VID Specialized University

This study explores processes of change for individuals who responded to low-intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for depression, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), or panic disorder. Routinely collected data from NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression (TTad) services (N = 11, 396, 69.2% female) were analysed using network analyses. Nine Gaussian graphical models (GGMs) were conducted: for each disorder, across three time phases (assessment to start-of-treatment; start to mid-point of treatment; mid-point to end-of-treatment). Each GGM included 19 nodes, based on PHQ-9, GAD-7,and NHS TTad phobia scores, using residuals as indices of change for each node. Networks of symptom change were largely similar. Estimated network matrix similarity ranged between r = .74 and r = .91 across disorders, with depression and GAD networks more similar to each other than to panic disorder. Networks varied over time within the same disorder, more so for panic disorder (r = .61-.63) than GAD (r = .86-.90) or depression (r = .87-.93). There were close links between changes in worry-related items and feeling nervous or anxious, and between depressed mood and anhedonia across all networks, as well as links between sleep disturbance, appetite, trouble relaxing and irritability. Findings suggest shared patterns of co-change across anxiety and depression. There is a potential indication that therapy may work by leveraging existing natural change mechanisms rather than by creating entirely new patterns of symptom interaction. Networks also show associations between symptom changes specific to certain disorders at certain points in therapy.

Transnational academic collaboration, particularly global North-South, is increasingly recognized as a critical strategy for enhancing educational quality, equity, and relevance in global health and nursing education. This study aimed to describe the participatory process of developing and revising two joint Master’s level course drafts, Global Health Nursing and Participatory Action Research in Health Care, and to explore the feasibility of integrating these courses into the existing curricula of partner universities in Norway and Ethiopia. A qualitative descriptive design was employed, grounded in a participatory approach. Data were collected during a structured workshop using the Story Dialogue Method (SDM), which engaged 20 academic participants from both countries in reflective discussions and collaborative revisions of course drafts. Thematic insights were drawn from dialogue notes and synthesized through group-based reflection and analysis. The findings revealed both opportunities and challenges in joint curriculum development. The collaborative process fostered pedagogical innovation, mutual capacity building, and student-centered-learning approaches. However, integration into existing programs, especially in the Ethiopian context, was hindered by less flexible institutional structures, digital infrastructure limitations, and the ambitious scope of learning outcomes relative to course design. Thus, discussions emphasized the need for clearer course content alignment with credit allocation and institutional capacities. This study underscored the potential of equitable and participatory academic partnerships to co-create contextually relevant and globally informed curricula. For such initiatives to be sustainable and impactful, future efforts should include broader stakeholder engagement, realistic curricular planning, and strategic measures to bridge digital and institutional divides. Not applicable.

Family members, relatives and friends are all affected when someone is hospitalised with a life-threatening illness. However, they often feel neglected and sometimes ignored by healthcare professionals. To address this, the reading of literature has been used in various clinical contexts in an attempt to humanise the care of patients and their relatives. Reading fiction enables healthcare professionals to imaginatively enter relatives' perspectives, fostering a deeper understanding of their experiences, which may in turn enhance family-centred care in clinical practice. However, research on how healthcare professionals engage with the reading of literary texts and what they discuss in such contexts has not yet been explored. This article presents findings from a qualitative study exploring a reading group for nurses at a hospital ward in Denmark, where literature on kinship was read and discussed. We examined the following specific research question: What takes place when nurses join a reading group in a clinical context to read and discuss literature on kinship?Based on a hermeneutical analysis of four audio-recorded reading group sessions, we identified the following three themes: (1) awareness of kinship and the negotiation of norms, (2) engagement with various perspectives and (3) acknowledgement of emotions when caring for family members. These themes are discussed in light of Felski's concept of recognition as knowing and acknowledgement. Additionally, by applying Meretoja's theory of narrative agency, we demonstrate how reading literature in a clinical setting can foster narrative agency, enabling nurses to expand and clarify their understandings and assumptions of kinship based on their ability to navigate and influence what Meretoja terms their 'narrative environment' in a clinical context.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Frailty further increases these risks in recipients of HSCT. This systematic review analyzes the extent of frailty in patients with hematologic malignancies and patients undergoing HSCT, and explores the associations between frailty and age, and clinical outcomes. CINAHL (EBSCO), Embase (Ovid), and Medline were searched for quantitative studies including assessment tools aimed at identifying frailty or vulnerability. Two reviewers independently assessed eligibility, extracted data from the included articles, performed a quality appraisal, and analyzed the findings through narrative synthesis. Of the 5190 abstracts screened, 17 articles involving 17 different tools describing frailty were identified. Frailty was characterized as abnormal nutritional status, comorbidities, and an impact on social support, physical activity, and mental health. Frailty was associated with increased age but was also shown in younger patients. Moreover, frailty was associated with worse clinical outcomes. Patients with hematologic malignancies and patients undergoing HSCT were at risk of frailty, and frailty was associated with older age and worse clinical outcomes.

