Children’s participation in their planning in health and social services is important. To make children’s needs more considered they need to be involved in the cision-making processes. Children have the ability to reflect. The aim has been to find ut which knowledge there is about participation of children and youth with disability in meetings with the society and elucidate factors that have an impact on the participation. This study focus on the children’s view on their own participation. The topic was examined with a selective systematic literature review. Forty studies showed that children want to be participating in their own habilitation contacts. The majority studies concern health care, very few social care. This study concerns children’s participation in the aspect how • they are listened to • they are supported in expressing their views • their views are taken into account • they are involved in decision-making processes and • they participate and have power and responsibility for decision-making. Children clearly desired participation in the three first levels and to some extent in the two latter. Time, flexibility, the staff ’s child competence and children’s participation competence, interaction competence (children, parents, staff) etc are important factors on individual and system level. Despite knowledge about children ’s competence the awareness still is low about the importance of children’s participation.

A qualitative study about the culture evolving around computer games and its users.

Through two phases we examined self-compassion as a way to promote healthy reactions, thoughts, and emotions in young women athletes when faced with emotionally difficult sport-specific scenarios. In Phase I, participants (N = 101; Mage = 20.0) completed measures of self-compassion, self-esteem, and narcissism, as well as reactions, thoughts, and emotions in response to hypothetical (i.e., responsible for a team loss) and recalled scenarios. After partialling out self-esteem and narcissism, self-compassion was related (p < .01) to negative affect (r =-.40), catastrophizing thoughts (r =-.30), personalizing thoughts (r =-.32), and behavioural equanimity (r =.28) for the hypothetical scenario. A similar pattern was found for the recalled scenario. Participants returning for Phase II were randomly assigned to a self-compassion induction (n = 21), self-esteem induction (n =20), or writing control (n =18) group. Following the induction, they responded to the same hypothetical scenario as in Phase I. A doubly multivariate analysis with self-esteem and narcissism as covariates showed a non-significant induction by time interaction, Wilks’ Lambda = .75, F (12, 96) = 1.27. However, hierarchical regression analysis similar to Leary et al. (2007) showed initial levels of self-compassion as the only significant predictor for negative affect, personalizing thoughts, and behavioural equanimity. Future research needs continued focus on how and when self-compassion is most useful to young women athletes.

