Marijke Veenstra

• Udesen, Stine Emilie Junker; Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes; Veenstra, Marijke; Lassen, Annmarie Touborg & Skinner, Marianne Sundlisæter (2026). Municipal intermediate care services in Denmark and Norway: a cross-country comparative analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care. ISSN 0281-3432. 44(1). doi: 10.1080/02813432.2026.2644949. Full text in Research Archive
• Sjetne, Ingeborg Strømseng; Smith, Nick; Towers, Ann-Marie; Renolen, Åste; Magnussen, Siv Fladsrud & Burrell, Lisa Victoria [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2026). Norwegian translation and adaptation of the INT4 version of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT). Quality of Life Research. ISSN 0962-9343. 35. doi: 10.1007/s11136-026-04209-9. Full text in Research Archive
• Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Towers, Ann Marie; Veenstra, Marijke; Smith, Nick & Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes (2026). Individual and interpersonal factors associated with care-related quality of life in older adults: a comparison of home-based services, nursing homes and sheltered housing. Age and Ageing. ISSN 0002-0729. 55(2), p. 1–10. doi: https:/watermark02.silverchair.com/afag039.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAA3MwggNvBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggNgMIIDXAIBADCCA1UGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMVAp9EUG3cnvzwwpIAgEQgIIDJtXCnKolOxfBkhJRltnmYpeKY0NZGtj98yHznhD2-anequ3v9cV57im2UOS4fH-fK3NQ1taeOhcfDAkRQdVlkrulj1qdRlOvmMNi3Ub05RHyx1lpXRkFYpq4P0nnJ04dpueKHwmGW05gFH9S7_Wtu5yAslfXmrjLZV9FVYoTFcfZhn8d_lMuV5vff-oybZ8rgorio8vMk-Eu-gDB9IdO27m_kPGJ2Y0-Noh5WuhGkc79RTzjwT5rTB_0D98P_FfZk3AES9HZSPX3boKUHhvY4HvJscfL49C7PDHRmz_3dTW3KHK1ueSJSNTJnRvvxQNJhR5neseKhtaIQc0tg-PZzHHx4z0viPKz-72C30YlkwAoCMzjgv4-L6xMImb9bsK1KTSNJrXR_lLbdBgn-S2RMVNG8-tfe_iEZLYH_JTnmrj08Jbq2pa-AVG4zjLnNt8RDcBcRFbMxQ-tbtuGSkbJFKUJ899cPnrFUmGvJifP8eGzt2fp9aP9WgAUuAFJ1lVC78T1x8P5ihY2Uk5g2cPCd37GBRNs4--JG8qLggcjRUv2PCGwKUFT675FXal3F4zO_45Zid3NQO7S4su9IGDWWAImCm0zup7lE2UNyOvWZax9_IFgnxb6l3qrPsUS2zYVjarSGe5uWfi_9ol2lFC7uPExRab8ZJZSigdJ7KZx-cqox22cVa7qUxDjaRNbCdL8qoB9uFYaUUCH2C774jzNecY1RktelTZ0jhWfkzDeJjVmGfJtYCfNaslEUoHCuiKUsOCuvzpIaWWF3pz96rMNcPVaLIplwfjGVBQzADdd17_rECeyWivlSfsLJvN5efVM8NkBZH0az0Jy0ecVxHII1aw3_f2byCyiJ09i7af2tswkUKkL7QRbbQxeRElqleNdhc41STF_2jDd8ov2QqnvjSICvH2eQy2a4Unjsk2tJHK2yORpe1tp6OZ8v1TXfJ3jaHg3EMAB3dnQkkt2xczU45FbqoF5nDKXrmhLSXEjqBONIoAoctcrm9qCgg8efsed4qgDMeGUuEn-YScTZ60O39lK9_PJUsc2dWOS6zP-zCjiIJPmHPAl. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke; Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Sjetne, Ingeborg Strømseng; Ann-Marie, Towers, & Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes (2026). Validity and reliability of the Norwegian Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT CH4 and INT4) in three long-term care settings. Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes. 10, p. 1–12. doi: 10.1186/s41687-026-00997-3. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT INT4 and CH4) for users of long-term care (LTC) services was translated into Norwegian. ASCOT assesses how LTC services may protect, improve or restore care recipients’ quality of life. The aim of this paper was to assess the psychometric properties of the Norwegian ASCOT for use in older adults in three LTC settings: nursing homes, sheltered housing and homecare. Cross-sectional data were collected between October 2022 and January 2024. The sample included 470 care recipients aged 65 years or older receiving LTC services in three municipalities in Norway. We used ASCOT INT4 and CH4 to collect information on eight domains of current and expected care related quality of life (CRQoL). We used exploratory factor analyses to assess the assumed one-dimensional structure of the ASCOT instruments and Cronbach’s alpha to describe internal consistency. Construct validity was examined using bivariate correlations of previously established associations among the different ASCOT domains and with health-related quality of life and sociodemographic factors. Differences between care settings were assessed with analyses of variance. The analytical sample comprised of 184 residents from nursing homes,138 from sheltered housing and 148 persons receiving homecare services. Factor analyses supported a single underlying factor but factor loadings for the Dignity domain were sub-optimal (< 0.30) in nursing homes and sheltered housing. Cronbach’s alpha for current CRQoL was 0.70 in the total sample and ranged from moderate (0.67 in nursing homes) to good (0.71 in sheltered housing and 0.75 in homecare services). Bivariate correlations of ASCOT with relevant variables were largely consistent with previous studies and associations were higher for expected than current CRQoL. This assessment provides evidence to support the validity and reliability of the Norwegian ASCOT. Currently there are no other instruments assessing care-related aspects of older adults’ quality of life available in Norway. ASCOT provides a satisfactory reliable and valid measure of CRQoL in older adults receiving LTC, which goes beyond assessing functional capacity and health. Future research assessing different aspects of validity and reliability will further strengthen its applicability for evaluation purposes of Norwegian LTC.

• Eyjólfsdóttir, Harpa Sif; Hellevik, Tale; Herlofson, Katharina; Pedersen, Axel West; Lennartsson, Carin & Veenstra, Marijke (2025). Poor psychosocial work environment: a ticket to retirement? Variations by gender and education. European Journal of Ageing. ISSN 1613-9372. 22(1). doi: 10.1007/s10433-025-00855-z. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Many countries, including Norway, are implementing policies to delay retirement and encourage older workers to remain in the labour market. Improving psychosocial working conditions may motivate older workers to continue working. While research has linked psychosocial working characteristics to retirement intentions and work exit, there is a knowledge gap regarding gender and socioeconomic differences in these influences. This study investigates the impact of psychosocial working characteristics on employment exit among older workers, examining variations by gender and educational attainment. Data were drawn from the Norwegian Life Course, Ageing, and Generation study (NorLAG) collected in 2007 and 2017 (N = 2,065) linked to income register data for four subsequent years. Time-to-event analyses revealed that poorer psychosocial working environment increased the likelihood of employment exit. For women, low autonomy was significant, while for men significant associations were found for high job stress, low job variety, lack of appreciation, limited learning opportunities, accumulation of poor job resources, and job strain. Interaction analysis showed only significant gender differences for few learning opportunities and poor job resources. Separate analyses stratified by educational attainment showed no significant association for those with compulsory education, while those with higher levels of education were more likely to retire if faced with low job variety, low autonomy, and poor job resources–yet interaction analysis showed no significant differences. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at delaying retirement should consider gender and socioeconomic differences, providing older workers with more control over their tasks and equitable access to learning opportunities and resources.

• Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Veenstra, Marijke; Magnussen, Siv Fladsrud; Renolen, Åste; Towers, Ann-Marie & Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes (2025). Quality of Life in Norwegian Long-Term Care Services for Older Adults: An Interview Study Using the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT). Journal of Long-term Care (JLTC). 2025, p. 97–109. doi: 10.31389/jltc.356. Full text in Research Archive
• Strand, Bjørn Heine; Håberg, Asta; Eyjólfsdóttir, Harpa Sif; Kok, Almar; Skirbekk, Vegard Fykse & Huxhold, Oliver [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2024). Spousal bereavement and its effects on later life physical and cognitive capability: the Tromsø study. GeroScience. ISSN 2509-2715. 46(6), p. 6055–6069. doi: 10.1007/s11357-024-01150-y. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Spousal bereavement is associated with health declines and increased mortality risk, but its specific impact on physical and cognitive capabilities is less studied. A historical cohort study design was applied including married Tromsø study participants (N=5739) aged 50–70 years with baseline self-reported overall health and health-related factors and measured capability (grip strength, finger tapping, digit symbol coding, and short-term recall) at follow-up. Participants had data from Tromsø4 (1994–1995) and Tromsø5 (2001), or Tromsø6 (2007–2008) and Tromsø7 (2015–2016). Propensity score matching, adjusted for baseline confounders (and baseline capability in a subset), was used to investigate whether spousal bereavement was associated with poorer subsequent capability. Spousal bereavement occurred for 6.2% on average 3.7 years (SD 2.0) before the capability assessment. There were no significant bereavement effects on subsequent grip strength, immediate recall, or finger-tapping speed. Without adjustment for baseline digit symbol coding test performance, there was a negative significant effect on the digit symbol coding test (ATT −1.33; 95% confidence interval −2.57, −0.10), but when baseline digit symbol coding test performance was taken into account in a smaller subsample, using the same set of matching confounders, there was no longer any association (in the subsample ATT changed from −1.29 (95% CI −3.38, 0.80) to −0.04 (95% CI −1.83, 1.75). The results in our study suggest that spousal bereavement does not have long-term effects on the intrinsic capacity components physical or cognition capability to a notable degree.

• Veenstra, Marijke; Selle, Maria Lie; Johannessen, Ane; Gulsvik, Amund & Stavem, Knut (2024). Occupational class inequalities in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in Norwegian men and women: a population-based approach with 45 years follow-up. Public Health. ISSN 0033-3506. 236, p. 230–238. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2024.07.033. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Objectives This study assessed associations of three theoretically different occupational class schemes with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in Norwegian men and women. Study design Pooled survey and register data from four Norwegian cohort studies. Methods We pooled survey data from four general population cohorts (N = 97,469) linked to national mortality registries with follow-up over 45 years. Survival was modelled using accelerated failure time models stratified by sex for three class schemes: The European Socio-Economic Classification (ESeC), The Oslo Register Data Class scheme (ORDC) and The International Socio-Economic Index (ISEI). Main analyses were adjusted for age, birth cohort, and study. Secondary analyses included smoking behaviour as a mediator. Results During median 27.6 years of observation, 37,488 participants had died (13,243 from cardiovascular disease). Hazard ratios for male all-cause mortality were lowest in the highest occupational class categories ORDC 2: 0.68 (0.65–0.72), ESeC 1: 0.76 (0.73–0.79) and ISEI 5th quintile: 0.80 (0.77–0.82) compared to working class reference categories. Female mortality risks were lowest for Cultural Lower Middle class ORDC 7: 0.84 (0.72–0.98), Small Employers and Self-employed ESeC4: 0.70 (0.50–0.97) and ISEI 5th quintile: 0.79 (0.70–0.90). Patterns for cardiovascular mortality were similar to all-cause mortality. Including smoking behaviour as a mediator attenuated associations, but overall mortality patterns according to occupational class remained unchanged. Conclusion The results underline that mortality inequalities do not simply consist of higher risks in the most disadvantaged groups. The association of occupational class with mortality is found across different categories of occupational class schemes, illustrating their continued relevance for studying social determinants of health.

• Herlofson, Katharina & Veenstra, Marijke (2023). Livsløpsoverganger i eldre år. Betydningen av kjønn og sosioøkonomisk status. Tidsskrift for velferdsforskning. ISSN 0809-2052. 26(1). doi: 10.18261/tfv.26.1.4. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Overganger i eldre år innebærer ofte tap av roller. De kan både være uønskete og vanskelig å planlegge og forberede seg på – og av og til uventete. Dette kan bidra til økt sårbarhet, som igjen kan begrense mulighetene for en god og aktiv alderdom. Formålet med denne studien er å gi økt innsikt i overganger som er typiske for senlivet (yrkesavgang, egne og partners helse- og funksjonsbegrensninger samt tap av nære familiemedlemmer), ved å undersøke hvorvidt antall endringer, sammen med tidspunktet for når de finner sted, varierer på tvers av kjønn og sosioøkonomisk status. Analysene er basert på longitudinelle survey- og registerdata fra Den norske studien av livsløp, aldring og generasjon. Vi følger samme individer over tid fra de var 60–74 år i 2007 til de var 70–84 år i 2017 (N = 1700). Resultatene viser at antall overganger i snitt er høyere blant kvinner, lavt utdannete og de med minst formue. De sistnevnte har også en betydelig større sannsynlighet for å ha gjennomgått overganger tidligere i senlivet enn de med høyest formue. Funnene tyder dermed på mulige ulikheter i forutsetningene for en god og aktiv alderdom.

