Transition-aged autistic youth : functioning, quality of life, and internet-delivered psychoeducation

Background: Transition-aged autistic youth, ranging from 16 to 25 years of age, often experience challenges in functioning and have a diminished quality of life (QoL). Several factors have been reported to be associated with these outcomes. However, limited studies have examined the self-reporting of transition-aged autistic youth regarding these outcomes, and few have analysed the specific impact of autistic traits and mental health problems on functioning and QoL. To enhance autism knowledge, promote active participation in healthcare, and improve QoL, psychoeducation is commonly recommended as an initial intervention following an autism diagnosis. Aims: The aim of study I was to investigate self-reported functioning and QoL in transition-aged autistic youth and to analyse the relative importance of associated factors on the two outcomes. The aims of studies II and III were to evaluate a new internet-delivered psychoeducative intervention (SCOPE) by investigating (1) feasibility, evaluating intervention completion, credibility and satisfaction (study II); and (2) the pragmatic effectiveness of SCOPE (study III). Methods: In study I, 140 transition-aged autistic youth were interviewed about their functioning and provided self-rating questionnaires about QoL. In addition, participants rated their autism symptom severity, symptoms of mental ill-health and answered a questionnaire on demographic details. We analysed functioning and QoL scores using descriptive statistics. We analysed associations between all variables, followed by entering the significant associations as independent variables into a linear regression model with either functioning or QoL as the dependent variable. In studies II and III, we evaluated SCOPE – containing eight autism-themed modules with weekly digital therapist support. For study II, we recruited n = 28 participants, aged 16-25 years. We evaluated feasibility through intervention completion rates, credibility using a self-report scale and satisfaction using module evaluations. We analysed preliminary effects regarding autism knowledge, symptoms of mental ill-health, life satisfaction and acceptance of diagnosis, collected at pre-, post-intervention and three-month follow-up. In study III we included n = 141 participants, aged 16-25 years, to be randomised according to 2:1:1 to SCOPE, self-study online of informative autism websites, or treatment as usual (TAU). The primary outcome of autism knowledge, and the secondary outcomes of symptoms of mental ill-health, QoL and acceptance of diagnosis were assessed at pre, post and follow-up. Results: In study I, participants reported low functioning, on the 90th percentile compared to general population norms, indicating significant disability, and rated low overall QoL. The predictors that contributed the most to functioning were autism symptom severity and symptoms of anxiety, followed by gender and ADHD-diagnosis. Meanwhile, higher QoL was predicted by fewer anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as having friendships but not by autism symptom severity. In study II we observed 79% completers, as well as good treatment credibility and treatment satisfaction. Additionally, autism knowledge was increased post-intervention. These results were supported by findings in study III, where we found that SCOPE and self-study, but not TAU, increased autism knowledge post-intervention (primary outcome). However, the self-study participants' knowledge scores returned to baseline at the three-month follow-up. SCOPE participants had increased autism knowledge at follow-up compared to self-study and TAU, and the increase in knowledge was not coupled with significant changes in mental health problems. SCOPE participants reported improved QoL (secondary outcome) at post-intervention and three-month follow-up compared to both control conditions. Conclusions: We highlight that functioning and QoL are predicted by several factors, necessitating a comprehensive assessment of transition-aged autistic youth, including information about autism traits and mental health problems, to plan tangible interventions. The SCOPE trials suggest that the internet-delivered psychoeducational intervention SCOPE is a feasible first-line intervention in terms of treatment completion. Further, SCOPE could increase youths’ autism knowledge and improve QoL

Site-related artistic design : the importance of choosing the right place for art in the public space

