Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Work coherence'

Bibliography: pages 80-86.
The aim of the present study was to test a model of stress and to examine whether the theoretical construct of sense of coherence (SOC) moderated the relationship between stressors and health-related and work-related outcomes. This construct of SOC was identified by an Israeli medical sociologist, Antonovsky. He maintained that the current focus of research on stress is largely pathogenic in nature. He suggested that it would be of value to shift research more towards that which identifies the origins of health. He consequently developed the term "salutogenesis", which requires people to focus on those factors which promote well-being. He also argued that people are not either sick or well, but rather are located on a continuum between health-ease/dis-ease. With respect to their health, persons will find themselves somewhere along this continuum, where they may shift between the two positions. He then suggests that certain factors contribute to facilitating the movement along this continuum. These factors together form a construct which he calls the SOC. The SOC is comprised of core components. He hypothesizes that someone with a strong SOC is likely to make better sense of the world around him/her, thereby engendering resilience towards the impinging stressors. The person with a weak SOC is likely to capitulate to these stressors · more readily and by succumbing to them is going to increase the likelihood that (s)he will move to the dis-ease end of the continuum. This study attempted to investigate the following research questions, namely, whether (1) the stressors were related to the stress outcomes, (2) the SOC was related to the stressors and outcomes, and (3) the SOC moderated the relationships between stressors and outcomes. In the present study the subjects were drawn from all data processing professionals in a large financial organisation. The respondents (~ = 194) replied to a questionnaire which contained scales which measured a variety of job-related stressors, an SOC scale as well as job-related and health-related outcome variables. Intercorrelations between the stressor, moderator and outcome variables were calculated. Other statistical procedures that were utilized were subgroup analyses and the moderated multiple regression analyses. Partial support for all three research questions was obtained. Four of the six stressors were found to correlate significantly with somatic complaints, thereby suggesting that stressors result in persons feeling the results of stress and reporting them physically. The SOC was found to relate to some of the stressors and outcome variables. This would lend partial support to an interpretation of the SOC as having a main effect relationship to stressor and outcome variables. In the subgroup analyses the results showed that out of a possible 54 relationships, the SOC moderated in only seven of them that the moderated multiple regression (MMR) analyses showed out of 54 possible relationships, the SOC moderated in 12 of them health-related variables. Furthermore, the SOC moderated between six outcome variables and six work-related outcomes. These findings then partially support research question 3, which examined whether the SOC would moderate relationships between stressors and outcome variables. This study was concluded by a discussion of the findings, its implications, and the limitations of this research.

Continuous changes in the security systems around the world, along with the increased pressure to perform may result in feelings of distrust, strain in interpersonal relations, psychological strain, fatigue and tension, all affecting the well-being of employees, especially among protection services members. Work wellness becomes an important aspect when focusing on the safety of people to whom the protection services delivers a service, as well as when the focus is on the safety of these members. Burnout and work engagement are specific focus areas in this regard. To measure burnout and work engagement, it is important to use reliable and valid instruments. Along with burnout and work engagement there are other focus areas that can have a direct influence on these dimensions, namely the perception of organisational politics. The impact of perceptions of organisational politics on burnout and work engagement can be moderated or mediated by sense of coherence. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between work wellness, organisational politics and sense of coherence through the development of a model of work wellness for protection services members comprising of burnout, work engagement, organisational politics and sense of coherence. The research method consists of a literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect the data. An availability sample (N = 341) from protection services members was taken. The Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Perceptions of Organisational Politics (POPS), Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OTLQ) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The statistical analysis was carried out with the help of the SPSS-programme and AMOS. The statistical methods utilised in the article consisted of descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients, exploratory factor analysis, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and structural equation modelling methods. vii Exploratory factor analysis confirmed a two factor model of burnout, consisting of burnout (exhaustion and cynicism) and professional efficacy which represented the data quite well after certain items were left out. In previous research among protection services members two factors in the UWES could also be extracted namely vigour/dedication and absorption. The MBI-GS and UWES both showed acceptable internal consistencies. The analysis of Pearson correlations in this study showed that burnout is negatively related to Vigour/dedication and sense of coherence. Professional efficacy is positively related to Vigour/dedication and absorption. Vigour/Dedication is positively related to absorption and sense of coherence. Prolonged exposure to things like criminal aspects, life-and-death decision making and general political behaviour at organisational level, can result in feelings of burnout. Negative perceptions of organisational politics resulted in higher levels of burnout experienced by protection services members. Sense of coherence mediated the effect of organisational politics on work wellness. Recommendations for future research were made.
Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Health behaviours learned in adolescence set precedence for healthy habits that extend throughout the lifespan. During adolescence transitions take place that lay the foundations for health and wellbeing in adulthood. This study is underpinned by two frameworks: Antonovsky’s theory of salutogenesis and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. Research evidence within the salutogenic paradigm suggests that both the strength of an individual’s Sense of Coherence (SOC) and the Sense of Family Coherence (SOFC) are linked to positive health outcomes. This study aimed to explore how family life is associated with the development of SOC in adolescents. To achieve this a fully integrated longitudinal mixed method research design was employed. Data were collected through mixed method surveys in three waves and semi-structured family interviews using genograms and ecomaps as data collecting tools. The sample was purposively selected from one school and consisted of Swedish-speaking Finns: 65 adolescents, 89 parents and 56 families. Longitudinal data were generated from 18 families. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, content analysis and thematic analysis. The study findings add to the body of knowledge of the sparsely researched area of a collective SOC. Developmental processes of SOC were found to take place in several environments of development simultaneously, with each of these environments providing diverse contexts for complex non-linear and overlapping processes influencing social, physical and mental dimensions of wellbeing. It was however not the contexts of development that were the most crucial factors influencing SOC but rather the processes that took place within these contexts. The findings suggest a reciprocal relationship between SOFC and SOC, with a strong SOFC promoting the development of a strong SOC in adolescents. Individuals with strong SOC scores and families with strong SOFC scores voiced an understanding of beliefs, facts and values deemed important for health and wellbeing. They also demonstrated insight into what actions are needed and should therefore be taken when aiming to promote the health and wellbeing of adolescents. This study recommends that a salutogenic discourse of health should be implemented when planning and implementing policies and strategies aimed at promoting the health and wellbeing of adolescents and their families, leading to improved health and wellbeing.

The impact of change on organisations and the transforming role of the protection services member means that protection services members perform under more stress than members of almost any other profession. They are human and experience the same or sometimes more severe forms of depression, anxiety and other symptoms than other people. The objectives of this study were to determine the construct validity and internal consistency of the MBI-GS, UWES, OTLQ and Health subscales of the ASSET for protection services members. The relationship between work wellness, sense of coherence and health and the development of a model of work wellness for protection services members was determined. The research method consists of a literature review and an empirical study using a cross-sectional survey design to collect data. An availability sample (N = 341) from protection services members was taken. The Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MI-GS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OTLQ), Health subscales of the ASSET and a Biographical questionnaire were administered. The statistical analysis was carried out with the help of the SPSS-programme and AMOS. The statistical methods utilised in the article consisted of descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients, exploratory factor analysis, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and structural equation modelling methods. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed a two-factor model of work engagement, consisting of vigour/dedication and absorption. In previous research of protection services members, two factors in the MBI-GS could also be extracted, namely, burnout and professional efficacy. The MBI-GS and UWES both showed acceptable internal consistencies. Construct equivalence for different language groups was confirmed for the MBI-GS and UWES. vii Product-moment correlation coefficients showed significant negative correlations between Burnout and Vigour/Dedication, Burnout and Sense of Coherence, Sense of Coherence and Physical Health, Sense of Coherence and Psychological Health. There were significant positive correlations between Physical Health and Psychological Health, Professional Efficacy and Vigour/Dedication, Professional Efficacy and Absorption, Vigour/Dedication and Absorption and lastly Physical Health and Psychological Health. A causal model of work wellness was developed. The first two hypothesis were accepted: Work Wellness consists of Burnout and Work Engagement and high levels of burnout may result in either physical of psychological health problems. The third hypothesis was only partially accepted: the path coefficient from Sense of Coherence to Work Wellness and I11 Health is significant. Sense of Coherence partially mediated the impact of Burnout as part of Work Wellness on Ill Health. The path coefficient from Sense of Coherence to Ill Health was also found to be significant, indicating that higher levels of Sense of Coherence can result in fewer health problems. Recommendations for future research were made.
Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Bibliography: pages 105-116.
The present study investigated the relationships between work stressors, three moderator variables, and a variety of affective, behavioural and health outcomes. More specifically, it was hypothesized that the work stressors would be significantly associated with adverse affective, behavioural and health outcomes. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that personal and situational variables, in the form of the Sense of Coherence (Antonovsky, 1979, 1987), Job Decision Latitude (Karasek, 1979), and Participation in Decision Making, would moderate the relationships between work stressors and a variety of outcomes. The data were obtained from a sample of 111 male, white, blue collar workers at a large chemicals manufacturing organization from a questionnaire compiled for this study, and organizational records. The data were subjected to correlational analysis, supplemented by a form of moderated multiple regression analysis. It was found that the relationships between work stressors and outcome variables were insignificant which led to the conclusions that firstly, a priori specification of stressors may ignore the specificity of persons' appraisals of and responses to stressors, and secondly, consideration must be given to the affective meaning ascribed by subjects to job demands. The moderating effects of the Sense of Coherence, Job Decision Latitude and Participation in Decision Making were inconsistently related to outcome variables, frequently operating in the unexpected direction. It was, however, demonstrated that the main effects of the moderating variables which operated in the expected direction, outweighed the unanticipated negative interaction effects. It was observed that the inclusion of personality variables and situational variables in future studies of occupational stress are necessary, a conclusion which is consistent with more recent findings.

Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The military is a unique working environment that poses several challenges to soldiers. These include numerous ambiguities, psychological stressors, physical demands and resource challenges. In order for the military to be successful, it is important to employ individuals who will be able to thrive in this environment. The theory of work adjustment proposes correspondence between an individual and his or her work environment. The military needs individuals who will fit well into the organisation and enhance its capabilities. The objective of this study was to explore the possible relationships between emotional intelligence, locus of control, self-efficacy, sense of coherence and work adjustment within a military sample. The data was collected from a sample of 295 members of the South African National Defence Force preparing for an international deployment. The descriptive statistics included 76,6% males and 23,4% females with the majority of respondents (292) from the South African Army (99%), while the other respondents (3) were from the South African Military Health Service (1%). Quantitative research techniques were employed to test the stated hypotheses. Emotional intelligence, locus of control, self-efficacy and sense of coherence were analysed as independent variables and work adjustment as the dependant variable. The findings supported the hypotheses, and relationships between emotional intelligence, locus of control, self-efficacy and sense of coherence were established. Contributions towards theory, literature, practice, labour, policies and military commanders are made. Recommendations for future research are also presented.

A growing economy demands a skilled workforce, and the reality of the situation in South Africa is that, due to former apartheid policies and job reservation, there are large numbers of unemployed people with little hope of employment in the formal sector because they lack skills and experience. The National Skills Development and the Skills Development Levy Act gave rise to the development of the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS). The NSDS is now entering its second five-year cycle with the scoreboard reflecting both gains and challenges for Sector Education Training Authorities (SETAs) as the primary delivery institutions of the NSDS. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between job demands and job resources and the work wellness of employees in SETAs, using a cross-sectional survey design. The survey consisted of 159 SETA employees in South Africa. The Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey, the Utrecht Work engagement Scale, the ASSET (An Organizational Stress Screening Evaluation Tool) and the Orientation to Life Questionnaire, were administered. Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analyses, Pearson correlations and structural equation modelling were used to analyse the data. The results of this study confirmed the construct validity and reliability of the scales which were employed to measure work-related well-being. Furthermore, the results showed that overload predict exhaustion. Cynicism was best predicted by a lack of resources (specifically growth opportunities and lack of organisational support) and a weak sense of coherence. Vigour and dedication were predicted by growth opportunities, organisational support and a strong sense of coherence Exhaustion predicted physical ill-health, while both exhaustion and cynicism contributed to psychological ill-health. Affective organisational commitment was predicted by vigour and dedication, while behavioural organisational commitment was predicted by high vigour and low exhaustion. Recommendations for SETAs and future research were made
Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

BACKGROUND: Working life is an important arena in most people's lives, and the working line concept is important for the development of welfare in a society. For young people, the period before permanent establishment in working life has become longer during the last two decades. Knowledge about attitudes towards work can help us to understand young people's transition to the labour market. Adolescents are the future workforce, so it seems especially important to notice their attitudes towards work, including attitudes towards the welfare system. The aim of this study was to describe and analyse upper secondary school students' work attitudes, and to explore factors related to these attitudes. METHODS: The sample consisted of 606 upper secondary school students. They all received a questionnaire including questions about quality of life (QOL), sense of coherence (SOC), subjective health and attitudes towards work. The response rate was 91%. A factor analysis established two dimensions of work attitudes. Multivariate analyses were carried out by means of logistic regression models. RESULTS: Work ethics (WE) and general work attitudes (GWA) were found to be two separate dimensions of attitudes towards work. Concerning WE the picture was similar regardless of gender or study programme. Males in theoretical programmes appeared to have more unfavourable GWA than others. Multivariate analyses revealed that good QOL, high SOC and good health were significantly related to positive WE, and high SOC was positively related to GWA. Being female was positively connected to WE and GWA, while studying on a practical programme was positively related to GWA only. Among those who received good parental support, GWA seemed more favourable. CONCLUSION: Assuming that attitudes towards work are important to the working line concept, this study points out positive factors of importance for the future welfare of the society. Individual factors such as female gender, good QOL, high SOC and good health as well as support from both parents, positive experience of school and work contacts related positively to attitudes towards work. Further planning and supportive work have to take these factors into account.

Jones matrix and nondepolarizing Mueller matrix are the basic elements of the calculus of polarization optics. In this thesis we discus other forms that can be used to represent optical properties of deterministic systems. We investigate four different forms that we interpret as the states of deterministic optical systems. Vector state |h⟩ is the basic element of our formalism. Coherent parallel combination of deterministic optical systems can be most conveniently expressed as a linear combination of vector states. In other words, any nondepolarizing optical system can be considered as a coherent combination of other deterministic systems that serve as basis systems. Vector states are not suitable for representing serial combination of optical systems, because |h⟩ vectors cannot be multiplied as |h1⟩|h2⟩|h2⟩···. We observe that there exists a matrix state Z that mimics all properties of Jones matrices. Z matrices are also akin to the nondepolarizing Mueller matrices by the relation, M=ZZ∗. We show that Z matrices transform the Stokes matrix S into another Stokes matrix S′ according to the relation, S′=ZSZ†, where S corresponds to the Stokes vector |s⟩ and S′ corresponds to the transformed Stokes vector |s′⟩ (|s′⟩=M|s⟩). Z matrices also transform Stokes vectors, |s⟩ into complex vectors| ̃s⟩,| ̃s⟩=Z|s⟩. It can be shown that| ̃s⟩vectors bears the phase introduced by the optical system. We observe that |h⟩vectors and Z matrices are different representations of quatenion states h. Quaternion states can be added or multiplied to yield new quaternion states, therefore they are suitable for representing any coherent combination of deterministic optical systems. Z matrix and quaternion formulations are especially useful for describing the emergence of depolarization effects. But, density matrix approach is more convenient when we want to find the original constituents of a depolarizing Mueller matrix. Density matrices that associated with deterministic (pure) optical systems are defined in terms of |h⟩vectors as H=|h⟩⟨h|. A depolarizing Muller can be written as a convex sum of nondepolarizing Mueller matrices. The associated H matrix (density matrix of the mixture) can also be written as a convex sum of density matrices corresponding to the pure component systems. It can be shown that if there exists some knowledge about the anisotropy properties of component systems it is possible to find the nondepolarizing Mueller matrices of original constituents uniquely by means of the rank conditions of Hmatrices. Weapply our formalism to several phenomena. We study the interference effects in a Young’s double slit experiment with complete polarimetric methods. We show that our formalism can be useful for the analytic formulation of interacting dipole systems. We apply the vector state decomposition method to analyze plasmon hybridization, Fano resonances and circular effects in chiral and achiral geometries.
En esta tesis discutimos otras formas que pueden usarse para representar las propiedades ópticas de los sistemas deterministas. Investigamos cuatro formas diferentes que interpretamos como los estados de los sistemas ópticos deterministas. El estado vectorial es el elemento central de nuestro formalismo. La combinación paralela coherente de sistemas ópticos deterministas puede expresarse más convenientemente como una combinación lineal de estados vectoriales. En otras palabras, cualquier sistema óptico no despolarizante puede considerarse como una combinación coherente de otros sistemas deterministas que sirven como sistemas básicos. Los estados vectoriales no son adecuados para representar una combinación en serie de sistemas ópticos. Observamos que existe un estado de matriz Z que imita todas las propiedades de las matrices de Jones. Las matrices de Z también contienen la misma información que las matrices de Mueller no despolarizantes. Las matrices Z también transforman vectores de Stokes en vectores complejos. Observamos que vectores h y matrices Z son diferentes representaciones de estados de cuaternión. Los estados de cuaternión se pueden agregar o multiplicar para producir nuevos estados de cuaternión, por lo tanto, son adecuados para representar cualquier combinación coherente de sistemas ópticos deterministas. La matriz asociada (matriz de densidad de la mezcla) también se puede escribir como una suma convexa de matrices de densidad correspondientes a los sistemas de componentes puros. Se puede demostrar que si existe algún conocimiento acerca de las propiedades de anisotropía de los sistemas de componentes, es posible encontrar las matrices de Mueller no despolarizantes de los componentes originales únicamente mediante las condiciones de rango de las matrices. Aplicamos nuestro formalismo a varios fenómenos, en particular estudiamos por ejemplo los efectos de interferencia en un experimento de doble rendija de Young con métodos polarimétricos completos. También demostramos que nuestro formalismo puede ser útil para la formulación analítica de sistemas dipolo interactivos. Finalmente, aplicamos el método de descomposición del estado vectorial para analizar la hibridación de plasmones, resonancias de Fano y efectos circulares en geometrías quirales y aquirales.

Stress is part of everyday life and in the working conditions of the social services in Sweden. Thus each and every person has resources and strategies to cope with those stressors that construct the assumption of stress. The aim of this study was to understand how persons in leading positions of the LSS of Social Services in Kalmar experience and cope with stressors in their leadership and organization and to investigate what factors during working and non-working hours promote health. Influenced by the theoretical approach of Aaron Antonovsky´s Sense of Coherence seven qualitative interviews were conducted with persons in leading positions. They were asked about stressors, coping strategies, resources and health promoting factors that help to cope with stressors. The interviewees stated that stressors like unclear role description and heavy workload are among others a major part of the role as leader. They also stated that the role as a leader was more desirable than being a chief. Coping strategies were found to help control the daily stressors. Factors during working and non-working hours which promote health were found to be important as a factor to gain energy, relaxation and meaningfulness.

