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The history of land utilization in Scandinavia is characterized by two major periods of open landscape. The first one temporal ranged from cal. AD 0-500 and the second one ranged from cal. AD 1200-1900 including the medieval crisis in Scandinavia. Both periods were characterized by animal husbandry and intensive grazing as well as cultivation. However, slash-and-burn-cultivation and hay production on mires and meadows were prevailing during the medieval crisis. These activities significantly altered the concentration of transported organic carbon (OC) from the terrestrial ecosystem to inland waters. Burning and grazing decreased the terrestrial OC and water table, due to reduction of biomass, whereby burning has a greater effect. Biennial scything of mires for hay production reduced the biomass as well, hence resulting in a decreasing water table and peat accumulation. Even though two periods of open landscape has been present in the historical land utilization of Scandinavia, only the latest one resulted in a decreasing OC concentration in surface water in boreal lake. This indicates that especially the slash-and-burn cultivation and hay production on mires are very important components of altering the carbon storage in soils and peat due to lowering the terrestrial OC pool.

Thesis(M.Tech.: Homoeopathy)-Dept of Homoeopathy, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005 xxiii, 96 leaves / The purpose of this double blind placebo controlled study was to evaluate the efficacy of homoeopathic simillimum in the treatment of job burnout in the human services field.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study focused on the plight of teachers in the challenging traumatic context of high-risk schools on the Cape Flats, Western Cape, South Africa. Study aims were to measure the stress and burnout of educators and analyse the effect of three different interventions using psycho-educational workshops. Forty-three educators in three secondary schools took part for 15 hours in total over 10 weeks, as well as a control group of 20 teachers. Interventions were grounded in trauma release exercises (TRE), transpersonal psychology (TP) and transactional analysis (TA) practice, and can be conceptualised as primarily physical, emotional and cognitive approaches to stress and burnout prevention. In a mixed-methods study based on the transactional stress model, quantitative data comprised statistical analysis of stress, personal, work and learner-induced burnout and well-being, at the pre- and post-intervention stages. An analysis of the text coding of the educators’ stress, burnout, coping and well-being accounts followed. The study then focused on qualitative thematic analysis of the focus group interviews. Perceived stress was significantly different between the three intervention groups and control group and learner burnout was significantly reduced in the TRE (p=0.02) and TA (p=0.02) groups. There were trends for stress and burnout reduction for the TP group. Coding analysis focused on the intra-and inter-individual TRE, TP and TA tools that had an impact on educators in their efforts to cope with stress and burnout. Focus group interviews gave thematic insights into physical, emotional and cognitive responses to stress and burnout interventions on the individual, interpersonal and organisational levels and revealed new perspectives on classroom competency, with educators taking more responsibility for discipline in the classroom, their greatest stressor. This study indicated that TRE, TP and TA interventions offer educators in high-risk schools physiological, affective and cognitive approaches to dealing with threat and trauma, assisting with stress and burnout reduction, facilitating renewed insights into classroom competency. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie het gefokus op die toestand van onderwysers in die uitdagende, traumatiese konteks van hoë-risiko skole op die Kaapse Vlakte van die Wes-Kaap, Suid-Afrika. Die doelstellings van die ondersoek was om stres en uitbranding by onderwysers te meet en om die invloed van drie verskillende intervensies, in die vorm van psigo-opvoedkundige werkswinkels, te analiseer. Drie-en-veertig opvoeders in drie sekondêre skole het oor 10 weke vir 15 uur in totaal deelgeneem, sowel as ‘n kontrolegroep van 20 onderwysers. Die ingrypings is gegrond in die praktyke van trauma-ontladingsoefeninge (trauma release exercises [TRE]), transpersoonlike sielkunde (transpersonal psychology [TP]) en transaksionele analise (transactional analysis [TA]), en kan hoofsaaklik as fisiese, emosionele en kognitiewe benaderings tot die voorkoming van stres en uitbranding gekonseptualiseer word. In ’n gemengde metode studie gebaseer op die transaksionele stresmodel, het die kwantitatiewe data bestaan uit statistiese analises van stres, persoonlike, werks- en leerdergeïnduseerde uitbranding en welstand, vóór en ná die ingrypings. Dit is gevolg deur ’n analise van die tekskodering van die opvoeders se verslae oor hulle stres, uitbranding, behartiging en welstand. Die studie het hierna gefokus op ’n kwalitatiewe tematiese analise van die fokusgroeponderhoude. Waargenome stres het beduidend tussen die drie intervensiegroepe en die kontrolegroep verskil en leerderuitbranding het beduidend in die TRE (p=.02) en TA (p=.02) groepe verminder. Daar was tekens van vermindering van stres en uitbranding in die TP groep. Koderingsanalise het gefokus op die intra- en inter-individuele TRE, TP en TA gereedskap wat ’n impak op opvoeders gehad het in hulle pogings om stres en uitbranding te hanteer. Fokusgroeponderhoude het tematiese insigte oor die fisiese, emosionele en kognitiewe reaksies op stres- en uitbrandingsingrypings op die individuele, interpersoonlike en organisatoriese vlak verskaf, met onderwysers wat groter verantwoordelikheid geneem het vir dissipline in die klaskamer, wat hulle vernaamste stressor is. Hierdie studie dui daarop dat TRE-, TP- en TA-ingrypings aan opvoeders in hoë-risiko skole fisiologiese, affektiewe en kognitiewe benaderings bied om bedreiging en trauma te hanteer. Dit dra by tot ’n vermindering van stres en uitbranding en fasiliteer nuwe insigte in klaskamerbevoegdheid.