• Syse, Astri; Artamonova, Alyona; Thomas, Michael J. & Veenstra, Marijke (2022). Do characteristics of family members influence older persons’ transition to long-term healthcare services? BMC Health Services Research. 22(22). doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-07745-5. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: Future demographic and economic changes warrant a better understanding of older persons’ need for health-related long-term care services (LTC). LTC uptake among older people is likely to be influenced by the presence or absence of family members, but there is scarce research on the role played by partners with different caregiving potential. There is even less research on the contributions of adult children and their caregiving potential. The current study examines the extent to which transitions into LTC in older men and women differ according to the presence and caregiving potential of partners and children. Methods: Linked registry data for Norway on older persons (aged 65+), their partners, and their adult children are used to examine how characteristics of these family members infuence transitions into LTC from 2010 to 2016, using logistic discrete-time hazard regression models. We observed around 215,000 transitions to LTC, corresponding to around 26.3% of individuals and 5.4% of the total person-years (4.0 million). Caregiving potential is measured in terms of employment, income, health and educational attainment for partners and education and geographical proximity for children. Results: Personal, partner and child(ren)’s resources are all associated with older persons’ LTC uptake. Unpartnered and/or childless older people are more likely to use LTC than those with partners and/or child(ren). Older persons with resourceful partners and children are the least likely to transition into LTC. The geographical proximity of adult children appears to have only a minor infuence on LTC use among older people. Conclusions: Population ageing and strained public resources will likely challenge the future provision of formal old-age care. The role of family networks in the future provision of formal old-age care is expected to become progressively important in the years to come. Inequalities in the health, care and welfare of older persons with and without resourceful family members are likely to increase.

• Veenstra, Marijke & Aartsen, Marja (2022). Life-course income trajectories of men and women in Norway: Implications for self-rated health in later life. European Journal of Public Health. ISSN 1101-1262. 32(4), p. 542–547. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckac055. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Socioeconomic inequalities in health are well-established, but studies addressing lagged effects of income or of fluctuations in income over the life course are relatively rare. The current study aims to (i) identify and describe life-course income trajectories for men and women who are currently in later life; and (ii) assess the association of income trajectories with self-rated health in older adults. Methods: The study sample consisted of 1625 men and 1634 women born between 1937 and 1955 who participated in the third wave of the Norwegian Life course, Ageing and Generation Study. Latent class growth analyses were used to estimate dominant income trajectories from ages 30 through 62 in men and women. Stepwise logistic regression analyses were specified to analyze the association of income trajectories with self-rated health in later life. Results: Four trajectories in women and three trajectories in men were estimated as dominant patterns of income over the life course. Differences in the level of income were considerable at age 30 and accumulated over time. Continued exposure to low income showed statistically significant higher odds for poor self-rated health in older men and women. This association remained significant after taking differences in educational attainment, working life, family formation and accumulated wealth into account. Conclusion: The findings suggested remarkable rigidity in income groups that had formed by age 30. A significant share of men and women remain mired in relatively lowincome status across the life course with negative implications for health in later life.

• Veenstra, Marijke; Løset, Gøril Kvamme & Daatland, Svein Olav (2021). Socioeconomic Inequalities in Mortality After Age 67: The Contribution of Psychological Factors. Frontiers in Psychology. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.717959. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Diverging trends of longer lives and increased inequalities in age-at-death invite to updated research on late-life mortality. Earlier studies have identified health behavior, childhood, psychosocial, and material conditions as key determinants of life expectancy, but the role of psychological factors remains a topic of debate. The current study is framed in a life course developmental perspective and assesses the mediating role of secondary control strategies (subjective age) and primary control capacity (perceived control) to socioeconomic (wealth and education) inequality in mortality after age 67. Data are derived from the second wave of the Norwegian Life Course, Ageing and Generation study (N=1,432 and age 67–85). All in all, 366 deaths were observed over a mean follow-up of 9.6years. Perceived control was measured by the Pearlin and Schooler Mastery Scale. SA was measured with proportional discrepancy scores in felt age and ideal age. Stepwise Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were conducted to analyze the relative contribution of SES (education and accumulated wealth), felt age, and ideal age discrepancies and perceived control on 11-year mortality. Findings show that lower levels of wealth and perceived control independently predict increased elderly mortality over an 11-year period. Feeling younger and smaller ideal age discrepancies are positively associated with perceived control, but do not account for additional variability in longevity among older adults. Findings add to the interdisciplinary field of socioeconomic inequalities in elderly mortality and underline the specific importance of structural conditions (wealth) and the continued importance of (perceived) primary control capacity for longevity also after age 67. Future research may assess in more detail how wealth and perceived control complement each other in contributing to healthy aging and longevity, for example, by longitudinal research including the role of significant life events in the second half of life in different welfare state contexts.

• Skinner, Marianne S.; Veenstra, Marijke & Sogstad, Maren (2021). Nurses' assessments of horizontal collaboration in municipal health and care services for older adults: A cross-sectional study. Research in Nursing and Health. ISSN 0160-6891. 44(4), p. 704–714. doi: 10.1002/nur.22144. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Interprofessional and interorganizational collaboration is considered key to achieving high-quality care and positive patient outcomes, but there is limited research into how nurses working in nursing homes and home care services perceive collaboration with other municipal health and care service providers and how their assessments of collaboration vary with individual characteristics and context. The objective of this study was to map variation in nurses' assessments of horizontal collaboration with core care services for older adults, specifically nursing homes, home care services, general practitioners, the allocation office and physio- and occupational therapy services. The study draws on findings from a nationwide cross-sectional survey on posthospital care for older adults, conducted among nurses working in nursing homes and home care services in Norway (N = 3717). Nurses were asked to assess collaboration with these five services. Independent variables were workplace, age, years at current workplace, part-time work, postgraduate education, and municipality size. Statistical analyses were conducted using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA). A majority of nurses evaluated horizontal collaboration as good. Collaboration with the home care services was evaluated as best, while collaboration with general practitioners was evaluated as least good. The study showed that workplace and municipality size were important for nurses' assessments of collaboration. Generally, nurses in smaller municipalities evaluated collaboration as better than nurses in larger municipalities. That workplace and municipality size impact on nurses' evaluations of collaboration in municipal care services for older adults is important knowledge for leaders and policy-makers aiming to improve patient care and teamwork.

• Gautun, Heidi; Hellesø, Ragnhild & Veenstra, Marijke (2021). The association between hospital nurses’ perspectives on their information practices and quality of care transitions in older patients: A nation-wide cross-sectional study. Tidsskrift for omsorgsforskning. ISSN 2387-5976. 7(2), p. 85–96. doi: 10.18261/issn.2387-5984-2021-02-07. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: The main aim of the current study is to provide updated knowledge on hospital nurses’ assessments of quality of care transitions in older patients in Norway. A secondary aim is to analyse to what extent these assessments are associated with perceived information practices. Methods: Nation-wide cross-sectional web-based survey conducted in 2017 including hospital nurses involved in the discharge of older (≥ 65 years) patients (N=1,785). Four items were used to measure different aspects of quality of transitional care in older patients. Information practices were operationalised as Medical information; Follow-up Information, Cross-sectoral contact. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyse associations. Results: Seven out of ten respondents perceived that the older patient feels safe in the transition. Six out of ten respondents perceived that the patient was well informed about the availability of community services, and six out of ten perceived that the patient was well informed about the timing of discharge. Only a little over half of the nurses agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that the patient knows where to turn in case of complications. More positive assessments of quality of care transitions were associated with better perceived information practice (i.e. Follow-up) Almost 50 % of the nurses wanted more contact with community nurses. A stronger perceived need for more contact was negatively associated with all four aspects of quality of care transitions. Conclusion: Our findings suggest a need for more telephone contact and face to face contact over and above the digital/electronic contacts between hospital- and community care nurses to improve quality of care transitions in older patients.