Psykisk ohälsa förekommer i yrkeslivet. Att ha en hög grad av psykisk ohälsa kan leda till otrivsel på arbetet. Studien avsåg att undersöka sambandet mellan psykisk ohälsa och KASAM och arbetsrelaterad KASAM samt ålder, kön, etnicitet, anställningstid, anställningsform och befattning som kan antas vara relaterad till psykisk ohälsa. Detta undersöktes genom nio hypoteser och en frågeställning. 95 individer som arbetade inom hemtjänsten deltog i undersökningen och besvarade en enkät bestående av KASAM-skalan, arbetsrelaterade KASAM-skalan samt General Health Questionnarie 12. Via korrelationer och regressionsanalyser undersöktes materialet. Resultatet visade att hemtjänstpersonal med hög grad av psykisk hälsa hade en hög grad av KASAM och arbetsrelaterad KASAM, samt att andra faktorer såsom anställningsform och ålder relaterar till viss del med psykisk ohälsa. Studien gav en indikation på att höga värden på KASAM och arbetsrelaterad KASAM ger förutsättningar för individerna att klara av stressorer bättre, som också påverkar psykisk ohälsa

Hälso- och sjukvården är en arbetsplats där anställda dagligen ställs inför fysiska och psykiska påfrestningar. Då det inte är möjligt att eliminera alla riskfaktorer krävs istället en motståndskraft. Arbetsresurser i form av socialt stöd, inflytande, utvecklingsmöjligheter samt rolltydlighet kan bidra till engagemang och motivation. Även personliga resurser är viktiga för att hantera stressorer i såväl vardagen som arbetslivet, varav Känsla av sammanhang (KASAM) ses som en av de viktigaste personliga resurserna utifrån hälsa och hälsofrämjande. Studien syftade till att undersöka relationen mellan hälsa, KASAM och arbetsresurser bland anställda inom sjukvården med hjälp av en enkätundersökning utifrån skalorna SHIS, COPSOQ-II samt SOC-13. Analyser utfördes i form av korrelationer samt regressioner. Resultatet påvisade positiva samband mellan respondenternas hälsa och KASAM, hälsa och arbetsresurser samt KASAM och arbetsresurser. De arbetsresurser med starkast samband med respondenternas hälsa var inflytande samt rolltydlighet. Slutsatsen var att KASAM var den individuella faktorn med störst inverkan på hälsan.
In the health-care sector, workers are, on a daily level, exposed to physical and mental strain. Since it’s not possible to eliminate all risk-factors in the work environment, there’s a need for a resilience. Job resources, such as social support, influence, career-opportunity and role-clarity may contribute to engagement and motivation. Personal resources are also important to handle stressors, both at work and in personal life. Sense of Coherence (SOC) is often seen as one of the most influential personal resource in terms of health and health-promotion. The aim was to investigate the relations between health, SOC, and job resources in the health-care sector, using a questionnaire based on the SHIS, COPSOQ-II and SOC-13 scales. Analyses were made using correlations and regressions. Results showed positive relations between the respondent’s health, SOC and job resources. The individual job resources with the strongest relation, both to health and SOC was influence and role-clarity. Conclusion was that SOC was the individual factor with greatest influence on health.

Background: Several factors have been identified as related to mental health in adolescence, such as competences, behavioural/emotional problems, self-esteem, and sense of coherence. Studies also emphasise the importance of family functioning and cultural factors. Objectives: This study investigates and compares the mental health of adolescents in relation to family functioning and socio-cultural variables in Sweden and Greece. Furthermore, Swedish and Greek adolescents' attitudes about life issues are studied. For Greek youths, mental health and gender variations in attitudes were studied as well. Populations and Methods: The study included 583 Swedish and 238 Greek school-aged adolescents aged 13 through 18 years. The Swedish sample was recruited from students at a Junior High and a High School in the town of Lycksele close to the University town of Umeå and the Greek sample was selected from three High schools and three Lyceums in Patras. The two samples were selected to represent the socio-demographic strata in the study areas. Achenbach's Youth Self Report (YSR), Rosenberg's Self-Esteem, Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence (SOC), and Beavers (SFI) scales were used. Out of the large sample, adolescents who reported either high or low on Achenbach's Youth Self Report–47 Greeks and 47 Swedes–were selected for semi-structured interviews. An interview guide with semi-structured questions was created to gather information about life attitudes. The questions addressed a broad spectrum of everyday life issues to understand how youths orient themselves to life–the central themes of an adolescent life and the basic codes of behaviour related to mental health, family, and culture. Results and discussion: Results revealed significant differences and some simi-larities between Swedish and Greek adolescents. According to YSR, the Swedish adolescents had fewer mental health problems than the Greek adolescents. Although this difference was most evident for internalized problems, it was also evident for externalized problems. These differences were seen for both sexes in most problem areas identified by YSR. In both countries, girls had higher prob-lem scores than boys. Age group comparisons followed the same national differences mostly obvious for the two oldest age groups. As for sense of coherence, all of the Greek groups had higher scores. For self-esteem, no differences were found in the comparison between total group scoring, but Greek girls and Swedish boys had better self-esteem compared to their counterparts. Greek adolescents scored their families higher on family health competence. With respect to attitudes about life issues, Greek youths reported more problems related to self, more fears of social dangers, losses, and illness. In addition, they turned more often to their family for support during difficult times. More Greek youths believed in God than their Swedish counterparts. The two groups identified similar family problems. The Swedes reported more fear about their future and tended to trust public authorities more during times of difficulty. Greek adolescents revealed social concerns, fears about the future and social dangers, and using own coping and family support to face these issues. Mental-health and gender patterns influenced some attitudes. Greek adolescents' attitudes about education, and messages sent to their parents are also presented. Both groups' attitudes about faith and homosexuality are shown. They both emphasised the importance of social and career position. Swedes, however, more often expressed a desire to have a family within five years. We recommend that counselling be offered in schools to provide students with life skills and to improve communication with their parents. This support should help parents and children face relational and behavioural issues of children. In addition, we recommend educational support be provided to Greek youths.

This study deals with one of the most discussed work environmental issues in the modern society of Sweden today - work related stress, its causes and how stress can affect people in their working situation. Our study is based on a questionnaire among aid handling officers in two municipalities of the middle of Sweden, and two interviews with their directors. We found that aid handling officers has a complex occupational role. We also found that the officers in these two municipalities experiences about the same level of stress.

Further in the study, we will deal with whatever could be the cause of the stressful situation, using the demand/control model of Karasek and Theorell. The result shows that despite the similarity of the stress experience, the cause was shown to be different. The study shows that the stress sometimes leads to rash decisions and also that reviews may be less prioritized. We also studied the social coherence on the workplace and its meaning to the stress experience.

Earlier studies, our empirical result and Karaseks and Theorells demand/control model shows that depending on how good workgroups are able to function, may have significance on the experience of stress at work. The result also shows that it may be hard, or maybe impossible, to create a work environment that is completely free from stress.

The recent theoretical literature on causal inference has built on combined features of earlier work in both econometric structural approach and statistical program evaluation approach. The present work attempts to combine the two approaches proposing a dynamic causal model in the context of a study on the labour market transitions. In such context many statistical articles focus on unemployment and temporary job and their effects on time duration or on probability to get a permanent contract. However in the last decade the concept of job and work stability has changed. The rapid spread of temporary employment and the increased instability of the market has aroused a new concept of work: the work path, which can take place in different sectors and positions and require very different skills and knowledge. In this contest becomes of great interest to define which characteristics are peculiar of a good job and to study the effect of it on the subsequent work path. Having at disposal administrative panel data on both Lombardy labour market and records of the graduates of three biggest University of Milan, I study the impact of the first “stable” job coherent with the university education on the future job coherence. I define stable a job with a duration of at least 540 days. A dynamic logit causal model has been performed as it allows to estimate the dynamic effect of the first stable job distinguishing between true and spurious state dependence. The unobserved heterogeneity between subjects is taken into account by considering a latent variable having a discrete distribution. This model under certain hypothesis is equivalent to a model formulated on potential outcomes. For the estimation of the model parameters I use an EM algorithm computing standard errors on the basis of the numerical derivative of the score vector of the complete data log-likelihood. From the application of the proposed model to the available data I conclude that the first stable job coherent with one's own university degree has a positive causal effect on the future coherence job in the long-term period. The main features that seem to have a significant positive impact on coherence are the subject's ability, measured through the graduation mark, and a short distance from the degree, measured with the number of past experiences.

Sense of coherence, SOC, is a way to study health and wellbeing in a salutogen perspective. SOC is a theory that Aaron Antonovsky came up with and it involves three elements; comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness. These three elements is a objective way to look at our existence. The aim of this study was to examine how high the pupils sense of coherence was in the grades 1, 3 and 6 in a school in Karlstad. And with the result as starting point have a discussion around the pedagogical consequences and which educational work procedures we can use to work with SOC in school. It turned out that the students sense of coherence had a high mean value and that it got even higher through the grades.

 

The study will underlie for further development in this subject field and work as a foundation for further studies around the theory SOC.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka om det fanns en relation mellan arbetstrivsel och KASAM (känsla av sammanhang) inom en kommunal förvaltning i Sjuhäradsområdet. Utgångspunkterna var att ta reda på om det fanns skillnader i hur man trivdes på arbetsplatsen samt om det fanns könsskillnader eller åldersskillnader i arbetstrivseln. I studien användes en enkät för att ta reda på hur anställda ser på sitt arbete, och hur det påverkar arbetstrivseln. Mätinstrumenten som användes var Antonovskys livsfrågeformulär och en egen enkät om arbetstrivsel. 71 respondenter deltog i studien, 29 kvinnor och 40 män. Resultatet från studien visade att det inte fanns några signifikanta könsskillnader eller åldersskillnader för KASAM eller arbetstrivsel. Det fanns däremot samband mellan att ha kontroll över arbetet och högt KASAM-värde.

The purpose of this study was to examine if there was a relationship between job satisfaction and SOC (Sense of Coherence) in a communal administration in the area of Sjuhärad. The starting points was to find out if there was any differences in how you feel about your workplace and if there was any differences in gender or age concerning work well-being. The study used survey data where the aim was to find out how employees view their work, and how it affects the job satisfaction present. The apparatus used was Atonovsky’s life questionnaire and a self-made survey on job satisfaction. 71 respondents participated in the study, 29 women and 40 men. Results from the study showed that there were no significant gender differences or age differences for either the SOC or job satisfaction. There was however associations between having job control and high SOC-value.

