| 1. |
- Bengtsson, Mattias
(författare)
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Att lämna en placering i samhällsvård : En studie om ungas övergång från samhällsvård till vuxenliv
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The focus in this thesis is young peoples’ (aged 17–20) experiences of leaving out-of-home care (OHC) and making the transition into adulthood. Prior research shows care leavers as a vulnerable group making the transition to adulthood at younger age, in shorter duration and with less support than their peers. The overarching aim is to gain knowledge of how young care leavers experience and handle their transition from OHC to adulthood, and how their experiences and strategies change over time. The study design is longitudinal with three waves of interviews: when still in care (T1), 6–11 months later when most of them had left care (T2) and another 10–19 months later (T3). Article I focuses the informants’ (n=15) expectations for their future and how these are changing over time (T1–T2). The participants’ short term expectations are characterized by worries (T1) and ambivalence (T2) – their long-term expectations are more optimistic (both T1 and T2) and tend to be guided by normative developmental patterns. The aim of article II is to study care leavers’ (n=20) strategies for handling adversities during their OHC transition. The results show that the participants over time (T1–T2) develop externally oriented strategies by navigating towards available resources, and internally oriented reflexive strategies for re-negotiating the meaning of their earlier experiences. Departing from an agency perspective article III focuses care leavers’ (n=14) transitional patterns of leaving care (T1–T3). Three patterns are identified: one stable long-term future oriented, one unstable short-term future oriented and one ambivalent pattern shuttling between long- and short-term future orientations. The aim in article IV is to study occupational trajectories, i.e. care leavers’ (n=14) paths into education and employment from a theoretical framework of agency vs. structure. The results show three ideal types of trajectories where agency is: (1) facilitated by structure, (2) perceived as free from structural constraints, and (3) hindered by structural constraints. The longitudinal design provides an original contribution the field of study by uncovering how care leavers’ expectations for their future is changing during the process of transition, how increasingly successful strategies are developed over time, and how transitional OHC patterns are influenced by the agents’ time horizons as well as by structural forces. A conclusion from the study is that societal support targeting young care leavers is deficient and needs to be developed and strengthened. Furthermore, the transition could be facilitated by extending the duration of the transition process, by including care leavers as active participating agents in the planning process of their passage out from OHC, and by strengthening the maintenance of care leavers’ relationships to supportive members in their formal and informal network. ”Independence” as the ultimate goal for young people leaving OHC is criticized based on the results showing that interdependent relationships to significant others is an integrated part of care leavers’ perception of adult life.
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| 2. |
- Crommert, Martin Eriksson, 1974-
(författare)
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On the role of transversus abdominis in trunk motor control
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- All trunk muscles are important contributors to spine stability. However, the deepest abdominal muscle, transversus abdominis (TrA), with its characteristically horizontal fibre orientation seems to serve a unique function in trunk motor control. The main mechanical role of TrA is believed to be to contribute to vertebral alignment during imposed moments on the trunk, executed mainly via either regulating the pressure level within the abdominal cavity and/or transmit forces to the spine via the thoracolumbar fascia. However, the complete function of TrA and what factors affect its activation are still not fully understood. The purpose of the present thesis was to investigate the role of TrA in trunk motor control, specifically in relation to the presence or absence of postural demand on the trunk.The timing and magnitude of TrA activation were investigated, in relation to other trunk muscles, with intramuscular fine-wire electrodes in different loading situations and body positions with varying postural demand.In a side-lying position, with no postural demand of keeping the trunk upright, the activation of TrA was delayed relative the superficial abdominal muscles compared to previous experiments performed in a standing position. The timing and magnitude of activation of TrA did not depend upon the direction of perturbation. In the standing position, different static arm positions revealed that the activation of TrA co-varied with variations in the degree of postural demand on the trunk and also the imposed moments, regardless of moment direction. Finally, a study on rapid arm flexion movements confirmed that TrA is part of the pre-programmed anticipatory response in advance of known perturbations. The activation magnitude of TrA was the same regardless if the arm movement induced flexion or extension moments on the trunk.In conclusion, the activation of TrA is associated with the upright postural demand on the trunk and with balancing imposed moments acting on the spine, regardless their direction. The findings are in support of the beliefs that TrA act as a general, direction non specific, stabilizer of the lumbar spine.
