The Nordic welfare model is often used as an example for the promotion of health and wellbeing, even in vulnerable groups of children, such as refugees. Nonetheless, there are no published reviews on resilience and/or risk and protective factors for physical and mental health among refugee children living in Nordic countries. In this systematic review, we identified 5181 studies on the topic, screened titles, and abstracts, viewed 632, and finally included 26 studies. These studies described 18 samples with a total of 34,080 individuals ranging in ages 0–18 years. Overall, the studies were of good quality. Nearly all studies assessed adversity. Six studies reported physical health outcomes and all studies mental health outcomes, most often post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. None explicitly studied resilience. While we found that age and sex are the most frequently studied  risk- and protective factors, findings are inconclusive, since the direction of the associations was different in the different studies. This systematic review indicates that there is still a need for well-designed and -powered studies using clear definitions of key study concepts to examine health outcomes and resilience among refugee children in Nordic countries.

Studies on experiences of migration in childhood and subsequent health in adulthood report conflicting results. While there is limited research on the long-term health outcomes of refugee children as they transition into adulthood, it is often observed that refugee children experience adverse health conditions upon their arrival in the host country. We examined whether adults with a childhood refugee experience were more likely to have poorer mental health, general health, and risk-behaviours compared to non-refugee migrants and Swedish-born peers We included a nationally representative sample of 18-64-year-olds who answered the Swedish National Public Health survey in 2018 or 2020. Using official register data, we categorized individuals as: 1) refugees in childhood (<age 18 years); 2) migrants in childhood; or 3) Swedish-born. Associations between childhood status (refugee, migrant, or Swedish-born) and all outcomes in adulthood were analyzed using logistic regression. The final model was adjusted for age, sexual- and gender-minority (SGM) identity, and stratified by sex. We also analysed the above and all outcomes stratified by age (18–25, 26–64), adjusted for sex and SGM-identity. We found that a childhood refugee experience was not associated with worse self-rated general or mental health, or more risk behaviours in adulthood, compared to non-refugee migrants or Swedish-born individuals. Additionally, adults with a childhood refugee experience had lower odds of at-risk alcohol use and substance use than Swedish-born peers. In general, a childhood refugee experience was not associated with worse self-rated health or risk behaviours in adulthood when considering age and sexual- and gender-minority status.

Background To examine health and health-related behaviors in migrant and refugee individuals who identify as sexual or gender minority, and in comparison to their heterosexual peers. Methods The study included 168,952 individuals (aged 16-84 years, males: 45.9%, sexual or gender minorities: 3.1%) who answered the Swedish National Public Health Survey in 2018 and 2020. Participants were grouped into Swedish-and Western-born (White) heterosexual, White sexual- or gender minority, migrant heterosexual, migrant sexual- or gender minority, refugee heterosexual, and refugee sexual- or gender minority. Outcomes included mental health (for example suicidal ideation, wellbeing), general health, risky behaviors (risk alcohol use, risk gambling, and substance use), and experiences of violence. Associations between 1) sexual- or gender -ethnic identities and 2) gender-ethnic identities and all outcomes were analyzed using logistic and linear regression adjusting for sex, age, and educational level. Findings Being a sexual- or gender minority, regardless of ethnic minority status, was associated with worse general health and mental ill-health compared to heterosexual peers including suicidal ideation in refugee sexual- or gender minority individuals (OR 2.42, 95 % CI 1.44-4.08). Ethnic minorities (heterosexual and sexual- or gender minority migrants and refugees) had lower odds of drug and risk alcohol use compared to White heterosexual peers but higher odds of risk gambling (1.88, 1.49-2.37 for refugee heterosexuals). Transgender refugees had high odds for risk gambling (8.62, 1.94-38.40) and exposure to physical violence (7.46, 2.97-18.70). Interpretation In this national population-based study, sexual and gender minority individuals have worse mental and general health regardless of ethnic minority status. We did not find evidence for worse health in sexual- or gender minority refugees in comparison to migrant, and White sexual- or gender minorities and their heterosexual peers. Transgender individuals (White and ethnic minority) experienced significantly higher levels of physical violence. Public health policy should emphasize preventive measures to reduce exposure to violence and discrimination in sexual- and gender minority individuals, increase access and use of mental healthcare services and sensitise healthcare professionals about higher rates of health and related issues faced by sexual- and gender minority individuals including those with multiple minority identities.

