Walter Osika

Karolinska Institutet | KI · Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society - NVS

Stress affects performance, patient safety and work environment in healthcare. During crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic can high workload and work un-der time pressure, with limited resources, when difficult decisions need to be made, lead to morally stressful situations, which can lead to moral distress. In turn can unmanaged moral distress res...

Background Previous research suggests that mindfulness meditation and psychedelic substances show promise as mental health interventions, but relatively little remains known about their potential impact on leadership outcomes. Aims This study aimed to investigate if and how mindfulness meditation and psychedelic use may impact leadership among res...

Background Pregnancy and childbirth are significant events in many women’s lives, and the prevalence of depressive symptoms increases during this vulnerable period. Apart from well documented cognitive, affective, and somatic symptoms, stress and depression are associated with physiological changes, such as reduced heart-rate variability (HRV) and...

Objectives Previous research has investigated potential synergies between classic psychedelics and meditation practice, but relatively little remains known about the relationship between classic psychedelic experiences and engagement with meditation practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between classic psychedelic expe...

Recent research suggests that mindfulness, compassion, and self-compassion relate to inner transformative qualities/capacities and intermediary factors that can support increased pro-environmental behavior and attitudes across individual, collective, organizational, and system levels. However, current insights focus on the individual level, are res...

Previous studies have investigated challenging, difficult, or distressing experiences using classic psychedelics, but little is known about the prevalence and associations of such experiences. Using nationally representative data of the US adult population (N = 2822), this study examined the prevalence and associations of challenging experiences us...

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on many domains of healthcare. Even in high-income countries such as Sweden, the number of patients has vastly outnumbered the resources in affected areas, in particular during the first wave. Staff caring for patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units (ICUs) faced a very challenging...

Researchers and practitioners increasingly emphasise the need to complement dominant external, technological approaches with an internal focus to support transformation toward sustainability. However, knowledge on how this internal human dimension can support transformation across individual, collective, and systems levels is limited. Our study add...

Background The COVID-19 pandemic is commonly believed to have increased common mental disorders (CMD, i.e., depression and anxiety), either directly due to COVID-19 contractions (death of near ones or residual conditions), or indirectly by increasing stress, economic uncertainty, and disruptions in daily life resulting from containment measure. Whe...

In two studies using samples representative of the US adult population with regard to age, sex and ethnicity, we investigated relationships between loving-kindness and compassion-based practices with speciesism, animal solidarity and desire to help animals. In a cross-sectional study (Study 1, N = 2,822), results showed that past 30 days practice a...

Background Preliminary evidence suggests that classic psychedelics may be effective in the treatment of some psychiatric disorders, yet little remains known about their effects on health behavior and physical health. Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate associations of lifetime classic psychedelic use and psychological insight d...

Subjective experiences of autistic adults remain under-researched, especially in the field of art. To learn more about their uses and functions of music, we interviewed 13 autistic adults and through a hermeneutic-phenomenological analysis found four overarching themes: Well-being, Identity and self-development, Connectedness, and Negative experien...

Background A rise in mental illness is expected to follow the COVID-19 pandemic, which has also been projected to lead to a deep global economic recession, further adding to risk factors. Aims The aim of this review was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics, epidemics and economic crises on mental health. Method Sea...

Objectives Previous studies have reported links between classic psychedelic use and seizures, but little remains known about prevalence and potential risk factors of classic psychedelic-related seizures. Methods Using a sample representative of the US adult population with regard to sex, age, and ethnicity (N = 2822), this study examined the preva...

Responding effectively to climate change requires an understanding of what shapes people’s individual and collective sense of agency and responsibility towards the future. It also requires transforming this understanding into political engagement to support systems change. Based on a national representative survey in Sweden (N = 1,237), this resear...

Harmful drinking may be a cause and an effect of psychological distress, and compromises the effects of treatment for psychiatric conditions. There is a paucity of studies investigating patterns of alcohol consumption among patients with stress-induced exhaustion disorder (SED). The aims of this investigation were (1) to assess the prevalence of se...

The paper’s main contributions are twofold: to demonstrate how to apply the general European Union’s High-Level Expert Group’s (EU HLEG) guidelines for trustworthy AI in practice for the domain of healthcare; and to investigate the research question of what does “trustworthy AI” mean at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, we present the...

Previous research has found associations between classic psychedelic use and nature-relatedness, but the link between classic psychedelic use and human–animal relations remains largely unexplored. Using data representative of the US adult population, with regard to age, sex and ethnicity (N = 2822), this pre-registered study assessed lifetime class...