• Veenstra, Marijke; Herlofson, Katharina; Aartsen, Marja; Hansen, Thomas; Hellevik, Tale & Henriksen, Gry [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2021). Cohort Profile: The Norwegian Life Course, Ageing and Generation Study (NorLAG). International Journal of Epidemiology. ISSN 0300-5771. 50(3), p. 728–729i. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyaa280. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Norwegian Life Course, Ageing and Generation Study (NorLAG) was set up to gain new and updated knowledge on ageing and age-related changes in Norway. The nationwide, population-based study includes information on core life domains for 11 028 men and women born between 1922 and 1966. NorLAG combines longitudinal survey data from three waves (2002, 2007 and 2017) with secondary annual data from the public registers that provide time series on financial information, civil status and educational attainment for up to 50 years (1967 to 2017). NorLAG1 comprises 5555 respondents aged 40 years and older at the time of interview, the expanded NorLAG2 sample counts 9238 respondents (including 68% of the NorLAG1 participants) and NorLAG3 includes a total of 6099 respondents (aged 50–95). Topics covered include health and care, wellbeing and mastery, work and retirement, and family and intergenerational relationships. Information on context, timing of events and close family enables the construction of interdependent trajectories and pathways for men and women from mid-life to old age. Access to the NorLAG data is facilitated through the national research infrastructure ACCESS Life Course. Data are available via the online portal at [https://norlag.nsd.no], hosted by Norwegian Social Research at Oslo Metropolitan University and the Norwegian Centre for Research data.

• Veenstra, Marijke; Daatland, Svein Olav & Aartsen, Marja (2020). The role of subjective age in sustaining wellbeing and health in the second half of life. Ageing & Society. ISSN 0144-686X. doi: 10.1017/S0144686X2000032X. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Subjective age (SA) is a core indicator of the individual ageing experience, with important consequences for successful ageing. The aim of the current study was to investigate the directions of the longitudinal associations between domains of SA and subjective wellbeing and physical functioning in the second half of life. We used three-wave survey data (2002, 2007 and 2017) spanning 15 years from the Norwegian Lifecourse, Ageing and Generation Study, including 6,292 persons born between 1922 and 1961. SA was measured with felt-age and ideal-age discrepancies, wellbeing with the Satisfaction of Life Scale and physical functioning with the Short-Form 12. Three-wave cross-lagged panel models were applied to assess the temporal relationships between the different domains of SA, life satisfaction and physical functioning, adjusted for age, gender and education. Findings indicated that wanting to be younger was negatively associated with life satisfaction and physical functioning over time. Felt-age discrepancies did not predict subsequent wellbeing or physical functioning. The results did not reveal any evidence for reversed effects, i.e. from functioning or life satisfaction to SA. Our findings support the psychological pathway from satisfaction with age(ing) to subjective wellbeing and physical functioning over time. Small ideal-age discrepancies reflect positive self-perceptions of ageing, which may help to accumulate psychological resources, guide behavioural regulation and support health.

• Veenstra, Marijke; Skinner, Marianne Sundlisæter & Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes (2020). A nation-wide cross-sectional study of variations in homecare nurses’ assessments of informational continuity – the importance of horizontal collaboration and municipal context. BMC Health Services Research. 20(464), p. 1–11. doi: 10.1186/s12913-020-05313-3. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Numerous studies have revealed challenges associated with ensuring informational continuity in municipal care services for older adults with comprehensive, prolonged and complex care needs. Most research is qualitative and on the micro-level. The aim of the current study is to map variation in homecare nurses’ assessments of available information in the municipalities’ documentation system and investigate the extent to which these assessments are associated with perceived quality of collaborations and with municipal context. Methods We used data from a nationwide web-based survey among 1612 nurses working with older adults (65+) in homecare services in Norway. Responses from individual homecare nurses were linked with municipal-level data from the public registers. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics and multilevel regression analyses. Results Information on the recipients’ medications and medical condition was considered most often available (42.8 and 20.0% responding very often/always), whereas information related to psychosocial needs and future follow-up was perceived less available (4.5 and 6.7% responding very often/always). Homecare nurses’ perceptions of the quality of collaboration with the GP and the allotment office were independently and positively associated with assessments of informational continuity (ß =0.86 and ß =0.96). A modest share of the total variation (8%) in assessments of informational continuity was at the structural level of municipality. Small municipalities (< 5000 inhabitants) had, on average, better informational continuity compared to larger municipalities (ß = -0.47). Conclusions Documentation systems have a limited focus on long-term care needs of older care recipients beyond clinical and medical information. There is a potential for enhanced communication- and care-pathways between GPs, the allotment office and nurses in homecare services. This can support the coordinating role of homecare nurses in ensuring informational continuity for older adults with prolonged and complex care needs and help develop the facilitating role of (electronic) documentation systems.

• Veenstra, Marijke & Gautun, Heidi (2020). Nurses' assessments of staffing adequacy in care services for older patients following hospital discharge. Journal of Advanced Nursing. ISSN 0309-2402. doi: 10.1111/jan.14636. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Aims To explore community nurses' assessments of staffing adequacy in care provision for older patients following hospital discharge and analyse the extent to which their assessments are associated with characteristics of the system level of municipality and vertical coordination between hospital and community care services. Design Nation‐wide cross‐sectional survey. Methods Web‐based survey conducted in 2017 among 3,461 nurses working with older persons (65+) in homecare services, residential care and nursing homes in Norway. Responses from individual homecare nurses were linked with municipal‐level register data (age structure, economic flexibility, service profiles). Stratified multilevel analyses were used to analyse the association of staffing adequacy with municipal characteristics and perceived quality of vertical coordination. Results Almost half of the nurses experienced inadequate staffing in general, whereas a similar share indicated that staffing was adequate. Nursing home nurses showed the least positive ratings of staffing adequacy. Most nurses indicated that there were too many unqualified care workers at their workplace. More positive assessments of staffing adequacy were associated with better vertical coordination. Average ratings of staffing adequacy were lower in larger municipalities and municipalities with an older population. Conclusion Healthcare providers, nurse managers and policy makers may benefit from a stronger focus on rebalancing skill‐mix and on new models of vertical coordination in addressing current and future nurse staffing shortages in care services for older people following hospital discharge. Impact statement This study adds to the scarce national and international research literature on nurse staffing in community care services, addressing the pressing challenges of staffing and skill‐ mix in long‐term care provision. Findings support the development of nurse‐led models of care coordination for older patients following hospital discharge and stimulate future research on the effects of recruitment and retainment strategies in different municipalities and different models of vertical coordination.

