Föreliggande studie undersökte hur kriminalvårdare upplever emotionellt arbete och i vilka situationer det förekommer. En kvalitativ stidie genomfördes och åtta kriminalvårdare anställda på ett häkte i Sverige intervjuades. Deras svar analyserades genom inuktiv tematisk analys. Analysen ledde till tre huvudteman: hantering av negativa känslor, konsekvenser för privatlivet och situationer där emotionellt arbete uppkommer. Resultat visade att emotionellt arbete har en negativ inverkan på kriminalvårdares välbefinnande och att de upplever negativa konsekvenser av det dagligen. Respondenterna uttryckte behov av hjälp och svårigheter att klara av utmaningar med emotionellt arbete på egen hand. De signalerade också bris på hälsosam återhämtning. Respondenterna visade oro över att förlora egen personlighet samt att kontinuerlig emotionellt arbete på ett häkte påverkar privat liv negativt.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate how nursing staff in municipal elderly care experienced there organizational and social work environment after the introduction of the digital business system. Using a qualitative method and inductive thematic analysis from the empirical material from eight interviews, the study produced two main themes: Introduction to the digital way of working and Experiences of the digital way of working. In summary, the majority of respondents testified that their organisational and social work environment was good after digital business systems had been implemented. The majority highlighted that the digital systems had given them more structure, foresight, and a more even distribution of work between tasks and experiences of reduced workload as the user-friendliness of the systems was perceived to be good with all digital systems being managed in the same unit. This despite experiences of shortcomings during the introduction, a mistrust that the digital systems would be a control tool, varied difficulties in learning digital systems, fewer natural platforms for communication, and experiences of stress that the technology did not work optimally.

In recent years, accessibility to services and activities using sustainable transport modes has become an important goal for land use and transport planning policies. Traditional approaches rely on objective measures, such as travel time, distance, costs, and other spatial data, overlooking personal preferences, experiences, demographic features, and socio-cultural and economic dynamics. Attributes that affect perceptions of accessibility require attention but our understanding of the factors influencing perceived accessibility is inadequate, particularly in Australia’s expanding suburbs. Through a literature review and questionnaire surveys, this study aims to take into account various travel characteristics and enhance the understanding of how perceived safety and service quality impact mobility behaviour and perceived accessibility within the Australian context. The study found that perceived safety and service quality have significant impacts on perceived accessibility and hence influence the use of public transport. We have identified critical factors that require proper consideration in transport and land use planning and policies to enable a better contribution from public transport to the liveability and well-being of residents in Australian suburbs.

Accessibility is commonly defined and operationalised through objective measurements,such as travel time and physical distance to destinations; however, there is a lack of empirical studiescapturing perceived accessibility from individual perspectives. With the aim of sustainable transportfor inclusive communities, it is crucial to investigate the impact of socio-economy and travel modeon perceived accessibility and key driving factors of perceived safety and service quality. Throughthe collection of primary data from one of the fastest-growing suburbs in Melbourne, this studyexamined variation of perceptions towards accessibility, safety, and service quality among diversesocial groups and travellers using different modes of transport. The findings of this study wouldassist transport planners in making informed decisions in creating inclusive transport networks thatcan improve community health and well-being.

The purpose of this study was to investigate in what way occupational self-efficacy predicted the work-related stressors job demands, control and social support among human services workers (N=63). Furthermore, this study aimed to investigate if, and subsequently how, the predictions were moderated by age. Through a quantitative study, a web-based survey was distributed to closed Facebook-groups for workers in human services. The web-based survey contained a measure for occupational self-efficacy and a measure for job demands, control and social support. Additionally, age and other demographic questions were included. The results were analysed by three linear (simple) regression analyses which showed no statistically significant linear relationships between occupational self-efficacy and job demands, control or social support. Three moderation analyses found no statistically significant moderating effects by age on the predictions between occupational self-efficacy and job demands, control or social support. 

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between transformative, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles with employee psychological safety. A questionnaire comprising 40 items was designed to assess employees' perceived psychological safety and their perception of their immediate supervisor's leadership style. The statements and questions were based on the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and Edmondson's questions measuring psychological safety. The results showed significant correlations between psychological safety and the two leadership styles transformative and laissez-faire. Transformative leadership was positively related to psychological safety, whereas laissez-faire leadership was negatively related. Multiple regression analysis indicated that all leadership styles could account for a significant portion of the variance in psychological safety, transformative leadership was positively associated with psychological safety, while laissez-faire leadership was negatively associated with psychological safety The findnings suggests that the transformative leadership style is suitable for promoting psychological safety among employees.

