Tina Olsson

Professor
Head of Discipline Social Work
Department of Social work , School of Health and Welfare

Tina Olsson is Professor of Social Work and Head of Discipline at the Department of Social Work and the Research School of Health and Welfare. Professor Olsson's work centers around issues relevant to the development, implementation, and testing of social interventions in practice settings and how the study of issues relevant to this line of research may be advanced. This interest grew out of over 10 years of direct service experience in the United States and Sweden with primarily youth populations and their families including: youth at risk of removal from the home, youth in out-of-home care, youth involved with the juvenile justice system, pregnant and/or parenting youth, and youth without stable housing. 

Tina Olsson has worked with various policy making bodies interested in improving the life chances of a variety of vulnerable populations such as: the Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington D.C., USA; the World Bank Group, Washington, D.C., USA; the National Board of Health and Welfare, Stockholm, Sweden; the National Board of Institutional Care, Stockholm, Sweden; the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services, Stockholm Sweden; the Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and, the Ministry of Labor, Riyadh Saudi Arabia.

Professor Olsson is co-editor-in-chief of Nordic Social Work Research and editorial board member of Research on Social Work Practice. Professor Olsson is developer and author of the prevention program My Choice-My Way! (sve. Mitt val-min väg!), which aims to prepare youth and boost their success in transition from out-of-home care to independent living.

Current scholarly work

Tina Olsson is currently investigator, co-principal investigator or principal investigator of several externally funded projects. In addition, Tina Olsson is an active member of the Social work, Actors, Living conditions, research VEnue (SALVE) at the School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, the Nordic Network on Longitudinal Child Welfare Research (NORDLOCH) at the Department of Social Work, Stockholm University, the Research Network on Applied Developmental Psychology at the Department of Psychology, Stockholm University and the Network for Collaborative Research at the University of Borås. Tina Olsson was previously chair of the Intervention and Implementation Research platform at the Department of Social Work, Gothenburg University (2018 – 2022).

Current ongoing projects

  • Promoting successful schooling for young offenders with ADH(D). A co-produced evaluation of the Homework, Organization, and Planning Skills (HOPS) intervention in Swedish social services;
  • Leaving Care--a comparison study of implementation, change mechanisms, and effects of transition services for youth who leave societal care;
  • Talking Mats to support involvement and choice and decision making around home care services for older people living with mild to moderate dementia;
  • Suicide prevention through active measures – an evaluation of Agape 2017-2020;
  • Early social emotional competence promotion and its prospective importance to preventing later mental illness;
  • Pathways to employment.

Completed projects

  • Take Charge for youth in their transition from societal care to independent lving: a feasibility study;
  • The cost-effectiveness of MultifunC in Sweden;
  • Quality of effectiveness studies in Swedish PhD theses across seven disciplines;
  • Preschool Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies (PsPATHS);
  • Five-year follow-up of the cost-effectiveness of MST;
  • Resource use and costs for women with a double diagnosis in compulsory care;
  • Cost-effectiveness of municipal and non-profit shelters’ work with women who have been victims of violence in the home, children that have witnessed violence in the home, and men that have perpetrated violence in the home;
  • PREVIDENS - Prevention via evidens: a national multi-center, multi-site transportability study of Multisystemic Therapy (MST) in Sweden.

 