Thesis (MCurr)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The imbalance between job demands and available resources could cause burnout which may impact quality patient care. A scientific investigation was conducted to evaluate burnout amongst primary health care (PHC) nurses. The objectives for the study were to identify the prevalence of burnout amongst PHC nurses and to explore the contributing factors to burnout in PHC settings. The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model (Bakker and Demerouti, 2007:309) was used as a conceptual framework for the study. A non-experimental, descriptive cross-sectional design with a quantitative approach was applied. The population and sample consisted of professional nurses (PN) and clinical nurse practitioners (CNP) (n=72) in the Eden District of the Western Cape. A self-report questionnaire was used to collect the data in an uncontrolled, natural environment. Analysis of the results exposed high levels of burnout amongst PHC nurses. Nurses in PHC facilities all had an equal chance to develop burnout, regardless of their level of experience. The occurrence of burnout is equal in community health centres and in community clinics, although a trend was observed that subjects in community clinics may experience more emotional exhaustion. Work pressure, workload or an increase in job demands, lack of organisational support and management problems were rated as the main factors contributing to burnout. Recommendations were made to improve the working environments of PHC nurses in order to increase motivational levels, job satisfaction and to foster work engagement, as well as to reduce levels of burnout. Opportunities for further research are recommended. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die wanbalans tussen beroepseise en beskikbare hulpbronne kan uitbranding veroorsaak en gevolglik kwaliteit patiëntsorg beïnvloed. ‘n Wetenskaplike studie is gedoen om uitbranding onder primêre gesondheidsorg (PGS) verpleegkundiges te evalueer. Die doelstellings van die studie was om die voorkoms van uitbranding onder PGS-verpleegkundiges te identifiseer, en om die bydraende faktore wat aanleiding gee tot uitbranding in PGS-instellings, te ondersoek. Die Beroepseise-Hulpbronne model (Bakker and Demerouti, 2007:309) is as ‘n konsepsuele raamwerk vir die studie gebruik. 'n Nie-eksperimentele, beskrywende dwarssnit studie met 'n kwantitatiewe benadering, is toegepas. Die populasie en die steekproef het bestaan uit professionele verpleegkundiges en kliniese verpleeg praktisyns (n=72) in die Eden Distrik van die Wes-Kaap. ‘n Self-rapport vraelys was gebruik om data in ‘n ongekontroleerde, natuurlike omgewing te versamel. Die analisering van resultate het hoë vlakke van uitbranding onder verpleegkundiges in PGS-dienste ontbloot. Verpleegkundiges in PGS-fasiliteite het almal 'n gelyke kans om uitbranding te ontwikkel, ongeag die vlak van ondervinding. Die voorkoms van uitbranding is dieselfde in gemeenskaps-gesondheidsentrums en gemeenskapsklinieke, alhoewel daar ‘n neiging sigbaar was dat personeel in gemeenskapsklinieke meer emosionele uitputting ervaar. Werkdruk, werklas of toename in beroepseise, die gebrek aan organisatoriese ondersteuning en bestuursprobleme is aangewys as die hoof redes wat aanleiding gee tot uitbranding. Voorstelle is gemaak om die werksomgewing van PGS-verpleegkundiges te verbeter en om motiveringsvlakke en werkstevredenheid te herstel. Dit sal werksverbintenis versterk en die voorkoms van uitbranding beperk. Geleenthede vir verdere navorsing is aanbeveel.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The primary aim of this study was to determine the relationship between stress (as manifested in anxiety and depression), coping strategies and burnout in South African clinical and counselling psychologists. The degrees of anxiety and depression, as well as the levels of burnout and types of coping strategies that psychologists used, were examined firstly. This was followed by an investigation into the coping strategies that correlated with anxiety and depression respectively. