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Wahlström, E., Blomberg, H., Sofi, D. & Stier, J. (2026). Exploring claims in disinformation – The shared story of ‘the Swedish child welfare services’ kidnapping migrant children’. Children and youth services review, 185, Article ID 108973.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Exploring claims in disinformation – The shared story of ‘the Swedish child welfare services’ kidnapping migrant children’
2026 (English)In: Children and youth services review, ISSN 0190-7409, E-ISSN 1873-7765, Vol. 185, article id 108973Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

In the early 2020s, the Swedish child welfare services (CWS) were accused in social media of kidnapping and placing migrant children in foster or family care, without their families’ knowledge or permission. This debate became referred to as a large-scale disinformation campaign, which can be understood as a discursive struggle between different versions of truth. This study explores social media content about the Swedish CWS in Arabic between 2021 and 2023. The material consisted of Facebook and YouTube posts and comments in Arabic. The analysis departed from the narrative genre of shared stories, and focused on claims about the CWS and how such claims are made credible. The findings show three types of claims within the shared story of ‘the CWS kidnapping migrant children’: families are victims of CWS’ malpractice; affected children suffer; and migrant families fear the CWS. These claims are made legitimate and credible by constructing the teller as an expert using time, place, and details while constructing the testimonies to invoke an emotional response. In conclusion, this study highlights how social reality is constructed and negotiated on social media, where migrant families’ testimonies of wrongdoings and fear become intertwined with larger stories of good and bad, truth or falsehood. It is therefore essential that claims made online is treated as signals of perceived vulnerability and institutional distance, rather than as “falsehoods” to be corrected, while CWS’ procedures and legal thresholds are clearly conveyed.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2026
Keywords
Child welfare services, Disinformation, Fear, Shared stories, adolescent, article, child, child welfare, emotion, family counseling, human, infodemic, kidnapping, knowledge, malpractice, migrant, open access publishing, social media, therapy, victim, vulnerability, witness
National Category
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-76774 (URN)10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108973 (DOI)001757239400001 ()2-s2.0-105036701381 (Scopus ID)
Note

This is an open access article under the CC BY license.

Available from: 2026-05-08 Created: 2026-05-08 Last updated: 2026-05-13Bibliographically approved
Wahlström, E. & Stier, J. (2025). Constructions of culture in research on school health professionals: a scoping review. Paper presented at Second World Congress on Migration, Ethnicity, Race and Health. European Journal of Public Health, 35, Article ID ckaf180290.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Constructions of culture in research on school health professionals: a scoping review
2025 (English)In: European Journal of Public Health, ISSN 1101-1262, E-ISSN 1464-360X, Vol. 35, article id ckaf180290Article in journal, Meeting abstract (Other academic) Published
Abstract [en]

Culture underpins social interaction between health professionals and children. It is particularly emphasized in encounters between health professionals and migrant children and often described as a potential challenge or barrier in previous research. Still, how culture is conceptualized and understood in research including school health professionals is yet to be explored. This review aimed to identify, describe and analyze existing research on school health professionals’ (i.e., school nurses, school social workers, school doctors and school psychologists) understanding of culture.

A scoping review of peer-reviewed and published scientific articles between 2013 and 2024 on school health professionals’ understanding of culture was conducted. Searches were conducted in Scopus, PubMed, Cinahl Plus, SocIndex, Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, APA PsycInfo, APA PsycArticles, Web of Science Core Collection and Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts - ASSIA. Two reviewers independently screened the article titles, abstracts and full texts for inclusion. Extracted data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis.

