Areas of Expertise
- Health consequences of mass-trauma, disaster, violence and other traumatic events for children, adolescents and their families
- Headache, pain, insomnia, other somatic and post-traumatic stress symptoms in children and adolescents exposed to trauma
- Pediatric medicine
Stensland is a research director of the section on disaster and forced migration, children and adolescents, and pediatrician, with a PhD in medicine from the University of Oslo (2015).
Stensland is a leading expert on child and adolescent trauma and publishes widely in the fields of violence and traumatic stress studies, terrorism, child abuse, and neglect. Through her research, Stensland has made a notable contribution in understanding the impact of disaster and other traumatic events on the somatic health and well-being of children, adolescents growing into young adults, and their families. With her background in both research and pediatrics, her emphasis has been on implications of such knowledge for practice.
Stensland is widely consulted by governmental agencies and health services, delivering official commissioned reports and disseminating research implications widely. She headed the advisory taskforce for the Norwegian Directorate of Health on the psychosocial follow-up of refugees from the war on Ukraine (2022) and has also contributed extensively to similar advisory assignments on psychosocial response to the covid-19 pandemic (2020-22) and the Gjerdrum mudslide (2020-21). She was also a member of the “BarnUnge 21” strategy task force appointed by the Norwegian Ministry of Children and Families (2019-21).
Stensland is serving on the Board of Directors at the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) since 2018. She was a Fulbright scholar at Boston University School of Public Health (2003-2004) and in 2015 she was recognized with Solveig and Johan P. Sommers foundation award for her contribution on understanding the impact of trauma in children and adolescents.
?Synne Stensland – ?Google Scholar
- Health consequences of mass-trauma, disaster, violence and other traumatic events for children, adolescents and their families
- Headache, pain, insomnia, other somatic and post-traumatic stress symptoms in children and adolescents exposed to trauma
- Pediatric medicine
Projects
- 2011-2029 The terror attack: Experience and reactions among Utøya survivorsThe project manager for this project is Dr. Grete Dyb (PI) and Dr. Synne Stensland is the co- Principle Investigator (PI).
- 2023-2027 Disclosure – A lifecourse perspective on barriers and facilitatorss to disclose
- 2023-2026 Arbeid etter vold: Konsekvensene av vold for arbeidslivet
- 2020-2025 Stress responses and health complaints in hospital personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2019-2025 Trust after Sexual Trauma
Academic Articles
Strøm, I. F., Wentzel-Larsen, T., Stensland, S., Dyb, G. A., Stene, L. E., (2024). Health care needs, experiences, and satisfaction after terrorism: a longitudinal study of parents of survivors of the Utøya attackBioMed Central (BMC). doi:10.1186/s12913-024-10592-1
Porcheret, K. L., Dyb, G. A., Wentzel-Larsen, T., Stensland, S., (2024). Predictors of early adulthood insomnia following exposure to a single mass violence attack during adolescence: 7–13 year follow-up from the Utøya and HUNT studiesTaylor & Francis. doi:10.1080/20008066.2024.2312750
Glad, K. A., Wøien, H., Stensland, S., Reitan, S. K., Zwart, J. A. H., Atar, D., Dyb, G. A., Bondjers, K., (2024). Health care workers’ qualitative descriptions of ethically challenging situations evoking moral distress during Covid-19Hodder Education.
