The purpose of this study was to investigate how the social services work with the situation of home-based sons in a family where there is suspicion of honor-related violence and oppression. Five social secretaries in three municipalities who worked on investigative units were interviewed. The theoretical points of the study were intersectionality and system theory. The results show that the social secretaries had varied levels of knowledge regarding the sons' situation in honor related cases. None of the social secretaries had worked on "specific boy cases" and boys were only investigated in cases concerning girls. Challenges for the social secretaries aimed at the difficulty of getting girls to stay in their placements. None of the municipalities had specific interventions directed at the sons. There were general interventions offered through the municipalities' outpatient care. In all municipalities, the interventions were mainly directed towards the protection of the girls or to offer parents family treatment.

In July 2021 the Swedish legal system introduced a new penal provision called barnfridsbrott which can be found in Chapter 4 of the Swedish Penal Code. The new provision stipulates that a family member or any other close relative exposing children to acts of violence, shall be held responsible in the court of law. The aim of this study was to examine how the new provision had affected the professional work with children who has experienced violence between family members or other close relatives. The study included interviews with different professionals such as social workers, children’s investigators from the police and a coordinator from the Swedish welfare agency barnahus. The results showed that the new provision only had resulted in minor changes which also varied between the professionals. Furthermore, the professionals discussed a number of obstacles that hindered effective co–ordination between them. This essay intended to study these results. 

This study aims to explore the working methods used by service providers in Germany when working with women affected by sex trafficking, as well as connected challenges and how these can be tackled. The authors used a qualitative research approach, semi-structured interviews were used as a data collection tool. The participants of the study consisted of four service providers working with women affected by sex trafficking in Germany. The collected empirical data was analysed with the ecological systems theory. The collected data was divided into three themes: methods and interventions, challenges, and tackling challenges and desired changes. These themes represented the most important information collected within this study.  These findings illustrate trust-building as the most important method to effectively work with women affected by sex trafficking. Besides that, one of the key challenges identified was lack of awareness and misconceptions on the issue of sex trafficking.

Substitutionsbehandling är en vårdform som rekommenderas av Socialstyrelsen för personer med ett långvarigt opiatberoende. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur samverkan kring klienterna fungerade, samt vilka stödinsatser som kunde bli aktuella utifrån klinternas behov. Då substitutionsbehandling anses vara kontroversiellt, fanns även ett intresse av att undersöka de professionellas upplevelser av vårdformen. Studien bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer med yrkesverksamma (n=8) som i sina olika yrkesroller hade kontakt med klienterna. Resultatet analyserades utifrån systemteori, stämplingsteori och empowerment. Studiens huvudresultat visade att det förekom mycket samverkan kring klienterna och att det fanns flera stödinsatser tillgängliga för den enskilde. Inställningen till substitutionsbehandling var till övervägande del positiv och de främsta argumenten för vårdformen uppgavs vara de personliga vinsterna för klienterna. Slutsatsen är att det krävs mer än mediciner för att upprätthålla drogfrihet och klienternas sociala nätverk kan vara avgörande för en lyckad behandlingsprocess. Studiens resultat kan därmed bidra med kunskap om substitutionsbehandling.

The aim of this study is to investigate how men in the social service in Gävle experience gender biases within the social work profession. We conducted a qualitative research with five male social workers that we interviewed regarding gender biases. The main result ended up under three themes which are client influence and reinforcement; work culture; and lastly the unconscious experience. The conclusion is that male social workers experience gender biases accordingly through three themes.

Title: Integration of unemployed immigrants into the labor market in Gävle

Authors: Ibrahim Adan Issack and Ekaterina Ivanova

The aim of this study was to investigate unemployed immigrant’s description of how they perceive the labor market in Gävle. Qualitative method face-to-face interviews were used to gather data. The results of this study shows that an unemployed immigrant seems to encounter hinders and opportunities in the labor market. The following five issues were described as being most important in influencing immigrants’ employment opportunities in Gävle: Swedish language knowledge, previous education, discrimination, social network and family situation. Ecological system theory and previous research were used to analyze the gathered results. 

Key words: integration, immigrant, labor market.

