Anorexia nervosa is a serious mental disorder with high mortality. It has the lowest prevalence compared with other eating-disorder diagnoses and the onset is related to adolescence, with a majority of female patients. The focus of this thesis is anorexia nervosa and the aim is to study adolescent and adult patients' comprehension and the course of treatment in order to make a contribution to the clinical work relating to these patients. The areas that were studied are expectations of treatment, outcome, predictors of outcome and satisfaction with treatment. Four research papers are included; three originate from work at a specialist eating-disorder unit at Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden and one from a multicentre study comprising 15 specialised eating-disorder units in Sweden. Paper I has a qualitative design, where participants, 18-25 years of age, were interviewed about their expectations while on the waiting list at a specialist eating-disorder unit. Three main categories of expectations emerged: "Treatment content," "Treatment professionals" and "Treatment focus." The participants expected to receive the appropriate therapy in a collaborative therapeutic relationship and to recover. Paper II evaluated the outcome of a family-based treatment for adolescent patients, 13-18 years old, and their parents. The results indicate that the treatment that is offered appears to be effective, as 78% of the patients were in full remission with less distance and a less chaotic family climate at the 36-month follow-up. Paper III examined the importance of motivation to change eating behaviour, treatment expectationsand experiences, ED symptomatology, self-image and treatment alliance for predicting weight increase in adult patients, 18-46 years of age. Patients' motivation to change eating habits, social relations, self-image, body image and duration of illness were found to predict weight increase both in both the short term (six months) and the long term (36 months). PaperIV studied adolescent patients' and their parents' satisfaction with a family-based treatment a tan 18-month follow-up. The majority of patients (73%) and parents (83%) stated that their expectations had been fulfilled and individual sessions for patients and parents respectively were of great help. Family-based treatment with a combination of individual and family sessions corresponds well to patients' and parents' treatment expectations. Young adult patients' expectations before treatment are multifaceted and should be taken into account in the therapeutic relationship. From the start of treatment, issues relating to patients' motivation, self-image, body image and social relationships should be continuously addressed in order to establish positive collaboration and a weight increase. Anorexia nervosa treatment for adolescents and their parents should be family-based and include family sessions as well as individual sessions for patients and parents. In addition, prevention programmes with the emphasis on early detection should be a prioritised area.

Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT; Johnson, 2004) is an empirically validated approach to couple therapy that uses attachment theory to understand the needs and emotions of romantic partners. In EFT, relationship distress is conceptualized as resulting from negative affect, emotional disconnection, and unmet attachment needs. Although EFT is recognized as one of the most researched and effective approaches to couple therapy, little research has examined theoretically related characteristics of couples to changes in marital satisfaction throughout EFT. The present doctoral thesis examined this area of literature. Thirty-two couples were provided approximately 21 sessions of EFT. The goal of the first study was to identify intake characteristics related to change in marital satisfaction over the course of EFT. Couples completed self-report measures of marital satisfaction, attachment security, relationship trust, and emotional control at pre- and post-therapy and after each therapy session. Individuals higher on self-report attachment anxiety and higher levels of emotional control had greater change in marital satisfaction over the course of EFT. The goal of the second study was to examine intake levels of attachment security and its relationship to the occurrence of the blamer-softening event, a key change event in EFT, and changes in marital satisfaction. Results indicated that the occurrence of a blamer-softening event significantly predicted positive changes in marital satisfaction. Results also suggested that the occurrence of a softening event significantly moderated the relationship between attachment avoidance at intake and change in marital satisfaction from pre- to post-therapy. For couples who completed a blamer-softening event, partners with lower levels of attachment avoidance were more likely to have positive changes in marital satisfaction. However, this relationship was not evident for attachment anxiety. Overall, results from this thesis suggest that attachment security is a key characteristic of couple partners for therapists to consider when implementing EFT. Therapists may benefit from assessing attachment security at the start of therapy to help inform them of the emotion regulating strategies used by couple partners. This information may help therapists to tailor specific interventions such that couples may begin to develop more secure attachment bonds.

