Among adolescents, the day-to-day functioning of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal-axis (HPA-axis) and of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and their relationships with stress, subjective health complaints and psychological factors such as self-esteem, studied in naturalistic settings, have been largely unexplored. This thesis aimed to investigate the diurnal activity of the HPA-axis (Studies I &amp; II) in terms of salivary cortisol and the ANS/SNS system (Study III) in terms of salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) in mid-adolescent girls and boys. Additionally, linkages between self-reported stress, self-esteem, recurrent pain and biomarkers were investigated. A further aim was to describe potential differences between girls and boys respectively. Study I showed that both girls and boys exhibited the typical diurnal cortisol profile with high levels in the morning that decreased throughout the day. Girls had higher total cortisol levels, while no differences emerged for measures of the cortisol increase. Study II showed no significant linkages between self-ratings of stress and cortisol. However, stress was associated with recurrent pain in girls. Study III showed that, for girls, both self-esteem and self-reported stress were related to morning levels of both cortisol and sAA, to the diurnal sAA output and to a conjoint measure of amylase over cortisol, AOC. To conclude, the findings suggest that both stress and self-esteem may be linked to different measures of ANS and HPA-axis activity, but also to measures of ANS and HPA-axis dysregulation, particularly among mid-adolescent girls. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript.</p>

Stigmatisering av personer som lider av psykisk ohälsa förekommer i dagens samhälle och måste motverkas. Syftet var att undersöka om attityder gentemot personer med psykisk ohälsa skiljer sig åt inom olika utbildningar på högskolenivå. Frågeställningarna undersökte om kön, ålder, programtillhörighet (människo-inriktat, tekniskt), tidigare erfarenhet av kontakt med personer med psykisk ohälsa, tidigare kunskaper om psykisk ohälsa och studenternas eget psykiska mående bidrog till deras attityder. 113 studenter, varav 89 kvinnor svarade på en enkät med bakgrundsfrågor samt skalor som mäter generell hälsa, upplevd stress och inställning till personer med psykisk ohälsa. Det fanns ett signifikant samband som visade att ju äldre studenterna var desto mer negativ inställning till samhällsbaserade psykiatri hade de. För övrigt hittades inga signifikanta samband mellan attityder och övriga faktorer. Studien kunde gynnats av ett större urval, där tekniska och människo-inriktade utbildningar var lika representerade.

Huvudsyftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka skillnader mellan crossfitutövare och traditionellt gymaktiva i muskelsträvan, träningsrelaterat instagram-användande, tvångsmässig passion och träningsmängd samt undersöka samband avseende dessa variabler. Vidare undersökte studien om exponering för tränings- och utseenderelaterade bilder, tvångsmässig passion samt ökat träningsbeteende efter exponering för bilder på instagram kan predicera muskelsträvan. Genom en kvantitativ forskningsansats fick deltagarna besvara en enkät innefattande mätinstrumenten: Godin Leisure- Time Exercise Questionnaire, The Passion Scale, Drive for muscularity scale. Utifrån ett bekvämlighetsurval rekryterades 156 deltagare (66 män och 89 kvinnor, en person uppgav inte kön) i åldern 16-65 år (M=28). Studien visar att crossfitutövare har mer muskelsträvan, träningsrelaterat instagram-användande, tvångsmässig passion samt träningsmängd jämfört med traditionellt gymaktiva. Muskelsträvan visade positiva samband med träningsrelaterat instagram-användande, tvångsmässig passion samt träningsmängd. Vidare visade studien att exponering för tränings- och utseenderelaterade bilder på Instagram, tvångsmässig passion samt ökat träningsbeteende efter exponering för bilder på Instagram kan predicera muskelsträvan. För framtida forskning föreslås att undersöka om andra grupper med stort träningsrelaterat instagram-användande också har mer muskelsträvan samt tvångsmässig passion.

The Team Resilience Assessment Method for Simulation (TRAMS) is an instrument that consist of several measurements, such as team-member exchange, workload, the TRAMS observation protocol etc. This thesis researches the observation protocol. The TRAMS protocol is an assessment method for resilience in simulation games. The aim of this protocol is to support the identification of resilience strategies used and developed by the participants in a simulation game. It is a challenge to assess resilience in teams and that is why the TRAMS protocol has been developed. The scenario of the simulation games is a disruption for 10 days in the card payment system. During the simulation games, the participants work in teams and have to try to cope with the disruption in the card payment system. During the course of this study, 14 simulation games have been conducted with seven different teams. Each of the simulation games has been executed during one whole day, and the participating teams have in total played two games each. During every simulation game there were three observers equipped with the TRAMS protocol. To interpret the data collected with the TRAMS protocol, two methods have been used: transcription and thematic analysis. As a result, guidelines and design changes was formed. In addition, results showed that the distribution and frequency of observations of resilience strategies made were similar, that the observations noted by the observers were similar, and lastly eight themes from the data collection could be extracted: Coordinate and collaborate, Payment options, Cash circulation, Safety, Fuel and transportation, Inform, communicate and the media, Hoarding and rationing, Vulnerable groups. In conclusion, the TRAMS protocol is still under development and 15 more simulation games are planned to be conducted within the ongoing CCRAAAFFTING project. However, the protocol has been applied in this study´s 14 simulation games so far, and the similarities in how the observers filled in the protocol and how similar the observations were, indicate that it hopefully can develop into a recognized research tool in the future.