This study aims to explore the differences and similarities in the roles played by medical social workers in a health setting in Sweden. Furthermore, it tries to illustrate the challenges that impact the roles and work practices of medical social workers. : This bachelor thesis is based on previous research and literature on the roles, responsibilities, and challenges of medical social workers. Additionally, it made use of a theoretical framework that treated healthcare centres as a social system within which individuals or identified social groups can communicate and collaborate in the performance of their roles. The results of this study could provide a perspective that enlightens professional healthcare work teams to understand the roles, and to communicate and collaborate more with complementary workers such as medical social workers towards realizing Sustainable Development Goal 3 in the Swedish healthcare system. It could encourage medical social workers to tackle issues that could be working against the visibility of their roles in the healthcare system.This study adds to the medical social work practices in the healthcare setting literature by exploring the roles played, the institutional factors and practices as well as challenges that impact medical social workers’ practice.This research followed the qualitative method and data is obtained through semi-structured interviews with seven medical social workers at Sundsvall Hospital and Habilitation Centre. The responses were analyzed using a thematic analysis method. The findings of the study demonstrate that medical social workers at the habilitation centre and hospital mostly share similar responsibilities. However, this study finds that unique differences occur in their responsibilities or practice based on the healthcare facility they work at, the target patient they are dealing with, and the type of sickness/diagnosis they addressIn conclusion, medical social workers play crucial roles in Sweden, be it at the Rehab Centres or general hospitals. The study has shown that these roles are essential towards sustaining families and restoring individuals and integrating them into society through the provision of psychosocial support, counseling and family support services. For medical social workers to offer more to the improvement of health and societal well-being, there is a need for recognition of the crucial roles they play among other health professionals. This can be done with enhanced and continued opportunities for collaboration among social workers and other medical or health professionals in the healthcare setup or system. 

Homeless persons with comorbidity are among the most vulnerable populations within social work. The relapsing nature of substance abuse has been a significant barrier to the traditional treatment/housing programs that build upon abstinence-based policies. Therefore, there has been a shift toward Housing First, a harm reduction policy that prioritizes the minimization of harms over abstinence. This study aims to explore practical experiences with the harm reduction approach within Housing First.Data was collected through a qualitative focus group interview with four employeeswithin a Housing First project in Sweden. The data was analyzed by a thematic analysis with social constructivism and new institutionalism as theoretical frameworks.The results showed a holistic approach to harm reduction but also that the view on harm reduction varies depending on the social context. It was also revealed that the conflicting principles of zero tolerance and harm reduction have affected professionalcollaboration in various ways

I början på 1990-talet kom lagen om stöd och service till vissa funktionshindrade (1993:387) och Lagen om assistansersättning (1993:389). Detta skapade möjligheter för funktionshindrade att få förutsättning till ett självständigt liv. Syftet med denna kvalitativa uppsats är att undersöka hur personliga assistenter upplever bemötande, kommunikation samt delaktighet i mötet mellan funktionsnedsatta barn utan verbal kommunikation och handläggare inom Försäkringskassa, LSS-handläggare och personal inom sjukvård. Då benämningen "personlig assistent" endast har funnits sedan början på 1990-talet är detta ett relativt outforskat område. Det empiriska materialet består av sex individuella intervjuer. I det analyserade empiriska materialet har tidigare känd forskning, empowermentteori och icke-verbal kommunikation använts. Resultatet av undersökningen tyder på att det finns brister i att bemöta, kommunicera och att få brukare känna sig delaktiga i deras egen livssituation. I studien framkommer det att personliga assistenterna upplever att det inte finns tillräckligt med tid och kunskap kring alternativ kommunikation, vilket kan vara orsaker till att brukarna inte känner sig delaktig

Studien genomfördes med ambitionen att undersöka dels huruvida invånarna som bor i miljonpro- grammets höghus upplever kollektiv styrka1 och dels vilken betydelse detta har haft för den höga brottsfrekvensen i området. Studien genomfördes med en kvalitativ dataanalys av intervjumaterial hämtat från intervjuer som utfördes med invånarna på Malmvägen, i Sollentuna kommen, Stock- holms län.

Studiens resultat påvisade att invånarna som bor i miljonprogrammets höghusområdet ofta upple- ver en låg kollektiv styrka. Boendeformen gör socialiseringsprocessen mer utmanande för de som bor där. Flervåningshusen med många lägenheter kombinerat med den stora befolkningen har gjort det svårt för invånarna att lära känna sina grannar. Detta gör att folk blir anonyma och att viljan att ingripa för bostadsområdets säkerhet blir låg.

Förslag som de boende själva lyfter fram för att motverka detta är olika insatser som mobiliserar lokala krafter i området.

The main domain in which eating disorders are defined is medical, whereas socio-cultural perspectives are less common. Because social workers seeks to explain different problems taking societal factors into account, we asked ourselves if social workers have a way of understanding eating disorders, that is different from a medical point of view. Two focus group interviews were conducted; the one composed by social workers with experience of working with eating disorders, and the other by social workers without that experience, which enabled comparisons. The interviews were analyzed using socio-cultural and feminist perspectives. The result showed that the social workers use socio-cultural perspectives in explaining eating disorders. Both groups also emphasized the medical perspective, but the first group where less willing than the other to depart from this perspective. The conclusion were made that the social workers having experience of working with eating disorders are more into the medical discourse than are the ones without this experience.