The present study examines the validity, reliability, and psychometric properties of a newly developed violence risk assessment and treatment planning measure for youth the Violence Risk Scale-Youth Version (VRS-YV; Lewis, Wong, & Gordon, 2004). Composed of 4 static and 19 dynamic items, the VRS-YV is designed to assess violence risk, identify targets for treatment, and evaluate changes in risk as a function of treatment. Change is evaluated through a modified application of Prochaska et al.s (1992) Transtheoretical Model of Change. Stages of change ratings made pre- and post-treatment are summed across dynamic items to yield change scores. <p>The VRS-YV, Youth Level of Services/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI; Hoge & Andrews, 2003), and Psychopathy Checklist-Youth Version (PCL-YV; Forth, Kosson, & Hare, 2003) were each rated from file information on a sample of 133 young offenders (68 males and 65 females) who had received assessment and/or treatment services from a community mental health facility in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. All youths had been charged or convicted of a violent offense. This tended to be a rather high risk sample with a large proportion of Aboriginal youths.<p>The VRS-YV demonstrated good internal consistency (VRS-YV total á = .91) and interrater reliability (VRS-YV total ICC = .90), while most of the individual items had acceptable inter-item (mean r = .32) and item total correlations (range r = .30 to .70). Male and female youths displayed few differences on the three risk measures or their respective scale components; however, Aboriginal youths scored significantly higher on these measures than non-Aboriginal youths, with the trend being particularly strong among males.<p>The VRS-YV showed good convergence with the YLS/CMI and PCL-YV. The three measures significantly postdicted violent offending, that is, youth who were repeat violent offenders tended to score significantly higher on each of the measures, than first time violent youth (i.e., those who had no previous history of violence). Similar postdiction was observed for general criminal offending. <p>Recidivism data were available for roughly half of the total sample (n = 62) over a mean follow-up time of approximately 2 years. Preliminary evidence was obtained for the predictive accuracy of the VRS-YV with respect to violent and general recidivism. Predictive accuracy statistics were comparable to those obtained for the YLS/CMI and PCL-YV, with correlations generally being in the .40 to .50 range and Areas Under the Curve (AUCs) in the mid .70s to low .80s. There was also a significant relationship between VRS-YV risk level and both violent and general recidivism. Survival analyses further confirmed that the VRS-YV was able to differentiate those who were more likely to recidivate and more likely to do so more quickly.<p>Change ratings were available for a small subsample of youth (n = 39), which were used to compute post-treatment dynamic ratings. Youths appeared to demonstrate some degree of change, indicating possible therapeutic progress after receiving treatment services. While the trends for the change results tended to be in the expected direction across several of the analyses, the small nature of the sample precluded meaningful interpretation of these findings.<p>In sum, these data provide preliminary evidence for the ability of the VRS-YV to evaluate risk and predict violent and general recidivism with comparable accuracy to that of two well-known and psychometrically robust instruments in the field. The results further demonstrate that the VRS-YV, YLS/CMI, and PCL-YV can have predictive validity for future violent and general recidivism among a diverse sample of youth that includes both male and female, Aboriginal, and community-based youth, living in the province of Saskatchewan. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Although the effects of witnessing domestic violence on young children were long believed to be non-existent, current research indicates that young children do suffer negative consequences as a result of witnessing violence (e.g., Zeanah, et al., 1999). From research with older children it is known that exposure to violence is associated with emotional dysregulation, behaviour problems, and difficulties in school (e.g., Wolfe et al., 2003). Risk factors (e.g., maternal depression) and protective factors (e.g., secure attachment relationship) have been implicated in both emotional regulatory abilities and the effects of exposure to domestic violence. <p>The present research endeavoured to use a developmental psychopathology perspective to understand the experiences of young children exposed to domestic violence, specifically their emotion regulation abilities and behaviour problems. Study 1 explored the application and reliability of an emotion regulation coding scheme for use with young children during the Face-to-Face Still Face scenario. Study 2 examined the relationship between previous exposure to domestic violence and behaviour problems and emotion regulation, while considering possible moderating variables. The coding system from Study 1 served as the measure of emotion regulation in Study 2. Findings indicated that young children in this study who had been exposed to increased levels of domestic violence also displayed increased internalizing behaviour problems. No relationship was found between exposure to domestic violence and emotion regulation or externalizing problems or sleep problems. Child temperament, attachment security and maternal psychological symptomology were associated with behaviour problems in these children. Maternal psychological symptomology was marginally related to emotion regulation, however temperament and attachment security were not. The relationship between exposure to physical aggression and externalizing behaviour problems was moderated by child temperament and attachment security. The relationship between physical aggression and internalizing behaviour problems was moderated by attachment security. The implications of these findings for future research and clinical practice are discussed. Taken together, these two studies expanded the existing literature on the adjustment outcomes associated with exposure to domestic violence in young children.