• Herlofson, Katharina; Daatland, Svein Olav & Veenstra, Marijke (2019). Generasjoner imellom. Holdninger til familiens ansvar øst og vest i Europa. Nordisk Østforum. ISSN 0801-7220. 33, p. 34–53. doi: 10.23865/noros.v33.1392. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The article addresses the strength and character of family responsibility norms in Eastern and Western Europe. The strength is measured by the level of support for filial and parental responsibilities (i.e., adult children’s obligations towards older parents and vice-versa) and the character is indicated by the priority given to the older or the younger generation. For the analyses, we employ data from thirteen Eastern and Western European countries participating in the Generations and Gender Survey. In general, family norms are stronger in the East than in the West, but it is difficult to establish where to draw a dividing line. The contrast between the two extremes, Norway and Sweden in the north-west and Georgia in the south-east, is striking. The remaining countries line up quite close along the geographical diagonal (from Scandinavia to Georgia). The character of the norms is less clearly distributed – whereas almost all countries in Eastern Europe give priority to the older generation, the picture in the West is more mixed. The results partly confirm earlier conclusions about east-west differences in family responsibility norms, but adding more countries to the analyses has revealed a more complex and ambiguous picture than presented in previous studies.

• Enroth, Linda; Veenstra, Marijke; Aartsen, Marja; Kjær, Agnete Aslaug; Nilsson, Charlotte Juul & Fors, Stefan (2019). Are there educational disparities in health and functioning among the oldest old? Evidence from the Nordic countries. European Journal of Ageing. ISSN 1613-9372. p. 1–10. doi: 10.1007/s10433-019-00517-x. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  With the ageing of the population and recent pressures on important welfare state arrangements, updated knowledge on the linkage between socioeconomic status and health in old age is pertinent for shedding light on emerging patterns of health inequalities in the Nordic countries. This study examined self-rated health (SRH), mobility and activities of daily living (ADL) according to level of education in the three oldest old age groups 75–84, 85–94, and 95+, in four Nordic countries. Altogether, 6132 individuals from Danish Longitudinal Study of Ageing, Norwegian Life Course, Ageing and Generation study, Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old, the 5-Country Oldest Old (Sweden) and Vitality 90 + Study were analysed. First, associations of education level with SRH, mobility, and ADL were estimated for each individual study by means of age- and gender-adjusted logistic regression. Second, results from individual studies were synthesized in a meta-analysis. Older adults with higher education level were more likely to report good SRH, and they were more often independent in mobility and ADL than those with basic education when all age groups were combined. In mobility and ADL, differences between education groups remained stable across the age groups but for SRH, differences seemed to be weaker in older ages. With only a few exceptions, in all age groups, individuals with higher education had more favourable health and functioning than those with basic education. This study shows remarkable persistence of health and functioning inequalities in the Nordic countries throughout later life.

• Hansen, Thomas; Veenstra, Marijke & Slagsvold, Britt (2017). Educational inequalities in late-life depression across Europe. Results from the Generations and Gender Survey. European Journal of Ageing. ISSN 1613-9372. 14(4), p. 407–418. doi: 10.1007/s10433-017-0421-8. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study explores country- and gender-stratified educational differences in depression among older adults from 10 European countries. We examine inequalities in both absolute (prevalence differences) and relative (odds ratios) terms and in bivariate and multivariate models. We use cross-sectional, nationally representative data from the generations and gender survey. The analysis comprises 27,331 Europeans aged 60–80. Depression is measured with a seven-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Findings show considerable between-country heterogeneity in late-life depression. An East–West gradient is evident, with rates of depression up to three times higher in Eastern European than in Scandinavian countries. Rates are about twice as high among women than men in all countries. Findings reveal marked absolute educational gaps in depression in all countries, yet the gaps are larger in weaker welfare states. This pattern is less pronounced for the relative inequalities, especially for women. Some countries observe similar relative inequalities but vastly different absolute inequalities. We argue that the absolute differences are more important for social policy development and evaluation. Educational gradients in depression are strongly mediated by individual-level health and financial variables. Socioeconomic variation in late-life depression is greater in countries with poorer economic development and welfare programs.

• Aartsen, Marja; Veenstra, Marijke & Hansen, Thomas (2017). Social pathways to health: On the mediating role of the social network in the relation between socio-economic position and health. SSM - Population Health. ISSN 2352-8273. 3, p. 419–426. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2017.05.006. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Good health is one of the key qualities of life, but opportunities to be and remain healthy are unequally distributed across socio-economic groups. The beneficial health effects of the social network are well known. However, research on the social network as potential mediator in the pathway from socio-economic position (SEP) to health is scarce, while there are good reasons to expect a socio-economical patterning of networks. We aim to contribute to our understanding of socio-economic inequalities in health by examining the mediating role of structural and functional characteristics of the social network in the SEP-health relationship. Data were from the second wave of the Norwegian study on the life course, aging and generation study (NorLAG) and comprised 4534 men and 4690 women aged between 40 and 81. We applied multiple mediation models to evaluate the relative importance of each network characteristic, and multiple group analysis to examine differences between middle-aged and older men and women. Our results indicated a clear socio-economical patterning of the social network for men and women. People with higher SEP had social networks that better protect against loneliness, which in turn lead to better health outcomes. The explained variance in health in older people by the social network and SEP was only half of the explained variance observed in middle-aged people, suggesting that other factors than SEP were more important for health when people age. We conclude that it is the function of the network, rather than the structure, that counts for health.

