Vardagslivets vändpunkter; Berättelser från personer som har erfarenhet av att leva med samtidig psykisk ohälsa och missbruk

This licentiate thesis discusses everyday life and turning points in the recovery processes of persons with co-occurring psychiatric disabilities and addiction. People with co-occurring psychiatric disabilities and addiction tend to be a vulnerable group in society, often needing extensive and collaborative care. Viewed from the lens of social work, it is crucial to gain more knowledge about these persons’ everyday lives, living conditions, and turning points in relation to recovery processes. The aim of this thesis is to explore how people with experiences of living with co-occurring psychiatric disabilities and addiction experience their everyday lives and how they narrate turning points in their recovery processes. Using a narrative method, twelve persons were interviewed about their experiences. The analysis was performed using theory of the everyday life, the normative and structural aspect (article I) and recovery theory, the holistic and individual aspect, and turning points (article II). The first article explores the everyday life experiences of persons with co- occurring psychiatric disabilities and addiction. A central finding is the participants’ understanding of the co-occurring psychiatric disabilities and addiction as a continuous interaction between the two conditions – which we term a unity. The participants stories contain narratives about vulnerability during the life course. Childhood experiences concern dysfunctional family relationships in everyday life, absence of a parent, and physical and psychological violence. Stories about adulthood depict other aspects of vulnerability such as unstable employment and financial problems, disrupted everyday routines, and homelessness. Due to the co-occurring conditions and the consequences, everyday routines – sleep, food, and household tasks – are negatively affected. The findings suggest that these persons’ everyday life experiences, starting as early as childhood, have consequences for how their adulthood is structured, where the co-occurring psychiatric disabilities and addiction play a central role in their present everyday life, affecting various aspects of it. The second article explores the occurrence of turning points in the recovery processes of persons with co-occurring psychiatric disabilities and addiction. The findings suggest turning points as developing starting points, where the analysis further revealed two functions of turning points: to initiate and to restart recovery processes. We term turning points that initiate recovery processes new starts and turning points that restart recovery processes re-starts. An essential finding is that turning points have developed through crucial changes in participants’ recovery (life) processes, contributing to personal progress, improved mental health, and reduced or ended addiction. Such crucial changes relate to individual, environmental and structural aspects. The individual aspects concern developing insight where the individual’s own person or body is perceived as a prerequisite for change. The environmental and structural aspects of developing insight include the notion that compulsory care is perceived as a contributor for change. Other important dimensions of recovery processes are also highlighted, such as relationships to children and partners, employment, and cooperation with professionals. This thesis broadens the understanding of the everyday lives and turning points in recovery processes through persons’ experiences of living with co- occurring psychiatric disabilities and addiction. It further emphasizes the necessity of a holistic perspective, including persons’ life experiences, living conditions, values, and goals in order to understand their life situations and how their insight can develop. One of the most significant thesis findings is the importance of timing in these persons’ lives. Here, timing includes both the “right” time – offering support when persons require it – and the “right” way – considering specific wishes of persons about their treatment, in order to recognize and support persons with co-occurring psychiatric disabilities and addiction

"Mostafa wants to set a good example" : A multi-methodological study on language, power and attitudes toward multilingualism based on a Swedish as a second language textbook.

Studiens syfte var att bidra med kunskap om förutsättningarna för kritisk läsning av/reflekterande samtal om läromedelstexter i svenska som andraspråk kopplat till maktrelationer och attityder till flerspråkighet. Läromedelstexten som användes var ett reportage från en lärobok i SVA 1. Frågeställningarna var följande: ”Vilka attityder och maktrelationer i relation till flerspråkighet och språkkunskaper framträder genom en kritisk diskursanalys (CDA) av ”Mostafa vill föregå med gott exempel”? och ”Vilka förhållningssätt till flerspråkighet och maktrelationer kopplade till språk uttrycker elever med svenska som andraspråk i årskurs 9 genom reflekterande samtal med utgångspunkt i ett reportage i ett läromedel i SVA?”. Studien var multimetodologisk och båda metoderna tillämpades med utgångspunkt i läromedelstexten ”Mostafa vill föregå med gott exempel”. Dels gjordes en kritisk diskursanalys, dels genomfördes lärandeaktiviteter i form av reflekterande samtal som transkriberades och analyserades tematiskt. Den kritiska diskursanalysen avslöjade att läromedelstexten enbart förmedlade svenskkunskaper som viktiga och betydelsefulla medan den tematiska analysen visade att eleverna uttryckte en positiv inställning till flerspråkighet och språkkunskaper. En av slutsatserna blev därför att läromedelstexten förmedlade ideologiska positioneringar som inte värderade flerspråkighet som en tillgång, medan elevernas uppfattningar förmedlade motsatsen.

