Bakgrund: Ensamhet beskrivs som en upplevelse av tomhet med anknytning till den emotionella känslan, känslan av att ge upp, sorg, längtan och hopp. Hälsa, välbefinnande och livskvalitet försämras på grund av den plågsamma ensamheten. Livskvalitet hänger ihop med människans existens och välbefinnandet är individens upplevelse av hälsa som omfattar människan som helhet, inte bara kropp och själ. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva äldre människors upplevelser av ensamhet. Metod: En litteraturöversikt med kvalitativ ansats har använts för att analysera tio kvalitativa vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultat: Resultatet visar att ensamhet kan upplevas som både positivt och negativt. Negativ ensamhet upplevs som en brist på socialt stöd, känslan av övergivenhet, att leva med fysiska hälsohinder, att leva med sorg och att vara beroende av andra. Den negativa ensamheten har koppling till kroppsförändringar på grund av åldrandet. Att kunna ha egen tid och att känna sig fri upplevs som positiv ensamhet. Slutsats: Ensamhet upplevs som en riskfaktor relaterad till försämring av välbefinnande, hälsa och livskvalitet, även om ensamhet upplevs individuellt. Klinisk betydelse: Studiens resultat kan ha betydelse i omvårdnaden av äldre människor. Sjukvårdare måste vara observanta och ta sig tillräcklig tid vid varje möte med äldre människor. Att vara lyhörd kan hjälpa en äldre människa att tillhöra en gemenskap och förhoppningsvis få dem att känna sig tillräckligt. Detta kan förhindra ensamhet hos äldre människor. / Background: With age comes also the increase of loneliness. Loneliness is described as an experience of emptiness that is related to the emotional feeling, feeling of giving up, grief, longing and hope. Health, well-being and quality of life deteriorate because of the protruding loneliness. Quality of life is linked to the human existence and well-being is the individual´s perception of health that includes the person as a whole and not just the body and mind. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the experience of loneliness from the elderly person´s perspective. Metod: A literature review with qualitative approach was used to analyze ten qualitative research articles. Results: This study´s results indicate that loneliness can be seen as both positive and negative. The negative loneliness is experienced as lack of social support, feelings of abandonment, living with physical health obstacles, living with grief and being dependent on others. It however shows that the so called negative loneliness is much related to the body changes with aging. The positive loneliness had to do with being able to have time to one’s self and feeling free and independent. Conclusion: Loneliness seemed to be a risk factor related to the deterioration of well-being, health and quality of life, even if loneliness is experienced individually. Clinical significance: The results of this study may be of importance in the care of an elderly person. Being observant and taking time to each meeting with the elderly person can possibly help them feel like they belong to a community and even feel involved in some way. All this can help to prevent loneliness.

Bakgrund Bröstcancer är känd som den klart vanligaste cancerformen hos kvinnor världen över och är en vanlig orsak till cancerrelaterad dödlighet. Med numera raffinerade behandlingar kan man i många fall bota sjukdomen. Ett sätt är med hjälp av kirurgiska åtgärder där mastektomi, avlägsnade av hela bröstet, är ett vanligt val. Ur både ett historiskt och kulturellt perspektiv har kvinnobröstet varit en utmärkande symbol för femininitet och det kvinnliga. Syfte Syftet med studien var att belysa kvinnors upplevelser av sina kroppar efter mastektomi. Metod Studien gjordes som en systematisk litteraturöversikt där tio kvalitativa vetenskapliga studier studerades och ett resultat sammanfattades utifrån det.  Resultat Att förlora ett bröst resulterade i en förändrad identitet och kroppsbild. Kvinnorna kände sig asymmetriska och i vissa fall stympade. De ansåg sig ha förlorat kvinnlighet och sexualitet. Detta ledde till känslor av förlust, främmandeskap och sorg. Ett behov av stöd fanns och det kunde hjälpa dem i återhämtningen. Att lära sig acceptera och leva med den nya kroppen var en lång process där kvinnorna använde sig av olika metoder för att hantera förlusten av sitt bröst. Ärret blev en symbol för både cancern och förlust av en kroppsdel men också av att sjukdomen var besegrad. Slutsats Att förlora ett bröst påverkar kvinnornas kroppsbild och därmed många andra domäner i deras liv. Sjuksköterskor som möter dessa kvinnor behöver öka sina kunskaper kring mastektomins effekter och på så vis öka sin förståelse för kvinnornas behov av stöd. Detta för att kunna hjälpa dem att bearbeta sina upplevelser och uppmuntra dem till att trivas med sina nya kroppar. / Background Breast cancer is known as the most common form of cancer among women around the world and is still a common cause of cancer-related death. However, with many advanced treatments now available, finding a cure is often a possibility. This is mostly achieved through