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Papers by Gudrún Kristjánsdóttir

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 1998

The study considers numerous factors potentially related to suicide ideation in adults, including... more The study considers numerous factors potentially related to suicide ideation in adults, including life stress, stress perceptions, social support, personality, alcohol use, chronic conditions, distress symptoms and sociodemographic background. Using data from a health survey of 825 adult residents in the urban Reykjavik area of Iceland, the study finds that financial hardship, legal stress, family difficulties, stress perceptions and low material support are significantly related to thoughts of committing suicide. Multiple chronic conditions, frequent alcohol use and various forms of distress (e.g. depression, anxiety, hopelessness, pain) are also related to suicide ideation. Furthermore, low self-esteem and external locus of control (low sense of mastery) are both associated with suicidal thoughts. No significant relationships were found between sociodemographic background and suicide ideation. The meaning of the results, and their implications for continued theoretical and clinical work in this area, are discussed.

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 2010

Aims: The aim of the study was to assess sociodemographic, parental and peer predictors of self-r... more Aims: The aim of the study was to assess sociodemographic, parental and peer predictors of self-reported drunkenness in mid-adolescence. Methods: The data were obtained from a national school survey covering a random half of all Icelandic 9th and 10th grade students (mean age 14.7 years). The overall response rate was 92% (n ¼ 3,913). Results: 30% of the respondents reported having been drunk or intoxicated at least once during the 30-day period prior to the survey. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that living with a single father, or in an urban area; having friends who get drunk or accept drunkenness; being supported by friends; having a father who gets drunk; having parents who assent to drunkenness; and lacking support from parents, were significantly associated with drunkenness. The strongest predictors of drunkenness were drunkenness among friends and friends' acceptance of drinking. The study did not find significant differences in the odds of drunkenness by gender or parental education. Students in 10th grade had higher odds of drunkeness than 9th grade students, which was accounted for by different family and peer contexts of younger and older adolescents. Conclusions: Residence, family structure, high peer support, peer acceptance, peer drunkenness, parental acceptance, father drunkenness, and low parental support was related to higher odds of drunkenness in mid-adolescents. The results give directions to future research and interventions intended to prevent alcohol abuse in this population.

Journal of Clinical Nursing, 1992

•Although numerous definitions have been presented and several attempts have been made to operati... more •Although numerous definitions have been presented and several attempts have been made to operationalize the concept of empathy, no theoretical framework exists that addresses the concept in depth.•This paper focuses on the concept of empathy as it is presented in the literature by comparing the different theoretical and operational approaches pertaining to the concept.•A theoretical definition of the concept of empathy is developed.•The appropriateness of the different definitions of empathy will be considered in terms of their pragmatic adequacy for nursing.Although numerous definitions have been presented and several attempts have been made to operationalize the concept of empathy, no theoretical framework exists that addresses the concept in depth.This paper focuses on the concept of empathy as it is presented in the literature by comparing the different theoretical and operational approaches pertaining to the concept.A theoretical definition of the concept of empathy is developed.The appropriateness of the different definitions of empathy will be considered in terms of their pragmatic adequacy for nursing.

Headache, 1993

SYNOPSISThe study considers the prevalence of headache experiences in a random national sample of... more SYNOPSISThe study considers the prevalence of headache experiences in a random national sample of 2140 Icelandic 11-12 and 15-16 year-old school-children. The study finds an overall 21.9% prevalence of "at least weekly" headache. The prevalence is significantly higher among younger children end among girls. The gender difference is found to be related to the fact that older boys have a markedly lower prevalence than younger boys. No gender difference is observed in the younger group. Social class interacts with gender, with the gender difference leveling out in the upper class. The frequency of headache experiences correlates with last months use of medication to relieve headache. The high overall prevalence of headache found in this study agrees with earlier findings, and is a matter of concern since little is being done to counter this problem of discomfort among school-children.

Social Science & Medicine, 2003

Previous studies have generally had limited success in accounting for gender differences in leisu... more Previous studies have generally had limited success in accounting for gender differences in leisure time physical activity. Based on a representative national survey of 3270 Icelandic 6th, 8th and 10th grade students, the study found that girls' lower enrollment in organized sport clubs fully accounts for gender differences in frequency of overall physical activity, and largely accounts for gender differences in frequency of strenuous activity, and weekly hours of overall and strenuous activity (enrollment hypothesis). Furthermore, girls' higher sport club withdrawal rate accounted for a small but significant part of the gender difference in weekly hours of overall activity and frequency of strenuous activity (withdrawal hypothesis). No evidence was found to suggest that different activity levels of boys and girls enrolled in the clubs affected gender differences in levels of overall or strenuous physical activity (activity differential hypothesis). Other independent variables, i.e., perceived importance of sport achievement, sport and exercise related instruction, physical education experiences, and social modeling, did not significantly affect observed gender differences beyond the sport club variables. The meaning of the results, and their implications for gender disparities, health promotion, and future research are discussed. r

Acta Paediatrica, 2002

Kristjansdottir G, Rhee H. Risk factors of back pain frequency in schoolchildren: a search for ex... more Kristjansdottir G, Rhee H. Risk factors of back pain frequency in schoolchildren: a search for explanations to a public health problem. Acta Paediatr 2002; 91: 849-854. Stockholm. ISSN 0803-5253 This study examined physical, behavioral and social factors associated with schoolchildren's back pain. Factors associated with back pain were also identi ed using a stepwise regression method. The study was based on a self-administered questionnaire survey of a random national sample of 2173 Icelandic 11-12 and 15-16-y-old schoolchildren. It found that older subjects tended to report back pain more frequently than younger children. Back pain showed signi cant associations with different aspects of physical condition such as chronic health conditions, tiredness and physical tness. A number of behavioral factors including participation in sports, television viewing, eating habits and smoking also had a relationship with back pain. Finally, children with lower social support were more likely to experience back pain.

European Journal of Pediatrics, 1996

The study considers the prevalence of back pain experienced in a nationwide random sample of 2173... more The study considers the prevalence of back pain experienced in a nationwide random sample of 2173 Icelandic school children aged 11–12 and 15–16. The study found a 20.6% prevalence of “at least weekly” back pain. The prevalence of back pain was significantly more frequent among the older children. No gender or class difference was found in the overall sample. Older children from rural areas have significantly more back pain than those living in the city. The need for a thorough epidemiological investigation of the association of back pain in children is emphasized.

Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing, 1991