Artikelns syftar till att undersöka hur examensmålet fokus på barns våldsutsatthet tolkas och implementeras i professionsutbildningar. Det empiriska materialetutgår från en högskolepedagogisk kurs som Barnafrid, Linköpings universitethar genomfört på uppdrag av JÄMY samt två fallbeskrivningarResultat visar på pedagogiska och didaktiska utmaningar som dels handlar omhur ett nytt examensmål ska kunna integreras i fulltecknade utbildningsplaner,dels om hur examensmålet innehåll ska tolkas. I examensmålet finns en hierarkisk ordning där olika våldsformer exempelvis våld mot barn är underordnatmäns våld mot kvinnor. Det krävs därför prioriteringar av vilket våld och målgrupp som ska ingå i undervisningen. Om blivande professioner redan i sinutbildning får uppfattningen att olika former av våld kan särskiljas och vägasmot varandra kan det ge en endimensionell och förenklad syn på våldsutsatthet.

Gambling has been a common activity across societies and cultures. To better understand gambling gender differences in Spain it is important to consider cultural aspects as well as the epidemiology of gambling and pathological gambling in this country. However, it is important to highlight that no national epidemiological studies have yet been conducted in Spain as a whole and the estimated prevalence results from regional studies carried out in Catalonia, Andalusia and Galicia. Few studies have explored gender differences and very few have been conducted so far in Spain. When focusing on gambling behavior during treatment, a recent study describes different gambling patterns between the sexes in a Spanish population. Given the low number of studies exploring female gambling behaviors, the aim of the study was to provide a self-report questionnaire to assess responsible gambling behaviors in Spanish females. As for predictors of gambling behavior, low socioeconomic status emerged as the unique socio-demographic factor for problematic gambling.

BACKGROUND: Studies examining gambling preferences have identified the importance of the type of gambling practiced on distinct individual profiles. The objectives were to compare clinical, psychopathological and personality variables between two different groups of individuals with a gambling disorder (strategic and non-strategic gamblers) and to evaluate the statistical prediction capacity of these preferences with respect to the severity of the disorder.

METHOD: A total sample of 2010 treatment-seeking patients with a gambling disorder participated in this stand-alone study. All were recruited from a single Pathological Gambling Unit in Spain (1709 strategic and 301 non-strategic gamblers). The design of the study was cross-sectional and data were collected at the start of treatment. Data was analysed using logistic regression for binary outcomes and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for quantitative responses.

RESULTS: There were significant differences in several socio-demographic and clinical variables, as well as in personality traits (novelty seeking and cooperativeness). Multiple regression analysis showed harm avoidance and self-directedness were the main predictors of gambling severity and psychopathology, while age at assessment and age of onset of gambling behaviour were predictive of gambling severity. Strategic gambling (as opposed to non-strategic) was significantly associated with clinical outcomes, but the effect size of the relationships was small.

CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to identify distinct phenotypes depending on the preference of gambling. While these phenotypes differ in relation to the severity of the gambling disorder, psychopathology and personality traits, they can be useful from a clinical and therapeutic perspective in enabling risk factors to be identified and prevention programs targeting specific individual profiles to be developed.

Gambling among young people is a significant public health concern. While an understanding of the aetiology of gambling problems is crucial for prevention, there is limited knowledge about the onset of and the risk factors for problem gambling among youth. This thesis aims to estimate the incidence of a first episode of problem gambling and to examine some potential risk factors for problem gambling among Swedish young women and men. In Study I, we analysed data among the 16 to 24 year-old study participants (n=19,016) in the cross-sectional Swedish National Public Health Survey in 2004 to 2007. In Study II and III, we used the first two waves of the Swedish Longitudinal Gambling Study (Swelogs), with the study participants being the 16 to 44 year-olds (n=4,364; Study II), and the 17 to 25 year-olds (n=2,241; Study III). In Study IV, we used a case-control study in 2011 nested in the Swelogs cohort, and analysed data among the 16 to 24 year-old cases and controls (n=1,116). The incidence of first episode problem gambling was higher among Swedish youth, aged 16 to 24 years, than among 25 to 44 year-olds, and three times higher among young men (3.3; 2.2-5.0%) than young women (1.1; 0.4-3.1%). Individual transitions in problem gambling in one year, from problem gambling to recovery, and from recovery to recurrent problem gambling, were common. Our findings suggest that the higher prevalence of problem gambling among Swedish youth compared to 25 to 44 year-olds is explained by a higher incidence of first episode problem gambling, and a lower proportion of recovery, among youth compared to 25 to 44 year-olds. It has been hypothesized that life stressors may lead to deviant behaviours among youth, and that affective disorders and adverse life events predispose people to problem gambling. We found that poor mental health was strongly associated with problem gambling for women, while high alcohol use and violence victimisation were associated with gambling and/or problem gambling for young men, in cross-sectional analyses. Further, lower compulsory school grades were associated with a higher risk of gambling problems up to eight years later for both sexes. However, an onset of affective disorders and child/youth maltreatment seemed to be risk factors for problem gambling only for females (in particular: anxiety disorders and emotional neglect). For males, these exposures seemed to occur simultaneously or after the gambling problem (in particular: depression and physical abuse). Our findings extend previous research about the aetiology of gambling problems. The incidence of a first episode of problem gambling among young people has not been estimated in a nationally representative sample before. Moreover, while research has established large sex differences in the prevalence of problem gambling among youth, very few studies of risk factors for youth problem gambling have examined the sexes separately. Our findings show that Swedish young men have an increased risk of problem gambling compared to Swedish young women overall, but that several of the examined risk factors were only associated with problem gambling among young women. It is possible that the path to problem gambling is, at least in part, different for young women and men.