surgical procedures where mastectomy, removal of the whole breast, is a common option. Seen through a historical and cultural perspective, the female breast has been a distinctive symbol of femininity. Aim The aim of this study was to shed some light over mastectomised women’s experiences of their bodies after the mastectomy. Method The study is a litterature review based on the findings of ten qualitative scientific studies. Results Losing a breast resulted in a change of identity and body image. The women felt asymmetric and in some cases mutilated. They claimed to have lost femininity and sexuality. This led to feelings of loss, strangeness and grief. There was a need for support which could help them on the path to recovery. Learning to accept and live with the new body was a time consuming process in which the women used different tactics in order to deal with the breast loss. The scar became a symbol for both the cancer and the loss of a body part but also that the desease was defeated. Conclusion Losing a breast affect women's body image and as a result, many other domains of their lives. Nurses who meet these women need to increase their knowledge about the effects of mastectomy and thus increase their understanding of women's need for support. This in order to help them process their experiences and encourage them to be happy with their new bodies.

Leadership has been studied from many angles. But in my study, I study leadership with metaphors, hoping to provide some new insights. With metaphors, I want to seek an answer what can leaders do to integrate themselves to lead better. In this time, leadership is no longer constrained within one domain. With rapid changes and merging among companies and industries, people expect leadership in a broader range of contexts and domains. I also want to find what leaders can do to manage their influence well, to get it across domains. I look into various fields including psychology, culture, leadership and others to gain knowledge. With the help of metaphor, I break the questions into answerable parts and start my research. As for methodology, I adopt systems approach. I conduct eight interviews with leaders from diversified backgrounds regarding age, gender, industry, position and family status. But one thing in common is that they are all highly engaged in multi-cultural or multi-domain interaction. By studying their experience, learning their past and their approach, I come up with eight patterns of influence from the interviews, showing their uniqueness in style and approach to integrate themselves and to convey influence beyond domains. In theoretical study, I further compare the patterns to locate the common parts and reveal the different parts. Then I introduce a concise frame and analyze further. Finally, by combining books, articles and analysis, I provide the advice on what leader can do to expand their influence. Finally, I suggest a few points for leaders to integrate themselves to be better leaders and seek their styles. Then, using their styles or patterns, develop and deliver their influence beyond domains.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka skillnader i arbetsmotivation enligt Social Determination Theory beroende på om de anställda hade en direktanställning via företaget som studien genomfördes på eller om de var anställda via bemanningsföretag. Studien undersökte även huruvida arbetsmotivation kunde predicera psykiskt välbefinnande. Urvalet bestod av industriarbetare där den ena gruppen bestod av direktanställda och den andra av bemanningspersonal. Data samlades in genom en enkätundersökning i pappersform som utgick från Basic need satisfaction at work scale för arbetsmotivation och General health questionnaire 12 som mätte psykiskt välbefinnande. Totalt svarade 48 personer på enkäten. Resultatet visade ingen signifikant skillnad överlag mellan grupperna i arbetsmotivation. Däremot gick det att urskilja en skillnad i en av delskalorna hos grupperna där bemanningspersonal uppvisade lägre nivå av autonomi. Studien visade även att arbetsmotivation kunde predicera psykiskt välbefinnande. / The aim of the study was to examine differences in work motivation according to Social Determination Theory depending on whether the employees had a direct employment through the company where the study was conducted or if they were employed through a staffing agency (worked as contingent workers). The study also aimed to examine whether work motivation could predict psychological well-being. The population consisted of industrial workers where one groups consisted of permanent employees and the other group consisted of contingent workers from a staffing company. Data were collected through a questionnaire measured with Basic need satisfaction at work scale for work motivation and General health questionnaire 12 for psychological well-being. The study showed no significant difference between the two groups in general. Separate analyses of the three subscales in work motivation showed that direct employees had higher levels of autonomy than contingent workers. The study also showed that work motivation predicts psychological well-being.

