By developing strong, self-sustaining individuals in organisations, employees will need to withstand the forces of stressors and be able to cope with continuous changes within their working environment. To move the equilibrium level from the current to the desired condition, the field of forces must be altered - by adding driving forces and by removing restraining forces. An individual's sense of coherence may either alleviate or aggravate reactions to a stressor and moderate the impact of occupational stressors on the individual's affective outcomes. The objectives of this study were to validate the 13-item version of the Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ) (Antonovsky, 1987) and to determine the experience of employees with high levels of sense of coherence regarding helping and restraining factors within the workplace (compared to that of those with a low sense of coherence). A cross-sectional s w e y design was used. The total population (N = 2 678) of employees in a financial institution in Gauteng was used in this study. Random samples of groups with a strong (n = 300) and low (n = 300) sense of coherence were taken for purposes of the qualitative study. The OLQ (Antonovsky, 1987) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The scale showed acceptable reliability and construct validity. The study set out to determine the applicability of the theoretical model of sense of coherence to employees in a financial institution. Reliability analysis revealed that the three subscales of sense of coherence were sufficiently internally consistent. The reliability of the measuring instrument were assessed with the use of Cronbach alpha coefficients. Descriptive statistics (e.g. mean and standard deviations) were used to analyse the data. By using the structural equation modelling approach, a one-dimensional factor structure for sense of coherence amongst employees in a financial institution emerged. The reliability analysis revealed that the alpha scores were acceptable. It can therefore be concluded that the 13-item version of the OLQ is a reliable and valid measuring instrument. The results showed that although employee groups with high and low levels of sense of coherence are experiencing similar helping and restraining factors within their working environment, helping factors are being experienced with a higher frequency by groups with high levels of sense of coherence and restraining factors with a higher frequency by groups with low levels of sense of coherence. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Aim: The overall aim of this thesis, using a salutogenic framework, was to develop knowledge about experiences and perceptions of living with recessive limb-girdle muscular dystrophy and its influences on health, from the affected young adults’ and their parents’ perspectives. Methods: A qualitative explorative and descriptive study design was used. Semi-structured interviews were held with 14 young adults diagnosed with recessive limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, aged 20–0 years, and 19 parents. Data analyses were conducted using content analysis (I, II, III) and phenomenography (IV). In order to mirror the interview data, the participants also answered the 13-item sense of coherence questionnaire. Findings: Recessive limb-girdle muscular dystrophy has a major impact on the affected young adults’ and their parents’ lives as the disease progresses. Health described in terms of well-being was thus perceived to be influenced, not only by physical, emotional and social consequences due to the disease and worry about disease progression but also by external factors, such as accessibility to support provided by society and other people’s attitudes. There was, however, a determination among the participants to try to make the best of the situation. The importance of being able to mobilize internal resources, having social support, meaningful daily activities, adapted environment, the young adult being seen as a person and having support from concerned professionals, including personal assistance when needed, was thereby described. Self-rated sense of coherence scores varied. Those who scored above or the same as median among the young adults (≥56) and the parents (≥68) expressed greater extent satisfaction regarding social relations, daily activities and external support than those who scored less than median. Conclusion: This thesis highlights the importance of early identification of personal perceptions and needs to enable timely health-promoting interventions. Through dialogue, not only support needed for the person to comprehend, manage and find meaning in everyday life can be identified, but also internal and external resources available to enhance health and well-being, taking into account the person’s social context as well as medical aspects.

