for learning and by using specific strategies to help athletes learn to cope. This research highlighted the importance of the social context as adolescent athletes learned to cope with stressors in sport and identified specific mechanisms by which parents and coaches influenced the development of coping among young athletes.

When self-esteem is dependent on competence individuals invest a great deal of effort in their accomplishments in order to validate themselves. The aim of the present thesis was to develop a theoretically sound and valid concept and measure of contingent self-esteem dependent on competence, and examine its vulnerable implications and role in burnout. In Study I a concept and measure of contingent self-esteem dependent on competence, termed competence-based self-esteem (CBSE), was developed. Confirmatory factor analyses showed its distinctiveness from other sources of self-esteem and revealed two dimensions comprising behaviors referring to: i) Self-esteem conditional upon competence and ii) Frustrated self-critical strivings. The new scale showed high reliability and gained both convergent and discriminative validity through different methods in different samples. Study II set out to experimentally test the vulnerable implications of CBSE in a performance situation. The results showed that high, as compared to low, scorers on the scale exhibited stronger physiological reactivity and momentary exertion coupled with frustrated mood. Study III focused on the role of self-esteem contingent on competence in the burnout process and its association with work- and private-life stressors over time in working women and men. The analyses showed that contingent self-esteem was a predictor of burnout. In addition, women scored higher on both contingent self-esteem and burnout and reported higher general life stress than did men, whereas men showed stronger associations between work stressors and burnout. The results of the three studies suggest that contingent self-esteem, where outcomes of one’s acts and performance serve to compensate an impoverished basic self-worth, facilitates the understanding of stress-related vulnerability and ill-health. / At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: In press. Paper 3: In press.

