Background: Roux-en-y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery produces significant weight loss, however a number of patients experience some and/or complete recidivism of weight years after surgery. Limited research has investigated why patients are experiencing weight regain after surgical interventions. Our objective was to identify appetite-related measures associated with weight regain after RYGB surgery. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, 29 participants (49.6 ± 9.1 years of age; 29-62 months post-RYGB) were divided into three weight categories; (weight maintainers, n = 9; low weight regainers, n = 10; and high weight regainers, n = 10). Appetite, smell function, eating behaviours and food reward were measured in response to a standardized meal. Results: Weight regain increased significantly in association with time after surgery (rs = 0.768, p = 0.016). High regainers gained on average 8.6 kg/year, compared to low regainers and maintainers, 3.8 ± 0.9 kg/year and 0.9 ± 0.9 kg/year, respectively (p < 0.001). Dietary restraint (using the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire) was significantly higher in weight maintainers and low regainers compared to high regainers using clinical subscales (p < 0.05). Weight regain was associated with higher “liking” of high-fat sweet foods (measured with the Leeds Food Preference Questionnaire) among high weight regainers. Conclusion: Weight regain after RYGB may be associated with higher preferences for high-fat sweet foods, whereas, higher dietary restraint may be associated with lower wanting of high-fat sweet foods among weight maintainers. Findings provide insight into why some patients after RYGB regain weight, while others maintain their weight. Future research is needed to further explore the relationships between appetite-related factors and weight regain after RYGB employing a longitudinal study design.

Despite a clear impact on the Canadian economy, little is known about the subsequent health impacts of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC). This thesis aims to fill this gap in knowledge by conducting a secondary analysis of Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) data to assess the impact of the GFC on health in Canada – a country that has not yet been thoroughly studied from this angle. Based on when the respondent completed the survey, exposure to the GFC was categorized into four phases: pre-crisis, crisis, stimulus, and austerity. Outcomes investigated include measures of mental health, physical health, and health-related behaviours. Statistically significant associations were observed between several health outcomes and the austerity period as compared to the pre-crisis period. Austerity has been linked to worsening health in other studies and represents an example of how the policy response can have greater detrimental impact on health than the financial crisis itself.

