Teacher change and development during training in social and emotional learning programs in Sweden

The paper presents the results from a thematic analysis of the process diaries of teachers involved in teacher training in social and emotional learning (SEL) in Sweden. Twentynine out of the 122 diaries available were analyzed until saturation was reached. The following themes and sub-themes were extracted: development (professional and personal, and classroom climate), and concomitants of development (need for collaboration and unease). The themes and sub-themes are related to theoretical aspects of specialised teacher education and to the debate in Sweden on how to proceed with SEL programs, and more generally with life skills programs. The results suggest that training generates both general teacher improvement and better implementation of SEL programs.peer-reviewe

On the developmental significance of female pubertal timing

Puberty is the process of becoming sexually mature and it has fundamental somatic and psychosocial implications. The focus of this dissertation was the short and long term developmental significance, concerning both soma et psyche, of female pubertal timing. Four studies were designed to accomplish these aims. Six samples of different ages from different countries and from different time points, comprising several thousand females some of which were followed longitudinally, were used. Age at menarche was used as the primary measure of pubertal maturation. The first main aim of this dissertation was to explore the mechanisms that might explain the well-established link between female pubertal timing and problem behavior, and to identify contextual conditions at which associations are stronger or weaker. Existing explanations are unsatisfactory and little is known about conditions that might affect the strength of the associations. In Paper I, we tested and confirmed a peer socialization hypothesis as a satisfactory explanation for the link between early puberty and problematic adjustment. In short, this hypothesis posits that early developing girls associate with older peers and boyfriends because they feel more mature than their same age peers, and through these peers and boyfriends the early developed girls are channeled into more socially advanced behaviors, including normbreaking. This should be particularly true in contexts where heterosexual relationships are sanctioned and where there is an abundance of deviant youth. In Paper II, I used a biopsychosocial approach and studied pubertal timing along with self-perceptions of maturity and early romantic relationships. The findings revealed that early puberty had very different implications depending on the psychological and social contexts in which it was embedded. For instance, when early puberty was coupled with feeling mature and having early romantic relationships, it was associated with adjustment problems. When early puberty was coupled with neither, it was not linked to particularly high levels of problem behavior. In stark contrast to the vast literature on the role of female pubertal timing in adolescence, the literature on long-term implications is remarkably limited. For this reason, the second main aim of this dissertation was to study the adult implications of female pubertal timing. In Papers III and IV, we examined long term implications of pubertal timing, particularly as it relates to somatic development. The findings suggested that pubertal timing does have future implications for women’s body perception and composition, with early developing females having higher body mass indexes in adulthood, but only under certain circumstances. The findings of this dissertation help further understanding of the soma et psyche implications of female pubertal timing. They indicate that pubertal timing has concurrent and future implications. It seems, however, that timing is not everything. The developmental significance of female pubertal timing appears to be very different under different contextual conditions. Thus, it is only when girls’ psychological and social contexts are considered that fruitful predictions can be made. As such, the findings have important implications for prevention, policy, and practice

”TRYGGA FÖRÄLDRAR” : Presentation av den programteoretiska analysen samt rekommendationer för programutveckling

Kort information ang. projektet:En central del i projektet kring programmet ”Trygga Föräldrar” som genomförts under 2019 är en programteoretisk analys samt framtagande av rekommendationer för utveckling av programmet utifrån den vetenskapliga litteraturen. Analysen och rekommendationsframtagandet har ansvarats för av forskarna Sabina Kapetanovic (Högskolan Väst) och Therése Skoog (Göteborgs universitet). Övriga projektgruppen (Camilla Pettersson (idégivare och biforskare), Region Örebro län; Monica Axelsson (programmakare), Åsa Carlsson (programmakare), Annie Wärnelid (chef, projektledare), Örebro kommun, har varit behjälpliga på olika sätt i processen. Folkhälsomyndigheten Trygga Föräldrar 03299-201

In their own voices : immigrant mothers’ experiences and perceptions of the group-based self-assured parents programme for parents in disadvantaged areas in Sweden

