Multidisciplinary, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Rehabilitation, Health (social science)
10
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
A qualitative study of the unique challenges faced by female police officers in Sweden Frida Degerstedt, Sahibe Akpinar, Karin Fältman, Elin Granholm Valmari BMC Public Health, 2025 Background Policing has traditionally been viewed as a masculine domain, which may influence how the job is perceived. While female police officers currently constitute an increasing part of the workforce, policing remains a male-dominated field globally, and gender-related challenges persist. The current study explores how female police officers in Sweden navigate the gendered norms and physical challenges they face. Methods Semi-structured and cognitive interviews were conducted with 11 female Swedish police officers. Reflexive thematic analyses, as described by Braun and Clarke, were employed to analyse the data. The methods and results were reported in accordance with qualitative reporting standards. Results The findings are presented through one overarching theme: ‘Challenges with policing in a man’s world: Gendered expectations and physical realities’, describing how female officers in Sweden navigate physical and psychological demands in a profession designed for male bodies, finding creative solutions while facing ill-fitting equipment, physical strain, and challenges related to pregnancy and recovery. They also balance their roles as women, romantic partners, and mothers while managing the unique demands of policing and shift work. The results are separated into the following themes: ‘Fitting the female body and mind into a traditionally male profession’ and ‘The dual identity: A police officer and a woman’. Conclusion Swedish female police officers navigate physical demands, gendered expectations, and work–life imbalance in a male-dominated profession. While resourceful in managing these challenges, the findings highlight the need for structural reforms. Even in gender-progressive contexts, women continue to face double burdens and unequal expectations. Hence, the findings serve as applicable both nationally and internationally, and promoting equity and inclusion is crucial for the well-being and sustainability of female officers.
Designing an instrument for police officers’ life balance and sustainable lifestyle Elin Granholm Valmari, Miguel Inzunza, Ulla Nygren, Mehdi Ghazinour, Kajsa Gilenstam British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2025 Introduction: Police officers’ occupational patterns and their needs for health promotion are rarely addressed in police health research, partly due to the lack of specific instruments. This study describes the initial steps in developing an instrument that targets officers’ lifestyles and health, utilising occupational therapy and – science. Method: The study includes 48 participants and uses an instrument development methodology. First, the construct was defined through theoretical dimensions with two focus groups. Second, items were developed and tested during cognitive interviews with 28 officers. Finally, the instrument underwent content validity testing with nine occupational therapists. Results: The instrument is based on the construct of police officers’ conditions for a sustainable and healthy lifestyle. This refers to an individualised, balanced lifestyle that enables participation, choice and control, supporting healthy routines, roles and meaningful occupations across various life domains shaped by social, occupational and physical environments over time. All domains encompass aspects of working and personal life, and the balance between them. Conclusion: The instrument’s psychometric properties, representativeness and feasibility need to be continuously evaluated. Subsequently, occupational therapists and human resource personnel may use it to promote police officers’ sustainable lifestyles and life balance as an assessment and a self-reflection tool.
A Scoping Review of Masculinity Norms and Their Interplay With Loneliness and Social Connectedness Among Men in Western Societies Therese Nordin, Frida Degerstedt, Elin Granholm Valmari American Journal of Men S Health, 2024 This scoping review explores what is currently understood about how masculinity norms interplay with loneliness and social connectedness among men in a Western context. Human beings inherently need social connections, and this review particularly addresses how traditional masculinity norms—emphasizing independence, emotional stoicism, and pain endurance—can increase vulnerability to loneliness and insufficient social connections. The review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews and systematically assessed the literature published between September 2013 and September 2023. Initial literature searches were conducted using multiple databases, including EBSCO and PubMed. Of the 1,730 articles identified, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria and were quality assessed. Results show that men often formed social connections through productive activities. Still, these connections were restricted by conflicting masculine ideals such as self-reliance, which could be prioritized over social and emotional support. Masculine bonds were often formed and strengthened through collectively rejecting diversity. Nevertheless, there were some narratives where participants attempted to redefine masculinity to access permission to care and connect. This review highlights the urgent need for cultural and societal reevaluation of gender norms to support men’s social connectedness. This shift could reduce stigma around emotional vulnerability and in turn men’s opportunities for health and well-being.