This study examines the relationship between dimensions of parental self-efficacy in relation to the subjectively perceived parent-child relationship. The survey was conducted as a cross-sectional study of quantitative design with 151 participants, parents of children 0-6 years. Participants were recruited on social media and answered a digital survey. The statistical program SPSS was used to analyze the data. Dataanalysis showed that all eight dimensions in the parental self-efficacy measuring instrument TOPSE correlated positively with the response variable parent-childrelationship. This means that the higher the self-perceived parental self-efficacy is, the better relationship parents experience with their children. Empathy and understanding were the strongest predictors, followed by control, emotion and affection, and social pressure. This study shows that parental self-efficacy, measured through the eight dimensions of the TOPSE measuring instrument, is an important predictor of the subjectively experienced parent-child relationship. 

Background and aim

Common mental disorders are common reasons for long-term sick leave, especially among women. Return to work is often complex and unsuccessful, why more knowledge is needed regarding women’s health and psychological well-being in the return-to-work process. Therefore, the aim was to describe women’s health and psychological well-being in the return-to-work process, from women’s and first-line managers’ perspectives.

Methods

Individual interviews were conducted with 17 women and 16 first-line managers. Qualitative content analysis was performed based on the content areas “Women’s health (i.e. overall well-being, both physical and psychological) throughout the whole RTW process” and “Women’s psychological well-being (happiness, meaning and a sense of being significant) at work after work resumption” Themes and categories were created.

Results

Women and managers had similar descriptions, i.e. that women’s health and psychological well-being depend on the individual characteristics of women themselves, their private life, work and other stakeholders. However, women described relational work tasks (e.g. meeting patients) as beneficial for health, and highlighted small stressors in the work environment, which the managers did not. Having work that was compatible with private life, being in good health, having stimulating work tasks and strengthening relationships at work were important for the women’s psychological well-being.

Conclusions

Based on women’s and first-line managers experiences, promotion of women’s health and psychological well-being during the return-to-work process requires individually adapted assessments and actions involving women’s entire life situation. First-line managers should know that relational work tasks (e.g., meeting patients) can be beneficial for women’s health as well as that minor stressor in the work environment can put their health at risk.

För många migranter från utomeuropeiska länder tar det lång tid att etablera sig i Sverige. Det gäller i synnerhet personer med låg utbildning, och särskilt kvinnor som saknar erfarenhet av lönearbete i hemlandet. Denna rapport handlar om migranter i Gävleborgs län, som fått asyl i Sverige, avslutat etableringsperioden och stod utanför den reguljära arbetsmarknaden år 2020. Under 2020 genomfördes intervjuer med 23 personer i tre kommuner som gick på SFI. Knappt tre år senare (2023) kontaktade vi deltagarna igen för att ta reda på om de kommit närmare arbetsmarknadsetablering och hur de såg på sin livssituation och framtid. Vi fick kontakt med 13 personer varav 8 medverkade i en ny intervju. För att öka förståelsen för migranternas perspektiv har vi dessutom intervjuat 10 personer från andra kommuner med liknande bakgrund och livssituation som de ursprungliga deltagarna. Resultaten visar att nästan alla respondenter hade kommit närmare arbetsmarknaden och såg ljusare på tillvaron än under 2020. Samtliga hade kommit ut på arbetsplatser genom praktik och anställningar, och många hade gått eller gick på yrkesutbildningar. Att behärska svenska språket upplevdes centralt. Det betraktades som nyckeln till att kunna få ett arbete, samtidigt som arbetet sågs som det bästa sättet att utveckla språket. Det förefaller vara ganska stora skillnader mellan vilket stöd migranter i olika kommuner får. Migranterna uttryckte också stora variationer avseende behov av stöd, vilka hinder de mötte, och i vilken utsträckning de kunde styra sin tillvaro och bestämma en väg framåt. Alla var motiverade till att arbeta och skapa en bättre framtid för sig och sina barn, men det var tydligt att myndigheterna behöver anpassa sina insatser till varje persons individuella förutsättningar för att kunna realisera detta. 

This study explores the concept of transport justice through the lens of perceived accessibility, highlighting the importance of individual experiences in transport planning and evaluation. It reveals that both gender- and age-based disparities exist in perceived accessibility and travel satisfaction, with women and the young experiencing lower accessibility and satisfaction due to a greater reliance on public transport. The study suggests that improving public transport quality and reducing car use attractiveness could address these inequalities. It also notes that increasing local activity hubs could enhance transport justice by reducing the need for frequent travel. The findings underscore the potential of perceived accessibility as a tool to unveil transport injustices and guide future research and policy-making toward a more equitable transport system.

The purpose of the study was to examine mid level managers' experience of holding difficult conversations with employees within authority. The study included how managers practically plan and carry out difficult conversations, but also managers' experience of difficult conversations. A qualitative method was used where nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with mid level managers within authority. A thematic analysis was applied when processing the collected data. In the result, three main themes emerged; communication, creating an overview and follow-up. The managers' communicative ability and good preparing skills were success factors for the outcome of the difficult conversation. The results showed the importance of having a strategy, a clear message and goals with the conversation. In summary, all difficult conversations are unique and with experience the manager can meet the employee in the conversation, which promotes good cooperation between the manager and the employee. 

