This longitudinal study focuses on the transition from higher education to working life. Research has hitherto described the transition in rather general terms, and there is still only limited knowledge about how graduates construe themselves as professionals, or how they experience the transition to the sociocultural contexts of working life. In this study, the transition is viewed as a trajectory between different communities of practice. Three different Master’s programmes at Linköping University are focused on and compared: political science, psychology and mechanical engineering. The specific aims are to: (i) identify aspects of identity and knowledge formation as reported by informants, both as...

Objectives. Unnatural deaths among Indigenous populations, including the Swedish Sami, occur more often than among the general population. To find prevention strategies, we explored the circumstances of the unnatural deaths of members of reindeer-herding Sami families. Study design. The number of deaths from among a cohort of 7,482 members of reindeer-herding Sami families were retrieved from the National Board of Health and Welfare for the years 1961- 2001. Methods. An evaluation of the information from autopsy records at the National Board of Forensic Medicine, police reports, and available medical records identified 158 unnatural deaths. These were then analysed in detail. Results. Transport-related deaths and suicides were the most common unnatural deaths among Swedish reindeer-herding Sami family members. Suicides contributed to 23% of all deaths, road traffic accidents to 16%, and snowmobile fatalities to 11%. The accidents generally reflected an "outdoor lifestyle" and the working conditions were characterized by the use of off-road vehicles such as snowmobiles. Half of the number of victims tested positive for alcohol and alcohol abuse was documented in 15% of all victims. Conclusions. The results indicate that alcohol is an important factor in preventing unnatural deaths among reindeer-herding Sami, together with increased safety of both on-road and off-road transportation.

Aims and objectives. To explore the associations between illness perceptions offatigue, sense of coherence and stress in patients one year after myocardial infarc-tion.Background. Post-myocardial infarction fatigue is a stressful symptom that is dif-ficult to cope with. Patients' illness perceptions of fatigue guide professionals inpredicting how individuals will respond emotionally and cognitively to symptoms.Individuals' sense of coherence can be seen as a coping resource in managingstressors.Design. A cross-sectional study design was used.Method. One year post-myocardial infarction, a total of 74 patients still experi-encing fatigue completed four questionnaires: the Multidimensional Fatigue ScaleInventory -20, the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, the Sense of Coherencescale (sense of coherence-13) and a single-item measure of stress symptoms.Descriptive statistics, correlations and stepwise regression analysis were carriedout.Results. Strong negative associations were found between illness perceptions offatigue, sense of coherence and stress. Sense of coherence has an impact on illnessperceptions of fatigue. Of the dimensions of sense of coherence, comprehensibilityseemed to play the greatest role in explaining illness perceptions of fatigueone year after myocardial infarction.Conclusion. To strengthen patients' coping resources, health-care professionalsshould create opportunities for patients to gain individual-level knowledge thatallows them to distinguish between common fatigue symptoms and warning signsfor myocardial infarction.Relevance to clinical practice. There is a need to improve strategies for copingwith fatigue. It is also essential to identify patients with fatigue after myocardialinfarction, as they need explanations for their symptoms and extra support

The purpose of this paper has been to study teachers´ and librarians´ perspectives of the role of the school library in education in secondary schools. The study is based upon interviews with teachers and librarians from two different schools. We are inspired by phenomenography but we use a descriptive method and the following four parts are described in our result: the use of the school library, investigative approaches, the role of the school library and its environment and the role of the librarian. The conclusions which are evident from our research suggest the library has a fundamental role in the heart of the school. The school library is a multi-functional service used to support school studies, independent work and promote and encourage the reading of fiction. Essential to making the school library function well is professional staff, inspiring new literature and sufficient space to allow such functions to operate without disturbing each other. To ensure co-operation functions optimally the two professions must work effectively together as one team, understanding each other’s roles fully.

