Malin Bergström is a child

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

and scientist at the

Karolinska Institute The Karolinska Institute (KI; sv, Karolinska Institutet; sometimes known as the (Royal) Caroline Institute in English) is a research-led medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area of Sweden. The Karolinska Institute is consist ...

in Stockholm, Sweden. She is a specialist in studies concerning the effect on children with different

child custody Child custody is a legal term regarding '' guardianship'' which is used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent or guardian and a child in that person's care. Child custody consists of ''legal custody'', which is the righ ...

arrangements after

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

separation Separation may refer to: Films * ''Separation'' (1967 film), a British feature film written by and starring Jane Arden and directed by Jack Bond * ''La Séparation'', 1994 French film * ''A Separation'', 2011 Iranian film * ''Separation'' (20 ...

. Using

cross-sectional Cross-sectional data, or a cross section of a study population, in statistics and econometrics, is a type of data collected by observing many subjects (such as individuals, firms, countries, or regions) at the one point or period of time. The analy ...

and longitudinal study designs, her research group has shown that children have better physical, mental and social outcomes if they live in a

shared parenting Shared parenting, shared residence, joint residence, shared custody, joint physical custody, equal parenting time (EPT) is a child custody arrangement after divorce or separation, in which both parents share the responsibility of raising their ...

arrangement compared to primarily living with only one parent.

Scientific activities

For her PhD thesis, Bergström conducted a group randomized trial concerning psychoprophylaxis during child birth, evaluating the use by both the mothers and the fathers. In 2011, Bergström started to work on the ''Elvis project'' at the Center for Health Equity Studies, a joint venture of

Stockholm University Stockholm University ( sv, Stockholms universitet) is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, so ...

and the

. This project is a longitudinal research study that follows the health and well being of children after their parents have divorced or separated. With Sweden as one of the early adopters of

, the project is unique in its ability to evaluate and compare long-term effects of different custody arrangements. In her various publications, Bergström has shown that children have better physical, mental and social outcomes if they live in a shared parenting arrangement, with approximately equal time with their mother and father compare with a primary parenting arrangement. This holds true for children of different ages, and whether or not their divorced parents have an amicable or high-conflict relationship. Bergström serves as a board member of the

International Council on Shared Parenting The International Council on Shared Parenting (ICSP) is an international non-profit organization that promotes and disseminates scientific research and makes recommendations on the needs and rights of children whose parents do not live together. ...

Media

Bergström's research has received international media attention by for example

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...

, Yahoo Parenting, Radio Canada, and

Science Daily ''Science Daily'' is an American website launched in 1995 that aggregates press releases and publishes lightly edited press releases (a practice called churnalism) about science, similar to Phys.org and EurekAlert!. The site was founded by mar ...

Selected publications

Peer-reviewed scientific articles

* Bergström M. Kieler H. Waldenström U. ''Effects of natural childbirth preparation versus standard antenatal education on epidural rates, experience of childbirth and parental stress in mothers and fathers: a randomised controlled multicentre trial.'' ''BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology''. 2009, 116:1167-1176. * Bergström M. Kieler H. Waldenström U. Psychoprophylaxis during labor: Associations with labor-related outcomes and experience of childbirth. ''Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand''. 2010, 89:794-800. * Bergström M, Modin B, Fransson E, Rajmil L, Berlin M, Gustafsson PA, Hjern A
''Living in two homes-a Swedish national survey of wellbeing in 12 and 15 year olds with joint physical custody''.
''BMC Public Health''. 2013, 13:868. * Bergström M. Depressive symptoms in new first‐time fathers: Associations with age, sociodemographic characteristics, and antenatal psychological well‐being''.'' ''Birth''. 2013, 40:32-38. * Bergström M, Fransson E, Hjern A, Köhler L, Wallby T
''Mental health in Swedish children living in joint physical custody and their parents' life satisfaction: A cross‐sectional study''.
''Scandinavian journal of psychology'', 2014, 55,433-439. * Bergström M, Fransson E, Modin B, Berlin M, Gustafsson PA, Hjern A
''Fifty moves a year: is there an association between joint physical custody and psychosomatic problems in children?''
''Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health''. 2015. * Fransson E, Sarkadi A, Hjern A, Bergström M
''Why should they live more with one of us when they are children to us both?: Parents' motives for practicing equal joint physical custody for children aged 0–4''
''Children and youth services review''. 2016, 66:154-160. * Turunen J, Fransson E, Bergström M
''Self-esteem in children in joint physical custody and other living arrangements''.
''Public Health''. 2017, 149:106-112. * Fransson E, Hjern A, Bergström M.
''What Can We Say Regarding Shared Parenting Arrangements for Swedish Children?''
''Journal of Divorce & Remarriage'', 2018, 59,349-358. * Bergström M, Fransson E, Wells MB, Köhler L, Hjern A
''Children with two homes: Psychological problems in relation to living arrangements in Nordic 2- to 9-year-olds''
Scandinavian ''Journal of Public Health'', 2018. * Bergström M, Fransson E, Fabian H, Hjern A, Sarkadi A, Salari R
''Preschool children living in joint physical custody arrangements show less psychological symptoms than those living mostly or only with one parent''.
''Acta Paediatrica''. 2018, 107:294-300.

Popular press

* Michel Grangeat, Edward Kruk, Malin Bergström, Sofia Marinho
''Are joint custody and shared parenting a child’s right?''
The Conversation, 4 oktober 2018.

Books (in Swedish)

* Bergström M. ''Lyhört föräldraskap'' (Responsive parenting), Bonnier Fakta, 2013. * Bergström M. ''Fråga barnpsykologen – 142 frågor och svar om att vara förälder'' (Ask the child psychologist - 142 questions and answers about being a parent), Bonnier, 2018. * Bergström M. ''Att skiljas med barn'' (Getting divorced with children), Bonnier Fakta, 2018.

External links

The Elvis Project
Department of Public Health, Stockholm University.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergstrom, Malin Living people Scientists from Stockholm Swedish psychologists Swedish women psychologists Swedish medical researchers Academic staff of the Karolinska Institute Academic staff of Stockholm University Year of birth missing (living people)