Aim

This study re-evaluated the classification accuracy of language screening. This is because the new Swedish child health programme moved this screening from 3 to 2.5 years of age. Another aim was to investigate the stability of diagnoses between these two time points.

Methods

Children were recruited consecutively during 2016–2017 from three Child Health Services in Gävle, Sweden. Forty-eight monolingual children (31 boys) and 93 bilingual children (38 boys) underwent language screening and a clinical examination by a speech and language pathologist at 2.5 years of age. They were re-examined after 6 months (at 36–38 months) for clinical diagnosis.

Results

Of the 48 monolingual children, 45 retained their status at both 2.5 and 3 years of age, while three no longer met the criteria for development language disorder. Among the 93 bilingual children, 87 retained their 2.5-year status at age 3, two no longer met the criteria, and four new cases were diagnosed. These differences were not statistically significant. All changes in screening parameters between 2.5 and 3 years were within the 95% Confidence Interval, indicating stable classification.

Conclusion

Screening accuracy and language status were robust between 2.5 and 3 years, providing no support for a wait-and-see approach.

The frequent use of telework during the COVID -19 pandemic has created a more challenging work situation for managers who need to lead effectively in the virtual space, this especially concerns female managers. Therefor it is of importance to investigate female managers’ experiences of job related demands, control and support within this work context. Accordingly, we investigated female managers’ experiences of demands, control and support in their organizational leadership during telework. The present study used a deductive, theory-driven, qualitative approach with predetermined themes defined within the demand-control-support model. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews. The female managers had at least 50% of their working hours as telework. The results showed that the female managers experienced demands in terms of hard, fast or even excessive work in order to be available and solve complex problems, and control as varied work content, new learning, planning and decision freedom. Support was experienced in terms of attentive superior manager, good cooperation and helpfulness among colleagues. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed in terms of telework situation for female managers.

This study examined whether artificial intelligence relates to stress and workload among office workers. Using data from a survey study with 91 participants, two regression analyses and a correlation analysis were conducted. The results showed that there was a statistically significant correlation between the use of artificial intelligence and both stress as well as workload. The survey was constructed by using two measurement tools: The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and The Quantitative Workload Inventory (QWI). The results indicate that AI usage is associated with increased workload, as well as decreased stress among office workers. This research highlights the need to carefully consider the psychosocial effects of AI implementation in the workplace, to take measures and manage any potential negative consequences for employee well-being and productivity, while also emphasizing the positive aspects that AI could contribute. Additionally, it would be interesting to conduct a qualitative study to investigate the background of the correlation and the results presented in the regression analysis.  

With generative AI based on large language models, personalized chatbots swept the globe in 2023. The new technology enables an interaction between users and AI, so suggestive that it can cognitively induce a hallucinatory experience of the machine as human. Thus, AI developers have rapidly brought the technology to market in various applications, including the creation of so-called sexting chatbots. Our initial investigation indicates that these chatbots both reproduce and reinforce core aspects of violence against women. It is not only about what is seen on the screen itself - where AI-girlfriends invite the user to control and victimize them - but also in the very communicative interaction where the sexting chatbot appears to reinforce patterns that draw on coercive control. In reality, domestic violence unfolds  as a pattern over time where the perpetrator gradually entraps the woman. In the interaction with a sexting chatbot, however, the user owns the 'AI-girlfriend' from the first moment. She is shaped entirely according to the man's preferences.

We intend to continue the examination of sexting chatbots and its link to gender-based violence. Our initial investigation raises questions beyond the sexting chatbot industry. What could be traced through this phenomenon is a more general business model for generative AI that appears to be based on the search for pre-existing cognitive patterns in users followed by reinforcement of these via fictitious mass-produced individual relationships. Such model could have a rapid and profound impact on the world, in more ways than we have examined so far.