This dissertation investigated a very specialised, highly sensitive and complex research area in policing known as undercover policing or covert policing operations. This is the first examination to be conducted in the Australasian policing context and the only known research to explore, empirically, undercover operatives' experiences of returning to mainstream police duties after completing their covert duties.----- There were two main research objectives in this dissertation. The first was to develop research methodology specific for use with undercover police officers. The second main objective was to conduct an empirical investigation to identify the psychological processes associated with the reintegration or re-assimilation of undercover police officers into mainstream policing environments. Social identity theory was applied to deconstruct undercover police officers' reintegration experiences.----- Given the closed and protected nature of covert policing, careful consideration to methodological and ethical issues required high priority in the development of research practices. Addressing these considerations in research practices protected the anonymity and security of those involved in the research. Tailoring research methods to suit the officers' circumstances and satisfy police managements' security concerns improved the practical application of research methods and research relations with police members and, therefore, the quality of the findings.----- In developing a research methodology for specific use with undercover police officers, a multi-method approach was adopted. Data triangulation with the use of a variety of data sources and methodological triangulation with the use of multiple methods and multiple indicators were employed. This technique proved constructive in creating a more holistic perspective of undercover policing and officers' experiences of re-assimilation.----- In theoretical terms, the major issue under investigation is of negotiating dual memberships or multiple identities. Three studies are reported. The first study is a field study, in which the researcher spent more than 18 months in the covert policing context, as a participant observer. Through field research, the researcher was able to learn about the Australasian covert policing context; obtain in-house police documents; define research issues and hypotheses; understand methodological considerations; identify a psychological theoretical framework; and examine &quotthe fit " between theory and the social dynamics of covert policing. Other benefits of becoming immersed in the working life of undercover police officers and the police organisation included understanding the ways of proceeding and the social and organisational structure that exists among covert personnel.----- The second study interviewed 20 former covert police personnel, from two police jurisdictions, who had been reintegrated for more than three years. The majority of officers found returning to mainstream police duties a difficult experience and two separate profiles of reintegration experiences emerged from the data. This study identified the presence of more than one police identity among former operatives. It found that some officers internalise aspects of the undercover policing norms and use these police norms to define aspects of the self both as a police officer and as an individual. That is, role-playing the undercover police persona became an extension of the officer as an individual and contributed positively to their personal self-worth. It was noted that the majority of officers expressed cognitive confusion over how to behave in the mainstream policing environment after covert duties had ceased.----- The other profile to emerge from the data was of officers who characterised their undercover policing experiences as being more integrated into their overall police persona. Officers interviewed in this study employed different identity decision-making strategies to restructure their police identities. In sum, this study found that the extent, to which the undercover and mainstream memberships were integrated cognitively, influenced officers' experiences of reintegration.----- The third study is a cross-sectional design using survey methods. Thirty-eight trainees, 31 currently operational and 38 former undercover operatives from four police jurisdictions took part in this study. A group of mainstream police officers matched according to former operatives' age, gender and years of policing experience was also included. This study found that police identities change over the phases of undercover police work and that changes in former operatives' mainstream police identity were a function of covert police work. Cross-sectional comparisons revealed that former operatives' undercover police identity had declined since covert policing, however, officers' mainstream police identity had not significantly increased. Failure to increase identification with mainstream police after undercover police work has ceased has a number of implications in terms of predicting re-assimilation. Operatives most likely to experience difficulties were those who resisted the mainstream police identification and reported difficult relations with their mainstream peers. Trends analysis revealed that despite the physical change, 'cognitive' re-assimilation actually commences in the second year of the operatives' reintegration. These exploratory analyses revealed that following return to the mainstream policing environment, identity stressors were mostly likely to be experienced in the first year of reintegration.----- To determine psychological adjustment since undercover police work, the person-environment fit was also investigated in the study. Operatives' current perceptions of working in the mainstream context were reported using a number of behavioural and organisational indicators. Overall, this study found that former operatives remain committed to their policing profession, however, those who experienced identity stress during the re-assimilation process were less satisfied with their current work duties and failed to find their work interesting, tended to perceive undercover duties as having been detrimental to their career, and expressed greater intentions to leave the service within 12 months of the survey. Overall former operatives' satisfaction and commitment levels were not significantly different from mainstream officers. Mainstream police, however, reported being under greater pressure and felt more overworked in the mainstream context than former operatives. In summary, these organisational indicators revealed that the difficulties of re-assimilation and intentions to leave the service are more related to the stress of modifying officers' police identity during this period than the workload characteristics of mainstream policing.----- Overall these studies demonstrated that the process of negotiating police identities is an important psychological dynamic present in undercover operatives' reintegration experiences. The identity stress experienced during this period was shown to have a number of organisational-behavioural consequences, such as problematic intergroup relations and greater intentions to leave the police service after undercover police work. Based on findings from this research a number of practical recommendations are made and suggestions for the direction of future research are outlined. Contributions to theory are also discussed.

Bakgrund: Stress är ett vanligt förekommande i dagens samhälle, inte minst för sjuksköterskor då den ökade arbetsbelastningen gör att tid för återhämtning och reflektion får allt mindre utrymme. Stressen medför såväl fysiska som psykiska besvär, vilket påverkar sjuksköterskan både yrkesmässigt och privat. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att belysa vilka faktorer i sjuksköterskans arbete som orsakar stress. Metod: En litteraturstudie som baseras på totalt tio vetenskapliga artiklar, varav tre kvalitativa och sju kvantitativa. Resultatartiklarna valdes ut efter en systematisk litteratursökning i databaserna CINAHL och Academic Search Premier. Resultat: I resultatet visas olika faktorer som orsakar stress i sjuksköterskans arbete och dessa struktureras upp i två huvudteman; (1)Bristande socialt stöd och (2)Arbetsbelastning och krav. Till huvudtema (1) tillkommer ett undertema; Relation och kommunikation med kollegor och chefer. Till huvudtema (2) tillkommer tre underteman; (1)Omorganiseringar, tidsbrist och för lite resurser, (2)Ålder och erfarenhet samt (3)Bristande kontroll och delaktighet. Diskussion: Det sociala stödet är av stor betydelse i sjuksköterskans arbete då känslan av att vara en enhet ökar arbetsglädjen samt gör att stressen blir lättare att hantera. För att öka upplevelsen av meningsfullhet i sitt arbete är det även viktigt för sjuksköterskor att känna att de är delaktiga i olika beslut på arbetsplatsen, men många sjuksköterskor menar att det är svårt att få sin röst hörd. Den omfattande yrkesrollen kan göra att känslan av begriplighet försämras men samtidigt kan oförutsägbarheten vara stimulerande. På grund av de olika stressfaktorerna kan det vara svårt att helt följa de kompetenser som krävs av sjuksköterskan. / Background: Stress is a common occurrence in today's society, especially for nurses when the increased workload decreases the space for recovery and reflection. Stress causes both physical and psychological disorders, which affect nurses both professionally and privately. Aim: The aim of this study is to elucidate the factors in the nurse's work that causes stress. Methods: A literature review based on a total of ten scientific articles, three of which qualitative and seven quantitative. Results articles were selected by a systematic literature search in the databases CINAHL and Academic Search Premier. Results: The result shows various factors that cause stress to the nursing profession and these are structured into two main themes: (1)Lack of social support and (2)Workload and requirements. Main theme (1) has one sub-theme: Relationships and communication with colleagues and managers. Main theme (2) has three sub-themes: (1)Organisational Change, lack of time and lack of resources, (2)Age and experience, and (3)Lack of control and participation. Discussion: Social support is of great importance to the nursing profession as the feeling of being a team increases job satisfaction and makes the stress easier to handle. To enhance the experience of meaningfulness in their work, it is important for nurses to feel that they are involved in various decisions in the workplace, but many nurses believe that it is difficult to get their voices heard. The extensive professional role can deteriorate the sense of comprehensibility, but the unpredictability can at the same time be stimulating. Because of the different stress factors it can be difficult to fully comply with the competencies needed by the nurse.

