Masteruppsatser / Institutionen för socialt arbete

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://gupea-staging.ub.gu.se/handle/2077/36654

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 134

Barriers to Mental Health Support Among Syrian Men in Sweden An Exploratory Study of Challenges Faced by Syrian Refugees (2014–2018) in Accessing Mental Health Support and Suicide Prevention
(2025-07-03) Khatab, Taha; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
This study explores the barriers that Syrian refugee men in Sweden face when seeking psychological support. Using qualitative, semi-structured interviews with eight participants and thematic analysis, five key themes were identified: a sense of not belonging, lack of continuity in care, emotional silence shaped by masculinity norms, linguistic and institutional obstacles, and the role of religion as a coping mechanism. The findings reveal that these barriers are not isolated but deeply interconnected within a system of emotional, cultural, and structural exclusion. The study draws on the Health Belief Model, Acculturation Theory, and sociological perspectives on masculinity and emotion to show how stigma, power, and affective marginalization shape how and whether support is sought. It highlights the urgent need for mental health systems that are not only culturally competent but emotionally attuned. Ultimately, the study emphasizes that access to care is not only about resources, but about recognition, trust, and the right to vulnerability.
Hälsolitteracitet och cystisk fibros – en enkätstudie. En kvantitativ studie om sambandet mellan hälsolitteracitet, självförmåga och livstillfredsställelse vid kronisk sjukdom.
(2025-01-15) Åberg, Johan; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
Att leva med cystisk fibros innebär ofta krävande behandlings- och egenvårdsrutiner för att minska risken för försämring och för att förbättra sin livskvalitet. Hälsolitteracitet antas vara en viktig förutsättning för att hantera en livssituation präglad av kronisk sjukdom. Sociala bestämningsfaktorer för hälsa används som teoretiskt ramverk för den här studien, tillsammans med Banduras (1986) Social kognitiv teori. Syfte: Att undersöka förekomsten av hälsolitteracitet hos personer med den medfödda kroniska sjukdomen Cystisk fibros. Vidare syftar studien till att undersöka om sociodemografiska faktorer, psykosociala faktorer och självskattad hälsa är associerade med dessa personers hälsolitteracitet, samt om det råder någon skillnad i självförmåga och livstillfredsställelse beroende på personernas hälsolitterära nivå. Metod: En tvärsnittsstudie genomfördes som undersökte hälsolitteracitet, självförmåga och livstillfredsställelse med hjälp av validerade mätinstrument. Vuxna patienter med cystisk fibros från två olika CF-centra i Sverige deltog i studien. Data analyserades med deskriptiv statistik, Chi2-tester, och Mann-Whitney U-test. Resultat: Totalt deltog 152 patienter. 66,4% av respondenterna uppvisade tillräcklig hälsolitteracitet, och 33,6% uppvisade antingen otillräcklig eller problematisk hälsolitteracitet. Hälsolitteracitet var associerat med ålder (p =0,014), utbildningsnivå (p = 0,003), självförmåga (p = <0,001), livstillfredsställelse (p =<0,001) och självskattad somatisk (p = <0,001) respektive psykisk (p = 0,004) hälsa. Patienter med tillräcklig hälsolitteracitet uppvisade signifikant högre medianresultat för både självförmåga och livstillfredsställelse än patienter med begränsad hälsolitteracitet. Slutsatser: Majoriteten av respondenterna uppvisade tillräcklig hälsolitteracitet, och signifikanta samband mellan hälsolitteracitet, sociodemografiska faktorer, självförmåga, livstillfredsställelse och hälsostatus kunde observeras. Patienter med tillräcklig hälsolitteracitet uppvisade högre resultat både avseende självförmåga och livstillfredsställelse jämfört med patienter med begränsad hälsolitteracitet. Vidare var tillräcklig hälsolitteracitet mer vanligt bland patienter med eftergymnasial utbildning, medan begränsad hälsolitteracitet mer vanligt förekommande bland patienter som nyligen överförts från barn- till vuxensjukvård. Ytterligare studier rekommenderas för att vidare utvärdera resultaten från den här studien.