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| 3. |
- Forssell, Emilia
(författare)
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Skyddandets förnuft : en studie om anhöriga till hjälpbehövande äldre som invandrat sent i livet
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This dissertation aims to examine and deepen the knowledge of family member caregiving where the care recipient is an elderly person who immigrated late in life. It also aims to contribute to the knowledge of the complexities underlying informal care giving and add to our understandings of what it means to be an immigrant in Sweden. The caregiver is in focus. The research conducted is explorative and partly inductive. The main material used is a qualitative interview study carried out with family members from different countries who are providing informal care to elderly immigrant relatives. The analysis gives three patterns of caregiving. One shows help from informal caregivers only who are not compensated economically. Another shows help from family members who are compensated. The third shows help from family members and staff from the public care system. Three ideal-typical informal caregiver roles show different positions vis-à-vis the new: “guardian”, “filter” and “reinterpreter of traditional care ideals”. Swedish born and immigrated informal caregivers are also compared through analysis of data gathered in telephone interviews with a representative selection of inhabitants in the County of Stockholm.A philosophy of action together with theory on integration and multiculturalism serves as theoretical frameworks to understand discrepancies and ambiguities in the data. Young immigrants experience different integration processes than do the older ones. They strive to protect older family members from changes linked to the migration experience. Talk about dependence on culture underlines family feelings and legitimates the processes of protection. Preconceptions about great differences between Swedish born and immigrant families are not supported by quantitative data. A conclusion is that protection can be understood in relation both to the traditional and the new, the latter in the forms of meetings with Swedish society where unequal relations prevail. It is a kind of counter-strategy where the range of actions is diminished, and thus it has its own logic. Protection can be loosened up when the circumstances change and the range of actions grow.
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| 4. |
- Hadjikhani, Annoch Isa, 1985-
(författare)
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Executive expectation in the internationalization process of banks : The study of two Swedish banks foreign activities
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Since the late 1980s, deregulation of the banking sector has opened new avenues for the internationalization of banks. There are, however, few studies on the internationalization of banks – particularly Swedish banks. The purpose of this thesis is to deepen our knowledge of bank’s internationalization process by studying how the executive function’s expectation of market conditions influences internationalization patterns. This thesis makes an empirical contribution by describing how the Swedish banks Svenska Handelsbanken AB and Swedbank AB have internationalized during the period 1995-2014. The empirical evidence comprises all of the two banks’ activities in foreign markets and the qualitative cases describing this process have been constructed using archival data (newspaper articles, press releases, and reports) complemented with interviews.Beside the empirical contribution the thesis makes a theoretical contribution to internationalization theory and more specifically to Johanson and Vahlne’s (1977) internationalization process model. While Johanson and Vahlne’s model does have a strong explanatory value, it does not fully explain its mechanisms (Andersen, 1993; Leonidou & Katsikeas, 1996) and only firm’s internationalizing incrementally (Liesch et al., 2002). For explanation of both incremental and non-incremental behaviors this thesis provides a proposed view of bank’s internationalization where the concept of executive expectation is developed as a mediating variable in Johanson and Vahlne’s internationalization process model. To this end, executive expectation is described as the driving and hindering force in bank’s internationalization process influenced by exogenous and endogenous changes.