Abstrakt:Samhället är under ständig utveckling vilket innebär en anpassning och omställning på arbetsplatserna. Detta medför krav på prestation och effektivitet vilket kan sätta det mänskliga förutsättningarna i andra hand. Inom vård och omsorg har den psykiska ohälsan ökat bland personalen vilket i sin tur kan påverka brukarnas välbefinnande. Ledarskapet präglas av denna samhällsutveckling och har samtidigt ett genomgripande ansvar för både personalens och brukarnas välbefinnande och att främja den psykosociala arbetsmiljön. Ett salutogent ledarskap där chefen reflekterar över vad som gör situationen begriplig, hanterbar och meningsfull för personalen är kvalitéer som uppges ska skapa förutsättningar för personalens välbefinnande och känsla av sammanhang i arbetslivet. Syftet med denna studie är således att undersöka hur chefer i verksamheter inom LSS (Lagen om stöd till vissa funktionshindrade) beskriver upplevelsen av sitt ledarskap och förhållningssätt till personalen och brukarna utifrån ett salutogent förhållningssätt. Studien utgår ifrån den kvalitativa metoden semi-strukturerade intervjuer där fem chefer inom LSS-verksamheter har intervjuats. Empirin har analyserats med hjälp av tidigare forskning om ledarskap men också utifrån olika ledarskapsteorier och då huvudsakligen Aaron Antonovskys teori om känsla av sammanhang (KASAM) som är grundkonstruktionen i ett salutogent ledarskap. Resultaten visar på att chefernas ledarskap framställs till att inta olika ledarskapsstilar och handlingssätt. Utifrån det beskrivna förhållningssättet så går det att identifiera salutogena kvalitéer och ett salutogent ledarskap men det går även att identifiera emotionella kvalitéer som genom forskning definierar socialt ledarskap. / Abstract:The society is under constant development, which means adaptation and conversion in the workplace. This implies performance and efficiency, which can put human conditions in second hand. In healthcare, mental health has increased among personnel, which in turn can affect the well-being of the care-users wellbeing. Leadership is characterized by this development of society, and has at the same time a fundamental responsibility for the well-being of both personnel and care-users and to promote the psychosocial work environment. A salutogenic leadership where the manager reflects on what makes the situation understandable, manageable and meaningful to the personnel, quality is stated to create the conditions for the well-being of the personnel and the sense of coherens in working life context. The purpose of this study is thus to investigate how managers in activities within the LSS (Act on Support for Disabled People) describe the experience of their leadership and approaches to personnel and careusers based on a salutogenic approach. The study is based on the qualitative method of semi-structured interviews where five managers in LSS activity have been interviewed. The empirical has been analyzed by means of previous research on leadership, but also from different leadership theories, and then mainly Aaron Antonovsky's theory of sense of coherens (KASAM), which is the foundation of the salutogenic leadership. The results show that managers' leadership is being developed to adopt different leadership styles and behaviours. Based on the described approach, it is possible to identify salutogenic qualities and a salutogenic leadership, but it is also possible to identify emotional qualities that, through research, define social leadership.

Abstrakt  Introduktion: Covid-19 pandemin påverkade många människors aktivitetsmönster, befintliga vanor och levnadssätt, däribland studenter som fick studera befintliga campusförlagda utbildningar på distans. Restriktioner medförde att studenter besökte färre platser och ägnade mindre tid åt sociala aktiviteter och fysiska aktiviteter. Samtidigt ägnades mer tid åt stillasittande aktiviteter, mediekonsumtion och vila. Studier visar att studenter under pandemin upplevde minskad livskvalitet, ökade stressnivåer och sämre psykisk hälsa. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva studenters upplevelse av aktivitetsbalans i relation till upplevd hälsa efter covid-19 pandemin. Metod: Studien använde en kvantitativ metod, enkätundersökning med 38 deltagare som rekryterades genom ett bekvämlighetsurval. Enkäten bestod av instrumenten the Occupational Balance Questionnarie (OBQ) och the Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale (SHIS) samt egenkonstruerade frågor. Insamlad data analyserades genom en icke-parametrisk metod. Resultat: Resultatet visar att studenterna upplevde relativt god hälsa, men att aktivitetsbalansen skattades lägre efter pandemin. Positiva samband med högre nivåer av aktivitetsbalans och salutogen hälsa återfanns i stöd från studiekamrater och campusbaserade studier. Studenter som bodde tillsammans med någon skattade högre nivåer av aktivitetsbalans och hälsa, jämfört med ensamboende.  Slutsats: Pandemin har påverkat studenternas aktivitetsbalans och hälsa. Studien fann samband mellan aktivitetsbalans och hälsa i förhållande till studieform, boendeform och upplevt stöd från klasskamrater. / Abstract  Introduction: The covid-19 pandemic affected people’s occupational patterns, habits, and lifestyles, including students who had to study existing campus-based studies online. Restrictions meant that students visited fewer places and spent less time on social and physical activity. More time was spent on sedentary activities, media consumption and rest. Studies have shown that students experienced a reduced quality of life, increased stress levels and poorer mental health during the pandemic.  