Jan Georg Friesinger

• Heimburg, Dina von; Friesinger, Jan Georg; Prilleltensky, Isaac; Ness, Ottar; Strømland, Monica & Vederhus, John-Kåre (2026). The Relational and Structural Dimensions of Wellbeing: A Population-Based Latent Model of Social Conditions, Mattering, Perceived Discrimination, and Quality of Life. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology. ISSN 1052-9284. 36(6). doi: 10.1002/casp.70339. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Mattering, the experience of feeling valued and able to contribute, is a recognised determinant of wellbeing. Perceived discrimination (PD), or unfair treatment, is socially patterned and may communicate devaluation. Anti-mattering, the subjective experience of insignificance and disregard, serves as a theoretical lens on PD, not a measured construct. Population-level studies rarely examine mattering and PD together, their socio-demographic patterning or associations with quality of life (QoL). In the 2024 Norwegian Quality of Life Survey (N = 16,396), mattering, PD, and QoL were modelled as latent constructs in a structural equation model estimating direct and indirect associations with socio-demographic predictors. Sociodemographic factors explained 11% of the variance in mattering and 31% in PD, with the largest contributions to PD observed among younger adults and those with financial difficulties, health limitations, or immigrant backgrounds. Mattering was positively associated with QoL (β = 0.55, βstd = 0.59) and PD negatively (β = −0.81, βstd = −0.29), both p < 0.001; the model explained 61% of QoL variance. The difference in explained variance suggests that PD was more strongly patterned by the socio-demographic factors included in the model than mattering. Welfare policy and practice therefore need to address mattering and discrimination relationally and structurally.

• Hope, Øyvind Johannes; Ness, Ottar; Friesinger, Jan Georg; Topor, Alain Pierre & Bøe, Tore Dag (2026). Wellbeing takes place: Situated recovery in mental health and substance abuse. Wellbeing, Space and Society. 11. doi: 10.1016/j.wss.2026.100445. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Despite growing recognition that wellbeing and recovery are entangled with everyday environments, research in mental health and/or substance use has largely focused on individual experiences or decontextualized indicators, offering limited insights into how social-material conditions of place may enable or constrain recovery processes. This gap calls for empirical studies that explore how wellbeing and recovery are enacted within the contexts of everyday life. This study explores how people with mental health and/or substance use problems engage with everyday places in ways that affect their wellbeing and recovery. Drawing on walking interviews and multi-sited field work conducted in Southern Norway, we analyse how wellbeing and recovery may emerge through situated interactions between people, materials and environments. The analysis identified three key dynamics: 1) in-place attentive responsiveness; where wellbeing and recovery emerge when participants attune and respond to socio-material conditions that a place affords; 2) in-place doing and making, where wellbeing and recovery emerge through tangible engagement in shared practices in a place; and 3) out-of-place disruption by external forces, where imposed agendas undermine place based processes of wellbeing and recovery. Together, these dynamics show how wellbeing and recovery are enacted through ongoing socio-material relations rather than located within individuals. We propose the concept of performative wellbeing to capture this place-based, relational, and materially grounded unfolding of recovery. The findings contribute to the importance of place-sensitive, relationally attuned, and materially enabling service and policy designs.

• Friesinger, Jan Georg; Heimburg, Dina von; Ness, Ottar; Haugland, Siri Håvås & Vederhus, John-Kåre (2026). Discrimination experiences and their associations with sociodemographic factors, health and quality of life—a latent class analysis. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. 24, p. 1–11. doi: 10.1186/s12955-026-02502-2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Discrimination has adverse effects on people’s health and quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to identify distinct intersecting patterns of discrimination experiences, examine their associations with social categories and health factors, and assess the impact of perceived discrimination (PD) on health and QoL outcomes beyond specific self-reported reasons for PD. Methods We utilized data from the Norwegian Counties Public Health Survey (NCPHS) conducted in Agder County in 2023 and employed latent class analysis (LCA) to explore how patterns of discrimination reasons cluster. The selected classes were then further examined to determine how they differed by comparing each class to the reference class with no PD. Lastly, we assessed the estimated marginal means of each class on health and overall QoL using ANCOVA. Results The study identified six classes of PD: Massive PD, Gender/Age PD, No PD, Function/Illness PD, Ethnicity/Skin PD, and Political PD. ANCOVA analyses revealed significant differences across self-rated health, mental distress, and QoL. Notably, the Massive PD, Gender/Age PD, and Function/Illness PD groups reported significantly poorer self-rated health and QoL compared to the No PD group. All PD classes scored significantly higher in mental distress than the No PD group, with the Massive PD class exceeding the clinical cut-off, indicating elevated psychological distress. Conclusions Our findings reveal persistent health and QoL disparities between individuals experiencing PD and those who do not, despite a robust welfare system. Service providers must consider the interplay of factors such as age, gender, income, and health conditions with PD to ensure fair service delivery.

• Friesinger, Jan Georg; