This thesis examines the meanings of naturopathy through the experiences of twelve women with refugee backgrounds involved in naturopathic treatment at the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (Foundation House), a refugee torture and trauma rehabilitation service in Melbourne, Australia. The findings of this research show that the naturopathic encounter provided a transformative and meaningful meeting place for healing, a place in which the women felt at ease and in place.At Foundation House naturopathy has been practised alongside counselling since 1989, two years after the organisation’s inception. The women I interviewed for this project came from diverse sociocultural backgrounds and a wide range of countries including Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia, Burma and Serbia.The thesis brings together two contemporary fields of practice: Western models of refugee health care and traditional medicine. It argues for the place of non-biomedical approaches in refugee health care in a Western setting. The thesis takes an interdisciplinary approach to theorise the naturopathic encounter. The distinction between holistic and reductionist perspectives on health, illness and the body is underpinned by the theoretical work of medical anthropologists Nancy Scheper-Hughes and Margaret Lock and that of medical sociologist Aaron Antonovsky. A cultural studies perspective, influenced by the work of embodiment scholar Elspeth Probyn is employed to theorise these women’s experiences of the naturopathic encounter.This qualitative study is based on in-depth interviews and draws on grounded theory as an approach to data analysis. Descriptions of respite, renewal, and healing in the naturopathic encounter are cited as the most observable themes emerging from the women’s stories. These themes represent a health-oriented, as opposed to a disease-focused, perspective. Importantly, a health-orientated approach is congruent with the core tenets of naturopathic philosophy. Listening to the body is a crucial therapeutic tool in the naturopathic encounter, where primacy is given to supporting and strengthening health-creating strategies. I argue that this orientation disrupts the existing dominant biomedical approach to refugee health care. I draw on the work of Probyn to theorise the movement from the naturopathic encounter (NE) to the naturopathic meeting place (NMP). Central to this transposition is Probyn’s articulation of the body’s awareness of being in and out of place. This awareness lends itself to an understanding of the connectedness between past and present in the bridge-making that these particular refugee women have engaged in across cultures in the NMP.The thesis addresses an important but often neglected focus in refugee research: the resilience and agency of refugees. This positive aspect of refugee recovery is revealed in the research by theorising the women’s stories through Probyn’s embodiment analysis and cognisance of the ‘everyday’ as a productive and creative process. The research interrupts the ubiquitous image of the ‘disempowered refugee victim’. It highlights the practical wisdom and agency of these particular women that is often overshadowed in the complex resettlement process. It makes a call for further health-orientated research to broaden and deepen our understanding of the refugee experience.

This thesis examines the meanings of naturopathy through the experiences of twelve women with refugee backgrounds involved in naturopathic treatment at the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (Foundation House), a refugee torture and trauma rehabilitation service in Melbourne, Australia. The findings of this research show that the naturopathic encounter provided a transformative and meaningful meeting place for healing, a place in which the women felt at ease and in place.At Foundation House naturopathy has been practised alongside counselling since 1989, two years after the organisation’s inception. The women I interviewed for this project came from diverse sociocultural backgrounds and a wide range of countries including Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia, Burma and Serbia.The thesis brings together two contemporary fields of practice: Western models of refugee health care and traditional medicine. It argues for the place of non-biomedical approaches in refugee health care in a Western setting. The thesis takes an interdisciplinary approach to theorise the naturopathic encounter. The distinction between holistic and reductionist perspectives on health, illness and the body is underpinned by the theoretical work of medical anthropologists Nancy Scheper-Hughes and Margaret Lock and that of medical sociologist Aaron Antonovsky. A cultural studies perspective, influenced by the work of embodiment scholar Elspeth Probyn is employed to theorise these women’s experiences of the naturopathic encounter.This qualitative study is based on in-depth interviews and draws on grounded theory as an approach to data analysis. Descriptions of respite, renewal, and healing in the naturopathic encounter are cited as the most observable themes emerging from the women’s stories. These themes represent a health-oriented, as opposed to a disease-focused, perspective. Importantly, a health-orientated approach is congruent with the core tenets of naturopathic philosophy. Listening to the body is a crucial therapeutic tool in the naturopathic encounter, where primacy is given to supporting and strengthening health-creating strategies. I argue that this orientation disrupts the existing dominant biomedical approach to refugee health care. I draw on the work of Probyn to theorise the movement from the naturopathic encounter (NE) to the naturopathic meeting place (NMP). Central to this transposition is Probyn’s articulation of the body’s awareness of being in and out of place. This awareness lends itself to an understanding of the connectedness between past and present in the bridge-making that these particular refugee women have engaged in across cultures in the NMP.The thesis addresses an important but often neglected focus in refugee research: the resilience and agency of refugees. This positive aspect of refugee recovery is revealed in the research by theorising the women’s stories through Probyn’s embodiment analysis and cognisance of the ‘everyday’ as a productive and creative process. The research interrupts the ubiquitous image of the ‘disempowered refugee victim’. It highlights the practical wisdom and agency of these particular women that is often overshadowed in the complex resettlement process. It makes a call for further health-orientated research to broaden and deepen our understanding of the refugee experience.