Program: Organisations- och personalutvecklare i samhället

This thesis examines the short-term changes occurring in a number of the eye's structures during reading tasks, and explores how these changes differ between normal eyes, and those with short-sightedness (myopia). This research revealed changes in the shape and thickness of a number of the eye's structures during near work, and aspects of these changes showed differences associated with myopia. These findings have potentially important implications for our understanding of the role of near work in the development and progression of myopia.

Changes in South Africa's political and economic sphere demand the democratisation of the workplace, participation and empowerment of the work force. Flatter hierarchical structures, as a result of downsizing, enhance involvement but also demand that workers function in a more autonomous manner. The use of self-managing work teams has increased in response to these competitive challenges. Self-managing work teams are groups of employees who are fully responsible for a well-defined segment of finished work that delivers a product or a service to an internal or external customer. The functioning of self-managing work teams, in terms of the systems model, can be described as certain inputs that help the team to perform certain tasks and follow processes in order to achieve certain outputs. Inputs include the motivation, skills and personality factors of team members, while the tasks and processes refer to problem solving, conflict resolution, communication and decision making, planning, quality control, dividing of tasks, training and performance appraisal. These inputs and processes lead to outputs such as efficiency, productivity and quality of work life. To date empirical studies regarding self-managing work teams in South Africa focused on the readiness of organisations for implementing these teams. Little research has been done on characteristics of successful self-managed work group members. Findings regarding members of self-managing work teams elsewhere in the world couldn't uncritically be applied to South Africa, because of widely different circumstances. Research on dispositional factors such as sense of coherence, self-efficacy, locus of control and the big five personality dimensions could therefore help to identify predictors of effectiveness that can be validated in consecutive studies for selection purposes in a self-managing work team context in South Africa. The objective of the research was therefore to determine the relationship between dispositional characteristics of members of a self-managing work team and the effectiveness and quality of work life of these members. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The sample included members of self-managing work teams (N = 102) from a large chemical organisation and a financial institution in South Africa. The Orientation to Life Questionnaire, a Self-efficacy Scale, the Locus of Control Questionnaire and Personality Characteristics Inventory were used to measure the dispositional variables. Quality of work life (measured as consisting of satisfaction, commitment to the organisation and commitment to the team) and self-rated team member effectiveness were used as dependent variables. Descriptive statistics, Pearson and Spearman correlations, canonical correlations and structural equation modelling were used to analyse the data and investigate the relationships between the various dispositional characteristics quality of work life and effectiveness of the team members. The results showed practically significant positive relationships between sense of coherence, self-efficacy, autonomy, external locus of control and internal locus of control on the one hand, and quality of work life and effectiveness of the team members of self-managing work teams on the other hand. Of the big five personality dimensions only openness was associated with commitment to the team in terms of the quality of work life. Stability, extraversion and openness were associated with the self-rated effectiveness of the team members of self-managing work teams. The structural equation modelling showed that there is a positive path from the dispositional characteristics to the satisfaction, commitment and self-rated effectiveness of the team members. The dispositional characteristics will also enhance the members' experience of role clarity and mediate the effects of job-induced tension on the members' self-rated effectiveness. Satisfaction of the team members moderate the relationship between the dispositional characteristics and commitment, as well as mediate the effects of job-induced tension on the commitment of the team members. Organisations implementing self-managing work teams can benefit from developing and enhancing these dispositional characteristics in their selected team members and could also validate these dispositional characteristics in terms of selection criteria for self-managing work team members.
Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

En kvalitativ studie som syftar till att analysera vad som kan skapa bra förutsättningar för ett ledarskap på distans, beskriva vilka utmaningar och möjligheter detta kan medföra och uppmärksamma upplevda skillnader mellan att leda på distans och att leda på plats. Åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes där tidigare forskning om leader-member exchange theory och arbetsrelaterad känsla av sammanhang låg till grund för intervjuguiden. En tematisk analys genomfördes vilken resulterade i fem teman: tydlighet, kommunikation, tillgänglighet, relationer och stöd samt kompetens och effektivitet. De fyra första temana bidrog till att skapa bra förutsättningar för ett ledarskap på distans, utmaningar som framkom var att skapa förutsättningarna. I dessa teman fanns även skillnader mellan typerna av ledarskap. Det femte temat var övergripande och kom att stå för möjligheter med ett ledarskap på distans och anledningar till att det var nödvändigt. Studien visar en komplex bild av ledarskap på distans där alla teman samverkar.

Purpose: Our aim is to get an insight on how home care workers experience, handle and looks upon their work. We also want to form an opinion of how home care workers experience the relationship to the clients they meet.

Questions: How does home care workers experience their daily work with their clients? Home care workers daily meet many different sorts of clients with different needs, how do they handle this? What kind of support does home care workers get in their work?

Method: A qualitative design with semistructured interviews.

Conclusion: The most central conclusion from all of our interviews were: that home care service workers has a very stressful and demanding occupation, that the work has a low status, that the personnel has a big responsibility for the wellbeing of other people and that they often find their work satisfying and fun. To have someone to talk to and exchange ideas with was also mentioned by the informants as a vital part of feeling support in their work. From the Antonovskys theory, a sense of coherence, and Goffmans views of the society, we also find that the larger part of our informants feel a high sense of coherence and that when they have to adjust to their different caretakers they play different roles.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine whether there are differences in Sense of Coherence between people in monotonous and non – monotonous jobs with regard to birth order. In this present study, 89 individuals from three different working organizations participated, of which 51 (57, 3 %) of them were men and 38 (42, 7 %) women. The results showed that in varying occupations, firstborn children showed a higher level of Sense of Coherence. In monotonus jobs, middle children prove to have the lowest level of Sence of Coherence. The results from this study also show that Sense of Coherence is associated with the individuals’ age and their experienced relationship with their parents during childhood.

Sammanfattning

Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka om det finns skillnader i känsla av sammanhang mellan personer på monotona och icke – monotona arbeten med hänsyn tagen till syskonplacering. I den här studien deltog 89 personer från tre olika arbetsorganisationer i södra Sverige, varav 51 (57,3 %) av dem var män och 38 (42,7 %) kvinnor. Resultatet visade att i varierade arbeten har förstfödda barn högre nivåer av KASAM. I monotona arbeten uppvisar mellanbarn inneha den lägsta nivån av KASAM. Resultatet från denna studie visar även att KASAM är kopplad till individers ålder och upplevda relation till föräldrarna under barndomen.

The aim of this study is to qualitatively examine the individual's perspective of work-related stress. The research has been delimited to one of Postnord's offices. The study is based on Antonovsky (1979) Theory Sense of Coherence (SOC) to investigate the individual's experience of stress. With the help of Sense of Coherence (SOC), the study investigated how postmen express their experience of work-related stress with the key components of comprehension, manageability and meaningfulness. In response to the goal of the study, semistructured interviews were conducted on eight participants from Postnord. The results of the study showed that high work demands were one of the reasons behind the stress they felt. The lack of support from colleagues due to the structure of the work was another reason that affected the individual's experience of stress. Finally, the results also revealed that the participants perceived that they were unable to decide on their own work, which affected the experience of a lack of opinion in the workplace.

Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka upplevelsen av kommunikation samt olikheter i förväntan mellan avdelningschefer och medarbetare inom vården. Fyra vårdenhetschefer och fyra medarbetare inom Region Gävleborg intervjuades, varpå en induktiv tematisk analys resulterade i tre teman: Att nå fram med budskapet, samhörighet mellan chefer och medarbetare, samt medarbetarskap. Både chefer och medarbetare ansåg att en god kommunikation var av stor vikt för en välmående arbetsplats. Cheferna upplevde svårigheter i att nå ut till samtliga medarbetare, och därför ansågs det viktigt att individanpassa kommunikationen. Samhörighet mellan chefer och medarbetaren ansågs generera gemenskap och delaktighet, vilket gynnar kommunikationen. Medarbetarna upplevde otydlighet kring sitt ansvar för kommunikationen gentemot chefen. Ett förtydligande av medarbetarnas ansvar efterfrågades av både chefer och medarbetare. Att tydliggöra både medarbetares och chefers ansvar, skyldigheter, rättighet och förväntningar tordes kunna underlätta kommunikationen parterna emellan.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the experiences of communication as well as differences in expectations between department heads and employees in health care. Four managers and four employees in the region of Gävleborg were interviewed, and an inductive thematic analysis resulted in three themes: To reach out with the message, cohesion between managers and employees, and employeeship. Both managers and employees believed that good communication is of great importance for a healthy workplace. The managers experienced difficulties in reaching out to all employees, and stressed the importance of personalizing the communication. Cohesion between managers and employees was considered to generate fellowship and participation, which benefits the communication. Employees experienced ambiguity about their responsibility for communication with the managers. A clarification of employee responsibility was requested by both managers and employees. Clarifying the responsibilities, obligations, rights and expectations of both employee and managers may facilitate the communication between the parties.

This research provided new insight into the effect of near activities and short-sightedness (myopia) on the anterior eye structure. The sclera is the eye's protective outer layer, that plays an important role in myopia, one of the most common eye conditions that has also been linked to near activities (e.g. reading). This project evaluated the anterior sclera in participants with different levels of short-sightedness and assessed how the sclera changes during near activities. Scleral shape changed significantly with increasing levels of short-sightedness, and near activities (focusing and convergence) caused a forward movement and thickening of the nasal anterior sclera.

