| 1. |
- Ahmadi, Fereshteh, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Am I Swede or Iranian? The question of national and ethnic identities among children of Iranian immigrants in Sweden
- 2022
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Ingår i: SN Social Sciences. - : Springer. - 2662-9283. ; 2:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article examines the impact of the host society’s social characteristics on second-generation immigrants’ understanding of their national and ethnic identities. Specifically, we studied how second-generation Iranians in Sweden identify themselves with Iranian society, with the Iranian ethnic group in Sweden, and/or with Swedish society, and then we compared second-generation Iranians in Sweden with those in the USA concerning the issue in question. To gather the data in Sweden, we used semi-structured e-mail interviews with 15 young people of Iranian background. We used secondary data to compare our results with those obtained in the USA. When comparing the results of this study with those obtained in the USA, we did not find the identity tensions and crisis reported by research on second-generation Iranians in the USA in members of the same generation in Sweden. Some policy recommendations were suggested.
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| 2. |
- Ahmadi, Fereshteh, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Existential Meaning-Making Coping in Iran: A Qualitative Study among Patients with Cancer
- 2022
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Ingår i: Social Sciences. - : MDPI. - 2076-0760. ; 11:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article is written on the basis of a study on meaning-making coping in Iran. The study is a part of an international project in 10 countries with different religious and cultural backgrounds. This article aims to discuss the secular existential meaning-making coping methods employed by Iranian cancer patients. Interviews were conducted with 27 participants with various kinds of cancer. Nine secular existential meaning-making coping strategies emerged from the analyses of the qualitative interviews. These coping methods are as follows: Ignoring the illness, Distraction, Altruism, Encounter with others, Nature, Discourse of the self, Visualization, Positive solitude, and Positive thinking and transformational orientation. It seems that, using these strategies, our sample of Iranian cancer patients/survivors have been denying/ignoring their illness, and/or empowering themselves. We discuss the results, considering the potential influence of cultural elements, including Iranian Islam, Persian mysticism, and Persian literature, on the selection of the coping strategies. The study contributes to our understanding of coping via elucidating how seriously ill individuals in Iran try to manage the challenges caused by a health crisis.
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| 3. |
- Ahmadi, Fereshteh, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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How has the University Community Been Coping During the COVID-19 Pandemic? : An Iranian Survey
- 2022
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Sociology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2297-7775. ; 6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The present study, one of the first to look at COVID-19 and coping in Iran, aimed at mapping, describing and understanding the coping methods academics employ as protective resources to deal with the psychological challenges and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. We specifically aimed at identifying the meaning-making coping methods used and understanding the influence of culture. The guiding research question has been: Are there differences in meaning-making coping methods by gender, age group, work/student status, and place of residence?Design: The study, which used convenience sampling, was a quantitative inquiry. It employed a modified version of the RCOPE scale among faculty/staff members and students in Iran (n = 196, 75% women).Results: The most frequently used coping method among all subgroups of the study sample was thinking that life is part of a greater whole, followed by praying to Allah/God. The least used coping methods were the negative religious ones. Gender differences were found for being alone and contemplating, stronger for men. Thinking that life is part of a greater whole was found mainly among on-campus students. Praying to Allah/God was most common among the youngest staff and students, as well as among women. Two segments of respondents were discovered-the Theists and Non-theists-where the former used more religious coping methods, were more likely to be women, older staff and students, on-campus students, married, have children, and lived in capital.Conclusions: Our conclusion is that the RCOPE methods, which include religious and spiritual meaning-making methods, are of great importance to the studied Iranian informants. However, they use some secular existential meaning-making coping strategies too. This is explained by the role of religion in the larger orientation system and frame of reference in parallel with a secular worldview. Further, a sharp distinction between religious and secular worldviews was not found, which is explained by the fact that secular norms are hardly internalized in ways of thinking in Iran.
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| 4. |
- Ahmadi, Feresteh, et al.
