Saffron Karlsen
Biographic Data
| ID | 230106 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Saffron Karlsen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Saffron |
| FAMILY NAME | Karlsen |
| SIGNATURE | KARLSEN S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Bristol |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0503-5088 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 35 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 677 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 35 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1998 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 11 |
Criminalizing ‘female genital mutilation’: Where is the harm
The ‘global prohibition regime’ against ‘female genital mutilation’ (FGM) remains understudied within criminology. Zemiology, with its raison d’être to locate the source and nature of harm, opens up analytical potential. Bringing zemiology together with decolonial feminist approaches for the first time, we analyse data from focus group interviews with people of Somali heritage living in Bristol, England, to consider the unacknowledged harms creat…
Harms of the current global anti-FGM campaign
Traditional female genital practices, though long-standing in many cultures, have become the focus of an expansive global campaign against ‘female genital mutilation’ (FGM). In this article, we critically examine the harms produced by the anti-FGM discourse and policies, despite their grounding in human rights and health advocacy. We argue that a ubiquitous ‘standard tale’ obscures the diversity of practices, meanings and experiences among those …
Neighbourhood belonging, social cohesion, and mental wellbeing of children and parents in an ethnically diverse community sample in England
Neighbourhood cohesion is considered an important and modifiable determinant of mental health that interacts with factors such as deprivation and ethnicity in complex ways. UK studies adequately representing ethnic minority groups are however scarce. We examined associations between neighbourhood belonging, social cohesion, and mental wellbeing of children and parents in an ethnically diverse community sample in England. We analysed cross-section…
Pre-crime, hyper-vigilance and the over-surveillance of migrant-heritage families in ‘FGM-safeguarding’ in England and Wales
This article investigates the role of pre-emptive policies and practices aiming to eliminate female genital cutting/mutilation (FGC/M) in England and Wales. We argue that the Serious Crime Act 2015, with its focus on pre-empting, uncovering and punishing FGC/M, represents a milestone in the development of a pre-crime society. By combining data collected from focus groups with migrant-heritage families living in Bristol in 2018 and data on state p…
Racism and health and wellbeing among children and youth–An updated systematic review and meta-analysis
Gendered and Racialised Epistemological Injustice in FGM-safeguarding
This paper explores FGM-safeguarding in the UK through a decolonial lens. Based on an analysis of the development of law and policy relating to ‘Female Genital Mutilation’ in the UK alongside data collected in focus groups with people of ethnic Somali heritage living in Bristol, we argue that the current legislation and policies, as well as their delivery, are steeped in colonial Othering. We demonstrate that legislative and policy approaches ope…
Tolerated citizenship and FGM-safeguarding: Experiences of unbelonging for those of Somali-heritage living in Bristol, UK
The UN has stated its aim to eliminate ‘Female Genital Mutilation’ by 2030. In adherence to this, many countries have introduced or enhanced legislative and policy measures aimed at prevention through surveillance and punishment. In the European context, while protecting young girls from harm is the notional purpose of such measures, political and media debates have often been framed within nation-building rhetoric: across Europe ‘FGM’ has become…
Evaluating the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the ‘strengthening families, strengthening communities’ group-based parenting programme: Study protocol and initial insights
Prospectively registered Randomised Controlled Trial ISRCTN15194500
Staying “One Step Ahead of a Racist”: Expanding Understandings of the Experiences of the Covid-19 Pandemic Among People From Minoritized Ethnic Groups Living in Britain
Covid-19 has had a disproportionate impact on those in minoritized ethnic groups. Considerable attention has been given to evidence of ethnic inequalities in rates of infection, hospitalisation, and death. But other ways in which the pandemic experience has been affected by ethnicity have received less consideration. This paper explores the lived experiences of people in different minoritized ethnic groups living in South West England, during the…
Ethnic, Religious and Gender Differences in Intragenerational Economic Mobility in England and Wales
This study uses data from consecutive England and Wales censuses to examine the intragenerational economic mobility of individuals with different ethnicities, religions and genders between 1971 and 2011, over time and across cohorts. The findings suggest more downward and less upward mobility among Black Caribbean, Indian Sikh and Muslim people with Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani ethnicities, relative to white British groups, and more positive…
Ethnic and Religious Differences in the Attitudes of People towards Being 'British
Negative rhetoric and policy regarding Muslims has been justified according to a perceived lack of integration into British society. However, this lack of integration has not been empirically established and remains poorly described. This paper explores whether there are variations in levels of 'Britishness' and perceptions of the compatibility between Britishness and other cultural/religious identities among different minoritized groups in Engla…
The benefits and harms of providing parents with weight feedback as part of the national child measurement programme: A prospective cohort study
In this population-based sample of parents of children participating in the National Child Measurement Programme, provision of weight feedback increased recognition of child overweight and encouraged some parents to seek help, without causing obvious unfavourable effects. The impact of weight feedback on behaviour change was limited; suggesting that further work is needed to identify ways to more effectively communicate health information to pare…
Ethnic and religious variations in the reporting of racist victimization in Britain: 2000 And 2008/2009
The role of victimization in the generation of ethnic inequalities is increasingly acknowledged yet its impact on the lives of people with different religious affiliations remains underexplored. This is despite evidence of the importance of religion for forms of group identification and social mobilization. An exploration of the particular impact of religion as a focus for experiences of victimization may be particularly pertinent given the incre…
A systematic review of studies examining the relationship between reported racism and health and wellbeing for children and young people
Influences on forms of national identity and feeling ‘at home’ among Muslim groups in Britain, Germany and Spain
Muslims in Europe are increasingly constructed as problematic and insular. This article examines whether this construction may be justified and the impact this has had on the attitudes of Muslims living in different countries in Europe. Over 70 percent of Bangladeshi, Turkish and Moroccan Muslims living in Britain, Germany and Spain, respectively, felt ‘at home’ in their country of residence. This sense of being at home, and whether the events of…
Practitioner and Client Explanations for Disparities in Health Care Use Between Migrant and Non-migrant Groups in Sweden: A Qualitative Study
Community Severance and Health: What Do We Actually Know
The relationship between maternal education and mortality among women giving birth in health care institutions: Analysis of the cross sectional WHO Global Survey on Maternal and Perinatal Health
Lower levels of maternal education were associated with higher maternal mortality even amongst women able to access facilities providing intrapartum care. More attention should be given to the wider social determinants of health when devising strategies to reduce maternal mortality and to achieve the increasingly elusive MDG for maternal mortality
Religious and ethnic differences in health: Evidence from the Health Surveys for England 1999 and 2004
This evidence enables greater understanding of the complexities of the relationship between ethnicity, religion and health, recognising the need to understand the heterogeneity underlying both ethnic and religious group membership and the processes producing the structural disadvantage facing certain religious and ethnic groups in the mediation of the relationship between health and ethnicity/religion
A Race Equality Foundation Briefing Paper Better Health Briefing 3 Ethnic inequalities in health: The impact of racism
The Black diaspora and health inequalities in the US and England: Does Where You Go and How You Get There Make a Difference
The relatively poor health of Black American people in the US and Black Caribbean people in England is a consistent finding in the health inequalities literature. Indeed, there are many similarities between the health, social, economic and demographic profiles of these two groups. However, there is evidence that Caribbean people in the US are faring considerably better. This paper explores differences in the social and economic position of Black …
Effects of self-reported racial discrimination and deprivation on Māori health and inequalities in New Zealand: Cross-sectional study
Racism and health: The relationship between experience of racial discrimination and health in New Zealand
Racism, psychosis and common mental disorder among ethnic minority groups in England
Background. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between risk of psychosis, common mental disorder (CMD) and indicators of racism among ethnic minority groups in England and how this relationship may vary by particular ethnic groups. Method. A multivariate analysis was carried out of quantitative, cross-sectional data from a nationally representative community sample of people aged between 16 and 74 years from the largest ethnic …
The Social Functioning Questionnaire: A Rapid and Robust Measure of Perceived Functioning
Background: The Social Functioning Questionnaire (SFQ), an eight-item selfreport scale (score range 0–24), was developed from the Social Functioning Schedule (SFS), a semi-structured interview which has been used primarily with non-psychotic patients and has good test-retest and inter-rater reliability as well as construct validity. The SFQ was developed following the need for a quick assessment of perceived social function. Aims: To give further…
Relation Between Racial Discrimination, Social Class, and Health Among Ethnic Minority Groups
The different ways in which racism may manifest itself (as interpersonal violence, institutional discrimination, or socioeconomic disadvantage) all have independent detrimental effects on health, regardless of the health indicator used
Racism and health: The relationship between experience of racial discrimination and health in New Zealand
Agency and structure: The Impact of Ethnic Identity and Racism on the Health of Ethnic Minority People
To understand ethnic inequalities in health, we must take account of the relationship between ethnic minority status, structural disadvantage and agency. So far, the direct effects of racial oppression on health, and the role of ethnicity as identity, which is in part a product of agency, have been ignored. We set out to redress this balance using data from the Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities. Factor analysis suggested that dimensions…
The Black diaspora and health inequalities in the US and England: Does Where You Go and How You Get There Make a Difference
The relatively poor health of Black American people in the US and Black Caribbean people in England is a consistent finding in the health inequalities literature. Indeed, there are many similarities between the health, social, economic and demographic profiles of these two groups. However, there is evidence that Caribbean people in the US are faring considerably better. This paper explores differences in the social and economic position of Black …
Fear of racism and health: Table 1
A recent editorial stated that “the lack of a concerted research and public health effort means that in the United Kingdom the science of investigating the effects of racism on health and the development of preventive strategies are in their infancy”.1 Part of the evidence for this lack of effort can be seen in the lack of data available with which to explore these issues. While there is a growing literature from the United States that has found …
Ethnicity, environment and health: Putting Ethnic Inequalities in Health in Their Place
Influences on forms of national identity and feeling ‘at home’ among Muslim groups in Britain, Germany and Spain
Muslims in Europe are increasingly constructed as problematic and insular. This article examines whether this construction may be justified and the impact this has had on the attitudes of Muslims living in different countries in Europe. Over 70 percent of Bangladeshi, Turkish and Moroccan Muslims living in Britain, Germany and Spain, respectively, felt ‘at home’ in their country of residence. This sense of being at home, and whether the events of…
Racial/Ethnic Discrimination and Common Mental Disorders Among Workers: Findings From the Empiric Study of Ethnic Minority Groups in the United Kingdom
Objectives. We measured perceived discrimination and its association with common mental disorders among workers in the United Kingdom. Methods. We conducted a secondary analysis of a national sample of 6 ethnic groups (n=2054). Discrimination was measured as reports of insults; unfair treatment at work; or job denial stemming from race, religion, or language. The outcome assessed was presence of common mental disorders. Results. The risk of menta…
Patterns of identity among ethnic minority people: Diversity and commonality
This article explores the processes involved in the creation and expression of an ethnic identity for minority groups. It uses nationally representative quantitative data from the British Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities to describe the components that make up ethnic identity for ethnic minority people in the UK and to explore how these components are patterned within and between ethnic groups. Five underlying dimensions of ethnic iden…
Ethnic and Religious Differences in the Attitudes of People towards Being 'British
Negative rhetoric and policy regarding Muslims has been justified according to a perceived lack of integration into British society. However, this lack of integration has not been empirically established and remains poorly described. This paper explores whether there are variations in levels of 'Britishness' and perceptions of the compatibility between Britishness and other cultural/religious identities among different minoritized groups in Engla…
Black like Beckham’? Moving beyond definitions of ethnicity based on skin colour and ancestry
The recognition of these dimensions of ethnic affiliation provide us with an opportunity to improve our indicators of ethnic status. Each of these dimensions would appear to be important to the lives of people from different ethnic groups in England. These findings also highlight the important role that external attitudes play in the understanding of what it means to be a member of any ethnic group. This aspect of ethnic affiliation has been igno…
Ethnic differences in influences on quality of life at older ages: A quantitative analysis