Baskettränarna i klubben upplever att de kan påverka verksamheten och att deras engagemang gör skillnad för de basketspelande barnen och ungdomarna, för klubben och för sin egen personliga utveckling. Tränarna erfar att det är lättare att påverka och ha inflytande i den interna tränarrollen än i den externa tränarrollen. Omgivningens individer gör skillnad på tränarna och bemötandet tränarna får upplevs vara beroende av vilket kön, vilken ålder och vilken etnicitet tränarna har. Inom basketklubben upplever tränarna att det finns en lyhördhet och öppenhet för varandras olikheter, dels på grund av att alla känner alla i klubben och för att det finns ett socialt klimat och en tydlighet i organisationens beslutsprocesser som gör att tränarna upplever att de kan påverka verksamheten och att deras engagemang är viktigt och meningsfullt. Syftet med uppsatsen är att genom kvalitativa intervjuer med unga baskettränare och öppna observationer i en stockholmsbaserad basketklubb problematisera och se närmare på hur de unga idrottsledarna anser sig ha möjlighet att kunna påverka mer än själva idrottsutövandet inom ramen för sitt engagemang. Vidare är syftet att besvara frågeställningens två delfrågor: Vad upplever och erfar de unga idrottsledarna att de kan påverka och ha inflytande över inom ramen för sitt idrottsengagemang? Hur påverkas de unga idrottsledarna av sitt engagemang i idrottsföreningen? Med hjälp av den teoretiska referensramen belyses hur de sociala relationerna och den demokratiska organisationens uppbyggnad kan skapa ett medborgerligt engagemang, en kommunikativ demokrati och en Känsla av sammanhang för de intervjuade tränarna. / Coaches experience that there is an opportunity to make a difference in somebody’s life as well as within an organisation. The basketball coaches make a difference in young peoples everyday life, in the basketball club but also in their own personal development by being involved in the organisation of the basketball club as coaches. It is easier to make a change in the intern leadership than in the extern leadership. The coaches in this study experience a difference in how they are treated by individuals in the surrounding depending on their age, sex and ethnicity. The coaches experience that there is a sense of openness and understanding within the club as well as a feeling of being listened to. They feel that they have the opportunity to be involved in the decisionmaking processes and that involvement is meaningful and important. The aim of this thesis is to answer the two following questions: How and what do the coaches experience that they are able to influence within their sports leadership? How are the young coaches influenced by their sports involvement? Qualitative interviews and open observations will be used as methods to find answers to the questions. The theoretical frame of references is based on the concepts of social capital, communicative democracy and senses of coherence.

