To see or not to see. Perceptions of equality in a Swedish university hospital.

In order to examine the perceptions of sex equality among medical doctors (MDs) and registered nurses (RNs), a survey was conducted in a Swedish University Hospital in May 1995. A questionnaire was sent to 475 MDs and RNs of three different age groups. The results showed that women tend to have similar opinions irrespective of occupation and age, which differed significantly from those of men. Men believed that equality in general exists in the hospital, while women think the values and conditions in the workplace mainly benefit men. No evidence was found to indicate a change in the sex hierarchy within the health care system. Rather, the status quo will be maintained and gender stereotypes reinforced from one generation to the next.

Establishing a Swedish instrument measuring hope.

Hope has been identified as an important component for individuals coping with stress in life-threatening situations. The purpose of this study was to establish a Swedish instrument measuring hope. The instrument is based on an American hope scale developed by J.F. Miller to measure hope in adults. The Miller Hope Scale (MHS) is a 40-item 5-point Likert-type scale with a score range of 40-200. The MHS was translated into Swedish and examined in three stages before it was tested on a group of nursing students (n = 120). The test results in the Swedish sample were in accordance with Miller's evaluation of the psychometric properties of the MHS. The mean hope score was 170.4 (SD = 16.52) and the internal alpha coefficient was 0.88. The factor analysis on the Swedish sample resulted in the factors: I. Satisfaction with self, others and life; II. Avoidance of hope threats; III. Ability, capacity to influence the outcome in life.