ALS- En livsvärld i förändring : En kvalitativ litteraturstudie baserat på självbiografier

Bakgrund: Amyotrofisk lateralskleros (ALS) är en neurodegenerativ sjukdom som påverkar motoriska nervceller och leder till muskelsvaghet, tal- och sväljsvårigheter samt fysiska och psykiska försvagningar. Att få sjukdomsbeskedet innebär ofta en chock som väcker starka känslor av sorg, rädsla och ovisshet för patienten. Detta gör att stöd och information från sjukvården är avgörande. Det finns i dagsläget inget bot mot sjukdomen, vården fokuserar till största del på symtomlindring och palliativ vård. Vanliga symtom kan vara dysfagi (sväljsvårigheter), atrofi (förtvining), dysartri (talsvårigheter), sömnsvårigheter och ångest. Behandlingar som till exempel ventilatorbehandling eller läkemedlet Riluzol kan lindra symtom och öka patienternas välbefinnande och livskvalitet. Sjuksköterskan spelar en central roll genom att ge stöd till både patienter och anhöriga under hela sjukdomsprocessen. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva patienters upplevelser av att leva med Amyotrofisk Lateralskleros (ALS).  Metod: En kvalitativ litteraturstudie med induktiv ansats som är baserad på fem självbiografier. I studien användes en manifest innehållsanalys.  Resultat: I resultatet identifierades två huvudkategorier: fysisk och psykisk påverkan samt livskvalitet och sociala aspekter. Dessa huvudkategorier skapade tillsammans sex underkategorier.  Slutsats: Studien belyser hur ALS påverkar patienter fysiskt, psykiskt och socialt. För att förbättra livskvaliteten är det viktigt att vården inte endast fokuserar på de fysiska delarna utan lägger lika mycket vikt i de känslomässiga och psykiska aspekterna. Det gör att patienterna får det stöd de är i behov av från anhöriga och vården och de kan lättare anpassa sig till sin situation.

Genre, Strategy and Intermediality : How to translate a musical context

The purpose of this paper is to study the strategies that are applied when a text is translated from French to Swedish, in this case an extract from an autobiography by a well-known French musician. Our hypothesis is that the autobiography as a genre lends itself to a foreignization strategy, that is to prioritize the source text and its culture. We base this assumption on the fact that the reader by picking a book of this genre actively and deliberately chooses to “go abroad”. The text springs out of a musical context which manifests itself in a multitude of cultural references. Another aspect of this is how music seeps into the language itself and has a consequence for syntax and phrasing. This dichotomy between concrete and abstract, between content and structure, has led us to apply an intermediality approach as we analyze the material. A framework has been provided by Werner Wolf with his term intermedial reference, consisting of explicit reference, which concerns content, and implicit reference, which concerns structure. An important factor in this is also the readership and the reader’s background knowledge of the book’s subject. The result of our study clearly shows that we have followed a foreignization strategy concerning the cultural references, as we assume that the “educated reader” does not want the musical context “served on a silver platter”. As for the structure, we have followed a strategy that is far more characterized by domestication. It is our assumption that the readers’ wish to go abroad does not include a typically French syntax. Therefore, we have generally adapted the comparatively long sentences in French and turned them into shorter phrases in Swedish. There have, however, been cases where we deliberately have distanced ourselves from this domestication strategy. The reason for this has largely been related to intermedial considerations where we choose to see connections between the written word and musical expression, in Wolf’s terminology known as intermedial imitation

The role of cultural heritage in total defence crisis management and preparedness