Adaptability and cultural competency are core qualities that concern the profession of social work. The primary goal for a social worker is to enhance human well-being and improve for all sorts of complex and basic needs. The aim of this study was to investigate social workers attitudes regarding humanistic creative art as an intervention tool for clients with bipolar disorder. The main focus was to investigate how these approaches could be applied internationally and if it could affect stigmatization.  The social workers had various experiences and came from Sweden, Finland/Australia and Nepal. The study was conducted through qualitative research with an inductive thematic analysis, data collection and semi structured interviews. Two theories were applied in order to interpret the results: Erving Goffman’s stigma theory and Carl Rogers’ person centered therapy theory, combined with Natalie Rogers’ person centered expressive arts. The results showed that humanistic art approaches aims for connectedness and could function as an intervention tool. The results also showed a fear of accidentally exacerbating mania and inexperience with bipolar disorder. 

In this chapter, the result of three research studies on meaning-making coping conducted among cancer patients in Sweden is used to highlight the effect of music in coping with cancer. The first research was a qualitative research aiming to study coping with cancer, through religious and spiritual means, from a cultural perspective. The second project was a quantitative study, which aimed to determine to what extent the result of the first study could be generalized to the cancer patients in Sweden. The third study had as its target to investigate the cancer patients’ own understanding of the role of music in coping. The results of these studies indicate the impact of culture in using music as a coping method when facing the psychological burden cancer brings with itself. The outcomes of the third study showed, besides the impact of culture, the individual characteristics of the music as a coping method.

This book provides an alternative, complementary approach to the existing conventional approaches to religious and spiritually oriented coping. By focusing on the role of culture, the authors take into account the methods employed by a vast number of people who do not directly identify themselves as religious. The empirical data used in this book derive from studies conducted in several countries; Sweden, China, South Korea, Turkey and Malaysia, across which religion plays a different role in the social and cultural life of individuals. This approach and these empirical data are unique and allow comparisons to be made between different cultural settings.

By introducing the concept of meaning-making coping, the authors explore the influence of culture on choice of coping methods, be they purely religious, spiritual or existential. The term "existential meaning-making coping" is used to describe coping methods that are related to existential questions; these methods include religious, spiritual and existential coping methods.

Meaning-making Methods for Coping with Serious Illness contributes to new approaches and theoretical models of coping. As such it is an invaluable resource for health care, medical, public health and sociology students and researchers. It will also be of interest to educators and policy-makers working in the area of health.

In this study, we map and describe the coping methods used by members of the university community in Sweden to deal with the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. This study, which used simple random sampling, was quantitative. It employed a modified version of the RCOPE instrument as well as items from earlier studies of meaning-making coping in Sweden. Among participants (n = 277, 64% women), the most frequently used coping method was nature as a resource in dealing with stress and sadness, followed by listening to the sounds of surrounding nature and thinking of life as part of a greater whole; these coping methods were the most common in all subgroups studied. We used a cultural perspective to better understand the application of certain meaning-making coping methods.

To understand the role of culture on the use of the meaning-making coping among people who have been struck by cancer, qualitative and quantitative studies have been conducted in several countries like Sweden, China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, and Turkey. This article reports on a quantitative study carried out in Turkey. The aim of the study has been to answer the following question: “Which meaning-making coping method (even nonreligious or spiritual coping methods) is used by informants?” The sample consists of 95 persons, 18+ who had been struck by cancer. The questionnaire was distributed to former/current cancer patients via a web address as an electronic survey through the media page of Cancer Survivors Association. The results of the study show that the most important coping methods used by cancer patients in Turkey are the religious coping (RCOPE) methods, particularly spiritual connection, active religious surrender, passive religious deferral, and pleading for direct intercession. Several RCOPE methods such as spiritual discontent, seeking support from clergy or members, punishing God reappraisal, and demonic reappraisal or self-directing religious coping are not used by the Turkish informants. Nor are non-RCOPE methods highly prevalent among informants.

