The dissertation analyses access to welfare resources within the areas of schooling, leisure and peer relations for youth in out of home care. The study was conducted in three counties in mid Sweden and is a replication of the recurrent Swedish surveys of living condition of children in general populations. By using the same design, children aged 13–18 (n=272) in foster care and residential care were approached. Throughout the analysis results are compared with conditions for peers living at home, based on data from the 2004/2005 survey on living conditions for children (Child-ULF). Furthermore the results are linked to the young people’s experience of psychosomatic complaints and emotional wellbeing and discussed within the theoretical framework of childhood sociology. Questions regarding society’s ability to convey resources to youth while in care as well as young persons’ potential to exercise determination while in care are also discussed. The study shows that youth in care in general have access to fewer resources than those in general populations in the studied areas. For youth in residential care the differences compared to peers living at home are substantial, while conditions for youth in foster care are more alike those of young people in general. Youth in residential care have fewer school related resources and fewer contacts with friends than peers living at home. Youth in foster and residential care are more subjected to bullying than the general population. The overall conclusions are that society, in the form of foster parents and residential staff fails in certain areas to convey resources to youth in care. The young people’s lack of resources poses limitations to their potential to exercise self-determination while in care. The study points out areas where targeted efforts might be needed to improve the living conditions for youth in out of home care and perhaps broaden their potential to exercise self-determination while in care as well as after. / Välfärd i samhällsvården? En levnadsnivåundersökning av barn och ungdomar i socialtjänstens dygnsvård

The aim with this study was to learn about the experiences of field workers and welfare officers in the field of possible self-harm behavior among young people.Our problem was: Do field workers and welfare officers treat young people with deliberate self-harm differently and - How do field workers and welfare officers describe deliberate self- harm? Our study was conducted through qualitative semistructured interviews with twelve interviewee’s.The result of this study shows that there is a difference in how young people with self-harm behavior are being treated - based on their gender.One possible cause for this result could be the old tradition mindset of viewing boys and girls differently – and thus, treating them differently when they seek help.Our study shows there is a possibility of treating boys and girls differently – which shows that we made a thought-provoking point

The purpose of this study was to increase knowledge about what the lives of the unemployed youth of immigrant background looks like, and what the views of the unemployed young people are about work and employment. The study is a qualitative study where the empirical material is based on interviews with seven unemployed immigrant youth between the ages of 19 and 25 years. A study where the central questions was to explore how the informants' living conditions and identity are affected by being unemployed. The other issues aimed at how informants background affected their ability to enter the labour market, and the job expectations the informants had about the future and the Swedish labour market. Empirin have been analyzed with regard to methodology tool based theory, as well as theoretical starting points, such as social capital, formal and informal channels, ethnicity and stigma theory. The result is shown in five different disciplines on the basis of informants experiences of the situation they are in. These topics are The unemployment and welfare, The social network's importance, The foreign name the obstacles, The road to the labour market and finally, The social environment. The results show that informants welfare was affected in a destructive way when informants experienced a lack of employment. Informants perceived that the social network's importance was very prominent in the labour market, which proved, however, that informants social networks were very limited and without a resource for them. The result also shows that the majority of informants had been discriminated against by employers. A crucial factor for this form of discrimination were informants background and the foreign name. Road to the labour market was perceived stressful when the economic situation in the country was unstable and in decline. The results suggest that the informants had to lower their job expectations when they could not change the situation. Moreover, it appeared to indicate that ambient performances that immigrant segregated areas are perceived as socially vulnerable, both as a social problem for society. Informants self-image was negatively affected by the social environment perceptions of immigrants segregated neighbourhoods, which were seen by informants as a contributing factor that made their job opportunities more difficult.

The aim of this thesis is to study young people's views on support, knowledge and change. The eight participants in this interview study are between 14 and 19 years old and they share the experience of growing up in a family where a parent is a substance misuser or mentally ill. Childhood sociology has been used as a theoretical framework. The main finding is that emotional and practical support based on the young person's needs and knowledge based on the ideas of empowerment and agency promotes change. The four most important insights according to the young persons are: My parent has got a problem. It is not my problem. I choose my own life. I am not alone. The theoretical perspective of childhood sociology suggests that positive change is possible when the young persons are seen as competent and active participants in their own life and when their value as human beings is acknowledged by those who aim to support them.