Aim: The aim of the study was to describe students’ experience of occupational balance in relation to perceived health after the covid-19 pandemic. Method: A quantitative and a non-parametric method was used. 38 participants were included. The questionnaire consisted of the Occupational Balance Questionnaire and The Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale, as well as self-constructed questions.  Results: Students experienced relatively good health, but the occupational balance was possibly lower. Positive associations with higher levels of occupational balance and salutogenic health were found in support from classmates, campus-based studies and living together. Conclusions: Students' occupational balance and health was possibly affected after the pandemic. The study found relationships between occupational balance and health in relation to education form, living situation and their sense of support from classmates.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur begreppet skyddsfaktorer hos barn och ungdomar synliggörs och hur kunskap om ämnet tillämpas i tre svenska skolbaserade preventionsprogram: Social och Emotionell Träning (SET), Örebro Preventionsprogram (ÖPP) och Community Parent Education Program (COPE). Tidigare forskning om barn och ungdomars skyddsfaktorer talar för att ett främjande av dessa faktorer kan hjälpa barn och ungdomar undvika att utveckla ett normbrytande beteende. Den här studien har inriktat sig på skolbaserade preventionsprogram då skolan är den sociala arena där barn och ungdomar spenderar majoriteten av sin vakna tid. Studiens frågeställningar är som följer: - Hur synliggörs begreppet skyddsfaktorer i programbeskrivningarna för de tre utvalda skolbaserade preventionsprogrammen? - Hur tillämpas den kunskap som finns om skyddsfaktorer i det praktiska arbetet med preventionsprogrammen enligt hur det beskrivs i programbeskrivningarna? - Finns det några likheter eller skillnader mellan programmen med avseende på deras tillämpning av kunskaper om skyddsfaktorers betydelse? En innehållsanalys av preventionsprogrammens egna material har genomförts utifrån två utvalda teman: preventionsprogrammens utformning och bakgrund samt skyddsfaktorer – hur begreppet synliggörs och hur kunskaper används. Resultaten har därefter kopplats till tidigare forskning om barn och ungdomars skyddsfaktorer. Antonovskys teorier om det salutogena perspektivet och KASAM (Känsla Av SAMmanhang) samt systemteori och Bronfenbrenners utvecklingsekologiska modell har utgjort studiens teoretiska referensramar. Genom analys av resultatet har det framkommit att de olika preventionsprogrammen skiljer sig åt i sin utformning. Dels huruvida de är ett universellt eller selektivt preventionsprogram och dels huruvida de fokuserar på barnens och ungdomarnas individuella skyddsfaktorer eller skyddsfaktorer i familjen. Endast ett av preventionsprogrammen tog uttryckligen upp skyddsfaktorer hos barn och ungdomar i sitt material och kopplade denna kunskap till programmets utformning samt genomförande. I materialet som tillhör de andra två preventionsprogrammen blev begreppet och kunskapen inte lika tydlig, men ämnet blev ändå synligt på mer implicita sätt. / This bachelor thesis aims to explore how the concept of protective factors among children and youths are made visible and how knowledge on the subject is implemented in three Swedish school-based prevention programs: Social och Emotionell Träning (SET), Örebro Preventionsprogram (ÖPP) and Community Parent Education Program (COPE). Existing research on protective factors among children and youths suggests that a promoting of these factors within the lives of vulnerable children and youths can help them resist a development of an antisocial behavior. This bachelor thesis will be looking at school-based preventions programs because school is the social arena where most kids spend a majority of their time spent outside of their home. The study aims to answer the following questions: - How is the concept of protective factors made visible in the program descriptions of the three school-based prevention programs? - How is knowledge on the subject of protective factors implemented in the practice of the prevention programs according to how it is described in the program descriptions? - Are there any similarities or differences between the programs in regard to their implementation of knowledge on the subject of protective factors and their importance? A content analysis was performed on the literature of the three prevention programs on the basis of two chosen themes: the prevention programs design and background as well as protective factors – how the concept is made visible and how knowledge is implemented. The results have then been connected to existing research on protective factors among children and youths. The theoretical framework of the study consists of Antonovsky’s theory on the salutogenic model and SOC (Sense of Coherence) as well as systems theory and Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model. When analyzing the material it was found that the three prevention programs were different in their design. Partly whether they are universal or selective preventions, and partly whether they have chosen to aim their focus at the children and youths individual protective factors or on their parental protective factors. Only one of the prevention programs explicitly mentioned protective factors in its material and implemented the knowledge on the subject in the programs design and execution. In the material belonging to the other two prevention programs the concept of protective factors and knowledge on the subject was not as apparent, but the subject was still visible in more implicit ways.