Purpose Contemporary workplaces undergo frequent reorganizations in order to stay competitive in a working life characterized by globalization, digitalization, economic uncertainty, and ever-increased complexity. Managers are in the frontline of these challenges, leading themselves, organizations and their employees in high stress environments. Thi...

Background: Pregnancy and childbirth are significant events in many women’s lives, and the prevalence of depressive symptoms increases during this vulnerable period. Apart from well documented cognitive, affective, and somatic symptoms, depression is associated with physiological changes, such as reduced heart-rate variability (HRV) and activation...

Population-based studies of individual-level residential greenspace and mental health outcomes are still limited. Thus, the present study investigates greenspace–mental health associations—including depressive symptoms, burnout symptoms, and life satisfaction—in a population-based sample of adults, the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of He...

Population-based studies of individual-level residential greenspace and mental health outcomes are still limited. Thus, the present study investigates greenspace-mental health associations—including depressive symptoms, burnout symptoms and life satisfaction—in a population-based sample of adults, the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Hea...

Stress and mental ill-health carry considerable costs for both individuals and organizations. Although interventions targeting compassion and self-compassion have been shown to reduce stress and benefit mental health, related research in organizational settings is limited. We investigated the effects of a 6-week psychological intervention utilizing...

Objectives Moderate mental health problems are highly prevalent and increasing in Swedish schoolchildren, elevating risk for future mental and somatic disability. The aim of this study was to determine whether an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention, Training for Mindfulness and Resilience (TMR), mitigates mental health symptoms and increases resi...

Background: Music listening can improve acquisition of new knowledge. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the emotional and cognitive effects of a knowledge concert on the attending audience. Methodology: The audience was asked to complete a Visual Analogue Scale (10 cm) before and after listening to the concert, along five variables:...

Climate change is an increasing threat to sustainable development worldwide. However, the dominant incremental policy approaches have not generated action at anywhere near the rate, scale or depth that is needed. This is largely due to the fact that climate change has historically been framed as a purely external, technical challenge. There is an u...

The objective of the current study was to investigate the associations between lifetime classic psychedelic use and cardiometabolic diseases. Using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2005–2014), the present study examined the associations between lifetime classic psychedelic use and two types of cardiometabolic disease: heart dis...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly improve the delivery of healthcare and other services that advance population health and wellbeing. However, the use of AI in healthcare also brings potential risks that may cause unintended harm. To guide future developments in AI, the High-Level Expert Group on AI set up by the European Co...

Aims: There is an urgent need to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent mental health and health behaviours. To date, there are no such studies on Swedish adolescents. As COVID-19 emerged in the middle of our ongoing 2-year follow-up examination of the Study of Adolescence Resilience and Stress, we had the unique opportunity to...

Objective Benevolence is an emerging concept in motivation theory and research as well as in on pro-social behavior, which has stimulated increasing interest in studying factors that impair or facilitate benevolence and effects thereof. This exploratory study examines the associations between benevolence, stress, mental health, self-compassion, and...

The long-term and complex supervisor-doctoral student relationship is often characterised by tension and frictions. In higher education research, models, and interventions that take the potential beneficial interpersonal effects of compassion into account seem to be scarce. Hence, the aim of this study was to conceptualise the potential role compas...

Body The H2020/PERISCOPE project, including 32 partners from European universities & agencies, began 1st November 2020 and will last 36 months. The overarching objectives of PERISCOPE are to map and analyse the unintended impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak; develop solutions and guidance for policymakers and health authorities on how to mitigate the...

Using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2005–2014), weighted to be representative of the US adult population, the present study investigated the association between lifetime classic psychedelic use and hypertension in the past year among adults in the United States. The results showed that respondents who reported having used a...

The purpose of the study is to explore a new research methodology that will improve our understanding of "flow" through indicators of physiological and qualitative state. We examine indicators of "flow" experienced by musicians of a youth string quartet, two women (25, 29) and two men (23, 24). Electrocardiogram (ECG) equipment was used to record h...

Purpose Urbanisation is trending globally, leading to population densification and housing shortage and people living increasingly in isolation. This entails challenges to sustainable development including ecological, social and well-being issues. This paper aims to evaluate the effects of a six-month onboarding self-leadership programme including...

Objective: To investigate the effects of a 6‐week smartphone compassion training intervention on mental health. Method: Fifty‐seven Swedish university students (mean age = 25, SD = 5) reporting high levels of stress were randomized to compassion training (n = 23), mindfulness (n = 19), or waitlist (n = 15). Result: Multilevel models indicated that...

Background: There has been an insufficient amount of studies that examine how academic working life of researchers can be supported. Objective: We examine the use of a nature and art-related activity retreat designed for researchers. The purpose was to evaluate if and how researchers perceived different workshop experiences set in nature as mean...

Aims: Earlier studies show that participation in mind and body exercises (MBE) is cross-sectionally associated with high levels of depressive symptoms and antidepressants. This study investigates the longitudinal interrelationship between depressive symptoms, MBE and antidepressants. Methods: 3269 men and 4318 women aged 24-74 years participated...

Mindfulness Based Interventions (MBIs) have recently been increasingly used in clinical settings, and research regarding their effects on health has grown rapidly. However, with regard to the physiological effects of mindfulness practices, studies have reported associations that vary in strength and direction. Therefore, in this systematic review a...

The drive to learn and engage in music varies among individuals. Global motivation to do something can be intrinsic, for example, the joy and satisfaction in an activity. But motivation behind our action can also be extrinsic, such as the desire for fame, status or increased financial resources. The type of motivation probably influences to what de...

Accepted to Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology E-ISSN: 2002-2867 In Activity Based Working Environment (ABWE) offices, employees are allowed increased autonomy and are expected to choose where, when, with whom, and to some degree with what, to work; in other words, employees are expected to self-lead to a higher degree and...

Cultural, contemplative, and nature- related activities— promising measures for major public health challenges Mental and psychosomatic health problems currently constitute one of the greatest public health issues. Apart from individual suffering, this causes long- term absenteeism and high societal costs. Common mental disorders involve problems w...

Both internal and external stimuli can cause stress, and suboptimal stress management is a major driver of ill health. There are several complex interventions, such as contemplative practices and cultural activities, which facilitate the process of becoming aware of and handling such stimuli. Participation in such activities can facilitate the conn...

Methods: The study includes 3,913 men and 4,803 women aged 20-72 who participated in the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH). The respondents were divided into three groups depending on frequency of MBE practice (never/seldom/often). Measures regarding MBE practice, health behaviors, self-rated health, and illnesses were dra...

Physical MBE. Data on physical MBE. (DOCX)

This study aims to identify any differences regarding gender, age, socioeconomic status (SES), self-rated health, perceived stress and the purchase of prescribed drugs among people who practice mind and body exercises (MBE) extensively compared to people who do not. Methods: The study includes 3,913 men and 4,803 women aged 20–72 who participated i...

Objective: A validated measure to gather patient feedback on physicians’ empathy is not available in Swedish. The objective for this study was to examine the psychometric characteristics of a Swedish version of the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) measure (widely used in English). Design, setting and patients: The CARE measure was transla...

Background During the past decade, there has been a rapid increase of interactive apps designed for health and well-being. Yet, little research has been published on developing frameworks for design and evaluation of digital mindfulness facilitating technologies. Moreover, many existing digital mindfulness applications are purely software based. Th...

Background Frequencies in reported psychosomatic illnesses have increased in Sweden among children, adolescents, and young adults. Little is known about demographic differences in self-reported psychosomatic complaints, such as between urban and rural areas, and whether surveys launched on the Internet could be a useful method in sampling such data...

Background and aims: The development of adolescence psychological health over a 3-year period and its relationship to peripheral endothelial function and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis activity were examined in a cohort of healthy adolescents in a longitudinal study. Methods: A total of 162 adolescents (94 females) participated in...

The present study investigates the cerebral effects of chronic occupational stress and its possible reversibility. Forty-eight patients with occupational exhaustion syndrome (29 women) and 80 controls (47 women) underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neuropsychological testing. Forty-four participants (25 patients, 19 controls) a...

Writer’s block, a common form of procrastination, can have a serious negative impact on an individual’s academic performance. In this case study, a student with writer’s block was interviewed and asked to perform body movements that represented the process of writing a master’s thesis. A micro-phenomenological method was used to investigate the stu...

Objective: Executive cognitive functioning is essential in private and working life and is sensitive to stress and aging. Cardiovascular (CV) health factors are related to cognitive decline and dementia, but there is relatively few studies of the role of CV autonomic regulation, a key component in stress responses and risk factor for cardiovascular...

