PhD project: Reading groups in upper secondary school

This is an action research project where the overall aim is to promote support for siblings of children with complex health care needs and provide health promotion benefits for other pupils.

Background
Siblings of children with complex health care needs are often not acknowledged nor met.
Public health nurses working in school health services are in a unique position to prevent diseases and promote health.
Reading and reflecting on literature can promote pupils’ ability to express their thoughts and feelings, as well as helping to clarify and challenge self-efficacy.
A new interdisciplinary subject Public Health and Life Mastery has been introduced as a general part of Norway’s national curriculum in schools.
This gives an opportunity for public health nurses and teachers to cooperate regarding health and life skills in a didactic framework.
Art is of great importance to our health, as it gives us aesthetic pleasure, and it can expand our framework of understanding by introducing us to new fields of thought and people other than ourselves.
Imagination can contribute to reflections and assumptions about other people, which can lead to the formation of a fellowship. 

Publications: 

Bergvoll, L. M., Fjelldal, S. S., Clancy, A., Martinussen, M., & Laholt, H. (2023). How do public health nurses in Norwegian school health services support siblings of children with complex care needs?. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 37(4), 1100-1108.

Fjelldal, S. S., Clancy, A., Auklend, M., & Laholt, H. (2024). Reading Groups as a Health‐Promoting Intervention in Upper Secondary Schools: A Qualitative Study. Public Health Nursing.

UiT The Arctic University of Norway