Background: The human ability to adapt to extreme environments is fascinating. Research into this adaptation has been lacking in Arctic isolated teams because it has concentrated on Antarctic teams. The hazards of the poles often confine the researchers indoors with their colleagues, reducing their privacy. This deployment also limits their contact with loved ones at home. Subsequently, over the course of polar night, rates of anxiety, depression, irritability and sleep disturbance increase (Suedfeld & Palinkas, 2008). Often, the teams complain of cognitive impairments. The High Arctic’s distinctive feature is the polar bear. The presence of bears requires Arctic research station teams to handle fire arms for their personal safety. It also means that fire arms – which are highly restricted in the Antarctic – are ever-present and easily accessible at Arctic stations. This poses a unique psychological challenge for these teams which has not been well-researched. Methodology: This thesis is an original contribution to science in that it employs a mixed-methods approach combining phenomenological interviews, cognitive testing and mental health assessment via questionnaires with a team spending a year at the Polish Polar Station, Hornsund, Svalbard. The participants were ten of the eleven winter team members who spent the year between July 2015 and June 2016 at Hornsund (“Explorers”) and an age-/gender-/education-matched control group (“Controls”). They filled in the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised and the Profile of Mood States-Brief Version in July, September, January, April and June of that year. Cognitive testing was completed in September, January and June; it comprised the Figural Learning and Memory Test, the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART), the elevator tasks of the Test of Everyday Attention (TEA) and the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices. The interviews took place at the same time as the cognitive testing. Results: The results showed that the most stressful time reported in the questionnaires was April 2016, just after the winter isolation had ended and the sun had risen again. The Explorers reported little subjective complaints about their cognition but they performed near-ceiling on the TEA while scoring far below their Controls on the SART. This implies a dichotomy between sustained attention and inhibition in the Explorers. Their lived experiences were shaped by a struggle to adapt to the other team members rather than by struggling to adapt to the hazardous environment. The environment was perceived as awe-inspiring. Over time, the Explorers shifted their view of the team from informal colleagues to a family which they did not choose to be a member of and then, to friends. Unanimously, other people were seen as the most difficult aspect of the mission. Conclusions: This thesis provides unique insight into a non-Anglo-Saxon Arctic wintering team: the conclusions suggest that participants should receive social training to get along better and be emotionally prepared. The findings can be implemented by my research partner, the Institute of Geophysics (Warsaw) to better select and prepare their future expeditions to Hornsund. Some of the insights such as the nature of the interpersonal stressors may be applicable to space missions.