Studien avser undersöka hur unga Jehovas vittnen håller sin tro övertygande. Frågeställningar har varit hur de hanterar den mångfald av världsuppfattningar, värderingar och normer som inte är förenliga med Jehovas vittnens lära, hur deras tro bekräftas kontinuerligt samt om de upplever sig skilda från den icke-troende världen. Tre unga Jehovas vittnen har intervjuats för denna studie. Deras svar har relaterats till vad tidigare forskning och sociologiska teorier säger om att hålla tro övertygande, att vara ung och religiös samt om att vara ett Jehovas vittne. Frågeställningar och syfte besvaras genom ett flertal faktorer som träder fram i studien: församlingen utgör en starkt normbildande primärgrupp och utgör en stabil plausibilitetsstruktur. Ungdomarna begränsar sina sociala relationer till främst inom rörelsen. De bekräftar sin tro offentligt genom kyrklig aktivitet. Det framstår som att tron blir övertygande genom att rörelsens normer kommer först för alla vittnen, vilket bygger upp en varaktig plausibilitetsstruktur.

Many of us have grown up hearing or using words meant as insults or negative adjectives that were in fact names for social groups. Most of them have gone unquestioned in the mainstream consciousness, but the term Gay in the generally negative meaning has in the past years been given attention as offensive and homophobic, with debates emerging in response over whether or not this is true, particularly on the internet. It is the articles and forum threads from these debates that make out the empirical material for a qualitative study as I ask what these people’s thoughts are about this term and how it is perceived. After a qualitative coding and analysis of these texts, and interpretation of the results based on Erving Goffman’s theory of Phantom acceptance and stigma terms, Judith Butler’s theory of performativity, Ferdinand de Sassure’s theory of signifier and signified and how it connects to the community and Baudrillards theory of simulacra, this is the principal conclusion that I have drawn: For some of the people in this debate, the term Gay and its use is about homophobia and heterosexism, though mostly it’s not overt but a subconscious part of the continued dehumanization and stigmatization of homo- and bisexual people. This is a position I call The socially focused skepticism. Others distance themselves from this idea, talking about language development, the lack of inherent meaning of words and freedom of expression. Using Baudrillard for guidance, I interpret this as having a different, more abstract view of language than those who connect the term to heterosexism, and with this focus on language I name this position The language centered defense. Yet another group frame their reasoning about the term in compromise, preferring to limit their use of it to certain contexts rather than disposing the habit entirely or risk causing offense. To these people, whether or not the word is homophobic is less relevant to the discussion than showing respect for how it can be perceived, which gives their position the name The compromising position.

The Maiden Association in Asker was founded in 1865 20 kilometers southwest of Örebro in the county of Närke. A group of unmarried women closely connected to the Asker Baptist congregation met for prayer, bible reading and conversations with early democratic overtones. They gathered in a time of change in a variety of areas, both social as well as church-related. The surviving material from these women – in the form of protocols, membership registers, etc. – provides an insight into their reflexive process. The local Maiden Association in Asker becomes a window, a vantage point into something that would otherwise be hard to access: in other words, the situation and thinking of "ordinary" women. The overall aim of this study has been to contribute to the understanding of how continuity and changes during the latter part of the 19th century, mainly in the realm of church history, could influence the thinking and life ideals of nonconformist Christian women. Based on my meeting with the source material, two central questions have been formulated: 1. How did the Maiden Association in Asker, during the time period 1865–1903 and in its context, formulate and shape the identities as Christian, woman and young? 2. Why were they formulated and shaped in this way? The method selected may be described as church historical and hermeneutic, with an inductive approach. The source material is derived from two distinct periods in the life of the association, 1865–1880 and 1888–1903, which has given the opportunity to identify changes over time. Two theoretical perspectives have been established – one based on identity and one based on intersectionality. The investigation shows the clear influence of the holiness movements at the local level in the shape of the Holiness Union and the Örebro Mission Association. But the study also shows that the lives and thinking of women were not only characterized by change, but also by continuity. The church historical changes that the nonconformist religious women in Asker took part in were not a clean-cut break with previous lutheran traditions and conventions. / Jungfruföreningen i Asker startade 1865 två mil sydväst om Örebro i Närke. En grupp ogifta kvinnor i nära relation till Askers baptistförsamling möttes för bön, bibelläsning och samtal med tidigdemokratiska förtecken. De hade en egen vald styrelse bestående av uteslutande kvinnor. I föreningen gällde allas rätt att rösta och göra sin röst hörd i samtalen långt innan kvinnlig rösträtt genomfördes i Sverige. I sammankomsterna formulerade de själva frågor, vilka de resonerade kring och sedan nedtecknade de sina slutsatser i samtalsprotokoll. Den lokala Jungfruföreningen i Asker blir ett fönster, ett titthål in i historien. Föreningens kvarlämnade spår i form av protokoll m.m. ger en möjlighet att se in i en svunnen tid och in i en grupp frikyrkligt präglade kvinnors tänkande och livsideal. Dessa ”vanliga” unga kristna kvinnor, de flesta och för de flesta okända, konstruerade sina identiteter som kristen, kvinna och ung i en tid av samhälleliga och inte minst kyrkohistoriska förändringar. Studiens frågeställningar fokuserar på hur dessa identiteter formulerades och gestaltades och varför det skedde på detta sätt, under perioden 1865–1903.

