| 20211. |
- Elf, Mikael, 1959, et al.
(författare)
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Design of Web-based Support Systems in Less Structured Contexts - the Case of Young Carers.
- 2011
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Ingår i: Medicine 2.0 Congress, Sept 17-18 2011, Stanford University, US..
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background It has been suggested that at least 4% in a given population of young people are young carers (YC), providing substantial support to diseased family members. Many of them have little or no help from society, partly due to societal neglect of this group and partly due to barriers for help seeking, such as shame, stigma and distrust in health and social care resources (HSCR). The group addressed in this abstract, YCs aged 16-25 and supporting someone with mental illness, may find those barriers even more constricting. Research on web-based support for this group are limited, although web-based support may have a prominent role to play in reaching and supporting them. However, web-based support systems (WBSS) are often built around an educational part and a peer-support part, while a number of recent studies of ICT-support to homeless people, at-risk teens and YCs point to additional needs not addressed in such supports. A common factor among these groups seems to be a lack of support in their life context and at the same time barriers to reach important HSCRs. Our objective is to outline a model for web-based support aiming to increase YCs' opportunities and willingness to overcome barriers in reaching HSCRs that they need. Methods Data from two qualitative studies has been used. Study one was based on interview data (N=12) and explored YCs' needs in their care situation and in relation to a hypothesized WBSS. Data was transcribed and analyzed with content analysis. Study 2 explored YCs' views (N=8) of a WBSS when acting as co-designers in a participatory design (PD) process. Five consecutive design meetings were video recorded and analyzed with content analysis. Results 1) In addition to needs of knowledge (e.g. for understanding mental illness) and needs for communication (e.g. with peers having similar experiences), YCs wanted the opportunity to meet peers in real life and to get “real-life” support. Important real-life support could be e.g. acute relief in the care situation and structured family interventions. Young carers also expressed need for greater commitment from HSCRs. 2) Young carers emphasized human qualities of the WBSS (personification), like competence and a serious attitude. They indicated the importance of commitment and sensitivity in any action on the WBSS. The website was viewed not only as a source for information, knowledge and exchange, but also as something to relate to and trust. Conclusions Localization, mediation and personification may be important properties of a WBSS aimed at YCs. A locally anchored WBSS could facilitate real-life connections between YCs (observing security issues) and would be a prerequisite in helping YCs to become familiar with HSCRs in their place of living. A dedicated staff can build relations to and explore local HSCRs and mediate these experiences on the WBSS. A personified WBSS may offer not only increased visibility, transparency and familiarity of HSCRs, but also trust and support for YCs to overcome barriers in reaching HSCRs.
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| 20212. |
- Elf, Mikael, 1959
(författare)
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PERSPECTIVES ON DESIGN FOR WEB-BASED SUPPORT IN LESS STRUCTURED CONTEXTS - the needs and views of young carers
- 2011
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- DEGREE OF LICENTIATE IN PSYCHOLOGY ABSTRACT Elf, M (2011). Perspectives on design for web-based support in less structured contexts: the needs and views of young carers. Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The last decade of extended availability of internet connectivity has increased the search for webbased health infonnation and it seems that quite a large portion of these searches are made by carers. Some of them are probably young carers, that is, young persons having a considerable care responsibility in relation to family members in the same time as many of them remain invisible for health care. Although research of web-based support involve some studies regarding youths, studies involving young carers are very rare. In the present thesis an extended definition of young carer is used and includes young people, 16-25 years of age, living close to and supporting a family member, relative, friend or girlfriend/boyfriend. Study I explores 12 young carers support needs related to the care situation and to a hypothesised web-based support system. Data was collected through interviews and a focus group and analysed with content analysis. The analysis resulted in three themes, each having their sub-themes. Main themes, with sub-themes were knowledge - understanding mental illness, managing the person with mental illness, and self care; communication - shared experiences, advice and feedback, and befriending; and outside involvement - acute relief, structured help, and health care commitments. The study concludes that most needs in the knowledge and communication themes could be supported in a web 2.0 context. To meet the need for befriending and outside involvement a geographically anchored web support with a dedicated staff is suggested, mediating their relationships with health and social care and offering a vicarious trust. Study II explored a participatory design process, with the aim to reveal what topics a group of young carers found important and how their views differed from the representatives of the project. The study included 8 participants, of which 7 from the previous study. Five consecutive design meetings were video recorded and analysed with content analysis and with use of Dewey's concept of public. Results revealed four themes of topics: Communicating the message - targeting, displaying competence, and serious attitude; ideational working principles - support goals, methods and means of support; considerations of user interaction - privacy versus publicity, risk management; user interface - user adaptation, and structural issues. Furthennore differences in the views of participants versus project representatives were revealed. In summary participants view of the user was a person that had a usefulness perspective and the object for support was primarily the person with mental illness. The project representatives' view was a person that had a short- and long-tenn self-care perspective and the object of support was primarily him-/she. The study identified four essential structures in a web-based support system and concludes that early user involvement and critical reflection is crucial in the design of web-based support systems. Key words: Young carers, Support needs, Participatory design, Web-based, Internet, Support system, Publics. ISSN 1101-718X ISRN/GU/PSYKI AVH--245--SE Mikael EIf, Department of psychoIogy, University of Gothenburg, Box 500, 405 30 Gothenburg, Phone: +46709486515, E-mail:mikael.elf@llsy.gu.se
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| 20213. |
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| 20214. |
- Elf, Mikael, 1959, et al.
