Gunnar T Aronsson

Gunnar T Aronsson (born November 22 1943) is a Swedish professor of occupational and organizational psychology. 
==Early life and education==
Aronsson grew up in a small farmer's home in Nössemark on the Swedish-Norwegian border in Dalsland and worked in several manual occupations before pursuing university studies. He graduated in psychology in 1974 and earned his doctorate in philosophy in 1985. Aronsson was supervised by Professors Bertil Gardell and Gunn Johansson, becoming an associate professor in psychology 1987. 
==Academic career==
From 1983, Aronsson worked as a researcher at the Swedish Work Environment Authority. In 1990, he was appointed by the Swedish government as a professor of work and organizational psychology at the Swedish National Institute for Working Life (NIWL). After the closure of NIWL in 2007, he worked as a visiting professor and professor emeritus at the Department of Psychology, Stockholm University. He engaged in research collaborations with institutions such as the Karolinska Institute and researchers at Lillehammer University. 
===Research Fields===
Aronsson's research focuses on work-related stress, health, and ill-health, emphasizing the significance of job control and the impact of work organizational and technological structures. His doctoral thesis, "Work content - autonomy - stress reactions - Theories and field studies",Aronsson, Gunnar (1985). Arbetsinnehåll - handlingsutrymme - stressreaktioner: teorier och fältstudier = [Work content - autonomy - stress reactions] : [theories and field studies]. Stockholm: Psykologiska inst., Univ. Libris 485390. ISBN 91-7146-429-8 developed a job control and resource load perspective, forming a broad framework for later interdisciplinary research on job controlAronsson, G (1989). ”Dimensions of Control as Related to Work Organization, Stress and Health”. International Journal of Health Services. 1989, 19, 3, 459-468. Doi:https://doi.org/10.2190/N6KQ-HWA0-H7CJ-KUPQ.|doi:https://doi.org/10.2190/N6KQ-HWA0-H7CJ-KUPQ. Aronsson, G. In S.L Sauter, J. Hurrell, & C.L. Cooper (Eds.) Job Control and Worker Health. John Wiley & Sons Ltd (1989). Swedish Findings on Control and Health.. sid. pp 76-88. ISBN 0-471-92355-9 boundaryless work,Allvin, M., Aronsson, G., Hagström, T., Johansson, G., & Lundberg, U (2011). Work without Boundaries. Psychological Perspectives on the New Working Life.. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-470-66613-5 stress reactions,Aronsson G, Rissler A. Psychophysiological stress reactions in female and male bus drivers. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, vol 3, 1998, 2, 122-129. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.3.2.122 recovery in welfare workAronsson, G., Svensson, L., & Gustafsson, K. (2003). Unwinding, recuperation, and health among compulsory school and high school teachers in Sweden. International Journal of Stress Management, 10(3), 217-234.https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/1072-5245.10.3.217Aronsson G, Gustafsson K, & Astvik W (2013). Work conditions, recovery and health – A study among workers within preschool, home care, and social work. British J of Social Work 2013; Doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bct036|doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bct036Aronsson, G., Nylén, E. C., Ishall, L., Lindfors, P., & Sverke, M. (2019). The long arm of the job–work characteristics and recovery windows in social welfare work. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 12(1), 15-27. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJWHM-11-2017-0089/full/html sickness absenteeism, sickness presenteeism, and temporary work employment formsAronsson, G. (1999). Contingent workers and health and safety. Work, employment and society, 13(3), 439-459.https://doi.org/10.1177/09500179922118024Aronsson, G., Gustafsson, K., & Dallner, M. (2002). Work environment and health in different types of temporary jobs. European journal of work and organizational psychology, 11(2), 151-175.https://doi.org/10.1080/13594320143000898Aronsson G, Dallner M, Lindh, T. Göransson S. Flexible pay but fixed expenses: Personal Financial Strain among On-Call employees. International Journal of Health Services, 2005; vol 35, nr 3, 499-528.https://doi.org/10.1080/13594320143000898Aronsson G. A New Employment Contract. Editorial. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health.2001, 27, (6) 361-363.https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.627.In general, his research is focused on practical application in working life.
===Sickness Presenteeism and Health===
Aronsson's research has prominently focused on the concept of "sickness presence" – the behavior of going to work even when you are unwell, which means that sickness absence (sick leave) is replaced by sickness attendance. This research area is close to the broader research field of presenteeism, which focuses on productivity and efficiency consequences due to reduced work ability, while sickness presence research is focused on individual health consequences. 