I dagens samhälle ökar internetanvändningen ständigt och likaså gör näthatet. De som kränker andra personer över nätet anonymt kallas för troll och oftast får det ingen konsekvens. Polisen kan inget göra då det inte finns någon tydlig lagstiftning kring näthat och de som faller offer för näthatet får ta hand om det själva. Syftet med studien är således är att undersöka vad individer som upplevt sig blivit utsatta för någon typ av kränkning på nätet har tagit för lärdom från händelsen samt att undersöka om kränkningar på nätet har påverkat individens välmående. Undersökningen genomfördes med en semistrukturerad intervjuguide på sju informanter. Vi valde en semistrukturerad intervjuguide eftersom vi valde att utgå från den hermeneutiska metodansatsen som bygger på att få en förståelse för en upplevelse. Vi utgick från ett sociokulturellt perspektiv tillsammans med andra teorier som community of practice samt erfarenhetsbaserat lärande som fokuserar på hur en individ lär sig i olika kontexter. Då vi även ville se hur individens välmående påverkades valde vi även att utgå från begreppet KASAM och empowerment. I vårt resultat var de teman vi kunde se i samtliga transkriberingar och de vi tyckte var mest återkommande: Upplevelsen, strategier, och makt. Samtliga informanter upplevde sin situation som jobbig men många kände sig även stärkta av den och de använde sig av olika strategier för att hantera näthatet och lärde sig på så vis att hantera den. Våra informanter kände sig ofta maktlösa då varken polisen eller internetsidan kunde hjälpa dem, de fick då försöka ta tillbaka makten över situationen och blev således stärkta av den. Vår slutsats är att näthat är lika verklig och jobbig som den mobbning som sker i verkligenheten och det behövs en ordentlig lagstiftning kring vad som är tillåtet att säga på nätet. Samtidigt behöver interntsidor ta ansvar och arbeta på sina säkerhetsinställningar och skapa en trygghet åt användaren. / In today's community the ever-increasing use of the internet also causes cyber bullying, those who violate other people over the net anonymously is called trolls. The police can´t do anything when there´s no law around this type of cyber bullying and those who fall victim have to take care of the situation themselves. The purpose of this study is to examine individuals descibed experience about beeing victims of some type of abuse on the net and what they learned from the incident and to examine how violations of the web has affected the individual's well-being. The survey was conducted using a semi-structured interview guide in seven participants, we chose a semi-structured interview guide because we proceeded from the hermeneutic method approach based on gaining an understanding of an experience. We started from a sociocultural perspective with other theories like community of practice and experience-based learning that focuses on how an individual learns in different contexts. We also wanted to see how the individual's well-being was affected so we used the concept of SOC and empowerment. Our results were three themes we could see in all the transcripts: Experience, strategies, and power. All participants perceived their situation as difficult, but many also felt empowered by it, and they used various strategies to deal with the violations and they learned in such way to handle it. Our participants often felt powerless when neither the police or the internet page could help them, they had to try to take control over the situation and was because of that, strengthened by it. Our conclusion is that violations on the net is as real as bullying in real life. The need for a proper legislation about what´s allowed to say online is necessary and internet need to take responsibility and work on their security settings and create a sense of security for the user.

