| 1. |
- Aarseth, Espen, et al.
(author)
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Scholars' open debate paper on the World Health Organization ICD-11 Gaming Disorder proposal
- 2017
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In: Journal of Behavioral Addictions. - : AKADEMIAI KIADO RT. - 2062-5871 .- 2063-5303. ; 6:3, s. 267-270
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Concerns about problematic gaming behaviors deserve our full attention. However, we claim that it is far from clear that these problems can or should be attributed to a new disorder. The empirical basis for a Gaming Disorder proposal, such as in the new ICD-11, suffers from fundamental issues. Our main concerns are the low quality of the research base, the fact that the current operationalization leans too heavily on substance use and gambling criteria, and the lack of consensus on symptomatology and assessment of problematic gaming. The act of formalizing this disorder, even as a proposal, has negative medical, scientific, public-health, societal, and human rights fallout that should be considered. Of particular concern are moral panics around the harm of video gaming. They might result in premature application of diagnosis in the medical community and the treatment of abundant false-positive cases, especially for children and adolescents. Second, research will be locked into a confirmatory approach, rather than an exploration of the boundaries of normal versus pathological. Third, the healthy majority of gamers will be affected negatively. We expect that the premature inclusion of Gaming Disorder as a diagnosis in ICD-11 will cause significant stigma to the millions of children who play video games as a part of a normal, healthy life. At this point, suggesting formal diagnoses and categories is premature: the ICD-11 proposal for Gaming Disorder should be removed to avoid a waste of public health resources as well as to avoid causing harm to healthy video gamers around the world.
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| 2. |
- Bogren, Alexandra, 1976-
(author)
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Female Licentiousness versus Male Escape? : Essays on Intoxicating Substance Use, Sexuality and Gender
- 2006
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The purpose of this thesis is to study cultural aspects of alcohol and drug use in Sweden, and also to some extent in other countries. In the context of changing patterns of drinking and drug use in Sweden and in the rest of the world, such studies are increasingly important.The thesis comprises four self-contained but interrelated studies. Each study, in different ways, addresses the question of cultural variation (within and between cultures) and the cultural position of intoxicating substances. Acknowledging that young people’s use of intoxicating substances as well as women’s and men’s use of such substances are important social policy issues, each of the four studies also relates to the position of either young people or the position of gender with regard to intoxicating substance use.Study 1 investigates what it means to drink, take drugs and become intoxicated as understood from the official-organizational perspective of the FMN’s (Parents Against Drugs’) 2003 campaign directed towards teenagers´ parents. As a contrast to the hegemonic perspective presented by the organization in Study 1, Study 2 explicitly tries to find and describe different lines of reasoning with regard to alcohol use and intoxication among young people.Study 3 investigates the link – so commonly referred to in the Western world – between drinking, drug use and intoxication, on the one hand, and sexuality and gender, on the other. Study 3 further tries to grasp why women who drink are considered bad both because they violate the norms of feminine appearance and because they are perceived as sexually promiscuous and “available”. Study 4 focuses on cultural variation in the intoxication – sexuality link. It uses cross-country comparisons and multiple regression analysis of data from 11 countries within and outside the West to examine the link between positive expectancies about the effects of drinking on sexual feelings, on the one hand, and drinking, on the other.
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| 3. |
- Dahl, Daniel, et al.
(author)
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Problematic internet use : A scoping review - longitudinal research on a contemporary social problem, 2006-2017
- 2020
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In: Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. - : SAGE Publications. - 1455-0725 .- 1458-6126. ; 37:6, s. 497-525
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and aims: Problematic internet use (PIU), and kindred concepts such as internet addiction (IA), make up a growing research field, partly due to the suggested inclusion of internet gaming disorder in a future DSM-6 as well as the fact that gaming disorder is on its way to being included in the ICD-11. Conclusions from research are far from unified. This study aims to synthesise the research field of problematic internet use/internet addiction/gaming disorder, with a focus on the reporting of prevalence and change.Methods: Longitudinal studies of PIU/IA formed the basis for a scoping review. Systematic searches of Web of Science, Scopus and Proquest, for peer-reviewed and published articles based on empirical data collected at a minimum of two time points for studies, and with an end point set at 2017, led to the inclusion of 97 studies. Endnote X7 was used to organise the results and NVivo 11 was used for synthesising the results.Results: Analyses focused on prevalence and change. Findings show variation among measures and prevalence as well as in reported outcomes relating to social life and other problems. Most studies reported relations between PIU/IA and other problems in life, but no specific time order could be established. Furthermore, many studies did not present data on prevalence or change even though using a longitudinal survey design.Discussion and conclusions: In summary, the research field is plagued by a lack of consensus and common understanding, regarding both measures, perceptions of the problem, and findings.