Affect and feelings states influences decision-making and risk-taking, however is it not clear yet how. This report presents a between-subject experiment on the two mechanisms, affective evaluation and affect regulation, and on how risk-taking redirects depending on which of the two is active. Incidental affect (positive, negative or neutral) was induced by pictures in an online experiment with 999 participants, who conducted the Columbia Card Task (CCT) to measure the risk-taking. The participants were informed prior to the task that gambling either makes people happy (mood-lifting cue), sad (mood-threatening cue) or has no effect on people’s mood (mood-freezing cue). The predicted results in this experiment was not found. However, the results indicate that mood changing qualities of a task can be manipulated and that further research about the interaction between incidental and integral affect is needed. The results also displayed how fleeting induced affect can be and consciousness about what affect is used is discussed.

Negativ stress påverkar vår fysiska och psykiska hälsa. Hur vi upplever vår allmänna stress påverkar vår upplevelse av arbete och arbetssituation. Vad som upplevs som stressande varierar bland individer och hur vi hanterar vår upplevda stress är också olika. Syftet med studien var dels att tydliggöra till vilken grad vår allmänna upplevelse av stress samvarierar med känslan av sammanhang i vår upplevelse av arbete och arbetssituation. Ett annat syfte var att undersöka hur detta samband påverkas av ålder samt undersöka om det fanns några könsskillnader. Kvinnor och män (N=171) som arbetat 100 % under den sista månaden deltog i studien. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), känsla av sammanhang (KASAM), work experience measurement scale (WEMS) samt bakgrundsfrågor användes vid insamling av data. Multipel regressionsanalys visade att PSS var den starkaste prediktorvariabeln för WEMS (B = -1.22, p&lt; .001). KASAM hade ett lägre samband med WEMS (B = 0.35, p&lt; .01). Kön (B = -1.70, p = .717) och ålder (B = -0.22, p = .430) bidrog inte signifikant. Prediktorvariabeln KASAM hade en förklarad varians på 24.2% samt att den förklarade variansen ökade signifikant till 28.4%, när PSS stress lades till modellen. / Negative stress affects our physical and psychological health. How we perceive our general stress affects our experience of work and situations therein. The things that are perceived as stressful vary among individuals and how we deal with our perceived stress also varies. The purpose of this study was to clarify to what extent our general perceived stress-level inter-acted with the sense of coherence in our experience of work and situations at work. Another purpose was to examine how the interaction were affected by age. Lastly, the purpose was to see if there is any differences between genders. Men and women (N=171) working 100 % in the last month participated in my study. To collect the data, I used Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC) and Work Experience Measurement Scale (WEMS) in conjunction with question each participant´s background. The multiple regression analysis showed that PSS was the strongest predictor variable on experience of work and situations at work (B = -1.22, p&lt; .001). SOC had a smaller relationship (B = 0.35, p&lt; .01). Gender (B = -1.70, p = .717) and age (B = -0.22, p = .430) was not found to be significant. With the predictor variable SOC, the explained variance was 24.2% and when PSS was added to the model, the explained variance increased significantly to 28.4%.

Why is motivation important? The answer is simple to most of us: it is what makes people push forward and act. Intrinsic motivation is the kind of motivation that arises from within a person, making her or him strive towards a goal for no other reward than the feeling it will bring. Additionally, this kind of motivation has shown correlations with enhanced learning, creativity, performance, optimal development, and well-being. While intrinsic motivation has long been a topic within the field of psychology, the neural correlates underlying it have only recently become of interest for researchers, and studies have shown some interesting but also contradictory findings. Therefore, the aim of this literature review thesis is to investigate the neural correlates of intrinsic motivation further. Firstly, a background review of motivation in general and intrinsic motivation in particular is presented, focusing on concepts such as the self-determination theory, flow, and cognitive evaluation theory. This is followed by a chapter on motivation- and intrinsic motivation from a neuroscientific perspective, concerning concepts such as the reward system, the undermining effect, and studies examining the neural correlates of intrinsic motivation. These studies show that there was activity in several different areas when participants were intrinsically motivated. However, a frequent pattern of activity in dopaminergic pathways involving the striatum and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) was detected in most studies, indicating the involvement of these areas in particular when a person is intrinsically motivated.