Greger, H. K., Stensland, S., & Kristianslund, S. K. (2023). Interpersonal violence and recurrent headache among adolescents with a history of psychiatric problems. Annals of General Psychiatry, 22(2). doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-023-00432-7
Stangeland, H., Aakvaag, H. F., Baumann, M., Wentzel-Larsen, T., Storheim, K., Zwart, J. A. H., Dyb, G. A., Stensland, S. Ø. B., (2023). Problematic alcohol use in young adults exposed to childhood trauma: The Trøndelag Health (HUNT) StudyJohn Wiley & Sons. doi:10.1002/jts.22965
Baumann, M., Zwart, J. A. H., Dyb, G. A., Wentzel-Larsen, T., Stangeland, H., Storheim, K., Stensland, S. Ø. B., (2023). Killing pain? A prospective population-based study on trauma exposure in childhood as predictor for frequent use of over-the-counter analgesics in young adulthood. The HUNT studyElsevier. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115400
Glad, K. A., Dyb, G. A., Hellevik, P., Michelsen, H., Stensland, S. Ø. B., (2023). “I Wish You Had Died on Utøya”: Terrorist Attack Survivors’ Personal Experiences with Hate Speech and ThreatsTaylor & Francis. doi:10.1080/09546553.2023.2214238
Strøm, I. F., Dyb, G. A., Wentzel-Larsen, T., Stene, L. E., Schultz, J. H., Stensland, S., (2023). Terror leaves adolescents behind: Identifying risk and protective factors for high-school completion among survivors of terrorismJohn Wiley & Sons. doi:10.1002/jts.22935
Linnemørken, L. T. B., Stangeland, H., Reme, S. E., Stensland, S. Ø. B., (2023). Performance and acceptability of the Stressful Life Events Screening Questionnaire in a chronic pain population: A mixed-methods studyWolters Kluwer. doi:10.1097/PR9.0000000000001072
Baumann-Larsen, M., Dyb, G. A., Wentzel-Larsen, T., Zwart, J. A. H., Storheim, K., Stensland, S. Ø. B., (2023). Exposure to traumatic events and use of over-the-counter analgesics in adolescents: cross-sectional findings from the Young-HUNT studyBMJ Open. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-066058
Bondjers, K., Lingaas, I., Stensland, S., Atar, D., Zwart, J. A. H., Wøien, H., Dyb, G. A., (2023). “I’ve kept going” – a multisite repeated cross-sectional study of healthcare workers’ pride in personal performance during the COVID-19 pandemicBioMed Central (BMC). doi:10.1186/s12913-023-09246-5
Stensland, S., Glad, K. A., Ottesen, A., (2023). Barn, unge og familier på flukt. Tidsskrift for Den norske legeforening. doi:10.4045/tidsskr.23.0002
Jacobsen, K. K., Børte, S., Laborie, L. B., Kristiansen, H., Schäfer, A., Martinsen, A., Skogholt, A. H., Brumpton, B. M., Willer, C. J., Fors, E. A., Kristoffersen, E. S., Heuch, I., Mundal, I. P., Zwart, J. A. H., Nielsen, J. B., Storheim, K., Hagen, K., Nilsen, K. B., Hveem, K., Fritsche, L. G., Thomas, L. F., Pedersen, L. M., Gabrielsen, M. E., Lie, M. U., Stensland, S., Zhou, W., Gundersen, T., Zayats, T., Winsvold, B. K. S., Rosendahl, K., (2023). COL11A1 is associated with developmental dysplasia of the hip and secondary osteoarthritis in the HUNT studyElsevier. doi:10.1016/j.ocarto.2023.100424
Baumann, M., Storheim, K., Stangeland, H., Zwart, J. A. H., Wentzel-Larsen, T., Skurtveit, S. O., Dyb, G. A., Stensland, S., (2023). Childhood trauma and the use of opioids and other prescription analgesics in adolescence and young adulthood. The HUNT studyWolters Kluwer. doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003131
Stensland, S., Glad, K. A., Andersen, A. J., Brodersen, D., Bækkelund, H., Daae, C., Heltne, U. M., Jensen, T., Johnsen, I., Kristensen, P., Nissen, A., Ormhaug, S. M., Reinholdt, N. P., Stene, L. E., Thapa, S. B., Thoresen, S., Ottesen, A., (2023). Oppfølging av mennesker rammet av krig og katastrofer. Tidsskrift for Den norske legeforening. doi:10.4045/tidsskr.23.0791