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| 5. |
- Snellman, Fredrik, 1975-
(författare)
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Det beror på hur man tar det. : Kollektiva livsuttryck, individuella livslopp och meningskonstruerande processer i äldres livsberättelser
- 2005
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- I avhandlingen avvänds livsberättelser som materialinsamlingsmetod för att fånga äldre människors levda erfarenheter. Frågorna som ställs i avhandlingen är: Vilka kollektivt konstruerade livsuttryck uppvisar respondenterna? På vilket sätt förhåller sig det individuellt konstruerade livsloppet till det kollektiva livsuttrycket och hur kan det individuella livsloppet lämpligast representeras? Finns det - och i så fall vilka är de - meningskonstruerande element som respondenterna använt i sina livsberättelser samt vilken betydelse har dessa för respondenternas upplevda välbefinnande? I studien presenteras de socialgerontologiska teorierna övergripande för att positionera avhandlingsarbetet. I studien har totalt sexton individer, nio finländska kvinnor och sju män i den kustnära Kvarkenregionen, deltagit och delgivit sina fritt formulerade livsberättelser. Baserat på det gemensamma mönster som framträder i alla livsberättelser beskrivs detta som livsfaser och olika livsyttryck under respektive livsfaser. De framträdande livsfaserna är: a) barndoms, ungdoms- och skoltiden, b) krigstiden, c) förvärvsarbetstiden och d) pensionärtiden. För respektive livsfas presenteras vilka liknande och åtskiljande mönster -eller livsuttryck - informanterna delger. De tolkade livsuttrycken baseras på vad och hur informanterna berättar om sina liv. Livsfaserna och livsuttrycken utgör grunden för presentationen av en övergripande typologi av hur livsberättelsernas innehåll kan beskrivas kollektivt. Ett mycket vanligt förekommande livsuttryck under pensiontiden är bland annat det som författaren valt att beskriva som ett "rikt liv". I ett avseende bryter detta livsuttryck mot den homogena bilden av, och i viss mån förekommande eländesbilder av, äldre människor. Samtidigt påvisas uttryckligen att den kollektiva bilden - eller typologin - som åskådliggörs alltid förvränger den enskilde individens berättelse. Detta används som ett reflexivt sätt att kritiskt problematisera - och etiskt förhålla sig - till den bild av informanternas livsberättelser som konstrueras i forskningsprocessen.
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| 6. |
- Henåker, Lars, 1966-
(författare)
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Mastering Tactics : Exploring and measuring victory in battle
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This dissertation investigates effective military tactics in contemporary battle by measuring parameters behind successful and less successful tactical performance. As such, knowledge of tactics gives practitioners, scholars, and scientists in war studies a better understanding of battle results. The purpose of the dissertation is to test existing theories to create a new theory about what influences tactical results in battle and provide an explanation of what leads to tactical victory. Victory can be explained by tactical elements that affect success during battles. Moreover, victorious battles can partly be explained through some of the skills tacticians possess in comparison to those who lose their duels. Furthermore, the dissertation is an approach to critically evaluate tactical competence and identify what is successful tactics and how the theories are consistent with practical experiences. With increased insight into who and how tactics affect the victory or loss of battle, we have the opportunity to improve the development of skills in the field of military and tactics that research, analyse, and practice warfare. The dissertation consists of four independent articles. These articles correlate personal capabilities such as level of expertise, attitude, general intelligence, and individual decision-making styles, to levels of victory. Summarizing all four articles leads to three major conclusions: (1) contemporary manoeuvre warfare contains successful measurable elements when similar opponents engage in combat. (2) Tacticians who follow the steps from the ideal model representing “best practices of performing tactics” increase their chances of winning the duel, especially if the opponent does not follow any or fewer steps at the same time. (3) Personal decision-making styles influence tactical results in battle. These conclusions are relevant when drawing up effective tactics as well as tactician profiles in the future.
