
Hege R EriksenWestern Norway University of Applied Sciences | HVL
Hege R Eriksen
MS, PhD
About
176
Publications
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Introduction
Additional affiliations
July 2006 - present
November 2004 - June 2006
Publications
Publications (176)
The Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress (CATS) offers formal and systematic definitions of the terms and concepts used in stress research. The stress response depends on acquired expectancies to the outcome of the stimulus and the available responses. The stress response itself is an alarm, an increase in arousal necessary for performance and ade...
This paper presents a cognitive activation theory of stress (CATS), with a formal system of systematic definitions. The term "stress" is used for four aspects of "stress", stress stimuli, stress experience, the non-specific, general stress response, and experience of the stress response. These four meanings may be measured separately. The stress re...
Background:
Coping has traditionally been measured with inventories containing many items meant to identify specific coping strategies. An alternative is to develop a shorter inventory that focusses on coping expectancies which may determine the extent to which an individual attempts to cope actively.
Purpose:
This paper explores the usefulness...
Study design:
A randomized controlled trial.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a tailored and manualized cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) or nutritional supplements of seal oil and soy oil had any additional benefits over a brief cognitive intervention (BI) on return to work (RTW).
Summary of background data:
Brief inter...
The aim of this study is to present a complete scoring system for subjective health complaints (SHC) as they are experienced by the lay population. The scoring system records the complaints, and does not map attributions or medical diagnoses. In all, 1,219 subjects (323 men, 896 women) from various occupations were tested with a scoring system, the...
Background
Adolescence is a critical developmental period marked by significant mental and physical health changes. This longitudinal study examines the relationship between online communication and health from age 15 to 17, focusing on mental health indicators (depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and body image) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF)....
Purpose
A breast cancer (BC) diagnosis may negatively affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL). However, there are few comparisons of HRQoL at several time points for women with BC, and particular when subdivided into invasive and in situ tumors. The purpose of this study was to investigate various aspects of HRQoL in women recently diagnosed...
Purpose
The digital stress-management intervention StressProffen has been shown to be associated with improved well-being and quality of life for cancer survivors. In the Coping After Breast Cancer (CABC) trial, effects of 6 months access to modified versions of StressProffen, delivered through a digital download-only model, were examined.
Methods...
The aim of the study was to compare the mental health and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) of adolescents in two cross-sectional cohorts, one measured in 2003 and the other in 2015, both at age 15 and across sexes. The study also sought to estimate the association between mental health and CRF in the two cohorts and examine the relationship between...
Simple Summary
This study of Norwegian breast cancer cases and controls invited during different COVID-19 phases (social restrictions, high infection rate and post-COVID-19 phases) found consistently lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in women with breast cancer but minor differences across the three phases of the pandemic. Among breast c...
Background:
There is need for more knowledge about the relationship between work and cognitive functioning in sick-listed individuals.
Objective:
This study investigated whether the degree of work participation is relevant for recovery of cognitive functioning in sick-listed individuals.
Methods:
177 occupational rehabilitation participants an...
Purpose
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is affected when you receive a cancer diagnosis. However, there are few comparisons of HRQoL from population-based samples of invasive breast cancer (BC)and ductal carcinoma in situ (in situ) and. We took advantage of such a data collection and investigated various aspects of HRQoL in women with invasi...
The ‘Oslo Chronic Fatigue Consortium’ consists of researchers and clinicians who question the current narrative that chronic fatigue syndromes, including post-covid conditions, are incurable
diseases. Instead, we propose an alternative view, based on research, which offers more hope to patients. Whilst we regard the symptoms of these conditions as...
Background
Psychosocial stress-management interventions can reduce stress and distress and improve the quality of life for survivors of cancer. As these in-person interventions are not always offered or accessible, evidence-informed digital stress-management interventions may have the potential to improve outreach of psychosocial support for surviv...
Study design: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Aim: The main aim of this study was to investigate possible differences between the modified atWork intervention (MAW) and the original atWork intervention (OAW) in workplace inclusion. atWork is an intervention using the workplace as an arena to normalize and debunk myths regarding common health...
BACKGROUND
Psychosocial stress-management interventions can reduce stress and distress and improve the quality of life for survivors of cancer. As these in-person interventions are not always offered or accessible, evidence-informed digital stress-management interventions may have the potential to improve outreach of psychosocial support for surviv...
Aims:
In a relatively short time, online communication has become an important part of adolescents' lives, and concerns have been raised about its potential effects on mental health. The first aim was to compare mental health status and online communication in 15-year-old Icelanders born in 1988 and in 1994. The second aim was to assess whether th...
BACKGROUND
One-third or more of breast cancer survivors report stress and other psychological and physical complaints that can negatively impact their quality of life. Psychosocial stress management interventions, shown to mitigate the negative impact of these complaints, can now be delivered as accessible and convenient (for the patient and provid...
Background:
One-third or more of breast cancer survivors report stress and other psychological and physical complaints that can negatively impact quality of life. Psychosocial stress-management interventions, shown to mitigate the negative impact of these complaints, can now be delivered as accessible and convenient (for the patient and provider)...