Stangeland, H., Handal, M., Skurtveit, S. O., Aakvaag, H. F., Dyb, G. A., Wentzel-Larsen, T., . . . Stensland, S. et al. (2022). Killing pain?: a population-based registry study of the use of prescription analgesics, anxiolytics, and hypnotics among all children, adolescents and young adults in Norway from 2004 to 2019. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1-12. doi:10.1007/s00787-022-02066-8
Bahrami, S., Hindley, G. F. L., Winsvold, B. K. S., O'Connell, K. S., O'Connell, K. S., Frei, O., Shadrin, A., Cheng, W., Bettella, F., Rødevand, L., Ødegaard, K. J., Odegaard, K. J., Fan, C. C., Pirinen, M. J., Hautakangas, H. M., Martinsen, A., Skogholt, A. H., Brumpton, B. M., Willer, C. J., Tronvik, E. A., Kristoffersen, E. S., Zwart, J. A. H., Nielsen, J. B., Hagen, K., Nilsen, K. B., Hveem, K., Stovner, L. J., Fritsche, L., Thomas, L., Pedersen, L. M., Gabrielsen, M. E., Johnsen, M. B., Lie, M., Holmen, O. L., Børte, S., Stensland, S., Zhou, W., Dale, A. M., Dale, A., Djurovic, S., Smeland, O. B., & Andreassen, O. (2022). Dissecting the shared genetic basis of migraine and mental disorders using novel statistical tools. Brain, 145(1), 142-153. doi:10.1093/brain/awab267
Porcheret, K. L., Stensland, S., Wentzel-Larsen, T., & Dyb, G. A. (2022). Insomnia in survivors 8.5 years after the Utøya Island terrorist attack: transition from late adolescence to early adulthood - the Utøya study. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 13(1). doi:10.1080/20008198.2021.2020472
Jahre, H., Grotle, M., Smedbråten, K., Richardsen, K. R., Côté, P., Steingrímsdóttir, Ó. A., Nielsen, C. S., Storheim, K., Småstuen, M. C., Stensland, S., & Øiestad, B. E. (2022). Low social acceptance among peers increases the risk of persistent musculoskeletal pain in adolescents. Prospective data from the Fit Futures Study. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 23. doi:10.1186/s12891-022-04995-6
Rahman, S., Winsvold, B. K. S., Chavez, S., Børte, S., Tsepilov, V., Sharapov, S. Z., Martinsen, A., Skogholt, A. H., Brumpton, B. M., Willer, C., Heuch, I., Mundal, I. P., Nielsen, J. B., Storheim, K., Nilsen, K. B., Fritsche, L., Thomas, L., Pedersen, L. M., Gabrielsen, M. E., Johnsen, M. B., Lie, M., Holmen, O., Stensland, S., Zhou, W., Aulchenko, Y. S., Hagen, K., Fors, E. A., Hveem, K., Zwart, J. A. H., Meurs, J. v., Freidin, M. B., & Williams, F. M. (2021). Genome-wide association study identifies RNF123 locus as associated with chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 80(9), 1227-1235. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-219624
Khoury, S., Parisien, M., Thompson, S. J., Vachon-Presseau, E., Roy, M., Mitchell, A., Winsvold, B. K. S., Skogholt, A. H., Brumpton, B. M., Willer, C. J., Fors, E. A., Heuch, I., Nielsen, J. B., Storheim, K., Hagen, K., Nilsen, K. B., Hveem, K., Fritsche, L., Thomas, L., Pedersen, L. M., Gabrielsen, M. E., Johnsen, M. B., Lie, M. U., Lie, M., Holmen, O., Børte, S., Stensland, S. Ø., Stensland, S., Zhou, W., Mundal, I. P., Zwart, J. A. H., Kania, A., Mogil, J. S., & Diatchenko, L. (2021). Genome-wide analysis identifies impaired axonogenesis in chronic overlapping pain conditions. Brain, 145(3), 1111-1123. doi:10.1093/brain/awab359
Freidin, M. B., Tsepilov, Y. A., Stanaway, I. B., Meng, W., Hayward, C., Smith, B. H., Khoury, S., Parisien, M., Bortsov, A., Diatchenko, L., Børte, S., Winsvold, B. K. S., Brumpton, B. M., Zwart, J. A., Aulchenko, Y., Suri, P., Williams, F. M. K., Martinsen, A., Skogholt, A. H., Willer, C., Fors, E. A., Heuch, I., Mundal, I. P., Nielsen, J. B., Hagen, K., Nilsen, K. B., Hveem, K., Fritsche, L., Thomas, L., Pedersen, L. M., Gabrielsen, M. E., Johnsen, M. B., Lie, M., Holmen, O. L., Stensland, S., & Zhou, W. (2021). Sex- and age-specific genetic analysis of chronic back pain. Pain, 162(4), 1176-1187. doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002100