What is our role in creating healthy organizations and a healthy world? Creative Social Change: Leadership for a Healthy World fosters a unique dialogue on the interconnections between leadership, sustainability, the long-term viability of the planet and organizational development. Brought together, these arenas of research and action can influence...

The aim of this paper was to provide an overview of the literature on clinically significant burnout, focusing on its assessment, associations with sleep disturbances, cognitive impairments, as well as neurobiological and physiological correlates. Fifty-nine English language articles and six book chapters were included. The results indicate that ex...

B. Fröding, W. Osika Neuroenhancement: how mental training and meditation can promote epistemic virtue. Series: SpringerBriefs in Ethics ▶ Discusses the potential, and the positive effects, of regular meditation both from the perspective of the individual and the broader society suggesting that it could help promote a more ethical social climate ▶...

This chapter begins by providing a schematic review of the neurophysiological background for the development of a set of capacities e.g. cognitive flexibility, meta awareness and emotional regulation. This includes a brief account of the evidence based scientific studies showing that we can change—i.e. that the adult human brain is plastic enough....

This chapter takes a closer look at cognitive flexibility. Firstly, we define this core cognitive capacity and explain why it is good to have it to a high degree. Secondly, we examine the link between the meditation techniques promoted here (see Chap. 2) and increased cognitive flexibility, as well as the impact on other psychological capacities. T...

Chapter 1 introduced the key ideas and identified the need for cognitive improvements. The first half of Chap. 2 consisted of a schematic review of the neurophysiological background for the development of such capacities. It was, for example, explained that the adult brain is plastic enough for both functional and structural changes to take place....

The purpose of this chapter is two-fold. In Part A we explain some key aspects of virtue ethics e.g. including eudaimonia (the good life), the concept of the virtues and the development of stable character traits. For space reasons this will be very brief but should provide some theoretical background for the more general discussion in this book. T...

Burnout is common among women in Sweden. Cultural activities, i.e. arts, have benefitted different patient populations and may have potential for treating this group as well. Aim: To evaluate possible health effects of regular cultural activities for women with burnout symptoms with focus on exhaustion level. Methods: 48 women (mean age 54) were ra...

It is unclear whether psychological resilience to stress in adolescence represents a persistent characteristic relevant to the subsequent risk for depression and anxiety in later adulthood. We aimed to test whether low psychological stress resilience assessed in adolescence is associated with an increased risk of receiving medication for depression...

Vad är det som påverkar forskarsamhället och vården att satsa på kultur, mer långsiktigt? Hur kan vi på bästa sätt synliggöra våra forskningsresultat från kulturhälsoområdet, och vad krävs för implementering? Går det i förväg att planera för att kulturhälsoprojekt kan leda till långsiktig förändring? Hur skapar vi synergieffekter mellan kulturhälso...

Background: Insomnia-type sleep disturbances are frequent among patients suffering from stress-related exhaustion disorder. However, clinical observations indicate that a subgroup suffer from sleep lengths frequently exceeding 9 hours, coupled with great daytime sleepiness. Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate differences in soc...

Despite mounting reports about the negative effects of chronic occupational stress on cognitive and emotional functions, the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Recent findings from structural MRI raise the question whether this condition could be associated with a functional uncoupling of the limbic networks and an impaired modulation of emotional...

Sverige har en lång historia av politiska, sociala och medicinska åtgärder med syftet att främja ungas hälsa och välbefinnande. Vi var bland de första länderna som förbjöd barnaga och ratificerade FN:s Barnkonvention. Vi har en tillsynsmyndighet för barnens rätt – Barnombudsmannen. Trots alla goda initiativ upplever svenska elever att de har en säm...

Sverige har en lång historia av politiska, sociala och medicinska åtgärder med syftet att främja ungas hälsa och välbefinnande. Vi var bland de första länderna som förbjöd barnaga och ratificerade FN:s Barnkonvention. Vi har en tillsynsmyndighet för barnens rätt – Barnombudsmannen. Trots alla goda initiativ upplever svenska elever att de har en säm...

This study describes an analysis of the psychometric properties of a Spanish language version of the Stress in Children (SiC) questionnaire. A group of Chilean school children was evaluated. The results show a tested version of the mentioned questionnaire which consists of 16 items distributed across two factors (emotional well-being and sources of...

Aims: Major depressive disorders are common, with substantial impact on individuals/society. Brief scales for depression severity, based on a small number of characteristics all of which are necessary for diagnosis, have been recommended in self-reported versions for clinical work or research when aiming to quickly and accurately measure depressio...