HEALTH

The HEALTH subgroup (coordinated by Leif Edvard Aarø) is less homogeneous than the other three groups in terms of areas of research, methodological approaches, and theoretical orientation, and is best described by listing separate research activities. Hege Eriksen, Holger Ursin and their team are carrying out studies on stress and subjective health complaints, in particular low back pain, sick leave, and evaluations of rehabilitation and treatment interventions. Maurice Mittelmark (primary affiliation with the POLICY subgroup) is doing studies on social stress and health with a strong emphasis on mixed methods, while particularly utilizing large-scale questionnaire-based health surveys. Arnstein Mykletun and his team are studying causes and consequences of common mental disorders employing large-scale health surveys (e.g. HUNT and HUSK), which for some purposes are linked to external registries of e.g. mortality and work-related disability. Frode Thuen and his team are carrying out research on families and mental health. Torill Christine Lindstrøm is supervising research fellows from nursing, and their projects are addressing health and coping in elderly patients and breast cancer patients, partly with mixed methods.

The most important common denominators across these teams are that adult populations are addressed and that mental or subjective health are measured in most studies. Theoretical concepts of central concern across teams are stress, social support and coping. External funding is obtained from The European Commission, The Norwegian Research Council, The Norwegian Council for Mental Health, The Norwegian Foundation for Health and Rehabilitation, The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth, and Family Affairs, Ministry of Children and Equality, The Directorate of Health and Social Affairs, Western Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse Vest), Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse Øst), Southern Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse Sør), Norsk Hydro, and The Kavli Foundation