Aim: The aim of this comprehensive thesis is to explore different perceptions of public health nursing practice. The intention being to contribute to developing the service, theoretically and practically, in throe with current and future public health needs. Methods: The thesis comprises five studies. Public health nurses, young people, parents and decision makers are interviewed and share their perceptions of public health nursing practice (studies I, II, III and IV). Consultations at local child health clinics, clinics for young people and at school health services are observed (study III). A cross sectional study amongst a sample of doctors, public health nurses, midwives and child protection workers is carried out (study V). The first four studies have an explorative, descriptive design. Study V, with its focus on interprofessional collaboration, is based on the results of studies I, II, and IV. Findings: Study I, a case study, provides a backdrop for the remaining four studies. It focuses on changes the nurses have faced during the period 1984-2005. The results point to issues of visibility and that respect is more important for the nurses than authority or status. Study II is a philosophical study based on interviews with public health nurses. It gives an introduction to the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas and develops a novel theoretical and practical understanding of aspects of responsibility in public health nursing. Study III shows the importance of relationships with service users in public health nursing practice; and that not only pleasantness but also honesty and openness are important. This study has contributed to further developing models of public health nursing interventions. Decision makers in study IV point to the challenges public health nurses face regarding collaboration, visibility and boundaries. Study V is a cross sectional questionnaire study that focuses on interprofessional collaboration. The results show that size of municipality can influence frequency of meeting points and views on issues relating to collaboration; and that mental health services are those most missed in collaborative relationships. The findings warrant further research and should be of interest when organising municipal health- and social services in Norway. Conclusions: The thesis concludes that service users and decision makers are satisfied with public health nursing services, but that public health nurses face challenges related to collaboration, to boundaries for knowledge and involvement, and in making their health promotive function visible / Denne doktorgradsavhandling: Perceptions of public health nursing practice - on borders and boundaries, visibility and voice, fokuserer på ulike oppfatninger av helsesøsters praksis. Helsesøstre, ungdom, foreldre, samt lokale politikere og administratorer er intervjuet om deres syn på helsesøstertjenesten. Konsultasjoner på helsestasjon for barn, ungdom og i skolehelsetjenesten er observert. Et utvalg av samarbeidspartnere har svart på et spørreskjema om samarbeidsforhold. Avhandlingen består av fem studier. De første fire studier har eksplorativ, deskriptiv design. Studie V er en tverrsnittsstudie som bygger på resultatene fra studiene I,II, og IV. Avhandlingen har til hensikt å løfte frem områder som respondentene mener fortjener oppmerksomhet og som kan ha praktiske og teoretiske implikasjoner for utvikling av tjenesten. Studie I, en case studie danner et bakteppe for de andre studiene. Den fokuserer på endringer i helsesøstertjenesten i perioden 1984-2005. Resultatene fra denne studien peker på helsesøstrenes opplevelse av usynlighet og at respekt er mer viktig for helsesøstrene i studien enn autoritet og status. Studie II er en filosofisk studie basert på intervjuer med helsesøstre. Den gir en introduksjon til Levinas’ filosofi og utvikler en dypere forståelse for teoretiske og praktiske aspekter av etisk ansvar i helsesøsters praksis. Studie III peker på betydningen av relasjoner i helsesøsters praksis. Det var viktig at konsultasjonene var hyggelige for helsesøstrene og brukerne, men ærlighet og åpenhet var også vesentlig for gode relasjoner. Beslutningstakere i studie IV peker på utfordringer helsesøstre har når det gjelder samarbeid, usynlighet, samt grenser for deres kunnskap og involvering. Studie V er en spørreskjemaundersøkelse som fokuserer på samarbeid. Resultatene viser at kommunestørrelse har betydning for hyppighet av møtepunkter og syn på samarbeid og at psykiske helsetjenester er savnet mest i samarbeidsrelasjoner. Disse funn burde være av interesse i fremtidig organisering av helse- og sosialtjenester. Avhandlingen konkluderer med at foreldre, ungdom og beslutningstakere er fornøyde med helsesøstertjenesten, men at helsesøstre står overfor viktige utfordringer i samarbeidsrelasjoner, i forhold til grenser for involvering og i å synliggjøre deres helsefremmende funksjon

