Brit Oppedal
Biographic Data
| ID | 106676 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Brit Oppedal |
| GIVEN NAMES | Brit |
| FAMILY NAME | Oppedal |
| SIGNATURE | OPPEDAL B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Norwegian Institute of Public Health |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8048-8549 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 330 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 25 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2003 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
A Scoping Review of School‐Based Programs for Promoting Recently Arrived Immigrant Youth's Positive Adjustment and Well‐Being
This scoping review examines school‐based programs aimed at promoting the adjustment and well‐being of recently arrived immigrant adolescents. Following PRISMA‐ScR guidelines, five databases (Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, SCOPUS, ERIC) were systematically searched for studies published since 2000, focusing on interventions implemented in formal school settings for recently arrived adolescents. The review identified 15 studies evaluating outcomes of …
“We got to know each other better and talked more about stuff we usually kind of do not talk about.” A qualitative study of the acceptability of the Norwegian version of the Identity Project
Introduction Evidence is emerging in Europe of the efficiency of culturally adapted versions of the Identity Project (IP), a U.S.-developed school-based universal mental health promoting intervention. However, in depth research knowledge about the IP’s user acceptability among school staff and students is lacking. User acceptability is an important factor in ensuring a successful implementation and large-scale uptake of effective interventions in…
Aiming for Integration’—Acculturation Strategies Among Refugee Youth in Sweden
In 2022, one in 20 minors in Sweden had a refugee background. As most refugees do not return to their countries of origin, understanding successful resettlement should be prioritised. Acculturation and psychological resilience are useful concepts, as both acknowledge the interplay between individual and contextual factors in sociocultural adjustment. However, less is known about the role of resilience in the selection and maintenance of accultura…
Life Satisfaction among Unaccompanied Refugee Minors
While there is a growing literature about mental health problems among unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee minors (URMs), far less is known about their wellbeing. Such information is important as a subjective sense of wellbeing is associated with a variety of positive health and psychosocial outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine life satisfaction and the association with traumatic events, daily hassles, and asylum status among URMs …
From Avoidance to Competence? How the Identity Project Inspires Teachers to Engage with Ethnicity and Culture with Their Students
Multicultural education highlights the need to promote students' diverse identities, recognizing their ethnic-cultural backgrounds as resources in their teaching. However, most teachers perceive they lack competence and learning material to this end. Research suggests the Identity Project may be an appropriate tool to resolve some of these challenges. We explore both teachers' and students' narratives about teaching issues of ethnicity and cultur…
Refugee parents’ experiences of coming to Sweden
Each year, millions of people worldwide are forced to leave their homes. Many of those affected are families. There are already a considerable number of initiatives designed to support refugees who are resettling in new countries and cultures. However, few are promotive interventions aiming to support parents and thereby their children through the extraordinary challenges they face. To develop a culturally adaptive intervention, more knowledge ab…
Ethnic-racial identity in Europe
A global challenge for developmental psychology is to better understand how young people around the world make sense of their identities growing up in pluralistic societies. The study of ethnic-racial identity provides an important lens for this process. This paper describes how five European countries (Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, and Sweden) adapted the Identity Project, an 8-week school-based intervention originally developed in the United …
The asylum‐process, bicultural identity and depression among unaccompanied young refugees ☆
INTRODUCTION: The overall aim of the present study was to expand our knowledge about depression among unaccompanied refugee minors in the years after they were granted protection in Norway. Predictors were contextual variables in terms of the asylum-process, acculturation variables in terms of bicultural identity, and demographic information such as residence-time. METHOD: Register data and cross-sectional self-report questionnaire data were coll…
Culture competence and mental health across different immigrant and refugee groups
We conclude that the YCCS is a robust acculturation measure that may be included in public health studies of mental health among multi-ethnic refugee and immigrant samples of varied ages
The role of psychologists in international migration research
This research note addresses the current and potential future role of psychologists in the study of international migration. We review ways in which psychologists have contributed to the study of migration, as well as ways in which psychological scholarship could be integrated with work from other social science fields. Broadly, we discuss four major contributions that psychology brings to the study of international migration-studying migrants' i…
Children facing war
