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

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The rate of overweight in children is increasing at an alarming rate. The IOM (2005) estimated 9 million children over the age of six in the United States are obese. Between 1980 and 2002 the CDC (2002) estimated the rate of childhood obesity has doubled for adolescents ages 12 to 19 years (7% to 16%), and tripled for those children ages six to 11 years (5% to 16%). The health consequences of being overweight are severe and lead to decreased longevity and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to determine which factors (diet, physical activity, stress, sleep, gender, ethnicity, parental obesity, self-perception, and SES) have predictive value in the development of overweight in children in grades six through eight. The epidemiological framework, Web of Causation was used to guide this study. This model originally described by MacMahon, Pugh, and Ispen (1960) allows for the investigation of multiple causative and associated factors including lifestyle, environment, psychosocial factors, health care availability, nutrition, and physical activity. A cross-sectional predictive study was completed with 75 parent and child participants from a parochial school in south Florida. A univariate analysis of all potential predictors identified in the literature using a significance of p < .25 was performed. The dependent factor was the child's BMI greater than 85% for age and gender. Fourteen factors were included in the final forward stepwise logistic regression analysis. Instruments included family demographics, the parent and student Middle School Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (MSPAN), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Harter's Self-Perception Scale for Children (SPSC). The sample demographics were Hispanic (60%), Caucasian (25%), and Multiethnic (8%), and other (7%). The final logistics regression model found that father's obesity (OR 5.99; p= 0.001) and Self-perception of Physical Appearance (OR 0.43; p=0.038) were predictive factors of overweight in this sample of children. The findings of this study supported that family dynamics play a part in the development of this chronic disease. Future research should be directed at defining factors that place children at risk for overweight in order to develop meaningful interventions to curb this pandemic.

The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate psychosocial consequences of cancer during adolescence, using a longitudinal approach. An additional aim was to investigate if mode of administration has an influence on adolescents’ and young adults’ self-reported psychosocial function. In Study I participants, aged 13-23 years, were randomised according to two modes of administration, telephone interview and postal questionnaire, and asked to complete the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Short Form 36 (SF-36). The telephone mode resulted in a higher response rate, better self-rated psychosocial function (except for the youngest age group), overall lower Cronbach’s alpha values, and a larger percentage of ceiling effects compared to the postal mode. A higher proportion of males than females chose not to participate in the postal mode. In Study II and III adolescents diagnosed with cancer completed the HADS and two sub-scales from the SF-36 (Mental Health and Vitality) 4-8 weeks, 6, 12, and 18 months after diagnosis. In Study II adolescents with cancer were compared to a reference group from the general population. Shortly after diagnosis the cancer group rated their psychosocial function as worse compared to the reference group. However, the differences gradually disappeared over time and were then reversed, resulting in the cancer group reporting better vitality and lower levels of anxiety and depression than the reference group eighteen months after diagnosis. In Study III five distinct psychosocial states were identified, characterised by: psychosocial dysfunction (state A), poor psychosocial function (state B), incomplete psychosocial function (state C), good psychosocial function (state D), and excellent psychosocial function (state E). Shortly after diagnosis more adolescents than expected by chance were found in states A and C and fewer were found in states D and E. Eighteen months after diagnosis a different pattern emerged, where more adolescents than expected were found in state E and fewer than expected in state C. In Study IV adolescents, two years after diagnosis, reported problems with physical impairment, intrusive thoughts, feelings of alienation, and problems catching up with school. However, a majority of the participants also reported positive consequences with regard to the cancer disease: a more positive view of life, good self-esteem, knowledge and experience with regard to disease and hospital care, good relations, broader perspectives, and material gains. Study V, a review of the literature, indicates that survivors of childhood/adolescent cancer do not differ from comparison groups with regard to relations to others and relation to self. However, some findings highlight that friendship and marital status are areas of concern, and parenthood and sexuality are areas of potential concern. In conclusion, mode of administration influences adolescents’ and young adults’ self-reported psychosocial function and is related to age. Psychosocial function increases with time from diagnosis for most adolescents diagnosed with cancer. However, some individuals remain in poor psychosocial states during the first eighteen months after diagnosis. Increased efforts should be taken to identify these individuals.