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were performed to complete this task. The relationship between anxiety and burnout, as well as between depression and burnout, were examined, using linear regression analyses. An investigation into the coping strategies that correlated with burnout was also performed, using stepwise multiple regression analyses. Finally, the influence of various biographical variables on burnout was determined, making use of linear regression analyses, t-tests, one-way analyses of variance and Tukey tests. The study was conducted with the aid of the internet, which involved the mailing of an explanatory letter to a stratified, randomly selected sample of a thousand psychologists, requesting the recipients to visit a web page and complete five questionnaires electronically. The test battery consisted of the following: A biographical questionnaire; the Beck Depression Inventory (BOl), which was used to determine the presence of depression; the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), to examine the levels of burnout; the S-scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAl), which was used to measure anxiety; and the Brief Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced (Brief COPE), for the measurement of fourteen different coping strategies. A total of 238 registered psychologists (representing a response rate of 23.8%) participated in the study. Results indicated that 134 (56.3%) psychologists experienced above-average levels of anxiety, while 129 (54.2%) were at least mildly depressed. Regarding the three components of burnout, 72 (30.25%) and 64 (26.89%) experienced high and moderate levels of emotional exhaustion respectively, 49 (20.59%) and 65 (27.31%) experienced high and moderate levels of depersonalization respectively, while 68 (28.57%) and 84 (35.29%) reported strong and moderate feelings of reduced personal accomplishment respectively. Participants made use of all 14 coping strategies, as measured by the Brief COPE, but the coping strategy of active coping was used mostly, while behavioural disengagement was used the least. A combination of the coping strategies of self-blame, behavioural disengagement, denial, a lack of humour, self-distraction, a lack of acceptance of the reality of the stressful situation, venting and substance use, was a significant predictor of high levels of anxiety. A combination of substance use, self-blame, self-distraction, denial, and a lack of seeking instrumental support, contributed significantly to the prediction of depression. The participants' levels of anxiety and depression, respectively, were both significant predictors of burnout, as measured on all three MBI subscales. Emotional exhaustion was significantly predicted by the combination of behavioural disengagement, venting, a lack of humour, and active coping, while a combination of behavioural disengagement, a lack of positive reframing, venting, a lack of religious involvement, selfdistraction, the absence of emotional support seeking, and the absence of denial, significantly predicted depersonalization. The combination of a lack of the use of positive reinterpretation, selfdistraction, a lack of humour, self-blame, a lack of planning, seeking instrumental support, and behavioural disengagement, significantly predicted feelings of reduced personal accomplishment. Regarding biographical variables, the following results were obtained: Age was a significant predictor of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, but not of feelings of reduced personal accomplishment. Male psychologists experienced significantly more emotional exhaustion and depersonalization than their female counterparts, but no significant difference between the sexes was found for reduced personal accomplishment. The number of hours per week spent in conducting psychotherapy with patients/clients was a significant positive predictor of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and feelings of personal accomplishment. The number of years in practice only contributed significantly to the prediction of emotional exhaustion, but not to the prediction of depersonalization or feelings of reduced personal accomplishment. Participants who followed a psychodynamic therapeutic approach experienced significantly more emotional exhaustion than those who used a combination of cognitive behavioural therapy and personcentered therapy. When comparing the systemic and narrative approaches, the former contributed more significantly to feelings of reduced personal accomplishment in psychologists. No significant differences regarding scores on any of the three MBI subscales were found between participants who were married, divorced, or had never been married. Experiencing difficulties with the settlement of accounts by medical aid schemes was a significant predictor of burnout, with respect to all three MBI subscales. Having difficulties with bad debts, however, contributed significantly to the prediction of a decrease in depersonalization, but not to the prediction of emotional exhaustion or reduced personal accomplishment. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die primêre doelstelling van hierdie studie was om ondersoek in te stel na die verband tussen stres (soos gemanifesteer in angs en depressie), streshanteringstrategieë en uitbranding by Suid- Afrikaanse kliniese en voorligtingsielkundiges. Die mate van angs en depressie, asook die vlakke van uitbranding en tipes streshanteringstrategieë wat sielkundiges gebruik het, is eerstens vasgestel. Vervolgens is die streshanteringstrategieë wat verband hou met angs en depressie onderskeidelik, met behulp van stapsgewyse meervoudige regressie-analises bepaal. Die verband tussen angs en uitbranding, asook tussen depressie en uitbranding, is met behulp van lineêre regressie-analises ondersoek. Verder is die streshanteringstrategieë wat verband hou met uitbranding deur middel van stapsgewyse meervoudige regressie-analises bepaal. Laastens is die invloed van, verskeie biografiese veranderlikes op uitbranding deur middel van lineêre regressieanalises, t-toetse, eenrigting-variansie-analises en Tukey-toetse ondersoek. Die studie is met behulp van die internet uitgevoer, wat behels het dat elke lid van 'n gestratifiseerde, ewekansig-geselekteerde steekproef van 'n duisend geregistreerde kliniese en voorligtingsielkundiges 'n brief per pos ontvang het, met die versoek om 'n webbladsy te besoek en vyf vraelyste daarop te voltooi. Die toetsbattery het bestaan uit die volgende: 'n biografiese vraelys; die Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), wat gebruik is om die teenwoordigheid van depressie by die deelnemers vas te stel; die Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), om die vlakke van uitbranding te ondersoek; die S-skaal van die State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAl), vir die meting van angs; asook die Brief Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced (Brief COPE), wat gebruik is om te bepaal in watter mate deelnemers 14 streshanteringstrategieë gebruik het. 'n Totaal van 238 geregistreerde sielkundiges (wat 'n responskoers van 23.8% verteenwoordig) het aan die studie deelgeneem. Die resultate het aangedui dat 134 (56.3%) sielkundiges bogemiddelde angsvlakke ervaar het, terwyl 129 (54.2%) minstens tot 'n ligte mate depressief was. Wat die drie komponente van uitbranding betref, het 72 (30.25%) hoë en 64 (26.89%) matige vlakke van emosionele uitputting ervaar, 49 (20.59%) en 65 (27.31%) het onderskeidelik hoë en matige vlakke van depersonalisasie ervaar, terwyl 68 (28.57%) en 84 (35.29%) onderskeidelik sterk en matige gevoelens van verminderde persoonlike bekwaamheid gerapporteer het. Die deelnemers het van al 14 Brief COPE-streshanteringstrategieë gebruik gemaak, terwyl die meeste van aktiewe streshantering en die minste van losmakingsgedrag gebruik gemaak het. 'n Kombinasie van die streshanteringstrategieë van selfblamering, losmakingsgedrag, ontkenning, 'n gebrek aan humor, self-afleiding, 'n gebrek aan aanvaarding van die realiteit van die stresvolle situasie, emosionele ontlading en substansgebruik, was 'n beduidende voorspeller van hoë angsvlakke. Die gesamentlike gebruik van substansgebruik, selfblamering, self-afleiding, ontkenning en die afwesigheid van instrumentele ondersteuningsoeke, was 'n beduidende voorspeller van depressiewe simptomatologie. Die deelnemers se angs- en depressievlakke onderskeidelik, was albei beduidende voorspellers van uitbranding ten opsigte van al drie die subskale van die MBI. Die streshanteringstrategieë wat emosionele uitputting beduidend voorspel het, was 'n kombinasie van losmakingsgedrag, emosionele ontlading, 'n gebrek aan humor en die gebruik van aktiewe streshanteringsmetodes. Depersonalisasie is beduidend voorspel deur die gesamentlike voorkoms van losmakingsgedrag, 'n gebrek aan positiewe herformulering, emosionele ontlading, 'n gebrek aan geloofsbeoefening, self-afleiding, die afwesigheid van emosionele ondersteuningsoeke en die afwesigheid van ontkenning. Die gesamentlike voorkoms van 'n gebrek aan positiewe herformulering, self-afleiding, 'n gebrek aan humor, selfblamering, 'n gebrek aan beplanning, instrumentele ondersteuningsoeke en losmakingsgedrag, was beduidende voorspellers van verminderde persoonlike bekwaamheid. Wat die biografiese veranderlikes betref, is die volgende resultate vir die totale steekproef verkry: Ouderdom was 'n beduidende voorspeller van emosionele uitputting en depersonalisasie, maar nie van verminderde persoonlike bekwaamheid nie. Manlike sielkundiges het beduidend meer emosionele uitputting en depersonalisasie ervaar as hulle vroulike kollegas, maar geen beduidende verskil tussen die geslagte is ten opsigte van verminderde persoonlike bekwaamheid bevind nie. Die aantal ure wat per week aan psigoterapeutiese werk met pasiënte/kliënte bestee is, was 'n beduidende positiewe voorspeller van emosionele uitputting, depersonalisasie en gevoelens van persoonlike bekwaamheid. Die aantal jare wat sielkundiges reeds gepraktiseer het, was slegs 'n beduidende voorspeller van emosionele uitputting, maar nie van depersonalisasie en gevoelens van verminderde persoonlike bekwaamheid nie. Sielkundiges wat 'n psigodinamiese terapeutiese benadering toegepas het, het beduidend meer emosionele uitputting ervaar as diegene