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| 7. |
- Hiswåls, Anne-Sofie
(författare)
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Employment Status and Inequalities in Health Outcomes : Population-based Studies from Gävleborg County
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background and objectives: From a public health perspective, it is important not only to improve and maintain health, but also to promote equality in health. Epidemiological research has showed the importance of work and unemployment in the development of socio-economic health inequalities, and peoples life chances are suggested to be conditioned by participation or exclusion from the labour market. The most recent economic recession has brought further changes to the labour market that might have aggravated the already multifaceted image of inequalities in health. Gävleborg County was one of the hardest hit counties in Sweden, which experienced a myriad of changes in the labour market that went beyond those of the Swedish national average, in terms of increase in flexible forms of employment, factory closures, and lay-offs. The overall objective of this thesis was to investigate the relationship between employment status and health-related inequalities in Gävleborg County, Sweden. In addition, the Specific objectives for the thesis were to: assess the relationship between employment status and self-reported health in Gävleborg (Study I); to estimate the relationship between employment status and suicidal ideation during the economic recession in Gävleborg (Study II); to estimate the prevalence of anxiety and depression among economically active people living in the Municipality of Gävle (Study III) and to assess experiences and perceptions of well-being after involuntary job loss in Gävle (Study IV).Methods: Study I and II in this thesis used data from the 2010 Health in Equal Terms survey, a cross-sectional survey carried out in Gävleborg County in Sweden. A total of 4,245 individuals, aged 16–65 years were included in the analyses. Study III was performed in Wave 1 (baseline survey) of the Gävle Household, Labour Market Dynamics and Health Outcomes survey (GHOLDH), a panel survey with household as the follow-up unit. A total of 241 persons completed a self-administered postal questionnaire which collected information on the employment status and psychological health (anxiety and depression) among persons aged 18–65 years. The thesis used descriptive analyses and logistic regression models to describe and explore the relationship between employment status, self-reported health and suicidal ideation in Gävleborg County (Studies I and II). Descriptive analysis of means and a multiple regression analysis for adjusted means of HADS, were used in order to estimate the prevalence of anxiety and depression among economically active persons residing in the Gävle Municipality (Study III). Study IV used a qualitative approach to gain a deeper understanding of how involuntarily unemployed persons in Gävlexperceive their well-being. Sixteen unemployed men and women aged 28–62 were interviewed face-to-face. A purposeful sampling strategy was used in order to suit the research question and to increase the variation among informants. The interview texts in Study IV were analysed using thematic analysis.Results: In Study I, the prevalence of poor self-reported health (SRH) was twice as high in the group of people who were not employed (42%) compared to the employed group (21.6%). Individuals outside the labour market had odds of poor health of 2.64 (Cl 2.28–3.05) compared to their employed counterparts. Controlling for other covariates reduced the risk slightly to 2.10 (1.69–2.60), but remained statistically significant. Moreover, other variables such as long-standing illness, age, income and lack of social support were associated with self-reported poor health. In Study II, among those not employed, 11.2% had been in a situation where they had seriously considered taking their life (at some time during the past 12 months). The corresponding figure for those employed was 2.9%. Unadjusted results of the logistic regression analysis revealed that people who were not employed had about a four times higher risk of suicidal ideation, with an OR of 4.21 (CI: 3.14–5.64) compared to their employed counterparts. Controlling for other covariates, reduced the risk from 4.21(CI 3.14–5.64) in model I, to 1.73 (CI 1.16–2.57) in model IV, but remained statistically significant. In addition, other variables were associated with suicidal ideation. In Study III, the prevalence and risk of anxiety and depression were high among people who were out of work. In the multiple regression analysis, compared to employed people, those who were not employed had a risk of anxiety of 7.76 (5.97–9.75) and 4.67 (3.60–5.74) for depression. Study IV revealed six different themes from the interviews: Work was perceived as the basis for belonging; loss of work affected people’s social life and consumption patterns due to changes in their financial situation. Feelings of isolation, loss of self-esteem, and feelings of hopelessness were reported, affecting the respondents’ physical well-being. Longer duration of unemployment increased the respondents’ negative emotions. Activities, structure, and affiliation in other contexts were reported as part of their strategy for coping with poor mental health.Conclusion: This thesis found a statistically significant relationship between being outside the labour market and poor SRH, a high risk of suicidal ideation, anxiety, and depression during the recent economic recession. The relationship between employment status and SRH was partially explained by socioeconomic, demographic and lifestyle variables. In addition, the relationship between employment status and suicidal ideation was, for the most part, explained by demographic, socio-economic and self-reported psychological variables. Atxithe municipal level, the prevalence of anxiety and depression was higher among those who were out of the labour market as compared to those who were employed and the odds of anxiety and depression were higher among people out of the labour market, but this was less prominent for depression than for anxiety. Job loss created feelings of loss of dignity and belonging as a human being. The participants experienced feelings of worry, insecurity, and stress due to their changed financial situation, which in turn led to isolation and loss of self-esteem. Social support and having activities other than work gave structure and meaning to everyday life. The results of this thesis indicate a need for early detection and potential treatment of people out of the labour force and for being aware of the increased risk of poor health symptoms and disorders among unemployed individuals. The findings also indicate a need for primary prevention strategies, implying that policy-makers must pay attention to the health status of those who are out of work, especially during times of combined economic hardship and labour market fluctuations. However, longitudinal studies are warranted to shed further light on the mechanisms through which employment status and conditions impact physical and psychological health outcomes.