The aim of this article is to elucidate and discuss the results of the 2016 Diversity Barometer (Mångfaldsbarometern) and compare these results with those obtained from ten years of the longitudinal Diversity Barometers for 2005?2014. An additional aim is to demonstrate whether and how Swedish people?s experiences of and attitudes toward people with a foreign background and ethnic diversity have changed.A random sample of the Swedish population took part in the annual study, which was carried out in the form of a nationwide postal survey. The results show that negative attitudes toward ethnic and cultural diversity in general, and migrant population in particular, have increased to some extent and with respect to certain issues. Views on diversity in relation to culture and religion ? especially Islam ? were more negative than views on diversity in relation to work. Those who have larger experience of contact with foreigners show a more positive attitude toward diversity compared with those with limited experience and contact. Individuals who have higher education, those who identify themselves as female, younger persons and those living in large cities are more positive than other groups. In our analysis of the empirical data, we proceeded from a social work perspective and applied contact theory and group conflict theories relating attitudes to group position.

1. Erfarenheterna från människor med utländsk bakgrund fortfarande goda Erfarenheterna från att ha kollegor med utländsk bakgrund i skolan eller på jobbet är goda hos 70 procent av befolkningen och stabila över tiden. En av tio har dåliga erfarenheter. Ju högre utbildning man har desto bättre erfarenheter. Respondenter med låg utbildning och pensionärer saknar relativt ofta helt erfarenhet från människor med utländsk bakgrund.
2. Försämrade attityder till att ge utlandsfödda sociala och kulturella rättigheter En majoritet tycker att nyanlända skall ha samma sociala rättigheter som personer födda i Sverige – men de positiva attityderna har minskat från 77 procent år 2014 till 55 procent i årets mätning. Knappt hälften av respondenterna vill skapa förutsättningar för människor att bevara sina kulturella traditioner, och även här kan en tydlig minskning skönjas jämfört med 2014. Dessa försämrade attityder återfinns bland såväl kvinnor och män, som unga och gamla.
3. Allmänt mångfaldsindex sjunker och tangerar lägsta nivå Fortfarande är 64 procent av befolkningen positiva till mångfald men andelen minskar med 10 procentenheter. Försämrade attityder till mångfald märks bland kvinnor och de i medelåldern.
4. Positiva attityder till mångfald i ett arbetsperspektiv – men något försämrade Fortfarande är de positiva till mångfald en betydligt större grupp än de negativa i ett arbetsperspektiv. Men de negativa attityderna ökar något sedan 2014, bl.a. bland kvinnorna.
5. Attityderna till mångfald i ett religionsperspektiv har försämrats Kvinnorna har i ett religionsperspektiv nästan blivit lika negativa som män. Försämrade attityder har också skett bland akademiker som annars är de mest positiva. Nästan hälften av de boende i Sverige hävdar att alla religioner inte har samma värderingar och särskiljer då framförallt Islam.
6. Negativa attityder till människor från Afrika och Mellanöstern i ett boendeperspektiv Var tredje boende i Sverige föredrar personer födda i Sverige som grannar. Men det beror mycket på varifrån grannen kommer. Attityderna är betydligt sämre mot eventuella grannar från Afrika eller Mellanöstern då dessa grupper enligt många är förenat med problem.
7. Majoritet för att etnisk mångfald utvecklar den svenska kulturen – men attityderna försämras Hälften av de tillfrågade uppfattar stora olikheter mellan den inhemska kulturen och kulturer från Afrika och Mellanöstern. Människor från dessa länder anses vara svårintegrerade i samhället.

The present study compared meaning-making coping among cancer patients in Sweden and South Korea, with a focus on the sociocultural context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 51 Swedes and 33 Koreans. The results showed significant differences between the two countries as well as similarities in existential, spiritual, and religious coping. For example, Swedes primarily used meaning-making coping as a means of meditation or relaxation, whereas Koreans relied on coping with prayer and using healthy foods as a means to survive. The present study confirms the significance of investigating cultural context when we explore the use of meaning-making coping among people who have experienced cancer.

The purpose of the present project has been to carry out international studies on meaning-making coping among people who have been affected by cancer in a number of societies and, thereby, to try to understand the influence of culture on use of these coping methods. Five countries—Sweden, South Korea, China, Japan, and Turkey—are included in the project. Qualitative semistructured interviews have been conducted with persons with a cancer diagnosis. The research group in each country has used, as a foundation, the interview questions developed for the Swedish study. These questions were, however, modified to better suite the sociocultural context of each participating country. The results presented here concern only Turkey and are restricted to religious coping methods. The study consists of 25 cancer patients (18 females and 7 males) between 20 and 71 years of age. The results of the study in Turkey indicated that the RCOPE (Religious Coping) methods are highly relevant for the interviewees. A sociological analysis of the study made from a cultural perspective showed clearly the importance of the idea of being tolerant (Sabr) for patients when coping with the psychological problems brought about by cancer. The study made it clear that culture plays an essential role in the choice of coping methods.

