Depression is one of the most debilitating, widespread and costly health problems worldwide and has a high prevalence in almost every society. Research suggests that depression affects an individual‟s work engagement levels, burnout levels and the occurrence of stress-related ill health symptoms. However, it is unclear whether these findings would differ among individuals who reported that they suffer from depression and receive medical treatment for it, individuals who reported that they are unsure whether they suffer from depression, and individuals who reported that they do not suffer from depression. This study is quantitative in nature and a cross-sectional design was used. The study population consisted of 15 664 participants from several sectors in South Africa. The participants also differed in terms of gender, age, race, marital status, educational level, language and the province where they reside. The sample population was thus representative of the diverse population of South Africa. The SAEHWS, a self-report instrument based on the dual-process model of work-related well-being, was used to measure all constructs. The participants were divided into three groups, i.e. individuals who reported that they suffer from depression and are currently receiving medical treatment for depression, individuals who reported that they are uncertain whether they suffer from depression, and individuals who reported that they do not suffer from depression. Frequencies were used to determine the prevalence of depression in the three different groups and MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance) was used to determine the significance of differences between the levels of work engagement, burnout and stress-related ill health symptoms of the three different groups (individuals who reported that they suffer from depression, individuals who reported that they are uncertain whether they suffer from depression, and those who reported that they do not suffer from depression). The results showed that 18,3% of the population reported that they suffer from depression and receive medical treatment for depression, 16,7% of the population reported that they are unsure whether they suffer from depression and 65% reported that they do not suffer from depression. Furthermore, it was found that depression significantly influences work engagement levels negatively and that it significantly influences burnout levels and the occurrence of stress-related ill health symptoms positively. This study will make organisations aware of the effect of depression on an individual‟s well-being and of the fact that depression is a factor to be reckoned with. Employers should consider ways to assist employees who suffer from depression and should learn how to act preventatively to decrease any further occurrence. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

Depression is one of the most debilitating, widespread and costly health problems worldwide and has a high prevalence in almost every society. Research suggests that depression affects an individual‟s work engagement levels, burnout levels and the occurrence of stress-related ill health symptoms. However, it is unclear whether these findings would differ among individuals who reported that they suffer from depression and receive medical treatment for it, individuals who reported that they are unsure whether they suffer from depression, and individuals who reported that they do not suffer from depression. This study is quantitative in nature and a cross-sectional design was used. The study population consisted of 15 664 participants from several sectors in South Africa. The participants also differed in terms of gender, age, race, marital status, educational level, language and the province where they reside. The sample population was thus representative of the diverse population of South Africa. The SAEHWS, a self-report instrument based on the dual-process model of work-related well-being, was used to measure all constructs. The participants were divided into three groups, i.e. individuals who reported that they suffer from depression and are currently receiving medical treatment for depression, individuals who reported that they are uncertain whether they suffer from depression, and individuals who reported that they do not suffer from depression. Frequencies were used to determine the prevalence of depression in the three different groups and MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance) was used to determine the significance of differences between the levels of work engagement, burnout and stress-related ill health symptoms of the three different groups (individuals who reported that they suffer from depression, individuals who reported that they are uncertain whether they suffer from depression, and those who reported that they do not suffer from depression). The results showed that 18,3% of the population reported that they suffer from depression and receive medical treatment for depression, 16,7% of the population reported that they are unsure whether they suffer from depression and 65% reported that they do not suffer from depression. Furthermore, it was found that depression significantly influences work engagement levels negatively and that it significantly influences burnout levels and the occurrence of stress-related ill health symptoms positively. This study will make organisations aware of the effect of depression on an individual‟s well-being and of the fact that depression is a factor to be reckoned with. Employers should consider ways to assist employees who suffer from depression and should learn how to act preventatively to decrease any further occurrence. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

