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Master i Human Resource Management - Nord universitet 202

Positive Youth Development and Mental Well-Being in Late Adolescence: The Role of Body Appreciation. Findings From a Prospective Study in Norway

Although a vulnerable period, adolescence is a time of great potential for healthy development. Understanding factors that contribute to mental well-being in this period is of great importance to facilitate for healthy development. During the adolescence period the body goes through rapid and considerable changes, and the focus on body appearance and perfection is substantial at societal, media, and peer level. In this study, we investigated the association between dimensions characterizing positive youth development, and mental well-being among Norwegian adolescents 16–17 years 1 year later, and whether this association was mediated by degree of body appreciation. We further tested whether the indirect and direct paths between positive youth development dimensions and mental well-being were moderated by gender. We used data from the first and second follow-up of the control arm of the COMPLETE study, a cluster randomized controlled trial in upper secondary schools in Norway. Findings showed that positive youth development in grade 1, as measured by both a combined global PYD and the dimensions competence, and connection were significantly associated with mental well-being in grade 2 in models adjusted for mental well-being in grade 1, gender and perceived family affluence. Also, body appreciation in grade 1 significantly predicted mental well-being in grade 2 in models including each of global PYD, competence, connection, character, and caring dimensions. Contrary to our hypothesis, no mediating effects of body appreciation were observed, and no moderation of indirect effects by gender were observed.publishedVersio

Culture crash regarding nursing students' experience of implementation of EBP in clinical practice

Dette er en pdf av forlagets publiserte versjon etter avtale. Tidsskriftets side: http://www.vardinorden.no/vin/forsideAims: The aim of this study was to examine nursing students’ experiences of the implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) in a clinical setting. Background: Educating students in EBP is a challenge to both faculties and clinical practices, because EBP educational interventions may improve knowledge but do not ensure application of EBP in clinical settings. Becoming skilled in the application of EBP requires practice and nurses that motivate students to use EBP. Methods: Fourteen second-year students were divided into three focus groups according to the ward in which they undertook their clinical practice. Each group contained 4–5 students. Findings: The students were able to implement EBP according to the goals of the syllabus, but encountered a clinical setting that was insufficiently prepared, both structurally and in terms of knowledge, to mentor them regarding EBP. The findings indicate a culture crash between the students’learning goals of EBP at the faculty and the application of EBP in practice. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that EBP is feasible in clinical practice, but highlighted the various factors obstructing its implementation. There is a need to find pathways to reduce hindrance in implementation of EBP

Preventing Loneliness and Reducing Dropout: Results from the COMPLETE Intervention Study in Upper Secondary Schools in Norway

This study examines the impact of interventions aimed at improving psychosocial health on students’ perception of a caring school climate, their feelings of loneliness, and school completion in Norwegian upper secondary education. Two intervention conditions were tested: a universal single-tier intervention focused on improving the psychosocial school climate: the Dream School Program, and a multi-tier intervention combining the Dream School Program with a targeted measure, the Mental Health Support Team. The direct and indirect effects of these interventions on school completion were analyzed using structural equation models (SEM), with data from 1508 students (mean age at Time 1: 17.02 (SD = 0.92); 60.7% girls; 72.1% Norwegian-born). The results indicated that loneliness levels did not differ significantly between the intervention conditions. However, students in the multi-tier intervention group reported a significantly higher perception of a caring school climate compared to those in the single-tier intervention group. The multi-tier intervention group had a lower rate of school completion compared to the control group and the single-tier intervention group. The SEM analysis revealed that the multi-tier intervention reduced loneliness in the second year of upper secondary school by promoting a caring school climate in the first school year. In contrast, the single-tier intervention was associated with increased loneliness due to a decrease in the perception of a caring school climate. The implications of these findings are discussed.publishedVersio

A Fourteen Year Follow-Up Study of Health Promoting Schools in Norway: Principals` Perceptions of Conditions Influencing Sustainability

In this study, we examined the sustainability of health-promoting practices in Norwegian schools that were enrolled in the European Network of Health-Promoting Schools from 1993 to 2003. The research questions were: How do the principals perceive that health-promoting practices have been sustained in the schools following the schools' membership of the health-promoting schools network? In what way is school leadership related to the sustainability of health promotion? The study draws on qualitative data consisting of interviews with seven principals in 2008 and school documents. The schools determined their own priorities for action based on assessment of needs in 1994. After 14 years, health promotion practices were sustained in six of the seven schools. Two factors emerged as vital for sustained health promotion practices: the health-promoting school experience and the maintenance and development of practice. The health-promoting school experience relates to staff who internalized the potential link between health promotion practices, school satisfaction, and learning. This also emphasizes the importance of the transfer of experience in sustaining health promotion practices as the staff turned over. The maintenance of vision and practice relates to the principals' commitment to school health promotion, leadership practices that encourage health promotion practices, and external collaboration with the surrounding community in health promotion.publishedVersio

Lessons Learned from an Intersectoral Collaboration between the Public Sector, NGOs, and Sports Clubs to Meet the Needs of Vulnerable Youths