Sammanfattning Många resultat i modern arbetslivsforskning fokuserar på stress och reaktiva åtgärder samtidigt som forskning inom kreativitet och innovation främst fokuserar på vinster i ekonomi och tillväxt. Denna studie har för avsikt att undersöka medarbetarens upplevda meningsfullhet i arbetet och kreativt klimat för att finna proaktiva faktorer gällande arbetsrelaterad stress och ohälsa. Interaktiv forskningsmetod med kvantitativa inslag användes då sambandet undersöktes genom en enkätundersökning. Utifrån datainsamlingens resultat formades ett verktyg med syftet att öka det kreativa klimatet och således öka meningsfullheten i arbetet vilket leder till positiva effekter i arbetsmiljön. Resultat från enkäterna visade signifikanta samband mellan meningsfullhet i arbetet och kreativt klimat samt var och en av dimensionerna inom kreativt klimat, vilket bekräftar studiens hypoteser. Ytterligare ett signifikant samband hittades mellan arbetsfunktion och meningsfullhet i arbetet. Slutsatsen är att ett verktyg som ökar det kreativa klimatet i organisationen leder till ökad meningsfullhet i arbetet.
Abstract Modern research in the area of work-life tends to focus on stress and reactive measures at the same time research in creativity and innovation mainly focuses on profits in economy and other organizational gains. This paper intends to examine work meaningfulness and creative climate, with an employee focus, to achieve proactive work in work-related stress and ill-health. The study is based on interactive research methodology with quantitative elements. A quantitative survey examined whether there was a correlation between the factors. Based on the results of the data a work tool was created, aiming to increase the meaningfulness of work via creative climate and thus affect the working environment in a positive sense. Results from the questionnaires showed significant correlation between work meaningfulness and creative climate, as well as each of the ten dimensions in creative climate, confirming the study's hypotheses. Another significant correlation between work function and work meaningfulness were also found. The conclusion is that the tool to enhance the creative climate of the organization leads to increased work meaningfulness.

In September 2018, it is yet again a parliamentary election in Sweden. A question often, if not always included in the agenda, is the question of the right to full-time employment. In 2016 several of Sweden's municipalities and county councils entered into their collective agreement that full time employment will now be the norm for a new employment (HÖK, 2016). In order to solve this issue, the municipalities can decide how schedules and times are to be laid down by their autonomy. In Örebro Municipality, where we conducted our study, they have chosen to work with "floating working hours". In this independent work, we want to explore nurse’s experiences with being employed with contracts for floating working hours. The purpose of this study is just that, to investigate how nurses experience the concept and the principles of working with floating working hours. Issues that are central to our work are what affect the experiences of this particular working module, how nurses perceive the requirements for flexibility, and if the employees ever reflect on what floating working hours mean. Previous research has proven to be a shortage in our case, but those studies that we did find show that work where employees lack the basic control can cause insecurities and stress. Our study is based on qualitative interviews with six nurses in the municipality of Örebro and shows that work with floating working hours creates a high level of stress on a personal level and that it is a factor in a long chain of reactions that goes beyond the business itself. The study also shows that in order to be able to enjoy floating working hours, one must possess a certain kinds of personality traits.
I september 2018 är det återigen riksdagsval i Sverige. En fråga som ofta, om inte alltid, finns med på agendan är frågan om rätten till en heltidsanställning. 2016 skrev flera av Sveriges kommuner och landsting in i sitt kollektivavtal att heltidstjänst ska bli den nya normen vid en nyanställning (HÖK, 2016). För att lösa denna fråga får kommunerna genom sitt självstyre bestämma hur scheman och tider ska läggas upp. I Örebro Kommun, där vi utfört vår studie har kommunen valt att använda sig av arbetsmodellen Flytande arbetstid. Syftet med detta självständiga arbete är att undersöka undersköterskor upplevelser i förhållande till att vara anställd med avtal om Flytande arbetstid. Frågor som är centrala i vårt arbete är vad som påverkar undersköterskornas upplevelser, hur de upplever kraven på flexibilitet samt om de någonsin reflekterar över vad Flytande arbetstid innebär. Tidigare forskning har visat sig vara en bristvara i vårt fall men det vi har hittat visar på att arbeten där medarbetarna saknar den grundläggande kontrollen kan medföra osäkerhet och stress. Vår studie är baserad på kvalitativa intervjuer med sex undersköterskor i Örebro kommun och den visar att arbete med Flytande arbetstid skapar en stor stress på individnivå samt att det är en faktor i en lång reaktionskedja som sträcker sig bortom verksamheten i sig. Studien visar också att för att kunna trivas med Flytande arbetstid måste man besitta en viss typ av personlighetsdrag.

Syftet med studien är att skapa en djupare förståelse för vilka faktorer som upplevs främja återgången till arbete efter en långtidssjukskrivning vid psykisk ohälsa, utifrån den sjukskrivnes perspektiv. Studien baseras på Karaseks och Theorells modell som består av krav och kontroll samt en teoriutveckling av socialt stöd i förhållande till krav och kontroll av Jeffery Johnson. Studien baseras även på teorin ”Känsla av sammanhang”, förkortat KASAM, som utvecklats av Aaron Antonovsky. För att få en djupare förståelse för vilka faktorer som upplevs främja återgången till arbete efter en långtidssjukskrivning vid psykisk ohälsa genomfördes samtalsintervjuer med fem personer. Resultatet i studien visar att stöd och kommunikation med arbetsgivare och kollegor är en framgångsfaktor vid återgången till arbetet. Det framkommer även i studien att arbetsträning är en framgångsfaktor men kan hämma återgången om den inte är verklighetsförankrad. Deltagare i studien menar att lägre krav och högre egenkontroll är främjande i återgångsprocessen. Slutligen framkommer det även att återgången underlättas när individen känner tillhörighet till arbetsplatsen och arbetsgruppen.
The aim of the study is to create a deeper understanding of which factors perceived to promote the return to work after a long-term sickness in mental health, based on the perspective of the sick-listed. The study is based on Karaseks and Theorells model consisting of demand, control and a theory development of social support in relation to demand and control by Jeffery Johnson. The study is also based on the theory ”a Sense of Coherence”, abbreviated KASAM, developed by Aaron Antonovsky. In order to gain a deeper understanding of which factors perceived to promote the return to work after a long-term sickness in mental ill-health, five interviews were conducted. The results in this study shows that support and communication with employers and colleagues is a success factor when returning to work. It also appears in the study that job training is a success factor but can inhibit the return if it is not reality-based. Participants in this study argues that lower demands and higher self-control are promotions in the return process. Finally, it also emerges that the return is facilitated when the individual feel a sense of coherence to the workplace and the working group.

Syftet med uppsatsen har varit att beskriva hur patienter under utredning för stressrelaterad ohälsa ser på sin känsla av sammanhang totalt och uppdelat på komponenterna begriplighet, hanterbarhet och meningsfullhet. För att kunna göra detta användes ett kvantitativt material i form av patientdata som samlats in av forskarna vid Centrum för miljörelaterad ohälsa och stress (CEOS) i Uppsala. Det är 155 patienter som har svarat på frågor rörande deras känsla av sammanhang i ett av Aaron Antonovsky utformat frågeformulär. Vidare har patienternas basvariabler som kön, ålder, civilstånd med mera beskrivits och analyserats tillsammans med svaren på KASAM-formuläret. Det framkom att patienterna har en lägre känsla av sammanhang (KASAM) än studier som gjorts på friska människor. Framträdande var bland annat att kön och en upplevd trygg ekonomi har stora samband med patienternas känsla av sammanhang. En kortare variant av frågeformuläret har testats och visat sig kunna ersätta den längre varianten utan att det påverkar slutresultatet.

The aim of my study was to investigate a few young peoples experience of their treatment. The study was qualitative based on interviews with three young persons at the end of their treatment there. The subject was chosen because this kind of youth housing is an interesting alternative to institutional care for young people, despite there is not much known about the results of the treatment. The results were analyzed from earlier research and central concepts from the theory of empowerment and Anton Antonovskys theory about Sense of coherence. The results of this study show that these young peoples are satisfied with their treatment at the youth housing. They felt that a positive change and an improvement of their self-esteem had occurred. Another interesting result of the study shows is that these young people have developed from being a hostile teenager at the edge of a life where they could see no future to living as responsible grown-ups with a much brighter perspective of the future full of hopes and dreams.

Every year a great amount of unaccompanied children flee their homelands without their parents or guardians. This means a journey filled with danger and difficulties. The difficulties don’t only exist during the road ahead but also when the children arrive to the new country. Even if Sweden’s work in receiving refugees is one of the best in the world, it still exist problems. The support work with unaccompanied children is done on different levels in society. The work performed nearest to the individuals takes place at the asylum- permanent residence accommodation where the youth are placed after the decision if they can stay in the country or not. We will in this essay illustrate how the support work with unaccompanied children in the age 13-18 looks like and what effect social support has on the adolescent’s identity development. By visiting two agencies that have asylum- permanent residence accommodation we carried out four interviews with professionals who work on a daily base with the young people. Based on the informant’s narratives and interpretations of the young people’s experiences, we seek to gain knowledge of their situation, both physically and psychologically. We investigated the circumstances behind the feeling of security, how reliance is formed and how social support can help the children’s sense of coherence. We use both crises theory, identity theory and the theory of SOC (sense of coherence) to analyze the informants´ stories. The results of this study show that social support is highly important for a child’s identity development. It is the professional who work on a daily base closely to the children who often symbolize the essence of social support. It’s through their work a safe environment is established and upheld. Identity is shaped through social relationships within groups where solidarity and a mutual confidence exist. We have also acknowledged some deficiencies in the structure of the support work, for example regarding which premises are the young individuals expected to adapt to the Swedish society. The adaption and adjustment has become an obligation for the young individuals rather than for the society.

I dagens samhälle ökar sjukskrivningarna i väldigt hög takt vilket skapar ekonomiska konsekvenser för samhället. Framförallt ökar de psykosociala sjukskrivningarna vilket denna studie har tagit sikte på och utgår ifrån. Den teoretiska ram och utgångspunkt som ligger till grund för denna undersökning är Antonovskys Känsla av sammanhang, KASAM. Den här studien ämnar undersöka anställdas Känsla av sammanhang och hur den psykosociala arbetsmiljön påverkar Känslan av sammanhang genom att besvara två frågeställningar; Hur upplever de anställda sin egen Känsla av sammanhang? och Hur påverkar den psykosociala arbetsmiljön Känslan av sammanhang? Den tidigare forskning som presenteras i uppsatsen behandlar olika aspekter av psykosocial hälsa och arbetsmiljö samt tidigare studier om KASAM. Studiens empiri samlades in genom kvantitativ metod i form av en webbenkät som 77 personer svarade på. Resultatet av studien visar att det tycks finnas ett signifikant samband mellan en god psykosocial arbetsmiljö och Känslan av sammanhang. Medarbetare som upplever att de har en god psykosocial arbetsmiljö tycks också ha en högre Känsla av sammanhang.