Avec le vieillissement démographique, le nombre de personnes âgées dépendantes augmente et les proches (ou "tierces personnes") sont de plus en plus sollicités à leur côté. Dans une visée de santé publique, il importe d'étudier la place des tierces personnes dans le vieillissement et la relation entre dépendance et accumulation de facteurs de risque accessibles à la prévention.Le premier axe de cette thèse s'intéresse à l'intervention des tierces personnes dans les études de cohorte avançant en âge. Le deuxième axe consiste à analyser l'association entre la dépendance et l'accumulation de déficits sensoriels ou de comportements de santé.Cette thèse se base sur les données des femmes de la cohorte E3Nnées entre 1925 et 1930 : celles auto-rapportées et celles recueillies auprès d'une tierce personne. La dépendance est définie comme la présence d'une limitation dans au moins une des huit activités de l'échelle des activités instrumentales de la vie quotidienne (IADL).Les tierces personnes corroborent globalement la perception des personnes âgées concernant leur capacité à réaliser les IADL, étayant ainsi l'intérêt de leur implication dans les études épidémiologiques portant sur le vieillissement. Nous montrons également qu'un double déficit sensoriel est associé à un risque accru de survenue de la dépendance à court terme. De plus, le non-respect des recommandations concernant cinq comportements de santé était associé à une augmentation du risque de dépendance une dizaine d'année plus tard, selon un schéma cumulatif.Cette thèse contribue à valoriser la place des tierces personnes dans les études épidémiologiques et à améliorer les connaissances sur les facteurs de risque modifiables de la dépendance. Elle ouvre des pistes d'actions ciblées permettant d'améliorer la qualité de vie des personnes âgées tout en augmentant leur durée de vie sans incapacité. / The number of people living with disabilities is rising with the ageing of the population, leading to an increased need in proxy' help (or from "third partie"). Preventive approaches to delay disability or increase disability-free life expectancy are needed. In that respect, it is essential to study proxies'role in ageing, to identify risk factors of disability, and to analyze the effect of combinations of risk factors on risk of disability.The first aim of this PhD thesis was to study the contribution of proxies in cohorts of older people. The second aim was to analyze the association between disability and cumulative sensory impairments or health behaviours.The study population consisted in a subpopulation of the E3N cohort of women born between 1925 and 1930. Data were self-reported and/or reported by a proxy. Disability was defined as a limitation in at least one of the eight instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scale.Results supported the interest of proxy involvement in epidemiological studies, particularly in those dealing with ageing. Indeed, most proxies corroborated the perception of the elderly women about their ability to perform IADL. In the study of risk factors of disability, having a dual sensory impairment was associated with higher short-term incidence of disability. Moreover, not adhering to the recommendations in the five studied health behaviours was associated with an increased risk of disability ten years later, in a dose-dependent manner.This work contributes to highlight the usefulness of proxies in large epidemiological studies, and to enhance knowledge about risk factors of disability. It suggests tracks of targeted actions to improve the quality of life of older people, and to increase their disability-free life duration.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / The South African Department of Basic Education (DBE), in response to escalating HIV infection, teenage pregnancy and risky sexual behaviours among learners, introduced and implemented comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) within the Life Orientation (LO) curriculum using scripted lesson plans (SLP) in the year 2015. The implementation of CSE globally, and in Africa, though assessed to be successful, is not without its challenges. In South Africa, A five year DBE pilot programme (2015-2020) is being implemented and facilitated by Education Development Centre (EDC) in five provinces of South Africa. Life Orientation educators are responsible for the implementation of CSE lessons, utilising the newly developed DBE CSE scripted lessons plans in the five pilot provinces.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / The majority of research on bullying focuses on learner-to-learner bullying, and educators are rarely identified or viewed as victims of bullying. This area of research is largely neglected, despite its serious negative outcomes such as burnout, deterioration in the educator–learner relationship and disintegrated of the educator and learning culture.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / International research over the past two decades has advanced knowledge in the study of fathers and the protective role they play in the prevention of adolescent risk behaviours. Studies have often investigated parental relationships and their influence on adolescent risk behaviours but rarely the specific role of the adolescents’ relationships with their fathers or father figures in prevention of risk behaviour.Three main hypotheses were investigated: first, that the theoretically aligned dimensions of relationship quality would be nomogically validated; second, that there would be little significance difference in the dimensions of relationship quality across groupings of father residential status; and third, that the quality of the fatherson relationship is a stronger predictor of risk behaviour than father’s residential status (whether the adolescent lived with the father or not), or whether the “father” is a biological father or not. Three samples of adolescents were included: a fatherresident group (biological fathers reside in the adolescents’ homes) (N = 196); a nonresident group (biological fathers live elsewhere) (N = 72); and a father figure group(no contact with biological father) (N = 58). The school-based sample of 331 participants all resided in a low-income area of Cape Town. Risk behaviours were investigated using the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers(POSIT). Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) risk behaviour was assessed on a POSIT sub-scale designed specifically for South Africa, the POSIT HIV/STD Risk Subscale. Paternal relationship quality was measured by the Acceptance subscale of the revised Child Report of Parent Behavior Inventory, the Child-Parent Communication Apprehension Scale for Use with Young Adults, and a measure of paternal quality contact time that was developed for this study. After conducting a factor analysis the Paternal Quality Contact Time Scale was found to have three factors: the father’s availability, activities engaged in together, and the motivation of the son to spend time with his father (including the son’s enjoyment of the time spent). This provides an extension to past conceptualizations of father-son contact which commonly assessed only the amount of time and activities engaged in. The dimensions of paternal relationship quality were found to be strongly associated.Linear regressions showed that father-son communication was the stronger predictor of risk behaviours when compared to father residential status. Paternal communication was a predictive factor for mental health risk, negative family relations, educational under-attainment, aggressive and violent behaviour and HIV/STD risk behaviours for adolescent boys. These findings confirm that fathers play an important protective role with regard to the development of adolescent risk behaviours. They also confirm that paternal relationship quality plays a more significant role, specifically the dimension of communication between them, than whether fathers live with their sons or are biologically related to them. The findings suggest a need to address the issues of building relationships between at-risk youth and their fathers (be they biological fathers or father figures) through community and clinical interventions.

This study focused on the success stories of students after academic probation in order to explore, understand and describe their personal perceptions, perspectives and the meanings they ascribed to academic probation. I also hoped to gain insight into the success factors that enabled the students success after academic probation. Through these insights I hoped to add to our understanding of supporting students on academic probation. The conceptual framework for my study was based on the strength-based approach and Bean and Eaton’s psychological model of college student retention. I also explored literature on the experiences of students who encountered academic failure as part of framing and understanding of the students’ experiences. For the purposes of the aforementioned objectives I followed a qualitative research approach, anchored in an interpretivist paradigm. I collected data through a focus group interview with three participants. The participants were purposively selected on the basis that they themselves were placed on academic probation. With the permission of the participants the interview was tape-recorded, the recording was supported by a research field journal. Three core themes in the data were identified namely Psychological Processes, Institutional Support Structures and Personal Support Systems. These core themes were integrated with literature and further linked to sub-themes and related themes. The results of my study found that students were enabled by four psychological processes namely attitudes and behaviours, coping behaviours, an internal locus of control and high self-efficacy beliefs to succeed. Institutional structures, including the policy on academic probation, played a crucial role in supporting the students to succeed, and it was because of personal support structures such as family and friends that students had the courage to return to their studies and make a good effort at succeeding. As a conclusion, this study suggested that it is possible for students to rise above academic probation and persist towards academic achievement and to have positive experiences which enable them to complete their studies. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / lk2014 / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