From the Playground to the Streets - Children and Youths’ Recruitment into Criminal Gangs in Sweden. A scoping review
(2024-11-29) Gerdellaj, Adriana; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
The thesis is a qualitative scoping review study aimed to explore the recruitment of children and youth into criminal gangs in Sweden, focusing on understanding reasons for why children and youth become involved in criminal gangs, risk factors and effects from gang involvement, the role of social work in preventing such recruitment and lessons learned from other European countries. The study employed a scoping review for mapping of existing literature and conducted a thematic reflexive analysis to identify patterns and themes in the data to eleven selected studies. Key findings are that gangs are very accessible to children as they often are located in disadvantaged neighborhoods, parents’ lack of support, school systems lack of resources to children who need extra help and friends creating peer pressure for children to join gangs. The effects of children in gangs are both psychological and physical, social workers are involved by trying to steer away children and youth from getting associated with gangs and from international insights it is known that children should be offered school and recreational activities. Conclusions drawn are that the issue of criminal gangs could have its roots from the segregations created by the Million project, where thousands of apartments were built during a short timespan, and that these disadvantaged neighborhoods have with time gotten heightened crime rates, as gangs expand and start to include children. The children are severely affected socially, psychologically and physically due to the gang presence, something social workers together with other actors such as the police and school can take collaborative measures to prevent by offering children a positive alternative.
Between Compliance and Resistance? Social Work in NGOs with undocumented and marginalized migrants in a right-wing climate in Sweden
(2024-10-04) Schremmer, Luisa; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
Since the last elections, in 2022, Sweden's political landscape has undergone significant transformation, marked by the new government's collaboration with the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats. Together, they introduced the "Tidö Agreement" (swed. Tidöavtalet), a policy document which underscores restrictive and rigorous migration policies that have been on the way for the last two decades and would affect undocumented migrants in particular. Globally, right-wing populist forces intend to reinforce power imbalances, inequalities, and intersectional oppression along lines of origin, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, and ability. In Sweden, undocumented migrnts face significant societal discrimination, marginalization, and exclusion, exacerbated by a welfare system that ties benefits to residence status and citizenship. This thesis aims to analyze how social worker in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working with undocumented and other marginalized migrants, experience the political climate and how they respond to the rise of right-wing populism in Sweden. Given social worker's involvement with oppressed and marginalized groups and its ethical core commitment to human rights and social justice, this issue is of particular significance. The study positions these dynamics within the theoretical framework of global power imbalances in a capitalist system that perpetuate intersecting forms of individual oppression, highlighting the theoretical concepts of citizenship and social exclusion, and outlining critical and anti-opressive practices in social work and resistance theory to shed light on resistance movements and political activism against right-wing policies. As part of a qualitative study, interviews were conducted with social workers from different NGOs in Sweden who are concerned with marginalized and undocumented migrants. The study's findings reveal that the right-wing policy instills fear both among social work professionals and, more critically, to deter migrants. In this challenging environment, the social work profession provides a safety net for undocumented and marginalized migrants even though the operational space of professionals' in NGOs is defined by policies, institutional regulations and financial resources. Moreover, social work seems to play a crucial role in practicing resistance to right-wing forces and advocating for human rights and social justice on behalf of the people affected.
“Examining the Relationship between Migration Policy Changes and Labor Migration Trends in Sweden (1947-2023)”
(2024-07-01) Oduro-Appiah, Emmanuella; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
Sweden is known for its openness to labor migration among the OECD countries and has undertaken several of policy measures in recent years to regulate and manage labor migration. This study aims to thoroughly understand the demographic distribution and the effects of migration policy changes on the labor market. It blends historical narrative and policy analysis to reach relevant findings regarding the relationship between migration policies changes and migration trends. The study utilizes the mixed method research design by analyzing statistical data from Eurostat and Statistics Sweden, backed by policy document analysis. The historical institutionalism and labor market dualization theory is the theoretical framework for this study. These theories are used throughout the analysis to understand how policies define the demographic distribution of migrants, the outcome of labor migration policy changes on migrants, and how labor migration policies changes influence migration flow in Sweden. The study results shows the complex nature of labor migration policies whereby the country focuses on attracting labor migrants but they form a smaller section of the entire migrant community.