Article

Skoog, T., Bergström, M., Karlsson, M., Olsson, T. (2024). Study protocol for leaving care: A comparison study of implementation, change mechanisms and effectiveness of transition services for youth PLOS ONE, 19(2). More information
Karlsson, M., Skoog, T., Bergström, M., Olsson, T. (2024). Social workers’ experiential accounts of complex intervention development for youth and families in practice settings European Journal of Social Work. More information
Olsson, T. Broberg, M. Frisk, S. Wackenhut, A. Kjellin, D. Gullstrand, S. , ... Skoog T. (2024). Health-Promoting Learning Environments in Higher Education: A Scoping Review of Structural Interventions to Protect Student Mental Health European Journal of Education. More information
Tingberg, K., Khoo, E., Olsson, T. (2024). Children who disclose physical abuse: A retrospective cross-sectional study of Swedish social workers’ assessments of risk, need, and decisions on service Nordic Social Work Research. More information
Ryan Bengtsson, A., Hollertz, K., Olsson, T., Sundell, K. (2024). Efficacy and effectiveness research on interventions in Sweden between 1990 and 2019 Research on social work practice. More information
Olsson, T., von Thiele Schwarz, U., Hasson, H., Vira, E., Sundell, K. (2024). Adapted, Adopted, and Novel Interventions: A Whole-Population Meta-Analytic Replication of Intervention Effects Research on social work practice, 34(8), 860-872. More information
Olsson, T., Bergström, M., Välikoski, M., Karlsson, M., Skoog, T. (2024). Advancing our understanding of complex intervention development in social work: Co-producing support for youth transitioning from out-of-home care Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal. More information
Clausén Gull, I., Kapetanovic, S., Norman, Å., Ferrer-Wreder, L., Olsson, T., Eninger, L. (2023). Neighborhood conditions in a Swedish context: Two studies of reliability and validity of virtual systematic social observation using Google Street View Frontiers in Psychology, 14. More information
Olsson, T., Sundell, K. (2023). Publication bias, time-lag bias, and place-of-publication bias in social intervention research: An exploratory study of 527 Swedish articles published between 1990-2019 PLOS ONE, 18(2). More information
Bergström, M., Sundell, K., Olsson, T., Leander, L., Åström, T. (2023). Interventions in child welfare: A Swedish inventory Child & Family Social Work, 28(1), 117-124. More information
Olsson, T. Enebrink, P. Kapetanovic, S. Ferrer-Wreder, L. Stålnacke, J. Eninger, L. , ... Sedem M. (2023). Study protocol for a non-randomized controlled trial of the effects of internet-based parent training as a booster to the preschool edition of PATHS®: Universal edition of the Parent Web [protocol] PLOS ONE, 18(4). More information
Olsson, T., Kapetanovic, S., Hollertz, K., Starke, M., Skoog, T. (2023). Advancing Social Intervention Research Through Program Theory Reconstruction Research on social work practice, 33(6), 642-655. More information
Turner, R., Vira, E., Bergström, M., Olsson, T. (2023). Cultural Adaptation of Interventions and the a Priori Assessment of Intervention Fit: Exploring Measurement Invariance for American and Swedish Youth Leaving Care Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 20(3), 306-322. More information
Olsson, T., Skoog, T. (2023). Introduction to Research on Social Work Practice Special Issue: Program Theory in Social Interventions Developed in Practice Settings Research on social work practice, 33(6), 631-633. More information
Dunér, A., Bångsbo, A., Olsson, T. (2023). TalkingMats as a decision aid to promote involvement in choice and decision-making around home care services for older people with mild to moderate dementia - study protocol for a randomized controlled trial [protocol] BMC Geriatrics, 23(1). More information
Kapetanovic, S., Ginner Hau, H., Eichas, K., Olsson, T., Ferrer-Wreder, L., Eninger, L. (2022). Does attending preschool in an economically advantaged or disadvantaged neighborhood moderate the effects of the preschool edition of promoting alternative thinking strategies®? Frontiers in Education, 7. More information
Olsson, T., Sundell, K., Leander, L. (2022). The devil is in the details: Unpackaging the systematic in systematic reviews: Short reply to reconsidering the effectiveness of mentoring for prevention of juvenile criminal recidivism Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 90(8), 652-654. More information
Olsson, T. Långström, N. Skoog, T. Andrée Löfholm, C. Leander, L. Brolund, A. , ... Sundell K. (2021). Systematic review and meta-analysis of noninstitutional psychosocial interventions to prevent juvenile criminal recidivism Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 89(6), 514-527. More information
Eninger, L. Ferrer-Wreder, L. Eichas, K. Olsson, T. Hau, H. Allodi, M. , ... Herkner B. (2021). A Cluster Randomized Trial of Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS®) With Swedish Preschool Children Frontiers in Psychology, 12. More information
Klingstedt, M., Wångby-Lundh, M., Olsson, T., Ferrer-Wreder, L. (2020). Reliability and construct validity of five life domains in the adolescent drug abuse diagnosis instrument in a sample of Swedish adolescent girls in special residential care Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 37(4), 411-426. More information
Olsson, T., Blakeslee, J., Bergström, M., Skoog, T. (2020). Exploring fit for the cultural adaptation of a self-determination model for youth transitioning from out-of-home care: A comparison of a sample of Swedish youth with two samples of American youth in out-of-home care Children and youth services review, 119. More information
Andrée Löfholm, C., Olsson, T., Sundell, K. (2020). Effectiveness and Costs of a Therapeutic Residential Care Program for Adolescents with a Serious Behavior Problem (MultifunC). Short-Term Results of a Non-Randomized Controlled Trial Residential Treatment for Children & Youth, 37(3), 226-243. More information
Eichas, K., Ferrer-Wreder, L., Olsson, T. (2019). Contributions of Positive Youth Development to Intervention Science Child and Youth Care Forum, 48(2), 279-287. More information
Olsson, T., Fridell, M. (2018). The five-year costs and benefits of extended psychological and psychiatric assessment versus standard intake interview for women with comorbid substance use disorders treated in compulsory care in Sweden BMC Health Services Research, 18(1). More information
Klingstedt, M., Olsson, T., Ferrer-Wreder, L., Wångby-Lundh, M. (2018). Relationship quality, well-being and, externalizing problems: The prospective importance of behavior profiles among young women who experienced care in special residential homes Nordic Psychology, 70(1), 47-70. More information
Olsson, T., Sundell, K. (2016). Research that guides practice: Outcome research in Swedish PhD theses across seven disciplines 1997-2012 Prevention Science, 17(4), 525-532. More information
Olsson, T., Fridell, M. (2015). Women with comorbid substance dependence and psychiatric disorders in Sweden: a longitudinal study of hospital care utilization and costs BMC Health Services Research, 15(1). More information
Olsson, T. (2014). Productivity loss, victim costs and the intangible costs of crime: Followup to a longitudinal study of criminal justice system involvement and costs of women with co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders in Sweden Mental Health and Substance Use, 7(2), 102-109. More information
Olsson, T., Ferrer-Wreder, L., Eninger, L. (2014). Advancing school-based interventions through economic analysis New Directions for Youth Development, 117-123. More information
Albuhairan, F., Olsson, T. (2014). Advancing adolescent health and health services in Saudi Arabia: exploring health-care providers training, interest, and perceptions of the health-care needs of young people Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 5, 281. More information
Olsson, T., Fridell, M. (2013). Women with co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders in Sweden: a longitudinal study of criminal justice system involvement and costs Mental Health and Substance Use, 6(3), 219-236. More information
Olsson, T. (2012). Economic Evaluation as a Component of Quality Effectiveness Research: Methodological and Practical Benefits Child and Youth Care Forum, 41(2), 137-148. More information
Olsson, T. (2011). Comparing top-down and bottom-up costing approaches for economic evaluation within social welfare European Journal of Health Economics, 12(5), 445-453. More information
Olsson, T. (2010). Mst with conduct disordered youth in sweden: Costs and benefits after 2 years Research on social work practice, 20(6), 561-571. More information
Olsson, T. (2010). Intervening in youth problem behavior in Sweden: a pragmatic cost analysis of MST from a randomized trial with conduct disordered youth International Journal of Social Welfare, 19(2), 194-205. More information
Olsson, T. (2010). Ny terapimetod ger resultat – men vad kostar den? Kommunal ekonomi, 31-32. More information
Sundell, K., Hansson, K., Löfholm, C., Olsson, T., Gustle, L., Kadesjö, C. (2008). The transportability of multisystemic therapy to Sweden: Short-term results from a randomized trial of conduct-disordered youths Journal of family psychology, 22(4), 550-560. More information
Olsson, T. (2007). Reconstructing evidence-based practice: an investigation of three conceptualisations of EBP Evidence & Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate and Practice, 3(2), 271-285. More information
Olsson, T. (2007). Visst kan man göra randomiserade studier i svensk socialvård: Resultat från den svenska MST studien vid 7-månadersuppföljningen Socionomen. More information