This article sets out to examine ethnic differences in the key influences on quality of life for older people in the context of the increasing health and wealth of British older people generally and the ageing of the post-1945 migrants. It is based on secondary multivariate analysis of the Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities of England and Wales. Respondents aged 45–74 years belonging to four ethnic groups (1,068 white, 514 Caribbean, 581…
Ethnic and religious variations in the reporting of racist victimization in Britain: 2000 And 2008/2009
The role of victimization in the generation of ethnic inequalities is increasingly acknowledged yet its impact on the lives of people with different religious affiliations remains underexplored. This is despite evidence of the importance of religion for forms of group identification and social mobilization. An exploration of the particular impact of religion as a focus for experiences of victimization may be particularly pertinent given the incre…
Gendered and Racialised Epistemological Injustice in FGM-safeguarding
This paper explores FGM-safeguarding in the UK through a decolonial lens. Based on an analysis of the development of law and policy relating to ‘Female Genital Mutilation’ in the UK alongside data collected in focus groups with people of ethnic Somali heritage living in Bristol, we argue that the current legislation and policies, as well as their delivery, are steeped in colonial Othering. We demonstrate that legislative and policy approaches ope…
Tolerated citizenship and FGM-safeguarding: Experiences of unbelonging for those of Somali-heritage living in Bristol, UK
The UN has stated its aim to eliminate ‘Female Genital Mutilation’ by 2030. In adherence to this, many countries have introduced or enhanced legislative and policy measures aimed at prevention through surveillance and punishment. In the European context, while protecting young girls from harm is the notional purpose of such measures, political and media debates have often been framed within nation-building rhetoric: across Europe ‘FGM’ has become…
Ethnic, Religious and Gender Differences in Intragenerational Economic Mobility in England and Wales
This study uses data from consecutive England and Wales censuses to examine the intragenerational economic mobility of individuals with different ethnicities, religions and genders between 1971 and 2011, over time and across cohorts. The findings suggest more downward and less upward mobility among Black Caribbean, Indian Sikh and Muslim people with Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani ethnicities, relative to white British groups, and more positive…
Religious and ethnic differences in health: Evidence from the Health Surveys for England 1999 and 2004
This evidence enables greater understanding of the complexities of the relationship between ethnicity, religion and health, recognising the need to understand the heterogeneity underlying both ethnic and religious group membership and the processes producing the structural disadvantage facing certain religious and ethnic groups in the mediation of the relationship between health and ethnicity/religion
Social environment and substance misuse: A study of ethnic variations among inner London adolescents
The findings suggest that young people with lower levels of familial and religious influence, or higher levels of peer influence, have higher levels of substance consumption than other young people. Health education initiatives need to promote personal decision-making skills within the context of the young people's individual culture. Cultural diversity should be recognised within local health education needs assessment
A randomised controlled trial of postal versus interviewer administration of a questionnaire measuring satisfaction with, and use of, services received in the year before death
STUDY OBJECTIVES: To develop a short form of an interview schedule used successfully in previous national surveys of care for the dying, and to investigate the effect of administering it by post on response rate, response bias and on the nature of responses to questions. DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial. SETTING: An inner London health authority. PARTICIPANTS: Informants (person registering death) of random sample of cancer deaths between June…
Pre-crime, hyper-vigilance and the over-surveillance of migrant-heritage families in ‘FGM-safeguarding’ in England and Wales
This article investigates the role of pre-emptive policies and practices aiming to eliminate female genital cutting/mutilation (FGC/M) in England and Wales. We argue that the Serious Crime Act 2015, with its focus on pre-empting, uncovering and punishing FGC/M, represents a milestone in the development of a pre-crime society. By combining data collected from focus groups with migrant-heritage families living in Bristol in 2018 and data on state p…
Staying “One Step Ahead of a Racist”: Expanding Understandings of the Experiences of the Covid-19 Pandemic Among People From Minoritized Ethnic Groups Living in Britain
Covid-19 has had a disproportionate impact on those in minoritized ethnic groups. Considerable attention has been given to evidence of ethnic inequalities in rates of infection, hospitalisation, and death. But other ways in which the pandemic experience has been affected by ethnicity have received less consideration. This paper explores the lived experiences of people in different minoritized ethnic groups living in South West England, during the…
