Denna studie syftar till att bidra med kunskaper om orsaker till och hantering av stressfaktorer som förskollärare kan möta i deras arbetsmiljö. De frågeställningar som arbetet utgår från är: Vilka stressfaktorer beskriver förskollärarna att de upplever i förskolan? Hur hanterar förskollärarna de stressfaktorer som de beskriver? Vi har använt oss av en kvalitativ metod i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer för att nå fram till vårt resultat. Urvalet var åtta verksamma förskollärare med en stor variation i både ålder och verksamma yrkesår. Vi har använt oss av metodansatsen IPA och teorin KASAM för att kategorisera och tolka resultatet utifrån begreppen begriplighet, hanterbarhet och meningsfullhet. Resultatet av studien visar att förskollärarna upplever flera stressfaktorer i deras arbetsmiljö som de hanterar på olika sätt. De främsta stressfaktorer som förskollärarna beskriver är stora barngrupper, hög ljudnivå och många kringuppgifter. Våra slutsatser av studien är att det krävs en hög känsla av begriplighet för att förskollärarna ska kunna sortera den information som de dagligen utsätts för. För att kunna göra vardagen och alla dess utmaningar på förskolan hanterbar så behöver förskollärarna ta till egna erfarenheter samt yttre resurser för att undvika att stressnivån ska öka. Trots hög arbetsbelastning och höga krav så är den mest meningsfulla uppgiften att lägga energi och engagemang på att vara en trygghet för barnen. / This study aims to contribute knowledge about the causes and management of stressors that preschool teachers may encounter in their work environment. The questions that the work is based on are: What stress factors do preschool teachers describe that they experiencein preschool? How do preschool teachers deal with the stressors they describe? We have used a qualitative method in the form of semi-structured interviews to reach our result. The selection was eight active preschool teachers with a large variation in both age and active professional years. We have used the method approach IPA and the theory KASAM to categorize and interpret the results based on the concepts of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness. The results of the study show that preschool teachers experience several stressors in their work environment which they handle in different ways. The main stressors that the preschool teachers describe are large groups of children, highnoise levels and many ancillary tasks. Our conclusions from the study are that a high sense of comprehensibility is required for preschool teachers to be able to sort the information to which they are exposed on a daily basis. In order to make everyday life and all its challenges at the preschool manageable, the preschool teachers need to use their own experiences as well as external resources to avoid the stress level increasing. Despite a high workload and high demands, the most meaningful task is to put energy and commitment into being a security for the children.

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely limited physical interaction (e.g., school closures, 6ft- distances, quarantine) and disrupted the daily lives of adolescents which likely heightened levels of perceived loneliness and internalizing symptomology. Due to the novelty of social distancing regulations caused by COVID-19, little is known about the role that loneliness plays in the association between stress from social distancing regulations and adherence to these regulations, and later difficulties with internalizing symptoms. The current study examined the impact of social distancing regulations on adolescents’ wellbeing through perceived loneliness by using data from a 5-week longitudinal survey-based study conducted on parents and adolescents (aged 14-17) amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this thesis examined how social distancing adherence and stress influenced adolescents’ loneliness, ultimately impacting their subsequent internalizing symptoms (i.e., depression and anxiety). To determine if there was a stress-buffering effect of close relationships (i.e., emotional support and conflict), moderators of links between social distancing, perceived loneliness, and internalizing symptoms were examined. Findings provided evidence that loneliness plays a unique mediating link between social distancing and internalizing symptoms. Further, preliminary evidence of specific sources of resiliency and risk in adolescents’ close relationships during the pandemic were found. Overall, the present study highlights how social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted adolescents’ well-being during a developmental period considered a turning point for psychopathology.