The purpose of this thesis is to create a deeper understanding of how perspectives on cultural heritage and the cultural heritage sector in Sweden have been influenced by changes in today’s security and political situation. This has been accomplished by analyzing literary sources, including reports from relevant authorities within total defense, which address issues related to cultural heritage during armed conflict and heightened preparedness. Results have shown a significant shift in the perception of cultural heritage within total defense planning. Previously marginal, cultural heritage has now received increased attention, emphasizing on protective measures and its role in societal identity and unity, particularly following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Further research is however needed on managing potential damage to cultural heritage and its impact on societal resilience and the will to defend

Engagment on air & in print : A qualitative study on audience engagement in swedish local newsrooms

In the last decade, audience engagement has become a popular concept ofdiscussion amongst journalists and scholars alike, concerning how newsorganizations connect with their audiences and how they pursue engagement toremain on the journalistic market. These conversations are closely linked totracking, collecting, and analyzing audience behavior through metrics. But also theidea of involving the audience as living citizens in producing news instead ofregarding them as idle observers of news. By conducting a qualitative researchdesign, this study aims to examine how local Swedish newsrooms, one commercialnewspaper (Barometern), and one public-service radio broadcasting station(Sveriges Radio), practice audience engagement in the newsrooms, in their dailywork. For two weeks in total, observations were conducted at each of thenewsrooms. The information obtained through the observations laid the foundationfor semistructured interviews which were held with a total of nine journalists withdifferent roles. The material was later analyzed with a thematic analysis where fourdifferent themes were established: The journalist's conceptions, Assumptions aboutthe audience's needs and expectations, The technical and “man-made” andResponsive working methods as strategies. The study showed that both newsroomsuse a mix of various dimensions of engagement. Both newsrooms implied a strongconnection to democratic values and the mission to uphold a democratic society.This study shows that the newsrooms in question are active participants in usingaudience engagement in the newsroom. This study indicates that audienceengagement can be a helpful tool in the pursuit of upholding a well-functionaljournalistic market which further assures to uphold a democratic society

Kosmiska perspektiv : Elevers syn på tid och avstånd i rymden

The study explored upper secondary school students' perceptions of cosmologicalphenomena, particularly their understanding of time, distance, and the developmentof the universe. Two visual tests were employed: one presenting a timeline of theuniverse's history and the other focusing on distances and scales of various cosmicobjects. The resultsshowed thatstudents combined scientific reasoning with personal,cultural, and religious conceptions.Many students had a simplified understanding of the vast time intervals in theuniverse's development and placed events closer together than what is scientificallyaccurate. Furthermore, their responses indicated that cultural and religious referencesare often integrated with scientific theories, which can contribute to theirunderstanding.Regarding distances and scales, students approached the abstract dimensions byrelating them to everyday experiences. Some students applied logical reasoning andcreative strategies that deviated from scientific explanations. These strategiesdemonstrate a willingness to understand but also highlight the need for additionalsupport in teaching to facilitate the transition to a scientific perspective.The study emphasizes the importance of creating teaching strategies that considerstudents' prior knowledge and conceptions. Finally, further research is suggested onyounger students as well as upper secondary students without prior physicsknowledge. This could provide insights into how their conceptions are formed andhow teaching can support a more accurate understanding of cosmological concepts.The study underscores that students' conceptions should not be seen as obstacles butrather as steps toward continued learning.Studien undersökte gymnasieelevers uppfattningar om kosmologiska fenomen,särskilt deras förståelse för tid, avstånd och universums utveckling. Två visuella testeranvändes: ett test som presenterade en tidslinje för universums historia och ett somfokuserade på avstånd och skala i kosmos. Resultaten visade att elever kombineradevetenskapliga resonemang med personliga, kulturella och religiösa föreställningar.Många elever hade en förenklad uppfattning om de enorma tidsintervallen iuniversums utveckling och placerade händelser närmare varandra än vad som ärvetenskapligt korrekt. Vidare visade deras svar att kulturella och religiösa referenserofta integreras med vetenskapliga teorier, vilket kan bidra till deras förståelse.När det gäller avstånd och storlek hanterade eleverna de abstrakta skalorna genom attkoppla till vardagliga erfarenheter. Vissa elever använde logiska resonemang ochkreativa strategier som avvek från vetenskapliga förklaringar. Detta visar på en viljaatt förstå men också behovet av ytterligare stöd i undervisningen för att underlättaövergången till ett vetenskapligt perspektiv.Studien betonar vikten av att skapa en undervisning som tar hänsyn till elevernasförkunskaper och föreställningar. Slutligen föreslås vidare forskning på yngre eleversamt gymnasieelever utan förkunskaper i fysik. Detta skulle ge insikter i hur derasföreställningar formas och hur undervisning kan stödja en mer korrekt förståelse avkosmologiska koncept. Studien betonar att elevers uppfattningar inte bör ses somhinder, utan snarare som steg mot fortsatt lärande