Practitioners Challenges in Child Participation in Out-of-Home Care in Sweden: A Systematic Literature Review
(2024-06-24) Bosunia, Md. Shahriar Kalam; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
This study aims to investigate the understandings by child protection practitioners regarding participation rights of the children and the challenges they encounter when promoting child participation for children in out-of-home placement. Child participation holds increasing significance within the field of child protection services in Sweden. In accordance with Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is enshrined in Swedish law, children have the right to express their opinions on matters directly affecting them. However, child protection practitioners in Sweden have not consistently prioritized listening to children in such cases. There is limited knowledge regarding the challenges faced by child protection practitioners in promoting child participation, particularly in the context of out-of-home care. To address this research area, a qualitative systematic review was conducted, involving PRISMA statement and literature published between 1989 and 2023. Sources of documents were Scopus database, Gothenburg university catalogue and google scholar. Thematic analysis was used to showcase the results from the existing literature. Total 10 documents were included for systematic review. The results revealed that child protection practitioners hold satisfactory knowledge about child participation though still gaps of knowledge exists among them regarding UNCRC which is now law in Sweden. The study also explores the dynamics of communication between children and practitioners. Existing laws and practices as well as organizational policies define the challenges of practitioners in promoting child participation. However, other challenges e.g., perspectives and organizational challenges arose because of unsatisfactory knowledge of child participation within child participation models aligned with UNCRC but child as agent versus subject to protection also build the present perspectives towards child participation in out-of-home care. Recommendations for further research are also made based on the results and discussion of the research.
Erfarenheter från olika nivåer inom ätstörningsvården. En kvalitativ studie om hur professionella upplever ätstörningsvården
(2024-06-20) Widqvist, Ellen; Göteborg University/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka hur professionella på olika nivåer upplever att ätstörningsvården fungerar. Uppsatsen har genomförts med en kvalitativ forskningsmetod i form av fem intervjuer med professionella från skola, primärvård och specialiserad ätstörningsvård. Studiens frågeställningar utgår från tre utvecklingsområden som identifierats i tidigare forskning, bemötande och behandling, förutsättningar och samverkan. Det empiriska materialet analyserades utifrån teorin om människobehandlande organisationer och begreppen terapeutisk allians, gräsrotsbyråkrater och behovsprincipen. Studiens resultat visar att professionella upplever att patienterna har låg sjukdomsinsikt vilket tycks påverka bemötande och behandling. Studien visar att de professionella på olika vårdnivåer anser att alliansen är viktig för att bemötande och behandling ska fungera. När det gäller de professionellas upplevelser av förutsättningar tycks den medicinska dominansen påverka hanteringen och prioriteringen inom ätstörningsvården. Tvärprofessionella team och egen kompetens och kunskap verkar vara förutsättningar för att kunna bedriva en fungerande ätstörningsvård. Studien visar att samverkan mellan olika insatser kan förbättras och att gränsdragning och ansvarsfördelning kan förtydligas. Samverkan på högre vårdnivåer är mestadels enkelriktad via remisser, på lägre vårdnivåer tycks samverkan fungera något bättre. Sammantaget kan man konstatera att upplevelsen av bemötande och behandling skiljer sig stort mellan patienter och professionella, vilket utifrån de professionellas perspektiv kan förklaras med patientens låga sjukdomsinsikt. Den medicinska dominansen utgör ett hinder för hur patienter hanteras och prioriteras. Samverkan sker mestadels via remisser och utan dialog och återkoppling. Resultaten visar att ytterligare forskning om ätstörningsvården är av stor nödvändighet för framtiden.
Alternativ till voldforståelse. En diskursanalyse av forståelse och håndtering av vold i Norge
(2024-06-14) Rustad Nymoen, Andrea Tangrild; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
Studien undersøker hvordan en aktør som driver voldsforebyggende tiltak i Norge representerer problemområdet vold og hvilke effekter disse representasjonene kan ha. Spesifikt analyseres tre veiledere som retter seg til voldsutøvere, voldsutsatte og såkalte potensielle voldsutøvere, utviklet av stiftelsen Alternativ til Vold. Studien er gjort med en diskursanalyse, inspirert av Bacchis WPR-metode (2009), med et poststrukturelt utgangspunkt. Studien viser at vold fremst representeres som et psykologisk problem, som beskrives som skadelig for individet og idealet om familieharmoni. Vold representeres også som et kulturelt problem, som knyttes til «Andre kulturer». Med denne representasjonen forstås vold som en trussel mot det som beskrives som norske verdier om likestilling og individets frihet. Effekter av disse problemrepresentasjonene knyttes til et syn på voldsutøveres behov av behandling og avstigmatisering, samt et syn på voldsutsatte som utilstrekkelige foreldre. Videre representeres migranter som aksepterende av voldsutsatthet, som maktutøvere og kriminelle. Studien viser en motsetning mellom beskrivelsen av slike tiltak som sentrale av regjeringen, og tiltakenes målgruppe som utelukker alvorlig vold og dermed voldens kjønnede mønstre. Studien viser en grense mot et kombinert syn på vold, da vold forstås som enten strukturelt (kulturelt) eller individuelt (psykologisk).