Staying when everyone else flees – an interview study with experienced social workers on coping strategies and organizational conditions Earlier studies in the field have described a complicated situation with high turnover and recruitment problems within the Swedish social services. The aim of this study was to investigate and get an understanding of how social workers within child protective services cope with challenges in their work and what organizational factors at their place of work that affects their intention to stay. Six social workers with a minimum of three years of experience were interviewed. The empirical material was analysed using a hermeneutic approach with coping and sense of coherence as a theoretical ground. The most important factors for the social workers’ intention to stay were their own experience as a way to cope with the workload, support from their colleagues and from their superiors. The discussion highlights the importance of experience in coping with workload as well as for supporting newly educated social workers.

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.

The main purpose of this thesis was to take part of girl’s descriptions and experiences of their treatment for deliberate self-harm and to investigate whether they still experience effects of the treatment today. Our main research questions where; how do the girls describe their experiences of the treatment method, do the girls describe that they still experience any effects of the treatment, and finally how do the girls look back on their treatment today? In order to answer these questions, we carried out eight qualitative telephone interviews with girls that had undergone treatment in a specific treatment centre. We chose to analyze the material from the salutogenic theory and the concepts of SOC (sense of coherence) and with a hermeneutic approach. Our result showed that the treatment methods that where most important where dialectic behaviour therapy, horse therapy and finally environmental therapy. Several of the girls could see remaining effects of the treatment today, while other girls could not see any of these effects. A couple of the girls expressed that they should have been dead if they had not been taken care of by the treatment centre while other girls meant that the treatment did not make any difference.

I det komplexa och moderna arbetslivet förändras både människor och organisationer. Detta leder till att hälsofrämjande på arbetsplatser får en allt större betydelse i samband med att alla förändringar ställer nya krav på organisationer och dess anställda. Syftet med studien var att undersöka på vilka sätt chefer aktivt arbetar för att främja och bibehålla den arbetsrelaterade hälsan hos medarbetare. Det genomfördes kvalitativa telefonintervjuer med åtta första linjens chefer, vilka var aktiva inom skolverksamheten, fritidsgårdsverksamheten, rättspsykiatriska vården och kommunen. Intervjuerna bearbetades genom tematisk analys, något som visade att chefer främjar och bibehåller sina medarbetares hälsa genom att ge medarbetarna möjlighet till kontroll och delaktighet i arbetet samt genom ett närvarande och stöttande ledarskap. Studien ansågs vara praktiskt användbar av nuvarande och framtida chefer som vill arbeta hälsofrämjande samt av intresse för de undersökta arbetsplatserna där studien kan fungera som ett synliggörande underlag kring det hälsofrämjande arbetet.

Kvinnliga lärare upplever sitt arbete som meningsfullt samtidigt som de utsätts för tidspress, vilket har en negativ inverkan på deras psykosociala arbetsmiljö och hälsa. Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva den självupplevda psykosociala arbetsmiljön hos kvinnliga lärare ur ett salutogent perspektiv. En tvärsnittsstudie enligt en kvantitativ design gjordes på 43 kvinnliga lärare på tre olika skolor med hjälp av instrumentet Work Experience Measurment Scale (WEMS). Kompletterande frågor om ålder och år av yrkeserfarenhet tillfördes för att undersöka eventuellt samband. Resultatet visade att det inte finns något statistiskt signifikant samband mellan ålder eller år av yrkeserfarenhet i hur deltagarna upplever sin psykosociala arbetsmiljö. För att beskriva kvinnliga lärares psykosociala arbetsmiljö ur ett salutogent perspektiv användes främst modellen “känsla av sammanhang” (KASAM). Deltagarna har starkt KASAM vad det gäller meningsfullhet men svagare KASAM i hanterbarhet och begriplighet. Slutsatsen för studien visar på att kvinnliga lärare upplever sitt arbete som meningsfullt vilket påverkar den psykosociala arbetsmiljön positivt. Samtidigt utsätts de för tidspress, vilket har en negativ inverkan på deras psykosociala arbetsmiljö.
Female teachers experiencing their work meaningful at the same time the work expose them for time pressure, which can have a negative impact on the health. The aim of this study was to describe self-perceived psychosocial work environment for female teachers in a salutogenic approach. A cross-sectional study with a quantitative design with 43 female teachers on three different schools was preformed, using the instrument Work Experience Measurement Scale (WEMS). Additional questions about age and years of work experience added to explore any relationship. The result show that there was no statistic significant relationship between age or years of work experience in how the participants experiencing their psychosocial work environment. To describe female teachers psychosocial work environment in a salutogenic approach has uppermost the model “Sense of coherence” (SOC) been used. The participants have a strong SOC regarding meaningfulness, but weaker SOC regarding manageability and comprehensibility. The conclusion of this study show that female teachers experience their work meaningful, which affect the psychosocial work environment positive, at the same time they are exposed for time pressure, which affect the psychosocial work environment negative.

I denna kvalitativa studie undersöks positiva aspekter av att vara verksam inom socialt arbete, hur erfarna socialarbetare beskriver sina drivkrafter och vilka faktorer som påverkar välbefinnande i arbetet. Intervjuer gjordes med fem socialarbetare som arbetat inom yrket i 30 år eller mer. Intervjumaterialet analyserades utifrån Antonovskys teori känsla av sammanhang (KASAM) och begreppen begriplighet, hanterbarhet och meningsfullhet. Under analysen framkom några områden som centrala för syftet. Dessa handlade om en god atmosfär på arbetsplatsen och i arbetsgruppen, relationer med klienten, vikten av humor, rörlighet som strategi samt hur påfrestning kan vändas till drivkraft. Resultaten visade att påfrestningar som en socialarbetare möter utgör en viktig del för att känna drivkraft och meningsfullhet i arbetet. Viktigt för att känna välbefinnande är en god arbetsgrupp, en god atmosfär på arbetsplatsen och relationer med klienter.
In this qualitative study, the positive aspects of social work and how experienced social workers describe their motivation and well-being, are examined. Five experienced social workers, who all had worked for 30 years or more, were interviewed. The theory Sense of coherence (SOC) by Antonovsky, and the constructs comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness, were used to analyze the material from the interviews. During the analysis a few themes appeared to be of more importance for the purpose of the study. These were: a good atmosphere at the workplace and among colleagues, relations with clients, the importance of humor, mobility as a strategy and how stress can be turned into motivation. The results showed that the stress the social worker meets, is a significant source for the ability to be motivated and feel meaningfulness in social work. A good atmosphere at the workplace and among colleagues and good relations with clients were of importance for a sense of well-being among the social workers in the present study.

In this study, we have examined if and how parents who receive financial support from the social services experience that their children are being affected by financial stress, as well as whether the parents experience that they are given satisfactory support from the social services. Empowerment and Sense of coherence were used as a theoretical framework to analyze the results. Interviews with three informants who all were receiving financial support at the time, and have at least one child below the age of 18 in their custody were performed. The parents were devising strategies attempting to give the children the experienced of a better financial situation, in order to protect them from being adversely affected. The conclusion is that all informants experienced a lack of support from the social services. Further results show that the parents experienced that their children were adversely affected by financial stress, especially when comparing themselves with other children. Further the results show that the parents develop their own strategies in order to protect the children from being affected by financial stress. These strategies are for example to draw the children’s attention away from the family’s economic issues and to ignore their own basic needs to be able to give the children more varied opportunities.
I denna studie har vi undersökt hur föräldrar som uppbär försörjningsstöd upplever att barnen påverkas av den ekonomiska utsattheten. Vidare undersöktes på vilket sätt föräldrarna upplever att de får stöd från socialtjänsten till att förändra den ekonomiska situationen. Empowerment och KASAM har använts som teoretisk referensram för att analysera resultatet. Studien har genomförts genom kvalitativa intervjuer med 3 informanter som alla uppbär försörjningsstöd och har barn under 18 år i hemmet. Resultatet visar att föräldrarna upplever att barnen påverkas negativt av den ekonomiska situationen, främst i relation till andra barn då barn jämför sig mycket med varandra. Resultatet visar även att föräldrarna skapar egna strategier för att skydda barnen från att påverkas negativt, dessa är bland annat att avleda uppmärksamhet från den ekonomiska situationen samt att föräldrarna bortser från egna basala behov för att istället erbjuda barnen fler möjligheter.