A total of 23 articles were included in the review. Findings show that most articles focused on school psychologists and school nurses and were conducted in the US and Nordic-Baltic area. In addition, most articles were conducted using a cross-sectional survey design, where the professionals’ self-understanding in relation to culture was self-assessed using validated instruments. Although a quantitative design was applied in most of the articles, only about 50 percent of the articles included a theoretical conceptualization of culture. The articles that focused on intercultural interaction between the professionals and the children mainly raised concerns about barriers and hindrances to the encounters and the challenges of encountering ‘diverse’ children. In conclusion, more research on SHS professionals’ practice and self-understanding and research using a qualitative methods and with a clearer theoretical stance regarding culture is needed.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Oxford University Press (OUP), 2025
National Category
Health Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-75392 (URN)10.1093/eurpub/ckaf180.290 (DOI)001632662300047 ()
Conference
Second World Congress on Migration, Ethnicity, Race and Health
Available from: 2026-01-14 Created: 2026-01-14 Last updated: 2026-01-14Bibliographically approved
Zetterlund, J., Hasson, H., von Thiele Schwarz, U., Neher, M. & Wahlström, E. (2025). Evaluating professionals' adaptations before and after a decision support intervention "the Adaptation and Fidelity Tool" (A-FiT)-A longitudinal within-person intervention design. Implementation Research and Practice, 6, Article ID 26334895251334552.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Evaluating professionals' adaptations before and after a decision support intervention "the Adaptation and Fidelity Tool" (A-FiT)-A longitudinal within-person intervention design
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2025 (English)In: Implementation Research and Practice, ISSN 2633-4895, Vol. 6, article id 26334895251334552Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background Implementing evidence-based interventions (EBIs) in practice requires balancing fidelity and adaptation to suit new contexts. Careful considerations are needed to maintain the core elements for effectiveness while ensuring fit with new contexts. The Adaptation and Fidelity Tool (A-FiT) intervention addresses this challenge by providing support for professionals using EBIs in the sustainment phase of implementation. This study evaluates the A-FiT intervention and examines how professionals delivering an EBI manage fidelity and adaptation during the sustainment phase of implementation, before and after the intervention. Method Short, structured interviews were repeatedly conducted with 14 professionals delivering an EBI (n = 127). Data was analyzed using deductive content analysis focusing on adaptation types, planning, intentionality, and fidelity consistency. The adaptations were counted and compared before versus after the A-FiT intervention using a chi2-test.Results The professionals made about the same number of adaptations before and after the A-FiT intervention. However, after the intervention, significant changes in the type and intentionality of the adaptations were observed. Changes in type consisted of fewer "removing," "substituting," and "integrating another framework" adaptations and more "loosening structure" and "departing from the intervention" adaptations. Regarding intentionality, fewer planned adaptations with the intention of improving the EBI effects were made, while adaptations made for practical reasons, both planned and unplanned, increased after the A-FiT intervention. No statistical change was found regarding fidelity consistency.Conclusions The findings indicate increased awareness about fidelity and adaptation among the group leaders, resulting in fewer planned adaptations to enhance program effects and more practical adaptations to address context challenges. The A-FiT intervention appears to help professionals in their management of fidelity and adaptations when delivering EBIs. The study underscores the importance of understanding adaptations in their context, purpose, and impact (intended and unintended) on the outcome/value.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
SAGE Publications, 2025
Keywords
adaptation, treatment adherence, evaluation, evidence-based, use of evidence, sustainment, implementation supports, implementation, decision making, treatment fidelity, practice context
National Category
Health Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-71250 (URN)10.1177/26334895251334552 (DOI)001465579800001 ()40290646 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-105003973480 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2025-04-23 Created: 2025-04-23 Last updated: 2026-04-14Bibliographically approved
Wahlström, E. & Sandberg, J. (2025). ”Gör och kör” i en hållbar struktur: En avrapportering av följeforskning kring framväxt och etablering av lokal operativ samverkan och myndighetsgemensamma tillsyner.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>”Gör och kör” i en hållbar struktur: En avrapportering av följeforskning kring framväxt och etablering av lokal operativ samverkan och myndighetsgemensamma tillsyner
2025 (Swedish)Report (Other academic)
Abstract [sv]

Rapporten beskriver hur Eskilstuna kommun och Polismyndigheten har utvecklat lokal operativ samverkan (LOS) för att bekämpa systemhotande brottslighet, med särskilt fokus på välfärdsbrott och arbetslivskriminalitet. Arbetet har följts genom en lärande utvärdering mellan maj 2024 och september 2025. Syftet har varit att förstå hur samverkan formas över tid, vilka hinder och möjliggörare som finns, och att bidra med kunskap för fortsatt utveckling.

Bakgrunden är att välfärdsbrottslighet är ett komplext fenomen som ofta beskrivs som ett ”wicked problem”. Det omfattar allt från bidragsfusk till folkbokföringsbrott och kräver samarbete över organisatoriska gränser eftersom det inte finns standardiserade arbetssätt eller tydliga ansvarsfördelningar. Kommunernas arbete mot denna typ av brott har intensifierats efter lagen om kommuners ansvar för brottsförebyggande arbete (SFS 2023:196), vilket har lett till nya lokala initiativ och samordnande roller. Samverkan mellan myndigheter är dock utmanande, bland annat på grund av skillnader i kultur – kommunens serviceperspektiv kontra polisens kontrollperspektiv – samt sekretesshinder och målkonflikter. Följeforskningen har byggt på intervjuer med nyckelpersoner, inspelningar från samverkansmöten och workshops. Analysen har genomförts med reflexiv tematisk metod, vilket innebär att materialet har lästs noggrant med fokus på att identifiera återkommande idéer eller mönster.