Med beaktande av vad som framkommit om hennes destruktiva leverne. En kritisk diskursanalys av hur kvinnor framställs i LVM-domar
(2024-06-13) Gustafsson, Astrid; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
Den här uppsatsen fokuserar på de sociala praktiker och processer som gör kvinnor som pekas ut som "missbrukare" till de andra och har som övergripande syfte att bidra med kunskap om andrefiering. Mer specifikt undersöks framställningar av kvinnor som pekas ut som "missbrukare" i LVM-domar och hur domarna bidrar till andrefiering av "missbrukare". Genom att undersöka hur kvinnor som anses vara i behov av tvångsvård enligt LVM beskrivs och hur deras situationer representeras diskursivt blir det möjligt att kritiskt undersöka vilka sociala konsekvenser andrefieringen kan få. Uppsatsens frågeställningar är: 1. Vilka diskurser om alkohol- och droganvändning går att urskilja i domarna? Hur relaterar de till varandra, och vilka aktörer kan de kopplas till? 2. Hur positioneras kvinnorna i domarna? Vilka föreställningar om kvinnorna produceras och hur kan dessa förstås i relation till andrefiering? 3. Vilken giltighet tillskrivs kvinnornas egen röst i talet om sig själva? Studien utgår från en förståelse av stigma som en biopolitisk teknik och använder begreppet subalternitet. I uppsatsen analyseras på vilka sätt kvinnor i LVM-domar är fångade i samhälleliga och kulturella föreställningar om “missbrukaren”, och vilket inflytande de har i talet om sig själva. Det empiriska materialet består av 42 domar, som har analyserats genom kritisk diskursanalys. Enligt studiens resultat upprätthåller de föreställningar LVM-domarna producerar om kvinnorna och deras situationer att de är de andra, och skuldbelägger dem för problem som kan förstås som strukturella problem. Kvinnorna konstrueras som objekt i domarna och deras egna förståelser av sina intressen och behov marginaliseras genom att deras röster inte tillskrivs någon giltighet. Detta återspeglar en social verklighet där “missbrukaren” inte ses som en jämlike.
Provisions of social workers to victims of internal child trafficking in Uganda: A case study of children living on the streets of Kampala City
(2024-02-26) Nkurunungi, Martin; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
Human trafficking has become a serious global challenge in the recent past. Regarded as a global epidemic, it has triggered an increase in numbers of children living on the streets especially in countries where internal trafficking in children is a common social vice. This has resulted into a syndemic as a social evil in human trafficking has triggered another social evil in resident children on the streets of urban centres. The conditions of street life have made the resident children vulnerable to abuse and exploitation hence providing a task to social workers to work out mechanisms of ensuring that the welfare and living conditions of street children are improved. Basing on this proposition, the purpose of the study was to establish provisions of social workers to trafficked children living on the streets of Kampala city in Uganda. The study was guided by three specific objectives, one to establish the service needs of the children living on the streets, two, to examine the perceptions and opinions of the children living on the streets about the approaches used by social workers in meeting their needs and the challenges facing social workers in providing for the service needs of children living on the streets. The study was guided by the Needs-Hierarchy Theory of Abraham Maslow and Ecological Systems Theory by Bronfenbrenner. The study adopted a qualitative approach mainly involving 12 children aged 15-17 years who were living on the streets and supported by social workers. Their responses were substantiated by 5 social workers, 3 elected political leaders and 1 NGO leader. Data were collected using interviews and analyzed using narrative text and verbatim quotations. Results of the study revealed that children living on the streets are vulnerable to economic and sexual exploitation while also, they are prone to physical injuries and emotional abuse. These conditions have therefore brought about an increase in the service needs of children living on the streets such as counseling, life-skills training, emotional protection, physical protection, healthcare needs and vocational skills. These needs are cited as critical for the holistic development of children by Abraham Maslow. The study also established that, social workers in Kampala city faced by the above service gaps, have adopted preventive remedial and follow-up approaches to ensure that the needs are met and these were perceived to be vital in the lives of children living on the streets. The study further established that, social workers faced social and structural challenges that hampered the effectiveness of the approaches used including mistrust from the children and threats from traffickers, among others. The study concluded that human trafficking has brought about a proportionate increase in the numbers of children living on the streets and consequent human rights abuses. The study recommended need for a policy to abate human trafficking and need for improved working conditions for social workers dealing with children living on the streets.
