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- Eklund, Jenny M., 1974-
(författare)
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Adolescents at risk of persistent antisocial behaviour and alcohol problems : The role of behaviour, personality and biological factors
- 2005
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Antisocial behaviour and alcohol problems are areas of great concern to society, not only associated with personal and emotional costs for the affected individuals and their victims, but also with major societal financial costs. What makes some individuals more likely than others to develop these kinds of problems? The general aim of this thesis was to explore the role of individual characteristics in the development of antisocial behaviour and alcohol problems. More specifically, the research focused on aspects of hyperactive behaviour, personality traits and biological vulnerability indicators in relation to self-reported norm breaking and violent behaviour, registered general criminality and violent offending in particular, and further, on risky alcohol use and drinking offences. The studies were based on both a prospective longitudinal project in which a group of adolescent male lawbreakers and controls were followed from the 1960s into the 1990s, and on more recently collected data on a representative group of Swedish male and female adolescents.The results of the thesis supported that neuropsychological deficits, manifested in attention difficulties, and personality traits reflecting disinhibition and negative emotionality, influence the development of antisocial behaviour and risky alcohol use, which in turn increases the risk of subsequent alcohol problems. The findings indicated, furthermore, that these neuropsychological deficits may be associated with an underlying biological vulnerability to various forms of disinhibitory psychopathology. Although the thesis focuses on individual characteristics, the results also support the view that environmental risk factors such as the influence of family and peers and possible stress experiences, play an important role. It was emphasized that individual characteristics continuously interact with environmental conditions in shaping each individual’s developmental course. Results also revealed that adolescent females displaying violent behaviour and engaging in potentially harmful use of alcohol deviated more in personality traits than did the corresponding group of males. Further knowledge of the development of these problems in females is crucial, since most theories in this area have been developed primarily on male samples.
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| 3. |
- Lloyd, Christina
(författare)
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Moments of meaning – Towards an assessment of protective and risk factors for existential vulnerability among young women with mental ill-health concerns : A mixed methods project in clinical psychology of religion and existential health
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The present sequential mixed-methods project was conducted in the area of clinical psychology of religion and existential health. The central aim of the project was to investigate clinically relevant areas for an assessment of protective and risk factors for existential vulnerability and dysfunctional existential meaning-making in a clinical sample of young women with mental ill-health concerns. Three theoretical areas were applied and operationalized for the project: Existential meaning-making; Ontological security; and, Emotion regulation. The sample was composed of female participants at an outpatient psychodynamic psychotherapy clinic for young adults in Sweden, with depression as the most common preliminary diagnosis. Study I, quantitative, comprised an online questionnaire of established assessment-measures, completed by 53 women (17–30 y., M = 22.4 y.). Depression-related personality traits were explored as possible underlying variables when studying relations between mental ill-health and a dysfunctional existential meaning-making process, by comparing groups pertaining to different levels of depression-related personality traits to explore possible differences between groups in the areas studied. Study II, qualitative, comprised an in-depth interview, with a subgroup (n = 10; range 21-25 y, M=22.7) drawn from the preceding study, and representative of those high on depression-related scales. Interrelations between existential meaning-making and emotion regulation were explored in relation to everyday life, critical life-events, and ultimate concerns through a systematic text condensation process. Study III, multi-method, comprised several assessment steps of data from the subgroup, and an assessment of inter-rater reliability (IRR). Possible functional factors (protective) and dysfunctional factors (risk) for mental ill-health were explored through an assessment of Existential worldview function, by the exploration of interrelations among existential worldview, ontological security and self-concept. According to our hypothesis, high scores on the depression-related personality scale Inhibition of aggression were strongly associated with a less functional existential meaning-making process in this sample of young clinical females. Among the High scorers, a crisis of meaning was found in terms of weak or no access to sufficient cultural knowledge or existential resources in intergenerational, emotionally-nurturing relationships. Results further indicated a general lack of an operating existential worldview accompanied by little or no reflection on existential worldview matters among a majority of the subjects and their parents.
