Trond Heir

University of Oslo · Norwegian Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies

Background Monitoring self-reported suicide attempts (SA) with nationally representative surveys is important to initiate suicide prevention strategies. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of SA and compare deliberate self-harm, (DSH), mental health, drug misuse and traumas between SA and non-suicide attempters (NSA). Methods In this...

Background Due to the nature of fatigue, a brief reliable measure of fatigue severity is needed. Thus, the aim of our study was to evaluate a short version of the Lee Fatigue Scale (LFS) in the Norwegian general population. Methods This cross-sectional survey consists of a representative sample from the Norwegian population drawn by The National...

Introduction Poor mental health, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has been reported after female genital cutting (FGC). However, data documenting adverse consequences of FGC have insufficiently considered confounding factors, such as other traumatising events. Here, we examined the extent to which FGC versus other serious life events...

Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine quality of life and its associated factors among adults with visual impairment in Norway. Subject and methods: Of the 1216 adults contacted, 736 (61% response rate) participated in a cross-sectional survey. A general population probability sample served as reference (n=1792, 36% response rate). Diff...

Background: Most antihypertensives can induce dermal photosensitivity, which may increase melanoma risk. However, corroborating evidence is limited. We examined the associations between use of antihypertensives and melanoma risk. Methods: A nationwide nested case-control study was conducted using data from the Cancer Registry of Norway, the Nati...

Objective To assess the trajectory of symptoms and symptom-defined post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from 1.5 to 12 months after hospitalization for COVID-19 and determine risk factors for persistent symptoms and PTSD. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of consecutive patients discharged after hospitalization for COVID-19 before 1 Jun...

Purpose To examine the use and underuse of mobility aids in individuals with visual impairment. Methods A telephone survey including a probability sample of 736 adults who were members of the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Sighted (response rate: 61%). The interviews took place between January and May 2017, collecting information about acc...

Background: Little is known about psychiatric patients’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations of coping strategies, social support and loneliness with mental health symptoms among these patients. Methods: We recruited 164 patients from Community Mental Health Centers in June–July 2020. P...

Objective Several studies have found that Healthcare workers are vulnerable to mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few studies have made comparisons of healthcare workers (HCWs) and non-HCWs. The current study aimed to compare mental health problems among HCWs with non-HCWs during the initial lockdown of COVID 19. Study d...

Background Past studies have suggested lower employment of people with visual impairment. Reasons for this are less known. This study aimed to examine the employment rates among people with visual impairment, and its association with sociodemographic characteristics, vision-related factors, depression, and life satisfaction. Methods This cross-sec...

Background: People with a visual impairment appear to have an increased risk of experiencing potentially traumatizing life events and possibly also subsequently developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study investigated the point prevalence of PTSD in people with a visual impairment compared with the general population of Norway and...

Large numbers of unaccompanied minors (UMs) have been migrating from low-income countries to European countries in recent years. Still, knowledge about risk behaviour and conduct problems in these populations is scarce. There is also a lack of knowledge about how mental health and behavioural problems in these populations change over time and wheth...

The objective of the current study was to explore counterfactual thinking in victims of the 2011 Oslo terrorism attack. Interviews were conducted with 48 government employees present at 2011 Oslo bombing, 24 of whom had a history of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to the attack, 24 had not. A thematic analysis of these qualitative data...

The psychosocial work environment is of great importance for regaining health and productivity after a workplace disaster. Still, there is a lack of knowledge about the impact of a disaster on the psychosocial work environment. The purpose of this study was to examine whether employees' perceptions of role clarity, role conflicts, and predictabilit...

The present study aimed to examine the lifetime exposure to serious life events in people with visual impairment compared with the general population. Data were derived from a telephone survey including a probability sample of 736 adults with visual impairment (response rate: 61%). The lifetime prevalence of direct experiences with seventeen differ...

Purpose The Oslo Ischaemia Study was designed to investigate the prevalence and predictors of silent coronary disease in Norwegian middle-aged men, specifically validating exercise electrocardiography (ECG) findings compared with angiography. The study has been important in investigating long-term predictors of cardiovascular morbidity and mortalit...

Objectives Studies show that social support may reduce the negative psychological effects of terror. The aim was to explore the effects of the psychosocial work environment on sick leave risk among governmental employees after a workplace bomb attack. Design We linked longitudinal survey data collected at 10 and 22 months after the bombing with re...