Hälsa är ett begrepp som har avsaknad av en bestämd definition. Det finns flertalet erkända definitioner såsom WHO:s men det finns även de definitioner som skapats av den enskilda individen. De flesta definitioner som finns kring och om hälsa har sitt ursprung i den fysiska aktivitetens värld, än dock menar flera personer att om hälsa enbart skall ses som god utifrån den fysiska aktiviteten så blir begreppet hälsa inte särskilt innehållsrikt. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur lärarna ser på begreppet hälsa. Enligt bakgrund och tidigare forskning så är hälsa ett personligt och svårdefinierat begrepp, vilket de sex lärare som intervjuades i denna kvalitativa studie bekräftade. Lärarnas kunskap om hälsa har inhämtats från tidigare idrottsliga erfarenheter och utbildning. Resultatet i denna studie visar att hälsoundervisningen stundtals blir personlig då lärarna utgår från sina tidigare idrottsliga erfarenheter när de talar och undervisar om hälsa. Resultatet har analyserats utifrån två hälsomodeller, kontinuummodellen samt den kliniska modellen. Resultatet som framkommer är att hälsa många gånger ses ur ett kontinuumperspektiv och sällan ur ett dikotomt perspektiv. Sammanfattat så handlar denna studie om hur lärarna ser på begreppet hälsa och hur de önskade att hälsoundervisningen skulle kunna se ut. / Health defines a person’s general condition, both mind and body. Being healthy or have “good health” is something that people, on a daily basis, can read about in the newspaper or on the internet, but what is health or being healthy? Health is often taken for granted and is also often associated with training, but many claim that health is not only about being fit or train hard. There are different definitions of health; world health organization (WHO) has one that has been acknowledged for many years: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. This definition has been controversy because it says that a person only can have good health if the person is free from illness, injury or pain which can seems quite possible to achieve. WHO:s definition about health, is not the only one, there are  many more definitions that has been created by dissimilar people. The aim with this study was to see how teachers look at health (and health studies) and where they got their knowledge about health. If you look at previous studies it says that health is a personal thing, each individual has their own opinion what health is, something that the teacher in this study agreed about. This is a qualitative study and sex teachers were interviewed. The result has been analyzed by two health models, the continuum model and the clinic model. The result showed that the teachers look at health from a continuum perspective and the teachers also said that their athletic background were the main reason for there value of health and how they look at health overall.