Experiences and challenges of Collaboration between Civil Society Organizations and the United Nations
(2023-11-17) Mirzakhani-Moghaddam, Mina; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
Interorganizational collaboration is defined by Phillips, Lawrence and Hardy (2000) as “a co-operative relationship among organizations that relies on neither market nor hierarchical mechanisms of control” (pp. 24). They state that collaboration helps organizations get skills as well as resources that are impossible to acquire from within the organization. Their definition adds that collaboration enhances combining resources by transferring assets and sharing key tools such as knowledge or personnel and coming up with solutions to social problems and also build capacities in order to enhance organization’s ability to express social problems better. Moreover, collaboration can help organizations creating new knowledge through ongoing social interactions in the collaborations and additionally influence the structure of interorganizational relationships and at the same time influence other organizations (Hardy, Phillips and Lawrence 2003). There was an increasing development in collaboration between intergovernmental organizations, such as the United Nations, and CSOs during the twentieth century (Alger 2002), and according to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (2017), CSOs are now considered to be significant and important at the national and international levels by taking part in the political, economic and cultural domain. The focus of this research is on the experience of collaboration between the United Nations and Civil Society Organizations and its challenges, and the research is carried out by using mixed methods. The research was carried out by distributing a survey to CSOs and UN organizations and collecting experiences of collaboration between both entities. The survey was sent out to 1035 potential respondents, out of which 43 participated. The theoretical framework consists of theories such as Civil Society Participation, Framework of Successful Interorganizational Collaboration and Power. The research questions answered were; What is the experience of the collaboration between CSOs and the UN? How has the inclusion of CSOs in the UN decision-making process been carried out in practice? Are there challenges in the collaboration? Through this research it has been demonstrated that collaboration between CSOs and the UN is of highly importance in order to meet the needs of human rights and social justice, but it has its challenges and needs to work on strengthening the dynamics between the two entities as well as balancing the power dynamics and create more inclusion, which is a responsibility of the UN.
Moralist eller konsument? En netnografisk narrativ studie kring hur personer med erfarenhet av att köpa sex problematiserar och rättfärdigar handlingarna på ett svenskt diskussionsforum
(2023-11-03) Artfors, Nina; Andersson, Agnetha; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
Sverige var det första landet som fattade beslut om att det skulle vara olagligt att köpa sex men lagligt att sälja sex. Syftet var att minimera sårbarheten för de sårbara prostituerade, samt förebygga de negativa konsekvenserna som sexhandeln bidrar till genom att kunna ge köpare straffrättsliga påföljder. Personer som har erfarenhet av att köpa sex ingår i en stigmatiserande diskurs vilket bidrar till att sexköp ofta göms undan from omgivningen (Olsson, 2021a; de Cabo & Hall, 2021). Med en ökad digitalisering genom tillgång till mobiltelefoner och laptops och ökad anonymitet genom internet, finns flera sätt att köpa sexuella tjänster på ett diskret sätt. Det finns idag en polariserad syn på sexhandeln där dominerande straffrättsliga och socialpolitiska diskurser om sexköp konstrueras av en könsförklaring. Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur personer som köper sex problematiserar och rättfärdigar köp i relation till dominerande diskurser om sex mot ersättning. Frågeställningarna rör vilka funktioner som sexköpet fyller, vad delandet av erfarenheter kan fylla för funktioner, hur forumanvändarna resonerar utifrån sina sexköp och vilka dominerande samhällsdiskurser som kan urskiljas i deras narrativ.Den metodologiska utgångspunkten är ett abduktivt och konstruktionistiskt synsätt med en netnografisk metod där empirin hämtats från ett av Sveriges största internetforum. Studien baseras på 297 inlägg från 33 olika diskussionstrådar, med cirka 90 personer som har erfarenhet av sexköp. De teoretiska referensramar som använts för att förstå empirin är narrativ empiri, ontologiska narrativ, och narrativ identitet, Goffmans dramaturgiska teori, begreppen normalisering och stigmatisering samt relevanta maktbegrepp myntade av Foucault. Resultatet visar att det påfallande finns en skepsis mot samhällets normsystem, där den dominerande retoriken går ut på att vända sig mot de radikalfeministiska strömningar som lett fram till dagens sexuallagstiftningar. Forumanvändarna framhöll ofta människors fria val som grund för att sexhandel bör legaliseras och att det kan motiveras även ur feministiskt perspektiv då kvinnor som säljare bör ha rätten att välja sin försörjning och hur de vill använda sina kroppar. Resultatet innebär belägg för att det finns en stark motsättning mellan uppfattningen hos de undersökta personerna och företrädare för de dominerande samhällsdiskurserna. Vidare påvisar resultatet att det är sällan som forumanvändare efterfrågar stöd från samhället för att bryta sina sexköpsvanor då de inte betraktar dessa som problematiska. Avslutningsvis följer forskningsförslag för vidare kunskap om hur de negativa konsekvenser som sex mot ersättning medför för såväl köpande som säljande part kan hanteras. Sist kommer förslag på vidare forskning rörande hur samhället skulle kunna skapa kontakt och nå fram till personer som köper sex som inte själva verkar hjälpsökande.