View all works in NVA

• Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Veenstra, Marijke; Towers, Ann-Marie; Smith, Nick & Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes (2026). Livskvalitet blant eldre tjenestemottakere. Full text in Research Archive
• Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Veenstra, Marijke; Smith, Nick; Towers, Ann-Marie & Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes (2026). Control, or the lack thereof, among older homecare recipients in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Veenstra, Marijke; Renolen, Åste; Magnussen, Siv Fladsrud; Smith, Nick & Towers, Ann-Marie [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Livskvalitet blant eldre tjenestemottakere. Full text in Research Archive
• Huxhold, Oliver; Veenstra, Marijke & Herlofson, Katharina (2026). The heterogenous impact of spousal bereavement on depressive symptoms among older adults: evidence for widening inequalities in later life. Full text in Research Archive
• Herlofson, Katharina & Veenstra, Marijke (2026). Exposure to vulnerable transitions in later life and opportunities for ageing well. Full text in Research Archive
• Herlofson, Katharina & Veenstra, Marijke (2026). Livsløpsoverganger i eldre år former mulighetene for en god aldring. Full text in Research Archive
• Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Veenstra, Marijke; Magnussen, Siv Fladsrud; Renolen, Åste; Smith, Nick & Towers, Ann-Marie [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Livskvalitet blant eldre tjenestemottakere. Full text in Research Archive
• Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Veenstra, Marijke; Renolen, Åste; Magnussen, Siv Fladsrud; Sjetne, Ingeborg Strømseng & Towers, Ann-Marie [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2026). Lansering av ASCOT: verktøyet, nettsida, resultater. Full text in Research Archive
• Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Veenstra, Marijke; Magnussen, Siv Fladsrud; Renolen, Åste; Towers, Ann-Marie & Smith, Nick [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Livskvalitet hos eldre tjenestemottakere. Full text in Research Archive
• Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Veenstra, Marijke; Magnussen, Siv Fladsrud; Towers, Ann-Marie; Smith, Nick & Renolen, Åste [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Livskvalitet blant eldre tjenestemottakere. Full text in Research Archive
• Halse, Bjørn Atle Sundsback; Strand, Bjørn Heine & Veenstra, Marijke (2025). Women’s Lifecourse Economic Activity and Cognitive Functioning in Midlife and Older Age. Findings from The Tromsø Study. Full text in Research Archive
• Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Veenstra, Marijke; Magnussen, Siv Fladsrud; Renolen, Åste; Towers, Ann-Marie & Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes (2025). Quality of life in Norwegian long-term care services for older adults: An interview study using ASCOT. Full text in Research Archive
• Herlofson, Katharina; Løset, Gøril Kvamme & Veenstra, Marijke (2025). Sårbare overganger i eldre år gir ulike vilkår for en god alderdom. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Livsløpsoverganger i eldre år er ofte uønskete og vanskelige å håndtere, og kan få stor betydning for livet etterpå. Ikke bare er noen grupper mer utsatt for slike overganger enn andre, det er også slik at konsekvensene for livskvalitet varierer. Når eldre står overfor sårbare overganger, jobber de aktivt med å opprettholde stabilitet og kontinuitet i hverdagen. I denne Kort oppsummert presenteres de viktigste funnene fra prosjektet Ulikhet i god aldring og betydningen av overganger senere i livet (TRILL). Prosjektet er finansiert av Norges forskningsråd (2020–2025).

• Halse, Bjørn Atle Sundsback; Veenstra, Marijke & Strand, Bjørn Heine (2025). Women’s Previous Economic Activity and Cognitive Functioning in Midlife and Older Age. Findings from The Tromsø Study. Full text in Research Archive
• Calderon, Amaia; Saenger, Isabelle von; Fuente-Nunez, Vania de la; Ferrucci, Luigi; Semenza, Jan C. & Veenstra, Marijke [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2025). Ageing in a transforming world: insights for future research and policy from the 27th Nordic Congress of Gerontology. Journal of Global Aging. p. 1–16. doi: 10.1332/29767202Y2025D000000036. Full text in Research Archive
• Herlofson, Katharina & Veenstra, Marijke (2025). Unravel patterns of vulnerable transitions in later life. Full text in Research Archive
• Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Veenstra, Marijke; Magnussen, Siv Fladsrud; Renolen, Åste; Towers, Ann-Marie & Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes (2025). ASCOT: et mål på tjenesterelatert livskvalitet. Full text in Research Archive
• Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Veenstra, Marijke; Magnussen, Siv Fladsrud; Renolen, Åste; Towers, Ann-Marie & Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes (2025). ASCOT: et mål på tjenesterelatert livskvalitet. Full text in Research Archive
• Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Veenstra, Marijke; Magnussen, Siv Fladsrud; Renolen, Åste; Towers, Ann-Marie & Smith, Nick [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2025). ASCOT: Tjenesterelatert livskvalitet. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke & Løset, Gøril Kvamme (2025). Increasing understanding of resilience in later life. Full text in Research Archive
• Løset, Gøril Kvamme; Werner, Anne; Kok, Almar A. L. & Veenstra, Marijke (2025). Maintaining subjective well-being: Older adults’ perspectives on navigating daily life at the intersection of continuity and discontinuity. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke; Herlofson, Katharina & Huxhold, Oliver (2025). Spousal Bereavement and Depressive Symptoms in Later Life. Full text in Research Archive
• Løset, Gøril Kvamme; Herlofson, Katharina; Kok, Almar A. L. & Veenstra, Marijke (2025). Bereavement and subjective well-being in the second half of life: Adjustment to multiple losses. Full text in Research Archive
• Løset, Gøril Kvamme; Haukedal, Christiane & Veenstra, Marijke (2024). All ears? Hearing loss and variations in well-being dimensions in later life. Full text in Research Archive
• Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Veenstra, Marijke; Magnussen, Siv Fladsrud; Renolen, Åste; Towers, Ann-Marie & Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes (2024). Quality of life in Norwegian long-term care services for older adults: An interview study using ASCOT. Full text in Research Archive
• Burrell, Lisa Victoria; Veenstra, Marijke; Magnussen, Siv Fladsrud; Renolen, Åste; Towers, Ann-Marie & Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes (2024). Tjenesterelatert livskvalitet: QualCare prosjektet. Full text in Research Archive
• Udesen, Stine Emilie Junker; Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes; Veenstra, Marijke; Lassen, Annmarie Touborg & Skinner, Marianne Sundlisæter (2024). Mapping and conceptualising municipal intermediate care services in Denmark and Norway: A cross-country comparative analysis. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2024). Tackling social inequalities at older ages – A battle worth fighting for? Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The title is Tackling social inequalities at older ages – A battle worth fighting? Now, why a battle and why phrasing it as a question? Reducing inequalities within and between countries is one of the Sustainability Goals of the United Nations. Yet, the focus on inequalities in later life and at older ages has been relatively limited. Both in policy AND research. How come? Let me present some of the arguments NOT to prioritize looking at later life. First: Emerging inequality patterns are largely a statistical artefact and therefore beyond intervention. For example, as mortality is pushed towards increasingly higher ages, the health and wellbeing profiles of those surviving into old age are increasingly heterogeneous and thereby more unequal. Second: policies in the Nordic countries have been most effective in reducing inequalities in health and wellbeing among OLDER adults. For example, the Nordics and in particular Norway, are elected as the best countries in the world to grow old in. So why bother about something that does not seem to be a problem and is dealt with so effectively already? Third: inequality patterns in later life are very difficult to change, as they are the result of (dis)advantages accumulated throughout the life course. It is too late to change this in old age. Instead, the focus in research and policy should be on addressing core determinants early in life, among children and adolescents: Giving every child the best start in life – as concluded in the famous Marmot report. Perhaps not surprising then that research as well as policies on social (health) inequalities largely have emphasized patterns and determinants ranging from early life to pre-retirement age. In this talk, I am going to address each argument in more detail, and give an overview of recent and ongoing research. What are the reasons to fight current and future inequalities in later life? Can our research – and I mean the research of us researchers participating here at the Congress of Gerontology – provide knowledge on how to avoid a potential future where it is acceptable with large inequalities in opportunities to live well into old age? I am looking forward to seeing you in Stockholm!