(författare)
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Young carers as co-designers of a web-based support system - the views of two publics.
- 2011
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Ingår i: Advances in Health Care Sciences Conference, Oct 18-19 2011, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: The aims of the study was to reveal young carers views of design of a web-base support system directed to them and to reveal differences between their views and the views of project representatives, in a participatory design process. Methods: Eight young people, 17-24, close to and supporting someone with mental illness were involved in either a work or a test group. The work group participated in video recorded design meetings with representatives of the project. Content analysis and Dewey's concept of public were applied on the data. The test group worked from their homes and data were collected via test forms. Data from the test group coherent to the content of the design meetings were added as supplement. Results: Four resulting themes were revealed, constituting key-parts in the design of the WBSS: Communicating the message, ideational working principles, considerations on user interaction, and user interface. Furthermore decisive differences between the views of participants and project representatives were found. Participants view of the user was a person that had a usefulness perspective and the object for support was primarily the person with mental illness. The project representatives' view of the user was a person that had a short- and long-term self-care perspective and the object of support was primarily him-/herself. Conclusion: The design of a WBSS for young carers should consider four key-parts, but early user involvement and critical reflection in the PD process itself may be crucial to discern differences between designers and user, not the least when their different publics overlap.
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| 20215. |
- Elfgren, Christina
(författare)
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Aspects of Frontal and Medial Temporal Brain Functions : Neuropsychological and functional imaging studies in normals and in frontotemporal dementia
- 1997
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The thesis is based on five investigations. In the first study the nature and the degree of cognitive impairment of patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is explored. The results from neuropsychological assessment are described as three levels of cognitive impairment. These levels of functional disturbance corresponded to increased severity of abnormality of the regional cerebral blood flow measurements (rCBF). In the second study a close coupling between reduced rCBF and specific neuropsychological deficits in FTD is demonstrated. Significant correlations were found between a global impairment score and relative blood flow in frontal areas. The global impairment scale might be useful in detecting and following the progress of frontal deficiencies in FTD patients. The results of the third investigation indicate that for differential diagnosis of FTD versus dementia of Alzheimer type (DAT) the scores on cognitive tests measuring verbal ability, visuospatial ability and verbal episodic memory are of value, especially when evaluated in combination. The fourth study investigates the functional involvement of the frontal lobes during performance of verbal (VFT) and design fluency tasks (DFT), and the influence of different strategies utilised when solving the fluency tasks. The results from measurements of rCBF in normal subjects demonstrate a left-sided frontal activation during the VFT and bilateral flow augmentations during the DFT. Furthermore, the findings suggest that patterns of cortical activity vary according to the chosen cognitive strategy when performing a task. In the fifth investigation the involvement of the medial temporal lobes (MTL) in retrieval of declarative memories (abstract visuospatial designs) is studied by measuring rCBF with positron emission tomography (PET). In the recall of abstract designs a less practised memory state (novel recall) was compared to a well practised (trained recall) memory state. The MTL was more activated during retrieval in the less practised memory state compared to the well practised memory state, indicating a changing role of the MTL during recall in the earlier stages of acquisition of declarative knowledge compared to the well encoded declarative memory state.
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| 20216. |
- Elfhag, Kristina, et al.
(författare)
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TAS-20 alexithymia in obesity, and its links to personality
- 2007
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. - : Wiley. - 1467-9450 .- 0036-5564. ; 48:5, s. 391-398
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We studied the association between alexithymia (20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, TAS-20) and obesity, and also assessed the construct validity of the TAS-20 in terms of personality dimensions in obese patients. The TAS-20 and its subscales were analysed for their correlations with the NEO Personality Inventory - Revised (NEO PI-R) in an obese sample of 259 patients. Obesity was associated with higher scores on the TAS-20 than a Swedish reference sample. Obese men furthermore scored higher on Externally Oriented Thinking than the obese women. TAS-20 scores correlated with elevated Neuroticism and lower levels of Extraversion and Openness, in agreement with most previous research, but also somewhat unexpectedly with lower Conscientiousness and for women also with lower Agreeableness. The TAS-20 subscales showed divergent associations with personality variables, largely in accordance with previous findings. The associations were more prominent for the women, and some gender-specific patterns not previously reported were also revealed.