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between thirteen independent variables and the academic achievement of Indian and non-Indian students and to make comparisons between the two cultural groups. The independent variables were classified into three groups: one person characteristic: reasoning ability, five classroom environmental variables: satisfaction, friction, competitiveness, difficulty, and cohesiveness, and seven categorical variables: sex, cultural group, sex x culture interaction, grade, school, grade, school interaction, and school x culture interaction. The dependent variables were five subtests of the Canadian Test of Basic Skills. The sample included 75 Indian and 95 non-Indian students in grades four, six, and eight in three schools, one federal school on a reserve and two provincial (joint) schools.<p>A stepwise multiple regression program was used to analyze the data. The total group was examined regarding the relationships between the thirteen variables (including cultural group as an independent variable) and the five achievement tests. Because these analyses indicated that cultural group was a significant predictor of achievement, the two cultural groups were separated and separate analyses were made regarding relationships between the remaining ten independent variables and the achievement test scores.<p>The results indicated that the non-Indian group obtained significantly higher mean achievement test scores than the Indian group on all five C.T.B.S. subtests although there was considerable overlap between the two groups. Reasoning ability, as measured by Raven's Progressive Matrices, was a significant predictor of all achievement test scores for both Indian and non-Indian students. The Raven's scores contributed less to the variance in Indian students' achievement in Mathematics and Language Skills than to non-Indian students' achievement in the same subtests. It was suggested that Indian students may use-different cognitive strategies than non-Indian students to learn Mathematics and Language Skills. Further research was recommended to explore this area.<p>Two classroom environmental variables, competitiveness and cohesiveness, were significant predictors of achievement scores. Competitiveness was positively related to Indian students' achievement on four subtests. It was recommended that experimental studies be undertaken to attempt to discover causal relationships between competitiveness and achievement. Cohesiveness was positively related to non-Indian-students' achievement in Language Skills and Mathematics but was negatively related to 'Indian students' achievement in Mathematics. When acting together, the five environmental variables explained more of the variance in Indian students' achievement on three subtests than in non-Indian students' achievement on the same tests.<p>School was a significant predictor of Indian students' achievement in Vocabulary and non-Indian students' achievement in Mathematics. Grade was a significant predictor of achievement in Reading, Language Skills, and the Composite Score for the Indian group. Sex was a significant predictor of non-Indian students' achievement in Language Skills with females achieving significantly higher scores than males.<p>Differences in prediction of achievement for the Indian and non-Indian group were discussed in terms of the cumulative deficit hypothesis, sociocultural phenomenon and biographical histories.

Using Ontario health administrative data, we identified 12,143 adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who received outpatient nephrology care prior to start of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in order to study the effect of care-related factors in predicting late start of predialysis care (PDC, defined as first outpatient nephrology visit <6 months prior to RRT start) and to explore covariates which further quantify the PDC received. Lack of an usual provider of primary care (OR 0.76; 95%CI 0.66, 0.87) predicted late start of PDC. In addition to late start of PDC, number of nephrology visits (OR 0.97 per visit; 95% CI 0.96, 0.98), and having seen a nephrologist in only 1 or 2 of the 6 months prior to RRT start (OR 1.33; 95%CI 1.18, 1.51), were also independent predictors of one-year mortality, suggesting that other measures of PDC are needed to better characterize the care received.

Using Ontario health administrative data, we identified 12,143 adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who received outpatient nephrology care prior to start of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in order to study the effect of care-related factors in predicting late start of predialysis care (PDC, defined as first outpatient nephrology visit <6 months prior to RRT start) and to explore covariates which further quantify the PDC received. Lack of an usual provider of primary care (OR 0.76; 95%CI 0.66, 0.87) predicted late start of PDC. In addition to late start of PDC, number of nephrology visits (OR 0.97 per visit; 95% CI 0.96, 0.98), and having seen a nephrologist in only 1 or 2 of the 6 months prior to RRT start (OR 1.33; 95%CI 1.18, 1.51), were also independent predictors of one-year mortality, suggesting that other measures of PDC are needed to better characterize the care received.

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between thirteen independent variables and the academic achievement of Indian and non-Indian students and to make comparisons between the two cultural groups. The independent variables were classified into three groups: one person characteristic: reasoning ability, five classroom environmental variables: satisfaction, friction, competitiveness, difficulty, and cohesiveness, and seven categorical variables: sex, cultural group, sex x culture interaction, grade, school, grade, school interaction, and school x culture interaction. The dependent variables were five subtests of the Canadian Test of Basic Skills. The sample included 75 Indian and 95 non-Indian students in grades four, six, and eight in three schools, one federal school on a reserve and two provincial (joint) schools.<p>A stepwise multiple regression program was used to analyze the data. The total group was examined regarding the relationships between the thirteen variables (including cultural group as an independent variable) and the five achievement tests. Because these analyses indicated that cultural group was a significant predictor of achievement, the two cultural groups were separated and separate analyses were made regarding relationships between the remaining ten independent variables and the achievement test scores.<p>The results indicated that the non-Indian group obtained significantly higher mean achievement test scores than the Indian group on all five C.T.B.S. subtests although there was considerable overlap between the two groups. Reasoning ability, as measured by Raven's Progressive Matrices, was a significant predictor of all achievement test scores for both Indian and non-Indian students. The Raven's scores contributed less to the variance in Indian students' achievement in Mathematics and Language Skills than to non-Indian students' achievement in the same subtests. It was suggested that Indian students may use-different cognitive strategies than non-Indian students to learn Mathematics and Language Skills. Further research was recommended to explore this area.<p>Two classroom environmental variables, competitiveness and cohesiveness, were significant predictors of achievement scores. Competitiveness was positively related to Indian students' achievement on four subtests. It was recommended that experimental studies be undertaken to attempt to discover causal relationships between competitiveness and achievement. Cohesiveness was positively related to non-Indian-students' achievement in Language Skills and Mathematics but was negatively related to 'Indian students' achievement in Mathematics. When acting together, the five environmental variables explained more of the variance in Indian students' achievement on three subtests than in non-Indian students' achievement on the same tests.<p>School was a significant predictor of Indian students' achievement in Vocabulary and non-Indian students' achievement in Mathematics. Grade was a significant predictor of achievement in Reading, Language Skills, and the Composite Score for the Indian group. Sex was a significant predictor of non-Indian students' achievement in Language Skills with females achieving significantly higher scores than males.<p>Differences in prediction of achievement for the Indian and non-Indian group were discussed in terms of the cumulative deficit hypothesis, sociocultural phenomenon and biographical histories.