Background Ongoing COVID-19 studies pay little attention to the risk or protective factors related to psychological stress. Aims This study aims to estimate the prevalence of anxiety, depression and insomnia during the initial phase of the COVID-19 outbreak, and explore factors that might be associated with these outcomes. Methods A population-ba...

Background Knowledge about self-efficacy and its significance for the quality of life of people with visual impairment is lacking. The aims of the study were to compare general self-efficacy in individuals with visual impairment with the general population, and to investigate the association between self-efficacy and life satisfaction. Methods A t...

Objectives: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), emphasizes symptoms severity with regard to the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Many clinicians use neuropsychological test results as objective measures of cognitive functions as part of the diagnostic work-up. The aim of th...

Background The causes of delayed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are debated, and the validity of late-onset PTSD has been questioned. Aims We aimed to examine predictors of delayed PTSD in a community sample of survivors of a natural disaster. Method Norwegian survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami ( n = 532) responded to a questionnai...

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a major impact on people's daily life. This study aimed to examine use of alcohol and addictive drugs during the COVID-19 outbreak in Norway and examine their association with mental health problems and problems related to the pandemic. Methods: A sample of 4,527 persons responded to the survey. Use of a...

Although concern affects one's welfare or happiness, few studies to date have focused on peoples' concerns during the initial COVID-19 lockdown. The aim of the study was to explore concerns in the Norwegian populations according to gender and age, and identify which concerns were most prominent during the lockdown. A population-based cross-sectiona...

Objectives Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often co-occurs with antisocial behaviour. Several studies have shown high rates of ADHD among prisoners. However, the prevalence of crime among individuals with ADHD is less known. The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of lifetime criminal conviction (CC) in a clinica...

Concerns related to the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Norwegian population are studied in a cross-sectional web-survey conducted between 8 April and 20 May 2020. The qualitative thematic analysis of the open-ended question “Do you have other concerns related to the pandemic?”, followed a six-step process. Concerns from 1491 informa...

The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of suicide thoughts and attempts during the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak and examine pandemic-related factors associated with suicide thoughts in the general Norwegian population. A sample of 4527 adults living in Norway were recruited via social media. Data related to suicide thoughts and...

Background Serum potassium levels have been positively associated with cardiovascular mortality, but little is known about the association with cancer mortality and death due to other causes. We examined whether serum levels of potassium were associated with long-term mortality in a healthy cohort. Methods Oslo Ischemia Study invited 2341 initiall...

This population-based study assessed the prevalence and determinants of symptom-defined post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a cohort of hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients about 1.5–6 months after their COVID-19 onset. The data were acquired from two mixed postal/web surveys in June–September 2020 from patients all aged ≥18 years with a...

Returning to work after large-scale traumatic events is desirable for employees, their organization, and society. The aim of the present study was to identify work-related factors that are perceived as important for work participation versus sick leave after a terrorist attack. We conducted in-depth interviews of 98 employees in the Norwegian gover...

The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of suicide thoughts and-attempts during the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak and examine factors associated with suicide thoughts in the general Norwegian population. A sample of 4527 adults living in Norway were recruited via social media. Data related to suicide thoughts and attempts, mental...

Background Female genital cutting (FGC) involve an acute physical trauma that hold a potential risk for immediate and long-term complications and mental health problems. The aim of this study was to examine the prediction of depressive symptoms and psychological distress by the immediate and current physical complications following FGC. Further, to...

Purpose Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health problem with a negative impact on quality of life. Little is known about the relationship between PTSD and visual impairment. According to diagnostic criteria for PTSD, vision loss in itself is generally not considered as a traumatic event. PTSD in people with visual impairment is more...

Background The COVID-19 pandemic represents a global health crisis. How well people cope with this situation depends on many factors, including one’s personality, such as dispositional optimism. The aim of the study was to investi-gate: 1) optimists’ and pessimists’ concerns during lockdown, and mental and global health; 2) whether pessi-mists with...

Spending on counterterrorism interventions has increased markedly in recent decades despite limited evidence supporting their effectiveness. Effectiveness research is mostly based on statistical modelling of risk and risk reduction and tends to ignore the impact interventions have on the subjective consequences of terrorism in a population – e.g. i...