Culturally responsive parenting interventions are crucial for immigrant parents in disadvantaged areas. This qualitative study delves into the experiences of 18 immigrant mothers (Mage =41.2 years) from Somalia, Syria, Turkey, Eritrea, and Iraq participating in the Swedish Self-Assured Parents programme, targeting immigrant parents who live in social disadvantage with teenage children. Thematic analysis revealed seven main themes (1) the meaning of the programme content and structure, (2) enjoying  oneself  and  being  comfortable,   (3) putting  theadolescent  in  the  centre, (4) mothers’own  socioemotionaldevelopment, (5) changing from being a passive reactor to anactive agent, (6) empowered citizenship, and (7) having always been a strong and good mother. Overall, the mothers were positive about both the content and the format of the programme, appreciating the warm and supportive climate. They also perceived themselves as being more attentive to adolescent needs, having improved their own socio-emotional skills, and being empowered both as a citizen and as a mother on accoun tof attending the programme. With the development of culturally responsive programmes that take into account the unique needsand experiences of diverse populations, governments  can effectively support parents, promote child positive development, and help cultivate social cohesion among the members of society.CC BY 4.0</p

Exploring Fit for the Cultural Adaptation of a Self-determination Model for Youth Transitioning from Out-of-home Care: A Comparison of a Sample of Swedish Youth with Two Samples of American youth in out-of-home care

Background Prior research has established evidence for self-determination enhancement as a promising intervention for youth transitioning from out-of-home care. Understanding how participants in these prior trials compare to adolescents in target contexts may inform practice by highlighting the extent to which such models are expected to benefit young people. Objective To assess the extent to which self-determination enhancement is a promising strategy for the Swedish context. Design Cross-sectional study comparing a sample of Swedish youth (n = 104) in out-of-home care aged 15+ on a range of outcomes with two archival data sets (My Life; Better Futures) of youth placed in out-of-home care in the U.S. (n = 295; n = 66). Results Swedish sample youth report: (1) having come further in their concrete planning for transition to independent living, (2) being less prepared to enter post-secondary education and being more negative toward the school environment in general, and (3) lower scores on a range of general protective factors than youth in U.S. samples. Conclusions The self-determination model of intervention may be a promising model to adapt and pilot in the Swedish setting due to the tentative findings that Swedish youth placed in out-of-home care perceive themselves as lacking the assets and resources necessary to address challenges during the transition from out-of-home care

Adolescent girls’ and boys’ well-being in relation to online and offline sexual and romantic activity

The aims of this study were to determine links between adolescent’s well-being and their sexual and romantic activities off- and online. The study includes 245 mid-adolescents (15 years of age; 55 % girls) and 251 late-adolescents (18 years of age; 49 % girls). Of the 496 teenagers, 54 % had experiences of both online and offline sexual and romantic activities, while the remaining (46 %) had only offline experiences.Teenagers’ experiences with online sexual/romantic activities were associated with experiences of offline sexual/romantic activities. Multiple regressions showed that age (older) and risk behaviour contributed to higher engagement in offline sexual/romantic activities. In contrast, only higher risk behaviour contributed to higher engagement in online sexual/romantic activities for boys, but for girl several factors, such as age (younger), lower body esteem, higher risk- and problem behaviour contributed to higher engagement in online sexual/romantic activities. We discuss this result from a gender perspective

Study protocol for a mixed-design evaluation of self-assured parents

Background: Immigrant parents of adolescents experience challenges in their role as parents in the new country and express a need for parental support. Still, they are underrepresented in existing parenting programs and when they do attend, their parenting practices improve less than what they do among native parents. Self-assured parents (SAP; Swe. Trygga Föräldrar) targets immigrant parents living in deprived areas in Sweden who worry about their adolescents’ adjustment. This study’s purposes are to examine if SAP is a feasible intervention in Swedish municipalities and if SAP is effective in reaching its aims, namely to promote parental self-efficacy and parent-adolescent communication and to reduce parents’ worries in the target group. Methods: SAP will be evaluated when implemented by social workers in three Swedish municipalities using a culturally-informed mixed design procedure. Parents will be recruited to the program by local social workers. Groups leaders will be interviewed, observed, and they will fill out self-reports to measure implementation quality, including fidelity and acceptability. A group of parents will be interviewed to better understand their perceived challenges and needs in their parenting in Sweden and their experience of participating in SAP. An interrupted time series design with three measurements before, two measurements during, and two measurements after the intervention has ended will be employed using self-reports of parental self-efficacy, parent-child communication, and parents’ worries. Informed consent will be collected from all study participants. Discussion: Immigrant parents living in deprived areas is an understudied and marginalized population. There is a lack of culturally-informed, evidence-based parenting programs aimed at this group in Sweden. The need for specifically developed programs for immigrant parents living in deprived areas with teenage children, has been voiced by both immigrant parents themselves and the Swedish government. Thus, this study will contribute not only to the scientific literature, but also to social service practice and potentially policy making. © 2022 The AuthorsThe research project has been funded by the Swedish ResearchCouncil for Health, Working Life, and Welfare (reference number 2020-01349). The funding body has no role in the design of the study andcollection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing themanuscript</p

Unexcused absence from physical education in elementary school. On the role of autonomous motivation and body image factors.

