Thormod Idsoe

Bullying and PTSD Symptoms

PTSD symptoms related to school bullying have rarely been investigated, and never in national samples. We used data from a national survey to investigate this among students from grades 8 and 9 (n = 963). The prevalence estimates of exposure to bullying were within the range of earlier research findings. Multinomial logistic regression showed that boys were 2.27 times more likely to be exposed to frequent bullying than girls. A latent variable second-order model demonstrated an association between frequency of bullying exposure and PTSD symptoms (beta = 0.49). This relationship was not moderated by gender. However, the average levels of PTSD symptoms as well as clinical range symptoms were higher for girls. For all bullied students, 27.6% of the boys and 40.5% of the girls had scores within the clinical range. A mimic model showed that youth who identify as being both a bully and a victim of bullying were more troubled than those who were victims only. Our findings support the idea that exposure to bullying is a potential risk factor for PTSD symptoms among students. Future research could investigate whether the same holds for PTSD through diagnostic procedures, but this will depend on whether or not bullying is decided to comply with the DSM-IV classification of trauma required for diagnosis. Results are discussed with regard to their implications for school interventions.

Perceptions of support, diabetes-related coping and psychological well-being in adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes

The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to examine the relationship between support from health care professionals and the family, diabetes-related coping, and psychological well-being by testing a model hypothesizing the structure of these relations in adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. A sample comprising 534 Norwegian adults with both types of diabetes aged 25 to 70 completed questionnaires assessing perceptions of support, diabetes-related coping styles and psychological well-being. Results indicate that perceptions of support from the family are more closely linked to diabetes-related coping than support from the health care professionals. Moreover, results suggest that association between perceptions of support and psychological well-being is mainly mediated by coping. Only associations of emotion-focused coping and self-blame with psychological well-being, however, were detected. Differences in patterns of associations among the sub samples of people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes were identified. The findings are discussed in the light of previous research and assumptions. Suggestions are given regarding implications for the health care of people with diabetes.

The role of social support in the acculturation and mental health of unaccompanied minor asylum seekers

There is a lack of knowledge about psychosocial resources that may sustain post-resettlement psychological adjustment among unaccompanied minor asylum-seekers. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of social support from family abroad and friends on acculturation, discrimination, and mental health among these vulnerable children and youth. Questionnaire data were collected from a population-based multi-ethnic sample involving 895 unaccompanied minors resettled in municipalities in all regions of the country. They met in groups in their local communities. The informants were on average 18.6 years, and had an average length of stay in Norway of 3.5 years. The findings showed that the participants suffered from high levels of ongoing war related intrusive symptoms and depression. Still, at the same time they engaged in adaptation processes that are normative to youth with immigrant backgrounds, in terms of constructing supportive networks and developing culture competence. In accordance with the main effect hypothesis, social support had direct effects on depression and indirect effects by increasing culture competence that may aid the young refugees in dealing with discrimination. However, there were no effects of social support on symptoms of PTSD. The findings give direction to areas of interventions, beyond dealing with the sequel of the traumas the unaccompanied minors have been exposed to, not only for clinicians, but also social workers and school personnel.

Teachers’ perceptions of their role facing children in grief

A questionnaire was sent to teachers in the western part of Norway to survey the attitudes and thoughts teachers have about grief in young people and how they look upon their supportive role. A total of 138 school personnel answered the questionnaire, a 44.5% response rate. In addition six focus group interviews were conducted to get in-depth knowledge from the same population of teachers and headmasters. Participants in both groups had extensive experience from working in schools (most > 10 years). Both the quantitative and qualitative results showed that Norwegian teachers were well aware of childrens needs and were understanding of their situation. They did not perceive grief to be something that children easily forget and they were aware of how important it is to show empathy for their grieving students. Most agreed that grieving students were overlooked in school. There were few differences between teachers with and without practical experience with grief among students.

Depression and School Engagement among Norwegian Upper Secondary Vocational School Students.

There seems to be limited work addressing how depression is linked to elements of student functioning in the school setting other than academic achievement. This study investigated possible correlates of depressive symptoms with school engagement and disengagement. We examined four specific school variables (school motivation, intentions to quit, absence, and truancy) in a sample of 791 adolescents between 15 and 18 years of age in a Norwegian upper secondary vocational school. The results indicated that symptoms of depression could be a risk factor for school disengagement, and particularly for intentions to quit school. However, as only moderate associations were found, it appears that many depressed students manage to keep up their school engagement. This applied to both genders. However, the findings underline the importance of developing effective methods to identify and help depressed students who do have difficulty keeping up school engagement. Implications for practice are suggested.