Studiens övergripande syfte är "Att ur ett livsloppsperspektiv beskriva och analysera äldre personers erfarenheter av och berättelser om psykisk ohälsa och hur de upplever att den påverkar åldrandet". De ursprungliga frågeställningarna var: "Hur upplever äldre personer att åldras med psykisk ohälsa?" och "Hur kan psykisk ohälsa bland äldre förstås ur ett livsloppsperspektiv?". Under studiens gång utkristalliserades en tredje frågeställning som ett analytiskt resultat av datamaterialet. Den lyder: "Vilka livsstrategier använder dessa personer för att hantera sina liv med psykisk ohälsa?" Sex personer mellan 65 och 85 år intervjuades om sin subjektiva erfarenhet av att leva med psykisk ohälsa. Intervjuerna var semistrukturerade och livsloppsorienterade för att fånga livets sammansatta dynamik och upplevelsen av att leva ett långt liv med psykisk ohälsa. De viktigaste resultaten pekade på en mycket stark identifikation mellan sjukdom och person som också format intervjupersonernas berättelser om och upplevelser av det levda livet. Det blev också tydligt att ett långt liv med psykisk ohälsa påverkar livets helhet. / The aim of this study is: "From a course of life perspective describe and analyse elderly’s experiences and tales about psychological ill-health and how that is influencing the aging". The original question formulations were: "How does elderly people experience aging with psychological ill-health?" and "How can psychological ill-health among elders be understood trough a live course perspective?". During the study a third question arose as an analytical result from the study material. "Which strategies does these people use to cope with their lives with psychological ill-health?". Six persons between the age of 65 to 85 where interviewed about their subjective experience about living with psychological ill-health. The interviews where semi-structured and course of live oriented to catch life’s compound dynamics and the experience to live a long live with psychological ill-health. The most important result in the study shows that there is a very strong identification between illness and the person that formed the interviewee’s story about their experience of the life lived. It also became clear that a life with psychological ill-health has a life embracing meaning.

Despite the fast-growing evidence of the importance of the psychosocial work environment for the health of adults there is a lack of research about the possible health effects of the work environment among pupils, that is, their school environment. This is especially true for the psychosocial aspects of the pupils' school situation. The overall aim of this thesis was to analyse the importance of the psychosocial school environment for the health of pupils in Swedish compulsory school from a gender perspective. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. A cluster sampling technique was used in order to select six different schools in three medium- sized industrial towns in the north of Sweden. The schools were chosen to represent different socio-economic areas. A three-year prospective study was started in 1994, including a cohort of 533 pupils (261 girls, 272 boys) in grade three and grade six. With age-adjusted questionnaires self-perceived health and psychosocial school environmental factors were measured at the baseline study as well as three years later. The total non-response rate was 0.9%. For the qualitative study, two classes (one from grade 2 and one from 5) were selected and followed with focus group interviews once a year for five years. Twenty-nine single-sex focus group interviews were conducted with themes such as: What they feel good and bad about at school; Strategies for enhanced well-being; What it means to have influence at school. High control in combination with low demands in the school situation was associated with the best health and feelings of self-worth. Multiple regression analyses showed that problems in relations with classmates was the most recurrent psychosocial factor at school pardy explaining ill health development and decreased self-worth. Girls had a more negative ill health development than boys between grades six and nine. A study of factors associated with ill health in grade nine showed that sexual harassment among girls and lack of classmate support among both boys and girls were significant risk factors for a high degree of psychological symptoms. Generally, social background factors were less important for pupils' health in this study than the psychosocial environment at school. The best predictors for health behaviour among boys and girls in grade nine were factors related to earlier health/health behaviour. The results also indicated that school-related factors could predict future health behaviour, especially in relation to low physical activity among girls. The qualitative study showed that the girls used 'alliance-building' and 'resistance', in order to increase their power, while 'responsibility-taking' and 'withdrawal' could mean maintained subordination. The boys used mastering techniques (various types of abuse, claiming to be the norm, acting-out behavior, blaming the girls, choosing boys only) to maintain their dominance. The girls' active actions for increased power could be of significant importance for their health. An interpretation of the boys' mastering techniques was that the boys' health would benefit if they gave up striving for power over others. Thus, the psychosocial school environment in regard of demand, control, classmate relations and sexual harassment seemed to matter for pupil's health. School health promotion need to be more gender sensitive, through increasing the awareness of the gender regimes at school and addressing the asymmetric and gendered distribution of power between pupils. Democratic strategies for increased power among pupils in subordinate positions should be encouraged and methods need to be developed in order to encourage health promoting femininities and masculinities at school. / <p>Härtill 5 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu

Change and transformation in higher education institutions worldwide are advancing at a rate that institutions and individual employees find hard to comprehend. During the past two decades, complex changes challenging institutions' mandates, traditional practices, authority and organisational structures have surfaced. It is widely acknowledged that stable and productive higher education institutions are vitally important to any country in order to ensure sustainable economic, social and political reconstruction and development. In the South African context, higher education institutions have an additional duty to contribute to the consolidation of democracy and social justice as well as the growth and development of the economy and redress the imbalances institutionalised by apartheid. The responsibility to execute the institutional strategies and plans to adapt to changes and to transform rests primarily with the staff of these institutions. However, the above-mentioned changes present major challenges for staff as it results in a multiplicity of roles, expectations to make paradigm shifts, implementation of new policies and practices as well as constant innovation. These challenges may be considered a healthy diversification leading to eustress and engagement, or a toll. which may well be an important cause of distress and burnout. Consequently. staffs' experience of distress/burnout and eustress/engagement, i.e. their work-related well-being, is crucially important to the success of the institution. The general objective of this research was to assess the work wellness of staff at a university of technology, and to understand the relationships between factors contributing to the experience of distress/burnout and eustress/engagement and how these relate to employees' levels of commitment and ill health. Furthermore, the study aimed to develop and test a comprehensive structural model of work related well-being to determine the effect of job demands and (lack of) job resources on distress. eustress. ill health and commitment of employees at a university of technology in South Africa. The findings are presented in three research articles, each consisting of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study included 353 participants (132 academic staff members and 221 support staff members). The questionnaire used in the empirical study comprised the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), the Cognitive Weariness Scale (CWS). the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). An Organizational Stress Screening Tool (ASSET), the Life Orientation Test- Revised (LOT-R), the Job Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS) and a biographical questionnaire. Structural equation modelling confirmed a four-factor structure of burnout, and a two-factor structure of work engagement. Principal component analysis indicated that work-related wellbeing consists of a dual bipolar structure namely Eustress/Engagement (vigour, dedication, professional efficacy) and Distress/Burnout (exhaustion. cynicism, cognitive weariness). It was found that language \vas the only reliable background variable to predict differences in levels of distress/burnout and eustress/engagement between subgroups. Different organisational stressors were found to contribute significantly to psychological and physical ill health and low organisational commitment. The comprehensive structural model that was tested showed that job demands lead to distress, which in turn leads to ill health. Furthermore. job resources contributed to work wellness and organisational commitment whilst dispositional optimism has a limited effect on staffs distress. Recommendations for the institution and future research are made. / Thesis (Ph.D. Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

In the last few years, many more women than before have entered the labour force. Consequently, employed women are confronted with demanding aspects at work and at home and experience difficulty in combining obligations in both of these domains. The pressure of the demands in their work place and family lives combined with managing the responsibilities from their work and personal lives can have a negative impact on the health of employed females. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of work characteristics, borne characteristics and negative work-home interaction on the ill-health of employed females in South Africa. An availability sample (N = 500) was taken from six provinces of South Africa, including the Eastern Cape, the Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal, the North West and Western Cape. A job characteristics questionnaire, a home characteristics questionnaire, the 'Survey Work-Home Interaction Nijmegen' (SWING), and an ill health questionnaire were administered. Exploratory factor analyses were used to determine the construct validity of the questionnaires, Cronbach alpha coefficients were used to determine the reliability, while multiple regression analyses were used to identify significant predictors of ill-health. The results indicated that physical ill health could be predicted by a lack of role clarity and pressures at home. Predictors of anxiety were work overload, a lack of support from colleagues, uncertain roles in the workplace, home pressure as well as negative Work-home interaction (WHI) and negative Home-work interaction (HWI). Fatigue was predicted by work pressure, work overload, a lack of autonomy at work, a lack of instrumental support at work, a lack of role clarity, pressure at home and negative WHI. Predicting factors of depression were found to be job insecurity, a lack of autonomy and clearly defined roles at work, pressure at home, a lack of autonomy at home as well as negative HWI. / Mini-dissertation (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Andelen äldre med psykisk ohälsa ökar i samhället, men de äldre vårdas oftast i sammanhang där personalen inte har utbildning i psykisk ohälsa. ”Första hjälpen psykisk hälsa äldre” är ett utbildningsprogram utformat av Nationellt centrum för suicidforskning och prevention av psykisk ohälsa vid karolinska institutet. Ursprungligen kommer konceptet från Australien. Syftet med denna intervjustudie är att belysa hur personalen från ett boende, samt biståndshandläggare och värdegrundsledare i Uppsala kommun, vilka i sitt yrkesutövande möter äldre, upplever att de har kunnat använda kunskaperna från utbildningen ”Första hjälpen psykisk hälsa äldre” i mötet med brukare och anhöriga. Studien bygger på nio semistrukturerade intervjuer med personal. Resultatet från intervjuerna visade på att informanterna har haft nytta av kunskaperna. Informanterna lyfte informationen om den höga suicidrisken bland gruppen äldre, och att våga ställa frågan om brukaren hade tankar på att ta sitt liv, som viktiga kunskaper från utbildningen. Även kunskapen om vart de skall hänvisa de som uppvisar psykisk ohälsa, var värdefull. Dock blev det ett dilemma när informanterna skulle hänvisa till annan vårdinstans, då de visste att det var långa köer dit. Anhöriga kunde också må dåligt vilket blev svårt för informanterna, då det inte ingick i deras uppdrag att hjälpa den gruppen. Hinder för att kunna använda kunskaperna på arbetsplatsen var brist på tid, personaltäthet, bristande kontinuitet bland personalen och att den äldre inte fått biståndsbeslut som innehöll insatser till stöd för personens psykiska mående. Det fanns emellertid ett stort behov av kunskap kring äldres psykiska hälsa i organisationen. / The proportion of older people suffering of mental ill-health is increasing in society. Older people are typically cared for  in health-facilities by professionals who often lack knowledge in mental health care. ”Mental health first aid” is a course, developed by The Nation Centre for suicide research and prevention of mental–ill-health (NASP) at Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, based on a  concept from Australia. The purpose of this study is to illustrate how staff in housing, assistance officers  and developers working in elderly care in Uppsala municipality, experience that they have been able to use the knowledge from the course “Mental health first aid elderly” in meetings with users and relatives. This study is based on nine semi-structured interviews with staff. The results showed that the informants found knowledge gained from the course to be useful. The informants emphasized the high suicide risk among older people and to dare to ask whether the older people had thoughts of committing suicide as important knowledge gained from the course. Also knowledge of where to refer persons who present mental ill-health was valuable. However, it became a dilemma when the staff needed to refer the older people to health care facilities, with long waiting times. Relatives could also suffer from mental ill-health, which was difficult for the staff, as assisting relatives was not part of their field of responsibility. Obstacles which limited the workplace from implementing new knowledge were lack of time, lack of staff, lack of continuity within staffing teams and that the older people had not been granted support for their mental wellbeing. However, there was a need for increased knowledge in the organization about older people’s mental health.