wat 'n kombinasie van kognitiewe gedragsterapie en persoonsgesentreerde terapie gebruik het. In vergelyking met 'n narratiewe benadering, het die toepassing van 'n sisteembenadering tot beduidend minder gevoelens van persoonlike bekwaamheid by sielkundiges gelei. Geen beduidende verskille ten opsigte van sielkundiges wat getroud, geskei of nooit getroud was, is ten opsigte van enige van die drie MBI-subskaaltellings gevind nie. Die ervaring van probleme met die vereffening van rekeninge deur mediese fondse was 'n beduidende voorspeller van uitbranding ten opsigte van al drie die MBI-subskale. Die ervaring van probleme met oninbare skulde was egter 'n beduidende voorspeller van 'n afname in depersonalisasie, maar nie van emosionele uitputting of verminderde persoonlike bekwaamheid nie.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Forest managers throughout Canada must contend with natural disturbance processes that vary over both time and space when developing and implementing forest management plans designed to provide a range of economic, ecological, and social values. In this thesis, I develop a stochastic simulation model with an embedded linear programming (LP) model and use it to evaluate strategies for reducing uncertainty due to forest fires. My results showed that frequent re-planning was sufficient to reduce variability in harvest volume when the burn fraction was low, however, as the burn fraction increased above 0.45%, the best strategy to reduce variability in harvest volume was to account for fire explicitly in the planning process using Model III. A risk analysis tool was also developed to demonstrate a method for managers to improve decision making under uncertainty. The impact of fire on mature and old forest areas was examined and showed that LP forest management planning models reduce the areas of mature and old forest to the minimum required area and fire further reduces the seral area. As the burn fraction increased, the likelihood of the mature and old forest areas satisfying the minimum area requirements decreased. However, if the seral area constraint was strengthened (i.e., the right hand side of the constraint was increased) the likelihood improved. When the planning model was modified to maximize mature and old forest areas, the two fixed harvest volumes (i.e., 2.0 and 8.0 M. m3/decade) had much different impacts on the areas of mature and old forest when the burn fraction was greater than 0.45%. Bootstrapped burn fraction confidence intervals were used to examine the impact of uncertain burn fraction estimates when using Model III to develop harvest schedules. I found that harvest volume bounds were large when the burn fraction was ≥0.45%. I also examined how the uncertainty in natural burn fraction (i.e., estimates of pre-fire suppression average annual area burned) estimates being used for ecosystem management can impact old forest area requirements and the resulting timber supply.

Coping – a qualitative study of experiences of stress and burn-out in the work with children and youth within the social services. The aim of this study was to examine experiences and coping of work related stress and burn-out among social workers within the child and youth department of the social services in a larger municipality of Sweden. It is a qualitative study built on interviews with social workers about their experiences of stressful situations in their demanding working environment, and how they manage to handle these. They find their work-load unrestricted and demanding. To guard their own limits to their work-load and engagement in the organization and cases they work with, and to prioritize the duties they find most important, are found to be the main coping strategies. Support from colleagues and family, as well as working part time when having children, are also expressed as important factors in managing the stressful working situation, and to hopefully avoid burn-out. / Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka erfarenheter, upplevelser och hantering av stress och utbrändhet i arbetet med barn och unga inom socialtjänsten i en större svensk kommun. Detta är en kvalitativ studie byggd på intervjuer med socialarbetare angående deras erfarenheter av stressade situationer och krävande arbetsklimat, samt hur de hanterar dessa sammanhang. De konstaterar att arbetsbördan är obegränsad och krävande. Att vakta sina egna gränser i förhållande till arbetsbörda och engagemang i organisationen och ärenden man hanterar, och att prioritera de arbetsuppgifter man tycker är viktigast, uppfattas var de främsta coping-strategierna. Stöd av kollegor och familj såväl som att arbeta deltid när man har barn, uttrycks som viktiga faktorer i hanteringen av den stressade arbetssituationen, och för att förhoppningsvis undvika att bli utbränd.