Mikael Nordenmark

Bio: Mikael Nordenmark is an academic researcher from Mid Sweden University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Unemployment & Mental health. The author has an hindex of 19, co-authored 47 publications receiving 1471 citations. Previous affiliations of Mikael Nordenmark include Umeå University & Karolinska Institutet.

Towards a Sociological Understanding of Mental Well-Being among the Unemployed: The Role of Economic and Psychosocial Factors

Abstract: Classic research on unemployment and mental health has focused on the functions of employment. These functions are considered to be of equal importance for all unemployed. A critique of this perspe ...

Multiple Social Roles and Well-Being A Longitudinal Test of the Role Stress Theory and the Role Expansion Theory

Abstract: In general, Western societies believe that people should engage in a multitude of social activities and develop multiple social roles. The assumption is that having multiple roles is beneficial to the individual. However, it also means that life is more complex and that people have to handle sometimes conflicting demands. Earlier research on the effects of multiple roles on individual well-being has not provided a clear picture, some results supporting the role stress theory and some the role expansion theory. This article tests empirically the relevance of the role stress theory and the role expansion theory by analysing whether having multiple social roles in general decreases or increases individual well-being. The results are based on a panel study of nearly 9000 randomly selected Swedes. The conclusion is that both number of social roles and any increase in social roles are negatively correlated with the risk of suffering from insomnia and a lingering illness, and the risk of being on regular medication for a lingering illness. These findings indicate that having multiple social roles increases individual well-being; the results therefore support the role expansion theory.

Unemployment, gender and mental health: the role of the gender regime

Abstract: Existing research suggests that gender differences in the effect of unemployment on mental health are related to the different positions and roles that are available for men and women in society and the family; roles that are connected with their different psychosocial and economic need for employment. The aim of this article is to analyse the role of gender in the relationship between unemployment and mental wellbeing in Sweden, representing a gender regime with a similar need for employment among women and men, and Ireland, representing a gender regime in which the need for employment differs between women and men. The results, based on longitudinal data from the two countries, show that unemployment was more negatively related to mental health among men than among women in Ireland, while men and women were equally affected by unemployment in Sweden. Factors related to the family and economic situation, as well as gendered selection into the unemployment population, explains the difference in mental health between unemployed men and women in Ireland. The overall conclusion is that the context has a major influence on the relationship between unemployment, gender and mental health.

The interference of paid work with household demands in different social policy contexts: perceived work-household conflict in Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

Abstract: The article explores whether people experiences a lower level of work–household conflict in a context that is characterized by extensive family policies (Sweden and to some extent Hungary and Czech ...

Does gender ideology explain differences between countries regarding the involvement of women and of men in paid and unpaid work

Abstract: Women spend more time doing household work than men, and men spend more time working at paying jobs outside the home than women. But studies also show that there are major differences between count ...

Subjective well-being and adaptation to life events: a meta-analysis.

Abstract: Previous research has shown that major life events can have short- and long-term effects on subjective well-being (SWB). The present meta-analysis examines (a) whether life events have different effects on affective and cognitive well-being and (b) how the rate of adaptation varies across different life events. Longitudinal data from 188 publications (313 samples, N = 65,911) were integrated to describe the reaction and adaptation to 4 family events (marriage, divorce, bereavement, childbirth) and 4 work events (unemployment, reemployment, retirement, relocation/migration). The findings show that life events have very different effects on affective and cognitive well-being and that for most events the effects of life events on cognitive well-being are stronger and more consistent across samples. Different life events differ in their effects on SWB, but these effects are not a function of the alleged desirability of events. The results are discussed with respect to their theoretical implications, and recommendations for future studies on adaptation are given.

Gender Ideology: Components, Predictors, and Consequences

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to review research on the construction of gender ideology and its consequences. The article begins with a summary of research focused on measuring gender ideology—individuals’ levels of support for a division of paid work and family responsibilities that is based on the belief in gendered separate spheres. We describe the ways this concept has been operationalized in widely available data sources and provide a categorization schema for the items used to measure gender ideology. We also review the research predicting gender ideology, focusing on social and demographic characteristics while concurrently examining studies using cross-sectional, trend, and panel data. Finally, this article summarizes research focused on the consequences of gender ideology, both in families and family-related behaviors and in other areas of social life where beliefs about gender are relevant, such as the workplace. We conclude with implications for future research for measurement tools, predictors of gender ideology, and consequences of ideology in individuals’ lives.