Resultatet visar att arbetet har gått från ett löst organiserat initiativ till en mer strukturerad samverkansform med flera mötesforum. Dessa forum omfattar LOS styrgrupp vilket skapades som ett strategiskt forum, LOS operativ som blev navet för planering och uppföljning av tillsyner, och LOS aktionsmöten vilka infördes för detaljerad planering. Utöver dessa strukturer har ett nytt arbetssätt för myndighetsgemensamma tillsyner har etablerats. Arbetssättet vägleder hur verksamheter väljs ut utifrån kriterier som misstänkt fusk, behov av flera lagrum och felaktig folkbokföring samt hur den gemensamma tillsynen planeras och genomförs. Samtidigt som planeringen har blivit mer systematisk, kvarstår ett starkt personberoende där nyckelpersoner varit avgörande för framgång. Fokus på personer och relationsbyggande har således bidragit till en god grund för fortsatt arbete, men skapar även sårbarhet. Två idéer har präglat utvecklingen: ”tillsammans är vi starka”, som betonar gemenskap och kunskapsdelning, och ”gör och kör”, ett pragmatiskt förhållningssätt som möjliggjort snabb utveckling med mindre fokus på strukturer. Båda idéerna har varit bärande i utvecklingen av samverkan och bidragit positivt till framväxt och utveckling av myndighetsgemensamma tillsyner. Samtidigt har utmaningar uppstått, framförallt kring resursprioritering mellan LOS och ordinarie verksamhet samt skillnader i perspektiv mellan kommunens serviceinriktning och polisens brottsbekämpande fokus. Dessa skillnader har krävt kontinuerlig förhandling och anpassning.

Publisher
p. 29
National Category
Other Social Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-76195 (URN)
Available from: 2026-03-10 Created: 2026-03-10 Last updated: 2026-03-10Bibliographically approved
Sofi, D., Stier, J. & Wahlström, E. (2025). Hyperreality, Polarization and Prejudice: Social Media Descriptions of Swedish Child Welfare Services. Child & Family Social Work
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Hyperreality, Polarization and Prejudice: Social Media Descriptions of Swedish Child Welfare Services
2025 (English)In: Child & Family Social Work, ISSN 1356-7500, E-ISSN 1365-2206Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