In relation to different modifications on contemporary games of ethnicity, present among young people in Swedish multiethnic environments, a similarity with the phenomenon of passing is suggested. Passing usually refers to a movement from one side to another (the foundational example being from black to white). You pass over or through something and you may pass into a position from which you later retire. Judith Butler has given theoretical attention to the phenomenon of passing by stressing its relation to the act of queering. The connection between passing and queering comes about as a challenge of borders between what is presumed to be different races in addition to a challenge of the heteronormative order of gender and sexuality.

From an empirical material, consisting of interviews of young women in a multiethnic Swedish suburb, the phenomenon of passing will be discussed through examples on how young people can talk about the act of faking ethnicity. What ethnic positions are aspired as desirable may depend on intersecting categories as gender, sexuality and class identifications. In the reactions and comments on these kind of acts two counter positions seem to collide, one being based in the idea of authenticity and the other being a strive to oppose on absolutist definitions of ethnicity. If origin, roots and a firmly anchored cultural identity are seen as necessary or preferred values for the individuals’ or the ethnic groups’ self respect, passing must be interpreted as negative. But if certain acknowledgements become repressive rather than liberating passing may be a way of question and transgress normative ethnic and gendered status.

Objective Stomach cancer is a leading cause of cancer death, especially in developing countries. Incidence has been associated with poverty and is also reported to disproportionately affect indigenous peoples, many of whom live in poor socioeconomic circumstances and experience lower standards of health. In this comprehensive assessment, we explore the burden of stomach cancer among indigenous peoples globally.Design The literature was searched systematically for studies on stomach cancer incidence, mortality and survival in indigenous populations, including Indigenous Australians, Maori in New Zealand, indigenous peoples from the circumpolar region, native Americans and Alaska natives in the USA, and the Mapuche peoples in Chile. Data from the New Zealand Health Information Service and the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program were used to estimate trends in incidence.Results Elevated rates of stomach cancer incidence and mortality were found in almost all indigenous peoples relative to corresponding non-indigenous populations in the same regions or countries. This was particularly evident among Inuit residing in the circumpolar region (standardised incidence ratios (SIR) males: 3.9, females: 3.6) and in Maori (SIR males: 2.2, females: 3.2). Increasing trends in incidence were found for some groups.Conclusions We found a higher burden of stomach cancer in indigenous populations globally, and rising incidence in some indigenous groups, in stark contrast to the decreasing global trends. This is of major public health concern requiring close surveillance and further research of potential risk factors. Given evidence that improving nutrition and housing sanitation, and Helicobacter pylori eradication programmes could reduce stomach cancer rates, policies which address these initiatives could reduce inequalities in stomach cancer burden for indigenous peoples.

The aim of this paper was to evaluate whether primary health care staff's referral of patients to perform an electronic screening and brief intervention (e-SBI) for alcohol use had a greater impact on change in alcohol consumption after 3 month, compared to patients who performed the test on their own initiative. Staff-referred responders reported reduced weekly alcohol consumption with an average decrease of 8.4 grams. In contrast, self-referred responders reported an average increase in weekly alcohol consumption of 2.4 grams. Staff-referred responders reported a 49 reduction of average number of heavy episodic drinking (HED) occasions per month. The corresponding reduction for self-referred responders was 62. The differences between staff- and self-referred patient groups in the number who moved from risky drinking to nonrisky drinking at the followup were not statistically significant. Our results indicate that standalone computers with touchscreens that provide e-SBIs for risky drinking have the same effect on drinking behaviour in both staff-referred patients and self-referred patients. Copyright © 2011 Preben Bendtsen et al.

