The aim of this phenomenological study was to explore women’s experiences of an Elective Caesarean Section (ECS) following a previous Traumatic Birth (TB). Thirteen women who had undergone an ECS following a TB were either interviewed or provided written accounts of their experiences. Data from these sources were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) (Smith, Flowers and Larkin, 2009). Five main themes were identified: ‘cautiously moving forward into the unknown: the drive to reproduce’, ‘attempting to make the unknown known’, ‘the longed for, positive birthing experience’ , ‘a different post-natal experience’ and ‘the interaction of the two experiences’. These findings were considered in relation to previous research; relevant theoretical perspectives were considered including those attached to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Post-traumatic stress reactions may increase during subsequent pregnancy impeding on women’s ability to consider facing another ‘unknown’ natural birth and domineering their decision to elect for a CS. An ECS following a TB may provide women with the controlled experience and high levels of care they long for. Such experiences could be redemptive and have positive outcomes for women’s relationships and wellbeing. These results highlight the importance of providing women in this position with information and choice regarding a subsequent birth. They also stress that prevention of women carrying Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) reactions into their subsequent pregnancies is imperative. Future research would benefit from focussing on the development and trialling of effective screening tools for PTS reactions following birth.

Depression är ett tilltagande internationellt samhällsproblem, som ger upphov till stora kostnader. Parallellt med detta sker en kraftig befolkningstillväxt i Sverige. Tidigare forskning gällande urbanisering och psykisk ohälsa visar på en stor heterogenitet gällande riskfaktorer och fynd, som varierar från nation till nation. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka sambandet mellan depressionsdiagnoser och befolkningstäthet i Sveriges tre största län avseende befolkningsmängd – Skåne, Stockholm och Västra Götaland - mellan år 2011-2017. Frågeställningen undersöktes genom tillgängliga registerdata, där korrelationsanalyser genomfördes mellan frekvens av depressionsdiagnoser och befolkningstäthet på lokal och kommunal nivå, samt medelålder och medelinkomst på kommunal nivå. Ingen signifikant korrelation kunde påvisas mellan diagnosfrekvens och lokal befolkningstäthet år 2015. Mellan åren 2011-2017 förekom vissa signifikanta korrelationer mellan diagnosfrekvens och de övriga undersökta variablerna, men variationen i dessa fynd var så pass stor att inga definitiva slutsatser kan dras utifrån materialet.

Environmental intolerance (EI) is a condition characterized by low tolerance to environmental stimuli at levels that would not affect most people. EI is an ill-defined condition from which sufferers experience highly individual multisystem symptoms following exposure from specific environmental sources. Subgroups of EI are typically distinguished by the source that cause negative effects. In this study, intolerance attributed to noise and odors was investigated. Most research on EI is conducted using cross sectional approaches and among the instruments used to quantify EI is the Noise Sensitivity Scale (NSS-11) and the Chemical Sensitivity Scale for Sensory Hyperreactivity (CSS-SHR). To fully understand EI, more longitudinal research is needed. The aim of this study was to establish how a recently developed smartphone app, intended for longitudinal research, compares to the NSS-11 and CSS-SHR with regards to its ability to detect EI. 12 participants (mean age 29 years, SD=10.7 years) filled out the NSS-11/CSS-SHR following a period of two weeks using the app. It was hypothesized that individuals scoring high/low on the NSS-11/CSS-SHR would also express high/low levels of EI as measured by reports in the app on the variables discomfort rating, number of unique symptoms reported and number of reports. Although analyses revealed effects in the direction of the hypothesis for all variables, Independent samples t-test analyses yielded no significant associations. Either there are in fact no differences, but speculatively, the lack of significant associations can also be attributed any the following: (1) the groups were to similar (2) the sample was too small (3) the participants used avoidance as coping strategies.

abstract: Research in design, emotion, and product experience has focused on establishing a connection between the aesthetic qualities of products and emotions. Studies in product expression have demonstrated relevant patterns between aesthetics and spatial reasoning. In design research, fully understanding latent qualities of consumers assists in developing an immersive product experience which in turn can engender a lasting product relationship. This study evaluates how people interpret the emotionality of form in order to establish a veritable method for interpreting emotional variables in 3D objects. This research assesses the emotional perception of aesthetic values in 2D and 3D teapots. A teapot image collection and taxonomy was constructed with 101 images of teapots across four centuries. Eighty-four participants completed a card sorting task of twenty randomly distributed teapot images (taken from the total 101 image collection) into Plutchik's eight emotion categories. Individual pieces of the teapots were coded according to the base, handle, lid, or spout that was presented in the image. The coded pieces from the card-sorting task were arranged per frequency in the overall set. Through the use of response data from the card sorting task, a network of the images was developed in Pathfinder. The content of these results were compared to images of models gathered during an interview with an interactive co-creation method referred to as Magnetic Modeling. Magnetic Modeling is a methodological tool that allowed participants to manipulate individualized pieces of 3D printed teapots into proposed emotional labels. The findings of this research establish prototypical associations in aesthetic traits and teapot piece combinations for each emotion category. Participant responses were categorized into 4 personas representing the types of perceptual bias in the studies' participants. A discussion and comparison of the methods for academic and theoretical practice is provided. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Design 2014

