The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between mental illness and socioeconomic factors such as education, age and gender among drug users. Descriptive and ANOVA analysis were performed to 68 structured interviews (Addiction Severity Index basic). Analysis addressed associations between drug usage and level of education, age and gender. Results showed gender differences in self-rated mental health with women drug users rating their mental health lower than men. In addition, there was no association between age, educational level and self-rated mental health.

In the last decade the Italian authorities have tried to adapt themselves to a united European asylum system, in the European Union, through the adoption of legal reforms, intended to improve the conditions of asylum seekers in Italy. Despite these reforms, asylum seekers and refugee?s living conditions are far from covered. The aim of this study is to explore the different functions of social work in the Italian reception process regarding unaccompanied minors and their implications on the wellbeing of the unaccompanied minors. This study was conducted through several interviews with both social workers, which in some way worked with unaccompanied minors, and the unaccompanied minors themselves.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the concept of empowerment and its meaning in the political document "En Förnyad Folkhälsopolitik" from the present Swedish government, containing guidelines and politics in the area of public health. The underlying question was if it could be considered as representative for some kind of general "empowerment approach" since the concept is central to the very definition of social work by the International Federation of Social Workers IFSW and International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW).By comparing its definition and consequences in the document with a historical review of different contexts of empowerment the conclusion was made that such a common approach doesn´t exist at all. The meaning of empowerment in the central document showed some similarities with the "northamerican" version of the concept represented by the social scientist Charles Murray, which is just one of the political meanings of empowerment. Alternative ways of understanding the concept was also presented such as being a tool of a constant conflict between central political principles or as a fashionable but not important word. Another alternative was to consider it a means of power through witch different political discourses tries to dominate the world..

This study is qualitative and aims to describe and analyze how senior citizens with alcohol- related problems are recognized by social workers within local care for the elderly. The empirical material consists of eleven semi-structured interviews which was completed with the help of social workers within local elderly care. The findings of the study shows that the processing of the senior citizens alcohol related problem can be explained as an identified ?awareness process.? Further, the findings of the study shows that awareness is often made by others than the social workers themselves. The study has also showed that known versus unknown information about present alcohol-related problems, tends to be crucial for when and how awareness is made in the ?awareness process?. .

The aim with this study was to learn about the experiences of field workers and welfare officers in the field of possible self-harm behavior among young people.Our problem was: Do field workers and welfare officers treat young people with deliberate self-harm differently and - How do field workers and welfare officers describe deliberate self- harm?Our study was conducted through qualitative semistructured interviews with twelve interviewee?s.The result of this study shows that there is a difference in how young people with self-harm behavior are being treated - based on their gender.One possible cause for this result could be the old tradition mindset of viewing boys and girls differently ? and thus, treating them differently when they seek help.Our study shows there is a possibility of treating boys and girls differently ? which shows that we made a thought-provoking point.

The North-American sociologist Michael Lipsky has characterized social workers as street-level bureaucrats with a substantial discretion in the relationship between the welfare state and its citizens. Within Lipsky´s theoretical framework social workers appear as a powerful group that socializes the citizens to uphold certain expectations towards the welfare state and its (re)distributional programs. From this point of view, it is important to learn more about social workers and the attitudes they express towards the welfare state. The aim of this study is to analyze how the welfare-political attitudes of future social workers are affected by their social background (e.g. class background and ancestral homeland).

The aim of this study examines how two groups of social workers at two workplaces reflect to their own clothes in various work situations. We want to gain an understanding of the variables that affects social workers choice of clothes at work. In a qualitative approach the study is based on two focus group-interviews and four semi structured interviews. Empirically analyzes relate to Pierre Bourdieu?s "la distinction, Ervin Goffman?s "frontstage-backstage", and of Michele Foucault?s power concepts.