I den här uppsatsen har vi studerat hur en film aktiverar människors sociala och kulturella positioner. Vi visade filmen Crash för åtta komvuxelever, vilket följdes av en kvalitativ intervju med dem. Eleverna fick svara på frågor om sin egen bakgrund, filmens budskap och rollfigurer, hur de uppfattade filmen och den föreslagna verkligheten i filmen, samt frågor kring sin egen framtid. Informanternas svar har hjälpt oss att synliggöra hur det görs över- och underordningar i filmen. Med hjälp av vår bakgrund och analytiska verktyg har vi interagerat med våra informanter och de har bidragit med perspektiv som vi aldrig hade kunnat se med tillämpning av enbart teorier. Något som blev framträdande var att de applicerade problematiken som den amerikansktillverkade filmen tar upp, på ett svenskt samhälle. Vi kom fram till att filmen som populärkulturellt medel hjälper till att reproducera gamla maktordningar och fördomar. Trots att detta inte var filmskaparens intention, blir det här till fördomar och stereotypa föreställningar om att det finns rasskillnader. Med den här studien har vi synliggjort att filmen medverkar till att reproducera maktordningar. Film och dess folkliga inflytande, skulle kunna bli ett redskap för nytänkande runt klass, kön och etnicitet med mera.

The main question is whether chemically induced mood enhancement is (if successful) likely to make us happier, or whether it may rather have detrimental effects on our long-term happiness. This question is divided into three: (i) What effects are mood-enhancing drugs likely to have on the long-term happiness of the person who takes these drugs? (ii) How would these drugs affect the happiness of the immediate environment of the people who take them, e.g. children or spouses? (iii) What effects would a wide-spread use of mood-enhancing drugs have on society as a whole, and how would this affect the long-term happiness of its citizens? My answers to these questions are very tentative, partly because we know too little about what non-hedonic effects these drugs can be expected to have. It is possible that these drugs would have detrimental effects on some determinants of happiness, however, e.g. marriage and friendship, social and physical activity, rational problem-solving and mental effectiveness, political participation and interpersonal trust. But on the other hand, there are also a number of determinants of happiness that might be positively affected by a wide-spread and frequent use of mood-enhancing drugs.

Vad är lycka och lidande och hur kan vi påverka vår egen och andras lycka? Hur hänger lycka ihop med livskvalitet – är det samma sak eller finns det även andra saker som gör ett liv bra? Hur stark är vår moraliska plikt att att göra världen lyckligare och hur kan man i detalj formulera en etisk ”lyckoprincip” så att den blir så rimlig som möjligt?

Första delen av den här boken handlar om grundläggande frågor som en lyckans och lidandets etik måste besvara. Men den stannar inte där utan går vidare till hur vi praktiskt kan gå tillväga för att öka lyckan och minska lidandet i världen. Vilka förhållningssätt bör vi försöka tillägna oss? Vilka karaktärsdrag bör vi utveckla? Hur bör vi bemöta andra människor? Hur bör samhället organiseras? Hur bör de globala spelreglerna utformas? För att svara på sådana frågor behöver vi kunskap om vilka faktorer som påverkar lycka och lidande hos människor och andra levande varelser och boken innehåller därför även en översikt över de senaste decenniernas empiriska lyckoforskning.Boken ger inga detaljerade recept på hur man gör sig själv eller andra lyckligare, men den ger en karta över ett spännande territorium och ett användbart sätt att tänka för världsförbättrare och andra lyckofrämjare.

It is now generally agreed that we have to rely on value judgments to distinguish mental disorders from other conditions, but it is not quite clear how. To clarify this, we need to know more than to what extent attributions of disorder are dependent on values. We also have to know (1) what kind of evaluations we have to rely on to identify the class of mental disorder; (2) whether attributions of disorder contain any implicit reference to some specific evaluative standard; and (3) whether the concept of mental disorder is value laden in the definitional or in the epistemic sense. I will argue that the evaluations we have to rely on are mainly considerations of harm, but that we also need to rely on other evaluations; that there should be no references to specific evaluative standards; and that even though mental disorders are necessarily undesirable, "mental disorder" may well be a descriptive phrase.