Background: Indonesia is a republic in Southeast Asia, consisting of approximately 13 600 islands and is the home for 239 million inhabitants. The country was governed by a dictator but has since 1998 had democratic elections. The majority of the population, 88 percentages, are Muslims which makes the country the largest Muslim nation in the world. The structure of the health system in Indonesia is built on districts with sub-districts which are supported by sub-centres. Problem: The health care is improving and more women are attended by professional health care workers when giving birth, despite this child birth still is a common problem. Yet there is a lack of human resources which contributes to the problem. Since the children are the future of Indonesia it is important that the health development policy is adequate and that it has a great compliance in order for the children to stay healthy. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe nurses/midwives work with health promoting education to parents to prevent ill-health among children in the district of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Method: The method that has been used for the seven interviews is a qualitative content analysis. The interviews were carried out in the Dr. Sardjito Central General Hospital in Yogyakarta and in Puskesmas NGAWEN, Gungng Kidul district, Yogyakarta Province and Puskesmas Mlati II, Sleman district which are placed in the rural areas of Yogyakarta. Result: The result shows that there is a constant work with increasing the knowledge level among nurses and health workers on grassroots level in the district of Yogyakarta, to prevent ill-health among the children. Regarding the health promoting education a crucial finding was made that revealed the most common reason why parents did not apply the health implications that they received, was related to culture and tradition. Positively, there is a great will among health workers and nurses to learn more and increase the health level among the children. Nurses and midwives in the hospital had to rely on their experience when educating the parents while the nurses and midwives working in the puskesmas used the Mother and Child health handbook as a guideline. Discussion: To increase the chance of implementation among the families the health promoting education has to include culture and socioeconomic factors. / Program: Sjuksköterskeutbildning

Inledning: Antalet flyktingar har ökat de senaste åren i Europa och främst i länder som Tyskland, Sverige, och Norge. Sverige tog emot 54605 flyktingar under åren 2016 och 2017. Det har även rapporterats om att flyktingar som flyr till europeiska länder har en ökad risk för psykisk sjuklighet. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien är att kartlägga faktorer som är betydelsefulla vid en migrationsprocess i västvärlden.Flyktingar som flyr till och lever i europeiska länder kan löpa en ökad risk för psykisk ohälsa. Metod: Att utifrån en litteraturöversikt kartlägga och få en samlad bild kring olika faktorer för psykisk ohälsa hos vuxna flyktingar som lever i västländer. Resultat: I resultatet identifieras fyra faktorer för psykisk ohälsa hos flyktingar som flytt till västländer. Det kan utläsas att faktorer så som traumaupplevelser, socialt kapital, tillgång till vård samt språk och kultur har en påverkan hos den enskildes psykiska mående. / Introduction: The number of refugees has increased in recent years in Europe and mainly in countries such as Germany, Sweden and Norway. Sweden received 54605 refugees in 2016 and 2017. It also has been reported that refugees flying in to European countries have an increased symptoms of psychological disease. Purpose: The purpose of the literature study is to demonstrate different factors that are important in a migration process in western countries.There may be a connection with refugees who flee to and live in European countries that they may run an increased risk of psychological disease. Method: To obtain an overall picture of various factors for psychological symptoms in adult refugees living in western countries based on a literature review. Results: The result identifies four factors for psychological disease mental illness among refugees who move to Western countries. It can be deduced that factors such as trauma experiences, social capital and access to hospital care, language and culture have an influence on the individual's psychological attitude.

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