Social environment and substance misuse: A study of ethnic variations among inner London adolescents
The findings suggest that young people with lower levels of familial and religious influence, or higher levels of peer influence, have higher levels of substance consumption than other young people. Health education initiatives need to promote personal decision-making skills within the context of the young people's individual culture. Cultural diversity should be recognised within local health education needs assessment
A randomised controlled trial of postal versus interviewer administration of a questionnaire measuring satisfaction with, and use of, services received in the year before death
STUDY OBJECTIVES: To develop a short form of an interview schedule used successfully in previous national surveys of care for the dying, and to investigate the effect of administering it by post on response rate, response bias and on the nature of responses to questions. DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial. SETTING: An inner London health authority. PARTICIPANTS: Informants (person registering death) of random sample of cancer deaths between June…
Relation Between Racial Discrimination, Social Class, and Health Among Ethnic Minority Groups
The different ways in which racism may manifest itself (as interpersonal violence, institutional discrimination, or socioeconomic disadvantage) all have independent detrimental effects on health, regardless of the health indicator used
Ethnicity, environment and health: Putting Ethnic Inequalities in Health in Their Place
Agency and structure: The Impact of Ethnic Identity and Racism on the Health of Ethnic Minority People
To understand ethnic inequalities in health, we must take account of the relationship between ethnic minority status, structural disadvantage and agency. So far, the direct effects of racial oppression on health, and the role of ethnicity as identity, which is in part a product of agency, have been ignored. We set out to redress this balance using data from the Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities. Factor analysis suggested that dimensions…
Patterns of identity among ethnic minority people: Diversity and commonality
This article explores the processes involved in the creation and expression of an ethnic identity for minority groups. It uses nationally representative quantitative data from the British Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities to describe the components that make up ethnic identity for ethnic minority people in the UK and to explore how these components are patterned within and between ethnic groups. Five underlying dimensions of ethnic iden…
Ethnic differences in influences on quality of life at older ages: A quantitative analysis
This article sets out to examine ethnic differences in the key influences on quality of life for older people in the context of the increasing health and wealth of British older people generally and the ageing of the post-1945 migrants. It is based on secondary multivariate analysis of the Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities of England and Wales. Respondents aged 45–74 years belonging to four ethnic groups (1,068 white, 514 Caribbean, 581…
Fear of racism and health: Table 1
A recent editorial stated that “the lack of a concerted research and public health effort means that in the United Kingdom the science of investigating the effects of racism on health and the development of preventive strategies are in their infancy”.1 Part of the evidence for this lack of effort can be seen in the lack of data available with which to explore these issues. While there is a growing literature from the United States that has found …
Black like Beckham’? Moving beyond definitions of ethnicity based on skin colour and ancestry
The recognition of these dimensions of ethnic affiliation provide us with an opportunity to improve our indicators of ethnic status. Each of these dimensions would appear to be important to the lives of people from different ethnic groups in England. These findings also highlight the important role that external attitudes play in the understanding of what it means to be a member of any ethnic group. This aspect of ethnic affiliation has been igno…
Racism, psychosis and common mental disorder among ethnic minority groups in England
Background. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between risk of psychosis, common mental disorder (CMD) and indicators of racism among ethnic minority groups in England and how this relationship may vary by particular ethnic groups. Method. A multivariate analysis was carried out of quantitative, cross-sectional data from a nationally representative community sample of people aged between 16 and 74 years from the largest ethnic …
The Social Functioning Questionnaire: A Rapid and Robust Measure of Perceived Functioning
Background: The Social Functioning Questionnaire (SFQ), an eight-item selfreport scale (score range 0–24), was developed from the Social Functioning Schedule (SFS), a semi-structured interview which has been used primarily with non-psychotic patients and has good test-retest and inter-rater reliability as well as construct validity. The SFQ was developed following the need for a quick assessment of perceived social function. Aims: To give further…
