Gaming motivation and well-being among Norwegian adult gamers: the role of gender and disability.

Introduction: Digital gaming is a popular and often social activity, also among adults. However, we need more knowledge of the social dynamics of gaming and its potential benefits for one's well-being. The current study aimed to examine gaming motivation, time spent gaming, and gaming performed together with friends, family, or romantic partner and how these aspects relate to expanded social network and well-being among men and women with and without disability. Methods: Regular players of the popular game Fortnite Battle Royale (FBR; N = 278, 48.5% women, Mage = 32.38) completed an online questionnaire assessing their motivations for playing FBR (social motivation, achievement motivation, novelty motivation), time spent gaming, whom they usually play with, their psychological well-being, and FBR's impact on their life and social network. Differentiated statistical analyses on gender and disability were performed. Results and discussion: The results showed that time spent gaming and social motivation to play were associated with larger social networks for all participants (strongest for women). More time spent gaming FBR was also associated with a positive impact on life for those with a disability. Social motivation to play was positively associated with a positive impact on life for men and those without a disability and increased well-being for women. Novelty motivation, which concerns experiencing new features in the game, was associated with a positive impact on life for women and with a decrease in well-being for those with a disability. This study demonstrated that gaming can be an essential social arena associated with positive outcomes for men, women and disabled people, who-when socially motivated-may expand their social networks through gaming.

Marriage, Separation and Beyond: A Longitudinal Study of Families of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in a Norwegian Context.

BACKGROUND: This study addresses family structure in families raising a child with disabilities in Norway. The aims are to add to the literature on termination of parental relationships and to explore family research topics that are rarely discussed in disability research, such as cohabitation versus marriage and repartnering. METHODS: Longitudinal survey data on families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities who were born 1993-1995 were compared with register data on all families of same-aged children (five waves 1999-2012). RESULTS: Parents of children with disabilities had slightly lower termination rates and formalized their partnerships earlier. Furthermore, the rate of repartnering among divorced/separated mothers of young children with disabilities was similar to that of other mothers but decreases later in the child's life course. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the view that findings diverge and are most likely dependent on context.

Self-reported health and sickness benefits among parents of children with a disability.

This article investigates the possible consequences in self-reported health and receipt of sickness benefits when parenting a child with a disability This study uses data from the population health study, The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT 2), and the historical event database, FD-Trygd, which contains Social Security and national insurance data for the Norwegian population. In the analysis, we compare 1587 parents of a child with a disability to other parents. Results indicate that parenting a disabled child impacts on self-reported health, particularly among mothers; however, being a parent to a disabled child has a much stronger effect in explaining the variance in received sickness benefits, and also length of time and frequency of having received sickness benefits. Parents with disabled children report just slightly lower self-reported health but are on sickness benefits more often than other parents which may be attributed to their extended care responsibilities.

Factors explaining return to work for long-term sick workers in Norway.

PURPOSE: This study investigates factors that will affect the chances of long-term sick workers returning to work. METHOD: The study is based on a representative sample of persons with mental illnesses and musculoskeletal disorders who received a rehabilitation allowance in Norway in 2002. Their occupational status in 2005 and experiences from the rehabilitation process were charted through their responses to a questionnaire in combination with national register data. Our analytical framework is based on three domains: the medical domain, the domain of authoritative bodies and the production domain (working life), as described by Lindqvist (Att sätta gränser: organisationer och reformer i arbetsrehabiliteringen. Umeå: Boréa; 2000). RESULTS: Our main findings are that earlier work experience, age and other members in household, in addition, to influence over one's own rehabilitation process explains whether workers on long-term sick leave return to work. Furthermore, individual factors such as gender and diagnosis (i.e. musculoskeletal disorder and mental illness) do not explain the probability to return to work. Experience and contact with representatives of the medical, the authoritative bodies and the production domain only explain to a small extent the probability to return to work. It is even interesting to note that regular contact with the social insurance office (SIO) has a negative effect on the probability to return to work. This may indicate that contact with the SIO subjects sick workers to a risk of developing a 'social insurance career' to secure their income. CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that the medical, the authoritative bodies and the production domain might represent different logics that can pull a sick worker in different directions during the rehabilitation process. However, these different logics do not fully explain, which outcome a rehabilitation process takes. It is important to extend the analysis to include how the individuals respond to these logics during the rehabilitation process.

Long-term sick workers experience of professional support for re-integration back to work.

In recent years researchers have tried to identify important factors that can explain re-integration to work for workers on long-term sick leave. The results indicate that multiple factors can explain whether or not people return to work. The aim of the study was to investigate long-term sick workers' experience of professional support for re-integration to work. Participants were drawn from the database of The National Social Insurance Board in Norway. A random sample was selected of persons with mental illness or musculoskeletal disorders (either p- or l-diagnosis/symptoms related to International Classification in Primary Care), who were in receipt of Rehabilitation allowance. The questionnaire was sent to 1 493 persons of whom 740 responded. The most significant finding is that work training/mastering actions were identified by the majority of the rehabilitation benefit recipients as being of slight or moderate use. This highlights the importance of work training/mastering actions being relevant in proportion to the specific situation the individual is presently within. Delays in waiting for treatment attributed to approximately half of the rehabilitation benefit recipient's problems returning to work. This study also highlights that rehabilitation benefit recipients experience loss of co-ordinated measures from those who are supposed to contribute to simplifying their return to work.