“Jag tänker att lyssna på dem, att se dem. Det är en bekräftelse att verkligen på riktigt bry sig”

: En kvalitativ studie om ett hälsofrämjande arbete med ungas existentiella hälsa

Abstract

Children and young people in Sweden generally have a good sense of well-being. At the same time, more and more young people state that they suffer from mental illness. The psychosomatic problems among 15-year-olds have increased significantly the recent years, with stress and sleep difficulties recurring in several of them. To curb a further increase, the concept of existential health has been increasingly implemented as a health promotion tool. There is a connection between mental, physical and existential well-being. It is something that Preventivt arbete (PART) has taken notice of and started the umbrella project Snacka om Livet, which is aimed both at young people and at adults who work with children and young people with a focus on improving the health of young people. The purpose of the study was to explore professionals' experiences and thoughts about how work with existential health affects the mental health of children and young people (ages 6–20). The method used was qualitative with semi-structured interviews. The qualitative content analysis resulted in five main categories: mental health. equipped adults, Snacka om Livet (SOL), existential thoughts in young people, need for existential conversations and the impact of conversations on mental health. The result showed that the SOL-project can be linked to the concept of KASAM, which is important for how to handle different situations in life. KASAM is not a static condition, it can be changed by external factors, such as existential conversations. How the mental health of children and young people was affected by existential conversations is difficult to clarify based on the results, even though indications showed that existential conversations have a positive impact on the well-being of young people.

Date of Award	2024-Jun
Original language	Swedish
Supervisor	Cássandra Winther (Supervisor) & Camilla Malm (Examiner)