Towards Another Closet?! The Social Integration-related Experiences of Georgian LGBTQ+ Asylum Seekers in Berlin, Germany.
(2023-11-03) Sozashvili, Tamazi; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
Georgia is among the top 10 nationalities who seek asylum in the EU. Despite not existing the official statistics, LGBTQ+ individuals, too, flee from Georgia due to persecution and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Despite expectations of liberation in European countries, they face intersecting discrimination and maltreatment both as LGBTQ+ individuals and as refugees, which impede their integration. This qualitative research aims to investigate the social integration-related challenges LGBTQ+ asylum seekers face in the European Union and explore their strategies for dealing with them. To reach this goal, I chose a case of the Georgian LGBTQ+ asylum seekers in Berlin, Germany, and conducted eight semi-structured interviews to understand their interaction experiences with local society, state institutions, and fellow Georgians in Berlin. Then I performed a thematic analysis and applied intersectional lenses and an integration framework’s social connections domain to explore the phenomena deeply. This study shows that the social integration experiences of Georgian queer asylum seekers go beyond simplistic binary categorization and are instead characterized by complexity and diversity contingent upon their multifaceted intersecting identities. They face discrimination and maltreatment based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, and refugeeness while interacting with state institutions, local society, and ethnic Georgians. Furthermore, the results also show examples of positive experiences of support and solidarity across these domains. However, trans* asylum seekers appear to face the most challenging circumstances. Overall, the study concludes that the social integration experiences of Georgian LGBTQ+ asylum seekers are ambivalent and ambiguous, contingent upon their sexual orientation, gender identity, and refugeeness. Additionally, religion, class, and other variables seem to play a crucial role too. Furthermore, the study illustrated strong interconnection between different domains of the integration framework.
Food Banks: An eco-social solution? Critical perspectives on food charity in Europe
(2023-11-03) Rittel, Pauline; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
This aim of this thesis was to investigate food banking organisations as part of food charity on different governance levels within the EU in relation to aspects of sustainability. The Doughnut model after Raworth (2017) as an element of eco-social research is employed as theoretical underpinning to explore the organisational positioning regarding the societal problems of food waste and food insecurity, as well as the solutions that the organisations envision in relation to sustainability. The Doughnut model is understood as a human rights-based model to investigate the problem context. Published documents from two organisations, each one on the supranational level of the EU and the German national level, that were published over a period of 5 years between 2018 and 2022 were examined through thematic content analysis. The analysis showed that the approach of the studied food banking organisations regarding food waste and food insecurity does not correspond with an eco-social understanding of sustainability as included in the Doughnut model. Moreover, it has been identified that the solution that both organisations suggest to approach the problem areas are marked by a high degree of systemic immanence and have little transformative potential.
Menstrual rights are human rights - a qualitative study about period poverty among homeless Roma in Stockholm
(2023-11-03) Dohmen, Britta; Dohmen, Britta; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
In the past decade, period poverty has gained more attention in international research. However, in Sweden the issue is still neglected which results in a complete absence of scientific research. Period poverty is not exclusively a phenomenon in low-income countries but is present around the globe. In Sweden, a high-income country, marginalized groups, such as Babadag Roma are affected the most. The aim of this study is to generate scientific knowledge about period poverty among a marginalized group residing in Stockholm, as well as the work carried out by NGOs from a human rights perspective. Data was gathered through nine individual, semi-structured interviews with people who work with Babadag Roma in various social centers in Stockholm. The workers’ experiences and knowledge are the base of the data. The data is analysed with three theoretical frameworks: the concept of stigma, feminist perspectives and social support theory. The workers identify period poverty among Babadag Roma by menstrual illiteracy and the need for menstrual hygiene products. The social centers provide such products, bathrooms, shower and laundry facilities and menstrual education. By this, the social centers promote the human rights of dignity, health, water and sanitation, gender equality, education, an adequate standard of living and participation in society and cultural life. Furthermore, menstrual taboo and stigma are prevalent and prevent Babadag Roma from talking about menstrual health, especially when men are present. This research can be seen as the starting point for hopefully more studies about period poverty in Sweden in the future.