Abstract Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health and clinical concern. Research indicates that IPV occurs more frequently among couples seeking therapy than in the general population. However, it is often not disclosed at the time of referral and instead emerges gradually through the therapeutic process. This qualitative study examines the process by which IPV becomes the main focus of conjoint therapy in cases where it was not initially disclosed. Using a multiperspective Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), we conducted and analyzed separate interviews with 13 participants, four heterosexual couples and their therapists, who were engaged in ongoing therapy at the Norwegian Family Counselling Service at the time of the interviews. The analysis resulted in two main group experiential themes that illuminate a dual-journey process towards violence-focused couple therapy comprising two interrelated phases: the Pre-Therapy Journey , which includes the sub-themes: (1) Women’s Agency in Initiating Change , (2) Children as Catalysts for Change , (3) Critical Threshold: Reaching “Enough is Enough” , and (4) The History and Impact of Unsuccessful Help-Seeking Attempts ; and the In-Therapy Journey , which encompasses the sub-themes: (5) Is It Violence? Internal and Relational Negotiations and (6) Beyond “Repair”? Relational and Therapeutic Consequences of Long-term Patterns of IPV . Together, these six sub-themes constitute a dynamic and temporally layered understanding of how IPV becomes the primary focus of couple therapy. The discussion introduces the Dual Journey Model, providing a conceptual framework and practical guidance for enhancing clinical and organizational capacity to develop IPV-sensitive and safer couple therapy interventions.

Høykonflikt mellom foreldre omhandler vedvarende og konfliktfylt uenighet om omsorgsansvar for felles barn. Rettsapparatet er i henhold til barneloven gitt mandat til å fatte beslutninger når foreldre over tid er i en fastlåst høykonflikt og det fremmes sak for domstolen. Denne artikkelen utforsker tolv dommeres erfaringer og refleksjoner rundt kjennetegn ved foreldregruppen som de møter i denne typen saker i tingretten og lagmannsretten. Funnene viser at dommerne erfarer foreldregruppen som en uensartet gruppe. Foreldrenes utdanningsbakgrunn og økonomiske forhold, samt hvordan foreldre, sakkyndige og foreldrenes advokater utøver sine roller, innvirker på den helhetlige vurderingen og beslutningen i en avgjørelse til barnets beste ved sammensatte og komplekse konflikter mellom foreldrene.

Abstract Background Overnutrition is a public health concern and can result in an increased risk of mortality later in life. Ethiopia is among the Sub-Saharan countries with a high prevalence of early adolescent overnutrition. This study aimed to identify sociodemographic and dietary factors associated with overnutrition among adolescents. Methods A school-based, unmatched case-control study of 340 early adolescents (85 cases and 255 controls) who were randomly selected from primary schools in Ambo town in 2023. The data was collected in the period January 1–30, 2023. An administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The adolescents' height and weight were measured. BMI for age Z-score was calculated using WHO AnthroPlus software. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association between the outcome and independent variables. Result All recruited adolescents were interviewed (100% response rate). Being female [AOR = 2.4, 95% CI: 1.3–4.5]; having a housewife mother (AOR = 2.4, 95% CI: 1.1–5.2), consuming sweet foods more than three days per week [AOR = 4.9, 95% CI: 2.6–9.4], consuming meat more than three days per week [AOR = 5.4, 95% CI: 2.9–10.0], and consuming snacks two or more times per day [AOR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.2–7.6] were significantly associated with overnutrition among early adolescents. Conclusion Being female, having a housewife mother, and frequent consumption of sweets, meat, and snacks were identified as potential contributing factors to overnutrition in early adolescents. Therefore, the concerned bodies should collaborate to prevent early adolescents’ overnutrition by focusing on feeding habits and food preferences.

Artikkelen har fokus både på omsorgens uttrykk og vilkår. Empirisk har den et utgangspunkt i et pågående internasjonalt forskningsprosjekt som forfatteren er en del av, og der ulike aspekter ved 27 sykehjem utforskes på tvers av seks ulike land siden 2010, landene Canada, USA, Storbritannia, Tyskland, Sverige og Norge, samt forfatterens feltarbeid i norske sykehjem i perioden 1988 til 2024. Ett av disse aspektene har med arkitektoniske og materielle omgivelser å gjøre, der klær og klesdrakt synes å spille en stor rolle i det daglige livet for beboere så vel som for pårørende og personalet. Gjennom en drøfting av den allmennmenneskelige betydningen av klær og materielle omgivelser demonstrerer jeg viktigheten av klesstell og påkledning i en sykehjemskontekst. Jeg argumenterer for at et fokus på klær og klesdrakt er viktig fordi sykehjemsbeboeren minst av alt er en person med skrøpelighet og sykdomsdiagnoser, og først og fremst er en person med en bredde av erfaringer, vaner, smak og mål og med en rekke ulike sosial identiteter. Hvordan beboerne til enhver tid er kledd, er et tydelig estetisk og sanselig uttrykk for god eller dårlig omsorg. Nest etter mat og måltider er klær og klesdrakt det største og viktigste samtaleemnet både for beboere, pårørende og personale. I hvilken grad klær behandles omsorgsfullt, kan også knyttes til organisatoriske og materielle omgivelser, som, uten å determinere praksis, muliggjør og setter grenser for omsorg for beboernes kropp og klær, og dermed for beboerne selv. Det som ofte benevnes «personsentrert omsorg», som et alternativ til et pasientfokus med vekt på skrøpelighet, tilkortkommenhet og diagnoser, står ikke bare i større kulturelle og ideologiske sammenhenger, men også i nære organisatoriske og materielle sammenhenger. I artikkelen søker jeg å belyse slike sammenhenger, både igjennom teoretiske perspektiver og gjennom funn fra de nasjonale og internasjonale studiene.