Book

Olsson, T., Bergström, M., Skoog, T. (2022). Mitt val - min väg!: Manual för praktiker i att stödja unga som ska lämna samhällsvård. Göteborg: Institutionen för socialt arbete, Göteborgs universitet More information
Olsson, T., Bergström, M., Skoog, T. (2022). Mitt val - min väg!: Material för ungdomar. Göteborg: Institutionen för socialt arbete, Göteborgs universitet More information

Doctoral thesis

Olsson, T. (2009). Crossing the quality chasm?: The short-term effectiveness and efficiency of MST in Sweden: An example of evidence-based practice applied to social work (Doctoral thesis, Lund: Lund University). More information

Book chapter

Olsson, T., Bergström, M., Andrée Löfholm, C. (2023). Att erbjuda rätt insatser – professionella och organisatoriska val. In: T. Forkby, S. Enell & J. Thulin (Ed.), Prevention med barn och unga: teori och praktik för socialt och pedagogiskt arbete (pp. 237 -256). Lund: Studentlitteratur AB More information
Hollertz, K., Olsson, T., Starke, M. (2022). Samverkan och bruten sekretess – etiska dilemman i en villkorad frivillighet. In: Å. Hedberg Rundgren, C. Klinga, M. Löfström & L. Mossberg (Ed.), Perspektiv på samverkan: om utmaningar och möjligheter i välfärdens praktik (pp. 77 -94). Lund: Studentlitteratur AB More information
Ferrer-Wreder, L., Eninger, L., Olsson, T., Sedem, M., Westling Allodi, M., Ginner Hau, H. (2021). The Cultural Adaptation of Interventions to Promote Positive Development: The Preschool Edition of PATHS<sup>®</sup> in Sweden. In: Radosveta Dimitrova & Nora Wiium (Ed.), Handbook of Positive Youth Development: Advancing Research, Policy, and Practice in Global Contexts (pp. 399 -413). Cham: Springer More information
Ferrer Wreder, L., Eninger, L., Ginner Hau, H., Olsson, T., Sedem, M., Thomas, S., Allodi Westling, M. (2020). Childcare, Culture, and Child Development: A Swedish Perspective. In: Lene Arnett Jensen (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Moral Development: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (pp. 516 -533). Oxford: Oxford University Press More information
Sundell, K., Olsson, T. (2017). Social Intervention Research. In: E. Mullen (Ed.), Oxford Bibliographies in Social Work Oxford: Oxford University Press More information
Olsson, T. (2012). Ekonomiska analyser. In: Knut Sundell (Ed.), Att göra effektutvärderingar (pp. 173 -204). Stockholm: Gothia Förlag AB More information
Olsson, T., Leifman, H., Sundell, H., Hansson, K. (2008). Effective services for alcohol and drug abusing youth: perspectives from Sweden. In: A. Stevens (Ed.), Crossing frontiers: international developments in the treatment of drug dependence (pp. 35 -52). Brighton: Pavilion Publishing More information
Olsson, T., Sundell, K. (2008). Implementering steg för steg – vad säger forskningen?. In: Maria Roselius & Knut Sundell (Ed.), Att förändra socialt arbete: forskare och praktiker om implementering (pp. 30 -58). Stockholm: Gothia Förlag AB More information