(författare)
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Job satisfaction and challenges of working from home at the time of COVID-19 : A study in a Swedish academic setting
- 2022
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Ingår i: Work. - : IOS Press. - 1051-9815 .- 1875-9270. ; 71:2, s. 357-370
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic changed the academic world in variousways, and most universities are still closed and continue operating via teleworking. OBJECTIVE : This study is intended to investigate how university faculty/staff andstudents in Sweden have coped with the lockdown and working/studying from homeduring the pandemic. METHODS : A survey was conducted among 277 women andmen working and studying at different universities in Sweden. RESULTS : The resultsindicate that most (61%) respondents were very or somewhat satisfied with the currentwork-from-home arrangement. Additionally, they indicate that, overall, almost 30%were working more than usual due to the pandemic and teleworking. The copingmethods having the highest impact on overall job satisfaction were: “thinking aboutwhat I can do rather than what I can’t do”; “being able to access medical resources andmedical services if I need to seek help”; and “having trust in state or health authoritiesin my country.” CONCLUSIONS : The study reveals that Sweden can serve as a goodexample of how university faculty/staff and students can address the occupationalchallenges caused by a health pandemic and possible subsequent quarantines.
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| 5. |
- Ahmadi, Fereshteh, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Job satisfaction and challenges of working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic : A study in a Swedish academic setting
- 2022
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Ingår i: Work. - : IOS Press. - 1051-9815 .- 1875-9270. ; 71:2, s. 357-370
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic changed the academic world in various ways, and most universities are still closed and continue operating via teleworking.OBJECTIVE: This study is intended to investigate how university faculty/staff and students in Sweden have coped with the lockdown and working/studying from home during the pandemic.METHODS: A survey was conducted among 277 women and men working and studying at different universities in Sweden.RESULTS: The results indicate that most (61%) respondents were very or somewhat satisfied with the current work-from-home arrangement. Additionally, they indicate that, overall, almost 30% were working more than usual due to the pandemic and teleworking. The coping methods having the highest impact on overall job satisfaction were: "thinking about what I can do rather than what I can't do"; "being able to access medical resources and medical services if I need to seek help"; and "having trust in state or health authorities in my country."CONCLUSIONS: The study reveals that Sweden can serve as a good example of how university faculty/staff and students can address the occupational challenges caused by a health pandemic and possible subsequent quarantines.
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| 6. |
- Ahmadi, Fereshteh, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Job Satisfaction and Overcoming the Challenges of Teleworking in Times of COVID-19 : A Pilot Study Among Iranian University Community
- 2023
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Ingår i: SAGE Open. - : SAGE Publications. - 2158-2440. ; 13:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The coronavirus pandemic changed the academic world in many ways, and most academic institutions continue operating through teleworking. The aim of the present study was to determine how satisfied the university community (faculty/staff members and students) in Iran has been with remote work, and the ways in which they have dealt with the lockdown and working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. A survey was conducted among 196 academics from different universities in Iran. The results show that a majority of our participants (54%) are very or somewhat satisfied with the current work-from-home arrangement. The most frequently used methods for managing the challenges of teleworking were social contacts with colleagues or classmates at a distance, solidarity and offering kindness and support to the people around them. The least used coping method was trusting state or local health authorities in Iran. The coping strategies that have the highest impact on overall teleworking satisfaction are "Make myself busy with my working day because it makes me feel useful,""I care for my mental and physical health," and "Think about what I can do rather than what I can't do." The findings were discussed in detail, taking into consideration the theoretical approaches, as well as bringing forth more dynamic aspects of the culture.