The study was conducted to understand the development of children’s understanding of war and peace and how they differ conditions of being exposed to war. Analysis of drawings of war and peace by children was utilized to access children’s conceptions. Syrian (n = 357) children who had been exposed to war and Turkish children (n = 285) who had not were included in the study. Hiloglinear comparisons of the frequencies of coded categories in the dra…
Traumatic events, social support and depression
The overall aim of the study was to document the nature and depth of the traumatic experiences of Syrian children living in a refugee camp in Turkey during the early stages of the civil war and examine their impact on depressive symptoms. Self-report questionnaire data were collected from 285 participants, who were 57.9% females and on average 12.5 years old (SD = 1.28). Demographic information was gathered from their parents. The findings show t…
Vocational identity development among unaccompanied refugee minors
Acculturation developmentand the acquisition of culture competence
The Cambridge Handbook of Acculturation Psychology
Research and practice in the field of acculturation psychology is continually on the rise. Featuring contributions from over fifty leading experts in the field, this handbook compiles and systemizes the current state of the art by exploring the broad international scope of acculturation. The collection introduces readers to the concepts and issues; examines various acculturating groups (immigrants, ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, expatriat…
The role of social support in the acculturation and mental health of unaccompanied minor asylum seekers
There is a lack of knowledge about psychosocial resources that may sustain post‐resettlement psychological adjustment among unaccompanied minor asylum‐seekers. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of social support from family abroad and friends on acculturation, discrimination, and mental health among these vulnerable children and youth. Questionnaire data were collected from a population‐based multi‐ethnic sample involving 895 una…
(No) Time to Learn
Depression among unaccompanied minor refugees
The findings underscore the importance of current life conditions for unaccompanied refugees' mental health
The Role of Social Support in the Association Between Perceived Discrimination and Mental Health Among Young Immigrants in Norway
We investigated ethnic group differences in the association between social support, perceived discrimination and mental health in one adolescent and one preadolescent sample of immigrant children in Norway. The study is based on self-report questionn
The role of sociocultural context for culture competence and depressive symptoms among ethnic minority youths in junior high school
The aim of the study was to examine whether school sociocultural context affects culture competence and its relationship to depressive symptoms. As part of the Youth, Culture and Competence study conducted in the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, questionnaire data was collected from 373 immigrant students in two junior high schools within Oslo. The school contexts were represented in terms of proportion of ethnic minority students, 90% versu…
Young Muslim Immigrants in Norway
The first aim of the present study was to examine internalizing problems and their psychosocial correlates among young Muslim immigrants in Norway as compared to other immigrant youth and host peers. The second aim was to examine adaptation differences among Muslim youth based on national origin and gender. Questionnaire data were collected during school classes from 6306 10th grade students in junior high schools in Oslo. Of the 1666 immigrants …
Is relatively young age within a school year a risk factor for mental health problems and poor school performance? A population-based cross-sectional study of adolescents in Oslo, Norway
In adolescents from a multicultural city in Norway, relative age within a school year significantly influenced academic performance. In contrast to data from Great Britain, relative age within a school year was not an important risk factor for mental health problems in adolescents in Oslo
Ethnic group, acculturation, and psychiatric problems in young immigrants
The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of ethnic origin and acculturation factors on psychiatric problems among immigrant adolescents. One aim was to examine variations in psychiatric problems according to gender and immigrant generation level. Another aim was to explore ethnic group differences in psychiatric problems and acculturation risk and protective factors. Finally, we examined the potential mediating effect of acculturatio…
The effect of acculturation and social support on change in mental health among young immigrants
The aim of the study was to examine the mediating and moderating roles of social support in the acculturation–mental health link, and to investigate how these processes combine with self-esteem to affect mental health change. Questionnaire data were collected twice from 137 immigrant students, first at the upstart in junior high school, and then again a year later (8th and 9th grade). Acculturation was described in positive terms as a development…
Acculturation as a Developmental Pathway
This chapter looks at some developmental issues in the acculturation of children and adolescents with immigrant backgrounds. In addition to raising critical questions about this line of research, the chapter examines some underlying assumptions and their implications for the study of acculturation in younger people. It is argued that ambiguities in the final outcome of acculturation and differences in acculturation experiences of adults and child…
The Cambridge Handbook of Acculturation Psychology