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| 4. |
- Eckerberg, Katarina, 1953-, et al.
(author)
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Evaluation of the Social Sciences in Norway : Report from the Principal Evaluation Committee
- 2018
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The aim of the evaluation of Social Science research in Norway (SAMEVAL) was to review the present state of social science research in Norway as a basis for recommendations on the future development of research. The evaluation covered six research areas: geography, economics, political science, sociology, social anthropology and the economic-administrative research area. It included 3005 social scientists in total and 42 institutions, both 27 faculties/departments at universities and university colleges, and 15 publicly financed social science research institutes. The evaluation further comprised 136 research groups within those institutions.Based on the six disciplinary evaluation reports, the principal committee finds that a large number of institutions and research groups are performing well across the social sciences, above the Nordic and OECD averages in terms of the bibliometric analysis (Damvad 2017). A high proportion of the research groups evaluated are performing very well. The distribution of scientific grades is rather even among the six evaluated disciplines, and centred around the two grades good and very good, but with Social Anthropology and Economics performing particularly well compared to international standards. Still, there is an opportunity to get much more out of the social science research, to make further international impact, advance theoretical debates and develop critical thinking. The principal committee therefore calls for striking a better balance between basic and applied research. For institutions with high levels of core funding, this might involve directly allocating core funding to basic research. Elsewhere, more funding might be allocated to ‘free research’ in pursuit of more theoretically driven research as formulated by the researchers themselves rather than steered by programmatic topics.All of the panels were struck by the large number of institutions pursuing social science research, spread extensively over the country, with many research units separated even within a particular region. Creating critical mass of disciplinary research in rather small research groups and/or multidisciplinary environments therefore constitutes a considerable challenge. Various forms of national as well as international networking and collaboration within the disciplines is therefore imperative. The situation also calls for more strategic thought both by the Government and by the respective institutions as to who should do what, and how this might be sufficiently funded. In addition, the principal committee suggests that the PhD education could be strengthened by national coordination given the small numbers of disciplinary PhD students in almost all environments except the Oslo region.Interdisciplinary research is a strong feature of the Norwegian research landscape as compared with many other countries. Partly, this could be a reaction to the stronger emphasis on strategic and/or thematic research but it is also likely a response to resolving the issue of many small social science environments. While the strong interdisciplinary research is a considerable asset, there are also associated risks in how to assure sufficient disciplinary depth and methodological innovation in such research.The SAMEVAL evaluation called for assessing societal relevance and impact of social science research. However, a majority of institutions reported largely their dissemination activities, rather than the relevance and impact for different societal actors, suggesting that the methods and application of such assessments need to be further discussed and developed. Overall, however, there is no doubt that Norwegian social science has considerable relevance for a large range of public and private societal actors and activities, and that a large number of ‘good practice’ research impact cases were displayed by the social science institutions.
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| 5. |
- Eklund, Lina, et al.