RIASSUNTO Introduzione Il fenomeno del mobbing, la cui frequenza si stima essere di circa il 15% a livello mondiale, è ampiamente riconosciuto come uno dei maggiori fattori di stress nelle organizzazioni di lavoro. Il mobbing comporta una serie di conseguenze negative per chi ne è vittima ma anche per i testimoni ed i colleghi, con costi rilevanti per le organizzazioni lavorative e la societa’ nel complesso. Alla luce della “work environment hypothesis” del mobbing - un approccio teorico che enfatizza lo stretto legame tra la presenza di un ambiente di lavoro psicosociale sfavorevole e l’emergere del mobbing -diversi studi hanno identificato una serie di antecedenti lavorativi del fenomeno quali ad esempio il carico di lavoro eccessivo, lo scarso livello di autonomia, il conflitto e l'ambiguità di ruolo e la qualita’ della leadership. In particolare, il ruolo di quest’ultima quale fattore antecedente il mobbing costituisce un' area di indagine molto recente, sebbene Leymann - il precursore nello studio del mobbing - gia’ ne avesse riconosciuta l'importanza fin dagli albori della ricerca sul fenomeno. Nonostante il substrato teorico alla base della relazione leadership-mobbing sia solido, tutti gli studi empirici condotti sinora si sono basati su un disegno di studio cross-sectional, limitando in tal modo la possibilita’ di effettuare inferenze causali. Inoltre un importante gap nella letteratura corrente è costituito da una scarsa conoscenza dei possibili meccanismi (moderatori o mediatori) alla base della relazione tra ambiente di lavoro psicosociale e mobbing. Obiettivo Alla luce dello stato attuale della ricerca sul mobbing, l'obiettivo di questa tesi è duplice. Il primo obiettivo è quello di studiare la relazione tra alcune caratteristiche rilevanti dell’ambiente psicosociale di lavoro, ossia pressione lavorativa e mancanza di autonomia (primo articolo) e scarsa qualita’ della leadership (secondo articolo), e presenza di mobbing sul posto di lavoro. Il secondo obiettivo è quello di indagare la presenza di moderatori o mediatori nella relazione tra ambiente psicosociale di lavoro e mobbing, al fine di individuare alcuni possibili meccanismi alla base di questo fenomeno. In particolare, viene esaminato il senso di coerenza - una caratteristica individuale - come potenziale moderatore (primo articolo) e il senso di comunità sociale sul posto di lavoro - una caratterstica del contesto lavorativo - come potenziale mediatore (secondo articolo). Metodi La tesi si basa su dati raccolti nell’ambito di uno studio prospettico a due tempi di misura (2006-2008) denominato Workplace Bullying and Harassment Cohort (WBH), condotto tramite questionario autosoministrato su un campione di lavoratori impiegati in diverse organizzazioni di lavoro in Danimarca. Il campione utilizzato e' costituito da 3363 lavoratori nel 2006 (primo articolo) e da 1664 lavoratori nel 2008 (secondo articolo). Il campione e' composto per lo più da donne (67,2%), con un'età media di 45,7 (SD = 10.11) e una anzianità media nel posto di lavoro attuale di 11,1 anni (SD = 10.1). Circa due terzi del campione risulta impiegato in organizzazioni pubbliche come ospedali (22%), istruzione superiore (13,8%), settore assistenza agli anziani (8,6%), pubblica amministrazione e servizi (7,2%), scuole pubbliche (4,3%), scuole superiori (3,8%), ecc.; circa un terzo risulta invece impiegato in ambienti di lavoro privati, quali trasporti (11,6%), industria (10,8%), edilizia (3%), finanza e servizi alle imprese (2,3%); all’incirca il 2,5% lavora infine come medico, dentista o veterinario. Risultati Nel primo articolo, basato su un disegno di studio cross-sectional, regressioni lineari gerarchiche hanno rivelato che le due dimensioni del modello job demand-control, ossia elevata pressione lavorativa e scarsa autonomia decisionale, sono significativamente associate ad una maggiore presenza di mobbing. Sebbene dal punto di vista statistico livelli piu’ elevati di senso di coerenza siano risultati ridurre significativamente la relazione tra ambiente psicosociale di lavoro sfavorevole (elevata pressione lavorativa e scarsa autonomia sul lavoro) e mobbing, tale effetto di moderazione si e’ rivelato di scarso impatto a livello pratico. Cio’ suggerisce che condizioni psicosociali negative sul posto di lavoro possano essere associate al mobbing indipendentemente dalle caratteristiche personali dei soggetti target, almeno in termini di senso di coerenza. Nel secondo articolo, basato su un disegno di studio longitudinale, i risultati delle regressioni lineari gerarchiche mostrano che la scarsa qualità della leadership svolge un ruolo significativo nella creazione di condizioni di lavoro favorenti il mobbing. Inoltre, l’analisi di mediazione ha mostrato che il senso di comunita' sociale sul posto di lavoro opera come mediatore totale dell'effetto esercitato dalla scarsa qualità della leadership sul mobbing. Conclusioni/implicazioni pratiche Una prima conclusione è che condizioni di lavoro psicosociale sfavorevoli portano ad un maggiore rischio di mobbing sul posto di lavoro. Il primo studio sottolinea in particolare l'importanza di progettare posti di lavoro in modo tale che ai lavoratori siano assegnati carichi di lavoro ragionevoli e un adeguato grado di autonomia nello svolgimento dei compiti lavorativi. Il secondo studio, confermando il ruolo di una scarsa qualita’ della leadership nel creare condizioni di lavoro favorenti il mobbing, indica l'importanza di pianificare programmi di formazione per i leader in modo da aumentare in questi la consapevolezza di come i loro comportamenti possano avere influenza sui subordinati. Inoltre, la mediazione totale del senso di comunita’ sociale sul posto di lavoro rilevata in questo studio nella relazione tra scarsa qualità di leadership sul mobbing, suggerisce che le organizzazioni di lavoro dovrebbero operare forti investimenti nel miglioramento delle relazioni sociali sul posto di lavoro allo scopo di promuovere un ambiente di lavoro a ridotto rischio mobbing. Originalità dello studio Il primo articolo contribuisce in maniera originale alla ricerca sul mobbing in quanto non esistono studi precedenti sul ruolo del senso di coerenza come moderatore della relazione tra ambiente psicosociale di lavoro e mobbing. Inoltre, il problema metodologico relativo alla significativita' statistica vs valore pratico dell’effetto di moderazione è stato raramente affrontato e discusso in letteratura. Il secondo studio, essendo di natura longitudinale, porta un sostanziale contributo alla letteratura sul mobbing in quanto conferma, mediante un disegno di studio robusto, precedenti studi cross-sectional sul ruolo sostanziale svolto dai leader nel processo di mobbing. Inoltre, nella relazione tra leadership e mobbing, il senso di comunità sociale sul posto di lavoro agisce come mediatore totale, risultato che contribuisce significativamente al dibattito scientifico attuale sui meccanismi - a tutt’oggi poco noti - coinvolti nel processo di generazione del mobbing.
SUMMARY Background Broadly recognized to be one of the major stressors in organizations, with a global estimate of about 15%, workplace bullying has detrimental consequences for victims, witnesses, organizations, and the society at large. Within the work environment hypothesis of bullying, which emphasizes the important link between a stressful and poorly organized work environment and bullying, a large number of antecedents have been identified, such as workload, low level of autonomy, role conflict, role ambiguity, and leadership. In particular, the role of leadership as antecedent of bullying is a relatively recent research area, although Leymann - the pioneer in the study of bullying - has recognized its importance since the origins of research on the phenomenon. Despite the existence of a solid theoretical basis for the relationship between leadership and workplace bullying, almost all empirical studies conducted so far are based on a cross-sectional study design, thereby limiting the possibility to draw causal inferences. In addition, to date there is scarce evidence concerning the possible mechanisms (moderators and mediators) involved in the relationship between the psychosocial work environment and workplace bullying. Aims In light of the current state of the art in the research on workplace bullying, the aim of this thesis is twofold. The first objective is to investigate the relationship between some important characteristics of the psychosocial work, such as work pressure and lack of autonomy (Paper I) and poor quality of leadership (Paper II), and the occurrence of bullying at work. The second objective is to examine moderators and mediators of the relationship between the psychosocial work environment and workplace bullying and identify possible mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. In particular, my thesis examines sense of coherence - an individual feature - as a potential moderator (Paper I), and social community at work - a characteristic of the work environment - as a potential mediator (Paper II). Methods The thesis is based on the Workplace Bullying and Harassment Cohort (WBH). This cohort consists of 3,363 employees at baseline (2006) (Paper I and Paper II) and 1,664 employees at follow-up (2008) (Paper II). At baseline, the sample was composed mostly of female employees (67.2%); the mean age was 45.7 years (SD = 10.11) and the mean job seniority in the current workplace 11.1 years (SD = 10.1). Approximately two thirds of the sample were employed in public organizations such as hospitals (22%), high education (13.8%), the eldercare sector (8.6%), public administration and services (7.2%), public schools (4.3%), high schools (3.8%), etc.; approximately one third were employed in private workplaces such as transportation (11.6%), industries (10.8%), construction (3%), finance, and business service (2.3%) or as doctors, dentists, vets (2.5%) etc. Results In Paper I, based on a cross-sectional study design, hierarchical linear regressions revealed that the two dimensions of the job demand-control model, i.e. high work pressure and low decision latitude, are significantly associated with an increased presence of bullying at work. Moreover, a higher sense of coherence was found to significantly moderate the relationship between higher job demands and higher work-related bullying, and that between lower job control and higher person-related bullying. However, the effect size of these interactions was very low. This suggests that negative psychosocial conditions in the workplace are likely to be associated with bullying regardless of the personal characteristics of the targets, at least in terms of sense of coherence. In Paper II, based on a longitudinal study design, the results of hierarchical linear regressions showed that poor quality of leadership plays a significant role in the creation of conditions favouring bullying. Furthermore, the mediation analysis showed that social of community at work operates as a full mediator of the effect exerted by poor quality of leadership on workplace bullying. Conclusions/practical implications My first conclusion is that adverse psychosocial working conditions may lead to an increased risk of bullying at work. Paper I highlights in particular the importance of designing jobs so that workers are assigned reasonable workloads and an appropriate degree of autonomy in their work tasks. Paper II, confirming the role of poor quality of leadership in creating working conditions that favour bullying, indicates the importance of planning training programs for leaders so as to increase their awareness of how their behaviours may affect subordinates. In addition, the full mediation of social community at work in the relationship between poor quality of leadership and workplace bullying suggests that organizations should improve social relations at work in order to promote work environments with a low risk of workplace bullying. Originality of the study Paper I gives an original contribution to the existing literature on workplace bullying since there are no previous studies on the role of sense of coherence as a moderator of the relationship between the psychosocial work environment and bullying. Moreover, the methodological problem concerning the statistical vs practical value of the moderating effect has been rarely addressed and discussed in the literature. Paper II, based on a longitudinal study, gives a substantial new contribution by supporting, through the adoption of a robust design, previous cross-sectional studies on the important role played by leaders in the process of workplace bullying. Moreover, the finding that social community at work acts as full mediator of the relationship between quality of leadership and workplace bullying contributes significantly to the scientific debate over the poorly known mechanisms involved in the generation of bullying.