Research and practice in the field of acculturation psychology is continually on the rise. Featuring contributions from over fifty leading experts in the field, this handbook compiles and systemizes the current state of the art by exploring the broad international scope of acculturation. The collection introduces readers to the concepts and issues; examines various acculturating groups (immigrants, ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, expatriat…
The effect of acculturation and social support on change in mental health among young immigrants
The aim of the study was to examine the mediating and moderating roles of social support in the acculturation–mental health link, and to investigate how these processes combine with self-esteem to affect mental health change. Questionnaire data were collected twice from 137 immigrant students, first at the upstart in junior high school, and then again a year later (8th and 9th grade). Acculturation was described in positive terms as a development…
Ethnic-racial identity in Europe
A global challenge for developmental psychology is to better understand how young people around the world make sense of their identities growing up in pluralistic societies. The study of ethnic-racial identity provides an important lens for this process. This paper describes how five European countries (Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, and Sweden) adapted the Identity Project, an 8-week school-based intervention originally developed in the United …
Acculturation as a Developmental Pathway
This chapter looks at some developmental issues in the acculturation of children and adolescents with immigrant backgrounds. In addition to raising critical questions about this line of research, the chapter examines some underlying assumptions and their implications for the study of acculturation in younger people. It is argued that ambiguities in the final outcome of acculturation and differences in acculturation experiences of adults and child…
Vocational identity development among unaccompanied refugee minors
Depression among unaccompanied minor refugees
The findings underscore the importance of current life conditions for unaccompanied refugees' mental health
The Role of Social Support in the Association Between Perceived Discrimination and Mental Health Among Young Immigrants in Norway
We investigated ethnic group differences in the association between social support, perceived discrimination and mental health in one adolescent and one preadolescent sample of immigrant children in Norway. The study is based on self-report questionn
Young Muslim Immigrants in Norway
The first aim of the present study was to examine internalizing problems and their psychosocial correlates among young Muslim immigrants in Norway as compared to other immigrant youth and host peers. The second aim was to examine adaptation differences among Muslim youth based on national origin and gender. Questionnaire data were collected during school classes from 6306 10th grade students in junior high schools in Oslo. Of the 1666 immigrants …
Traumatic events, social support and depression
The overall aim of the study was to document the nature and depth of the traumatic experiences of Syrian children living in a refugee camp in Turkey during the early stages of the civil war and examine their impact on depressive symptoms. Self-report questionnaire data were collected from 285 participants, who were 57.9% females and on average 12.5 years old (SD = 1.28). Demographic information was gathered from their parents. The findings show t…
From Avoidance to Competence? How the Identity Project Inspires Teachers to Engage with Ethnicity and Culture with Their Students
Multicultural education highlights the need to promote students' diverse identities, recognizing their ethnic-cultural backgrounds as resources in their teaching. However, most teachers perceive they lack competence and learning material to this end. Research suggests the Identity Project may be an appropriate tool to resolve some of these challenges. We explore both teachers' and students' narratives about teaching issues of ethnicity and cultur…
Children facing war
The study was conducted to understand the development of children’s understanding of war and peace and how they differ conditions of being exposed to war. Analysis of drawings of war and peace by children was utilized to access children’s conceptions. Syrian (n = 357) children who had been exposed to war and Turkish children (n = 285) who had not were included in the study. Hiloglinear comparisons of the frequencies of coded categories in the dra…
The role of psychologists in international migration research
This research note addresses the current and potential future role of psychologists in the study of international migration. We review ways in which psychologists have contributed to the study of migration, as well as ways in which psychological scholarship could be integrated with work from other social science fields. Broadly, we discuss four major contributions that psychology brings to the study of international migration-studying migrants' i…
Aiming for Integration’—Acculturation Strategies Among Refugee Youth in Sweden
In 2022, one in 20 minors in Sweden had a refugee background. As most refugees do not return to their countries of origin, understanding successful resettlement should be prioritised. Acculturation and psychological resilience are useful concepts, as both acknowledge the interplay between individual and contextual factors in sociocultural adjustment. However, less is known about the role of resilience in the selection and maintenance of accultura…
The role of sociocultural context for culture competence and depressive symptoms among ethnic minority youths in junior high school
