Swedish high-school pupils￢ﾀﾙ attitudes towards drugs in relation to drug usage, impulsiveness and other risk factors

PrePrints Swedish high-school pupils' attitudes towards drugs in relation to drug usage, impulsiveness and other risk factors Characteristic were positively related to impulsiveness among drug users. Moreover, although males reported using drugs to a greater extent, but female expressed more positive attitude towards drugs and even reported more impulsiveness than male students. Conclusion: This study reinforces the idea that research must focus on gender differences relative to pro-drug attitudes along with testing for differences in the predictors of girls' and boys' delinquency and impulsiveness. Positive attitudes towards drugs among adolescents seem to be part of a vicious circle including risk factors, such as friendly drug environments (e.g., friends who use drugs) and unsupportive family environments, individual characteristics, and impulsiveness

Hon som förtjänar tilltro: en diskursanalytisk studie av domstolsväsendets hantering av våldtäktsmål

Rätten till likhet inför lagen är en essentiell del av det demokratiska samhället. Utifrån förståelsen för domstolsväsendet som en konstituerande och maktbärande aktör har uppsatsen för syfte att undersöka den möjliga reproduktionen av makt och ojämlika strukturer. I denna uppsats granskas därmed vilka faktorer som kan bli avgörande i domstolens bedömning av våldtäktsmål. Genom diskursanalys studeras konstruktionen av målsägandens trovärdighet och dess inverkan på den juridiska processen. Materialet har samlats in genom intervjuer med tre advokater, tre åklagare, fyra nämndemän och en domare. Uppsatsens teoretiska ramverk består av kulturvetenskapliga, genusvetenskapliga och kriminologiska perspektiv. Studien visar att bedömningen av den kvinnliga målsägandens trovärdighet utgör en väsentlig del i domstolens prövning av våldtäktsmål. Denna bedömning påverkas av föreställningar, fördomar och ojämlika strukturer som bland annat länkas till kvinnans person, sexualitet, utseende och beteende i rättssalen. Det presenteras en samstämmig bild av hur målsäganden bör se ut och uppträda inför rätten för att ha störst möjlighet att anses trovärdig. Därmed identifieras konstruktionen av den ideala målsäganden och hennes egenskaper, vilka presenteras i en lista bestående av tio egenskaper. Det argumenteras för att den analyserade diskursen, och bedömningen av kvinnans trovärdighet, kan medföra allvarliga risker för den demokratiska grundtanken om likhet inför lagen och den enskildes rättssäkerhet.The right to equality before the law is an essential part of the democratic society. Based on the understanding of the legal system as a constituent and powerful actor, this study aims to examine the possible reproduction of power and structures of inequality. Therefore, the present study researches significant factors of the legal process at rape trial in Swedish court. Through a method of discourse analysis, the construction of the complainant’s credibility and its impact on the legal process are studied. The material is gathered through interviews conducted with three lawyers, three prosecutors, four jurors and one judge. With a theoretical framework originated from criminology, cultural and gender studies, the legal discourse were analyzed. The study concludes that the assessment of a woman’s perceived credibility plays a significant role in the process of a rape trial. This perception is affected by stereotypical attitudes and structural inequality linked to the woman’s behavior in the courtroom, her person and sexuality. A consistent illustration emerges, regarding how the complainant should appear in court. This illustration identifies the characteristics of an ideal complainant, who has increased chances of being considered credible and therefore overcome the credibility barrier. The construction of the ideal complainant is presented in a list, consisting of ten traits. It is argued that the identified discourse, and the perception of the woman’s credibility, can jeopardize the democratic right of a fair trial and equality before the law

Näthat. En analys av integritet, straffskydd och demokrati.

The purpose of this study is to examine the proposed legislation Integritet och straffskydd, presented by the Swedish government, concerning increased protection of online hate and personal integrity on the Internet. Through a method of triangulation this study examines the proposed legislation in relation to Facebook's community policy regarding harmful and hateful content, as well as the policy regarding the digital platforms of the public service television company Sveriges Television. The intent of this triangulation is to search for a correlation in order to understand what the proposed legislation in fact will entail and how actual circumstances will be affected. The analysis shows that the policies authored by Facebook and Sveriges Television contains important differences, which indicates significant divergence in attitude towards harmful and hateful content. The result of this study also emphasizes the importance of the proposed legislation in order to display an urgently required opinion on national level regarding online hate

Swedish high-school pupils’ attitudes towards drugs in relation to drug usage, impulsiveness and other risk factors

Background. Illicit drug use influences people’s lives and elicits unwanted behaviour. Current research shows that there is an increase in young people’s drug use in Sweden. The aim was to investigate Swedish high-school pupils’ attitudes, impulsiveness and gender differences linked to drug use. Risk and protective factors relative to drug use were also a focus of interest.Method. High school pupils (n = 146) aged 17–21 years, responded to the Adolescent Health and Development Inventory, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Knowledge, and the Attitudes and Beliefs. Direct logistic, multiple regression analyses, and Multivariate Analysis of Variance were used to analyze the data.Results. Positive Attitudes towards drugs were predicted by risk factors (odds ratio = 37.31) and gender (odds ratio = .32). Risk factors (odds ratio = 46.89), positive attitudes towards drugs (odds ratio = 4.63), and impulsiveness (odds ratio = 1.11) predicted drug usage. Risk factors dimensions Family, Friends and Individual Characteristic were positively related to impulsiveness among drug users. Moreover, although boys reported using drugs to a greater extent, girls expressed more positive attitude towards drugs and even reported more impulsiveness than boys.Conclusion. This study reinforces the notion that research ought to focus on gender differences relative to pro-drug attitudes along with testing for differences in the predictors of girls’ and boys’ delinquency and impulsiveness. Positive attitudes towards drugs among adolescents seem to be part of a vicious circle including risk factors, such as friendly drug environments (e.g., friends who use drugs) and unsupportive family environments, individual characteristics, and impulsiveness