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| 8. |
- Humble, Niklas
(författare)
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Programming in grade 7-9 : Action possibilities and constraints from the perspective of mathematics and technology teachers
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The idea of using programming in fields outside of computer science is not new, but it has received renewed attention with the global trend of integrating programming in school curricula. In the Swedish context, mathematics and technology teachers for grades 7-9 have been significantly affected by the integration of programming. Previous research has highlighted the opportunities and challenges presented by this integration and shown that programming is a relevant skill for students to acquire, but it also shows that teachers often lack knowledge, skill and guidance for this integration. The knowledge object of the thesis is to develop knowledge about teachers’ perceived affordances (action possibilities) and constraints in using programming in grade 7-9 mathematics and technology. The thesis includes five papers and uses a qualitative approach to identify action possibilities and constraints of using programming in grade 7-9 mathematics and technology. These action possibilities and constraints relate to three aspects of teaching and learning: subject content, motivation and engagement, and digital competence. Together, the findings provide a conceptual model for what programming can be used for in grade 7-9 mathematics and technology. This conceptual model, which incorporates action possibilities and constraints of programming related to the three aspects of teaching and learning mentioned above, represents the contribution of the thesis. The thesis provides new insights into the understanding of teachers’ use and perceptions of programming for teaching and learning in grade 7-9 mathematics and technology (the study object). The thesis also has practical implications for the future design of professional development courses on programming for teachers and how programming should be used and integrated in an educational context.
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| 9. |
- Nordlinder, Carolina, et al.
(författare)
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Individual, family, job, and organizational factors associated with retirement intentions among older long-term care workers: A systematic review
- 2024
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Ingår i: Geriatric Nursing. - : Elsevier. - 0197-4572 .- 1528-3984. ; 56, s. 83-93
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- This systematic review synthesized prior quantitative research on individual, family, job, and organizational factors associated with retirement intentions (RI) among older long-term care (LTC) workers. Seven databases were searched for peer-reviewed studies. RI were defined as early (<65 years) or late (>65 years). To assess the methodological quality, we used JBI's checklists. The PRISMA statement guided this review. After duplicates were removed, 4 489 records were identified. A final sample of six articles was selected as eligible for inclusion. Current findings show weak social support, high physical job demands, and type of LTC occupation as important determinants for early RI. Strong social support and good job resources are important determinants fore late RI. In contrast to earlier research on other groups of older workers, this review shows no statistically associations between health nor emotional job demands and early RI for LTC workers. The results are discussed using the JD-R theory.
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| 10. |
- Öberg, Åsa, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Co-creating social innovation in quadruple helixes: Evidence from Sweden
- 2021
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Ingår i: Event Proceedings. - 9789523354678
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In an increasingly globalized world, the challenges of society need to be tackled not by single organisations but by a multitude of stakeholders. Universities can contribute by extending their role and by collaborating with external stakeholders. This study employs qualitative methods to explore how a university engages with its innovation ecosystem through two different projects.The findings, connected to the development of educational and digital systems, show: 1) evidence of two extreme approaches to external stakeholder engagement and 2) three levels of tensions (multi-layered tensions) - on an overarching level, between stakeholder groups, and within groups of stakeholders. The contribution connects to literature on open innovation, quadruple helixes and lastly to university social innovation, especially responsibility diffusion.
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