Background and objectives: Stress-related illness is a growing public health problem in Sweden and it is the most common reason for sick leave today. Stress-related illness causes suffering on a number of levels and affects the patient’s health and life in the long term. The stress-related ill health also leads to consequences for society, causing high costs for sick leave and health care as well as lost workforce since people partially or entirely lose their capacity to work. Research on stress-related ill health and rehabilitation often underline work-related conditions as crucial in dealing with the problem. There is also research that points out psychosocial factors in understanding stress-related ill health. What we know little about is the existential perspective of clinical burn-out. Therefore, it is of importance to investigate people’s existential experiences of clinical burn-out and the significance of an existential perspective in rehabilitation. Aim: The overall aim of this thesis is to gain insight into the existential experience of clinical burn-out as well as to highlight the significance of an existential perspective in rehabilitation. In addition, the thesis aims to reach a deeper understanding of clinical burn-out from an existential point of view and contribute to the field with knowledge of the existential dimension of health. Methods: The study, conducted in 2011, is based on qualitative interviews made with an inductive hermeneutic approach. Five patients and seven care givers were interviewed, focusing their existential experiences of clinical burn-out as well as their experiences of rehabilitation with an existential approach. A strategic selection was made of informants in the context of a rehabilitation program with an existential approach for people diagnosed with clinical burn-out. The data was analysed in two steps. In the first step the data was interpreted with an inductive hermeneutic approach. In step two of the analysis, the data was interpreted with a deductive hermeneutic approach, using Karl Jasper’s concept of limit situation as a way of interpreting the existential experience. Aaron Antonovsky’s concept sense of coherence was used as a tool for understanding components that can contribute to restoring health. Results: In this study, the patients describe clinical burn-out as a comprehensive existential experience that can be perceived as being in between life and death, in a shadow world, trapped in a dead end. It’s a situation characterized by being powerless. It creates a need to comprehend one’s situation in order to be able to regain control and manage it. It’s a struggle to make sense of the life situation. When not being met with understanding, the patients lose hope. Existential issues in terms of meaning, existence and life choices become urgent. Working with the existential perspective requires trust, openness from both caregiver and patient, distinctness, a way to communicate it and courage to take on the challenge of dealing with existential issues. The perspective also requires that the existential suffering can be contained. Dealing with existential questions leads to self-knowledge and insights that enables a possibility to make different choices and leave negative behavioural patterns. Also, it can lead to a discovery of spirituality and religion as a resource in life. Besides their personal struggle for meaning, the patients see an existential void in society, leaving people without tools to handle existential needs. This is understood as something that affects people’s ability to handle stressful times in life. The care providers understand burn-out as a manifestation of a way of living that is not sustainable. It is an existential experience embodied in body and mind that can be experienced as being drained of life. It’s an existential challenge, causing grief when realizing one’s limitations as a human being. Also, loss of meaning and sense of existential vulnerability due to an experience of being annihilated is crucial for understanding the deep existential crisis that clinical burn-out can induce. This situation makes the patient ask existential questions about identity, meaning, values and direction. In the burnout-process the patients have distanced themselves from their own self and therefore need to reconnect with themselves. This makes the existential questions central in the rehabilitation as a way to reconnect to inner strength and resources, which are prerequisites for starting a health promoting, sustainable process which is empowering, making it possible to see oneself as a human being who experience meaning, not only as a patient with a diagnosis. Instead of finding meaning in the diagnosis, the patient’s existential questions and the existential experience is a key to moving forward, out of the situation. Meaning-making is therefore important in the rehabilitation. A holistic-existential approach and view of man makes it possible to work with the complexity of the situation. The holistic-existential approach creates synergies and offers an extra tool both for the caregiver and the patient. Focusing on the patient’s resources and competence makes it possible to see the crisis as a way to learn from it. The existential perspective in health care and rehabilitation is enabled by competence, openness, reliance, empathy and respect when meeting the patient. It also requires courage to take on the challenge of dealing with existential issues. It can be hard for both the patient and the care giver to confront existential suffering. It is the responsibility of the care giver to enable the existential perspective by acknowledging and making the existential perspective possible to communicate and work it through. The care providers understands values in modern society as contributing to people’s experience of feeling alone with existential needs, which intensifies their existential aloneness. The care providers’ experience is that the biomedical paradigm aggravates an existential perspective. The perspective is not associated with the care situation. There is a lack of knowledge about and understanding of the value of the existential perspective, all the way from the decision-making level to the clinical meeting with the patient. In addition, the paradigm affects how the patients express their illness. Also, the perspective requires time. Existential perspectives, therefore, tend to be concealed in the health care context. Applying Karl Jasper’s concept of limit situation, clinical burn-out can be interpreted as a defining existential experience. It can be understood as a limit situation when humans realize their limitations and at the same time get insights that are crucial for their lives. It’s an experience they wish they had not gone through, but on the other hand, it has led to insights they do not want to be without. The meaning-making process is health promoting by recreating meaning, the fundamental part of sense of coherence, which is crucial for a salutogenic direction. Conclusion: The existential state that the clinical burnout patients go through can, using Karl Jasper’s concept, be understood as a limit situation. According to Jasper’s reasoning, the limit situation can be perceived as facing an abyss, making it clear one has limitations as a human being. At the same time, the experience can be perceived as reaching a limit where humans can get insights about human life that can enhance life. Clinical burn-out, using Aaron Antonovsky’s concept, can be understood as a loss of the components that create sense of coherence. Loss of meaning is particularly central for understanding burn-out. Consequently, it is crucial to acknowledge the existential challenge that the patient is facing, as well as the importance of the meaning-making process for facilitating a movement in a health promoting manner. It gives a deeper understanding of the challenges and needs of patients suffering from clinical burn-out. The existential dimension of health has been highlighted in health promotion, but gets little attention in practice. This is especially significant in the health care context. This points out the need for a discussion about how the existential health dimension can be used as a resource in health care and rehabilitation and how this resource for health can be applied in a better way in health promotion and public health.