"I've hit that famous wall" : A qualitative interview study on experienced social workers' handling of work-related stress

Work related stress has been a significant issue within social services for decades. There are multiple academic studies that shows the impact work related stress has had on social workers and the factors that can contribute to the stress. The aim of this study is to identify and analyze the strategies experienced social workers use to handle work related stress, through qualitative interviews. A further aim is to analyze the interviews using the theoretical concepts coping and ethical stress. In this regard we have interviewed 8 social workers with a minimal of three years experience. The conclusion is that the work related stress effects these social workers in a negative way, both during work and after in their private life. The result of this study also showed that experienced social workers have many different strategies to cope with the work related stress both during work and after. Addressing the factors that can lead to these consequences is critical for the continuous well being of social workers and the quality of the services they provide for clients and society as a whole.

Att leva med bipolär sjukdom : En studie av livserfarenheter

Bakgrund: Bipolär sjukdom är en långvarig psykisk störning som kännetecknas av svängningar mellan depression, hypomani och mani. De kraftiga svängningarna som sker under skoven medför stora utmaningar för de drabbade och dess anhöriga. En lång och komplicerad process med att fastställa diagnos medför ofta många år av ovisshet för personer som lider av sjukdomen. Genom en djupare förståelse för hur sjukdomen påverkar de drabbade samt en individanpassad vård kan sjuksköterskor förbättra vården. Syfte: Syftet med arbetet var att genom livshistorier studera erfarenheter av att leva med bipolär sjukdom. Metod: Arbetet är kvalitativt och utgår från fem patografier skrivna av personer som lever med bipolär sjukdom. Underlaget till resultatet har arbetats fram genom en kvalitativ manifest innehållsanalys. Resultat: Bipolär sjukdom har en stor påverkan på dem som lider av sjukdomen. Depressionerna kan ofta vara mycket allvarliga och föra med sig tankar om suicid och självskadebeteende. Utöver detta finns det tydliga problem med att hitta en känsla av identitet då det inte alltid är säkert vad som är symtom på sjukdomen och vad som är egna tankar och tycken. Det bemötande som finns från vården upplevs långt ifrån alltid tillfredsställande. Detta ställer krav på en mer individanpassad vård från personalen för att bemöta behoven från personer som söker hjälp för bipolär sjukdom. Slutsats: Vårdens insikt om hur djupa depressioner yttrar sig kan förbättras med hjälp av en större förståelse för sjukdomen. Genom att se patienten utifrån deras livsvärld och vara lyhörd för vilken typ av hjälp de behöver kan vården förbättras.

Impact of Sweden's NATO Membership on Alliance's Military Strategy in the Arctic regarding Sweden's Contributions to cold-Weather Operations

This study aims at exploring the impact of Sweden’s NATO integration on the alliance’s Arctic strategy from  the perspective of operational preparedness, technological compatibility and environmental friendliness under the lens es of Realism and Liberalism. This research applies Qualitative Document  Analysis (QDA) and involves the collection of primary and secondary data from official NATO and Swedish government  reports, scholarly articles, and think tank publications. The results indicate that Sweden’s strategic location in the  Arctic region, strong military might, and focus on environmental protection effectively strengthen NATO’s strategy to deal with  threats from Russia and China, as well as enhance Arctic monitoring and preparedness. However, issues emerge  from Sweden’s neutral tradition and the compatibility of Sweden’s environmental concerns with the militaristic approach of  NATO. Using the realist and liberal approaches, the study examines Sweden’s role to identify the impacts  of the country to NATO, as well as identify the possibilities for NATO to incorporate sustainability in its Arctic  strategy. It thus makes policy recommendations for how NATO can best incorporate Sweden’s strengths while navigating the challenges  of regional security and environmentalism.