Benjamin Claréus

Benjamin Claréus is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the Faculty of Teacher Education, Department of Psychology, Kristianstad University (HKR). He is affiliated with the research environment Individual Group and Society (FIGS) and maintains an active ORCID profile (0000-0003-0972-6660).

Dr. Claréus's research centers on mental health and well-being among young people and adults, with particular emphasis on self-harm behavior (especially cessation mechanisms), LGBTQ+ health conditions, long-term pain, post-COVID symptoms, and Western body modification practices. His methodological approach integrates both quantitative and qualitative techniques to examine lived experiences across mental health spectrums. The research fingerprint analysis shows dominant focus areas including Self-Injury (100%), Mental Health (60%), Adolescence (34%), Volition (14%), Emotion Regulation (14%), Psychological Growth (13%), Health and Well-Being (12%), and Emotion-Regulation Strategy (11%).

His recent publication trajectory (25 total works from 2017-2025, with increasing output culminating in 5 publications in 2025) demonstrates consistent focus on adolescent self-injury patterns, longitudinal mental health associations, and recovery processes. The research shows evolving methodological sophistication with increasing use of mixed-methods approaches and long-term cohort studies spanning 15+ years.

Dr. Claréus actively contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals through mental health research. He currently leads research activities in the project 'Being young and feeling bad: Time trends and longitudinal development in self-harm, eating disorders and other mental health problems' (2024-2026) and collaborates on 'Self-Confidence and Life Situation' and 'QueerPsy' initiatives. His academic service includes dissertation supervision and teaching in scientific methods, developmental psychology, and child/adolescent psychopathology courses.

The Individual Group and Society (FIGS) research environment provides the institutional framework for his work, which has generated significant academic engagement including public lectures on self-injury prevention and international research collaboration, notably a visiting researcher position at Curtin University (2021-2022).