Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Thesis (MCom)--PU for CHE, 1999.

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.

The aim of my study was to investigate a few young peoples experience of their treatment. The study was qualitative based on interviews with three young persons at the end of their treatment there. The subject was chosen because this kind of youth housing is an interesting alternative to institutional care for young people, despite there is not much known about the results of the treatment. The results were analyzed from earlier research and central concepts from the theory of empowerment and Anton Antonovskys theory about Sense of coherence. The results of this study show that these young peoples are satisfied with their treatment at the youth housing. They felt that a positive change and an improvement of their self-esteem had occurred. Another interesting result of the study shows is that these young people have developed from being a hostile teenager at the edge of a life where they could see no future to living as responsible grown-ups with a much brighter perspective of the future full of hopes and dreams.

The overall aim of this thesis was to develop, test and use a simple, clinically useful instrument for the nutritional screening of older patients. Four studies were performed, with a quantitative approach, in a geriatric rehabilitation ward in western Sweden. The number of patients who par-ticipated was: 56 (I), 114 (II), 147 (III) and 144 (IV) older patients. A nutritional screening instrument, the Nutritional Form For the Elderly (NUFFE), was constructed (I) and tested regarding reliability and validity (I, II). NUFFE was used in a screening, and the screening results were related to the patients’ perceived health and compared to the nurses’ nutritional notes in the nursing documentation (III). The screened patients’ self-care ability and sense of coherence (SOC) were investigated and the patients’ perceived health was related to selfcare ability and SOC (IV). The collection of data was done through interviews with the instruments NUFFE (I-IV), the Selfcare Ability Scale for the Elderly (SASE) (IV), Antonovsky’s SOC scale (IV), a question about perceived health, healthrelated ques-tions (III, IV) and background variables (I-IV). Weight and height were measured (I-III). The nurses’ nutritional notes in the nursing documentation were collected (III). The screening instrument contains 15 threepoint items on ordinal level. The total score ranges between zero and 30 and a higher score indicates higher risk for undernutrition. Evidence of reliability and validity was shown (I, II). The determined cut-off points of NUFFE for identification of patients at low, medium and high risk for undernutrition were set to scores of <6, ≥6 and ≥13 (III). The screening results showed that 31% of the patients were identified to be at low risk for undernutrition, 55% at medium risk and 14% at high risk. When the screening results were compared to nurses’ nutritional notes in the nursing documentation, it was shown that important nutritional issues were absent in many patient records (III). The patients at high risk were more likely to perceive ill health than were those at low risk for undernutrition (p=0.03) (III). Those at medium or high risk were more likely to perceive ill health (p=0.014) and to have lower self-care ability (p<0.001) and weaker SOC (p=0.007) than were those at low risk for undernutrition. To perceive good health was associated with higher self-care ability (p<0.001) and stronger SOC (p<0.001). Lower self-care ability, being single and having been admitted from another hospital ward were three obtained predictors for being at medium or high risk for undernutrition (IV). In conclusion, NUFFE is a simple, useful screening instrument for identification of older nutritional at-risk patients. The instrument has sufficient evidence of reliability and validity. Using NUFFE in a screening of older patients, the prevalence of patients at medium or high risk for undernutrition was found to be high. Nurses’ nutritional notes showed deficiencies, indicating that all medium or high risk patients were not identified. Using NUFFE, associations were found between older patients’ nutritional risk and their perceived health, and their self-care ability and SOC, respectively. These associations indicate that being at low risk for undernutrition is concomitant with perceived good health, higher self-care ability and stronger SOC. Conversely, being at medium or high risk for undernutrition is concomitant with perceived ill health, lower self-care ability and weaker SOC.

I Sverige insjuknar ca 30 000 personer årligen i stroke. Stroke är den vanligaste orsaken till neurologiska funktionshinder, som ofta innebär ett stort lidande för individen. I nuläget finns endast lite forskning kring de faktorer som påverkar känslan av sammanhang hos individer som genomlidit en stroke. Syftet med studien var att utifrån självbiografier ta reda på vad som bidrar till individens ökade känsla av sammanhang. Studien utgick från en kvalitativ ansats baserat på fyra självbiografier. Utifrån analysen uppstod fyra teman och tolv kategorier baserat på individernas viktigaste upplevelser av vad som bidrog till ökad känsla av sammanhang. Resultatet presenterades med hjälp av citat från självbiografierna. Det som bidrog till ökad känsla av sammanhang och som framkom i resultatet var Möjlighet till stöd, där stödet från närstående, vänner, sjukvårdspersonal och inte minst logoped var mycket betydelsefullt. Att komma framåt, vardagslivet och livet efter stroke, tar upp vikten av att finna mening och nya utmaningar och mål i livet. Det är viktigt för sjuksköterskan att förstå att stroke är en individuell sjukdom och att alla individer finner olika sätt till att anpassa sig till sin nya livssituation. Detta för att kunna anpassa omvårdnaden till varje enskild individ. / Each year, about 30 000 people in Sweden suffer a stroke. It is the most common cause to neurological dysfunction and implicates much suffering for the individual. Few studies have been made about the factors that could conduce to the individuals’ sense of coherence. The aim of this study was to, based on autobiographies, find out which factors there are that contribute to the individuals sense of coherence. The study was based on a qualitative approach. The result was presented in four themes and twelve categories that arouse when reading the materials. Each team and category where described with the help of quotations from the autobiographies. The most important things for the individuals’ sense of coherence were; Possibility for support, the support from friends, relatives, healthcare stuff and speech therapist meant a lot for the individuals’ wellbeing. To head forward, everyday life, Life after stroke and finding new meaning where other factors that turned out to have a great value for the individuals. It’s important that the nurse understands the individuality of stroke and that each individual finds his or her own way to adapt the new life situation, this because the nurse has to adjust the care that is given.