Defining the complexities of an occupational pattern—A concept analysis and theoretical validation Elin Granholm Valmari, Jesper Andersson, Anna Johansson, Ulla Nygren Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2024 BACKGROUND The concept of an occupational pattern in occupational therapy and occupational science has evolved with varying definitions, ranging from activity patterns to patterns of daily occupation. AIMS This study aimed to explore the concept of occupational pattern, develop an updated definition of the concept, and theoretically validate the concept's definition. METHOD Walker and Avant's concept analysis method was used, where both theoretical frameworks and peer-reviewed scientific literature were searched and synthesized to clarify and define the concept. Furthermore, seven occupational therapists theoretically validated the concept. FINDINGS The analysis included forty-nine references from various research contexts and theoretical perspectives. The synthesis yielded a conceptualization of the concept of occupational pattern, outlining it into three overarching categories: 'content in an individual's occupational pattern', 'designing an occupational pattern', and 'balancing the occupational pattern'. IMPLICATIONS An updated operational definition of the multifaceted concept of an occupational pattern now exists, with practical implications for enhancing the education of occupational therapy students and guiding the utilization of the concept. Moreover, it holds significance for instrument development and outcome measurement in research; especially in lifestyle intervention studies within the field of occupational therapy.
Translation and linguistic validation of the Swedish recovering quality of life (ReQoL) – A brief research report Elin Granholm Valmari, Marianne Melander, Gun-Marie Hariz, Matilda Naesström, Maria Lindström Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2023 In research and among clinicians, the focus has shifted from mainly symptom reduction and increasing functionality to a more recovery-oriented focus. Although there are instruments measuring recovery, there has been a lack of instruments sensitive enough to measure the quality of life for people with severe mental health disorders. Therefore, this study aimed to obtain a Swedish version of the Recovering Quality of Life (ReQoL) questionnaire adhering to best practice guidelines using various steps of translation, linguistic validation, and cognitive debriefing. The cognitive debriefing was conducted with seven participants, and all felt the items in the questionnaire were relevant to their health, apprehensible, and easy to complete. However, some issues were raised regarding wording and the concepts behind certain items. All feedback was considered, and some items were revised in response to criticism after continuous discussions. A Swedish version of ReQoL now exists, and although there is a need for ReQoL in different clinical research settings in Sweden, further research is required to psychometrically test the construct validity as well as reliability of the Swedish version in Sweden.
Life contexts among patrolling police officers in the European Union, investigating environmental characteristics and health–A protocol for a scoping review and a systematic review Elin Granholm Valmari, Mehdi Ghazinour, Ulla Nygren, Kajsa Gilenstam Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2023 Introduction The police officer occupation is a high-risk profession, with significantly more traumatic and stressful events than other occupations. Key factors for the health of police officers have been found to be related to intra-interpersonal, occupational, and organizational factors. However, the mechanisms underlying why is inconclusive. This protocol therefore intends to explain the approach for conducting both a scoping review, and systematic review. The overall aim of the reviews is to investigate patrolling police officers’ life contexts with the intention to identify barriers and resources that affect their lifestyle and health. Methods The protocol is reported according to the PRISMA-P guidelines, with PROSPERO number: CRD42020190583. Searches will be carried out in SCOPUS, Web of Science, PubMed, OpenGrey, and EBSCO (Academic Search Premiere, APA PsychINFO, CINAHL, SocINDEX). Two independent raters will screen articles and conduct the critical appraisal. Analyses include Arksey and O’Malley’s methodology for the scoping review, and a narrative synthesis for the systematic review, including critically appraising the total body of evidence in the systematic review. Discussion The purpose of the reviews is to understand patrolling police officers’ life contexts, and support future development of an assessment that measures patrolling police officers’ life balance from a contextual viewpoint.