The Norwegian Government emphasizes intersectoral collaboration to achieve health goals such as reducing social health differences. However, research shows that achieving fruitful collaboration between different organizations and the public sector is challenging. The sports sector is one potential partner for such collaboration. Although the Government calls for intersectoral collaboration that includes the sports sector, there are few concrete guidelines for how this may be implemented in practice. Guided by The Bergen Model of Collaborative Functioning, the purpose of this study was to explore factors that promote or inhibit collaboration in an intersectoral project involving the sports sector, NGOs, and public sector. The current project aimed to work towards creating health promoting activities aimed at vulnerable youths. Methods: A qualitative case study of the Sports Project with interviews of eleven collaborative partners. Results: Factors promoting collaboration amongst the different partners were having a common mission, an appreciation of the partners’ complementary skills and knowledge, and a consistent user perspective. Conclusions: By orienting the collaboration towards the users’ needs, the partners have succeeded in creating tailored health-promoting activities for vulnerable youths. However, a challenge remains in transforming the collaborative project into a sustainable structure.publishedVersio

Academic Stress, Academic Self-efficacy, and Psychological Distress: A Moderated Mediation of Within-person Effects

Previous research has largely failed to separate the between- and within-person effects in the longitudinal associations between academic stress, academic self-efficacy, and psychological distress (symptoms of anxiety and depression). Filling this research gap, this study investigated if academic self-efficacy mediated the relationship between academic stress and psychological distress at the intraindividual level during 3 years of upper secondary school. Gender moderation was also examined in the hypothesised model. The present sample consisted of 1508 Norwegian adolescents (baseline M age = 16.42; 52.9% high perceived family wealth; 70.6% Norwegian-born). The random intercept cross-lagged panel model results indicated (1) positive and time-invariant direct effects from academic stress to psychological distress, (2) academic self-efficacy partially mediated these effects, and (3) psychological distress impacted later academic stress. Academic stress was more strongly related to academic self-efficacy and psychological distress at the interpersonal level for boys, while the intraindividual impact of academic stress on psychological distress was stronger for girls. The study findings might have implications for school-based implementation strategies and theoretical development.publishedVersio

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: Moderating a Random Intercept Cross-lagged Panel Model of Loneliness and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression

The present study investigated the trait- and state-like associations between loneliness and symptoms of anxiety and depression during three years in middle to late adolescence. The moderating effect of gender and social self-efficacy was examined on the hypothesised model. The sample consisted of 1508 Norwegian upper secondary school students (61% female; mean age at T1 = 16.33; 52.9% high socioeconomic position; 70.6% Norwegian-born). We found 1) strong and positive trait- and state-like associations between loneliness and symptoms of anxiety and depression, 2) that anxiety and depressive symptoms consistently predicted later loneliness but not the other way around, 3) that gender moderated parts of the state-like associations between loneliness and symptoms of anxiety and depression, and 4) that social self-efficacy had no moderating effect on the longitudinal relationship between loneliness and anxiety and depressive symptoms. The present study might inform future research, theory development, and intervention strategies in middle to late adolescent samples.publishedVersio

Praksisnær undervisning i legemiddelregning i arbeidet med å redusere testangst og styrke selvoppfattelse hos sykepleierstudenter

Alternative teaching method in dosage calculation to reduce nursing students’ test anxiety and enhance self-conceptNorwegian nursing students must pass a drug calculation test with a flawless performance if they are to qualify as nurses. This requirement is found to increase students’ test anxiety and mathematical low self-conceptual students are highly effected. The aim of the current study is to examine if participating in a special education program benefits students with high test anxiety and low self-concept in the domain of mathematics. The participants were highly involved in both planning and conducting the alternative program which had a practical approach towards both mathematics and drug calculation. We use a mixed methods approach to examine nursing students’ experiences participating in the program, and data are collected by using survey questionnaires, participants’ evaluation and a focus group interview. Ten freshman nursing students participating in the program responded to a questionnaire pre and post intervention, including a written evaluation during the program. Finally a focus group interview was conducted two years after the intervention. The survey data show a significant change in mathematics-self-concept, however, no significant reduction in test anxiety was found, but the qualitative data from the interview suggest a reduction in anxiety and higher mathematical self-concept after participating in the program

The positive feedback loop between academic self-efficacy, academic initiative, and grade point average: a parallel process latent growth curve model

This study investigates the associations between students’ developmental changes in academic self-efficacy, academic initiative, and grade point average (GPA) during a three-year upper secondary education. The sample consisted of 1453 students aged 16–19 (60.6% girls; baseline mean age = 17.00, SD = .91; 56.1% high perceived family wealth; and 74.9% Norwegian-born). To explore how changes in academic self-efficacy, academic initiative, and GPA were related, we investigated a theoretical parallel process latent growth curve model. The results implied that, during upper secondary school, academic self-efficacy declined, while academic initiative and GPA remained stable. We found possible ceiling effects within and between several of the study’s constructs. The main finding was support for a positive feedback loop between the developmental trajectories of academic self-efficacy, academic initiative, and GPA. The present study adds new insight that should be taken into consideration when promoting positive educational development during late secondary school.publishedVersio