Rapporter har visat på ökad sjukskrivningsgrad bland akademiker samt att studenter generellt känner sig stressade. Syftet med denna studie var undersöka sambandet mellan stress kopplat till akademiska studier och de psykologiska behoven autonomi, kompetens och tillhörighet, utifrån Self-determination teorin. Studien genomfördes på 142 universitetsstudenter. För att mäta psykologiska behov användes Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction in General Scale (BPNS-G) och för att mäta stress användes delar av The Perception of Academic Stress Scale (PAS). Resultatet visar på signifikanta korrelationer mellan de psykologiska behoven och stress. Signifikanta skillnader mellan kön erhölls i samtliga stressfaktorer samt total stress. Kvinnor skattade sig lägre än män, vilket står i motsats till tidigare rapporter. Skillnaden i kön kan förklaras genom att stressen som universitetsstudenten upplever kommer från andra källor än den akademiska världen. / Studies have shown on an increasing of sick leave among academics and that students feel stressed in general. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between stress connected to academic studies and the psychological needs from Self-determination theory. The study was made with 142 university students. For measuring the psychological needs Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction in General (BPNS-G) was used and for measuring stress parts of The Perception of Academic Stress Scale (PAS) were used. Results show a significant correlation between the psychological need and stress. Significant differences emerged between the sexes in all factors of stress and total stress. Women rated lower than men, which is on the contrary to previous reports. The difference between genders may be explained with that the stress experienced by the university student origin from sources outside the academic world.

En enkätundersökning genomfördes för att undersöka om det förekom köns- och åldersskillnader i individernas val av copingstrategier. Respondenterna i denna undersökning bestod av 101 personer. Undersökningen visade att det endast i ett fall förekom könsskillnader i valet av copingstrategi, nämligen kognitivomstrukturering, där män använde sig av denna copingstrategi i signifikant högre grad än kvinnor. Åldersskillnader upptäcktes i tre fall, där unga i signifikant högre grad än vuxna använde sig av copingstrategin undvikande, ålderskategorin medelålder använde sig av problemlösning i signifikant högre grad än unga, och vuxna använde sig av copingstrategin distraktion i signifikant högre grad än ålderskategorin medelålder. Inga åldersskillnader upptäcktes i respondenternas val av copingstrategin sök av stöd.

This study explored the narratives people living with sickle cell disorder construct to explain how the experience of employment influences their identity and subsequently their quality of life. Nine individuals with sickle cell disorder were interviewed and gave detailed autobiographical narratives which were transcribed and processed using narratives analysis. Participants were 4 men and 5 women aged between 22 and 60 years. Participants' passion for their job roles was illustrated by their positive work identities. Earlier experiences were felt to be influential on drive and resilience to work challenges. In the narratives, poor understanding of sickle cell disorder by organisations and reduced ability to manage their condition impacted physical health; psychological and emotional wellbeing; social and cultural experiences. This study has implications for the clinical practice and future research of adults living with sickle cell disorder, contributing to the broadening general understanding of sickle cell disorder.

Workload transitions are situations where operators are suddenly confronted with levels of workload substantially different from previously established levels. Workload transitions may affect the operators' state of stress and coping behaviors but previous research has not conclusively demonstrated the nature of those. The first goal of the current work was to investigate the discrepant findings of the previous literature. Two experiments were conducted where participants were asked to perform a digit detection task that suddenly shifted between low and high event rates (i.e., low and high workload, respectively). The first experiment used a large magnitude transition that resulted in a decrease in reported levels of task engagement and effort. Over time, the reported stress and workload ratings of the transitioned groups approached the nontransitioned control groups. A second experiment was conducted using a moderate magnitude transition. This second experiment replicated the findings from the first experiment, with the key difference being that the transition from a low to more a more moderate level of workload resulted in higher, sustained task engagement and effort. Two main conclusions are drawn from these results. First, over time the stress and workload levels of individuals who experience a transition will approach those reported by nontransitioned individuals. Future workload transition research must therefore consider the effect of the time from transition. Second, the magnitude of the transition may influence the coping response such that a moderate transition may result in increased task-oriented, effortful coping whereas a large magnitude transition may result in decreased effortful coping.

No description available.

Recent studies have indicated that individual differences in Executive Functionings (EF) are independent predictors of multitasking performance and mediated by spatial ability. However, these studies lacked multiple measures of EF and their observed effects of spatial processing may have been induced by the nature of the spatial task per se. In this study, participants completed a multitasking session in which they monitored deadlines of four digital clocks running at different rates along with separate measures of EF (inhibition and updating) and spatial ability (mental rotation). Results showed that individual differences in mental rotation and EF were independent predictors of multitasking performance, even when task-specific spatial cues were eliminated. Furthermore, males showed a better multitasking performance than females, and these gender effects were fully mediated by spatial ability. These findings suggest that efficient multitasking involves EF, but that relying on spatial abilities can alleviate cognitive control demands.