The main purpose of this study was to explore how a primary school organized a week with outdoor education, and especially what characterized the outdoor swimming and water safety (SWS)-lessons. The SWS-lessons were part of the physical education (PE) program. Two teachers and one headmaster from a primary school participated in the study. Four day...
Aims:
To develop a questionnaire to examine attitudes among employees and managers to include people with various health problems into their work group, and to test the questionnaire in one relevant population within the labour market.
Methods:
A questionnaire was developed through a process involving discussions in a scientific forum and pilot...
Purpose The objective of this study was to investigate the association between cognitive and emotional functioning and the number of days on health-related benefits such as sick leave, work assessment allowance and disability pension. We investigated whether cognitive and emotional functioning at the start of rehabilitation and the change from the...
Background
Physical inactivity and chronic pain are both major public health concerns worldwide. Although the health benefits of regular physical exercise are well-documented, few large epidemiological studies have investigated the association between specific domains of physical exercise and chronic pain in young adults. We sought to investigate t...
Background:
Physical inactivity and mental health problems are both major public health concerns worldwide. Although several studies have demonstrated the health benefits of regular physical exercise, few epidemiological studies have investigated the nature of the association between different aspects of physical exercise and mental health, and li...
Background:
Physical inactivity and obesity pose a major public health challenge. The aim of this study was to describe the level of physical exercise and body-mass index in college and university students, as well as to examine potential changes from 2010 to 2018.
Methods:
Data stem from the SHoT study, a national student health survey for high...
Introduction
Occupational rehabilitation may be offered to workers on long-term sick leave who often report problems with cognitive functioning, anxiety, depression, pain, and reduced work ability. The empirical knowledge is sparce on how occupational rehabilitation may influence cognitive and emotional functioning and patients have not previously...
Objectives Individual placement and support (IPS) is an effective approach for helping people with severe mental illness gain employment. This study aimed to investigate if IPS can be effectively repurposed to support young adults at risk of early work disability due to various social and health related problems. Methods A randomized controlled tri...
Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible difference between the Modified atWork intervention (MAW) and the Original atWork intervention (OAW) on sick leave and other health related outcomes. atWork is a group intervention using the workplace as an arena for distribution of evidence-based knowledge about musculoskeletal and...
Background: Young adults that are not in education, training or employment represent a problem across European countries. While some are cases of temporary transitions or short-term inactivity, others represent a more vulnerable group at risk of early work disability. Early exclusion from the labor market represents long lives exposed to detrimenta...
Aims:
Social support is associated with well-being and positive health outcomes. However, positive outcomes of social support might be more dependent on the way support is provided than the amount of support received. A distinction can be made between directive social support, where the provider resumes responsibility, and nondirective social supp...
Background
Disability benefits and sick leave benefits represents huge costs in western countries. The pathways and prognostic factors for receiving these benefits seen in recent years are complex and manifold. We postulate that mental health and IQ, both alone and concurrent, influence subsequent employment status, disability benefits and mortalit...
Purpose Investigate the relative effect of response outcome expectancies, work conditions, and number of subjective health complaints (SHC) on anxiety and depression in Norwegian employees. Learned response outcome expectancies are important contributors to health. Individual differences in the expectancy to cope with workplace and general life dem...
Background and objective:
Cognitive-behavioural treatments (CBT) and physical group exercise (PE) have both shown promising effects in reducing disability and increasing work participation among chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients. A brief cognitive intervention (BI) has previously been demonstrated to reduce work disability in CLBP. The aim of...
Objective: This randomized clinical trial was performed to compare the effect of a new multidisciplinary intervention (MI) programme to a brief intervention (BI) programme on return to work (RTW), fully and partly, at a 12-month and 24-month follow-up in patients on long-term sick leave due to musculoskeletal pain. Methods: Patients (n = 284, mean...
Background
Musculoskeletal disorders including low back pain have major individual and socioeconomic consequences as it often leads to disability and long-term sick leave and exclusion from working life. Predictors of disability and return to work often differ, and the dominant knowledge is on predictors for prolonged sick leave and disability. The...
Purpose The purpose of this study is to test if there is correspondence in stakeholders' assessments of health, work capacity and sickness certification in four workers with comorbid subjective health complaints based on video vignettes. Methods A cross sectional survey among stakeholders (N = 514) in Norway in 2009/2010. Logistic regression and mu...
Background:
Subjective health complaints, such as musculoskeletal and mental health complaints, have a high prevalence in the general population, and account for a large proportion of sick leave in Norway. It may be difficult to prevent the occurrence of subjective health complaints, but it may be possible to influence employees' perception and ma...
Aims:
The aim of this study was to investigate whether a workplace educational low back pain intervention had an effect on sick leave at the individual level and to identify possible predictors of the effect of intervention.
Methods:
Work units in two municipalities were cluster randomized to (a) educational meetings and peer support (45 units),...
Background
Long-term sick leave and withdrawal from working life is a concern in western countries. In Norway, comprehensive inpatient work rehabilitation may be offered to sick listed individuals at risk of long-term absence from work. Knowledge about prognostic factors for work outcomes after long-term sick leave and work rehabilitation is still...