In 2000, Aronsson initiated a study on sickness presence,Aronsson, G., Gustafsson, K., & Dallner, M. (2000). ”Sick but yet at work. An empirical study of sickness presenteeism”. J Epidemiol Community Health, 54(7), 502-509.. Doi:DOI: 10.1136/jech.54.7.502.|doi:DOI: 10.1136/jech.54.7.502. marking one of the early scientific contributions of the sickness presence perspective to the global discourse of presenteeism. This study explored the determinants and consequences of sickness presence, laying the groundwork for subsequent research.Aronsson, G., & Gustafsson, K. (2005). ”Sickness Presenteeism: Prevalence, Attendance-Pressure Factors, and an Outline of a Model for Research”. J of Occ Env Med, 47(9), 958-956. Doi:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19504117.|doi:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19504117. A follow-up study 2005 introduced a model for studying sickness presence. Longitudinal studies that followed uncovered a significant finding: sickness presence not only predicts an increased risk of future ill-healthBergström, G., Bodin, L., Hagberg, J., Lindh, T., Aronsson, G., & Josephson, M (2009). ”Does sickness presenteeism have an impact on future general health?”. Int Arch of Occ and Env Health, 82(10), 1179-90. doi:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19504117. but also future instances of sickness absence.Bergström, G., Bodin, L., Hagberg, J., Aronsson, G., & Josephson, M (2009). ”Sickness Presenteeism Today, Sickness Absenteeism Tomorrow? A Prospective Study on Sickness Presenteeism and Future Sickness Absenteeism”. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 51(6), 629-638. Doi:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19448572.|doi:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19448572. Continued research by Aronsson and co-workers has sought to identify and analyze both positive and negative motives and determinantsJohansen, V., Aronsson, G., & Marklund, S. (2014). ”Positive and negative reasons for sickness presenteeism in Norway and Sweden: A cross-sectional survey”. BMJ Open, 4(2).. Doi:https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2013-004123|doi:https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2013-004123.Aronsson, G., & Marklund, S. (2018). Sickness Presenteeism and Attendance-Pressure Factors. In C. Cooper & L. Lu (Eds.), Presenteeism at Work (Cambridge Companions to Management, pp. 145-165). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Doi:10.1017/9781107183780.008|doi:10.1017/9781107183780.008 related to sickness presenteeism. In a specific study,Aronsson, G., Hagberg, J., Björklund, C., Aboagye, E., Marklund, S., Leineweber, C., & Bergström, G (2021). ”Health and motivation as mediators of the effects of job demands, job control, job support, and role conflicts at work and home on sickness presenteeism and absenteeism”. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. 94, 409–418. Doi:10.1007/s00420-020-01591-w.|doi:10.1007/s00420-020-01591-w. the intricate interplay between health and motivation was highlighted as mediators influencing the relationship between job demands, job control, and social support in the context of sickness absence and sickness presence .
===Computerized Work - Work Without Boundaries===
Aronsson's second major research area explores the implications of computer technology on working conditions, health, and the relationship and balance between private life and work, covered by the concept of work-life balance. Early studiesJohansson G. Aronsson G. ”Stress Reactions in Computerized Administrative Work”. Journal of Occupational Behaviour, 1984, vol 5, 3, 159-181. Doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030050302.|doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030050302. were focused on qualification demands in computer-mediated work comparing stress reactions and recovery in various types of computerized work, identifying winners and losers of computer technology.Aronsson G, Åborg C, Dallner M (1994). ”Winners and losers from computerization: A study of the psychosocial work conditions and health of Swedish state employees”. International Journal of Human- Computer Interaction, (6) nr 1, 17-35.. Doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/10447319409526081.|doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/10447319409526081. Later studies have focused on how digital technology dissolves or blurs the time and space boundaries of work,Allvin, M., Aronsson, G., Hagström, T., Johansson, G., & Lundberg, U (2011). Work without Boundaries. Psychological Perspectives on the New Working Life.. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-470-66613-5Mellner, C., Kecklund, G., Kompier, M., Sariaslan, A., & Aronsson, G. (2016). Boundaryless Work, Psychological Detachment and Sleep: Does Working ‘Anytime – Anywhere’ Equal Employees Are ‘Always on’?. pp. 29-47. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/S1877-636120160000016003 emphasizing strategies employed by workers to manage work-life balanceMellner, C., Aronsson, G., & Kecklund, G. (2015). Boundary Management Preferences, Boundary Control, and Work-Life Balance among Full-Time Employed Professionals in Knowledge-Intensive, Flexible Work. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies, 4(4), 7–23. https://doi.org/10.19154/njwls.v4i4.4705 and protect health. In 2022, Aronsson and Lundberg, on behalf of The Swedish Agency for Work Environment Expertise, published a reviewAronsson, G., & Lundberg, U. (2022).Remote work: review of international research on work environment and health, work–life balance and productivity before and during the COVID-19 pandemic with particular consideration for conditions for women and men. 2022. Swedish Agency for Work Environment Expertise. Report 2022:2. https://sawee.se/publications/remote-work/ on international research regarding remote work's impact on stress, work-life balance, and self-estimated productivity before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.
===Research reviews===
In collaboration with colleagues, Aronsson conducted several reviews and knowledge compilations on the international state of knowledge in key areas of work environment research. Notably, reviews on work environment and occupational burnout,Aronsson, G., Theorell, T., Grape, et al. (2017). ”A systematic review including meta-analysis of work environment and burnout symptoms”. .BMC Public Health, 17(1).. Doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4153-7.|doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4153-7. as well as work environment and depressionTheorell, T., Hammarström, A., Aronsson, G et al. (2015). ”A systematic review including meta-analysis of work environment and depressive symptoms.”. BMC Public Health, 15(1).. Doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1954-4.|doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1954-4. have had significant international impact, with more than 1800 citations in Google Scholar (2024-01-30).
===Scientific Impact===
Aronsson has a number of highly cited scientific papers, books, and book chapters, with a (2024) h-index of 49 and and 14120 citations. The exploration of sickness presence has attracted global interest, with ongoing studies in many countries. The first two articles on sickness presenteeism have generated 2877 citations on Google Scholar (2024-01-30), reflecting the widespread impact and interest in this area of research.
==Government Assignments==
Aronsson has undertaken various expert assignments in investigations initiated by the Swedish government, including serving as a secretary in the work organization group (led by Göran Johnsson) within the Swedish government's Working Environment Commission from 1989 to 1990. He was also member in an expert group chaired by the Minister for Industry, Employment and Communication Mona Sahlin for analyses of the strong increase in work-related ill-health (Ds 2001:28 in Swedish). 2000 - 2002 he was expert within the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs' investigation "Action plan for increased health in working life" SOU 2002:5 (chaired by Jan Rydh). 2004 to 2006 he was a member of the Swedish Government's Work Environment Council, chaired by Minister of Labor Hans Karlsson.
Category:1943 births
Category:Swedish professors
Category:Swedish people