Studies have indicated that the prevalence of mental health disorders among refugees has increased. The social capital and socioeconomic status of the host country are believed to influence the development and maintenance of mental health. This study aims to generate knowledge about the factors that affect adult refugees’ mental illness in Sweden and inquires as to the activities in the labor market for preventing mental illness among adult refugees in Sweden.

This study was conducted using a scoping review method. The author analyzed 14 articles, and the results revealed that refugees are more prone to experiencing mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety, than native-born Swedes.

This study revealed that the social capital and socioeconomic status of the host country may influence the development and maintenance of adult refugees’ mental health.

The study explored the perceptions of social workers on loneliness among elderly people in residential care facilities in Gävle and Stockholm, Sweden, during the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

An exploratory qualitative study method was used. Four social workers working with elderly people in residential care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic participated in the study. Data were gathered for the study using an interview guide, and thematic analysis was used to analyze them. The study’s results were captured in two main themes which reflect the study’s research questions: social workers' perception of loneliness, and elderly people’s experiences of loneliness. According to social workers, the study concluded that loneliness is a multifaceted, subjective feeling that can trigger many coping methods and severely impact older people's health. In order to combat loneliness among older persons as a public health issue, social workers believe that a stronger involvement of the entire society is required.

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore child healthcare workers’ experiences of how parents can enhance their child’s psychosocial health and thereby prohibit future risks. Four nurses were interviewed, utilizing a semi-structured interview method. From this, five themes that embrace how parents can enhance their child’s psychosocial health took form. The empirical data was analyzed using developmental ecological theory and resilience as a conceptual framework. The findings showed the importance of parents being physically and emotionally available and having a positive interaction with their child. Further on, the importance of a network was lifted along with the significance of a child having an innocent childhood, a clear set of structure and boundaries and experiencing love. Thereby, the results on a grassroot level confirm the material “BBIC” that focuses on children’s needs and that’s well known and used in social work in Sweden.

This study was based on three interviews with three internationally adopted young adults. The aim of the study was to explore how international adopted young adults have experienced their identity development in a retrospective perspective in relation to family and friends. To answer the research-questions semi-structured qualitative inter­views have been performed. A narrative method was chosen to explore how the parti­cipants' described their experiences. Topics that appeared in the result where topics such as family relationships, the society’s influence on the participants and connections to other adoptees. The conclusions of this study were that com­muni­cation and connections to family was an essential factor in the subjects' identity develop­ment. The informants feeling of belonging was affected by society´s influence on appearances and it was important for the participants to have someone in their life that they could talk to and get support from.  

The aim of this study was to investigate what thoughts and strategies parents of people with intellectual disabilities had concerning their children’s future, and if whether societal attitudes had an impact on these thoughts. A qualitative study was conducted through focus group discussions. The results were categorized through a thematic analysis, and the results were analysed using SOC and coping theories. The parents' fears were of societal changes and cutbacks to the welfare system. The participants were reluctant thinking about the future, a form of avoidant coping. They also used problem-focused coping by improvements to the child's current situation and through organized advocacy work. An important conclusion was that parents of people with intellectual disabilities felt a strong worry regarding their children's future when they themselves would be gone. This due to a lack of sense of coherence caused by perceived shortcomings in societal structures and negative attitudes from society.

The aim was to study how school professionals working with newly arrived immigrant children and youth experience how these students integrate into the school. The study is a qualitative research conducted in Sweden. The first part of the research focused on studying what factors affect the integration of newly arrived immigrant in schools while the second part focused on what strategy is used to ensure their integration. The findings of the study were thematically analyzed using the ecological systems theory as a framework of analysis. Through semi-structured interviews, four teachers and a counsellor expressed their perception on the integration of newly arrived immigrants’ student into schools. The result showed that the teachers are the core agent for integration within schools. It was shown that past experiences, family, social connections, educational background, school system, migration policies, culture are important factors that affect the integration process of these students.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka socialsekreterares uppfattning om barnperspektivet och dess tillämpningar i handläggningen av ekonomiskt bistånd. Sex socialsekreterare vid en enhet för ekonomiskt bistånd i Sverige intervjuades. Vi använde oss av teorin om gräsrotsbyråkrati och barndomssociologi som teoretiska perspektiv för att analysera resultaten. En tematisk analys genomfördes för det insamlade materialet, vilket ledde till tre huvudrubriker för resultatavsnittet: ”Innebörden av barnperspektiv”, ”Barnperspektiv i handläggningsprocessen” och ”Barns och ungas delaktighet i handläggningsprocessen”. Dessa rubriker fungerar som strukturerade delar som ligger i linje med våra frågeställningar. Resultatet visar att barnperspektivet är ett mångfacetterat begrepp utan en exakt definition. Socialsekreterare var kunniga om barnets perspektiv, men deras tolkningar och tillämpningar av det varierade. Studiendrar slutsatsen att socialarbetares tillämpning av barnperspektiv är beroende av flera faktorer, till exempel erfarenhet och auktoritetnivå