The recent discussion of the concept of mental disorder has focused on what makes a mental disorder a disorder. A question that has received less attention is what makes a mental disorder mental rather than somatic. We examine three views on this issue—namely, the internal cause view, the symptom view, and the pluralist view—and assess to what extent these accounts are plausible. In connection with this, three strategies that have been used to pinpoint the mental in psychiatry are identified, namely negative characterizations (the mental as the nonsomatic), exemplification of paradigmatic mental features, and an appeal to intentional content. We also examine different versions of nihilism, the view that the distinction between mental and somatic disorder is ill founded. Finally, it is observed that the discussion of what makes a mental disorder mental has largely been unaffected by conceptions of the mental in the philosophy of mind.

Background: Higher sense of coherence (SOC) has been associated with lower depression in Western societies; however, it is not clear whether this association manifests similarly in non-Western cultural contexts.Aims: To examine the associations between different levels of SOC and depressive symptoms (DS) among indigenous-minority Arab Bedouin women in Israel and explore possible explanatory variables for this association.Methods: We conducted face-to-face interviews with 464 women (aged 18–49 years). DS was measured based on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. We used the SOC-13 questionnaire and conducted path analysis using Structural Equation Modeling to examine the contribution of two levels of SOC (low/high) to predict DS beyond psychological resources and socioeconomic position.Results: The mean score of SOC was 3.42, standard deviation (SD) = 1.15. While high SOC (mean = 4.38, SD = 0.66, range = 3.5–6.38) was positively and significantly associated with DS (r = 0.46), SOC was not associated (r = 0.02) with DS in the low SOC group (mean = 2.4, SD = 0.56, range = 1–3.42).Conclusions: Relationships between high versus low SOC and DS among Bedouin women differ from those found in Western societies. This raises questions about the use of SOC as a universal tool in different cultural contexts.

Extensive evidence proposes Antonovsky’s salutogenic theory as a pathway to health promotion. The fundamental concept of salutogenesis is Sense of Coherence (SOC). Salutogenesis is defined as the process of movement towards the health-end of the health ease/dis-ease continuum. The aim of empowerment is to reduce inequity through a learning process and mobilize the uneducated for social action. Empowerment is defined as a process enabling the people to increase control over their health determinants. Empowerment still lacks a coherent theoretical basis. It is claimed that empowerment and SOC have much common and are sometimes overlapping. However, the relationship between these concepts has not been verified by research.

Objectives: To compare the salutogenic theory with the empowerment concept and approach.

Methods: Data consists of a worldwide systematic research synthesis (1992-2003) including 471 scientific publications and an on-going follow-up to 2010. The search was performed through PubMed, Libris, ISI, PsychInfo, Cinahl, Social Services Abstracts and Sociological Abstracts. The analysis was conducted by comparing selected indicators of both theories, such as approach, theoretical focus, definitions, orientation, key concepts, measurement instruments, outcomes and applicability.

Findings: There are both similarities and differences between the concepts, which also somewhat overlap. Several unique and distinctive features for each concept were found. Salutogenesis is based on stress theories whereas empowerment has its roots in pedagogy and social psychology. Both concepts are process oriented. Empowerment can be seen as both means and an outcome whereas salutogenesis is a global life-orientation. Both concepts can be applied at the individual, group, health systems and societal levels. Both proved to be effective in promoting health. The two concepts differ when it comes to definitions and theoretical foundations.

Conclusion: Both approaches are promising methods that can lead to improved health outcomes and are seen as viable public health strategies.

The purpose of this study is to describe some of the results of a long-term bicycle helmet campaign for children in Skaraborg District, Sweden. The hospital discharge data for bicycle-related injuries occurring in children under the age of 15 were reviewed, to assess changes in patterns for head and other body injuries. The study shows that head injuries to children as a result of bicycle injuries were reduced between 94 and 99% in the study areas. The tremendous gains in safety for children who ride bicycles in Skaraborg District were the result of not only national policy changes that occurred in the latter half of this study period but also the result of local collaborations based on the Safe Communities model, which were organised during the first part of the study period.

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