Syfte: Studien undersöker om det finns ett samband mellan ekonomiska indikatorer och den årliga aktieavkastningen ett år framåt på den svenska marknaden för företag som genomfört nyemission och jämförs med en benchmark som består av företag som inte genomfört nyemission. Metod: Uppsatsen utgår från en kvantitativ undersökning där multipel regressionsanalys används för att undersöka sambandet mellan indikatorer och aktieavkastningen vid nyemissioner under tidsperioden 2002 – 2010. Slutsats: Utifrån resultaten kunde vissa signifikanta samband konstateras mellan indikatorerna och totalavkastningen för nyemissionsgruppen. Det visade att totalavkastningen sjunker det året företag genomför nyemission jämfört med totalavkastningen året innan nyemissionen. Det kunde konstateras att marknaden är ineffektiv till en viss utsträckning i samband med nyemissioner. För benchmark kunde resultaten dock inte säkerställas på grund av att statistisk felkälla förekom i regressionsmodellen. / Purpose: The study examines if there is any significant relationship between predictors and the one year ahead stock returns in the Swedish market for company that have issued new equity and it is compared to a benchmark consisting of companies that have not made any new equity issues. Method: The essay is based on a quantitative study where a multiple regression analysis is used to examine the relationship between predictors and stock returns for company that have issued new equity during a time period of 2002 – 2010. Conclusion: Based on the results significant relationship between some predictors and stock returns could be found for the new equity issue group of company. It showed that stock returns decline the same year companies issue new equity compared to the year before new equity is issued. It was noted that the market is inefficient to a certain extent in the new equity issues matter. As for the benchmark the results could not be ensured and interpreted due to statistical errors occurring in the regression model.

Dropping out from psychotherapy is a complex phenomenon that has impact on the mental health of the dropout patients primarily and the mental health care secondarily and needs to be understood from many different angles. Among potential predictors, patient variables are so far most thoroughly examined. This tends to simplify the causal explanations that may result in adjustment of treatment procedures that are inadequate for addressing the problem. The aim of this review is to examine the current state of knowledge about therapist and process factors influencing dropout from individual psychotherapy. After electronic searches in databases 40 relevant studies published 2000–2011 were identified. The results show that the therapist skills and degree of education and experience has a great impact on dropout rates, psychotherapeutic progress and outcome, and the quality of alliance and relationship. The conclusions are that the therapists need training, peer and organisational support for accomplishment and enhancement.

Background: Smartphones and related applications are increa singly gaining relevance in the healthcare domain. We previously assessed the demands and preferences of medical students towards an application accompanying them during a course on general practice. The current study aims to elucidate the factors associated with adop tion of such a technology. Therefore we provided students with a prototype of an application specifically related to their studies in general practice.

The age of onset of delinquency has long been viewed as a primary indicator for further delinquency and criminality. However, studies on the risk factors for onset, and future delinquency have focused predominantly on males. The purpose of this study was to explore gender differences and similarities in risk factors for onset and frequency of arrest. The data used in these analyses were from a longitudinal study, Pathways to Adulthood: A Three Generational Urban Study, 1960-1994. Sixty-six percent (N=1,758) of the eligible children completed the final survey. Of these children, only 515 were used in this particular study because they had documented ages of first arrest. It is hypothesized that 1) female "early" onset occurs at a later age from that of male "early" onset, 2) risk factors predictive of early onset will differ across gender, and 3) "early" onset in females will be predictive of frequency of subsequent arrests.With these data, the author uses OLS regression, logistic regression, and negative binomial regression to evaluate these hypotheses regarding age of onset, risk factors for onset, and frequency of arrest. Insufficient evidence was found to support the hypotheses of the current study. A discussion of the findings, as well as implications and calls for future research are discussed