The aim of the study was to examine whether school sociocultural context affects culture competence and its relationship to depressive symptoms. As part of the Youth, Culture and Competence study conducted in the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, questionnaire data was collected from 373 immigrant students in two junior high schools within Oslo. The school contexts were represented in terms of proportion of ethnic minority students, 90% versu…
Acculturation as a Developmental Pathway
This chapter looks at some developmental issues in the acculturation of children and adolescents with immigrant backgrounds. In addition to raising critical questions about this line of research, the chapter examines some underlying assumptions and their implications for the study of acculturation in younger people. It is argued that ambiguities in the final outcome of acculturation and differences in acculturation experiences of adults and child…
The effect of acculturation and social support on change in mental health among young immigrants
The aim of the study was to examine the mediating and moderating roles of social support in the acculturation–mental health link, and to investigate how these processes combine with self-esteem to affect mental health change. Questionnaire data were collected twice from 137 immigrant students, first at the upstart in junior high school, and then again a year later (8th and 9th grade). Acculturation was described in positive terms as a development…
Is relatively young age within a school year a risk factor for mental health problems and poor school performance? A population-based cross-sectional study of adolescents in Oslo, Norway
In adolescents from a multicultural city in Norway, relative age within a school year significantly influenced academic performance. In contrast to data from Great Britain, relative age within a school year was not an important risk factor for mental health problems in adolescents in Oslo
Ethnic group, acculturation, and psychiatric problems in young immigrants
The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of ethnic origin and acculturation factors on psychiatric problems among immigrant adolescents. One aim was to examine variations in psychiatric problems according to gender and immigrant generation level. Another aim was to explore ethnic group differences in psychiatric problems and acculturation risk and protective factors. Finally, we examined the potential mediating effect of acculturatio…
Young Muslim Immigrants in Norway
The first aim of the present study was to examine internalizing problems and their psychosocial correlates among young Muslim immigrants in Norway as compared to other immigrant youth and host peers. The second aim was to examine adaptation differences among Muslim youth based on national origin and gender. Questionnaire data were collected during school classes from 6306 10th grade students in junior high schools in Oslo. Of the 1666 immigrants …
The role of sociocultural context for culture competence and depressive symptoms among ethnic minority youths in junior high school
The aim of the study was to examine whether school sociocultural context affects culture competence and its relationship to depressive symptoms. As part of the Youth, Culture and Competence study conducted in the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, questionnaire data was collected from 373 immigrant students in two junior high schools within Oslo. The school contexts were represented in terms of proportion of ethnic minority students, 90% versu…
The Role of Social Support in the Association Between Perceived Discrimination and Mental Health Among Young Immigrants in Norway
We investigated ethnic group differences in the association between social support, perceived discrimination and mental health in one adolescent and one preadolescent sample of immigrant children in Norway. The study is based on self-report questionn
The role of social support in the acculturation and mental health of unaccompanied minor asylum seekers
There is a lack of knowledge about psychosocial resources that may sustain post‐resettlement psychological adjustment among unaccompanied minor asylum‐seekers. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of social support from family abroad and friends on acculturation, discrimination, and mental health among these vulnerable children and youth. Questionnaire data were collected from a population‐based multi‐ethnic sample involving 895 una…
(No) Time to Learn
Depression among unaccompanied minor refugees
The findings underscore the importance of current life conditions for unaccompanied refugees' mental health
Acculturation developmentand the acquisition of culture competence
The Cambridge Handbook of Acculturation Psychology
Research and practice in the field of acculturation psychology is continually on the rise. Featuring contributions from over fifty leading experts in the field, this handbook compiles and systemizes the current state of the art by exploring the broad international scope of acculturation. The collection introduces readers to the concepts and issues; examines various acculturating groups (immigrants, ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, expatriat…
Vocational identity development among unaccompanied refugee minors
Children facing war
The study was conducted to understand the development of children’s understanding of war and peace and how they differ conditions of being exposed to war. Analysis of drawings of war and peace by children was utilized to access children’s conceptions. Syrian (n = 357) children who had been exposed to war and Turkish children (n = 285) who had not were included in the study. Hiloglinear comparisons of the frequencies of coded categories in the dra…
Traumatic events, social support and depression