Physical education (PE) is an essential school subject due to its potential to promote well-being and health in all children. Yet, PE stands out among other subjects in terms of truancy. This study is one of the first to examine if unexcused absence from PE is associated with early adolescents' body image and autonomous motivation towards PE. A total of 526 Swedish 6th graders (Mage = 12.28, SD = 0.31) reported the frequency of unexcused absence from PE and answered questions about aesthetic and functional body image, social physique anxiety, and autonomous motivation. Findings showed that unexcused absence from PE was associated with less autonomous motivation and higher social physique anxiety. Participants who had never been absent reported higher functional body image investment and satisfaction. Analyses showed that whereas the aesthetic aspects of body image were associated with decreased autonomous motivation toward PE, functional aspects predicted higher autonomous motivation. The study sheds novel light on the links between absence from PE, body image, and autonomous motivation. As absence may have real-life practical effects for school achievement, health, and well-being, the findings demonstrate the importance of mitigating social physique anxiety and promoting an inclusive and body positive PE context early on

Design and implementation of RESCUR in Sweden for promoting resilience in children : a study protocol

BACKGROUND: This research program aims to investigate the implementation and effects of a theoretically promising prevention method. It is being developed in a European research collaboration within a Comenius project (2012-2015) between 6 European universities (in Malta, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Portugal and Sweden) with the purpose of enhancing European children's resilience. METHODS/DESIGN: RESCUR in Sweden consists in a RCT study of the Resilience Curriculum (RESCUR) that is taking place in Sweden 2017-2019. The study is being performed by Junis, IOGT-NTO's Junior Association, part of IOGT International, in conjunction with researchers at Göteborg, Umeå and Stockholm universities, and is being funded by the Public Health Agency of Sweden. Around 1000 children of the ages 7-12 will, through their schools and associations, or via groups in social services, be acquainted with the material. Children will learn and practice mindfulness, storytelling, group discussions and much more, all designed to strengthen protective factors and increase their resilience. The program also involves parents, who are taking part in the work to reinforce children's protective factors. Based on the work with groups of children, an effectiveness study including children aged 7-12 in school classes, with randomized and controlled pre- and post-measurements, self-rating questionnaires and group observations is being performed. The program will also be implemented in a non-governmental organization and in groups in social services. The study also investigates forms of implementation. DISCUSSION: The design of the study will enable the researchers to answer five research questions by using a mixed-methods approach. Implementation will be studied, which is a necessary prerequisite for an effect study. Moreover, the research procedure has been tailored to the target group, with age-appropriate measures as well as multiple informants, which will produce high-quality data for analysis. A special ethical challenge is the study of young children, and efforts to give children a voice have been included in the program. This project is regarded as having good potential to benefit children in general, and particularly children in vulnerable positions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: National Institute of Health, ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03655418. Registered August 31, 2018

Aspects of the parent–adolescent relationship and associations with adolescent risk behaviors over time

Parents’ actions and knowledge of adolescents’ whereabouts play key roles in preventing risk behaviors in early adolescence, but what enables parents to know about their adolescents’ activities and what links there are to adolescent risk behaviors, such as substance use and delinquent behavior, remain unclear. In this study, we investigated whether different aspects of the parent–adolescent relationship predict parental knowledge, and we examined the direct and indirect longitudinal associations between these aspects of the parent–adolescent relationship and adolescents’ self-reported delinquent behavior and substance use. The participants were 550 parents and their adolescent children from two small and two midsized municipalities in Sweden. Parental data were collected when the adolescents were 13 years old (mean), and adolescent data on risk behaviors were collected on two occasions, when they were 13 and 14 years of age (mean). Structural path analyses revealed that adolescent disclosure, parental solicitation, and parental control predicted parental knowledge, with adolescent disclosure being the strongest source of parental knowledge and the strongest negative predictor of adolescent risk behaviors. Parenting competence and adolescents’ connectedness to parents were indirectly, through adolescent disclosure and parental solicitation and parental control, associated with substance use and delinquent behavior. Some paths differed for boys and girls. In conclusion, confident parenting and a close parent–adolescent relationship in which adolescent disclosure is promoted, seem protective of adolescent engagement in risk behaviors