Studier på personlighetsområdet har genomförts i många år där resultat vittnar om att personlighet spelar roll för olika livsutfall. Däremot har få studier på området undersökt sambanden mellan personlighet och organisationslojalitet. Tidigare forskning visar att organisationer kan undkomma onödiga kostnader genom att anställa individer som tenderar att bidra med hög organisationslojalitet. Vår studie avsåg därmed att fortsätta undersöka sambanden mellan personlighet och organisationslojalitet. En kvantitativ metod användes och datainsamling skedde genom ett webbaserat frågeformulär bestående av 48 påståenden. Frågeformuläret bestod av två etablerade instrument, IPIP-30 och Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ), som avsåg mäta personlighetsdimensionerna och organisationslojalitet. Totalt deltog 155 personer i studien (M = 34 år, SD = 12, range18-64 år, 75% kvinnor) med genomsnittlig anställningstid i sin organisation på 6.5år (SD = 8.5, range 0.7-44 år). Resultaten var delvis i linje med tidigare forskning där personlighetsdimensionerna neuroticism, samvetsgrannhet och vänlighet har visat sig predicera organisationslojalitet. Ett oväntat resultat i föreliggande studie var att extroversion inte påvisade samband med organisationslojalitet. En regressionsanalys vittnade om att personlighet kunde förklara ≈ 20% av variansen inom organisationslojalitet. Resultaten bidrar till ökad kunskap kring att personlighet kan användas som prediktor för organisationslojalitet. Vår slutsats är att personlighet kan användas som prediktor för att finna lojala individer, som är en investering för organisationer då man kan undkomma hög personalomsättning och onödiga kostnader, samt erhålla individer som tenderar att bidra med det lilla extra. / Previous studies in the field of personality have been carried out for many years where the results show that personality are important for different life outcomes. However, few studies have investigated relationships between personality and organizational commitment. Previous research shows that organizations can avoid unnecessary costs by hiring people who tend to contribute with high levels of 3 organizational commitment. Thus, our study sought to preserve investigating relationships between personality and organizational commitment. A quantitative method was used, and data collection was done through a web-based questionnaire consisting of 48 statements. The questionnaire consisted of two established instruments, the IPIP-30 and the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ), which intend to measure personality dimensions and organizational commitment. A total of 155 people participated in the study (M =34 years, SD = 12, Range 18-64years, 75% women) with average period of employment in their organization of 6.5years (SD = 8.5, range 0.7-44 years). The results were partly in line with previous research where the personality dimensions of neuroticism, conscientiousness and agreeableness have been shown to predict organizational commitment. An unexpected result in the present study was that extraversion did not show any relationship with organizational commitment. A regression analysis testified that personality could explain ≈ 20% of the variance in organizational commitment. The results contribute to increased knowledge that personality can be used as a predictor of organizational commitment. Our conclusion is that personality can be used as a predictor for finding individuals who tend to be loyal, which is an investment for organizations in order to avoid high turnover and unnecessary costs, as well as obtain individuals who tend to contribute the little extra.

Arbetsterapeuter och fysioterapeuter arbetar utifrån ett rehabiliterande förhållningssätt. Detta kan bidra till känsla av utanförskap och konkurrens med kommunens övriga professioner och deras förhållningssätt. Forskning visar även att behov av socialt stöd finns för att kunna förklara vad rehabiliterande förhållningssätt är men att socialt stöd för att förankra detta inte alltid finns i organisationerna. Syftet var att beskriva arbetsterapeuters och fysioterapeuters erfarenheter av socialt stöd från kommunen gällande rehabiliteringsinsatser till patienter inom äldreomsorg. Induktiv innehållsanalys där åtta intervjuer med arbetsterapeuter och fysioterapeuter utgjorde data. Analysen genererade två generiska kategorier och fem subkategorier. Generiska kategorin att ha ett ledningssystem beskrivs genom subkategorierna: Närvarande/ansvarstagande chef, stöttande chef samt rutiner och stödfunktioner. Den generiska kategorin teamarbete beskrivs genom subkategorierna: behov av rehabiliteringsteam samt behov av tvärprofessionella team. Starkast stöd verkar fås av arbetsterapeut- och fysioterapeutkollegor om möjlighet till detta ges av organisation och dess företrädare.

The circadian rhythm is a rhythm which permeates all aspects of biological life and follows the hours of the sun. The pace of the rhythm is controlled by a collection of neurons in the hypothalamus, called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), whose signals affect rhythms throughout the body as can be seen in aspects of life from behavior down to oscillations of proteins in the cells. A disruption of this rhythm such as what happens during jet lag, where the rhythm of the SCN is out of synch with the rhythm of the rest of the body, is something that can have adverse effects on mental and physical health. To realign the SCN and the rhythm of the body, different methods and be implemented. This thesis investigated the effectiveness of glucocorticoids on re-aligning the rhythms of the body following a disruption through a meta-analysis and a qualitative review. The meta-analysis and review incorporated experiments from six articles investigating the hours of circadian rhythm shifts in the mouse model, after administering glucocorticoids. What was found was that the individual experiments presented results with high effect sizes; however, the direction of said effects was not uniform as the rhythms shifted in different directions. The lack of uniform direction caused no significant combined effect size to be found by this meta-analysis (MES=0.11 ± 0.06), showing that a statistical analysis based on hours shifted could not find a significant combined effect. The qualitative review, however, indicates that the administration of glucocorticoids shows an effect in re-entraining the rhythm of the peripheral parts of the body to that of the environmental cues and the SCN. Though no significant statistical effect was found in this analysis, the effect of glucocorticoids should not be discounted and could still prove a promising treatment for circadian disruptions, such as jet lag.