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| 7. |
- Ahmadi, Fereshteh, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Living through a Global Pandemic : A Cross-Sectional Study on the Psychological Resilience of the University Population in Iran
- 2023
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 20:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: This study aimed to describe and understand the individual and social dimensions of resiliency among Iranian academics as professionals during the early wave of the ongoing pandemic. Furthermore, we aimed to emphasize the cultural context in our analysis. Method: A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. We used convenient sampling, administered through an online survey, among academics at Iranian universities (n = 196, 75% women). We employed the CD-RISC 2 instrument, items on life meaning, and a modified version of Pargament’s RCOPE instrument (Meaning, Control, Comfort/Spirituality, Intimacy/Spirituality, and Life Transformation). Results: The results revealed a strong level of resilience among men (M = 5.78) and women (M = 5.52). Self-rated health was rated as excellent, very good, or good among a majority (92%) of the participants, more so among men. Family was one of the factors that most strongly gave life meaning, followed by friends, work/school, and religion/spirituality. There was a strong correlation between self-rated health and life as part of a greater whole, being alone, and listening to the sounds of the surrounding nature. Conclusions: Both personal and social levels of resilience and meaning-making are seen in the results, with an ability to balance between obstacles and resources. Cultural practices are interdependent, which also include the individual and social dimensions of resiliency and meaning-making.
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| 8. |
- Ahmadi, Fereshteh, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Meaning-making coping methods among bereaved parents: A pilot survey study in Sweden
- 2021
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Ingår i: Behavioral Sciences. - : MDPI. - 2076-328X. ; 11:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The death of a child may result in traumatizing forms of grief, and meaning-making coping with loss seems to be important in prevention of intense psychosocial problems among bereaved parents. The aim of this quantitative pilot study was to discover the divergent meaning-making coping methods used by bereaved parents in Sweden. In doing so, 162 respondents were selected using a convenience sampling method, and they responded to the modified version of RCOPE. The study revealed that the strategies talking to others about their feelings, pondering the meaning of life alone, and being in nature for greater emotional affiliation, i.e., what we call secular existential coping methods, have been the most used meaning-making coping methods among Swedish mourning parents. While explaining the results, we considered the respondents’ cultural background and speculated about the potential influence of cultural teachings and elements in the selection of ways of coping with bereavement. Further, we compared the results obtained with those of the two other Swedish studies conducted among people coping with cancer and COVID-19 to further discuss the impact of culture on coping with illness, loss, grief, and crisis. The study supports the idea that culture plays an essential role in the choice of coping methods
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| 9. |
- Ahmadi, Fereshteh, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Meaning-making coping with COVID-19 in academic settings: the case of Sweden
- 2022
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Ingår i: Illness, crisis and loss. - : Sage. - 1054-1373 .- 1552-6968. ; 30:4, s. 770-794
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this study, we map and describe the coping methods used by members of the university community in Sweden to deal with the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. This study, which used simple random sampling, was quantitative. It employed a modified version of the RCOPE instrument as well as items from earlier studies of meaning-making coping in Sweden. Among participants (n = 277, 64% women), the most frequently used coping method was nature as a resource in dealing with stress and sadness, followed by listening to the sounds of surrounding nature and thinking of life as part of a greater whole; these coping methods were the most common in all subgroups studied. We used a cultural perspective to better understand the application of certain meaning-making coping methods.
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| 10. |
- Ahmadi, Fereshteh, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Religion, culture and illness : a sociological study on religious coping in Iran
- 2018
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Ingår i: Mental Health, Religion & Culture. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1367-4676 .- 1469-9737. ; 21:7, s. 721-736
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present article is based on an international study on meaning-making coping aimed at understanding the role of culture in coping. The larger study has been conducted among cancer patients in 10 countries. The present article is confined to the results obtained in our study in Iran and restricted to religious coping methods. Twenty-seven participants with various kinds of cancer were interviewed. The several religious coping methods found in the present study are categorised on the basis of RCOPE?s five basic religious functions. The study reveals, among others, the impact of cultural beliefs on certain religious coping methods, even among those who are not regarded as practicing Muslims. The study highlights the importance of investigating cultural and social context when exploring the use of the meaning-making coping strategies in different countries.
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