Job stress has been associated with lower levels of job satisfaction in the workplace, and the economic performance of organizations is directly affected by employee job satisfaction. Five job stressors in particular (work-home conflict, invasion of privacy, work overload, role ambiguity, and job insecurity) have been shown to contribute the most to job stress. Organizations with high job satisfaction rates are more likely to have lower turnover, fewer accidents, higher customer satisfaction scores, and better performance. This study contributes to the literature by examining the mediating role of emotional intelligence and organizational citizenship behavior on the relationship between job stress and job satisfaction. Panel data was collected using Qualtrics and Amazon Mechanical Turk. Utilizing PLS-SEM, it was found that the named job stressors do contribute to job stress, job stress does negatively affect job satisfaction, and this relationship is partially mediated by both emotional intelligence and organizational citizenship behavior. Discussion of future research regarding job satisfaction is included.

[pt] A pesquisa teve o objetivo principal de verificar o poder preditivo da resiliência, dos cinco grandes fatores de personalidade e estressores da profissão sobre o estresse ocupacional (estudo 1). Também foi objetivo verificar o poder preditivo dos estressores da docência sobre o bem-estar subjetivo para além do que é explicado por características de personalidade (estudo 2). Participaram da pesquisa 209 professores do ensino fundamental de escolas públicas e particulares. Os resultados do estudo 1 revelaram que 45 por cento da variância do estresse ocupacional foi explicado pelas variáveis do estudo. Os resultados do estudo 2 mostraram que 7 por cento da variância da satisfação de vida foi explicada por características de personalidade e 8 por cento por estressores da profissão. Afeto positivo teve 26 por cento da variância explicada por fatores de personalidade e 4 por cento pelo estressor relacionado às pressões do trabalho. Afeto negativo teve 20 por cento da variância explicada por personalidade e 20 por cento pelos estressores da docência. Conclui-se no estudo 1 que, apesar dos estressores impactarem no estresse ocupacional, as características de personalidade podem atenuar ou elevar o estresse. A resiliência, mesmo correlacionando-se negativamente com o estresse, não é um preditor significativo quando analisada com as demais variáveis. No estudo 2 os resultados mostram que os estressores da profissão impactam negativamente no bem-estar subjetivo geral, sobretudo, explicando a emergência de sentimentos negativos. / [en] The research had the main objective of verifying the predictive power of resilience, of the five great personality factors and stressors of the profession on occupational stress (study 1). It was also the objective to verify the predictive power of teachers stressors on subjective well-being beyond what is explained by personality characteristics (study 2). A total of 209 primary school teachers from public and private schools participated in the study. The results of study 1 revealed that 45 percent of the variance of occupational stress was explained by the study variables. The results of study 2 showed that 7 percent of the variance of life satisfaction was explained by personality traits and 8 percent by stressors of the profession. Affect positive had 26 percent of the variance explained by personality factors and 4 percent by the stressor related to work pressures. Negative affection had 20 percent of the variance explained by personality and 20 percent by teacher stressors. It is concluded in study 1 that, although stressors impact on occupational stress, the personality characteristics can attenuate or elevate the stress. The resilience, even negatively correlating with stress, is not a significant predictor when analyzed with the other variables. In study 2 the results show that the stressors of the profession negatively impact the general subjective well-being, above all, explaining the emergence of negative feelings.

Author: Caroline RystedtTitle: Stress in High School - A Comparison between South Korea and Sweden Supervisor: Gabriel Jonsson This thesis aims at learning about stress-related issues that affect high school students in South Korea and Sweden through survey studies, and ultimately finding possible solutions to tackle them. The quantitative, qualitative and comparative research methods were utilised to achieve the objectives. Three research questions in place are: A) Do high school students in Korea and Sweden feel stressed because of school? B)Are there any similarities in terms of causes of stress in comparison? C) Do the high school students in these two countries handle stress well? Through background research it appeared that living in the South Korean society was highly stressful; South Korea had one of the highest suicide rates amongst the OECD countries, and the figures showed that many of those were high school students. On the other hand, there were sources suggesting that the Swedish adolescents felt more stressed nowadays than the previous generation did. An online survey was conducted to garner information and opinions from second and third year students in South Korea and Sweden respectively; Subsequent analysis based on the coping andstressors theories was employed to assess the outcome of the survey. The results indicated that school had significant influence on students’ mental health - students felt stressed in both countries. There were similarities in terms of causes of stress, despite the South Korean students feeling more stressed than their Swedish counterparts based on the survey answers. The students from both countries stated that fear over uncertain future was one of the main causes of stress, and that worries over university admissions put them under pressure. The study also showed certain differences in the copying ability of the two student groups. The conclusion of this thesis aims to achieve a better understanding of high school students’ well-being needs and seek possible means of tackling stress based on the student respondents’ own proposals. Key words: stress, high school, coping, stressors, internet survey, suicide, adolescents