Objectives Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often co-occurs with antisocial behaviour. Several studies have shown high rates of ADHD among prisoners. However, the prevalence of crime among individuals with ADHD is less known. The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of lifetime criminal conviction (CC) in a clinica...

The COVID-19 outbreak and the sudden lockdown of society in March 2020 had a large impact on people's daily life and gave rise to concerns for the mental health in the general population. The aim of the study was to examine post-traumatic stress reactions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of symptom-defined post-traumatic stress diso...

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The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a major impact on people's daily life. This study aimed to examine use of alcohol and addictive drugs during the COVID-19 outbreak and examine their association with mental health problems and problems related to the pandemic. A sample of 4527 persons responded to the survey. Use of alcohol and addictive drugs were...

Purpose Cutaneous melanoma is among the fastest growing malignancies in Norway and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure is the primary environmental risk factor. Immunomodulating drugs can increase skin photosensitivity and suppress immune responses, and by such mechanisms influence melanoma risk. We, therefore, aimed to examine the associations be...

The COVID-19 outbreak and the sudden lockdown of society in March 2020 had a large impact on people's daily life and gave rise to concerns for the mental health in the general population. The aim of the study was to examine post-traumatic stress reactions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of symptom-defined post-traumatic stress diso...

Background A large body of research has shown that terrorism enhances fears and undermines perceived safety in a high proportion of both directly exposed individuals and individuals without any form of direct exposure (i.e. no geographical proximity to an attack). Some studies have further suggested that fear of terrorism may adversely affect healt...

Objective This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of substance use in the Norwegian general population and examine whether the risk of various psychiatric or somatic diseases varied according to alcohol- and substance use. Methods A survey was distributed to 5500 persons in Norway, and a sample of 1792 persons responded (36% response rate). Da...

Background: To our knowledge, no study has obtained specific estimates of depression for young and middle-aged adults with visual impairment (VI). As estimates of depression varies across age groups in the general population, it is of interest to examine whether the same applies to adults with low vision or blindness. Aim: To estimate depression...

The lifetime prevalence of sexual assault was examined in a representative sample of the general Norwegian adult population ( n = 1,792), in addition to the association between sexual assault and health, quality of life, and general self-efficacy. Respondents completed questionnaires assessing these factors. Overall, 6.7% ( n = 120) of the responde...

Background: Knowledge about the high rates of depression in people with visual impairment (VI) remains unclear. The study aimed to examine whether depressive symptoms in people with VI were associated with social isolation, perceived social support and lifetime exposure to bullying, physical abuse or sexual abuse. Methods: An anonymous telephone...

Purpose Harmful use of alcohol is a major public health problem. While harm is often researched in the context of heavy drinking episodes, high-frequency drinking, even when drinking moderate quantities, constitutes a health risk in a longer perspective. The purpose of this paper is to examine the prevalence of daily use of alcohol in the Norwegian...

Background: Studies have shown that terrorist attacks affect the mental and physical health of persons exposed to terrorism. When terror strikes at the workplace where people spend much time, and should feel safe, the health consequences for those affected might be severe. The aim of the study was to determine whether psychological and social work...

Objective: Dissociative disorders (DDs) are associated with intensive, long-term treatment, suicidality, recurrent hospitalizations, and high rates of disability. However, little is known about the specifics of the economic burden associated with DDs. This worldwide, systematic review examines the results of studies in adults on direct and indirec...

Background: Although many people experience loneliness in old age, there is little knowledge of predisposing personality factors. The aim of the present study was to explore to what extent personality traits are associated with the risk of becoming lonely, in women and men aged 60-79 years at baseline. Methods: The panel data are from The Norweg...

Objective To explore the association between the psychosocial work environment and the risk of sick leave among governmental employees with symptom-defined post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a workplace bomb attack. Design A prospective study on employees who met the symptom criteria for PTSD. Questionnaire data on the psychosocial work e...

Purpose Melanoma is the cancer with the most rapidly rising incidence rate in Norway. Although exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the major environmental risk factor, other factors may also contribute. Antidepressants have cancer inhibiting and promoting side effects, and their prescription rates have increased in parallel with melanoma inc...

