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Sweden and Sudan represent different forms of family and societal structures. Nevertheless, older persons in either country have to develop coping strategies in order to be able to handle their life. Their coping patterns interact with the family and other close persons. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of social support and coping strategies among older persons in Sweden and Sudan. A cross-cultural and semi-structured interview study was performed with 85 older persons (26% men) aged 68– 102 years, living in their own homes, receiving some home services in Stockholm, Sweden. Interviews were also conducted with 42 older persons (24% men) aged 60-85 years living in extended families in an outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan. The subjects were asked to answer a standard social support questionnaire including availability of attachment (AVAT) and social interaction (AVSI). Their situation was also explored by means of the “coping wheel”. This was used in three forms (participant activities in the past, present, and in the future). Scores for perceived “control” and “emotion” were calculated on the basis of all the individual activities reported in the "wheel." To test the difference between the two groups with regard to coping strategies, descriptive statistics and Chisquare tests were applied. Multivariate one-way analysis of variance was used to test the differences between Swedish and Sudanese older persons in AVSI, and AVAT, adjusting for age and gender. A content analysis was performed for the coping activities in the past, at present and in the future. As content analysis has no single form or stage, the answers were processed and analyzed without pre-conceptions. The “control” score both in the past and in the future was significantly higher in the Sudanese sample while the present “emotion” score was significantly higher (more positive) in the Swedish sample. Our results suggest that traditional norms and culture have an effect on social support as well as coping strategies for older persons. The family plays a very important role in enhancing psychosocial wellbeing. It seems that Swedish older persons use much of their time for hobbies and leisure activities, whereas the Sudanese older persons seem to be struggling for survival.

Sudan is one of the countries where the rate of the economically active population is particularly high. The extended family system is still the dominant system in the Sudanese society. The aim of this present study is to understand the concept of quality of life (QoL) with reference to Maslow’s hierarchical level and experienced loneliness for a group of older Sudanese individuals. Forty-two Sudanese older subjects, between 60 and 85 years have participated in the study. Data collected and tools used are an open question about QoL, UCLA scale of loneliness, and a pre-coded and pretested designed question for the collection of social support. Main categories of quality of life, stressed by the older Sudanese, were the religious matters, socioeconomic situation and family and social support. Loneliness questions indicate that participants always felt in tune with people around them. The concept of QoL and experienced loneliness are strongly related to Maslow’s hierarchical level.

Since the early years of this century the characteristics of work and work circumstances in the Netherlands, like in other European countries, changed dramatically. The development of a 24 hour economy, the flexibilisation of work, and a greater participation of women in the labour force are relevant examples in this context. As a consequence of these changes of work and work circumstances, it is no longer evident that the quality of work can be studied from an isolated work perspective. In our view it is worthwhile to study the determinants of well-being at work not only from the perspective of the quality of work, but from an interrelated approach consisting of both a work and life course perspective. Based on data derived from a survey in a home care organisation (309 respondents in the caring profession), we carefully conclude that the definition of the quality of work has to be redefined. Defining the quality of work only in terms of the content of jobs seems to be outdated. In studies of labour it is time to incorporate the family, too.

We examined the relation of stressful life events to the risk of colorectal cancer in a population-based case-control study conducted in Stockholm from 1986 to 1988. Completed questionnaires were available for 569 incident cases ascertained through hospital records and the regional cancer registry. Controls were randomly selected from a population register and were frequency matched to the age and sex distribution of the cases; 510 controls completed the study questionnaire. A history of serious work-related problems in the prior 10 years was strongly associated with the occurrence of colorectal cancer. Compared with those with no such problems, the age- and sex-adjusted odds ratio (OR) was 5.5 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.3-23.5]. Change of residence was also associated with increased risk: relative to those who had not moved, the OR was 2.8 (95% CI = 1.1-7.1). Similar analyses revealed that increased odds of colorectal cancer were associated with death of a spouse: OR = 1.5 (95% CI = 1.0-2.3). After multivariate adjustment for dietary risk factors and physical activity, these ORs were not substantially altered. Because most of the events were relatively uncommon in this population, the estimates of effect were not precise.

A series of eighteen monozygotic and thirteen dizygotic twin pairs originally selected in 19=7--1968 because of the presence of symptoms of ischemic heart disease in at least one of the pair members was subjected to after examination including ultra-low frequency ballistocardiography. The ratio between IJ and HI amplitudes in the ballistocardiogram was used as an index of myocardial mechanical function. The IJ/HI ratio had a repeatability coefficient of 0.82 before and/or after psychiatric interview. The mean ratio did not change significantly after psychiatric interview. The measure was demonstrated to be independent of height, weight, age, heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure and negatively correlated with a measure of somatic anxiety. The ratio was highly significantly correlated with electrocardiographic evidence of ischemic heart disease. The IJ/HI ratio showed a better discrimination than qualitative readings according to Starr and furthermore has the advantage of providing a continuous measure. The ratio seemed to be more influenced by the functional state of the myocardium than by genetic factors.

Thirty-six men and women who experienced a documented myocardial infarction, half of whom ultimately died from their disease and half of whom survived over a six-year period, provided longitudinal recent life changes and ballistocardiographic data. The 18 patients who died from their coronary disease indicated a significant buildup in life changes which peaked approximately one year prior to death; their serial ballistocardiograms indicated a significant buildup in average force of contraction which was seen to peak approximately six months prior to death. The 18 post-infarction patients who survived the six-year follow-up showed neither a buildup in life change nor a buildup in the ballistocardiographic index of cardiac contraction force. These findings of a life change peak preceding ballistocardiographic evidence of an “overworked” heart are discussed in terms of their possible medical and psychophysiological significances.