In this dissertation a collaboration project in Swedish youth care is analysed. The aim of the project was to enhance coordination between the Social Services and the Swedish National Board of Institutional Care in order to make the efforts more efficient. The project also employed a number of coordinators. The overall purpose of this dissertation is to analyse conflicts, alliances and comparisons identifiable in interviews and observations. The analytic findings are put into an overall “collaboration context” represented by earlier research on the social phenomenon of “collaboration”. In this way the dissertation tries to contribute to a sociological understanding of a contemporary widespread phenomenon. The empirical materials of the study consist of recorded conversational interviews with 147 project participants (youngsters, parents and various professional categories) as well as observations of meetings, informal get-togethers and visits to institutions, Social Services offices, the head office of the National Board of Institutional Care and coordinators. The material was analysed using the analytic perspectives of Georg Simmel (1950/1964), Theodore Caplow (1968) and Erving Goffman (1959/2004). The analysis shows that the project manifested and led to struggles between organizations involving representatives from the Social Services, the National Board of Institutional Care and the project, as well as to several interpersonal conflicts between representatives from various categories of involved professionals, and the youngsters and their parents. The study also shows that the client, in such human service organizations, faces a significant risk of being marginalized. Professionals who appreciated the collaboration often drew their conclusions based on their interaction with other professionals, but the collaboration did not guarantee a successful treatment of the client. Conflicts concerning the roles of the coordinators and their written documents (“the agreements”) emerged and were actualized through the creation of the project. The coordinators and their “agreements” can be seen as the project’s most visible representatives and symbols, which during the project become both themes for conflict and actualize already established conflict patterns. The youngsters and their parents appreciated the projects’ coordinators who appeared as personally involved and able to make concrete changes. However, many of youngsters and their parents criticized the coordinators and even portrayed a victim identity in relation to the project. The coordinator’s relationship with the youngsters and their parents was mostly characterized by passivity. This is clearly apparent in the analysis of the administrative and/or passive coordinator. Different alliance constellations became visible in these presentations. When the coordinator roles were altered in the description, the alliance constellations change. It is a common strategy for clients in human service organizations to try to enter into alliances with professionals involved in their cases and, in so doing, try to alter the situation to their own advantage. The fact that these alliances are often sought by the client indicates, among other things, the client’s will to fight against the situation in which he/she finds him/herself. I believe that this can be seen as something productive rather than problematic. / I denna avhandling analyseras ett samverkansprojekt i den så kallade ungdomsvården i Sverige. Projektet hade som mål att förbättra samordningen mellan socialtjänsten och Statens institutionsstyrelse för att kunna effektivisera insatserna för samhällsomhändertagna ungdomar och deras familjer. I projektet var också ett antal samordnare anställda. Det övergripande syftet i avhandlingen är att analysera beskrivna och observerade konflikter, allianser och förklarande jämförelser som kan identifieras i intervjuer och observationer. Analytiska upptäckter sätts avslutningsvis i en mer övergripande ”samverkanskontext” som representeras av tidigare forskning om samhällsfenomenet ”samverkan”. På så vis försöker avhandlingen bidra till en sociologisk förståelse av ett samtida välspritt fenomen.Studiens empiriska material är inspelade samtalsintervjuer med 147 projektdeltagare (institutionsplacerade ungdomar, deras föräldrar och olika yrkeskategorier inom socialtjänsten, Statens institutionsstyrelse och projektet) samt observationer av organiserade möten, informella träffar före och efter intervjuer eller möten, samt vid besök på institutioner, socialtjänstkontor, Statens institutionsstyrelses huvudkontor och samordnarnas kontor. Materialet analyserades vidare med analytiska utgångspunkter från Georg Simmel (1950/1964), Theodore Caplow (1968) och Erving Goffman (1959/2004).Analysen visar att projektet manifesterade och medförde mellanorganisatoriska kamper mellan socialtjänsten, Statens institutionsstyrelse och projektet samt en rad interpersonella konflikter mellan representanter för olika professionella yrkeskategorier, ungdomar och föräldrar. Studien visar också att klienten i människovårdande organisationer löper en betydande risk att hamna utanför nya samarbeten. De myndighetspersoner som upplever ett bra samarbete drar ofta sina slutsatser utifrån interaktionen med andra professionella men det upplevda samarbetet behöver inte bli någon garanti för framgångsrik behandling av klienten. Konflikter om samordnarnas sätt att agera (samordnarroller) och samordnarnas skriftliga dokument, ”överenskommelsen”, har aktualiserats med projektets tillkomst. Samordnarna och deras ”överenskommelse” kan ses som projektets synligaste representanter och symboler, som under projektets gång blir både ämnen för konflikter och aktualiserar redan etablerade konfliktmönster. Ungdomarna och föräldrarna förkastar emellanåt myndighetspersonernas ageranden som moraliskt felaktiga, gestaltar sin offeridentitet samt försöker vända situationen till att bli fördelaktig för dem själva. Samordnarnas relation till ungdomar och föräldrar präglas mestadels av passivitet. Detta framträder tydligt i analysen av en administrativ och/eller passiv samordnarroll. I dessa framställningar är även olika allianskonstellationer synliga. När samordnarroller förändras i beskrivningen, förändras även allianskonstellationer.Att klienten i människovårdande organisationer söker ingå allianser med myndighetspersoner är en vanlig strategi för att försöka vända situationen till sin fördel. Att dessa allianser söks ofta av klienten indikerar bland annat klientens vilja till fortsatt kamp – mot den situationen i vilken klienten befinner sig. Jag menar att detta kan ses som något produktivt snarare än problematiskt.

