Health and illness, as a research area in social work, explores how societal and individual conditions interact and influence our health. The World Health Organization's (WHO) definition of health as mental, social, and physical well-being serves as a key starting point, along with WHO's advocacy for everyone’s right to achieve the highest possible level of health, regardless of ethnic or religious affiliation, political views, or economic or social status. In Sweden, this holistic view of health has been adopted in national goals aimed at ensuring good health and equitable healthcare for the entire population. This perspective emphasises the importance of social and contextual factors in understanding disabilities and in policy objectives that shift focus from the ill-health of certain groups to a broader promotion of well-being. Despite a holistic and inclusive approach at the structural level, public health, equitable care, and access to support services remain significant societal challenges.
The department’s research in this area includes studies at the individual, group, and societal levels. The department boasts specific expertise in areas such as social inequality in health, health and working life, mental health of children and young people in educational settings, and recovery and rehabilitation from long-term mental illness. Current projects in these areas investigate the impact of neighbourhood-specific social capital on health, how changes in working life contribute to gender and class patterns in (ill)health, the significance of school environments for student well-being, and the effects of parental unemployment on children's health. Other projects focus on the importance of social networks and social environments for healthy living habits, sexual communication, and how fertility ideals vary between countries.
Within this research area, scholars collaborate through international and national networks, such as the Nordic Health Promotion Network (NHPRN), the Network for Research on Social Policy and Welfare (ESPAnet), the National Network for Research in Social Work in Health and Medical Care, the Medical Humanities Network, and the International Society for Social Capital Research (ISSC).