Self-regulatory mode (locomotion and assessment), well-being (subjective and psychological), and exercise behavior (frequency and intensity) in relation to high school pupils’ academic achievement

Background. Self-regulation is the procedure implemented by an individual striving to reach a goal and consists of two inter-related strategies: assessment and locomotion. Moreover, both subjective and psychological well-being along exercise behaviour might also play a role on adolescents academic achievement.Method. Participants were 160 Swedish high school pupils (111 boys and 49 girls) with an age mean of 17.74 (sd = 1.29). We used the Regulatory Mode Questionnaire to measure self-regulation strategies (i.e., locomotion and assessment). Well-being was measured using Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scales short version, the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule. Exercise behaviour was self-reported using questions pertaining to frequency and intensity of exercise compliance. Academic achievement was operationalized through the pupils’ mean value of final grades in Swedish, Mathematics, English, and Physical Education. Both correlation and regressions analyses were conducted.Results. Academic achievement was positively related to assessment, well-being, and frequent/intensive exercise behaviour. Assessment was, however, negatively related to well-being. Locomotion on the other hand was positively associated to well-being and also to exercise behaviour.Conclusions. The results suggest a dual (in)direct model to increase pupils’ academic achievement and well-being—assessment being directly related to higher academic achievement, while locomotion is related to frequently exercising and well-being, which in turn, increase academic achievement

Locomotion (Empowering) and Assessment (Disempowering) Self-regulatory Dimensions as a Function of Affective Profile in High School Students.

The purpose of the present study was to examine high school adolescent pupils’ self-regulatory strategies in relation to psychological well-being and subjective well-being (i.e., temporal life satisfaction and affect) using the affective profiles model as the backdrop for the analysis. Participants were categorized into Self-fulfilling (high positive, low negative), High affective (high positive, high negative), Low affective (low positive, low negative) and Self-destructive (low positive, high negative) profiles according to their responses on the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule. The participants also self-reported self-regulation (“assessment” and “locomotion”),temporal life satisfaction (past, present and future) and psychological well-being (e.g. Self-acceptance,environmental mastery, personal growth). Self-fulfilling adolescents, in contrast to Self-destructive adolescents, expressed high levels of temporal life satisfaction and psychological well-being. The self-regulatory “locomotion” dimension was associated to high positive affect profiles, higher life satisfaction and psychological well-being whereas the self-regulatory “assessment” dimension was associated with high negative affect profiles, lesser life satisfaction and psychological well-being. Taken together, the well-being outcomes linked to the “locomotion” dimension seem to contribute to an upward ‘spiral of empowerment’, reinforcing approaching or agentic behavior; while the outcome linked to the “assessment” dimension appear to consist of a downward ‘spiral of disempowerment’ or inaction

High School Pupils’ Academic Achievement, Self-regulation (Locomotion and Assessment), and Psychological Well-Being

Background: Education plays an important role on a personal level because it is related to personal control, a healthy lifestyle, greater income, employment, interpersonal relations, and social support (Mirowsky &amp; Ross, 2003). Self-regulation is the procedure implemented by an individual striving to reach a goal and consists of two inter-related strategies: (1) the identification of the desired out-come and the appraisal of procedures to reach the desired goal (i.e., assessment), and (2) the selection between available approaches to reach the goal and the commitment to the chosen approaches until the goal is reached (i.e., locomotion) (Kruglanski et al, 2000). Self-regulation plays an essential role in academic achievement (Kruglanski et al 1994, 2000). Psychological well-being is a multi-faceted concept composed of six different intra-personal characteristics that describe the fully functional individual (Ryff, 1989). These factors are: positive relationships with others, self-acceptance, environmental mastery, autonomy, purpose in life, and personal growth. We aimed to study the relationship between academic achievement and self-regulation and psychological well-being in Swedish high school pupils. Method: Participants were 160 Swedish high school pupils (111 boys and 49 girls) with an age mean of 17.74 (sd = 1.29). We used the Assessment and Locomotion Scales (Kruglanski et al., 2000) to measure self-regulation and Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scales short version (Clark et al., 2001) to measure well-being. Academic achievement was operationalized through pupils’ final grades in Swedish, Mathematics, English, and Physical Education. The courses take place during either one or two semesters and the grading scale ranges from F = fail to A = pass with distinction. Results: Final grades in Swedish were positively related to two psychological well-being scales: self-acceptance and personal growth; and to the self-regulation strategy of assessment. Final grades in Mathematics were positively related to three psychological well-being scales: self-acceptance, autonomy, and personal growth; and also to assessment. Final grades in English were positively related to one psychological well-being scale: personal growth; and also to assessment. Final grades in Physical Education were positively related to four psychological well-being scales: environmental mastery, self-acceptance, autonomy, and personal growth; and also to the self-regulation strategy of locomotion. Conclusions: A profile consisting of assessment orientation combined with self-acceptance and personal growth leads to the best study results. This understanding is important when supporting pupils in achieving the best possible results in school and thus lay the formation for a continued successful life.PrePrintsISSN: 2167-9843Volume: 2Issue: 219Publisher: PeerJ, Ltd.</p