Introducción: Estudio pionero en analizar los datos referentes a ansiedad y depresión del Censo Nacional Penitenciario 2016 (CNPP). Los eventos adversos en la niñez (ELS) se encuentran relacionados a nivel epigenético a depresión y ansiedad. Los problemas de salud mental son la primera carga en años de vida perdidos por discapacidad al año 2016 en el Perú. La depresión y ansiedad tienen alta prevalencia en sistemas penitenciarios internacionalmente. Objetivos: Determinar si la exposición a ELS está asociada a depresión y ansiedad autorreportadas en la población penitenciaria peruana. Materiales y métodos: Análisis secundario a partir de la base de datos del CNPP. Las variables dependientes fueron el autorreporte de depresión y/o ansiedad. Las variables independientes fueron la exposición a los siguientes ELS por parte de los cuidadores: Abuso físico, consumo de alcohol, consumo de drogas y situación de abandono. La asociación fue de tipo multivariada, estimada mediante el cálculo de razones de prevalencia ajustadas (RPa) con intervalos de confianza al 95% mediante la regresión de Poisson con varianzas robustas. Resultados: Se encontró asociación entre ELS y depresión (RPa 1.41, IC 1.34-1.49, p<0,05). Asimismo, se encontró asociación entre ELS y ansiedad (RPa 1.35, IC 1.28 – 1.42, p<0,05). Conclusiones: Se encontró asociación entre los ELS estudiados y depresión, así como con ansiedad autorreportadas. Los resultados de este estudio podrían contribuir al mejor conocimiento de la salud mental de la población penitenciaria peruana con el fin de optimizar sistemas de tamizaje y tratamiento. / Introduction: Neuropsychiatric disease represents the first major cause of disability adjusted life years in Peru. This dissertation analyzes the data referring to anxiety and depression from the 2016 Peruvian National Penitentiary Census. On 2016, mental health problems were the first cause of years lost to disability in Peru. Internationally, both anxiety and depression have high prevalence among inmates. Objectives: Establish association between depression and anxiety in relation to Early Life Stressors (ELS) in the Peruvian imprisoned population, additional factors associated with depression and anxiety were analyzed. Materials and methods: Secondary analysis of the data from the 2016 Peruvian National Penitentiary Census. The assessed outcomes are anxiety and depression; while the exposure variables are ELS, experienced between the ages of 5-12, such as physical abuse, tutor’s alcohol or illegal drugs consumption, neglect. Multivariable analysis has been executed, through the calculus of adjusted prevalence ratios using Poisson's regression model with a confidence interval (CI) of 95%. Results: Association between ELS and self-reported depression (PR 1.41, CI 1.34-1.49, p<0,05). Similarly, association between ELS and self-reported anxiety was found (PR 1.35, CI 1.28 – 1.42, p<0,05). Conclusions: This paper finds significant association between both mental health issues. The acknowledgement of these factors is important inasmuch as the understanding of them, which may help the optimization of screening methods and later treatment of the imprisoned population. / Tesis

Bakgrund: Arbetsrelaterad stress är ett globalt hälsoproblem som återfinns inom sjuksköterskeprofessionen likväl som många andra yrken. Individer som får utstå bestående aktivering av kroppens stressrespons löper en ökad risk att drabbas av fysisk och psykisk ohälsa samt på längre sikt risk för förtidig död. I sjuksköterskeyrket är det inte bara sjuksköterskan som påverkas av den arbetsrelaterade stressen, forskning har till exempel visat på ett samband mellan hög arbetsbelastning för sjuksköterskor och sämre patientsäkerhet. I detta sammanhang är Antonovskys teori om känsla av sammanhang användbar då den visat sig kunna öka personers resiliens mot stress. Syfte: Syftet med den här litteraturstudien var att beskriva sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av arbetsrelaterad stress. Metod: En litteraturstudie med beskrivande design. Totalt tolv vetenskapliga artiklar inkluderades varav åtta med kvalitativ ansats och fyra med kvantitativ ansats. Artiklarna söktes i databaserna CINAHL och Medline via PubMed. Huvudresultat: Sjuksköterskor runt om i världen har många erfarenheter av arbetsrelaterad stress. Hög arbetsbelastning var den mest framträdande stressorn och återkom i alla inkluderade studier. Den organisatoriska strukturen, exempelvis obalans mellan antal sjuksköterskor och antal patienter fick sjuksköterskor att uppleva stress. Emotionellt och moraliskt betungande vårdsituationer bidrog till sjuksköterskors upplevelse av “compassion fatigue” och “moral distress”. Otillfredsställande arbetsmiljö, interaktioner och relationer med patienter, anhöriga, läkare och andra sjuksköterskor resulterade i upplevelsen av stress för sjuksköterskor. Slutsats: Sjuksköterskor upplever många typer av arbetsrelaterad stress. Arbetsrelaterad stress för sjuksköterskor är ett globalt problem och sjuksköterskor står inför utmaningar med att upprätthålla kvaliteten på omvårdnaden och patientsäkerheten till följd av detta. Det behövs en omprioritering av den offentliga resursfördelningen för att värna om sjuksköterskors hälsa och avsikt att stanna inom professionen – något som gagnar alla i samhället. / Background: Occupational stress is a global health problem that exists within the nurse profession as well as within many other occupations. Individuals who suffer continuous activation of the body’s stress response are subjected to an increased risk of physical and mental disease and - in the long term perspective - increased risk of an early death. When it comes to the nurse occupation, it isn’t just the nurse who is affected by occupational stress. Research has shown, for example, that there is a correlation between high workload for nurses and a lower patient safety. In this context Antonovsky’s theory about sense of coherence is useful as it has been known to increase a person's resilience towards stress. Aim: The aim of this literature review was to describe nurses experiences of occupational stress. Method: A literature review with a descriptive design. Twelve scientific articles were included in total. Eight articles had a qualitative approach and four had a quantitative approach. The articles were searched for in the databases CINAHL and Medline via PubMed. Main findings: Nurses experienced that occupational stress was a common phenomenon. High workload was the most prominent aspect of stress experienced by nurses, one that reappeared in all the included studies. Stressors caused by organizational structure, for example imbalance in nurse/patient ratio, caused nurses to feel stressed. Emotionally and morally burdensome care situations contributed to nurses experiences of compassion fatigue and moral distress. Unsatisfying relations to doctors, patients and other nurses was a job stress perceived by nurses. Conclusion: Nurses experience many types of occupational stress. Occupational stress is a problem for nurses globally and nurses face challenges with upkeeping the quality of care and patient safety thereby. There is a need to reprioritize the distribution of resources in the public community in order to ensure nurses’ wellbeing and intent to stay within the profession – which lies in the interest of the society.