Although serious illness is often associated with aging in contemporary society, increasing numbers of young adults are being diagnosed with a variety of serious illnesses. In order to learn more about what it is like to be seriously ill during young adulthood, I completed a qualitative study with ten young women who had recently been affected by a life-threatening or chronic illness. The research was informed by a theoretical approach based on social constructionist and phenomenological principles that recognize that physiological processes such as illness are socially mediated and given meaning within a certain socio-cultural context. Thus,the life course and its corresponding stages are not universal or biologically determined, but rather are social constructions based on socio-cultural factors and the meanings given to certain biological events. This research involved participants between the ages of 20 and 37 from around Saskatchewan who had been affected by a serious illness within the previous three years. The methodological approach that I utilized was interpretive and drew upon phenomenological, feminist, and participatory visual approaches to qualitative research. The young women participated in phenomenological interviews and a photovoice project that explored their lived experiences of serious illness and the specific issues that they faced because of illness. I analyzed the data thematically, incorporating phenomenological concepts of embodiment, temporality, and relationality. Although the interview and photographic data highlighted a range of experiences, the data highlighted several similarities among participants. Foremost, the data revealed that serious illness was highly disruptive for the young women; specifically, participants were required to negotiate disruptions to their sense of embodiment, everyday lives, expectations for the future, and social relationships. Ultimately, serious illness brought about embodied and social experiences that conflicted with how participants had previously envisioned young adulthood and their life course. As such, their experiences of illness had profound implications for their self identity and brought about a complex process of trying to make sense of illness. Based on these findings, I conclude that the young women experienced and made sense of illness within the context of socio-cultural expectations related to age and the life course, as well as gender. I also identify the implications of this research for health care and support services aimed at this population.

Fantasy literature is often dismissed as inferior work, whose primary purpose is to provide an escapist text for its readers. The purpose of this project is twofold: to show that fantasy actively engages social issues and to investigate how this engagement occurs, using the texts of young adult fantasy writer Tamora Pierce. Pierces works demonstrate how conventions of fantasy can be used and broken in order to create new perspectives on modern concerns. My study begins with an examination of fantasy literature and research, with emphases on J. R. R. Tolkien and Tzvetan Todrov. From there, I move on to discuss at length the three social issues most prevalent in Pierces work: environmentalism, feminism, and didacticism. In terms of environmentalism, animals are elevated above modern status, alien species create analogies to human affairs, and magic becomes a metaphor for responsible management and understanding of natural forces. Pierces treatment of feminism, through the portrayals of young female protagonists, has been challenged by critics for perpetuating the male-dominated system. However, a detailed study demonstrates a variety of different reactions and approaches to feminism that cannot be dismissed so easily. Both the environmentalism and the feminism in these novels suggest a desire on Pierces part to impart a didactic message to her young adult audience. While this message may not always be one that Pierce appears to intend, her nuanced approach to the often oversimplified fantasy binary of good and evil creates a worldview more compatible to that of her readers. Through Pierce and her work, fantasy is more than just escape- it fosters revitalization and reconsideration of the modern world.

Since housing choice and strategy are the result of both an individual’s financial capability in a particular life stage, as well as overall political-economic circumstances, the study of housing behavior has been used to emphasize processes of urban development and social change. However, housing behavior in the Chinese context has not attracted much research attention. Although many studies have been done on various topics surrounding China’s housing reform, only several quantitative studies have touched upon the topic of individual housing behavior. All of the existing literature is based on statistics before 1998 when work-unit housing distribution was officially repealed. This thesis offers an update of qualitative information on how young white-collar workers approach homeownership after 1998. Ten young homeowners from Beijing, together with some practitioners in the housing market and two governmental officials were interviewed. Based on the information offered by the interviewees, this thesis examines how state policies, market situations, family structure, and special characteristics of Beijing as a capital city impact the housing choices and strategies of young homeowners.

Using textual analysis of 49 young adult paranormal romances, I answer what it is about the cultural milieu that makes these novels popular right now? This thesis argues that the discourse which emerges from the novels reflects contemporary discourse and narrative about the girls and young women who read the genre and who place themselves within this discourse and narrative. The novels respond to this discourse by offering instances where the girls' ideologies, built on the discourse taught to them, can be temporarily restored when the narrative proves false. These novels also undermine the confining discourse which the girls find themselves stuck in.