The law (1988:870) concerning care of substance abusers is constructed in a way that gives the social workers room to interpret and apply the law individually. This may contribute to differences in treatment between female and male substance abusers. The purpose of the essay was to investigate whether the client's gender had any significance to how the social worker interpret and apply the law (LVM).The specific questions we worked around were:- What significance does the client's gender have in the decision-making?- Does the social worker's opinion about the law have any significance?- What factors can effect the social worker's interpretation and application of the law?- What importance do the social workers attach to prevailing norms about men and women when they interpret and apply the law?We chose to use a qualitative method to answer the above questions. Six social workers were interviewed and 39 LVM sentences were analysed.

We chose to study the groups for divorced children in Vellinge municipal because there was no evaluation made of these kinds of groups with the involved methods.Vellinge municipal has had groups for children to divorced parents since 2000. During this period of time the total numbers of children in these groups have expanded. As of now, there are two groups.Our goal with this study was to see which way the CAP, Children Are People, manual has been implemented in the every-day work in the group. Several studies have been made about CAP but not in the context of groups for divorced children. We have also examined results in other municipals that have implemented groups for divorced children into their social services.We have interviewed ten children and four social workers.

BackgroundSexual health is affected by disease, dysfunction and disability but can also be experienced in spite of illness. To get a deeper knowledge of what the nurse does for the patients the background is written with the support of the holistic care and Katie Eriksson theoretical perspectives health and suffering.AimThe aim of this study is to describe the factors to why nurses do not prioritize patients' sexual health in the nursing care.MethodA literature review based on nine qualitative and quantitative studies focusing on the barriers perceived by the nurses to address sexual health.ResultThe result of this study showed that the barriers were many. Factors related to nurses unwillingness to talk to patients about sexuality and sexual health were difficulties in nurses' psychosocial work environment and lacking competence concerning sexual health. The fact that sexuality is a sensitive subject, factors related to the patient and that it was someone else's responsibility to raise the topic were other factors that made it difficult.ConclusionWe conclude that a stressed workplace where there is a lack of time and stress along with a poor education and uncertainty leads to no grasp of the subject and the problem slides between health professionals. Patients' sexual health remains untreated.

The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of threats and violence among four social workers at a social services' reception center for individual and family care. The study uses semistructured interviews and an abductive approach. The analysis is based on previous research, communication theory, coping and sense of coherence, SOC. The study shows that the studied workplace isn't considered to be particularly exposed to threats and violence, although all four respondents have experienced threats and/or violence. The respondents make a difference between threats and harsh words from clients because they consider their clients are entitled to be upset considering the nature of the work conducted at the workplace.

Abstract Background: The World Health Organization has expressed a great concern about the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity. Region Västra Götaland (VGR) has developed a web based program to support school nurses in their work to promote health among children with obesity. Previous research on childhood obesity emphasizes the importance of support from nurses and how their work is organized. Aim: The aim of the study is, firstly, to explore school nurses experiences with health promotion work among obese children. Secondly, to investigate whether school nurses use the salutogenic theory of health.

The aim of our study is to deepen our understanding of how both social workers and clients describe how user influence within substance abuse care for adults can work. What difficul-ties do they describe meeting, with regards to possibilities to influence the care? To achieve our purpose we had a qualitative approach for this study. It?s based on open thematic inter-views with 3 clients who have substance abuse problems, and with 3 social workers, working at Social Services in Stockholm.

Abstract Background: The World Health Organization has expressed a great concern about the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity. Region Västra Götaland (VGR) has developed a web based program to support school nurses in their work to promote health among children with obesity. Previous research on childhood obesity emphasizes the importance of support from nurses and how their work is organized. Aim: The aim of the study is, firstly, to explore school nurses experiences with health promotion work among obese children. Secondly, to investigate whether school nurses use the salutogenic theory of health.

The aim of this study was to increase our knowledge about how the ?Conversational-contact with the social services? is experienced by the parents who attend it. The research was based on a qualitative method consisting of four individual interviews.Main issues of the study:? The parents experience of the content of the meetings with the social workers? Do the parents experience that the conversational-contact has contributed to some changes in their lives?Results indicated that all parents were positiv to the conversational-contact. Afterwards they felt more secure and stable both as persons and in their role as parents.