Tor Arnison
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Publications

2026

Age of Onset of first depressive episode requiring hospitalisation, Clinical Characteristics, and Response to Electroconvulsive Therapy

Tor Arnison, Natalie Nordin, Axel Nordenskjöld. European Psychiatry. 2026.

doi:10.1192/j.eurpsy.2026.12248 PubMed Download PDF

Later age at first hospitalisation for depression was associated with better ECT response and remission, independently of current age. Clinical differences explained much of this association: psychiatric comorbidity and treatment complexity contributed to poorer early-onset outcomes, while psychotic features contributed to better late-onset outcomes.

Response to "Rethinking ECT in Depression Among the Oldest-Old: An Underexplored Opportunity".

Arnison T, Nordenskjöld A. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 34(5), 784-785. 2026.

doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2026.01.020 PubMed

Risk factors for COPD exacerbations and mortality, and variation between primary care settings: the PRAXIS cohort study in Sweden.

Smith C, Hiyoshi A, Arnison T, Eliason G, Giezeman M, Hasselgren M, Janson C, Karlsson M, Kisiel MA, Lisspers K, and 5 others. Family medicine and community health, 14(1), e003713. 2026.

doi:10.1136/fmch-2025-003713 PubMed Free full text Download PDF

An eight-year Swedish primary care study found that patient characteristics explained more variation in COPD outcomes than differences between healthcare centres. Depression predicted exacerbations, while anxiety and cardiovascular disease were associated with mortality. Both low and high body mass index were linked to higher mortality.

2025

Response to “The Evidence Base for Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) in Geriatric Depression”

Tor Arnison, Axel Nordenskjöld. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 34(1), 136-137. 2025.

doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2025.07.015 PubMed

Electroconvulsive therapy in the oldest-old patients with depression: Response and remission rates, prognostic factors, adverse events and mortality

Tor Arnison, Alina Eriksson, Axel Nordenskjöld. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 33(10), 1065-1076. 2025.

doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2025.06.013 PubMed Download PDF

Among patients aged 85 or older treated with ECT for depression, 81.2% responded and 53.3% achieved remission, exceeding rates in younger patients. Reported adverse events were fewer, and subsequent hospitalisations were less frequent than among matched older patients not receiving ECT.

Outcomes of ECT for depression in patients with and without eating disorders

Cecilia Gillving, Tor Arnison, Axel Nordenskjöld. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 183, 308-312. 2025.

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.02.042 PubMed Download PDF

A Swedish register study found that 58.4% of patients with depression and eating disorders responded to ECT, compared with 62.4% of matched patients without eating disorders. Subjective memory complaints were similar, supporting ECT’s potential usefulness despite somewhat lower response rates in this group.

2024

Safety of and response to electroconvulsive therapy during pregnancy: Results from population‐based nationwide registries

Tor Arnison, Olof Rask, Axel Nordenskjöld, Pouya Movahed Rad. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 150(5), 360-371. 2024.

doi:10.1111/acps.13623 PubMed Download PDF

A Swedish register study found similar ECT response rates in pregnant and non-pregnant women. Premature birth and low Apgar scores were more common than in matched pregnancies without ECT, but not than in the same women’s other pregnancies. These differences could not be directly attributed to ECT.

Adolescent Girls’ Musculoskeletal Pain is More Affected by Insomnia Than Boys, and Through Different Psychological Pathways

Tor Arnison, Brittany Evans, Martien G.S. Schrooten, Jonas Persson, Tonya M. Palermo. The Journal of Pain, 25(9), 104571. 2024.

doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2024.104571 PubMed Download PDF

Insomnia predicted later musculoskeletal pain 3.5 times more strongly in adolescent girls than boys. Rumination partly explained this relationship in girls, whereas depressed mood was the main mediator in boys, highlighting different psychological pathways linking sleep problems to pain.

Association between electroconvulsive therapy and time to readmission after a manic episode

Katarzyna Popiolek, Tor Arnison, Susanne Bejerot, Katja Fall, Mikael Landén, Axel Nordenskjöld. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 150(1), 22-34. 2024.

doi:10.1111/acps.13689 PubMed Download PDF

A Swedish register study found high psychiatric readmission rates after hospitalisation for mania. ECT was not associated with a longer time to readmission overall. Comparisons of admissions with and without ECT within the same patients suggested a possible protective association, but this was not statistically significant.

Electroconvulsive Therapy Versus Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Patients With a Depressive Episode: A Register-Based Study

Katarzyna Popiolek, Tor Arnison, Robert Boden, Carl Johan Ekman, Johan Lundberg, Pontus Strandberg, Axel Nordenskjöld. The Journal of ECT, 40(2), 140-141. 2024.

doi:10.1097/yct.0000000000001005 PubMed

Sleep problems in children and adolescents as a precursor of mental illness: A systematic review of prospective studies

JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH. 2024.

Suicidal ideation in female individuals with fibromyalgia and comorbid obesity: prevalence and association with clinical, pain-related, and psychological factors

Varallo, Giorgia, Scarpina, Federica, Arnison, Tor, Giusti, Emanuele Maria, Tenti, Micheal, Rapelli, Giada, Cattivelli, Roberto, Landi, Giulia, Tossani, Eliana, Grandi, Silvana, and 5 others. Pain Medicine, 25(3), 239-247. 2024.

doi:10.1093/pm/pnad139 PubMed Free full text Download PDF

Among women with fibromyalgia and obesity, 37.8% reported suicidal ideation. Depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and pain catastrophizing were associated with suicidal thoughts. Catastrophizing remained independently associated after accounting for depression and sleep, highlighting its relevance to psychological assessment and care.

Suicidal ideation in female individuals with fibromyalgia and comorbid obesity: prevalence and association with clinical, pain-related, and psychological factors (vol 25, pg 239, 2024)

PAIN MEDICINE, 25(7), 486-486. 2024.

doi:10.1093/pm/pnae037 PubMed Free full text

2023

Protective health behaviors and fear of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a public opinion perspective

Xiang Zhao, Tor Arnison, Phil Knobel. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 28(10), 2953-2963. 2023.

doi:10.1080/13548506.2022.2141279 PubMed Download PDF

A survey found similar COVID-19 protective behaviours among Chinese and European participants. Greater independence from peers was associated with more protective behaviours in China, while fear of social isolation showed a weaker association. These relationships were absent in Europe, suggesting cultural differences in health communication.

Sambandet mellan sömnbesvär och smärta hos ungdomar

Tor Arnison. Sömn och Hälsa. 2023.

doi:10.59526/soh.10.17518 Download PDF

A Swedish popular science article summarising doctoral research on adolescent sleep and pain. It explains their reciprocal relationship, the stronger influence of insomnia on pain, and differences between girls and boys, highlighting sleep treatment as a promising avenue for preventing persistent pain.

Do both the research community and the general public share an interest in the sleep-pain relationship, and do they influence each other?

Arnison, Tor, Zhao, Xiang. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. 2023.

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1198190 PubMed Free full text Download PDF

Scientific publications and public internet searches about the sleep–pain relationship increased sharply after 2004. More published research predicted greater subsequent public interest, but public interest did not predict research output, suggesting that knowledge exchange predominantly flowed from academia to the public.

Prevention is better than cure: why early interventions for insomnia and chronic pain during adolescence should be a priority

Arnison, T.. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. 2023.

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1206977 PubMed Free full text Download PDF

An opinion piece arguing that adolescence is a crucial window for preventing persistent insomnia and chronic pain. It highlights their reciprocal relationship and proposes prioritising early sleep interventions to interrupt worsening symptoms before they become established in adulthood.

2022

Longitudinal, bidirectional relationships of insomnia symptoms and musculoskeletal pain across adolescence: The mediating role of mood

Arnison, T., Schrooten, M.G.S., Hesser, H., Jansson-Fröjmark, M., Persson, J.. Pain, 163(2), 287-298. 2022.

doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002334 PubMed Download PDF

A five-year adolescent study found that insomnia and musculoskeletal pain predicted each other, with insomnia showing the stronger association with subsequent pain. Depressed and anxious mood partly explained the pathway from insomnia to pain, but not the reverse.

Sleep phase and pre-sleep arousal predicted co-developmental trajectories of pain and insomnia within adolescence

Arnison, T., Schrooten, M.G.S., Bauducco, S., Jansson-Fröjmark, M., Persson, J.. Scientific Reports, 12(1). 2022.

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-08207-y PubMed Free full text Download PDF

Insomnia and pain developed together across adolescence, following four patterns: consistently low, persistently high, increasing, or decreasing symptoms. Later sleep timing and greater emotional and cognitive arousal before bedtime predicted changing symptom trajectories, identifying potential targets for interventions addressing both conditions.

2021

Individual differences in concurrent developmental trajectories of pain and insomnia in adolescents are predicted by chronotype and arousal-causing pre-sleep behaviors.Other

Arnison, T., Schrooten, M.G.S., Bauducco, S., Jansson-Fröjmark, M., Persson, J.. Research Square. 2021.

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-1016845/v1

2017

Posttraumatic Stress among Women with HIV in Zambia

Medical Journal of Zambia. 2017.

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Women living with HIV in Zambia reported more posttraumatic stress symptoms than HIV-negative women, even after accounting for previous traumatic experiences. The findings highlight the importance of recognising and addressing psychological trauma alongside HIV care.

© 2026 Tor Arnison

 
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