Exploring the life contexts of patrolling police officers in the European Union–A scoping review Elin Granholm Valmari, Mehdi Ghazinour, Ulla Nygren, Kajsa Gilenstam Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2023 Background Patrolling police officers engage in different mentally, socially, and physically challenging life contexts which may affect their life and health. The aim of this scoping review is twofold, to explore life contexts of patrolling officers in the European Union, and to investigate how their lives and health are affected by environmental characteristics within these contexts. Methods The scoping review followed Arksey and O’Malley’s methodology and included a critical appraisal. The environmental model within Kielhofner’s Model of Human Occupation was used in the thematic analysis. The review was reported following PRISMA-ScR. Results In the 16 included studies, two contexts (where environments interact with persons on different levels) were discovered: the global and the immediate context. No local contexts were found. Primarily, research on the social, and occupational environments, including qualities identified in these environments were found. However, some environmental characteristics within patrolling officers’ physical environments were also discovered. Discussion This review contributes to the emerging research area of police officers’ life contexts, by mapping contexts and environments affecting their life and health. However, to get a deeper understanding of how officers are affected by their environments, interviewing them regarding how their different contexts affect their everyday living, would be important.
How police officers juggle work, a life partner, and kids Elin Granholm Valmari, Ulla Nygren, Mehdi Ghazinour, Kajsa Gilenstam Frontiers in Psychology, 2023 Police officers frequently encounter stressful social situations during their working days. Furthermore, previous research on policing and families show that police officers’ families are impacted in different ways when at least one member of the family has the role of a police officer. Despite work spilling over to family life there is currently little research on police officers’ role-balancing. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore and describe the challenges that arise at the intersection between police officers’ professional roles and their private life roles as parents and life partners, as well as how police officers balance these roles in between. We used qualitative content analysis after interviewing 13 uniformed police officers. The findings show how the police officers’ professional roles affect their private life roles within three different sub-themes and are summarized under the theme of “Balancing conflicting roles: Coping with professional and private life commitments”. The theme revolves around the various challenges of working as a uniformed police officer, such as hypervigilance and risks, as well as the enrichments and conflicts of working shifts while also juggling private life roles. The results also touch on gender and equality in life-partner relationships. The study raises an important question about how these challenges can be mitigated within Police authorities to enable uniformed police officers to balance their professional and personal lives in a healthy and sustainable manner.
A systematic review of lifestyle and health among patrolling police officers Elin Granholm Valmari, Mehdi Ghazinour, Ulla Nygren, Kajsa Gilenstam Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2023 Background The police profession is a high-strain and high-risk profession, sometimes resulting in poor physical, mental and social health. This systematic review aims to identify and describe crucial areas for a healthy and sustainable lifestyle among patrolling police officers in Europe, an area not previously studied. Methods The review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. A protocol was published and registered with PROSPERO beforehand. Searches were carried out in eight databases. Two independent authors screened articles and critically appraised the included studies. A narrative synthesis was conducted to analyse the results. The review’s total body of evidence was assessed with GRADE-CERQaul. Results A total of 16 articles were located, representing 13 studies. Barriers and resources for a healthy and sustainable lifestyle were linked to a theoretical framework of life balance. Subsequently, a linkage model was created to explain different aspects of patrolling police officers’ life balance and its relation to health (physical, social and mental). Conclusions Several crucial areas for a healthy and sustainable lifestyle were found and described, indicating that patrolling officers’ working life affects their possibilities of living a balanced lifestyle, which might disturb different aspects of health, depending on which aspect is compromised.
Being a top cop in pursuit of a sustainable lifestyle Elin Granholm Valmari, Ulla Nygren, Mehdi Ghazinour, Kajsa Gilenstam International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well Being, 2023 Previous research has widely recognized the challenges uniformed police officers face in their working lives. However, little is known about the overall lifestyles of police officers, including what they do in private life. We interviewed 17 officers and used reflexive thematic analysis to explore their experiences. The study sheds light on how uniformed police officers navigate the intersection between their private and professional lives, as well as how their professional role impacts their day-to-day doings and private life roles. The key findings relate to how the demands of their professional role impact their private life, such as the profession becoming a way of life. Furthermore, they highlight the challenges of avoiding certain environments where they might be recognized as police officers. It also entails balancing energy levels in work and private life, as well as how their profession’s unpredictability affects their daily routines and roles. The findings also show how their personal choices in private life are frequently influenced by their professional role. The study’s findings have theoretical as well as practical implications, contributing to a better understanding of uniformed police officers’ challenges and resources for a sustainable and healthy lifestyle.