Although online social connectedness is increasing, many assumptions about online social network use still remain. For example, that offline social connectedness is superior to online social connectedness. This cross-sectional study addresses these assumptions by studying online and offline social connectedness in relation to happiness, in a sample of 293 young adults from Sweden, between the ages 18-48. Results show that both online and offline social connectedness was associated to happiness. Moreover, three groups varying on happiness did not differ on various forms of social connectedness; however, very happy individuals reported having more genuine online friends than all other groups. The implications of the study and future directions are discussed.

På senare år har sjukskrivningarna i Sverige ökat på grund av arbetsrelaterad stress, vilket tros bero på den ökade stressen i dagens samhälle. Forskning visar att arbetsrelaterad stress ofta drabbar individer som har kontakt med och ansvarar för människor. Det kan bero på att tidigare forskning inom well-being, välmående, främst har riktats mot läkarkåren. Eftersom revisorer, precis som läkare, anses vara en profession av många, finns det incitament att även studera revisorers well-being. Tidigare forskning har påvisat att organisationskulturen både kan ha en positiv och en negativ inverkan på en individs well-being, vilket medför att vi har valt att studera hur olika organisationskulturer inom revisionsbyråer påverkar revisorns wellbeing. Genom att i ett första skede genomföra pilotintervjuer med revisorsassistenter, har detta gett oss en god inblick i deras arbetssituation, vilket har bistått oss i utformandet av en enkät. Denna enkät har sedan skickats ut till samtliga identifierbara godkända och auktoriserade revisorer i Sverige. Av 2 738 utskick fick vi 262 stycken svar, vilket motsvarar en svarsfrekvens på 9,6 %. Med hjälp av den teoretiska referensramen har sex stycken hypoteser utformats. För att testa dessa har vi valt att analysera våra resultat genom att utföra statistiska analyser. Vi har i vår studie kunnat konstatera att det finns indikationer på att en kollektivistisk organisationskultur, hierarchy culture och adhocracy culture har en positiv inverkan på revisorns subjektiva well-being. Dessutom har vi även kunnat konstatera att det finns indikationer på att market culture och en individualistisk organisationskultur har en negativ inverkan på revisorns subjektiva well-being. En begränsning med vår studie är att den endast innefattar godkända och auktoriserade revisorer i Sverige. Begränsningen medför dock att vi kan bidra med ny kunskap inom en tidigare relativt ostuderad kontext. / During the past years the absence from work due to work-related stress has increased in Sweden, which is assumed to have something to do with the increased stress in society. Previous research has shown that work-related stress often affects individuals who have some kind of contact with other people and also have a responsibility towards them. This might be a reason for why previous research has focused mainly on doctors, when it comes to studies on well-being. Since auditors, just like doctors, are believed to be a profession, it would also be interesting to study auditors’ well-being. Previous research has shown that the organizational culture can have an impact on the individual’s well-being. This is why we have chosen to study how different organizational cultures within audit firms affect auditors’ well-being. We started our research by conducting pilot interviews with assistant auditors, to give us a good overview of their work situation. This led to the construction of a survey, which has been distributed to all approved and authorized auditors in Sweden. We have sent 2 738 questionnaires and received 262 responses, which is a response rate of 9,6 %. By the help of the theoretical framework, we constructed six hypotheses, which have been tested by statistical analyses. One conclusion is that we have found indications that a collectivistic organizational culture, hierarchy culture and adhocracy culture have a positive effect on the auditors’ subjective wellbeing. We can also conclude that there are indications that market culture has a negative effect on the auditors’ subjective well-being. A limitation with this study is that it only includes approved and authorized auditors in Sweden. The limitation, however, enabled us to contribute with new knowledge within a previously somewhat unstudied context.