Dans ce travail, nous nous intéressons dans la première partie, constituée de cinq chapitres, aux mots de Yamanouchi et dans la deuxième partie, constituée d'un seul chapitre, aux permutations connexes et aux hypercartes pointées. Dans le premier chapitre, nous donnerons un résumé des résultats connus et utilisés dans cette thèse. Dans le chapitre 2, nous généraliserons l'expression donnant read(t) et row(t) pour t un tableau de Young standard aux tableaux gauches standards où read(t) et row(t) sont deux mots associés au tableau t. Nous donnerons une interprétation géométrique pour les standardisations à gauche et à droite d'un mot quelconque. Ensuite, nous utiliserons les arrangements de van Leeuwen pour donner une preuve naturelle à tous les résultats de ce chapitre. Nous définirons les paires de mots de Yamanouchi indécomposables ct nous montrerons qu'elles sont en bijection avec les permutations connexes. Dans le chapitre 3, nous élaborerons des algorithmes sur les mots de Yamanouchi qui sont en bijection avec les tableaux de Young standards. Ces algorithmes simileront les algorithmes connus sur les tableaux à savoir : la transposition, les glissements du jeu taquin de Schützenberger, l'évacuation et la correspondance de Schensted. Dans le chapitre 4, nous élaborerons un algorithme de redressement d'un mot qui n'est pas un mot de Yamanouchi. Cet algorithme similera l'algorithme connu de redressement d'un tableau gauche standard en un tableau de Young standard par une suite de glissements du jeu de taquin de Schützenberger. Nous montrerons que le mot de Yamanouchi obtenu par cet algorithme est identique au mot de Yamanouchi obtenu par un algorithme de Robinson. Nous généraliserons le résultat de van Leeuwen donnant le lien entre la correspondance de Robinson, entre les permutations et les paires de mots de Yamanouchi, et celle de Schensted, entre les permutations et les paires de tableaux de Young standards, des permutations aux mots arbitraires. Nous utiliserons le résultat obtenu pour donner une réponse à une question posée par Thomas. Nous utiliserons l'algorithme de Robinson pour donner une expression à l'évacué d'un mot de Yamanouchi. Nous utiliserons l'algorithme de redressement pour donner une nouvelle formule à la correspondance de Schensted. Dans le chapitre 5, nous poserons une nouvelle conjecture ayant un lien étroit avec une conjecture de Schützenberger qui concerne son opération d'évacuation d'un tableau de Young standard et avec la correspondance de Schensted. Nous montrerons que cette nouvelle conjecture implique celle de Schützenberger. Nous donnerons une solution pour cette nouvelle conjecture dans le cas particulier des tableaux ayant seulement deux lignes. Dans le dernier chapitre, nous utiliserons les formules de Dumont et Kreweras, qui ont étudié une famille particulière de fractions continues liée à la série hypergéométrique, pour donner une nouvelle preuve aux formules donnant les permutations connexes selon leur nombre et aussi selon leur nombre de cycles. Nous établirons deux nouvelles formules pour les permutations connexes. Nous montrerons que le résultat de Sillke et celui de Dumont et Kreweras sont équivalents ensuite nous généraliserons chacun des deux résultats en passant au type cyclique au lieu du nombre de cycles. Nous généraliserons une formule donnée par Cori qui concerne les hypercartes étiquetées à n points. Nous donnons une expression à chacune des deux séries formelles donnant le nombre des permutations selon leur type cyclique et aussi le nombre des permutations connexes selon leur type cyclique. Finalement, nous donnerons le nombre de sous-groupes normaux d'indice n dans le groupe libre à deux générateurs pour n un entier premier. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Tableaux de Young standards, tableaux gauches standards, mots de Yamanouchi, standardisation à gauche et à droite, transposition, glissements du jeu taquin de Schützenberger, évacuation, redressement d'un tableau gauche standard, correspondance de Schensted, correspondance de Robinson, relations de Knuth, monoïde palxique, permutations connexes, hypercartes pointées, sous-groupes du groupe libre à deux générateurs.