Background: Existing research overemphasizes issues of substance use and suicide in Indigenous populations, failing to address the key factors influencing Indigenous child mental health and well-being within the household. This study seeks to examine the impacts of parental locus of control (PLOC) on child mental health and well-being among Sami and non-Sami children in Norway. Methodology: Analyses of data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study were conducted in three phases: 1) a cross-tabulation analysis examining the differences in PLOC between Sami and non-Sami parents, with a consideration for the child’s sex assigned at birth; 2) a multiple linear regression investigating how demographic, psychosocial, and cultural factors influence PLOC; and 3) a multiple linear regression assessing how PLOC affects mental health and well-being among Sami and non-Sami children in Norway, with a consideration for the child’s cultural context and sex assigned at birth. Results: Although both groups leaned more towards internal PLOC overall, Sami mothers remained closer to external PLOC than non-Sami mothers. One of four items measuring maternal depression and three of four items measuring maternal self-esteem were statistically significant predictors of PLOC. PLOC was found to be a statistically significant indicator of children’s emotionality at 3 and 5 years, and sociability at 3 years. Children’s sex assigned at birth was a statistically significant predictor of shyness at 3 years, with boys experiencing higher levels of shyness than girls. Conclusion: Cultural distinctions, sex and gender, and maternal self-esteem play a crucial role in the child-rearing approaches employed and their effectiveness in promoting children’s social and emotional development in Norway. Research examining the association between maternal mental health and child-rearing approaches, as well as the impacts of PLOC on other aspects of children’s mental health and well-being, is necessary to inform mental health and social supports for Sami communities. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

The better-than-average effect (BTAE) är tendensen att skatta sina förmågor, egenskaper och attribut över genomsnittet. Självkänsla har samband med BTAE och kontrollokus men forskning om relationen mellan BTAE och kontrollokus saknas. Studiens syfte var att fördjupa kunskapen gällande relationen mellan BTAE, självkänsla och kontrollokus inom högre utbildning. En enkät innehållande etablerade och ett egen konstruerat mätinstrument användes för att mäta BTAE, självkänsla och kontrollokus. Enkäten besvarades av 98 universitetsstudenter, därav 72 kvinnor. Resultatet visade att BTAE uppstod och att det fanns signifikanta samband mellan BTAE, självkänsla och kontrollokus. Att förklara sina framgångar med interna faktorer var betydande för förklaring av variation gällande BTAE.Studenter som ser sig som bättre än genomsnittet tenderar att ha högresjälvkänsla och tror sig personligen styra situationer och händelser både i skolan och i livet. Vidare forskning behövs för att koppla studenters BTAE till objektiva mått som exempelvis betyg och studier som baseraspå normvärden. / The better-than-average effect (BTAE) is the tendency to estimate one's abilities, characteristics and attributes above average. Self-esteem is related to BTAE and Locus of Control, but research on the relationship between BTAE and Locus of Control is lacking. The purpose of the study was to deepen the knowledge regarding the relationship between BTAE, self-esteem and Locus of Control in higher education. A questionnaire containing established, and a self-constructed measuring instrument was used to measure BTAE, self-esteem and Locus of Control. The survey was answered by 98 university students, of which 72 were women. The results showed that BTAE occurred and that there were significant relationships between BTAE, self-esteem and Locus of Control. Explaining their success with internal factors was significant in explaining variation regarding BTAE. Students who see themselves as better than average tend to have higher self-esteem and believe they personally control situations and events both at school and in life. Further research is needed to link students' BTAE to objective measures such as grades and studies based on standard values.

It is considered that religion and internal motivations may act as guiding forces behind the thoughts and actions of individuals. The purpose of this thesis is to explore if religiousness and internal motivations may influence individual health behaviors. To explore these relationships, a convenience sample using a 5-minute Qualtrics survey with questions regarding religiousness, internal motivations, and health behaviors was developed. This survey was offered to UCF students over the course of a few semesters. It is hypothesized that individuals that indicate more religiousness and stronger internal motivations (greater internal locus of control and self-efficacy) will demonstrate more positive health behaviors. Data analysis was conducted using a statistical software package (SPSS) with univariate, bivariate, and regression analysis being performed. Results reveal that internal motivations and religiosity appear to be significantly associated with some of the specific health behaviors tested. Place of worship attendance was found to be significantly associated with a lower number of health behaviors compared to other religiousness-related questions. Of all the internal motivation statements included, feeling helpless when dealing with some problems in their life was significantly associated with the largest number of health behaviors tested. These findings are critical as the links established between religiousness, internal motivations, and health behaviors may serve as a point of emphasis when developing positive health interventions for individuals.

The interest in boundaries between work and personal life has become more invigorated since the Covid-19 pandemic, where many people had to work from home which potentially blurred the lines between work and family life. This technological development which made working from home during the pandemic possible is not likely to stagnate. Therefore it is of importance to investigate boundaries and what other factors can possibly affect them further. One such factor being control and the belief that one does or does not have it. The aim of this study was to look for a relationship between Boundary Strength at Home (BSH) and Work Locus of Control (WLOC) with demographic variables such as age and gender. This was researched through a survey sent to different work related forums using a mix of snowball and convenience sample (n=153). The results did not support there being a relationship between BSH and WLOC. Although, the results did show an interaction effect between WLOC and age in relation to BSH. It is unclear why this interaction effect manifested but it suggests that age is not as trivial of a factor as first thought. Therefore we encourage further research into the relationship between age, WLOC and boundary management.

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