Sammanfattning Syfte och frågeställningar Uppsatsen syftade till att undersöka elevers uppfattningar kring begreppet hälsa, ur ett salutogent och patogent perspektiv. De frågor som ställdes var: har eleverna en salutogen eller patogen bild av hälsa, var får eleverna sin uppfattning kring hälsa ifrån samt förmedlar lärare i idrott och hälsa en salutogen eller patogen bild av hälsa enligt eleverna? Metod 10 elever (7 flickor och 3 pojkar) i årskurs 9 från tre skolor i västra och södra delen av Stockholm deltog alla i en halvstrukturerad intervju. Intervjuerna genomfördes på respektive elevs skola i ett avskilt rum. Deras svar kategoriserades och analyserades med utgångspunkt i Antonovskys teorier, och Quennerstedts utvecklingar av dessa, kring salutogent och patogent. Resultat 5 av 10 elever ansågs ha en patogen bild av hälsa, 3 av 10 en salutogen bild medan 2 av 10 ansågs ha en tvetydig/oklar bild av hälsa där både ett salutogent och patogent perspektiv fanns representerat. 9 av 10 elever angav att Undervisning i idrott och hälsa var en källa som de hämtade information kring hälsa från. 8 elever angav Vänner, 6 elever angav Familj. Flest elever uppgav att deras huvudsakliga källa till information kring hälsa var Undervisning i idrott och hälsa. 4 av 10 elever ansågs visa på att deras lärare hade ett patogent synsätt på hälsa och 6 av 10 elever svarade på ett sätt som ledde till bedömningen att deras lärares synsätt på hälsa hade inslag av både salutogent och patogent. Slutsats Både salutogena och patogena inslag förekom i såväl elevernas syn på hälsa som i den bild de förmedlade att deras lärare hade. Dock förföll de patogena perspektiven dominera i bägge fall. Eleverna hämtade i huvudsak sin information kring hälsa från undervisningen i idrott och hälsa, familjen och vänner. Det är därför av relevans för lärare att fundera kring vilken syn på hälsa de förmedlar då det kan ha inverkan på elevers uppfattning kring begreppet hälsa. / Aim The thesis aimed to investigate students perceptions of the concept of health from asalutogenic and pathogenic perspective. The questions asked were: does students have asalutogenic or pathogenic view on health, where do students get their opinion about the healthand does teachers in physical education convey a salutogenic or pathogenic view of health according to the students? Method 10 students (7 girls and 3 boys) in grade 9 from three schools in the western and southern partof Stockholm all participated in a semi-structured interview. The interviews were conducted at each student's school in a secluded room. Their response was categorized and analyzed on the basis of Antonovskys theories, and Quennerstedts developments thereof, around salutogenetic and pathogenic. Results 5 out of 10 students were considered to have a pathogenic view of health, 3 of 10 a salutogenic view while 2 out of 10 were considered to have an ambiguous/unclear view of health in which both salutogenic and pathogenic perspectives were represented. 9 out of 10 students indicated that Teaching in physical education and health was a source that they retrieved information about health from. 8 students answered Friends, 6 students answered Family. Most students stated that their main source of information about health comes from Teaching in physical education and health. 4 out of 10 students were considered to show that their teachers had a pathogenic approach to health and 6 of the 10 students responded in away that led to the assessment that their teachers' approach to health had elements of both salutogenic and pathogenic. Conclusion Both salutogenic and pathogenic element were present in both the students' views on health and in the approach they conveyed that their teachers had on health. However, the pathogenic perspectives dominate in both cases. Students mainly got their information about health from teaching in physical education and health, family and friends. It is of relevance for teachers to reflect on what view on health they convey as it can have an impact on students' perception of the concept of health.