The aim of this study was to highlight care managers view on and experience of the working method Individual need in center (IBIC) and to analyze the consequences of the implementation. IBIC is a method for care managers to identify and adapt the intervention according to the individual’s needs. We performed six individual qualitative interviews with care managers, hence three from Kungsbacka municipality and three from Karlskrona municipality. The results from the interviews indicated that all care managers experienced that their work environment had on some level been affected by the implementation of IBIC. However, there were care managers that recounted that it wasn’t the IBIC method itself that affected their work situation. It was the work system that was used to document the IBIC investigations that was the substantial problem. The analysis showed that care manager’s experiences of IBIC did not accord with Socialstyrelsen’s goal with IBIC. The three core components of IBIC were not distinct enough, which was essential for an implementation to be successful and having positive outcomes. Moreover, care managers experienced that colleague- and manager support was a significant factor in the work environment. Even though they had support from both their colleagues and their managers, the care managers had to use different coping strategies to manage the daily workload. These factors contributed to a stronger sense of coherence (KASAM in Swedish), which is also a contributing factor for the coping process.

<p>Kan kulturaktiviteter vilka erbjuds genom arbetet, resultera i ett ökat välmående för den anställde och eventuellt även en ökad känsla av sammanhang? Detta är utgångspunkten för uppsatsen, som tar sin början i Antonovskys salutogena perspektiv och KASAM, vilket mäts kvantitativt på två grupper där Grupp 1 utgjordes av anställda på arbetsplatser där kulturaktiviteter regelbundet erbjöds och Grupp 2 av anställda på en arbetsplats utan kulturaktiviteter. Genom deltagarnas resultat på KASAM formuläret, utlästes att kulturaktiviteter och ett deltagande i dessa visar ett samband med en ökad KASAM hos individen. Uppsatsen diskuterar sedermera hur kulturkonsumtion kan vara en bidragande mental hälsofaktor av lika vikt som den av arbetsplatser mer erkända uppbyggnaden av fysisk hälsa, genom träning för förebyggande av sjukdom och ohälsa.</p>

Kan kulturaktiviteter vilka erbjuds genom arbetet, resultera i ett ökat välmående för den anställde och eventuellt även en ökad känsla av sammanhang? Detta är utgångspunkten för uppsatsen, som tar sin början i Antonovskys salutogena perspektiv och KASAM, vilket mäts kvantitativt på två grupper där Grupp 1 utgjordes av anställda på arbetsplatser där kulturaktiviteter regelbundet erbjöds och Grupp 2 av anställda på en arbetsplats utan kulturaktiviteter. Genom deltagarnas resultat på KASAM formuläret, utlästes att kulturaktiviteter och ett deltagande i dessa visar ett samband med en ökad KASAM hos individen. Uppsatsen diskuterar sedermera hur kulturkonsumtion kan vara en bidragande mental hälsofaktor av lika vikt som den av arbetsplatser mer erkända uppbyggnaden av fysisk hälsa, genom träning för förebyggande av sjukdom och ohälsa.