• Løset, Gøril Kvamme; Kok, Almar & Veenstra, Marijke (2023). Subjective well-being and bereavement in later life: Adjustment to multiple losses. Full text in Research Archive
• Husberg-Bru, Vendela; Rognmo, Kamilla & Veenstra, Marijke (2023). Alkoholbruk etter overgangen til pensjon: En befolknings basert studie fra Tromsøundersøkelsen (2007-2016). Full text in Research Archive
• Husberg-Bru, Vendela; Rognmo, Kamilla & Veenstra, Marijke (2023). Dimensjoner av sosial ulikhet i eldre år: Alkoholbruk før og etter pensjonsalder. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2023). Inequalities in opportunities for ageing well: The significance of transitions in later life. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke & Herlofson, Katharina (2023). Om overganger i eldre år. Full text in Research Archive
• Løset, Gøril Kvamme; Haukedal, Christiane & Veenstra, Marijke (2023). Skarpe øyrer? Høyrselstap og variasjonar i livskvalitet i eldre år. Full text in Research Archive
• Løset, Gøril Kvamme; Vangen, Hanna; Herlofson, Katharina; Hellevik, Tale & Veenstra, Marijke (2022). Den norske studien av livslaup, aldring og generasjon (NorLAG). Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2022). Socioeconomic inequalities in ageing and transitions in later life. TRILL symposium. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Longevity increases and larger parts of the population, in particular those with higher socioeconomic status, survive to more advanced ages. The resulting diverging trends of longer lives and increased inequalities in age-at-death have prompted calls for more research on how processes of social stratification continue to operate into later life. This symposium is a joint effort by researchers from major research groups on ageing in four European countries (Norway, Germany, Sweden and The Netherlands) and will address core aspects of social inequalities in ageing. In old age, individuals face major life transitions that typically constitute moments of vulnerability, such as work exit, declining mobility, onset of health problems and the loss of close family members. Yet, the timing and consequences of such transitions differ between socioeconomic groups and may therefore contribute to inequalities in ageing well. We start the symposium with mapping potentially vulnerable transitions in later life and showing how patterns of transitions vary across gender and socioeconomic position. The Norwegian Life course, Ageing and Generation study (NorLAG) provides the empirical basis for this analysis. Next, we provide a discussion of work exits as a core transition requiring complex adjustment processes and investment of resources that are unequally distributed in society. One of the questions we ask is to what extent does retirement increase pre-existing socio-economic differences? We then present long-term trajectories of self-rated health and physical working capacity during the retirement transition, and their association with work-related factors and social class. Here, the analyses are based on data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH). Finally, we look at the unequal distribution of the onset or worsening of mental health disorders in old age across socioeconomic position. Based on data from four clinical and two population-based prospective cohort studies in the Netherlands, we present evidence on the importance of low income as a risk factor for late life mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, and longstanding conditions such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. The four presentations jointly discuss implications of transitions for social inequalities in ageing well and provide directions for future research within the field.

• Veenstra, Marijke & Aartsen, Marja (2022). Livsløpinntekt for menn og kvinner i Norge - Betydning for egenvurdert helse i eldre år. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2022). TRILL - Transitions in later life. Full text in Research Archive
• Skinner, Marianne Sundlisæter & Veenstra, Marijke (2021). Horisontal samhandling og kontinuitet i de kommunal helse- og omsorgstjenestene. Full text in Research Archive
• Skinner, Marianne Sundlisæter; Veenstra, Marijke & Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes (2021). Samhandling og kontinuitet når eldre pasienter beveger seg mellom ulike kommunale tilbud. Full text in Research Archive
• Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes; Veenstra, Marijke & Skinner, Marianne Sundlisæter (2021). Horisontal samhandling i de kommunale helse- og omsorgstjenestene. Full text in Research Archive
• Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes; Skinner, Marianne Sundlisæter; Rostad, Hanne Marie & Veenstra, Marijke (2021). Utviklingstrekk og samhandling i de kommunale helse- og omsorgstjenestene. Full text in Research Archive
• Gautun, Heidi & Veenstra, Marijke (2021). Foredrag «Hvordan vurderer sykepleiere eldre pasienters overgang til kommunenes helse- og omsorgstjenester». Full text in Research Archive
• Vangen, Hanna; Herlofson, Katharina; Hansen, Thomas; Hellevik, Tale; Løset, Gøril Kvamme & Aartsen, Marja [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2021). The NorLAG study: Life-course, ageing and generations in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2021). Om tema Helse, Velvære og Verdier  . Full text in Research Archive
• Gautun, Heidi & Veenstra, Marijke (2021). Hvordan vurderer sykepleiere eldre pasienters overgang fra sykehus til kommunenes helse- og omsorgstjenester? Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2021). Deling og gjenbruk av NorLAG–data. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2021). Data sources, Norway II: The NorLag Study. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2021). Den Norske studien om Livsløp, Aldring og Generasjon (NorLAG). Full text in Research Archive
• Syse, Astri; Artamonova, Alyona; Thomas, Michael J. & Veenstra, Marijke (2021). Family composition and transitions into long-term care services among the elderly. Discussion Papers. ISSN 0803-074X. Full text in Research Archive
• Skinner, Marianne Sundlisæter; Veenstra, Marijke & Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes (2021). Nurses’ assessments of intramunicipal collaboration. Full text in Research Archive
• Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes; Skinner, Marianne Sundlisæter; Veenstra, Marijke & Rostad, Hanne Marie (2020). Den «nye» omsorgstrappen - og horisontal samhandling i de kommunale helse og omsorgstjenesten. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2020). NorLAG - Den norske studien av livsløp, aldring og generasjon. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2020). ACCESS Life Course – Upgrade and Expansion. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2020). NorLAG som nasjonal forskningsinfrastruktur. Et samarbeid mellom NOVA, OsloMet og NSD. Full text in Research Archive
• Herlofson, Katharina; Daatland, Svein Olav & Veenstra, Marijke (2019). Generasjoner imellom. Full text in Research Archive
• Herlofson, Katharina; Veenstra, Marijke & Daatland, Svein Olav (2019). Holdninger til familiens ansvar øst og vest i Europa. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2019). NorLAG – den norske studien av livsløp, aldring og generasjon. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2019). Exploratory factor analysis. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke & Aartsen, Marja (2019). Betydningen av inntekt gjennom livsløpet for helse i eldre år: a latent class growth analysis. Full text in Research Archive
• Løset, Gøril Kvamme; Vangen, Hanna; Herlofson, Katharina; Hansen, Thomas; Hellevik, Tale & Aartsen, Marja [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2019). Den norske studien av livslaup, aldring og generasjon (NorLAG). Full text in Research Archive
• Herlofson, Katharina; Daatland, Svein Olav & Veenstra, Marijke (2019). Familieverdier i Europa. [Internet]. forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke; Aartsen, Marja & Daatland, Svein Olav (2019). The role of subjective age in sustaining health and wellbeing over time. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2019). Formal & informal care challenges in a Nordic welfare state. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke & Aartsen, Marja (2019). The relationships between income and health in the transition from adulthood to old age. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke & Aartsen, Marja (2019). The impact of life-course income trajectories on health in older adults: a latent class growth analysis. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke; Skinner, Marianne Sundlisæter & Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes (2019). Hjemmesykepleiernes vurderinger av tilgang til pasientinformasjon – betydning av horisontal samhandling og kommune kontekst. Full text in Research Archive
• Nordbø, Hanna Vangen; Herlofson, Katharina; Hansen, Thomas; Hellevik, Tale; Løset, Gøril Kvamme & Slagsvold, Britt [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2019). The NorLAG study: Life-course, ageing and generations in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Nordbø, Hanna Vangen; Veenstra, Marijke; Herlofson, Katharina; Hansen, Thomas; Hellevik, Tale & Løset, Gøril Kvamme [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2018). Life-course, ageing and generations in Norway: The NorLAG study. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke; Grøtting, Maja Weemes; Aartsen, Marja & Hansen, Thomas (2018). Sosiale helseforskjeller i eldre år. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2018). Status NorLAG: Den norske studien av livsløp, aldring og generasjon. Full text in Research Archive
• Veenstra, Marijke (2018). NorLAG The Norwegian Life course, Ageing and Generation panel study. Full text in Research Archive
• Aartsen, Marja & Veenstra, Marijke (2018). The social pattern of conflicting and low quality social relations. Full text in Research Archive
• Aartsen, Marja & Veenstra, Marijke (2018). The social pattern of conflicting and low quality social relations. Full text in Research Archive
• Enroth, Linda; Nilsson, Charlotte Juul; Veenstra, Marijke; Aartsen, Marja; Agnete, Aslaug Kjær & Fors, Stefan (2018). Education determines health and functioning among the oldest old in Nordic countries. Full text in Research Archive
• Herlofson, Katharina; Hellevik, Tale; Løset, Gøril Kvamme; Vangen, Hanna & Veenstra, Marijke (2023). Den norske studien av livsløp, aldring og generasjon. En beskrivelse av studien, forskningsinstrumenter og variabler. OsloMet - storbyuniversitetet. ISSN 9788278948262. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Den norske studien av livsløp, aldring og generasjon (NorLAG) er en tverrfaglig og longitudinell studie om aldring og eldre i Norge. De samme individene (født i årene 1922–1966) følges over tid gjennom ulike livsfaser, overganger og hendelser i andre halvdel av livet. Så langt er det gjennomført tre runder med innsamling av surveydata (i 2002, 2007 og 2017). Surveydataene er koblet til registeropplysninger som oppdateres årlig i inntil fem år etter hver survey. Denne rapporten gir en oversikt over bakgrunnen for studien, utvalgene i de tre rundene med datainnsamling, forskningsinstrumentene som brukes, og de årlige registerdataene. NorLAG-dataene er tilgjengelige for forskning og undervisning gjennom Sikt: https://norlag.nsd.no/