The Support Process Directed to Palestinian Refugee Women Who Are Victims of Gender-based Violence in the Palestinian Refugee Camps in Beirut
(2023-09-22) Makkieh, Manal; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
In 1948, Palestinians were expelled from their homeland Palestine then were forced to seek refuge in multiple countries including Lebanon. During their temporary stay, Palestinian refugee women began to experience serious problems like gender-based violence. Accordingly, a support process was established by distinct organizations and stakeholders in cooperation with the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs. Therefore, this explorative research study aims to explore and understand how and to what extent the available support services are serving refugee women victims of GBV while dwelling in one of the refugee camps (Mar Elias, Burj Al Barajneh, & Shatila camps) in Beirut. Three theories and one perspective related to the social work field helped in shaping this paper: the theory of feminist solidarity & the perspective of intersectionality (as a way of analyzing the intersectional power structures), street-level bureaucracy theory, and the human service organization’s theory. Face-to-face and online qualitative interviews were conducted with 9 stakeholders through strategic targeting meetings conducted beforehand. Two vignettes were utilized as a point of departure; they are a method that shapes the discussions “with pragmatic manipulation” related to examples with similar “characteristics/variables” aiming to navigate the interviewees' perspectives, ideologies, inputs, and views (McDonald, 2019; Converse, Barrett, Rich, and Reschovsky, 2015; Veloski, Tai, Evans, and Nash, 2005). The utilized vignettes in this study helped in answering the following esearch questions: (1) What are the organizations and the available services inside and outside the Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut offered to the Palestinian refugee women victims of GBV? (2) What legal protection laws are available for Palestinian refugee women victims of GBV in Lebanon? (3) What does the support process look like and how does it interact with intersections of power structures such as class, legal status, and patriarchy? And (4) What can be done to enhance the support process to make it better for the Palestinian refugee women victims of GBV? During the analysis, four themes were constructed: Stakeholders’ Perspective on the support process, Legal Rights & Current Situation, Support Process & Levels of Trust in Different Actors, and Enhancing the Situation. Results showed that the overall support process is hindered by intersectional elements of patriarchy, bureaucracy, class distinction & financial independence, and religious affiliation, which allows only a few privileged women to attain legal support.
BBIC i ljuset av tre styrlogiker – En kvalitativ studie om hur socialsekreterare upplever BBIC som styrning
(2023-09-13) Thuresson, Caroline; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka hur socialsekreterare upplever det standardiserade arbetsverktyget BBIC som styrning. Närmare bestämt undersöker studien hur socialsek-reterare upplever och förhåller sig till BBIC som styrningsinstrument. Uppsatsen har ge-nomförts på ett kvalitativt forskningsmetodiskt sätt i form av tre fokusgruppsintervjuer med socialsekreterare som arbetar med BBIC. Studiens empiriska material analyseras ut-ifrån marknaden, byråkratin och professionalismen som styrlogik. Studiens resultat ny-anserar bilden av BBIC och visar att användandet av BBIC är mer komplext än vad tidi-gare studier har visat. Studien visar att BBIC har ett starkare kontra svagare fäste i olika delar av socialsekreterarnas yrkesvardag. Grad av synlighet och användande av BBIC tycks påverkas utifrån om socialsekreteraren är nyanställd, har yrkeserfarenhet eller beroende på vilken svårighetsgrad ett ärende har. I detalj visar studiens resultat att nyanställda arbetar mer strikt utifrån BBIC:s angivelser till skillnad från socialsekreterare med erfarenhet. Studien visar dock att även socialsekreterare med erfarenhet ställer sig bakom arbete utifrån BBIC i komplexa ärenden. Ett annat övergripande resultat handlar om att socialsekreterarna uttrycker tankemässigt motstånd mot den kvantitativa styrkultur som BBIC är en del av men att detta motstånd enbart görs retoriskt och inte ageras ut i praktiken. Istället visar studiens resultat på att socialsekreterarna i praktiken internaliserar ledningens styrlogik.
