Social support in the workplace and work-related health among middle-aged men: Positive affect as a mediator

Denna tvärsnittsstudie med longitudinella inslag undersöker hur arbetstillfredsställelse och sjukfrånvaro samvarierar med socialt stöd på arbetet och positivt känslotillstånd. Syftet med studien är att undersöka om socialt stöd predicerar arbetsrelaterad hälsa och om positivt känslotillstånd medierar effekten hos svenska män i 47–48 års åldern. Arbetsrelaterad hälsa mäts som arbetstillfredsställelse och minskad sjukfrånvaro. Genom självskattningsformulär har vi mätt arbetstillfredsställelse, socialt stöd och positivt känslotillstånd. Antal sjukepisoder under en treårsperiod är hämtad från Försäkringskassan. Resultaten visade att socialt stöd predicerar arbetstillfredsställelse och positivt känslotillstånd har en partiellt medierande effekt. Män som upplevde socialt stöd på arbetet påvisade högre nivåer av positivt känslotillstånd och högre arbetstillfredsställelse. Män som var mer nöjda med sitt arbete hade också färre perioder av längre sjukfrånvaro. Däremot fann vi inget samband mellan sjukfrånvaro och socialt stöd på arbetet. Sammantaget visar studien hur socialt stöd bidrar till arbetsrelaterad positiv hälsa hos svenska män i medelåldern.This cross-sectional study with longitudinal elements examines how job satisfaction and sickness absence are related to social support at work and positive affect. The aim of the study was to investigate whether social support predicts work-related health and whether positive affect mediates this relationship among Swedish men aged 47–48 years. Work-related health was measured as job satisfaction and reduced sickness absence. Job satisfaction, workplace social support, and positive affect were measured using self-report questionnaires. Data on sickness absence, defined as the number of sickness episodes over a three-year period, were obtained from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency. The results showed that workplace social support predicted job satisfaction and that positive affect partially mediated this relationship. Men who perceived higher levels of social support at work reported higher levels of positive affect and greater job satisfaction. Men who were more satisfied with their work also had fewer periods of long-term sickness absence. However, no association was found between workplace social support and sickness absence. Overall, the study highlights how social support at work is related to positive aspects of work-related health among middle-aged men in Sweden

Demokrati i rörelse : hiphopdans som kroppslig och kulturell praktik

This study explores how democratic values are practiced within hip hop dance education and how such practices can be understood as a bridge-building alternative to traditional forms of democracy education. Grounded in John Dewey’s conception of democracy as a lived and experiential form of associated living, the study examines how values such as participation, inclusion, and shared responsibility are enacted through bodily and aesthetic practices. The research is situated within a Swedish dance association and draws on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with dance teachers and students, as well as participant observations. The study is guided by the following research questions: How do teachers who teach hip hop dance describe their responsibility for fostering participation and inclusion? What dimensions of democracy, cultural legitimacy, and participation emerge in their descriptions of teaching? What opportunities and challenges arise in relation to inclusion and norms of authenticity? The empirical material consists of semi-structured interviews with hip hop dance teachers and students, as well as participant observations conducted within an dance association. An ethnographically inspired approach and thematic analysis were used. The findings show that hip hop dance functions as a democratic practice where democratic values are not only discussed but embodied through movement, interaction, and collective creation. At the same time, tensions related to authenticity, cultural appropriation, and institutional conditions shape participation. The study concludes that hip hop dance holds significant democratic potential, provided that teachers adopt a reflexive and culturally informed pedagogical approach

Two Constraint Compilation Methods for Lifted Planning

We study planning in a fragment of PDDL with qualitative state-trajectory constraints, capturing safety requirements, task ordering conditions, and intermediate sub-goals commonly found in real-world problems. A prominent approach to tackle such problems is to compile their constraints away, leading to a problem that is supported by state-of-the-art planners. Unfortunately, existing compilers do not scale on problems with a large number of objects and high-arity actions, as they necessitate grounding the problem before compilation. To address this issue, we propose two methods for compiling away constraints without grounding, making them suitable for large-scale planning problems. We prove the correctness of our compilers and outline their worst-case time complexity. Moreover, we present a reproducible empirical evaluation on the domains used in the latest International Planning Competition. Our results demonstrate that our methods are efficient and produce planning specifications that are orders of magnitude more succinct than the ones produced by compilers that ground the domain, while remaining competitive when used for planning with a state-of-the-art planner.