Background: Long-term stress can lead to reduced health among nurses which can result in impaired quality of care. Stress in nurses' work needs to be studied in order to prevent stress and impaired quality of care. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe nurses' experience of occupational stress and factors that contribute to occupational stress. Method: The method used was a literature review. Results: The analysis resulted in five themes which describe nurses' experiences of occupational stress and factors that contribute to occupational stress. These themes are; The nursing profession's change, Experience and education, High workload, Organization and work environment and Practical nursing. The result in this study shows that the strongest factors contributing to occupational stress in the nursing profession was; administrative work, objectification of patients, nurses' work experience and level of education, understaffing, high workload, time pressure, lack of support from management, cost savings, patient safety and palliative care. The nurses' experienced that their profession is changing and that the management does not appreciate or listen to them. Nurses' experienced feelings of inadequacy and powerlessness when they could not give patients good care because of occupational stress. They were afraid to hurt patients because of the stressful work environment. Conclusion: This study gives a deeper understanding of how nurses experience occupational stress and found several factors contributing to occupational stress. These findings can be used by health management and others to prevent occupational stress for nurses.

Bakgrund: Takotsubo kardiomyopati är ett akut tillstånd för vårdsökande personer som symtommässigt liknar hjärtinfarkt men i själva verket är en reversibel hjärtsvikt. I det akuta skedet har sjuksköterskan en viktig roll i att inhämta anamnes, vilket är avgörande för att kunna vidta adekvata omvårdnadsåtgärder. Syfte: Att beskriva vårdsökande personers erfarenheter av att drabbas av takotsubo kardiomyopati. Metod: Integrativ litteraturöversikt vilken sammanfattar 13 vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultat: Litteraturöversikten visar tre huvudkategorier: Utlösande faktorer, Akuta skedet och Dagligt liv. De som drabbas av takotsubo kardiomyopati främst är kvinnor samt personer med liknande personlighetsdrag, där oro, ångest och stress är en stor del av vardagen. Emotionella eller fysiska stressorer är de främsta bakomliggande orsakerna till att drabbas av takotsubo kardiomyopati. Symtomen är främst dyspné och bröstsmärta som flera av de drabbade till en början ignorerar. Slutsats: Takotsubo kardiomyopati medför existentiella frågor och oro för framtiden där stresshantering och sjuksköterskans personcentrerade förhållningssätt är avgörande för att återfå god hälsa. Det krävs ytterligare forskning för att utforma strategier för väl anpassad personcentrerad omvårdnad för de drabbade. / Background: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a critical condition for the care recipient that is symptomatically similar to myocardial infarction but in fact is a reversible form of heart failure. In the critical stage, the nurse has an important role in acquiring anamnesis, which is crucial in order to be able to perform adequate nursing actions.Aim: To describe care recipients experience of suffering from takotsubo cardiomyopathy.Method: Integrative literature review of 13 scientific articles.Result: Common findings lead to three main categories: Triggering factors, Critical stage and Everyday life. Those affected by takotsubo cardiomyopathy are mainly women and have similar personality traits, where uneasiness, anxiety and stress are major parts of the everyday life. An emotional or physical stressor are often the underlying cause of the person being affected by takotsubo. The symptoms are mainly dyspnoea and chest pain, symptoms that several of the affected initially ignore. Conclusion: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy brings up existential concerns and questions about the future where stress management and the nurse’s person centered approach are crucial for regaining good health. Further research is needed to obtain strategies to form well-adjusted person centered care for those affected.