Tornedalingar är en svensk minoritet från Tornedalen som ligger i norra Sverige. Under historien har minoriteten utsatts för en assimileringspolitik för att försvenska tornedalingar. Detta har framförallt påverkat användningen av deras språk, meänkieli. Som resultat av deras kamp för sina rättigheter till sitt eget språk och kultur ska samhället nu följa lagen om nationella minoriteter och minoritetsspråk, som innefattar alla Sveriges minoriteter. Lagen innefattar bland annat att synliggöra minoriteten i samhället, vilket en som landskapsarkitekt kan göra. Detta genom att utforma konstnärlig gestaltning och koppla det till historien och kulturen på platsen, vilket kan hjälpa med att synliggöra minoriteten i samhället. "Intresset för stadens historiska och kulturella kvaliteter ökar. Det finns därför ett växande behov av planering och förvaltning som lyfter kulturarvets positiva möjligheter för utvecklingen av städer och platser.” (Riksantikvaren 2009:3) Övertorneå kommun har nyligen startat en satsning på konst utomhus och syftet med undersökningen är att undersöka hur den konsten är platsanknuten för att synliggöra tornedalingar i det offentliga rummet. För att undersöka hur konsten i Övertorneå kommun har platsanknutit sina konstverk så utförs en kulturmiljöanalys, så kallad DIVE-analys, och en platsanalys samt en intervju med Övertorneå kommun. Vissa av konstverken är väl anknutna till minoriteten men har blivit malplacerade och det har lett till en missuppfattning av konstverken. Detta resulterade i ett konstaterande att kommunen behöver arbeta med platsanknytning i framtiden.Tornedalians are a Swedish national minority from Torne valley which is located in northern Sweden. During history, the minority has been subjected to an assimilation politics towards Swedishize Tornedalians. This has mainly affected the use of their language, meänkieli. As a result of their struggle for their rights to their own language and culture, society must now follow the law on national minorities and minority languages, which includes all of Sweden's minorities. The law includes, among other things, making the minority more visible in the society, which a landscape architect can do. This can be done by designing an artistic design and connecting it to the history and culture of the place. "Interest in the city's historical and cultural qualities is increasing. There is therefore a growing need for planning and management that highlights the cultural heritage's positive opportunities for the development of cities and places." (Riksantikvaren 2009:3) Övertorneå kommun has recently started an investment in art in the public space and the purpose of the study is to investigate how that art is connected to the place to make Tornedalians visible in the public space. To investigate how art in Övertorneå kommun has linked its works of art to a site, a cultural environment analysis, so-called DIVE analysis, and a site analysis as well as an interview with Övertorneå kommun are performed. Some of the works of art are well connected to the minority but have been misplaced and this has led to a misconception of the artworks. This resulted in a statement that the municipality needs to work with site connection in the future

Are we bad winners? : Public understandings of the United Nations’ World Happiness Report among Finnish digital media and their readers

In this research, we investigate the public understanding of the World Happiness Report within the context of its highest-ranking country: Finland. We analyse how two actors, Finnish online media and their readers, understood the publication as well as the concept being measured: happiness. Digital media adopted an ambivalent stance towards both the World Happiness Report (‘sports victory’ vs ‘societal problems’) and the concept of happiness (‘reticence to define happiness’ vs ‘secrets of Finnish happiness’). Readers agreeing with the World Happiness Report define Finland as an ‘almost utopia’ while readers disagreeing with the World Happiness Report, in addition to presenting a reversed image of Finland (‘almost dystopia’), further justify their distrust towards the World Happiness Report by attacking the publication, its authors and the participants (Finns). Both actors carefully construct their understanding of happiness to fit their arguments aimed at the glorification/scandalization of the World Happiness Report.Peer reviewe

Aims in teaching history and their epistemic correlates: A study of history teachers in ten countries

In spite of the importance of the topic, there are few comparative studies of the aims of history teaching, even in Europe. Domain- specific epistemic beliefs are relevant for understanding the teach- ing and learning of history and the development of deliberative thought. We studied epistemic beliefs in the context of the gen- eral aims of history teaching. The respondents were 633 history teachers from ten countries (Austria, Belarus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Israel, the Netherlands and Serbia) who rated the importance of 12 specified teaching aims and responded to four claims regarding epistemic beliefs. Three meaningful clus- ters of teaching aims were identified: critical thinking and devel- opment; moral virtues and patriotism; and historical consciousness. History teachers in ten countries were classified within these clusters. There were significant differences among the clusters in terms of the three epistemic beliefs. The results are discussed in the contexts of the countries studied.Peer reviewe

Leader Fairness and Employees’ Trust in Coworkers: The Moderating Role of Leader Group Prototypicality

In this article, the association between perceived supervisor fairness and trust in coworkers as a collective entity is studied. Based on identity-related theories on fairness, trust and leader effectiveness it was hypothesized that perceived supervisor distributive, procedural and interactional fairness are positively and more strongly related to employee trust in their coworkers if the supervisor is highly group prototypical rather than less group prototypical. An empirical study, conducted with 176 employees within 30 work groups, supported this hypothesis. Fairness of a less group prototypical supervisor was not associated with trust in coworkers, whereas especially unfairness of the group prototypical supervisor was detrimental for trust in coworkers. The study concludes that leader’s prototypicality might not work as a substitute for fairness, as some recent studies have suggested, when the outcome is not directly related to the assessment of the leader. Thus, leaders should not count on the trust they earn by being group prototypical but they should also aim at fairness. Implications for collective distrust theory (Kramer, 1994; 1998) are also discussed.Peer reviewe

Personal epistemologies and social representations : And how they meet in people’s conceptions of the origin of human species

Peer reviewe

A trust-focused model of leaders' fairness enactment

In this article, we present a trust-focused model for understanding leader’s fairness enactment. The model suggests that leaders are motivated to act fairly to gain subordinates’ trust, to show trust in their subordinates, to show that they are worth the subordinates’ trust in them, and because they are willing to be vulnerable to the actions of cooperative subordinates. The mediating role of the leader’s trust in the relationship between a subordinate’s cooperation and the leader’s fairness is also tested.Peer reviewe