Are you one of those who take children?” Child protection professionals views on the disinformation campaign - implications on the practice and for children’s rights
(2023-06-26) Holmlund, Kim; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
The aim of this thesis was to analyse how professionals at the Child protection services (CPS) perceive the disinformation campaign, how they related it to their work and how they cope with the potential effects related to the campaign. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals at assessment units at CPS, and thereafter analysed through thematic analysis. This resulted in five themes; Negative attitudes towards CPS, Implications on the practice, Strategies to cope with the effects, Consequences for children´s rights and A feeling of how it "should" be. This was analysed in relation to previous research and the following theoretical concepts; Discretionary space, Professional identity and A child rights perspective. The main findings indicate that the disinformation campaign has affected the professionals and the practice in adverse ways, mainly shown by fear and distrust towards CPS, affecting both their professional and private life. The professionals cope with the implications using a variety of strategies and there are indications that there is a lack of organisational guidance on how to deal with the implications. The professional’s seem to have a strong sense of professional identity, despite facing several issues in establishing such. The adversity and ambiguous role seems to entail a reinforced sense of the collective. The lack of trust towards PS results in issues ensuring participatory rights for children, the findings indicate issues of CPS not accessing families, children not being heard, children not getting support and parents making sudden moves with their children out of fear for CPS. Moreover, the duality of hildren's roles in society is highlighted, as they are framed as both actors and objects. Lastly, there are indications of parental rights taking precedence over children’s rights. In conclusion, the findings indicate that the disinformation campaign has had adverse effects on the practice, the individual social worker and ultimately affects children’s rights in a negative way. Thus, there is a need to shift focus on the implications on merely a state level, and include the implications that can be seen on a street bureaucracy level whilst having a child’s rights erspective throughout.
Working with Mentors in Violence Prevention: The experiences and understandings of professionals
(2023-02-08) Temesgen, Meron; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and analyse the understanding the professionals’, who work with youth at one of the schools where Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) was implemented, have of their work. Particular emphasis was made on the professionals’ own positioning in relation to the gender theoretical starting points and structural perspective of the MVP-programme. Based on the increase in violence in Swedish society today, the overall objective was to problematize the work done with MVP in an effort to develop the violence prevention work. The analysed material consisted of four in-depth semi-structured interviews that were conducted with professionals that work with MVP, and observations. To analyse, a theoretical framework was designed that was comprised of Connell’s theory on masculinity concerning hegemonic masculinity, Butler’s theory on gender concerning social norms, and lastly bridging and bonding aspects of social capital. The findings indicate that the context of the municipality poses its challenges regarding the work with violence prevention with the identification of various factors such as the family and gang affiliations being counterproductive. While MVP has successfully been anchored in the school, which is a prerequisite for the support required to go against an existing hegemonic masculinity, the mentor and mentee pedagogical model of MVP as an approach is distrusted by the majority of the professionals. The training for professionals that work with MVP span two days, which means that their understanding of the gender theoretical starting points and the structural perspective of the MVP-programme is heavily dependent on their previous knowledge. The short training for professionals was reflected in the professionals’ tendency to speak in individualising terms and not being cognizant of how different social structures intersect. The research concludes that knowledge-raising for the professionals who work with MVP have not been done in the extent needed.
“Always been an Alien” - A qualitative study on how multilingual young adults experience and navigate identity and belonging in Skopje, North Macedonia.
(2022-12-12) Wall Kovacevski, Milan; University of Gothenburg/Department of Social Work; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för socialt arbete
This study offers empirical arguments for how multilingual young adults navigate and experience identity and belonging in Skopje. A city reported to be, one of the most multicultural cities in South-East Europe, where ethnic exclusion and interethnic segregation is outmost present (Veron, 2016:1448; Stojanov, 2020:74). Raising awareness of multilingual youth can contribute to more inspiration and research being conducted in the field of social work. As a result, social workers can provide relevant expertise to assist multilingual service users, so oppression of their multilingual identity can be reduced. Using a thematic analysis method in conjunction with a life course theory, qualitative methods were selected to carry out semi-structured interviews that allowed for open answers and good analytics. Information letters and snowball sampling were used to attract the attention of 14 respondents. Results imply that prior history, politics, geographical location and ethnic affiliation affects how the multilingual youths experience and navigate identity and belonging in Skopje. When respondents are in minority groups or are perceived to transgress ethnic lines, they clearly experience misrecognition. Language seems to be an important indicator of affiliation, identification, and alliance among ethnic groups, and ethnic groupings appear to enforce ethnic boundaries. Certain ethnicities are more susceptible to being negatively impacted by stereotypes, while other ethnicities are presumably more likely to get recognition for their identity. Study revealed that multilingualism appears to work in the respondents favor as an enabling mechanism to navigate through the difficulties and exhibit indicators of excellent mental health and belonging.

Browse

Recent Submissions