In memory of Professor Anders Bergmark
Professor Anders Bergmark has passed away October 2026 after a long period of illness.
Department of Social Work
News
Two New PhD Positions in Current Public Health Sciences Research
Would you like to conduct research on women’s health and ageing, or on the actions and influence of commercial actors in public health, particularly in relation to addictive substances and behaviours, such as alcohol, nicotine and gambling? The Department of Public Health Sciences at Stockholm University is now recruiting two PhD students for research projects in two current and growing fields of research.
Department of Public Health Sciences
Despite Duty of Care, Gambling Operators Place Responsibility for Gambling-Related Harm on Individuals
Gambling operators licensed to operate in the Swedish online gambling market largely place the responsibility for gambling-related harm on individual gamblers rather than on the gambling products themselves. A new study from the Department of Public Health Sciences at Stockholm University shows that gambling operators interpret their statutory duty of care in vastly different ways, and that measures to prevent harm are often introduced only after harm has been identified.
Department of Public Health Sciences
Gambling problems affect more than the person who gambles
More than one in ten people in Sweden say that someone close to them has experienced gambling problems. Among younger people, the figure is around 16 per cent. People close to someone with gambling problems are more likely to experience mental health difficulties, risky behaviours and relationship problems. Some consequences can persist even after the gambling problems have ended. This is shown by two new studies from Stockholm University.
Department of Public Health Sciences
Alcohol Can Both Support and Undermine Young People's Well-being
Young people's use of alcohol — and other substances such as cannabis — is often discussed primarily in terms of risks and negative consequences. A new study from the Department of Public Health Sciences at Stockholm University suggests a more complex picture. While substance use can be linked to harm, it may also be associated with positive experiences. The researchers stress that their findings should not be interpreted as an endorsement of alcohol or drug use. Rather, they argue that a more nuanced understanding is needed to explain how substance use affects young people's well-being and changes over time.
Department of Public Health Sciences
Swedish Municipal Plans Overlook the Importance of Everyday School Life in Children's Mental Health
Schools play a key role in promoting the mental health of children and young people. However, approaches to the school's role in this work appear to vary across municipalities. In addition, schools' contribution to mental health promotion and prevention is often treated as separate from their core educational mission. This is the conclusion of a new public health study from Stockholm University.
Department of Public Health Sciences
New Thesis Sheds Light on Who and What Really Shapes Swedish Drug Policy
The drug policy in Sweden is not shaped by evidence alone. Rather, it is a complex policy arena driven by competing moral frameworks and values, in which participation in policymaking processes largely leaves people who use drugs and their families out of the discussion. This is shown in a new thesis in Public Health Sciences by PhD student Tuulia Lerkkanen at Stockholm University.
Department of Public Health Sciences
New study on barriers and facilitators in implementing shared decision-making
In a new study, Ulla-Karin Schön at the Department of Social Work, together with Amanda Jones and Maria Fjellfeldt at Dalarna University, examines how staff experience the implementation of shared decision-making within the field of comorbidity. The study focuses on collaboration between social services and healthcare in supporting people with complex needs.
Department of Social Work
New postdoctoral study on self-admission in psychiatry
How is the balance struck between patients’ right to self-determination and healthcare’s responsibility to protect from harm? This is a central question in a new research project by ethnologist Maria Björklund, newly appointed postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Social Work.
Department of Social Work
PrEP changes the view of sexual health
How does life and self‑image change when HIV is no longer perceived as a constant threat? In a new study, Nicklas Dennermalm, researcher at the Department of Social Work, together with colleagues from Lund University, Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet, investigates what it means to live as a PrEP‑user in Sweden.
Department of Social Work
The Swedish Foster Care Market in an International Context
A new study from researchers at the Department of Social Work, Stockholm University, directs attention to the role of independent foster care organizations in the Swedish foster care market. Evelina Fridell Lif, Tommy Lundström, David Pålsson, Marie Sallnäs and Emelie Shanks place this development in an international perspective and analyze how market logic shapes child welfare services.
Department of Social Work