Demografisk udvikling peger i retning af en signifikant øgning i antallet af ældre og gamle mennesker. Dette skaber ifølge WHO en udfordring for regeringerne for at opstille en politik, der øger menneskers mulighed for at forblive aktive op i alderdommen. Opfattelsen er, at der bør være mere vægt på sundhedsfremme. Dette er en kvalitativ studie af, hvilken betydning naturen har for ældre (60+) menneskers oplevelse af velvære, og hvilket nærmiljø de foretrækker. Ved analyse af 12 semi-strukturerede interviews, viser fund, at naturens værdi er meget høj blandt informanterne, og at naturoplevelser medvirker til deres følelse af velvære. De opfatter deres nærmiljø som en del af naturen, og de foretrækker især deres have og terrasse. Et nyt fund i denne studie er, at informanterne specielt understreger lysets betydning for deres velvære. Perspektivet i studien er, at det bør overvejes at udnytte natur som en ressource i sundhedspolitik. / Demographic development points to a significant increase in elderly and old people, which according to WHO is creating challenges for governments to make policies, that increase the opportunities for people to stay active as they age. The point is that there should be more emphasis on health promotion. This is a qualitative study on what impact nature has on elderly (60+) peoples experience of well-being, and what kind of nearby environment they prefer. Analysing 12 semi-structured interviews, the findings are, that the value of nature is very high amongst the informants and that nature tributes to their well-being. To them, their nearby environment is part of nature, and they particularly prefer garden and terraces. New findings in this study are, that the informants emphasis especially how much nature’s light means to them. The perspectives of this study suggest that health policies consider nature as a resource in health promotion / <p>ISBN 91-7997-129-6</p>

Highly skilled nurses amongst the OR team, are needed in the operating room (OR) to ensure optimal patient safety. Shortages in experienced OR nurses and a stressful working environment prove to have a negative influence on effective safe patient care as well as a negative effect on nurses’ own well-being. The research focused on the effectiveness of sensory stimulation therapy (SST) to strengthen the well-being of nurses in the OR of a private hospital in the North-West Province. SST, better known as Snoezelen™, is a blend of sight, sounds, textures, aromas and motion providing stimulation to the primary senses (Collier, McPherson, et al., 2010:698). The five primary senses are gently stimulated without any intellectual activity needed. A particular aim with SST is to improve the well-being of individuals by setting them at ease. The well-being of OR nurses was studied from a resilience viewpoint assuming that, if exposure to stressors was limited and the individual did have an opportunity to recover, stressors may have a positive, toughening effect. Well-being and resilience was used interchangeably in the study. The objectives of the study were to explore and describe OR nurses‟ needs for SST, to explore and describe OR nurses’ suggestions with regard to the implementation of SST in an OR and to explore and describe the effectiveness of a SST intervention to strengthen the well- being of OR nurses in a private hospital in the North-West Province. An explorative, descriptive quasi-experimental design within a quantitative approach was used. Seventy two participants from two private hospitals in the North-West Province voluntarily participated in the research. A pre-/post-test design was used. One pilot group, one intervention group and one comparison group were identified. Participants from all three the participating groups completed a self administered resilience scale questionnaire before and after the implementation of a SST intervention. Before the intervention 100% participants from the pilot group, 100% participants from the intervention group and 96% participants from the comparison group completed the self administered resilience scale questionnaire. Participants of the intervention group also completed a self report questionnaire from which their needs could be determined and suggestions were made on the implementation of a SST intervention. A 98% response rate was obtained for these self report questionnaires. After the intervention the intervention group’s participants were invited to write narratives regarding their experiences after visiting the SST room. The intervention was implemented for a period of two consecutive months in the OR of one of the private hospitals. After the intervention an 88% response rate from the pilot group, 100% response rate from the intervention group and a 63% response rate from the comparison group, completing self administered resilience scale questionnaires, were obtained. Data was analysed with the assistance of a statistical consultant at the North-West University in Potchefstroom by using STATISTICA (version 10) and SPSS (version 20, release 20.0.0) (StatSoft Inc., 2011, SPSS Inc., 211). Results indicated that there was no statistical difference between the three participating groups regarding their