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| 20217. |
- Elfström, Magnus, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
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Predicting emotional well being during acute rehabilitation in a European spinal cord injury sample
- 2009
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Ingår i: Psychology and Health. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0887-0446 .- 1476-8321. ; , s. 162-
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The purpose of this study was to examine what resource and coping variables that could predict emotional well being during the acute phase of spinal cord injury rehabilitation. All newly acquired injuries were approached in selected British, Swiss, Swedish, German, Austrian and Irish spinal centres. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire booklet at 6 weeks post injury and again at 12 weeks. Stepwise hierarchical regression analyses were performed on data from 281 questionnaire packs from 14 European spinal centres. Gender, age and severity of impairment were controlled for. Sense of coherence, the coping strategy social reliance, threat and challenge appraisals, perceived manageability, and perceived quality of social support made significant contributions to the variance in measures of emotional well-being (anxiety, depression and a psychological subscale of a quality of life scale). Psychological assessment during acute stages may assist in identifying ‘at risk’ patients and provide guidance for therapeutic intervention.
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| 20218. |
- Elfström, Magnus, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
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Temperamental and behavioural characteristics of adults seeking treatment for severe dental fear
- 2009
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Ingår i: Psychology and Health. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0887-0446 .- 1476-8321. ; 24:sup. 1, s. 162-
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Other psychological/behavioral factors in addition to fear and traditional measures of psychopathology should possibly be considered in the assessment and treatment of dental fear. The present study investigated fear and personality profiles among severely fearful adult patients. Participants were 230 consecutive adults applying for treatment of severe dental anxiety at a specialized clinic. Background data included dental treatment and dental fear history, general anxiety and depression assessments. Cluster analyses were performed. Four different fear and personality subgroups were judged to best represent data: (I) Fearful, extrovert, outgoing, (II) Highly fearful, extrovert, outgoing, (III) Fearful, inhibited, and (IV) Highly fearful, multiple problems. The view that adults with dental fear comprise a heterogeneous group was strengthened. Apart from different levels of dental fear, there seems to be varying temperamental and behavioral characteristics that need to be further studied and that may lead to a better match of treatment for these patients.
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| 20219. |
- Elholm Madsen, Esben, et al.
(författare)
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Resilience as a protective factor for well-being and emotional stability in elite-level football players during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2021
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Ingår i: Science and medicine in football. - Oxfordshire : Taylor & Francis Group. - 2473-3938 .- 2473-4446. ; 5:sup1, s. 62-69
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: In Denmark, the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown resulted in a compact season finisher for elite footballers, potentially impacting their mental health.Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the protective role of resilience and the impeding role of trait anxiety on elite footballers’ level and variability of well-being and emotional stability. Material and Methods: One hundred and twenty-five male elite-level players (Mage = 25.04 ± 4.82) completed baseline measures on trait anxiety and resilience. Additionally, well-being and positive and negative affect were assessed before games (n = 24) over 62 days. Separate two-level regression analysis using Bayesian statistics was conducted to test potential relationships. Results: Results show a credible positive relationship between the average level of well-being and within-person variability over time as well as the average level in positive affect. This indicates that resilience might be a protector for mental health. In addition, higher levels of trait anxiety (i.e., subscale concentration disruption) were associated with higher levels of negative affect and higher variability over time. This indicates that trait anxiety might facilitate negative affect. No other credible relationships were found. Conclusion: High resilience and low trait anxiety are identified as relevant factors for mental health within elite footballers during COVID-19. Implications for practice are discussed. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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| 20220. |
- Eli, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Associations between maternal sense of coherence and controlling feeding practices : The importance of resilience and support in families of preschoolers
- 2016
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Ingår i: Appetite. - : Elsevier BV. - 0195-6663 .- 1095-8304. ; 105, s. 134-143
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sense of Coherence (SOC) measures an individual's positive, or salutogenic, orientation toward her/his capacities, environment, future, and life. SOC comprises three factors: comprehensibility (the sense of one's own life as ordered and understandable); manageability (the perception of available resources and skills to manage stressors); and meaningfulness (the overall sense that life is filled with meaning and purpose). In numerous studies, SOC has been associated with resilience to stress. However, associations between parental SOC and controlling feeding practices have yet to be studied. This study examines the validity of the SOC 13-item, 3-factor questionnaire, associations between SOC and maternal and child characteristics, and associations between SOC and use of pressuring or restrictive feeding, among mothers of 4-year-olds. 565 mothers (23.5% of foreign origin, 30.3% with overweight/obesity) recruited via the Swedish population registry (response rate: 65%), completed the SOC-13, the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ), and a background questionnaire. The validity of SOC-13 was examined using confirmatory factor analysis; associations with background characteristics and feeding practices were tested with structural equation modeling. SOC-13 validity testing showed acceptable fit (TLI = 0.93, CFI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.04) after allowing one pair of error terms to correlate. The Cronbach's alpha for meaningfulness was 0.73, comprehensibility 0.76, and manageability 0.75. SOC increased with mothers' Swedish background and education, and decreased with higher BMI. Child gender, age, and BMI, were not associated with SOC. Lower SOC was associated with controlling practices and with concern about child weight and eating. The associations between SOC and feeding suggest that SOC-related parameters could inform childhood obesity research, and that prevention should address the socioeconomic barriers that parents face in building resilience to stress.
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