Conference paper

Ferrer-Wreder, L. Eninger, L. Kapetanovic, S. Tesfay, N. Norman, Å. Olsson, T. , ... Enebrink P. (2024). On the Implementation of a Non-Randomized Controlled Trial of the Universal Edition of the Parent Web. 15th EUSPR Conference, 11-13 September 2024, Cremona, Italy. More information
Frisk, S., Olsson, T., Broberg, M., Wackenhut, A., Skoog, T. (2023). Supportive academic cultures: a scoping review of structural interventions in higher education to protect or promote student mental health. Forskning om högre utbildning, Stockholm 11-12 maj 2023. More information
Karlsson, M., Skoog, T., Bergström, M., Olsson, T. (2023). Optimizing prevention infrastructures through the co-production of social services for youth transitioning from out-of-home care to independent living in Sweden. 14th EUSPR Conference and Members' Meeting, Optimizing Prevention Infrastructures, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, October 4-6, 2023. More information
Karlsson, M., Skoog, T., Bergström, M., Olsson, T. (2022). Developing preventive interventions for youth in local settings – what can science learn from practice about intervention development?. 13th EUSPR Conference and Members' Meeting, 28th – 30th September 2022, Tallinn, Estonia. More information
Olsson, T., Bergström, M., Karlsson, M., Skoog, T. (2022). Balancing effectiveness with ethics in supporting youth in out-of-home care transition to adulthood: development and pilot test of a new intervention. 13th EUSPR Conference and Members' Meeting, 28th – 30th September 2022, Tallinn, Estonia. More information
Clausén Gull, I., Kapentanovic, S., Norman, Å., Ferrer-Wreder, L., Olsson, T., Eninger, L. (2022). Neighborhood condititions in a Swedish Context: two studies of reliability and validity of Virtual Systematic Social Observation using Google Street View. EARLI SIG15 conference, Ghent, Belgium, September 22-23, 2022. More information
Ferrer-Wreder, L. Eninger, L. Eichas, K. Allodi Westling, M. Ginner Hau, H. Olsson, T. , ... Herkner B. (2019). Lessons learned from implementing preschool PATHS in a Swedish context. Invited symposium presented at the International PATHS Learning Conference, Belfast, Northern Ireland. More information
Starke, M., Olsson, T., Hollertz, K. (2019). Pathways to the labor market for long-term unemployed persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. .. More information
Eninger, L. Ferrer-Wreder, L. Eichas, K. Allodi Westling, M. Smedler, A. Olsson, T. , ... Domitrovich C. (2017). Culture and young children's social emotional competence: Findings and implications for the cultural adaptation of interventions. Symposium at the Society for Research on Child Development, Austin Texas, USA. More information
Eninger, L. Ferrer-Wreder, L. Allodi Westling, M. Smedler, A. Ginner Hau, H. Olsson, T. , ... Domitrovich C. (2015). Teacher Innovation and Implementation in an Ongoing Swedish Effectiveness Trial of Preschool PATHS. 10th International PATHS Learning Conference, Lisbon, Portugal. More information
AlBuhairan, F., El Sayed, D., Olsson, T. (2015). Cigarette and shisha smoking among adolescents in Saudi Arabia: determinants and implications. Pediatric Academic Society Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, USA. More information
Eninger, L. Ferrer-Wreder, L. Smedler, A. Allodi Westling, M. Olsson, T. Ginner Hau, H. , ... Domitrovich C. (2014). The Swedish Preschool Paths Trial – The Integration of Implementation Science Best Practices in an Imported Evidence-Based Intervention Effectiveness Study. EUSPR 5th annual conference and members’ meeting, Palma, Majorca, 16-18 October. More information
Thomas, S. Eninger, L. Ferrer-Wreder, L. Herkner, B. Smedler, A. Allodi Westling, M. , ... Olsson T. (2013). Preliminary results from the Swedish preschool PATHS trial – Culturally appropriate assessment as a foundation for rigorous testing of intervention effects and the development of such assessments for the measurement of preschool social-emotional competence. EUSPR 4th annual conference and members’ meeting, Paris, France. More information
Ferrer-Wreder, L. Eninger, L. Thomas, S. Smedler, A. Allodi Westling, M. Ginner Hau, H. , ... Pixton T. (2013). Social emotional competence and its importance to multiple child behavioral and health outcomes: Testing developmental processes through the cultural adaptation of an evidence-based imported intervention. Society for the Study of Human Development, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA. More information
Olsson, T. (2008). Previdens Project: Results after 2-years. What Works? 2008 Knowledge Translation Many Parts to Join. The Danish National Center for Social Research, Copenhagen, Denmark. More information
Olsson, T., Arman, R., Johansson, A. (2007). Learning from service users: measuring the well-being of children and families, the elderly, and the community. American Evaluation Society’s Evaluation 2007, Evaluation and Learning, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. More information
Olsson, T. (2007). MST i Sverige - resultat från en randomiserat kontrollerad utvärdering efter sex månader. Paper presented at the SVUF Swedish Evaluation Association's 2007 Conference, Utvärdering pågår! Pågår utvärdering? Stockholm, Sweden. More information
Sundell, K., Olsson, T. (2007). Short-term outcomes of MST in Sweden. Poster presentation at the 15th Annual Meeting of the Society for Prevention Research, Washington D.C., USA. More information
Olsson, T. (2007). The costs of intervening in youth problem behavior in Sweden: A cost-consequence analysis. Paper presented at the International Atlantic Economic Society's 64th International Atlantic Economic Conference, Savannah, Georgia, USA. More information
Olsson, T. (2007). MST i Sverige - resultat från en randomiserat kontrollerad utvärdering efter sex månader. Paper presented at the SVUF Swedish Evaluation Association's 2007 Conference, Utvärdering pågår! Pågår utvärdering? Stockholm, Sweden. More information
Olsson, T. (2007). The costs and consequences of intervening in youth problem behavior in Sweden. Poster presentation at the 15th Annual Meeting of the Society for Prevention Research, Washington D.C., USA. More information
Olsson, T. (2006). Clarifying evidence-based practice through program theory reconstruction. Paper presented at the European Evaluation Society/United Kingdom Evaluation Society Joint International Conference, London, England. More information