För att främja hälsa och välbefinnande på arbetsplatser börjar ett perspektiv på arbetsmiljöarbete gå från att fokusera på vad som gör människor sjuka, till att fokusera på vad som gör människor friska. Ett hälsofrämjande arbetsmiljöarbete har därmed börjat att växa fram som innebär att utveckla, möjliggöra och bevara det som fungerar bra på arbetsplatsen. Känsla av sammanhang (KASAM), är en teori som myntades av Aaron Antonovsky (2005). Teorin kan användas i ett hälsofrämjande arbetsmiljöarbete då den kan ge en förståelse över vilka faktorer som kan främja hälsa. Begriplighet, hanterbarhet och meningsfullhet är teorins tre komponenter. Genom att stärka komponenterna kan hälsa främjas. Syftet med föreliggande studie är att skapa en förståelse för vilka faktorer som kan stärka känslan av sammanhang i arbetet och vidare beskriva hur känslan av sammanhang upplevs av de anställda på ett detaljhandelsföretag. Genom en abduktiv tematisk analys av åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer, studeras vilka förutsättningar arbetsgivaren ger de anställda för att stärka KASAM. Vidare studeras hur upplevelsen av känslan av sammanhang är ur ett medarbetarperspektiv. Studiens teoretiska referensram utgörs av Antonovskys teori känsla av sammanhang och dess tre komponenter. Utifrån intervjuerna visade det sig att det är ett öppet och familjärt klimat på företaget. Det visade sig även att de anställda stöttar varandra och är engagerade i sitt arbete. Av resultatet framkom att företaget har flera värderingar, varav en är tillsammans, vilket genomsyrar det mesta på företaget. Samtliga av de anställda tar fasta på värderingen tillsammans vilket präglar deras sätt att vara och agera. Genom värderingen tillsammans skapas en gemenskap på det undersökta detaljhandelsföretaget som är av betydelse för att stärka känslan av sammanhang. / To promote health and well-being at workplaces, a perspective on work environment management has shifted from mainly focusing on what makes people sick, to another perspective, what makes them healthy and causes well-being. Health-promoting work environment management has thus begun to emerge, which means developing, enabling and preserving what works well in the workplace. Aaron Antonovsky (2005), founded a theory: Sense of coherence (SOC), which can be used in health-promoting work environment management as it can provide an understanding of which factors that can promote health. The SOC theory's components are comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness and by strengthening the components, health can be promoted. The purpose of this study is to create an understanding of which factors that can strengthen the sense of coherence at work and also describe how the sense of coherence is experienced by the employees at a retail company. Through an abductive thematic analysis of eight semi-structured interviews, the prerequisites the employer gives the employees to strengthen SOC are studied. Furthermore, the experience on how the SOC is from the perspective of an employee are studied. The theoretical framework of the study is based on Antonovsky's theory sense of coherence and the three components. Based on the interviews, it turned out that there is an open and familiar atmosphere within the company. It also turned out that the employees support each other and are committed to their work. The results indicate that the company has several values, one of which is togetherness,which permeates most of the company. All employees adhere to the value togetherness, which characterizes their way of being and acting. Through the value togetherness, a fellowship is created within the retail company, which is important for strengthening the sense of coherence.

The aim of this study is to get a deeper understanding, from a Swedish context, of how you can do social work with vulnerable and orphaned children in a developing country such as Uganda. We have investigated this through the example WEBALE, an NGO working in a context where among other things HIV/AIDS, poverty and a defective social safety net have led to social problems affecting children. Further, we have also aimed at acquiring a deeper understanding of what it is that motivates the volunteers and the director to work with vulnerable children at WEBALE. In order to fulfil this aim, the research has the following two key questions: What is the motivation for the teacher volunteers and the manager to work with vulnerable children at WEBALE? How do the teacher volunteers perceive the social work with the children in everyday life at WEBALE and what experiences do they have from this? The study is a field study with a phenomenological and ethnological approach. We were present at and took part in the everyday life of the informants at the school and orphanage in Uganda for eight weeks. The investigation uses a qualitative method where four interviews and participant observations were carried out. The results are analyzed in connection with theories on social work defining preventions and interventions, where theories on risk- and protection factors and the salutogenetic theory on SOC have been used. The analysis is also connected to theories on social work with children from a developmental-ecological and attachment-theoretical perspective. The results show what it is that motivates the volunteers and manager to work as volunteers in this specific contest through personal accounts of their background. Our observation is that the motivation of the volunteers and the manager to work with orphaned and vulnerable children is closely connected to their own background and childhood. The biggest reason for this kind of a life choice seems to be a sense of coherence and the largest motivating factor is that the work they do feels meaningful. The results further highlight the social work that is carried out and how the volunteers perceive their work at WEBALE. The study shows that the volunteers (who mainly consist of teachers) carry out what can be called social work, according to the definitions of interventions and preventions within various fields, such as health, education, emotional and behavioural development, ability to take care of oneself, social behaviour, family and social relations, and identity.