The increased attention to performance measurements is evident in both private and public sector organizations and among both academics and practitioners. Although there is a strong belief in the possibilities of using measurements for managing organizations, both academics and practitioners have questioned measurements potential. This thesis takes part in debating the potentiality of performance measurements by attending to the development, use and consequences of non-financial indicators that are considered a specific form of performance measurements. When investigating the development of indicators, it became evident that several of the new indicators developed proved to be reformulations of non-financial measurements already used within the organizations before the development work. What had changed was primarily the meaning ascribed to the measurements. As a consequence of this ‘re-cycling’ of measurements, it is concluded that the meaning given to specific non-financial indicators change over time. The present investigation also reveals that three shifting rationales are informing the development of indicators. This finding contributes with insights into the construction of indicators and how the link between indicators and action are conceived and established in a development process. A main finding of the investigation concerns how indicators are used. In contrast to previous studies, the results show that indicators can have a negative impact on performance unless the indicators are used in a sophisticated way. Based on these results it is argued that it is insufficient to attend solely to if indicators are used, i.e. greater attention needs to be paid to the question of how they are used. The investigation also presents evidence suggesting that the often used adage “what gets measured gets managed” needs to be revised. It is argued that measuring is not a means to activate the organization per se. Rather, measurements support those issues that are already mobilized within the organization. In conclusion, this investigation suggests that the potentiality of indicators depends on the meaning ascribed to indicators, how indicators are assumed to link to action, how indicators are used and how indicators are related to other organizational activities.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate if there exists a superiority between developed and developing countries, which then in turn effects the negative consequences, for the local inhabitants of Thailand, that follow from mass tourism. To be able to answer the questions that we have selected for this thesis, we chose to perform open interviews with six respondents which were all involved in the tourism industry in Thailand. Four of the interviews were carried out on location in Thailand. In order to deepen our understanding of the selected questions even further literary studies have been made as well. The theories we have chosen concern the topics of imperialism and figurations. Our empirical material gave significant results. It showed that there is indeed an imbalance of power between the western world and Thailand. The relationship between the two exists due to an uneven distribution of economic resources, the majority of which can be found in the western world today. This means that tourists who possess these resources have the opportunity to travel to Thailand on their own terms, they get to dictate the journey to suit themselves. The desire to earn money is so great for the Thai people that there is hardly any concern for what consequences the tourism might cause. The relationship of power that exists between Thailand and the western world today is constantly reproduced. This leads to devastating consequences for Thailand and its inhabitants. Mass tourism generates consequences such as pollution of the environment, revenue leakage and prostitution. / Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka om det existerar en överordning mellan utvecklade och utvecklingsländer vilken i så fall påverkar de negativa konsekvenser som uppstår, för lokalbefolkningen, till följd av massturismen i Thailand. För att finna svar på våra frågeställningar har vi valt att utföra öppna intervjuer med sex stycken respondenter som alla är verksamma inom turistindustrin i Thailand. Fyra av intervjuerna genomfördes på plats i Thailand. För att ytterligare fördjupa förståelsen för våra valda problemställningar har litteraturstudier genomförts. De teorier vi har valt att utgå från behandlar ämnena imperialism och figurationer. Det insamlade materialet var mycket talande och visade att det råder ett maktförhållande mellan västvärlden och Thailand. Maktförhållandet existerar på grund av den ojämna fördelningen av ekonomiska tillgångar som råder i världen, tillgångar som idag till stor del återfinns i västvärlden. Detta innebär att turister som innehar dessa resurser har möjlighet att resa till Thailand och diktera villkoren för hur de önskar att resan bör se ut. Önskan om att tjäna pengar är, för thailändarna, så pass stor att det knappt förekommer någon reflektion över vilka konsekvenser turismen för med sig. Maktförhållandet som idag råder mellan Thailand och västvärlden reproduceras ständigt. Detta leder till förödande konsekvenser för Thailand och dess befolkning. Massturismen ger konsekvenser såsom miljöförstöring, inkomstläckage och prostitution.

Yrket som sjuksköterska innebär ett stort ansvar för såväl patienternas omvårdnad som stöd till anhöriga. Arbetet kräver ofta full uppmärksamhet och engagemang. Syftet med studien var att undersöka orsaker till och konsekvenser av yrkesrelaterad fatigue hos sjuksköterskan. Studien genomfördes som en litteraturstudie där metoden bestod av granskning och analys av 19 vetenskapliga artiklar. Orsaker till och konsekvenser av fatigue som redovisades i artiklarna delades in i kategorier. Resultatet visade att den stora emotionella tyngden arbetet innebar var den främsta orsaken till sjuksköterskans yrkesrelaterade fatigue. Det framkom också att ett arbetsklimat med bristande stöd och förståelse från arbetskollegor och avdelningschef var starkt bidragande orsaker. Även skiftarbete visades bidra till fatigue. Både patienternas säkerhet och sjuksköterskans egen hälsa äventyrades när sjuksköterskans fatigue blev för uttalad. Vidare forskning behövs inom området för att få bättre kunskaper om hur orsakerna och konsekvenserna ska hanteras och motverkas. Forskning kan leda till utvecklandet av en handlingsplan för att förebygga yrkesrelaterad fatigue och därmed bidra till en säkrare sjukvård för patienter och sjuksköterskor.

