Tormod Bøe

Professor Tormod Bøe is a distinguished researcher at the Department of Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, with a concurrent appointment at NORCE Health and Society - RKBU at NORCE Research AS. His academic career spans multiple significant research projects including the extensive 'Children in Bergen' study (with 169 published results), the 'PACT - Pathways to Active Citizenship' project, and the 'HEIFA' project focused on family health and quality of life.

Professor Bøe's research primarily examines social inequality in mental health through epidemiological and psychometric approaches. His work spans several critical areas including adolescent mental health, refugee mental health (particularly among unaccompanied minors), socioeconomic determinants of psychological well-being, and developmental trajectories of mental health across the lifespan. He has made significant contributions to understanding how family affluence, parental unemployment, and social gradients impact mental health outcomes from adolescence to midlife.

His recent publication record (2023-2025) demonstrates remarkable productivity with numerous high-impact articles in journals such as BMC Public Health, Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, and Child Indicators Research. These publications reveal a consistent focus on mental health inequalities, methodological rigor in psychometric assessment, and practical applications for public health interventions. His research often utilizes large-scale Norwegian cohort studies and registry data, providing valuable insights with both national and international relevance.

Professor Bøe's scientific contributions include:

• Extensive work on refugee mental health and integration
• Validation of socioeconomic measurement tools like the Family Affluence Scale
• Examination of trauma exposure and mental health outcomes in children and adolescents
• Analysis of how parenting practices mediate social gradients in mental health
• Research on protective factors for resilience among vulnerable populations

As an educator, Professor Bøe teaches courses including PROPSY315, PSYK202, and PROPSY301B at the University of Bergen, connecting his teaching closely with his research expertise in social psychology and mental health epidemiology. His research group for public mental health serves as a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration on pressing mental health issues in contemporary society.