The study aims to investigate the Home Sitter Program (HSP) and how it addresses the issue of school absenteeism among children and youth focusing on highlighting the effectiveness and maintenance of the manual-based intervention. Data collection method: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with (n=5) social workers (60%) females and (40%) males via Zoom. Sampling was purposive recruiting informants based on their position, knowledge of the cultural arena, and association with the HSP. Data analysis employed verbatim transcriptions and manual thematic analysis involving familiarization with data, coding, and identifying patterns by color-coding to facilitate a clear distinction between main themes and sub-themes. The result showed key themes about the Home Sitter Program’s structure, intervention strategies, and challenges. The main theme of the result is the manual structure as a framework. Implementation is gradually carried out and has the flexibility of incorporating other theories and approaches while maintaining adherence to the program principles. Challenges are evaluating the program’s effectiveness, target group, and the lack of resources leading to deficiencies in sustaining the achieved changes during the maintenance phase. Consequently, parents and schools are responsible for sustaining the reached outcomes. Applying the latest research and keeping up with the target group is fundamental for the Home Sitter Program’s future success.

Abstract:

The  aim  of  this  study  was  to  examine  which  attitudes  professionals  who  are  involved  in voluntary mediation in  Gävle, have towards voluntary mediation  as a  preventative  working method.

The  empirical  material  used  in  this  study,  has  been  gathered  through  semi-structured interviews with staff members of the so called Crime Preventers in Gävle (Brottsförebyggarna I Gävle, BIG) and staff members from the police and social services. These interviews helped to get a deeper understanding and detailed information about the attitudes towards restorative justice  and  voluntary  mediation.  The  theoretical  framework  that  was  used  was  social constructionism and restorative justice theory.

The  Crime  Preventers  (BIG)  in  Gävle  are  keeping  the  method  and  process  up  to  date  by further  educating  themselves  within  the  subject  via  conferences,  workshops  and  similar activities. There seems to be a preference for working more with mediation, since currently the activity of the voluntary process is decreasing due to a decrease in suitable criminal cases for mediation.

The results from this study however indicate that attitudes toward mediation, as a process and method  on  a  voluntary  basis,  are  highly  appreciated  amongst  those  who  are  continuously working with it.   However, further research on the subject is desired to develop it better and gain more from its positive effects.

The aim of this study was to understand how young adults whom previously had been in out-of-home care retrospectively described their schooling. Five young adults between the ages of 21-26 were interviewed in a qualitative study. The theory KASAM helped identify the resources and factors that influenced the informants’ sense of coherence. The results showed that the informants were put in out-of-home care at different ages and had different experiences with their studies while in care. They received help from adults in regards to their studies, which had a positive impact on their schooling. Some informants had negative experiences from their schooling while in care caused by bullying, mental health issues and having to move multiple times. Because of our small sample we could not generalize the results. What the informants had in common was the fact that they had college-level education or were planning to receive it.

Författarna diskuterar nya sociala förortsrörelser som försöker motverka den sociala exkludering och gentrifiering som blir allt mer synlig. Dessa rörelser kräver social upprustning av miljonprogrammen och inkludering i demokratiska beslutsprocesser. De har vuxit fram genom organisering underifrån av människor som bor och vuxit upp i området. I detta kapitel ligger fokus på den förortsbaserade organisationen Megafonen som arbetar med social mobilisering av medborgarna på Järvafältet i Stockholm, för att bidra till framväxandet av en social rörelse mot social exkludering och för ökat medborgarinflytande, social upprustning och social rättvisa. Som framtida utmaningar för mobiliserande samhällsarbete lyfter författarna den s.k. rörelsejuridiken.  Författarna förespråkar ett samhällsarbete som bygger påmedvetandegörande , skapande av kollektiv identitet och samhörighet, stödjande av aktivering och deltagande, samt mobilisering av de utsatta grupperna själva för social förändring.