Bakgrund: Hälso- och sjukvården är utsatt för hög belastning vilket ökar kraven på personalen. Misstag som sker i vården beror många gånger på att sjuksköterskan upplever stress i arbetet. Syfte: Syftet med denna litteraturstudie är att belysa sjuksköterskans erfarenheter av stress och vilka konsekvenser det får för omvårdnaden. Metod: För att uppnå studiens syfte valdes en litteraturöversikt som metod som är baserad på vetenskapliga och kritiskt granskade artiklar. Följande frågeställningar un¬dersöks: Sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av stress i arbetet och vilka konsekvenser får det för vårdandet. Resultat: Analysen av de valda artiklarna resulterade i att följande teman identifierades: arbetets värde, brist på tid skapar sämre vård, arbete utan delaktighet och arbete med otydligt mål. Studien visade att många sjuksköterskor upplevde sitt arbete som mer stressfullt än stimulerande. De upplevde det svårt att få tiden att räcka till för patienterna, vilket bl.a. orsakades av de ökade kraven, den höga arbetsbelastningen och tidsbristen. / Background: The medical service is under growing workload which increases the demands on the medical staff. Mistakes that occur in the health care sector are often depending on that the nurse experience stress and high workload. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine nurse´s experience of stress and its consequences of nursing. Method: The method was a litterature review; which is based on scientific and critically reviewed articles. Following research questions are: Nurse’s experiences of stress at work and what consequences it has for nursing. Results: The analysis resulted in following themes: value of work, lack of time makes the care worse, work without participation and work with indistinct goal. The result of our study revealed that many nurses´ experiences their work as more stressful than stimulating. They experienced it was difficult to get enough time to take care of their patients. Work pressure, work overload and time pressure are some of the reasons why nurses´ don’t have time for nursing.

<p>A large number of studies show that educators are exposed to workloads that result particularly in stress. According to Olivier and Venter (2003), stress is considered to be the main factor contributing to job-related illnesses, early retirement, job dissatisfaction and absenteeism. Teaching, has without a doubt become a more demanding and stressful job. The lack of discipline in schools, abolishment of corporal punishment, large pupilteacher ratios and a new curriculum approach all contribute to raising the stress levels of teachers (Ngidi &amp / Sibaya, 2002). Stanton, Bachiochi, Robie, Perez and Smith (2002 cited in Brewer &amp / McMahan-Landers, 2003) is of the view that job stress is an antecedent of job satisfaction but the two constructs have been treated as related, yet they are different. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between stress levels and job satisfaction amongst high school educators in De Aar as well as to&nbsp / determine whether biographical variables (namely, gender, age, tenure, marital status and number of children) have an impact on job satisfaction and stress levels. The researcher hopes that&nbsp / the findings would give the Department of Education in the Northern Cape an idea of the stress levels and job satisfaction experienced by high school educators in De Aar so that interventions can be implemented to issues proactively. The sample consisted of 86 educators employed at four high schools in De Aar. A biographical questionnaire, the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) and Stress Diagnostic Survey (SDS) were administered to assess respondents&rsquo / stress and job satisfaction levels. Informed consent was obtained from the various participants and anonymity of participation was ensured. Statistical analyses included inferential (Pearson&rsquo / s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, Analysis of Variance &amp / T-Tests) as well as descriptive statistics. The results of the study&nbsp / indicate that there is a statistically significant, inverse relationship between stress levels and job satisfaction amongst high school educators in De Aar. Furthermore, the results indicate that there&nbsp / are statistically significant differences in stress levels as well as job satisfaction of high school educators on the basis of their biographical characteristics. The chapter concludes with presenting limitations of the study and putting forth recommendations for future research.</p>

Av de läkemedel som förskrivs i Sverige, konsumerar de äldre över 65 år ca 40 %. Anledningen är att denna grupp drabbas av många sjukdomar och behandlas med fler läkemedel. Äldre får generellt sett annorlunda och fler biverkningar än yngre. Syftet med uppsatsen var att beskriva hur sjuksköterskan kan säkerställa en god farmakologisk omvårdnad hos äldre och uppmärksamma de konsekvenser som uppstår till följd av polyfarmaci. Studien utfördes som en litteraturstudie där 22 vetenskapliga artiklar granskades och analyserades varefter två teman framträdde. Dessa båda teman var förutsättningar för god farmakologisk omvårdnad och konsekvenser vid polyfarmaci. Läkemedelsrelaterade problem är en vanlig orsak till sjukhusinläggningar och fördröjer ofta utskrivningen. Läkemedelsbiverkningarna ökar med antalet konsumerade läkemedel. Den farmakologiska kunskapen upplevs som bristfällig bland sjuksköterskorna. Även kortare utbildningar ger ökad kunskap vilket leder till att fler läkemedelsrelaterade problem upptäcks och biverkningar rapporteras i högre grad.  Utbildning och användande av bedömningsmallar kan därför förbättra den farmakologiska omvårdnaden. / Elderly often have several diseases and treated with many drugs. They use about 40 percent of all prescribed medications in the country and get different and more adverse events than younger. The aim of the study was to describe how the nurse can ensure a good pharmacological nursing in the elderly and pay attention to the consequences that arise as a result of polypharmacy. The study was conducted as a litterature study there 22 scientific articles were reviewed and analyzed whereafter two themes were found. Those were conditions for pharmacological care and polypharmacy consequences. Drug related problems are a common cause of hospital admissions and delays often discharge. Adverse drug reactions increases with the number consumed medicines. The pharmacological knowledge is perceived as deficient among nurses. Shorter courses provide increased knowledge leading to more drug-related problems were discovered and side effects were reported more often. Education and use of assessment templates leads to improved pharmacological care.