Perceived support from healthcare professionals, shock anxiety and post-traumatic stress in implantable cardioverter defibrillator recipients

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To investigate (1) the extent to which shock anxiety and perceived support from healthcare professionals are related to post-traumatic stress disease (PTSD) symptoms and (2) the extent to which perceived support from healthcare professionals moderates the relationship between shock anxiety and PTSD symptoms in implantable cardioverter defibrillator recipients. An additional aim was to describe the level of PTSD symptoms and perceptions of support from healthcare professionals. BACKGROUND Studies examining PTSD symptoms among implantable cardioverter defibrillator recipients are still sparse. In addition, little is known about how perceived support from healthcare professionals is related to PTSD symptoms. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey design. METHODS Recipients (n = 167) with implantable cardioverter defibrillator attending an outpatient device clinic completed questionnaires assessing shock anxiety, PTSD symptoms and perceived support from healthcare professionals. RESULTS The results indicated that between ten and 15% of the recipients experienced moderate to severe symptoms of PTSD. Although a majority perceived constructive support from healthcare professionals, 12% perceived nonconstructive support. Regression analysis demonstrated that shock anxiety and perceived nonconstructive support from healthcare professionals had a statistically significant (p < 0·01) association with PTSD symptoms. Moreover, the results suggest that associations between shock anxiety and PTSD symptoms were significantly (p < 0·01) moderated by perceived nonconstructive support from healthcare professionals. Young age, short time since implantation and secondary prevention indication were also significantly associated with PTSD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that nonconstructive support from healthcare professionals can increase the tendency to develop PTSD symptoms, particularly in those who experience shock anxiety. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Healthcare professionals should pay more attention to the way in which they communicate information to the recipients during follow-up visits. Clinically based strategies and interventions targeting shock anxiety and PTSD symptoms should be carried out.

Is the sustainability of reduction in bullying related to follow‐up procedures?

This paper investigates changes in bullying behaviour among pupils in 72 Norwegian compulsory schools two years after the schools completed an anti‐bullying program. A sample of 22 schools received eight lesson plans with material for staff to use to focus on the challenges of anti‐bullying during this period of two years. Another sample of 22 schools received the same lessons, and also received regular phone calls from a researcher between the lessons. A sample of 28 schools received no other attention than the surveys. We assumed that bullying would be lower in the schools which received follow‐up procedures than in the control schools. Results showed no overall change in mean victimisation scores (i.e., being the victim of bullying), although there was a slight but significant overall decrease in bullying scores (i.e., bullying others) (F = 12.58, p < .001). Our predictions of differences between the samples were not supported. One possible conclusion is that the follow‐up procedures offered were not sufficient to decrease bullying any further. Further research is needed to determine whether the lack of effect is due to the type of follow‐up measure or to implementation within schools.

Job aspects in the School Psychology Service: Empirically distinct associations with positive challenge at work, perceived control at work, and job attitudes

Activities within the Norwegian School Psychology Service traditionally concentrate on assessment of individuals in need and report writing (individual-level treatment). In recent years, a more “systemic” job aspect, providing preschool/school staff with tools to prevent the emergence of problems (systemic-level prevention) has been in demand. This study investigates the predictive value of these distinct aspects of work behaviour in the School Psychology Service using the outcome variables job satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational commitment among employees. It also looks at to what extent such associations may be mediated by positive challenge at work and perceived control at work. Self-reported data were collected from 470 School Psychology counsellors within 121 offices. Structural equation modelling suggested that the preventive aspect of the job was positively related to job attitudes, while the traditional job aspect was not. Furthermore, these associations were partially mediated by positive challenge at work and perceived control at work. Control for age did not alter the magnitude or pattern of regression coefficients in any substantive way. Occupational group did not moderate the associations. Alternative models were tested. Implications are discussed.

Resilience and acculturation among unaccompanied refugee minors

The present study was designed to understand differences between unaccompanied refugees who retained or achieved good mental health (healthy or resilient) and those who maintained or developed poor mental health (clinical and vulnerable). Using person-based analyses, the role of pre-migration traumatic exposure and acculturation-related factors in long-term trajectories of psychological adjustment among unaccompanied refugees was explored. This study included three waves of data collection in a population-based sample. The participants were 918 unaccompanied refugees who had received asylum and residence status in Norway. The pattern of change in depression symptoms over time was used to characterize subgroups displaying resilient, vulnerable, clinical or healthy trajectories. Results indicated that the extent of post-migration acculturation hassles and heritage culture competence, as well as pre-migration traumatic events and gender, distinguished the refugee groups in terms of mental health trajectories. The implications for clinical practice and immigration policy are discussed.

Aggressiveness and Disobedience

This study aims to conceptualize disobedient pupil behavior within the more general framework of antisocial behavior and to reveal how two forms of aggressiveness are related to disobedience. Disobedience, in the context of this article, covers disruptive pupil behavior or discipline problems when the pupil is aware of breaking a standard set by the teacher. Self‐reported data were collected from a representative sample of Norwegian eighth‐graders, 1,010 boys and 1,073 girls. Structural equation modeling, with latent variables, was used following LISREL 8.80. Analyses were conducted for boys and girls separately by multi‐group modeling. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the construct of disobedience as homogenous across genders. Structural models confirmed reactive aggressiveness, proactive power‐related, and proactive affiliation‐related aggressiveness as predictors of disobedience in both boys and girls.