Caregivers play an integral role in the cancer care system in Canada as they provide unpaid care and support for millions of adults living with and beyond cancer. Although caregiving can be a positive experience for some, assuming a caregiving role can be detrimental to caregivers’ own physical and mental health. Research over the past decade has highlighted the negative impacts of caregiving and called for more efforts focused on improving caregivers’ wellbeing. Most interventions targeting caregivers are largely designed to support them in providing care, with little emphasis placed on specifically promoting self-care behaviours. To address this gap, we designed a brief 4-week self-determination theory-based intervention to improve two self-care behaviours (i.e., physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption) among cancer caregivers. The primary objective of the mixed-methods research presented in this thesis was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. Exploratory objectives included understanding participants’ experiences within the intervention. The single-arm intervention was delivered via four weekly video calls to 13 caregivers (mean age=57.6 [15.4 years]) across Canada. The enrollment rate was 62% and the retention, adherence, and fidelity rates ranged from 90 to 99%. The intervention was generally deemed acceptable by participants; however, modifications such as adding psychological support were suggested. Participants’ experiences participating in the intervention were captured within three themes: (1) (Re)prioritizing self-care behaviours; (2) Finding support for self-care behaviours within the caregiving context; and, (3) Becoming a better caregiver through self-care behaviours. Although promising, modifications to the intervention methods are needed to improve enrolment and better meet caregivers’ needs. This study highlights the importance of self-care behaviours for caregivers and provides valuable information on how to foster these behaviours among this population.

The corona virus evolved into a worldwide pandemic and is still going on upuntil the start of year 2021. The corona pandemic has changed a lot ofpeoples opinion and their attitudes towards travelling. In our research a lot ofstudents had travelled nationally during the pandemic at the same time theytended to not feel safe while doing so. The opinion towards the vaccine thatcame out late December 2020 and early January 2021 has had differentperceptions person to person. No signals for a fast recovery for the tourismindustry looks curtain. The purpose of this study is to investigate how Swedish students attitudetowards travelling looks during a pandemic - more specified towards theongoing corona pandemic. Focusing on different kind of factors in thetourism industry that does have a large impact, but also on how students tendto act with connection to travelling. What kind of factors students take intoconsideration and why, during the ongoing pandemic. The study has given insight that there is still a big interest from students totravel, even though there is a fear and disturbance within the society. Thestudy also shows that there has been a change in travel behaviour based onthe pandemic during 2020. The change in travel behaviour may affect thefuture of travelling and the tourism industry as a whole.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) involves a broad presentation of symptoms classified along continuum of severity, with core deficits in Social Affect and Restricted, Repetitive Behaviours required for formal diagnosis (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Lauritsen, 2013). The development of particular cognitive, behavioural and interpersonal difficulties seen in ASD is of great interest. Temperament offers particular value given that it influences the development of social behaviours, emotionality and self-regulation (Shiner et al., 2012). The self-regulatory temperament factor, effortful control, is known to be diminished in ASD (Garon et al., 2009, 2016) and is theorised to be related to attention and executive functioning (Rothbart &amp; Rueda, 2005). This link is of particular interest, given that attention and executive function deficits are prominent in ASD (Craig et al., 2016; Lai et al., 2017; Sanders, Johnson, Garavan, Gill, &amp; Gallagher, 2008). To date, however, a thorough literature search failed to yield a study which has investigated whether effortful control,attention and executive functioning are concurrently associated with ASD symptomatology.Moreover, the relationship between effortful control, attention and executive functioning is not as unambiguous as previously theorised in typical development, with little investigation into these relationships in ASD. To elucidate the association effortful control, attention and executive functioning have with ASD symptomatology, the relationship between effortful control and these cognitive variable needs to be better established empirically. Therefore the current investigation’s aims were twofold. Study One investigated the relationship of effortful control with attention and executive functions in neurotypical and ASD samples. Study Two explored the association between effortful control, attention, executive functions and core ASD deficits (i.e. Social Affect and Restricted, Repetitive Behaviours). A sample of 38 ASD and 38 neurotypical boys (aggregate-matched on key demographic factors), aged 6 - 15, and their primary caregivers were recruited. Study One considered both groups (n=76) and featured both quasi-experimental and relational investigations. Study Two focused only on the ASD sample (n=38) and used a purely relational design. Neurocognitive measures were used to assess two attention domains (i.e. attention span and sustained attention), and three executive functions (i.e. working memory, inhibition and switching). Effortful control was measured using a parent-report questionnaire and ASD core deficits were examined using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second edition (ADOS-2; Lord, Luyster, Gotham, &amp; Guthrie, 2012). Results of Study One revealed effortful control was a significant predictor of attention span, working memory and inhibition, with ASD participants performing significantly more poorly on these cognitive domains and rated significantly more poorly on effortful control. Study Two’s results indicated that Social Affect was significantly correlated with inhibition and the interaction effect between effortful control and working memory. Furthermore, only effortful control, attention span and their interaction effect were significantly associated with Restricted Repetitive Behaviours. Specifically, effortful control was found to moderate this relationship. At high levels of effortful control, increased attention span was associated with less Restricted, Repetitive Behaviours. These findings may aid efforts to establish a predictive model for ASD core deficits on the basis of temperament and cognitive difficulties. Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Effortful Control, Attention, Executive Functions, Social Affect, Restricted Repetitive Behaviours