• Grøtting, Maja Weemes; Grasdal, Astrid; Aakvik, Arild & Veenstra, Marijke (2019). Empirical Essays on Health and Aging. Universitetet i Bergen. ISSN 9788230830109. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This thesis is composed of four chapters: One introductory chapter and three chapters that each include one of the three essays that make up the main body of the thesis. Common features of the essays are empirical assessments of health in later life and the econometrical challenges caused by selection–either in the form of people self-selecting into “treatment” or in the form of sample-selection in the data applied. The first essay, co-authored with Signe A. Abrahamsen, is concerned with how increased access to publicly provided eldercare affects the immediate and long-term health of informal caregivers. The evidence of the causal effects of care responsibilities on health is limited, especially for long-term outcomes. In this essay, we estimate long-term effects of a formal care expansion for the elderly on the health of their middle-aged daughters. We exploit a reform in the federal funding of formal care for Norwegian municipalities that caused a greater expansion of home care provision in municipalities that initially had lower coverage rates. We find that expanding formal care for the elderly reduced sickness absence for single-child daughters of lone parents in the short run, and that the decrease seems to be driven by absences due to musculoskeletal disorders and psychological disorders. When assessing long-term health outcomes for the same group of daughters, we find that, overall, long-term health is not affected. The second essay, co-authored with Otto S. Lillebø, is concerned with the health effects of retirement and the potential heterogeneity in these effects according to socioeconomic status. Using a local randomized experiment that arises from the statutory retirement age in Norway, we estimate causal effects of retirement on health across socioeconomic status. We apply health information from full population administrative registers and from survey data to investigate the effects of retirement on acute hospital admissions, mortality, and a composite physical health score. Our results show that retirement has a positive effect on physical health, especially for individuals with low socioeconomic status. We find no retirement effects on acute hospitalizations or mortality in general. However, our results suggest that retirement leads to reduced likelihood of hospitalizations for individuals with low socioeconomic status. Finally, we show that the positive health effects are driven by reduced pain and reduced health limitations in conducting daily activities. Our findings highlight heterogeneity in the health effects across socioeconomic status and across subjective and objective measures of health. The third essay analyzes the extent and consequences of health-related non-response in survey data, defined as either initial non-response or attrition across waves. The first part of the paper provides a thorough description of the initial non-response and attrition between waves in the Norwegian Study on Life Course, Aging, and generation (NorLAG), a typical survey sample. In the second part, the potential bias from sample selection is examined using econometric analyses of educational differences in health across age as a case study. This is an empirical application that is believed to be particularly prone to bias from health selection, as non-response correlates with both health, education, and age. I make use of a sample of Norwegian older adults and register data that cover the full population to make various assumptions about the selection process and find that using population weights, inverse probability weights, the Heckman selection model, and a Copula selection model does not produce substantially different estimates. Across all models, educational differences in health converge in old age, as is commonly found in analyses that use survey data. This convergence is also found using the register data. Taken together, these results suggest that survey data are well-suited to describe patterns of health inequalities as they manifest in the population. Finally, the register data reveal that healthy survivor bias among the low educated is an important factor driving the convergence in health inequalities in old age.

• Sogstad, Maren Kristine Raknes; Veenstra, Marijke & Wentzel-Larsen, Tore (2017). Overganger mellom kommune- og spesialisthelsetjenesten, I SAMDATA kommune. Helsedirektoratet. Full text in Research Archive

View all works in NVA