The main purpose of this study was to study and understand the situation of adult children and their experiences of providing daily care for their elderly parents in need who have an immigrant background. One of the aims was to describe and analyze the motives of adult children choosing to become caregivers, without recourses to the right of using the public elderly care in form of home care and/or elderly care homes. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with five adult children who cared for their parents. The theoretical frames of analysis were symbolic interactionism with the concepts “I” and “Me” and “significant others”, the theory of reciprocity and finally risk factors for social exclusion. The theoretical frames were used to give deeper insight and different perspectives of the social reality of informal caring. Important results found in our study are that adult children who care for their parents believe it is their duty to help the person who used to take care of them. They described the relationship to their care receiving parents in positive words, but their care duties were described also as heavy and time consuming. These duties were sometimes hard to combine with employment for the family caregiver. Important factors for the adult childrens’ choice to become caregivers were interpersonal relationships, culture and language - language as a practical obstacle but also as part of the culture. Conclusions that could be drawn were that reasons behind the refrain from receiving assistance from the public eldercare was a combination of the wish of the adult children to preserve their culture and their parents’ helplessness in not being able to make themselves and their needs understood in their own language.

The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the professionals experiences of cyber bullying among teenagers of the age 14-16. To answer the purpose of the study six semi-structured interviews were performed with professionals who work in close contact with teenagers within the school system and social work. To analyze the results symbolic interactionism is used as well as concepts of attitude and norms. The results demonstrated that teenagers that have experienced cyber bullying can exhibit symptom of depression, self harming behavior and in certain cases performed suicide attempts. One contributing factor to why cyber bullying present to the extent it does is because teenagers are able to be anonymous on the internet. Being anonymous contributes to teenagers being able to act cruel towards each other with little repercussion. By informing teenagers and drawing attention to the impact cyber bullying have on a person is considered the most effective way to prevent cyber bullying to present itself according to interviewed people.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the social services work with honor-related violence and oppression, and how action plans are implemented into the work. Honor-related violence and oppression is a relatively new problem in Sweden and for a long time, the social services have lacked strategies for how the problem should be handled. Evaluations of the social services have shown that several municipalities in Sweden lack specific action plans against honor-related violence and oppression, as well as routines and guidelines for their work in this area. This study is based on qualitative interviews with five professional social workers from different municipalities. Through the interviews, each social worker’s view on the work of honor-related violence and oppression and the importance of the action plan have been highlighted. The results showed that the social workers described their work in a similar way but their view on the importance of an action plan differed. Based on the results of the study, our conclusion was that action plans can be a solid ground that creates a unified structure for the social services, and are therefore important in the work against honor-related violence and oppression. 

Juvenile delinquency among teenage boys in Sweden is a pressing social issue influenced by various factors. This study explores and analyzes these dynamics by examining the perspectives of professional social workers and youth center workers, aiming to understand how peer influences, family dynamics, and community environments contribute to delinquent behavior. Employing a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with social workers and youth center workers. Guided by Social Learning Theory and the Life Model of Social Work Practice, four interviews provided data for content analysis. The findings revealed significant impacts of peer influence, family dynamics, and community environment on juvenile delinquency. Social Learning Theory highlighted the role of observational learning and reinforcement, while the Life Model of Social Work Practice emphasized the interaction between individuals and their environments. This study underscores the need for comprehensive interventions addressing both individual and environmental factors, suggesting future research should incorporate a broader range of variables to enhance understanding and intervention effectiveness.

Title: What contributes to work satisfaction and intention to stay at the workplace?

                                 - social workers’ reflections

The aim of this study was to investigate how social workers reflect on how various factors in their work environment contribute to their work satisfaction and intention to stay at the workplace. Four qualitative group interviews were conducted with totally 16 social workers. The interviews were analyzed by using three different theoretical models: the demand-control-support model, the effort-reward model and the model a Sense of Coherence (SOC). The results were then interpreted from a hermeneutic approach. The result shows that several interacting factors were described as important for how the social workers perceived their work satisfaction and their intention to stay at the workplace. Discretion, i.e. being able to decide independently how to work with the caseload and to have a meningful job were the two themes that emerged as most important for work satisfaction and intention to stay at the workplace. The social workers described that their work would not feel meaningful if the discretion was too limited and if they would not be able to help their clients and to make their own decisions from the client’s situation and needs. Furthermore, the social workers described that organizational conditions such as support from colleagues and managers, participation in what happens at the workplace, clear structures, role clarity and development possibilities were recurring themses.

Keywords: social workers, work conditions, work environment, work satisfaction, intention to stay at the workplace

Honour-related violence and oppression constitute a serious societal issue requiring urgent action, with social services playing a central role in this endeavor. The purpose of this study was to investigate how social services work with honour-related violence and oppression in Sweden, focusing on perceptions and approaches. The study also aimed to identify needs for changes in current practices. A qualitative study with a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach and a deductive perspective was deemed most appropriate, leading to semi-structured interviews with social workers. An analysis was conducted from an intersectional theoretical framework to provide a deeper understanding of the violence. The results highlight the collective nature of the violence, where multiple perpetrators contribute to the complexity and challenges for social services. Preventive measures and integration were identified as necessary components in combating honour-related violence. There are complex factors to consider, but if left unchecked, many women risks continuing to live under oppression.