resilience before the intervention. However, after the intervention, the intervention group demonstrated a statistical increase in their resilience levels. Based on these results, as well as on conclusions of relevant literature and the feedback from participants in their written narratives, recommendations were formulated with regard to nursing education, nursing practice and further research. Briefly it means that there should be more consideration for OR nurses’ well-being by means of a SST program providing for their needs. Recommendations included the benefits of a SST room in a hospital environment as well as complete instructions on how to create and to furnish such a room. Attributes of resilience, factors influencing resilience levels and methods to increase resilience levels in the workplace should be included in a regular in-service training program. For future research the researcher recommended further studies in order to determine the resilience levels in various departments of private hospitals. This could mean the successful implementation of a SST room in other departments as well which will eventually lead to the improved well-being of all nursing staff. The researcher is willing to act as a consultant if the need arises for the comparison groups to implement a SST intervention in their different departments. / Thesis (MCur)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Early adolescent girls in a private school setting are in a vulnerable state on account of their gender, transitional developmental phase and a combined array of modern-day expectations and challenges. With many private schools expecting a 100% pass rate from their students, issues of competitiveness and achievement pressure may become prevalent. Research has shown that early adolescent girls are more susceptible to psychosocial problems than boys as well as girls of other ages, putting them more at risk of the effects of performance pressure, academic stress, depression and anxiety. Early adolescent girls’ vulnerability due to the impact that puberty has on their self-esteem as well as the fact that they are easily influenced by the opinions of others, causing them to be highly sensitive to the approval of others, may be compounded by pressures of the private school. The purpose and aim of this study was therefore to explore and describe the lived experiences of early adolescent girls in a private school setting so as to gain a deeper understanding of such experiences. In following this it was hoped that the study would offer the girls a ‘voice’ as well as create awareness of how they can be better supported in terms of their psychosocial development and well-being. The study was not viewed from one specific theoretical perspective but rather took into consideration various theories of development while undertaking the literature review, in order to gain a broader orientation of the subject at hand. The current literature with regard to the key concepts of the study formed part of the overview of the study. A qualitative approach was followed so as to understand the unique, true meaning of the girls’ experiences. A case study design allowed for a holistic, in-depth study of the social phenomenon at hand. The participants were ten early adolescent girls in Grade 7 in a private school in Northern Johannesburg who volunteered to take part in the study with the informed consent of their parents. The data obtained were viewed in line with an interpretive descriptive paradigm, which allowed the phenomenon to be studied through a ‘subjective lens’ while allowing for the formation of various realities. A deeper understanding of such realities in terms of the girls’ interpretations of their lived experiences was obtained through the data collection methods of semi-structured in-depth interviews, collages, confidential letters, journal Psychosocial experiences of early adolescent girls in a private school setting entries, field notes and researcher reflective notes. In combination with the researcher’s interpretation, this led to a richer, co-constructed, description of the girls’ experiences. The interpretive description allowed for the emergence of thematic patterns which revealed the findings of the study. The findings confirm that the girls are experiencing pressure to attain and maintain the high standard of the school. The findings further confirm that such pressures are increased by the early adolescent girls’ vulnerable developmental phase which places them in need of greater positive support from teachers, peers and parents to maintain healthy psychosocial development. The findings show that perceived rejection from peers and teachers has a negative effect on the girls’ self-concept. The findings further reveal that in considering the girls’ well-being they should be given a voice and be respected in their authentic uniqueness. Recommendations were made for the school to investigate the establishment of ‘mindfulness workshops’ to be run at the school, with the outcome that parents, teachers and students further develop skills in ways of supporting the girls’ healthy psychosocial development. / Thesis (MA (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.