Vårdsituationen i Sverige präglas av personalbrist, långa arbetsdagar och stress. Under dessa arbetsförhållanden uppstår det situationer som kan upplevas hjälplösa av vårdpersonal. Vårdpersonals tilltro till att hantera dessa situationer påverkas. Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur vårdpersonalen upplevde hjälplösa situationer, samt hur de upplevde sin tilltro till sin förmåga till att lösa eller hantera olika situationer på arbetet. Åtta personer som arbetade inom vården intervjuades. Resultat av en tematisk innehållsanalys visade att vårdpersonalen upplevde sin self-efficacy relativt god i hjälplösa situationer. Detta berodde på att vårdpersonalen gav stöd till varandra i dessa situationer. Erfarenhet och kunskap var faktorer som stärkte vårdpersonalens self-efficacy i hjälplösa situationer. Däremot så upplevde deltagarna att tilltron till att påverka beslut var bristande, då kommunikationen mellan undersköterskor och personal med högre status var bristfällig. Studien gav beskrivningar kring vårdpersonalens uppfattningar och förutsättningar i hjälplösa situationer. Vårdpersonalens beskrivningar kan bidra till en ökad kunskap om hur vårdpersonalen upplevde sin self-efficacy i hjälplösa situationer.

This diploma thesis focuses on stress factors and their possible effect on the teachers in a selected school. The theoretical part describes stressful and risk factors, which negatively influence the occupation of a teacher and therefore affect teachers' mental health. Not only stress and stressful situations are described in this chapter but also their causes and possible techniques to manage them. This part also deals with occupational burnout and its most common causes. Further, the occupational burnout prevention and relaxation techniques to avoid the burnout are described. The last important topic in the theoretical part is mental hygiene and how is mental hygiene perceived. This topic also concentrates on principles of mental hygiene, which are considered to be a tool for supporting mental health and can help avoid the mentioned syndrome. The final theoretical part describes professional development as a kind of protection of mental hygiene and gives examples of selected specific techniques. The practical part of the diploma thesis contains a research, which is focused on stressful factors influencing the teachers working in Soukromá střední škola a Základní škola, s.r.o. in Mladá Boleslav. The methods of questionnaire, interview and observation are used to find out the stress level...

This diploma thesis concerns on very current and important topic, which is the stress of police officers. The text deals in particular with the possible causes that can give rise to stress among police officers and with the differences between men and women in the case of police stress. The third chapter also summarizes the possibilities of psychological support at the Police of the Czech Republic. The thesis also includes research that has a quantitative and qualitative part. The aim of this research is to find out which situations are the most important sources of stress for police officers and whether these resources vary depending on the sex of the police officer. Quantitative research was conducted using the Work Stress Inventory (IPSS) on a sample of 116 respondents. It has been found that the most significant stressor is the excessive amount of administrative activity for police officers. The research also showed a significantly higher level of police stress among female police officers. The qualitative survey was conducted using a semi-structured interview. The sample was six respondents. The interview was conducted mainly to determine possible interpretations of the results of the previous quantitative survey.