Att tala i olika faser av en kris : En studie av polisens kommunikation i samband med skolskjutningen på Campus Risbergska

In February 2025, the deadliest school shooting in Swedish history occurred at Campus Risbergska Örebro, placing extensive operational and communicative demands on Swedish police authority. In crisis situations of this magnitude, police communication plays a crucial role in informing the public, reducing uncertainty and at the same time maintaining trust. The aim of this study is to analyze the communication strategies used by the police following the school shooting and examine how these strategies changed from the critical first week to the post-crisis phase. The study uses a qualitative research approach and is based on a thematic analysis of six press conferences held between February 2025 and May 2025. Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) is used as the theoretical framework, enabling an analysis of how information management, meaning-making, and reputation related strategies were applied over time. The results indicate that the police communication during the initial phase primarily focused on information distribution and emotional support, reflecting the immediate need for safety, clarity and reassurance. In the post-critical phase, communication shifted towards meaning-making and reputation related strategies, including transparency, competence, and justification of actions. The study contributes to crisis communication research by applying SCCT to a Swedish public authority context and a sudden, violent crisis, highlighting both the usefulness and limitations of the theory in such settings

Att vara fri på heltid : En kvalitativ analys om hur hemma-flickvän idealet framställs i den svenska TikTok-miljön

The aim of this study is to examine how the stay-at-home girlfriend ideal is represented on the social media platform Tiktok, within a contemporary Swedish context, and how these representations can be understood in relation to gender norms, relationship and power relations. The study focuses on how meaning is produced through language, visual elements and other semiotic resources, and discusses whether these representations contribute to reproduction and normalization of traditional gender roles and power structures. Our study adapts a qualitative approach and uses critical discourse analysis (CDA) in combination with multimodal critical discourse analysis (MCDA) to analyze a strategic selection of Tiktok videos. The analysis rests on Norman Fairclough´s three-dimensional model and incorporates a multimodal perspective to identify auditory features. Theoretical frameworks are based on Judith Butler´s theory of performativity and normativity, Rosalind Gill´s concept of postfeminist media culture and Stuart Hall´s theories of representation and hegemony. The findings show that the stay-at-home girlfriend ideal is constructed as a legitimate, desirable and self-chosen lifestyle, where economic dependence and traditional gender roles are reframed as safety, happiness and personal choice. At the same time these representations contribute to normalization of gendered and class-based power relations by reinforcing a traditional division of labor

KINA OCH INDIEN: HINDER ELLER FRAMGÅNG FÖR BRICS? : Bilaterala utrikespolitiska skillnader och betydelser för blockets roll i en multipolär världsordning

This study examines how China and India use BRICS as a multilateral forum in the context of changes in the global power order. The purpose of the study is to analyze how cooperation and competition coexist within BRICS and how these dynamics can be understood through Power Transition Theory. By applying the theory in its developed form, which emphasizes institutional integration rather than direct confrontation, the study seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of how rising powers navigate periods of power transition. The study is based on a qualitative document analysis of official BRICS declarations, ministerial statements, and foreign policy documents from China and India. This empirical material is analyzed through a theoretical framework grounded in Power Transition Theory, with a particular focus on concepts such as power transition, institutional integration, and revisionism. The analysis shows that BRICS functions as an institutional arena where both cooperation and competition coexist. China emerges as a rising power with revisionist ambitions that are primarily expressed through institutional strategies aimed at reforming global governance structures. India, by contrast, adopts a more balancing approach, using BRICS to enhance its institutional influence while maintaining strategic autonomy and avoiding direct confrontation. Despite underlying bilateral tensions, BRICS enables continued cooperation through pragmatic and interest-based engagement. The findings suggest that BRICS should not be understood solely as an economic cooperation forum, but rather as an institutional mechanism through which rising powers manage power asymmetries and pursue gradual system change. The study demonstrates that Power Transition Theory, in its developed form, provides a useful analytical framework for understanding the role of multilateral institutions in a multipolar international orde