This article examines how the Swedish child welfare services (CWSs) are described in Arabic-speaking social media, with a focus on the 'LVU campaign.' The material consists of Facebook and YouTube posts and comments about the Swedish CWSs' actions in child mistreatment cases involving migrant families. These posts and comments were written in Arabic, had a substantial number of interactions (likes, shares etc.), were openly accessible and were published between January 2021 and December 2023. Through thematic analysis of posts and comments, four themes emerge: 'The heartless CWS bandits,' 'Sweden in moral decline (the land of haram),' 'The infidel West at war with Islam and God' and 'Faithful, just and loving families.' These themes are further examined through three conceptual dichotomies: particularism-universalism, reality-hyperreality and the construction of 'us'-'them.' The analysis shows that social media accounts shape perceptions of 'the other' and fuel mistrust in the commentary fields of posts of 'real' events. The accounts illustrate the challenge of balancing universal rights with respect for cultural differences and the minority rights of migrant families. The study highlights how such dynamics can accentuate in-group preferences and fuel inter-group polarization by amplifying certain versions of reality to explain the CWSs' actions towards migrant families.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Wiley, 2025
Keywords
disinformation, hyperreality, migrants, polarization, social media, Swedish child welfare services
National Category
Media and Communication Studies
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-74224 (URN)10.1111/cfs.70075 (DOI)001608359000001 ()2-s2.0-105020876803 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2025-11-12 Created: 2025-11-12 Last updated: 2026-04-24Bibliographically approved
Sofi, D., Stier, J. & Wahlström, E. (2025). (Om)formandet av socialtjänsten i sociala medier– diskurser och desinformation i ”LVU-kampanjen” (1ed.). In: Gunnarsson, D.; Lund, A.; Månsson, N. (Ed.), Vägskäl för inkludering: Tvärvetenskapliga perspektiv på migration, nationella minoriteter och utbildning (pp. 265-275). Huddinge: Södertörns högskola
Open this publication in new window or tab >>(Om)formandet av socialtjänsten i sociala medier– diskurser och desinformation i ”LVU-kampanjen”
2025 (Swedish)In: Vägskäl för inkludering: Tvärvetenskapliga perspektiv på migration, nationella minoriteter och utbildning / [ed] Gunnarsson, D.; Lund, A.; Månsson, N., Huddinge: Södertörns högskola , 2025, 1, , p. 315p. 265-275Chapter in book (Other academic)
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Huddinge: Södertörns högskola, 2025. p. 315 Edition: 1
Series
Läromedel från Södertörns högskola, ISSN 1652-3067 ; 10
National Category
Sociology Educational Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-74665 (URN)978-91-89962-11-8 (ISBN)
Available from: 2025-11-27 Created: 2025-11-27 Last updated: 2025-11-27Bibliographically approved
Wahlström, E., Landerdahl Stridsberg, S., Larsson, C. & Stier, J. (2025). School health professionals' understanding of culture: a scoping review. BMJ Open, 15(7), Article ID e100689.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>School health professionals' understanding of culture: a scoping review
2025 (English)In: BMJ Open, E-ISSN 2044-6055, Vol. 15, no 7, article id e100689Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Introduction Culture underpins social interaction between school health professionals and children. Both practice and research suggest that cultural variations, migration and intercultural interactions pose potential challenges in encounters between school health professionals and children and may relate to the health professionals' understanding of their own culture as a factor in such encounters. Still, for the school health services (SHS), reviews collating existing research on school health professionals' understanding of culture are lacking.Objectives This review aims to identify, describe and analyse existing research on school health professionals' (ie, school nurses, school social workers, school doctors and school psychologists) understanding of culture.Design A scoping review of peer-reviewed and published scientific articles on school health professionals' understanding of culture.Inclusion criteria Articles published between 2013 and 2024 on culture, SHS and school nurses, school doctors, school social workers or school psychologists.Methods and analysis Searches were conducted in October 2023 and September 2024 in 10 databases. Two reviewers independently screened the article titles, abstracts and full texts for inclusion. Extracted data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. The qualitative content analysis focused on content related to theoretical considerations, key findings and conceptualisations of culture.Results From 1784 screened articles, 100 articles were screened in full text and 21 articles fulfilled the eligibility criteria. After identifying two additional articles through manual searches, a total of 23 articles were included in the review. The findings show that the articles primarily applied a quantitative study design, focused on school psychologists and school nurses and were conducted in the USA and Nordic-Baltic area. Self-understanding was mainly studied using validated instruments, leaving the conceptualisation of culture to the researchers. Still, only about half of all the articles described the theoretical conceptualisation of culture. Studies of intercultural interaction focused on the challenges of encountering 'diverse' children and raised concerns about barriers and hindrances to the encounters.Conclusions This review shows that SHS professionals' understanding of culture has mainly been studied within two SHS professions, within a narrow geographical sphere and without a theoretical stance on culture. Thus, more qualitative research, a clearer theoretical conceptualisation of culture and more research on SHS professionals' practice and self-understanding are needed.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
BMJ, 2025
Keywords
Schools, Health Equity, Health Services, Primary Prevention, PUBLIC HEALTH, Review
National Category
Health Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-73950 (URN)10.1136/bmjopen-2025-100689 (DOI)001537117500001 ()40713056 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-105011942129 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2025-11-03 Created: 2025-11-03 Last updated: 2026-05-13Bibliographically approved
Wahlström, E., Stier, J. & Buli, B. G. (2025). What is health? A deconstruction of the World Health Organization 1948 definition. Health, 0(0), Article ID 13634593251393743.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>What is health? A deconstruction of the World Health Organization 1948 definition
2025 (English)In: Health, ISSN 1363-4593, E-ISSN 1461-7196, Vol. 0, no 0, article id 13634593251393743Article in journal (Refereed) Epub ahead of print
Abstract [en]