Collections

(2023). Special Issue: Program Theory in Social Interventions Developed in Practice Settings. More information

Report

Unenge Hallerbäck, M., Olsson, T., Salari, R., Silfverdal, S., Wiklund, S., Wilhsson, M. (2021). Program för att förebygga psykisk ohälsa hos barn: En systematisk översikt och utvärdering av medicinska, hälsoekonomiska, sociala och etiska aspekter. Stockholm: Statens beredning för medicinsk utvärdering (SBU) More information
Sundell, K., Olsson, T. (2021). Svenska effektutvärderingar av beteendemässiga, psykologiska och sociala insatser: 1990–2019. Stockholm: Forte – Forskningsrådet för hälsa, arbetsliv och välfärd More information
Olsson, T. (2020). Non-placement interventions to prevent youth recidivism: a systematic review and evaluation of economic, social, and ethical aspects. Stockholm: Statens beredning för medicinsk utvärdering (SBU) More information
Andrée Löfholm, C., Olsson, T. (2017). MultifunC institutionsbehandling för ungdomar med svåra beteendeproblem: resultat efter två år. Stockholm: Socialstyrelsen More information
Andrée Löfholm, C., Olsson, T., Sundell, K. (2014). Utvärdering av Multisystemisk terapi för ungdomar med allvarliga beteendeproblem: resultat efter fem år. Stockholm: Socialstyrelsen More information
Olsson, T. (2011). Enhetspriser och behandlingskostnader för behandlingar mot våld i nära relationer: en kostnadsanalys av 29 behandlingar som ingick i tre nationella utvärderingar. Stockholm: Socialstyrelsen More information
Andrée Löfholm, C., Olsson, T., Sundell, K., Hansson, K. (2009). Multisystemisk terapi för ungdomar med allvarliga beteendeproblem: Resultat efter två år. Stockholm: Institutet för utveckling av metoder i socialt arbete (IMS) More information
Sundell, K., Hansson, K., Andrée Löfholm, C., Olsson, T., Gustle, L., Kadesjö, C. (2006). Multisystemisk terapi för ungdomar med allvarliga beteendeproblem: resultat efter sex månader. Stockholm: Institutet för utveckling av metoder i socialt arbete (IMS) More information