Sense of coherence, SOC, is a way to study health and wellbeing in a salutogen perspective. SOC is a theory that Aaron Antonovsky came up with and it involves three elements; comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness. These three elements is a objective way to look at our existence. The aim of this study was to examine how high the pupils sense of coherence was in the grades 1, 3 and 6 in a school in Karlstad. And with the result as starting point have a discussion around the pedagogical consequences and which educational work procedures we can use to work with SOC in school. It turned out that the students sense of coherence had a high mean value and that it got even higher through the grades.   The study will underlie for further development in this subject field and work as a foundation for further studies around the theory SOC.

Syftet med föreliggande studie är att undersöka om möjliga själv är relaterade till personlighet och känsla av sammanhang samt huruvida kön och ålder påverkar dessa relationer. Studien genomfördes på kadetter genom en enkätundersökning. Enkäten bestod av bakgrunds frågor, yrkesrelaterade möjliga själv (The Possible Selves Statements Test), personlighet (The Five Factor Personality Inventory) och känsla av sammanhang (KASAM). Resultatet visar att kluster (K-means) av personlighetsprofiler inte skiljer sig signifikant åt vad gäller möjliga själv, däremot uppvisades skillnader mellan personlighetsprofilerna vad gäller känslor och förväntningar kring möjliga själv. Liknande resultat erhölls avseende relationen mellan KASAM och möjliga själv. Kön och ålder påverkar inte dessa relationer. / The aim of this thesis is to study if possible self is related to personality and sense of coherence, and if gender and age has any influence on those relationships. A questionnaire was distributed to cadets. It contained background, work related possible selves (The Possible Selves Statements Test), personality (The Five Factor Personality Inventory) and sense of coherence (KASAM). The results showed that different clusters (K-means) of personality profiles do not differ significantly in possible selves. Differences were found between the personality profiles considering feelings and expectations around possible selves. Similar results were found considering the relationship between sense of coherence and possible selves. Gender and age didn’t influence those relationships.

Forskning har visat att self-efficacy, självkänsla, KASAM och locus of control alla har en effekt på graden av upplevd stress. Dock inte alla tillsammans, vilket denna studie avsåg att undersöka samt deras inbördes relationer och vilken variabel som predicerar stress bäst. Högskolestudenter (n = 65) svarade på varsin enkät. Resultatet visade att alla variablerna hade signifikant negativ korrelation med upplevd stress. Ju högre nivå på variablerna desto mindre stressade var studenterna. De kvinnliga studenterna var mer stressade än de manliga. Resultatet visade även genom multiple regression att self-efficacy var den variabel som var viktigast för att hantera stress inför en examination, näst viktigast var KASAM. Slutsatsen blev att dessa variabler hade en avgörande inbördes relation när det gäller graden av upplevd stress inför en examination.

THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE YOUNG ADULTS EXPERIENCE´ OF RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT. THE STUDY WAS QUALITATIVE, BASED ON INTERVIEWS WITH FIVE RESPONDENTS WHO HAD STAYED AT A TREATMENT HOME FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. THE FOCUS WAS ON THE RESPONDENTS´ EXPERIENCES OF MILIEU THERAPY AND THEIR VIEW ON NORMALITY. THE RESULTS WERE ANALYZED FROM EARLIER RESEARCH, THEORIES FROM SYMBOLIC-INTERACTIONISM AND ANTONOVSKYS´ THEORY ABOUT SENSE OF COHERENCE. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE RESPONDENTS HAD TO EXAGGERATE THEIR DYSFUNCTIONAL BEHAVIOUR IN ORDER TO FIT AMONG THE OTHER RESIDENTS. THE GROUP OF RESIDENTS HAD A MAJOR IMPACT ON THE RESPONDENTS´ EXPERIENCE OF THE STAY. THEY ALSO EXPERIENCED THAT SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS WERE CONTAGIOUS WITHIN THE GROUP. AFTER THE TREATMENT THE RESPONDENTS FELT MORE SECURE IN THEMSELVES AND HAD A BETTER CONNECTION WITH THEIR FAMILIES. NORMALIZATION THROUGH EDUCATION SEEMS TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE SINCE ALL THE RESPONDENTS EXCEPT ONE ARE INVOLVED IN AN EDUCATION-PROGRAM NOW.