Single motherhood is a growing phenomenon in South Africa, as it is in the world at large. The concept and structure of a family have changed over the last few decades and no single definition will suffice to describe or define it anymore. Various factors impact on the psychological wellbeing of the single mother. The psychological wellbeing or mental health of the single mother can influence her parenting abilities. The aim of this study is to explore the lived experience of a single mother with three dependent children, to gain a deeper understanding of her experiences as a single mother and the meaning she attaches to it. The point of view of this research is from a constructivist-interpretivist paradigm and from an ecological systems theory approach. This qualitative research study uses a single case study method with unstructured interviews to explore the participant’s experiences. Interpretative phenomenological analysis is used to analyse data, to identify main and sub-themes from the collected data, and to compare these themes with identified themes on single motherhood from existing research. The participant’s lived experience reveals that financial hardship is not the main contributing factor to stress experienced by this single mother. The accumulative effect of diverse stressors and the lack of social support due to prejudice and stigma seem to have a greater effect. This study generates questions around the stigma of single motherhood in South Africa. The reading of this text could raise the reader’s awareness of the challenges faced by single mothers and of prejudice against them. Single mothers are not less capable as individuals of handling the challenges of motherhood and parenting, but they are often exposed to more demands and stressors, compared to partnered mothers. Changing our perspectives on single motherhood can reduce prejudice, offer more social support and improve access to other needed resources. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Psychology / unrestricted

This research explores whether a firm's psychosocial stressors contribute to strains or outcomes important to the organization. The psychosocial stressors chosen for study include: role conflict and ambiguity, workload (qualitative and quantitative), participative decision making, autonomy, and security. Independent variables were the emotional strains of job satisfaction and job commitment. The independent variables for behavioral strains included injury, lost days, workers' compensation claims, and absenteeism. Three moderators: age, gender, and social support were evaluated for interaction effects. The study sampled 77 occupationally injured and 81 non-injured employees from one medium sized Army community hospital. This study uses multivariate hierarchical multiple set regression as its principal analytical method. The hierarchial procedure orders the sets into an a priori hierarchy and enters each set sequentially from the hierarchy, evaluating the increase in $\rm R\sp2.$ The results suggest that psychosocial stressors are significant variables to consider when investigating workers' emotional and behavioral strains. For example, age, participation, and satisfaction were found statistically significant in differentiating between the occupationally injured and the non-injured samples. The study also found that ambiguity, participation, and autonomy influenced emotional strains. Additionally, age and social support appear to moderate the relationship between some psychosocial factors and emotional and behavioral strains. Age moderated the relationship with only emotional strains, while social support moderated both emotional and behavioral strains. Further, social support was found to have a main effect on the emotional strains of satisfaction and commitment, but not on any behavioral ones. Age was found to have a direct effect on the behavioral strains of workers' compensation claims. Finally, although not statistically significant when entered as a set and evaluated using the statistical analysis techniques in this study, a relationship between age and workers' compensation claims and qualitative workload and absenteeism were suggested. The economic and human costs associated with occupational injury are staggering. These findings suggest that attention to psychosocial factors within control of the employer, can promote good management outcomes, improve employee quality of worklife, and contain costs.

Hermatypic, or reef-building, corals (Order Scleractinia) are the foundation of coral reefs, providing a diversity of structurally complex habitats for the myriad species in these biologically diverse ecosystems. However, both local and global anthropogenic stressors threaten the persistence of these corals. For this thesis, thirty 16m2 permanent photoquadrats at 10 shallow forereef sites around Kiritimati (Christmas Island, Republic of Kiribati) were monitored across a four-year study encompassing the 2015-2016 El Niño derived marine heatwave, and subsequent mass coral mortality event. Sites were exposed to either low, medium, or high levels of local anthropogenic disturbance. My objective herein was to examine the effects of a mass coral mortality event on reef structural complexity, from the end of the event to three years afterwards. To do so, I digitally quantified six metrics of structural complexity for each photoquadrat sampled across three resolution scales for each of the five expeditions. Plots from 2015, 2017, and 2019 were later annotated based on the morphological structure present. I found that while significant declines in multiple of habitat metrics occurred by the end of the heatwave, no further significant declines occurred thereafter. However, this trend was lost as resolution scale increased, indicating the trends seen in the habitat metrics at 1.0 cm were likely documenting the shift from live coral towards abiotic dominated reefs. Anthropogenic disturbance compounded the El Niño’s effect, ensuring high disturbance sites had the lowest structural complexity values throughout the study. Lastly, live branching, tabulate, foliose, and submassive coral morphologies were found to be most closely associated with the different habitat complexity metrics. These results highlight the importance live coral structure has on reef structural complexity, illustrate the importance of model resolution when quantifying trends in structural complexity, pinpoint coral morphologies creating reef structural complexity, and further emphasize the need to limit the effects of local anthropogenic disturbance on coral reefs. / Graduate / 2023-04-15