Jahre, H., Jahre, H., Grotle, M., Småstuen, M., Guddal, M. H., Smedbråten, K., Richardsen, K. R., Stensland, S., Storheim, K., & Øiestad, B. E. (2021). Risk factors and risk profiles for neck pain in young adults: Prospective analyses from adolescence to young adulthood—The North-Trøndelag Health Study. PLOS ONE, 16(8), 1-17. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0256006
Glad, K. A., Stensland, S., Czajkowski, N. O., Boelen, P., & Dyb, G. A. (2021). The Longitudinal Association Between Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress and Complicated Grief: A Random Intercepts Cross-Lag Analysis. Psychological Trauma. doi:10.1037/tra0001087 Summary
Glad, K. A., Stensland, S., & Dyb, G. (2021). The Terrorist Attack on Utøya Island: Long-Term Impact on Survivors’ Health and Implications for Policy. Perspectives on Terrorism, 15(3).
Muller, A. E., Hafstad, E. V., Himmels, J. P. W., Smedslund, G., Flottorp, S. A., Stensland, S., . . . Vist, G. E. et al. (2020). The mental health impact of the covid-19 pandemic on healthcare workers, and interventions to help them: A rapid systematic review. Psychiatry Research, 293, 1-11. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113441
Stensland, S., Thoresen, S., Jensen, T. K., Wentzel-Larsen, T., & Dyb, G. (2020). Early Pain and Other Somatic Symptoms Predict Posttraumatic Stress Reactions in Survivors of Terrorist Attacks: The Longitudinal Utøya Cohort Study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 33, 1060-1070. doi:10.1002/jts.22562 Summary
Guddal, M. H., Stensland, S., Småstuen, M. C., Johnsen, M. B., Heuch, I., Zwart, J. A., & Storheim, K. (2020). Obesity in young adulthood: The role of physical activity level, musculoskeletal pain, and psychological distress in adolescence (the hunt-study). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH), 17(12), 1-14. doi:10.3390/ijerph17124603
Liu, M., Jiang, Y., Wedow, R., Li, Y., Brazel, D. M., Chen, F., Datta, G., Davila-Velderrain, J., Mitchell, A., Skogholt, A. H., Sivertsen, B., Stordal, E., Morken, G., Kallestad, H., Heuch, I., Zwart, J. A., Fjukstad, K. K., Pedersen, L. M., Johnsen, M. B., Skrove, M. S., Indredavik, M. S., Drange, O. K., Bjerkeset, O., Børte, S., Stensland, S., Choquet, H., Docherty, A. R., Faul, J. D., Foerster, J. R., Fritsche, L., Gabrielsen, M. E., Gordon, S. D., Haessler, J., Hottenga, J. J., Huang, H., Jang, S. K., Jansen, P. R., Ling, Y., Mägi, R., Matoba, N., McMahon, G., Mulas, A., Orrú, V., Palviainen, T., Pandit, A., Reginsson, G. W., Smith, J. A., Taylor, A. E., Turman, C., Willemsen, G., Young, H., Young, K. A., Zajac, G. J., Zhao, W., Zhou, W., Björnsdóttir, G. T., Boardman, J. D., Boehnke, M., Boomsma, D. I., Chen, C., Davies, G. E., Eaton, C. B., Winsvold, B. K. S., Hveem, K., & Vrieze, S. (2019). Association studies of up to 1.2 million individuals yield new insights into the genetic etiology of tobacco and alcohol use. Nature Genetics, 51(2), 237-244. doi:10.1038/s41588-018-0307-5
Guddal, M. H., Stensland, S., Småstuen, M. C., Johnsen, M. B., Zwart, J. A., & Storheim, K. (2019). Physical activity and sport participation among adolescents: Associations with mental health in different age groups. Results from the Young-HUNT study: A cross-sectional survey. BMJ Open, 9(9). doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-028555
Stensland, S., & Dyb, G. (2019). Kroppen reagerer på fare. In G. Dyb & T. K. Jensen (Red.) Å leve videre etter katastrofen: Stressreaksjoner og oppfølging etter traumer (pp. 33-41). Gyldendal Akademisk.