Racial/Ethnic Discrimination and Common Mental Disorders Among Workers: Findings From the Empiric Study of Ethnic Minority Groups in the United Kingdom
Objectives. We measured perceived discrimination and its association with common mental disorders among workers in the United Kingdom. Methods. We conducted a secondary analysis of a national sample of 6 ethnic groups (n=2054). Discrimination was measured as reports of insults; unfair treatment at work; or job denial stemming from race, religion, or language. The outcome assessed was presence of common mental disorders. Results. The risk of menta…
Effects of self-reported racial discrimination and deprivation on Māori health and inequalities in New Zealand: Cross-sectional study
Racism and health: The relationship between experience of racial discrimination and health in New Zealand
The Black diaspora and health inequalities in the US and England: Does Where You Go and How You Get There Make a Difference
The relatively poor health of Black American people in the US and Black Caribbean people in England is a consistent finding in the health inequalities literature. Indeed, there are many similarities between the health, social, economic and demographic profiles of these two groups. However, there is evidence that Caribbean people in the US are faring considerably better. This paper explores differences in the social and economic position of Black …
A Race Equality Foundation Briefing Paper Better Health Briefing 3 Ethnic inequalities in health: The impact of racism
Religious and ethnic differences in health: Evidence from the Health Surveys for England 1999 and 2004
This evidence enables greater understanding of the complexities of the relationship between ethnicity, religion and health, recognising the need to understand the heterogeneity underlying both ethnic and religious group membership and the processes producing the structural disadvantage facing certain religious and ethnic groups in the mediation of the relationship between health and ethnicity/religion
The relationship between maternal education and mortality among women giving birth in health care institutions: Analysis of the cross sectional WHO Global Survey on Maternal and Perinatal Health
Lower levels of maternal education were associated with higher maternal mortality even amongst women able to access facilities providing intrapartum care. More attention should be given to the wider social determinants of health when devising strategies to reduce maternal mortality and to achieve the increasingly elusive MDG for maternal mortality
Practitioner and Client Explanations for Disparities in Health Care Use Between Migrant and Non-migrant Groups in Sweden: A Qualitative Study
Community Severance and Health: What Do We Actually Know
A systematic review of studies examining the relationship between reported racism and health and wellbeing for children and young people
Influences on forms of national identity and feeling ‘at home’ among Muslim groups in Britain, Germany and Spain
Muslims in Europe are increasingly constructed as problematic and insular. This article examines whether this construction may be justified and the impact this has had on the attitudes of Muslims living in different countries in Europe. Over 70 percent of Bangladeshi, Turkish and Moroccan Muslims living in Britain, Germany and Spain, respectively, felt ‘at home’ in their country of residence. This sense of being at home, and whether the events of…
The benefits and harms of providing parents with weight feedback as part of the national child measurement programme: A prospective cohort study
In this population-based sample of parents of children participating in the National Child Measurement Programme, provision of weight feedback increased recognition of child overweight and encouraged some parents to seek help, without causing obvious unfavourable effects. The impact of weight feedback on behaviour change was limited; suggesting that further work is needed to identify ways to more effectively communicate health information to pare…
Ethnic and religious variations in the reporting of racist victimization in Britain: 2000 And 2008/2009
The role of victimization in the generation of ethnic inequalities is increasingly acknowledged yet its impact on the lives of people with different religious affiliations remains underexplored. This is despite evidence of the importance of religion for forms of group identification and social mobilization. An exploration of the particular impact of religion as a focus for experiences of victimization may be particularly pertinent given the incre…
Ethnic and Religious Differences in the Attitudes of People towards Being 'British
Negative rhetoric and policy regarding Muslims has been justified according to a perceived lack of integration into British society. However, this lack of integration has not been empirically established and remains poorly described. This paper explores whether there are variations in levels of 'Britishness' and perceptions of the compatibility between Britishness and other cultural/religious identities among different minoritized groups in Engla…
Sociology (24 works) · Ethnic group (22 works) · Medicine (20 works) · Psychology (18 works) · Gender Studies (17 works) · Political science (15 works) · Gender Studies (13 works) · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research (12 works) · Anthropology (10 works) · Demography (10 works)