Research

Research on social and health services

In the Department today, research on the social- and health services is divided into seven fields of interest/themes. Common focus is “where politics hit the ground”, that is, the main activities focus on the perspective of the user/patient and his or her family. The fields are

• Mental health work
• User perspective, user contribution
• Everyday life and life span
• Organization
• Social politics in practice
• The frame of understanding/scope of employees in the public health, social, and educational services
• Behaviour and interaction between the employee and the receiver of the mentioned services

Research on disability at the Department of Social Work and Health Science

Disability research is a wide and complex field, and a medical therapeutic or treatment focused approach is very common. The research at ISH is however not clinical, but has a pure social scientific approach. Our focus is primarily the consequences of disability in everyday life. We look into circumstances, experiences with the social services, the consequences of political reforms, the practice and everyday life in schools and kindergartens, and more.

The research topics at the ISH are mainly influenced by an environment-based view on disability. Disability is seen as an interaction (a difficult one, that is) between the individual and his or her surroundings. The potential for action following the projects at the ISH is however solely located at the “surroundings” side. This is about politics, services and the carrying out and organization of the services.

Psychosomatic research

At the Department of Social Work and Health Science, the psychosomatic research is currently divided into five fields of interest/themes:

• Promotion of health, prevention of health problems, development of, treatment of and rehabilitation from health problems
• Development and treatment of coronary heart disease
• Development an treatment of diffuse chronic health problems
• Occupational health
• Physical activity and sports

The department has organized a Psychosomatic Research group. This group also consists of researchers from Sør-Trøndelag University College (HiST). Many of these researchers have a wide professional network. The research group is also connected to the National Centre of Complex Health problems at St. Olav Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine, NTNU. The research group is part of the Forum for complex health problems and psychosomatics.

Research Centre for Health Promotion and Resources

Research on suicidal behaviour

Various aspects of suicidal behaviour are researched: attitudes, intentionality, suicidal behaviour as communication, cultural and epidemiological aspects. The department participates in several international multicentre studies both within and outside Europe. Collaborating countries outside Europe are, among others, Ghana, Uganda, South-Africa and India.

Research on medical ethics

In the meeting point of medical technology, health problems and disability, there is a strong need for ethical reflection and research. Technology changes our understanding of disease and health. Technology gives us the possibility to choose who shall come into existence and who shall not. The medical ethics research at the department consists of both empirical and theoretical studies. Central topics of research are

• Prenatal diagnosis, pgd and disability
• Assisted conception
• Biobanks
• Genetic testing and genetic exeptionalism

Almost all of the department’s fields of research give important contributions to normative questions and answers. The ethics research is also driven forward by a good cooperation with other departments at the NTNU. This cooperation is concretised in the Bioethics research group, which is coordinated at the department.

Våren 2010 arrangeres ph.d kurset SARB8014/8015.

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