Børte, S., Zwart, J. A., Stensland, S., Hagen, K., & Winsvold, B. K. S. (2019). Parental migraine in relation to migraine in offspring: Family linkage analyses from the HUNT Study. Cephalalgia, 39(7), 854-862. doi:10.1177/0333102419828989
Stensland, S., Zwart, J. A., Wentzel-Larsen, T., & Dyb, G. (2018). The headache of terror: A matched cohort study of adolescents from the Utøya and the HUNT Study. Neurology, 90(2), e111-e118. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000004805 Summary
Bugge, I., Dyb, G., Stensland, S., Ekeberg, Ø., Wentzel-Larsen, T., & Diseth, T. H. (2017). Physical Injury and Somatic Complaints: The Mediating Role of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Young Survivors of a Terror Attack. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30(3), 229-236. doi:10.1002/jts.22191 Summary
Børte, S., Winsvold, B. K. S., Stensland, S., Småstuen, M. C., & Zwart, J. A. (2017). The effect of foetal growth restriction on the development of migraine and tension-type headache in adulthood. The HUNT Study. PLOS ONE, 12:e0175908(4), 1-12. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0175908
Guddal, M. H., Stensland, S., Småstuen, M. C., Johnsen, M. B., Zwart, J. A., & Storheim, K. (2017). Physical activity level and sport participation in relation to musculoskeletal pain in a population-based study of adolescents: The Young-HUNT Study. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine (OJSM), 5:2325967116685543(1), 1-9. doi:10.1177/2325967116685543
Dyb, G., & Stensland, S. (2016). Helseplager som følge av traumatiske hendelser og utvikling av posttraumatiske stressreaksjoner. In C. Øverlien, M. I. Hauge & J. H. Schultz (Red.) Barn, vold og traumer. Møter med unge i utsatte livssituasjoner. (pp. 45-62). Universitetsforlaget.
Bugge, I., Dyb, G., Stensland, S., Ekeberg, Ø., Wentzel-Larsen, T., & Diseth, T. H. (2015). Physical injury and posttraumatic stress reactions. A study of the survivors of the 2011 shooting massacre on Utøya Island, Norway. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 79(5), 384-390. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2015.09.005 Summary
Dyb, G., Stensland, S., & Zwart, J. A. (2015). Psychiatric Comorbidity in Childhood and Adolescence Headache. Current Pain and Headache Reports, 19:5(4). doi:10.1007/s11916-015-0479-y Summary
Stensland, S., Thoresen, S., Wentzel-Larsen, T., & Dyb, G. (2015). Interpersonal violence and overweight in adolescents: the HUNT Study. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 43(1), 18-26. doi:10.1177/1403494814556176 Summary
Stensland, S., Thoresen, S., Wentzel-Larsen, T., Zwart, J. A., & Dyb, G. (2014). Recurrent headache and interpersonal violence in adolescence: the roles of psychological distress, loneliness and family cohesion: the HUNT study. The Journal of Headache and Pain, 15:35. doi:10.1186/1129-c1a74260-76fc-4c52-8cc4-02cfefd165a57-15-35 Summary
Stensland, S., Dyb, G., Thoresen, S., Wentzel-Larsen, T., & Zwart, J. A. (2013). Potentially traumatic interpersonal events, psychological distress and recurrent headache in a population-based cohort of adolescents: the HUNT study. BMJ Open, 3(7). doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002997 Summary
Myhre, M., & Stensland, S. (2011). Alvorlig omsogssvikt. In C. Klingenberg, T. Møller, C. V. Nilsen, H. Døllner & T. Rajka (Red.) Generell veileder i pediatri. .
