Adult–Adolescent Interaction and Adolescents' Brain Development: Integrating Pragmatism/Interactionism and Neuroscience to Develop a Platform for Research on Adolescents' Life Regulation

The aim of this paper is to outline a platform for research on adolescents' life regulation. Adolescents' brain development is described with the help of neuroscience and integrated with pragmatist and symbolic interactionist insights about how adolescents can learn to control their impulses and act thoughtfully. The foundation for the analysis is found in American pragmatism, where a biopsychosocial perspective is built on the understanding that the developed human brain is the essential precondition of a complex and civilized society. Today's interactionists, and in general, the majority of sociologists, show little interest in brain development and function. However, there is an opportunity for sociologists and neuroscientists to collaborate in order to better understand how the brain develops in relation to biological development and social experience.     

Exploration of the life histories and future of war-wounded Salvadoran and Iranian Kurd quota refugees in Sweden: a qualitative approach

This study explores the life histories of ten Salvadoran and twelve Iranian Kurd refugees. Both groups came to Sweden as war-wounded quota refugees and their migration was forced. They had spent many years in guerilla movements and were experienced soldiers despite their youth. They were interviewed during hospitalisation shortly after arrival in Sweden, and followed-up after two years. The findings suggest that repatriation is a recurrent theme in the future plans of these refugees. The reconstruction of identity may take many forms due to a background as youth soldiers as well as their different experiences of the culture in the host country. Longitudinal studies of how refugees rebuild their lives are needed, and comprehensive analysis from different theoretical perspectives is a necessary complement to general adaptation models.     

Evaluation of an inter-organizational program for prevention of work-related injuries in a WHO Safe Community

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a community-based injury prevention program on work-related injuries. STUDY DESIGN: A population-based quasi-experimental design was used with pre- and post-implementation measurements in an intervention and a control area. The program was based on cross-sectoral participation in detecting and taking action against work-related injuries. Change in the relative risk of injury was estimated by the odds ratio. RESULTS: The relative risk of work-related injury decreased following program exposure, whereas a tendence toward increase was observed in the control area. Middle-aged men accounted for the largest decrease in injury risk. Among the women, a decrease was observed only in the upper middle-aged group. No female-dominated occupational area showed a decrease in injury risk following exposure to the program. CONCLUSION: The study showed that the community-based approach had a general effect on the incidence of work-related injuries.     

From Official Supervision to Self‐monitoring: Privatizing Supervision of Private Social Care Services in Finland

In October 2011, a new Act on Private Social Care Services came into force in Finland. The Act included a provision on a ‘self‐monitoring plan’. According to the provision, providers of private social care services are required to draw up a self‐monitoring plan and to follow its realization. The plan must be kept publicly on view so that clients and their relatives can also keep an eye on the realization of self‐monitoring. In this article, self‐monitoring is first explained and then briefly analyzed against the background of a wider theoretical discussion on accountability. It is argued that the introduction of client involvement in the supervision of private social care services represents a new mechanism of accountability that is typical of the Post‐Keynesian welfare state. Because public authorities are no longer able to supervise the growing number of private social care service providers, the responsibility has been partly shifted to service providers themselves as well as to clients. However, it is argued that the idea of self‐monitoring lends itself poorly to ‘delegated’ private social care services, i.e. to services that are outsourced to private service suppliers. Supervision of private social care service providers should not be too eagerly delegated to service providers themselves, or to clients, because we are here dealing with the constitutional right to adequate social care services. Client involvement also involves numerous practical problems, as shown at the end of the article.     

A female lay perspective on the establishment of long-term sickness absence

In Sweden women account for about 60% of the long-term cases of sickness absence. The aim of this study was to describe women's explanations as to how long-term sickness absence arises and becomes permanent, with reference to their personal experience. Semi-structured interviews were performed with 82 middle-aged women who have personal experience of long-term sickness absence. Long-term sickness absence can be said to arise in three distinguishable "spaces": the work space, the medico-legal space and the mental space. In the beginning, the women were positive about sick-leave as such, which they saw as an opportunity for physical rest. But as time went on, they came to regard sick-leave as creating a vicious circle of new problems related to inactivity and isolation. Apart from this vicious circle and chronic physical impairments, certain conditions at the workplace, at the hospital and the social insurance office transformed seemingly trivial sick-leaves into long-term and irreversible sickness absences