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- Rydén-Lodi, Birgitta, 1944-
(författare)
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Lyckas mot alla odds : Protektiva faktorer i upphörandeprocessen vid brottslig verksamhet
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of the present study was to investigate the criminal career, focusing on factors of importance for quitting an ongoing severe criminal career. First a pilot study was performed on 15 young male criminals, for which an interview guide concerning life situation and background characteristics was applied and revised for further developing into a questionnaire (Study I). Further 100 male recidivists, aged 30-38 yrs and incarcerated in prisons in the region of Stockholm, Sweden, were studied. The subjects filled in a self-administered questionnaire on background factors, e.g., debut in crime and addiction, upbringing, values, and quality of social networks (Study II). The subjects were then interviewed according to the revised interview guide regarding life situation, e.g., criminality, addiction, quality of social networks, lodging situation, economic status, work and leisure-time (Study III). Self-reported personality traits were investigated using KSP, EPQ-I and SSS inventories (Study IV). Inclusion criteria were that the subject had at least three prior convictions to prison and at least a total of one year of prison served. At a follow-up three years after release from prison, registered criminal activity was assessed and subjects were grouped according to recidivism level. The subjects free of convictions displayed higher quality in upbringing conditions, relationships, and lodging situation; they also differed in self-reported evaluation of addiction and criminal life-style. Furthermore, they showed a later debut in addiction, and were less likely to live with addicted partners. Concerning personality, results indicated that individuals with higher extraversion and cognitive-psychic anxiety were less likely to be reconvicted, while individuals with higher irritability and sensation seeking traits were more likely to become reconvicted during the follow-up period. The results are discussed in terms of an interactional model of the crime quitting process
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- Sandgren, Maria, 0063-
(författare)
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Becoming and being an opera singer : Health, personality and skills
- 2005
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The present thesis explores factors and processes associated with the artistic profession and development of opera singers. The profession of opera singers has a long story deriving its origin in early 1600s in Italy. What is performed on opera stages today is written in the musical scores in the 18th and 19th century. The question arises how the modern opera singers live, learn and excel in their contemporary pursuit in order to meet the high demands on performance. The initial study identified health issues related to the professional activity of opera singers. Qualitative and quantitative measurements indicated that psychological problems were associated with a distinct worry for possible negative evaluation from significant others and a fear of vocal indisposition. A range of health-promoting activities was demonstrated aiming at preventing the occurrence of somatic problems that could cause vocal indisposition. Psychosocial problems concerned difficulties to maintain a family life and relations due to irregular working hours. In Study II, the psychological and physiological effects of singing lessons were investigated with respect to amateur and professional levels of singing experiences. Amateur singers experienced more well-being measured by self-reports of emotional states and by lower levels of stress hormones than professionals. In Study III, narrative accounts were collected to identify factors and processes in the artistic development during higher opera education. A descriptive model was created that embraced the development of various skills such as singing technique, means of expressiveness and interpersonal skills. Outcome variables from the education were artistic autonomy, artistic competence and change in self-concept. In Study IV, personality characteristics were assessed among elite students in opera and business education representing an artistic versus a traditional educational streaming. Female opera students, female business and male business students shared the personality characteristic of extraversion indicating a disposition towards sensation seeking. Male opera singers exhibited a profile of elevated levels of emotionality. In general, the findings across the studies demonstrate that the individual development of operatic artistry is a complex process where health-related issues, personality characteristics, skills acquisition and sociocultural values are critical constituents. A major result was the marked focus on the instrument per se, the voice. Vocal functioning in singing was described as a means of enabling operatic singing, a mode for artistic expression and indicator of health.
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| 6. |
- Väfors Fritz, Marie, 1974-
(författare)
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Psychosocial adjustment problems : Individual and acculturation differences
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis addresses individual and environmental risk factors in the development of adjustment problems and antisocial behaviour. Namely, temperament and character, anxiety, psychopathic-like traits, antisocial attitudes, alcohol use, and parental rearing strategies are explored as risk factors for behaviour problems in childhood, adolescence and adulthood. When interpreting results of specific studies, an ecological framework is applied to take into account socio-cultural and acculturation circumstances. In Studies I and II, the subjects under investigation are incarcerated Russian detainees aged 14-19 years (n=250). The main purpose of Study I was to investigate the validity of the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) in a sample of Russian juvenile delinquents. Study II examined the relationship between psychopathy and violent behaviour. An association between psychopathy and quality of life is explored in Study III, using a sample of Swedish early criminals and controls aged 38-41 years (n=199). In Study IV, international and national college students aged 17-51 years (n=246), are studied regarding perceived adjustment stressors and acculturational differences. The results suggested good validity of the APSD in the Russian male detainees. Additionally, the results support a dimensional aspect of the psychopathy construct as measured by the PCL and APSD, and suggest that individual and environmental antecedents of psychopathy may differ between the distinct psychopathy factors. The more violent group showed higher levels of psychopathic traits and physical aggression, had more alcohol related problems, and perceived antisocial behavior as more ‘normative’. Moreover, impulsiveness, anger, verbal aggression and antisocial attitudes discriminated between the psychopathic and non-psychopathic subgroups. The results further indicated that self reported quality of life was poorer among individuals with psychopathic-like traits. Finally, grouping the detainees, criminals and controls, as well as the students according to their unique needs seemed to be beneficial, not only regarding psychopathic-like traits, violent behaviour and antisocial attitudes, but also in the context of acculturation and adjustment processes.
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