The purpose of this study was to get a better understanding on how Swedish media describes intimate partner violence from a social constructionist perspective. This was done by analysing the way this violence is projected in three Swedish newspapers namely Aftonbladet, Dagens Nyheter & Expressen. Our study focused on heterosexual relationships and investigated how some sample of Swedish newspapers described the image of “men and women as perpetrators; gender construction”, “the presentation of the violence” and “the way society treats intimate partner violence victims (male/female)”. The theoretical approach in this analysis was based on social constructionism with a special focus on gender. In order to address the research objectives, a content analysis was performed and some comment and analysis on themes were given. The research findings revealed that both men and women could be perpetrators and victims of intimate partner violence with a main focus on woman as victims from media.

The mental health of children and adolescents’ is a debated topic and constitutes a large part of social work in Sweden. The purpose of this study was to investigate how social workers perceive the importance of children and adolescents’ social networks in relation to their mental health and what role social work has in this. The qualitative method used was semi-structured interviews, that was processed through a thematic analysis. The results of this inductive study show that various aspects of the social network are important for the mental wellbeing of children and adolescents’ and that there are differences in how the social workers perceive their role in the child's social network. There are differences in what previous research believes is important for the child and how the social workers' working methods are designed. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the importance of children and adolescents’ social networks. 

The aim of the study is to explore the experiences of international social work graduates when looking for employment in the field of social work in Sweden after graduation. Because the aim of the study is to study the experiences a graduate face when entering the labor market, we have deemed that a qualitative method with semi structured interviews to collect data would be best suited for our research. The selection will be chosen from international social work graduates who studied in Sweden. The intention is to focus on both graduates with 210 study points and graduates with 180 study points. 4 participants together. The empirical data was analyzed with the mind of using the theory of capital by Pierre Bourdieu. This theory; the theory of capital is seen as an empirically orientated concept, that has been one of the most widely used concepts in international sociology and on the intersection of sociology and educational studies. The authors have put the findings in three (3) categories: Background, labor market and further improvement. These themes were found to be a commonality with the graduates interviewed.  This study found that it can be hard to acquire employment nationally, with an international social work degree.

"The ideal victims of honour-related crime"

The purpose of this study is to examine if characteristics of victim and perpetrator and circumstances involving the crime, which are described in the theory of "the ideal victim", have an influence on the outcome of police employee’s independent assessment on crimes of honour character. In order to examine this a quantitative method has been applied and a logistic regression has been made of data based on identified crimes whit honour as a motive. The results of the study have shown that eleven variables which has a connection to characteristics and circumstances involving the crime and the investigation, as gender, age and circumstances surrounding reporting the crime, have a significant influence on the outcome. The study’s main conclusion is that no clear connection can be drawn between the outcome of assessments on crimes with an honour motive and the perception of the ideal victim.

The aim of this study was to explore how professionals view ADHD symptoms in girls, and how they think the work procedure could develop to be able to find ADHD in younger girls, both through individual work and cooperation. Five qualitative semi-structured interviews were done with five professions; a counsellor from the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (BUP), a school counsellor, a social worker, a teacher and a leisure educator. The material was analysed using a theoretical framework of gender and organisation theory. A major result showed various levels of knowledge when it came to ADHD in girls, but a large interest in further education. Due to lack of educational opportunities, detecting ADHD in girls was made more difficult. The results also described unclear routines and dysfunctional communication between organizations. The conclusion that was drawn was that lack of education, tools and cooperation contributes to girls not being diagnosed. 

Intimate partner violence is an extensive social problem in Sweden and a recurring subject in Swedish newspapers. This study aimed to explore descriptions of men’s violence against women in intimate partner relationships in two well distributed Swedish newspapers. The research questions focused on how the men and women were described and how the relationship and the violence were depicted. Critical discourse analysis, with inspiration from Norman Fairclough’s three-dimensional model, constituted the theoretical framework and method of analysis. The analysis showed descriptions of the women as anonymous, frightened and as objects in contrast to the men who were depicted as subjects with power. A discourse regarding a certain type of perpetrator was revealed as well as an opposite relationship between violence and affection. A fascination with the violence itself was found and it was often depicted in vivid details. The violence was often connected to the relationship itself while the connection between the perpetrator and the violence was less distinct.