(author)
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Parental mediation of digital gaming and internet use
- 2013
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In: FDG 2013. - Chania, Crete. ; , s. 63-70
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study the focus is set on parental rules for digital gaming and Internet use. First a review of the field is presented followed by analyses of adolescents’ media use and parental strategies for regulation. Data was derived from a Swedish survey of parents—Predominantly mothers—of adolescents aged 9-16 complemented with data from a separate survey of adolescents aged 9-16. Analyses are presented using gamma coefficients for bivariate correlations and linear regression models for multivariate analyses. We conclude that parents in this study are involved in their adolescents’ gaming and Internet by restricting access to these media. Boys and young adolescents are controlled more than girls and older adolescents. Mothers made use of restrictive mediation more than fathers. Parents harbour quite negative views on gaming which might interfere with a more active role of parents in mediating their children’s gaming
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| 6. |
- Gustafsson, Nina-Katri, 1976-
(author)
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Bridging the world : Alcohol Policy in Transition and Diverging Alcohol Patterns in Sweden
- 2010
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The present dissertation aims at analysing the effects of recent alcohol policy changes. The traditional strict policy in Sweden had focused on high pricing and limited availability to control levels of alcohol consumed and thus alcohol-related harms. However, increased travellers’ allowances meant larger availability of cheaper alcohol when importing from Denmark and Germany, which are the countries from which Swedes obtain most of their private imports; the tax decrease in Denmark further decreased the price. As the economic literature links demand to price of a commodity and the early (smaller) quota changes had resulted in higher consumption in southern Sweden, it was expected that these latest changes would mean higher consumption and more alcohol-related problems in this area in particular. Some groups were additionally expected to be more affected than others.The present compilation thesis comprises four related articles and an introductory chapter that ties them together. Article I focuses on private imports in relation to quota changes 2002 – 2004 and relate this to purchase at the alcohol monopoly stores. Self-reported consumption and alcohol-related problems are studied in Article II and IV. In Article III, register data on alcohol-related harms, i.e. hospitalizations and police-recorded crimes, are analysed.The results of the dissertation were puzzling, since there was no large increase in consumption or alcohol-related problems in the south, but increases in the north during the period. However, private imports and cases of hospitalization due to alcohol poisoning were found to have increased in the south. Thus, the results imply that these policy changes had an effect on private imports, but that this effect was not large enough to increase total consumption as well. Additionally, increased alcohol poisoning cases implied that there had been an impact among high consumers. The increases found in consumption and problems in the north may instead have other explanations.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Helmersson Bergmark, Karin, 1956-
(author)
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Behavioral addictions - a social science perspective
- 2018
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In: General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovations. - 2397-5237. ; 3:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This conceptual review and analysis discusses the development of the addiction concept, a development that entails a marked expansion of what is considered to constitute an addiction. During the last decade, following the introduction of DSM-5 (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, APA 2013) [1] and the opening up of new terrains, many bad habits and behavioral problems are in the process of being transferred to and renamed as addictions, endorsing a continued or rather reinforced medicalization of social problems. In this paper a social science viewpoint is suggested as a more appropriate perspective on these matters.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Sohlberg, Tove, et al.
(author)
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Lifestyle and Long-Term Smoking Cessation
- 2020
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In: Tobacco Use Insights. - 1179-173X .- 1179-173X. ; 13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Since smoking is the leading cause of preventable death, discouraging smoking initiation, encouraging smoking cessation, and exploring factors that help individuals to stay smoke free are immensely important. One such relevant factor may be the impact of lifestyle for long-term smoking cessation.Method: A representative sample of successful quitters was recruited for a study about smoking cessation. These respondents are now part of a 7-year follow-up with the overall aim of revealing factors affecting long-term smoking cessation. Descriptive analyses were carried out at baseline and at follow-up, as well as a further two-step cluster analysis to explore profiles of long-term smoke-free individuals.Results: A majority did not make any particular lifestyle changes, but among those who did, most adopted a healthier lifestyle and/or increased their quota of physical training, where permanent changes in this direction seem to promote a more enduring smoke-free life.Conclusions: Individuals who want to quit smoking should be encouraged to increase their level of physical activity. Swedish health care institutions should be able to provide support for this both initially and over time to promote the long-term maintenance of a smoke-free lifestyle.
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| 11. |
- Van Rooij, Antonius J., et al.
(author)
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A weak scientific basis for gaming disorder : Let us err on the side of caution
- 2018
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In: Journal of Behavioral Addictions. - : Akademiai Kiado Zrt.. - 2062-5871 .- 2063-5303. ; 7:1, s. 1-9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We greatly appreciate the care and thought that is evident in the 10 commentaries that discuss our debate paper, the majority of which argued in favor of a formalized ICD-11 gaming disorder. We agree that there are some people whose play of video games is related to life problems. We believe that understanding this population and the nature and severity of the problems they experience should be a focus area for future research. However, moving from research construct to formal disorder requires a much stronger evidence base than we currently have. The burden of evidence and the clinical utility should be extremely high, because there is a genuine risk of abuse of diagnoses. We provide suggestions about the level of evidence that might be required: transparent and preregistered studies, a better demarcation of the subject area that includes a rationale for focusing on gaming particularly versus a more general behavioral addictions concept, the exploration of non-addiction approaches, and the unbiased exploration of clinical approaches that treat potentially underlying issues, such as depressive mood or social anxiety first. We acknowledge there could be benefits to formalizing gaming disorder, many of which were highlighted by colleagues in their commentaries, but we think they do not yet outweigh the wider societal and public health risks involved. Given the gravity of diagnostic classification and its wider societal impact, we urge our colleagues at the WHO to err on the side of caution for now and postpone the formalization.
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