The purpose of this study was to investigate and expand the knowledge of how bereaved spouses in palliative care handled their grief. Attempts were also made to distinguish common patterns among the experiences that the bereaved spouses expressed.  Furthermore the study aimed to understand how the bereaved spouses handled their grief, and to understand what helped them to move on. A qualitative method was used in this essay, related to the purpose of investigating the spouses’ emotional experiences. The questions used to reach an understanding of the matter were: How did the bereaved experienced their grief? Were there important contributing factors worsening their grief or making it easier? How did the bereaved persons handle their grief, and what helped them to work things through and carry on with their lives? The result was analyzed by using Antonovsky’s theory; a feeling of coherence, Lazarus’ coping theory combined with Folkman’s revised coping theory. The results were also analyzed by the findings of continuing bonds derived from Ainsworth’s attachment theory. The seven strategic picked out respondents in this study, constituted from a development project, financed by Cancerfonden, which took place in the palliative unit of Stockholms sjukhem in 2007. The results showed that the sense of coherence had an effect on the bereaved spouses’ way to handle their grief. The respondents’ ability of awareness and mental preparation were significant. As it turned out, the time extent of the disease did not have a major effect on the bereaved spouses’ experience of their grief. Furthermore the study showed that the context was very significant, and that the bereaved spouses to a great extent used positive reappraisal.

 

 

 

 

Bakgrund: Kvinnor har högre sjukfrånvaro än män och inom undersköterskeyrket, som är kvinnodominerat, märks detta tydligare. Det finns därmed anledning att uppmärksamma och kartlägga vad som upplevs främja kvinnors arbetsnärvaro och arbetsförmåga i detta yrke. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att utforska äldre kvinnliga undersköterskors upplevelser av betydelse för bibehållen arbetsförmåga inom kommunal äldreomsorg. Metod: Studien genomfördes som en beskrivande kvalitativ intervjustudie med kvalitativ manifest innehålls-analys. Sex friska undersköterskor mellan 55-58 år i kommunal äldreomsorg valdes genom ändamålsenligt urval till semistrukturerade individuella djupintervjuer. Fynd: Under-sköterskorna har förmåga att identifiera och verkställa egna behov. De gör anpassningar, framför allt i privatlivet, och når välbefinnande genom meningsfull tillvaro. Deras beteende kan kopplas till känsla av sammanhang, empowerment och intern känsla av kontroll. Nio kategorier identifierades: Hälsa och fysisk aktivitet, Fysisk arbetsmiljö, Organisation, Samverkan och kommunikation, Medveten anpassning, Arbetstillfredsställelse, Meningsfull tillvaro, Inställning och attityd samt Samhällsnivå. Konklusion: Det är huvudsakligen aspekter av psykosocial karaktär, med inslag av fysisk aktivitet, som upplevs främja arbets-förmåga hos de kvinnliga undersköterskorna. Fynden kan skapa underlag för hälsostödjande arbete där ett beteendemedicinskt synsätt kan vara av värde för förståelsen av hur biopsyko-sociala faktorer samverkar för bibehållen arbetsförmåga.
Background: Women have higher sickness absence rates than men especially within the female dominated profession of assistant nurses. Hence, there is reason to draw attention to and identify what is perceived to promote women’s work attendance and work ability within this profession. Aim: The aim of the study was to explore older female assistant nurses’ experiences of importance for the maintenance of work ability in municipal elderly care. Methods: A descriptive qualitative interview study was conducted and analysed with qualitative manifest content analysis. Six healthy assistant nurses between 55-58 years in municipal elderly care were selected through purposive sampling for semi-structured in-depth interviews. Findings: The assistant nurses are able to identify and implement needs of their own. They adapt, mainly in the private life, and achieve well-being through a meaningful existence. Their behavior can be linked to sence of coherence, empowerment and internal locus of control. Nine categories were identified: Health and physical activity, Physical work environment, Organisation, Collaboration and communication, Intentional adaptions, Work satisfaction, Meaningful existence, Preference and attitude and Societal level. Conclusion: Mainly aspects of psychosocial nature, with elements of physical activity, are perceived to promote work ability by the female assistant nurses. The findings can contribute to form a basis for promotional work where a behavioral medicine approach can be of value in the understanding of how biopsychosocial factors interact for the maintenance of work ability.

Darbo tikslas. Įvertinti kurčiųjų ir neprigirdinčiųjų patiriamo priekabiavimo darbe dažnį ir sąsajas su psichologinės savijautos rodmenimis. Tyrimo metodika. Tyrime dalyvavo 90 Kauno miesto kurčiųjų ir neprigirdinčiųjų, jų amžiaus vidurkis 39 m. (± VKN 10,40). Tyrimas atliktas anoniminės apklausos būdu 2008 m. Duomenų analizei naudotos programos SPSS 14,0 for Windows ir MS Excel. Rezultatai. 52,8 proc. kurčiųjų ir neprigirdinčiųjų patyrė priekabiavimą darbe. Dažną priekabiavimą patyrė 22,5 proc., atsitiktinį priekabiavimą darbe patyrė 30,3 proc. tiriamųjų. Dažniausiai priekabiavimą darbe kurtieji ir neprigirdintieji patyrė iš kolegų (31,1 proc.). Labiausiai paplitusi negatyvaus elgesio forma buvo, kai /duodamos betikslės užduotys ir nustatyti nerealiai trumpi terminai joms atlikti/ (2,06 ± 3,28). Net 54,4 proc. tiriamųjų pasižymėjo žema vidine darna. Žemos vidinės darnos grupėje net 85,0 proc. kurčiųjų ir neprigirdinčiųjų dažnai patyrė priekabiavim��� darbe (p=0,006 palyginus su nepatyrusiais priekabiavimo darbe). Dažno priekabiavimo grupėje net 75,0 proc. kurčiųjų ir neprigirdinčiųjų skundėsi pablogėjusiais santykiais su artimais žmonėmis (p<0,0001). 75,0 proc. tiriamųjų nustatytas potrauminio streso sutrikimas (p< 0,0001), 73,7 proc. jautė distresą (p<0,0001). Stebėtos statistiškai reikšmingos sąsajos tarp kurčiųjų ir neprigirdinčiųjų patiriamo priekabiavimo darbe ir žemos vidinės darnos bei žemo savęs vertinimo. Patyrusių dažną priekabiavimą darbe kurčiųjų ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]
The objective of the study . To evaluate the frequency of harassment at work among deaf and hard hearing people and the associations with their psychological state. Methods of the analysis. 90 deaf and hard hearing people from Kaunas participated in the research, average age 39 (±10,40 SD) yrs. The research was made anonymously in spring of 2008. We used SPSS 14.0 for Windows and MS Excel for data analysis. Results. 52.8 percent of deaf and hard hearing people experienced harassment at work. Frequent harassment experienced 22.5 percent, occasional harassment at work – 30.3 percent of the investigated. Most often deaf and hard hearing people experienced harassment from their colleagues (31.1 percent). The most widespread negative form of behavior was when the pointless tasks with unreal short terms of time to complete them were given (2.06 ± 3.28). Even 54.5 percent of investigated people had low sense of coherence. 85.0 percent of deaf and hard hearing people from the low sense of coherence group experienced harassment at work (p=0.006 in comparison with people who never experienced harassment at work). 75.0 percent of deaf and hard hearing people, from the group of frequent harassment at work, complained that their social relationship grew worse (p<0.0001). 73.7 percent of the investigated felt distress (p<0.0001). Significant associations between harassment at work, low sense of coherence and low self evaluation were observed Frequent harassment at work was positively... [to full text]

The aim of the study was to look at a particular work group of housing supporters, whomhave implemented two special working methods in their work. The methods have been implemented by two of the housing supporters that also have special education in the methodsSOC (Sense of Coherence) and solution focused brief therapy. The study is based on anethnographic observation and analysis of documents that are used in the implementation. To analyse the information that was given at the observation and in the document I´ve used a theory which illustrates the significance of developing professions so their knowledge become legitimate. I´ve also used a theory that illustrates the importance of implementation and how it´s done at its best. In conclusion, the study shows that the work group have the will to implement new methods in their work. The working group also has the ability to carry out the implementation, butthey are not aware of their own expertise, which should be clarified in order to achieve successful implementation. Difficulties have been demonstrated in terms of the understanding of the new working methods. These difficulties with the understanding of the methods can be a barrier to successful implementation or do so the implementation will take longer time to become successful. The two colleges with specified knowledge became leaders to the group and steered the work group to make decisions based on the methods of SOC and solution focused brief therapy. The investment in providing the housing supporters with special education, space to implement these two working methods also gave effects on the organization.

The aim of this thesis was to develop and make a quality assessment of a tool, which includes a questionnaire and a dialogue process that could be useful for workplace health promotion from a salutogenic point of view. The studies have been performed within two health care organizations between 2005 and 2009, together with hospital staff. Two questionnaire studies were conducted (n=446 n=505, respectively). A focus group interview study was performed (n=78), and meetings were held in an action research process for applying a questionnaire process at two wards (n=69). The result shows a development process for a multi-dimensional questionnaire, the Work Experience Measurement Scale (WEMS), which can be used to measure work experiences from a salutogenic perspective. WEMS was shown to be a functional workplace health promotion questionnaire with the ability to discriminate between groups. Its psychometric properties support its applicability in health care settings and offer a possibility to measure trends over time regarding employees´ work experiences. A dialogue structure for progress in the questionnaire process is presented. It describes what to precede and how to proceed through a workplace questionnaire process to foster applicability, meaningfulness, and sustainability. Through WEMS, the outcome of work-related Specific Enhancing Resources (SER) may be highlighted and strengthened in workplace activities. When used as a dialogue tool in a continuous questionnaire process, WEMS has the potential of being a useful assessment tool in workplace health promotion. Such a dialogue tool is useful in discussions and tangible for the work of enhancing positive human capabilities and resources (SER) that improve work performance.