The overall aim of the study was to document the nature and depth of the traumatic experiences of Syrian children living in a refugee camp in Turkey during the early stages of the civil war and examine their impact on depressive symptoms. Self-report questionnaire data were collected from 285 participants, who were 57.9% females and on average 12.5 years old (SD = 1.28). Demographic information was gathered from their parents. The findings show t…
The role of psychologists in international migration research
This research note addresses the current and potential future role of psychologists in the study of international migration. We review ways in which psychologists have contributed to the study of migration, as well as ways in which psychological scholarship could be integrated with work from other social science fields. Broadly, we discuss four major contributions that psychology brings to the study of international migration-studying migrants' i…
The asylum‐process, bicultural identity and depression among unaccompanied young refugees ☆
INTRODUCTION: The overall aim of the present study was to expand our knowledge about depression among unaccompanied refugee minors in the years after they were granted protection in Norway. Predictors were contextual variables in terms of the asylum-process, acculturation variables in terms of bicultural identity, and demographic information such as residence-time. METHOD: Register data and cross-sectional self-report questionnaire data were coll…
Culture competence and mental health across different immigrant and refugee groups
We conclude that the YCCS is a robust acculturation measure that may be included in public health studies of mental health among multi-ethnic refugee and immigrant samples of varied ages
Refugee parents’ experiences of coming to Sweden
Each year, millions of people worldwide are forced to leave their homes. Many of those affected are families. There are already a considerable number of initiatives designed to support refugees who are resettling in new countries and cultures. However, few are promotive interventions aiming to support parents and thereby their children through the extraordinary challenges they face. To develop a culturally adaptive intervention, more knowledge ab…
Ethnic-racial identity in Europe
A global challenge for developmental psychology is to better understand how young people around the world make sense of their identities growing up in pluralistic societies. The study of ethnic-racial identity provides an important lens for this process. This paper describes how five European countries (Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, and Sweden) adapted the Identity Project, an 8-week school-based intervention originally developed in the United …
Life Satisfaction among Unaccompanied Refugee Minors
While there is a growing literature about mental health problems among unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee minors (URMs), far less is known about their wellbeing. Such information is important as a subjective sense of wellbeing is associated with a variety of positive health and psychosocial outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine life satisfaction and the association with traumatic events, daily hassles, and asylum status among URMs …
From Avoidance to Competence? How the Identity Project Inspires Teachers to Engage with Ethnicity and Culture with Their Students
Multicultural education highlights the need to promote students' diverse identities, recognizing their ethnic-cultural backgrounds as resources in their teaching. However, most teachers perceive they lack competence and learning material to this end. Research suggests the Identity Project may be an appropriate tool to resolve some of these challenges. We explore both teachers' and students' narratives about teaching issues of ethnicity and cultur…
“We got to know each other better and talked more about stuff we usually kind of do not talk about.” A qualitative study of the acceptability of the Norwegian version of the Identity Project
Introduction Evidence is emerging in Europe of the efficiency of culturally adapted versions of the Identity Project (IP), a U.S.-developed school-based universal mental health promoting intervention. However, in depth research knowledge about the IP’s user acceptability among school staff and students is lacking. User acceptability is an important factor in ensuring a successful implementation and large-scale uptake of effective interventions in…
Aiming for Integration’—Acculturation Strategies Among Refugee Youth in Sweden
In 2022, one in 20 minors in Sweden had a refugee background. As most refugees do not return to their countries of origin, understanding successful resettlement should be prioritised. Acculturation and psychological resilience are useful concepts, as both acknowledge the interplay between individual and contextual factors in sociocultural adjustment. However, less is known about the role of resilience in the selection and maintenance of accultura…
A Scoping Review of School‐Based Programs for Promoting Recently Arrived Immigrant Youth's Positive Adjustment and Well‐Being
This scoping review examines school‐based programs aimed at promoting the adjustment and well‐being of recently arrived immigrant adolescents. Following PRISMA‐ScR guidelines, five databases (Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, SCOPUS, ERIC) were systematically searched for studies published since 2000, focusing on interventions implemented in formal school settings for recently arrived adolescents. The review identified 15 studies evaluating outcomes of …
Psychology (22 works) · Migration, Health and Trauma (17 works) · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research (15 works) · Sociology (14 works) · Immigration (13 works) · Acculturation (11 works) · Political science (11 works) · Ethnic group (10 works) · Mental health (10 works) · Psychiatry (10 works)