Denna undersökning analyserar ett urval stildrag och språkaspekter i tre av Hjalmar Söderbergs fyra romaner: Förvillelser (1895), Martin Bircks ungdom (1901) och Doktor Glas (1905) och relatera resultatet till Peter Cassirers motsvarande analys av stilen och språket i novellsamlingen Historietter (Cassirer 1970). Undersökningen är av stilistisk karaktär och studerar huruvida texter i olika genrer av en och samme författare kan skilja sig, eller visa sig överensstämma, med den övriga produktionen. Metoden är kvalitativ när det gäller de motiviska aspekterna och berättarsynvinkeln och kvantitativ när det gäller de språkliga och allmänt stilistiska aspekterna. Resultatet visar att somliga stilaspekter sammanfaller mellan novellerna i Söderbergs Historietter och hans romaner, speciellt vad gäller de språkliga aspekterna. Andra stildrag är inte gemensamma, men detta beror huvudsakligen på att noveller och romaner har skilda format, såsom längd och uppbyggnad. Detta gäller till exempel aspekterna på miljö och persongalleri. Det beror även på att Söderbergs flanörstil är tydligare i hans romaner än i hans noveller. Frågan om distans eller närhet till läsaren är en fråga som skiljer sig mellan novellerna och romanerna. Söderberg skapar i sina romaner, genom ett antal stilgrepp, en närvaro och en närhet till läsaren. I novellerna däremot finns en distans som författaren skapar genom andra stilgrepp. Vad gäller stilen är den koncentrerad i Söderbergs noveller. Även i romanerna är stilen en aning koncentrerad, med många huvudsatser, förhållandevis korta meningar och knapp personbeskrivning. Både noveller och romaner är tämligen lättöverskådliga och lättlästa, tack vare avsaknaden av långa meningar med många satser. Denna undersökning visar också att Söderberg genererar en slags närhet mellan texten/berättaren och läsaren, genom läsarapostroferingar, tempusanvändning och en väl beskriven miljö kombinerat med väder i sina romaner.