Social relatedness and connectedness in time and space are essential for our fulfillment of basic needs and sense of self. Access to social resources and support is of particular importance for abilities to cope with hardships and recover from trauma. However, in the case of domestic violence and its aftermath, social isolation and disconnection appear to be central aspects. In this study we explored women’s lived experiences of social and existential loneliness related to domestic violence, from a response based approach. The purpose was two-fold: (1) to study mechanisms of loneliness in the context of domestic violence and its aftermath, and (2) to study the meaning that loneliness had in the women’s everyday lives. In-depth teller-focused interviews were conducted with 20 women who had been subjected to domestic violence by a previous partner. The interview data was analyzed through thematic analysis. We found that women experienced social and existential loneliness, not as a passive result of victimization, but through active isolating and ‘lonely-making’ tactics inflicted on them by the abusers, but also through the responses from authorities, pre- and post-separation. To describe these mechanisms, we present a model of the concept we call lonelification. The model illustrates how abusive tactics on a relational level, such as limitation of the woman's autonomy in time and space, and disruption of her sense of self and reality, are aimed at making women socially and existentially lonely. Furthermore, it describes how corresponding mechanisms on an institutional level reinforces abusers’ power and control. This study provides insights into the lived experiences of loneliness among women subjected to domestic violence and post-separation abuse. It also offers a framework for the understanding of loneliness as an integral aspect of domestic violence, illustrating how institutional responses may contribute to and prolong post-separation abuse. 

This study investigated experiences of psychological safety in a public workplace in the energy sector in Central Sweden, to identify and analyse both benefits and risks. By conducting semi-structured interviews with seven employees, data was collected which was analysed thematically through an inductive thematic analysis. The results indicate that psychological safety promotes open communication and collaboration, which leads to improved innovation and work performance. However, it's also been shown that it can result in excessive openness which can cause misunderstandings and conflicts and that is why it requires clear communication structures. The conclusion of the study is that well-balanced psychological safety is essential to optimize efficiency in workplaces while minimizing risks.

Covid-19 has affected children’s schooling across the world, from distance learning on zoom, to social distancing in the classroom. Many studies have been conducted to create a better understanding of how these changes affect children’s learning. The purpose of this experiment was to examine how English speaking three- to four-year-old’s ability to repeat new words has been affected by the speaker’s mask-use. An experimental method with a within-subject-design was used and the experiment took place at two daycare centers in Australia.  The participants were asked to repeat ten Swedish words, once when the speaker was wearing a mask, and once when they were not. This was done to see if there were any differences in the children’s ability to repeat the words in the two different conditions. The result showed that the children could repeat a signific amount more words correct when the mask was not used. The result is relevant both in discussions of contagion, but also cultural discussions about the use of burqa and niqab in language teaching.  

Authorities and civilians can make a report-of-concern to Social Services if they suspect a child is experiencing or witnessing violence. In 2021, Sweden implemented new legislation that considers children as victims of crime not only when abused but also when witnessing family violence, i.e., Barnfridsbrott. This study aimed to describe and analyze reports-of-concern regarding children witnessing family violence. Are there any changes in number of reports over the years? Who is reporting? And what interventions are most frequent? This is a register-based study of reports-of-concern in Gävle municipality in Sweden for the years 2018–2022. This unique register makes it possible to identify and follow up reported cases as long as they are active by Social Services. Results show there was already a major increase in the number of reports-of-concern in 2020. Most reports are made by Social Services and the police. Of all reports related to family violence, an increasing number lead to further investigations. In most of those cases, the children stay with their families, and Social Services offer counselling. Conclusion: there was a distinct increase in reports related to children witnessing family violence already starting in 2020 in the studied municipality, before the new legislation was implemented.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the Big Five personality traits could predict the intention to leave (ITL) when controlling for job satisfaction. The study also addressed which of the personality traits correlated most strongly with ITL. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a web survey, with a sample of 135 high school teachers in Sweden who had been employed at their current workplace for at least 12 months. The analysis was conducted using hierarchical regression analysis. Thestudy's results showed that none of the predictors' regression coefficients were below the designated significance level, and therefore, they could not predict the intention to leave. Agreeableness was the personality trait that correlated most strongly with ITL in the sample group.

Mental imagery is used by most people in their day-to-day cognition, for example, in planning, daydreaming, or remembering. Importantly, mental imagery has a powerful influence on emotion and is critically involved in many mental disorders. Thus, understanding the link between mental imagery and emotion is of clinical interest. For example, exposure therapy can be successfully conducted using mental imagery of fear-provoking stimuli, i.e., imaginal exposure. In this vein, accumulating evidence shows that mental imagery of a fearful stimulus produces a similar physiological and neural response as actual perception of the stimulus. Alas, knowledge of the neural processes underlying the link between mental imagery and emotion is limited. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data from a previous study on imaginal exposure (N = 30) was used to examine the functional connectivity during the production of phobic and neutral mental imagery. Regions of interest were selected from meta-analyses on brain regions consistently recruited during mental imagery production and phobic fear, respectively. Results showed that these regions were positively correlated during both phobic and neutral mental imagery production. Very few differences in functional connectivity between phobic and neutral imagery were found. Specifically, weaker functional connectivity between the supplemental motor area and a region including parts of the left insula and inferior frontal gyrus was observed during phobic (vs neutral) imagery. In conclusion, our findings suggest that brain regions previously implicated in mental imagery production and phobic fear are highly interconnected during the production of both phobic and neutral imagery.