For 75 years, the WHO health definition has been the most influential and widely accepted definition of health globally, having a profound impact on policy making, professional practice, and people’s overall understanding of health. Although there are alternative notions and definitions of health, it is argued that this definition has enjoyed an almost hegemonic position in the health discourse. Still, it has rarely been systematically deconstructed. This text aims to deconstruct the WHO 1948 definition of health in its entirety as well as its parts. This is done to highlight the epistemological variations and potential contradictions embedded within, and the possible consequences of the definition. The findings indicate a multitude of occasionally ambiguous or conflicting readings depending on how the reader and contemporary ideas conceptualize words and phrasing in the definition. For example, interpreting health as binary can be challenged by ideas of the present as constantly changing, suggesting that health in the definition is conceptualized along a continuum. Such alternative – and sometimes contradictory readings – call for clarifications on how the definition is used and interpreted in different contexts. Still, its ambiguity might have helped it remain relevant and applicable across different societies and time periods.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
SAGE Publications, 2025
National Category
Health Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-74730 (URN)10.1177/13634593251393743 (DOI)001626640200001 ()41311154 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-105023149912 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Mälardalen University
Available from: 2025-12-02 Created: 2025-12-02 Last updated: 2025-12-10Bibliographically approved
Wahlström, E., Harder, M., Holmström, I. K., Larm, P. & Golsater, M. (2024). Reading the signs in health visits-Perspectives of adolescents with migration experiences on encounters with school nurses. Nursing Open, 11(6), Article ID e2217.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Reading the signs in health visits-Perspectives of adolescents with migration experiences on encounters with school nurses
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2024 (English)In: Nursing Open, E-ISSN 2054-1058, Vol. 11, no 6, article id e2217Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

AimTo explore the experiences of health visits within the school health services from the perspective of adolescents with migration experiences.DesignA descriptive qualitative study.MethodsData were collected using focus groups and semi-structured individual interviews with adolescents with migration experiences aged 13-17 years old. Analysis was conducted using reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsThe results described adolescents reading the signs in the guided interaction between them and the school nurses. Reading the signs illustrated the adolescents' continuous interpretation of the interaction with the school nurse, and their decisions on how to respond throughout the health visit. These interpretations influenced the adolescents' shifting willingness to talk about their health and how they adapted to the space of participation provided by the school nurse. The interpretation also influenced their experiences of health visits as focusing on their health without making them feel singled out.ConclusionAlthough individual considerations might be warranted in health visits with adolescents with migration experiences, the results indicate that similarities in intrapersonal communication in various encounters between adolescents and health professionals might be greater than any differences. Healthcare encounters with adolescents with migration experiences might thus need to be conducted with an awareness that adolescents read the signs in the guided interaction and that similarities in this interaction are greater than any differences.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
WILEY, 2024
Keywords
adolescents, health visits, migration, nursing, school, school health services
National Category
Nursing
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-67895 (URN)10.1002/nop2.2217 (DOI)001249129100001 ()38890791 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85196259123 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2024-06-26 Created: 2024-06-26 Last updated: 2025-10-10Bibliographically approved
Wahlström, E., Wallander, F. & Stier, J. (2024). Vacillating between “strange” and “familiar”: representations of children in migrant families and their health in Swedish school health services. Social Science and Medicine, 348, Article ID 116809.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Vacillating between “strange” and “familiar”: representations of children in migrant families and their health in Swedish school health services
2024 (English)In: Social Science and Medicine, ISSN 0277-9536, E-ISSN 1873-5347, Vol. 348, article id 116809Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Representations of migrants influence how they are perceived by others. Hence, how children who have migrated or whose parents have migrated (Children in Migrant Families: CMFs) are represented in clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for Swedish school health services (SHS) may influence how they are perceived by school nurses. Thus, this study aimed to explore representations of CMFs in school nurses’ CPGs. Data consisted of 130 CPGs from municipalities in Sweden. Documents were analyzed using the “What is the Problem Represented to be” (WPR) approach – an analytic strategy for investigating embedded assumptions of “problems”. In the analysis, Sarah Ahmed's work on “strangers” and “strangeness” was applied. In the CPGs, the CMFs and their health were repeatedly mentioned in conjunction with the need for particular or additional actions, efforts, or routines when assessing or discussing their health, to a degree beyond what is “usually” provided. This need was motivated by representing the CMFs and their health as being the same, yet different in relation to “Swedish” children in general. Thus, the children were not only represented as different, but they were “foreignized”. These representations of difference and foreignness placed the children on a continuum in relation to what is recognized as “familiar” in their health, and constructed elastic boundaries between the strange and the familiar. By illustrating how these boundaries were used for difference-making between “familiar” and “strange”, this study showed how CMFs are alternately represented as similar and different, and foreignized while provided with SHS aiming to make them “familiar”.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2024
Keywords
Children, Guidelines, Health, Migrants, Representations, School health services
National Category
Social Work
Research subject
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-66454 (URN)10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116809 (DOI)001217148600001 ()38547808 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85189673419 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Mälardalen University
Available from: 2024-04-17 Created: 2024-04-17 Last updated: 2025-10-10Bibliographically approved
Organisations
Identifiers
ORCID iD: ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0002-7828-6999

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