During recent decades, lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) has become the most common indication for spine surgery, a change that coincides with a higher worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity. Thus, surgical treatment of LSS in the overweight and obese population is common and increasing in scope. The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate whether body mass index (BMI) is related to the development of LSS, and whether BMI is linked to outcome after surgery for LSS. We further evaluated whether there are specific experiences of LSS from a patient perspective. Data were obtained for all patients registered in the Swedish Spine Register who had undergone surgery for LSS between January 1, 2006 and June 30, 2008. After adjusting for differences in baseline characteristics, patients with obesity showed both poorer results after surgery and a higher rate of dissatisfaction than patients with normal weight (odds ratio 1.73; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.36-2.19). Furthermore, patients with obesity in the cohort reported modest weight loss at follow-up (2.0 kg; 95% CI, 1.5-2.4), and only 8% reported a clinical important weight loss 2 years after surgery. Our analysis of 389,132 construction workers, showed that overweight (incidence rate ratio, IRR 1.68; 95% CI, 1.54-1.83) and obesity (IRR 2.18; 95% CI, 1.87-2.53) were associated with an increased future risk in developing LSS when compared with patients with normal weight. To gain insight into the patients' perspective of LSS, we performed interviews with 18 patients who were on a waiting list for LSS surgery. The transcripts, analyzed with content analysis, revealed that living with LSS is a physical, mental and social challenge in which resources to cope with the condition are of major importance. In summary, obesity is associated with poorer results after surgery, and patients with obesity report modest weight loss during follow-up. In addition, obesity is associated with an increased risk to develop LSS. Our findings revealed that being a patient with LSS, naturally involves considerable suffering and pain, but it also implies being a person with his or her own resources who is able to cope with these adverse conditions.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur brukare påverkas av att det finns hundar i form av djurassisterade insatser i den kommunala, dagliga LSSverksamheten i Dalarnas län. Det är en kvalitativ studie som inleddes genom en kvantitativ kartläggning rörande förekomsten av hundar eller andra djur i alla kommunala LSS-verksamheter i Dalarna. Den begränsas till personalens perspektiv på effekten av hundassisterade insatser gällande målgruppen och resultaten baseras på halvstrukturerade intervjuer med personal från samtliga kommunala dagverksamheter i Dalarna, där brukare erbjuds hundassisterade insatser. Resultaten har analyserats med hjälp av tidigare forskning, KASAM och social responsivitet. De visar hur och att den hundassisterade insatsen främjar psykiskt och fysiskt välbefinnande samt motiverar verksamhetens brukare till att utveckla fysiska, psykiska och sociala färdigheter. Jag fann belägg för att människor mår bra av att umgås med hundar och att brukare drar fördel av hundassisterade insatser – på många olika sätt. / The aim of the present study was to investigate how users are influenced by animal-assisted interventions with dogs in municipal day-care centres (developing centres or working places for persons with autism and/or intellectual disabilities) in Dalarna County. This is a qualitative study, initiated through a quantitative mapping concerning the presence of dogs or other animals in all municipal LSS day-care centres in Dalarna. Its limited to the staff perspective on the impact of dog-assisted interventions on the target group, and results are based on semistructured interviews with staff from all municipal day-care centres in Dalarna, where users are offered dog-assisted interventions. The results where analysed through previous research, KASAM and social responsiveness. They show that the dog-assisted interventions promote mental/physical wellbeing and motivate the users of the day-care centres to develop physical, mental and social skills. I found evidence that users benefit from animal-assisted interventions with dogs – in many ways.