Purpose We aimed to examine the association between school grades at the age of 16 years and problem gambling at the age of 17–25 years among Swedish females and males. Methods In a cohort design, we followed the 16- to 24-year-old participants in the representative Swedish Longitudinal Gambling Study for 2 years, 2008/2009 and 2009/2010, generating 3,816 person-years of follow-up time. The outcome, incidence of mild and moderate/severe gambling problems, was measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index in telephone interviews. The exposure was register-linked information about final grades in compulsory school. The association between school grades and problem gambling was estimated in multinomial logistic regressions. Results Low and average school grades were associated with increased incidence of mild and moderate/severe problem gambling compared to high grades, adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, psychological distress, and alcohol use. Low grades, compared to high grades, were associated with a higher risk of mild gambling problems for adolescent males, whereas the incidence proportion of moderate/severe problem gambling was high for males aged 20–25 years with low grades, among whom unemployment was also very high. Furthermore, we found a strong and graded association between school grades and moderate/severe problem gambling for women in both age groups, despite a low prevalence of gambling participation among females compared to males. Conclusions Our findings show that Swedish youth with low school achievement have an increased risk of gambling problems up to 8 years after school graduation, after control for confounding from sociodemographic characteristics, psychological distress, and alcohol use, and that this association is stronger for females than males.

We aimed to estimate the incidence of a first episode of problem gambling among Swedish 16-24 year-olds by demographic and socio-economic characteristics, and to compare the incidence between 16-24 and 25-44 year-olds, and between young women and men. Other aims were to estimate the proportions of recovery and incidence in recurrent problem gambling, and prevalence of problem gambling among 16-44 year-olds in Sweden. We selected 4,358 participants aged 16-44 from the nationally representative Swedish Longitudinal Gambling Study in 2008/2009 and 2009/2010. The primary outcome measure was a first episode of problem gambling during 12 months before the follow-up as measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index among participants without a history of problem gambling at baseline. The incidence proportion of a first episode of problem gambling among 16-24 year-olds was 2.26% (95% confidence interval 1.52-3.36); three times lower among females (1.14; 0.42-3.07%) than males (3.32; 2.19-5.01%). Young age and household financial problems were associated with first episode problem gambling among young women. Among 25-44 year-olds, the incidence proportion of a first episode of problem gambling was 0.81% (0.41-1.56). Recovery from problem gambling was high, in particular among females. Individual transitions from problem gambling to recovery and to recurrent problem gambling, between baseline and follow-up, were common regardless of age. This study adds further evidence to research suggesting that there is a high mobility in and out of problem gambling over time on an individual level. The high incidence of first episode problem gambling among youth in Sweden stresses the importance of prevention of problem gambling at an early age.

The age of a patient is a strong moderator of both the course and the evolution of disorders/diseases. However, the effects of current age in pathological gambling (PG) have rarely been examined. The aim of this study is to explore the moderating effects of the patients' current age in relation to personality traits and clinical outcomes of PG. A total sample of 2,309 treatment-seeking patients for PG, diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria, participated in this study and were assessed with the Diagnostic Questionnaire for Pathological Gambling according to DSM-IV criteria, the South Oaks Gambling Screen, the Symptom Checklist, the Temperament and Character Inventory-R, and other clinical and psychopathological measures. Orthogonal polynomial contrasts showed linear trends in the relationship between age and PG: the older the patient, the more comorbid health problems were visible. The presence of additional quadratic trends also suggests that age plays a significant role in moderating the possibility of existing PG problems and general psychopathology. No interaction term was found between age and sex, but it was present for age and some personality traits: self-transcendence and reward dependence (these two traits were only relevant to the level of impairment due to PG at specific ages). This study suggests that the patients' age influences psychopathological and clinical aspects associated to PG. Intervention in the earliest manifestations of this complex problem is essential in order to better address the need of successful treatment planning.