Purpose To examine whether serum levels of potassium and sodium were associated with long-term cancer risk in initially healthy men. Patients and Methods A cohort of 1994 initially healthy men with no use of medication, aged 40–59 years, was followed for cancer during 40 years of follow-up. Associations between fasting electrolyte levels and cance...

Background: Prevalence studies are needed to assess the distribution of diseases. However, in a contrasting health promotion perspective, self-rated health is in itself an important field of study. This study investigated self-rated global health in the general population in Norway. Methods: As part of a national survey, a two-item measure of gl...

Background Harmful use of alcohol is a major public health problem. While harm is often researched in the context of heavy drinking episodes, high-frequency drinking, even when drinking moderate quantities, constitutes a health risk in a longer perspective. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of daily use of alcohol in the Norwegian...

Background High risk of substance use disorders (SUD) in people with ADHD calls for exploratory research. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and drug use disorder (DUD) in a clinical sample of adults with ADHD, and to examine their association with ADHD symptom severity and emotional dysregulation (ED...

Hintergrund: Bisher ist wenig darüber bekannt, ob und in welchem Maße sich Einsamkeit auf das Leben von Menschen mit Sehbehinderung (SB) auswirkt. Das Ziel dieser Studie war es daher, die Prävalenz und die assoziierten Faktoren von Einsamkeit bei Erwachsenen mit SB sowie den Zusammenhang von Einsamkeit und Lebenszufriedenheit zu untersuchen. Method...

Background It has been suggested that countries with more resources and better healthcare have populations with a higher risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Norway is a high-income country with good public healthcare. Aims To examine lifetime trauma exposure and the point prevalence of PTSD in the general Norwegian population. Method A...

Cancer prevention efforts include modification of unhealthy lifestyle, such as smoking cessation and resisting gain in body weight. Although physical activity is inversely related to risk of several cancers, it is poorly studied whether changes in physical activity or fitness influence future cancer risk. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether chang...

Objectives To estimate the rate of sick leave and sick leave diagnosis among employees before and after a work-place targeted terror attack, and to compare sick leave in subgroups of employees based on gender and trauma exposure. Methods Data on sick leave and diagnosis in ministerial employees from the period 3 years before to 3 years after the 2...

BACKGROUND: Fear of flying is one of the most common phobias. It hinders people in performing their work and hampers family relations. Even though flight traffic has increased, there are new fears. Valid studies are needed to answer whether there have been changes in the prevalence of flight anxiety, are there sex differences in relation to fear of...

Background Self-evaluations of mental health problems may be a useful complement to diagnostic assessment, but are less frequently used. This study investigated the prevalence of self-evaluated current and lifetime anxiety in the general Norwegian population, and sociodemographic and psychological factors associated with current anxiety. Methods A...

Background Little is known about whether and to what extent loneliness impacts the lives of people with visual impairment (VI). Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of and factors associated with loneliness in adults with VI, and to examine its association with life satisfaction. Methods This cross-sectional interview study in...

Introduction The incidence of cutaneous melanoma (hereafter melanoma) has increased dramatically among fair-skinned populations worldwide. In Norway, melanoma is the most rapidly growing type of cancer, with a 47% increase among women and 57% among men in 2000–2016. Intermittent ultraviolet exposure early in life and phenotypic characteristics like...

Terrorism at the workplace represents an extreme form of workplace violence potentially affecting large numbers of individuals. Evidence suggests that workplace violence adversely affects employees’ health and work functioning by increasing perceived threat and decreasing perceived safety. The objective of this study was to explore longitudinal ass...

Background: Several studies have found that optimism is associated with better health. However, all those studies have investigated the subject in a specific context: gender, age group, diagnosis, situation, or population segment. Given the association found between optimism and physical health, mental health and well-being in previous studies, one...

The literature refers to high rates of occupational failure in the population of adults with ADHD. The explanation for this is less known. The aim of the present study was to examine associations between social characteristics and clinical features of adults with ADHD and their occupational outcome. Out of 1050 patients diagnosed with ADHD in a spe...

Background: Multi-item rating scales for depression informs about the level of depression, but does not allow individuals to state by self-evaluation whether they feel depressed or not. The insider perspective on depression is rarely assessed. This study investigated the prevalence of self-diagnosed depression in the Norwegian general population,...