Stensland, S., & Aakvaag, H. F. (2011). Inndeling og forekomst av belastende hendelser. Paidos: Tidsskrift for Norsk barnelegeforening, 29(2), 67-67.
Stensland, S., Aakvaag, H. F., & Ormhaug, S. M. (2011). Posttraumatiske reaksjoner hos barn og ungdom: Hvordan kan barnelegen møte barn og ungdommer som har opplevd traumatiske hendelser. Paidos: Tidsskrift for Norsk barnelegeforening, 29(2), 60-63.
Books and dissertations
Stensland, S. (2015). Interpersonal violence and health in adolescents: Violence, sexual abuse and bullying in relation to recurrent headache & overweight, psychosocial & lifestyle factors, in a population-based cohort of adolescents. (Doktorgradsavhandling). Summary
Reports
Aakvaag, H. F., Flod Aakvaag, H., Hafstad, G. S., Hjemdal, O. K., Sandmoe, A., Stensland, S., Stene, L. E., Stensland, S. Ø., . . . Thoresen, S. et al. (2019). Folkehelserapporten: Vold og seksuelle overgrep. Norwegian only.
Other publications
Strøm, I. F., Dyb, G. A., Wentzel-Larsen, T., Stene, L. E., Schultz, J., Stensland, S., (2023). Terror leaves adolescents behindJohn Wiley & Sons.
Stensland, S. (2022). På flukt fra krigen. Tidsskrift for Den norske legeforening, 142(6). doi:10.4045/tidsskr.22.0211
Stensland, S., & Myhre, M. C. (2019). Barnemishandling og omsorgssvikt [] Norwegian only. .
Stensland, S., Lingaas, I., Undset, A. B., Andreassen, A. L., & Dyb, G. (2019). Informasjonsfilm om Utøyastudien [] Norwegian only. Trist og Traurig AS.
Stensland, S., Andreassen, A. L., Lingaas, I., Undset, A. B., & Dyb, G. (2019). Instruksjonsvideo for bruk av aktigraf [] Norwegian only. Trist og Traurig AS.
Aakvaag, H. F., Hafstad, G. S., Hjemdal, O. K., Sandmoe, A., Stensland, S., Stene, L. E., . . . Thoresen, S. et al. (2019). Vold og seksuelle overgrep. In I. Myklestad, K. Stene-Larsen & A. Reneflot (Red.) Folkehelserapporten: Vold og seksuelle overgrep.. .
S. Stensland & U. M. Køpp (2018). Kapittel 12. Psykiske lidelser og psykososiale tilstander. Generell veileder. Pediatriveiledere. Norwegian only.
Stensland, S., Aakvaag, H. F., Hafstad, G. S., & Thoresen, S. (2018). Å innlemme NKVTS i Folkehelseinstituttet er en nedprioritering av vold- og traumefeltet. Forskning.no.
Stensland, S., (2018). Traumatic events increase headaches and migraines
Stensland, S., (2017). Another Legacy of Terror Attacks: Migraines
Stensland, S., (2017). Terror Attacks Tied to Sizable Headache Risk in Survivors
Stensland, S., (2017). Ny forskning: Terroroffer sårbara för huvudvärk.
Stensland, S., (2017). Ny studie: Utøya-ungdommer sliter med migrene.
Stensland, S., (2017). Kobler ekstrem voldshendelse til økt risiko for migrene.
Stensland, S., (2017). The headache of terror
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