Subjective health complaints (SHC), including nonspecific low back pain (LBP) as the most common single complaint, are the main reasons for long-term sick leave in many western countries. These complaints are often attributed to "stress". Cortisol has frequently been considered a biomarker reflecting sustained physiological HPA-axis activity, and i...
Musculoskeletal pain is associated with comorbidity, extensive use of health services, long-term disability and reduced quality of life. The scientific literature on effects of treatment for musculoskeletal pain is inconclusive.
The purpose of this study is to compare a multidisciplinary intervention (MI), including use of the novel Interdisciplina...
Dysregulation of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal-activity has been associated with low back pain (LBP). The underlying mechanisms are not fully explained, but psychological mechanisms are considered important. In this study we examine the association between psychiatric disorders/symptoms measured with different instruments, and cortisol in a popula...
The aim of this study was to explore how functional ability, coping and health were related to work and benefit status three years after participating in a four-week inpatient interdisciplinary occupational rehabilitation program.
The cohort consisted of 338 individuals (75% females, mean age 51 years (SD=8.6)) who three years earlier had participa...
Objective
The relationship between fatigue and pain has been investigated previously, but little is known about the prevalence of substantial fatigue in patients sick-listed for chronic low back pain (CLBP) and about how fatigue is associated with depression, pain, and long-term disability. The aims of the study were to examine the prevalence of su...
Study design:
Cross-sectional study.
Objective:
To examine the sensitivity of 2 single-item questions compared with 2 longer questionnaires for screening depression and anxiety among patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP).
Summary of background data:
Psychosocial factors are frequently identified as risk factors for developing CLBP and as...
Objectives:
The primary objective of this study was to explore whether general practitioners (GPs) in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark make similar or different decisions regarding sick leave for patients with severe subjective health complaints (SHC). The secondary objective was to investigate if patient diagnoses, the reasons attributed for patient c...
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to examine if age, gender, medical diagnosis, occupation, and previous sick leave predicted different probabilities for being at work and for registered sickness benefits, and differences in the transitions between any of these states, for individuals that had participated in an interdisciplinary work-related reh...
The associations between socioeconomic status (SES), physical and psychosocial workload and health are well documented. According to The Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress (CATS), learned response outcome expectancies (coping, helplessness, and hopelessness) are also important contributors to health. This is in part as independent factors for he...
Purpose:
To evaluate whether information and reassurance about low back pain (LBP) given to employees at the workplace could reduce sick leave.
Methods:
A Cluster randomized controlled trial with 135 work units of about 3,500 public sector employees in two Norwegian municipalities, randomized into two intervention groups; Education and peer supp...
Background
The workplace is used as a setting for interventions to prevent and reduce sickness absence, regardless of the specific medical conditions and diagnoses.AimsTo give an overview of the general effectiveness of active workplace interventions aimed at preventing and reducing sickness absence.Methods
We systematically searched PubMed, Embase...
Background. A diagnosis is the basis of medical action, the key to various social privileges and national sick leave statistics. The objectives of this study were to investigate which diagnoses general practitioners in Scandinavia give patients with severe subjective health complaints, and what kind of treatments they suggested. Methods. One hundre...
Purpose
The aim of this study is to provide a narrative review of the current state of knowledge of the role of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in the management of chronic nonspecific back pain.
Methods
A literature search on all studies published up until July 2012 (PubMed and PsycINFO) was performed. The search string consisted of 4 steps: c...
Background
Return to work (RTW) after long-term sick leave can be a long-lasting process where the individual may shift between work and receiving different social security benefits, as well as between part-time and full-time work. This is a challenge in the assessment of RTW outcomes after rehabilitation interventions. The aim of this study was to...
We examined scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI; Raskin & Terry, 1988) in relation to drive to work, enjoyment of and engagement in work, and professional position. A sample of 235 Norwegian bank employees completed a cross-sectional survey. We found that managers scored higher than subordinates on all measures. NPI scores correla...
Background
Modern health worries (concerns about aspects of modern life affecting health) heve been associated with subjective health complaints and health care utilization.
Purpose
The aim of this study was to investigate the association between modern health worries (MHW) and subjective health complaints (SHC), health care utilization, and sick l...
The objective of the present study was to explore whether a culturally adapted lifestyle education programme would improve the risk factor profile for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Pakistani immigrant women in Oslo, Norway. The randomised controlled trial (the InnvaDiab study), lasting 7 ± 1 months, comprised six edu...
The aim was to investigate how working in an extreme and isolated environment in the Arctic affected the diurnal rhythm of saliva cortisol.
Field study.
Twenty-five male tunnel workers were screened during 3 different working cycles with different light conditions during a 9-month construction period; April/May (24 hours [h] light), September/Octob...
To explore the reluctance of, and examine the arguments given by Norwegian general practioners (GPs), regarding their unwillingness to recruit their patients for a study where sick leave would be based on randomization.
A qualitative study presenting individual arguments from 50 Norwegian GPs, as written responses to a web-based, open-ended questio...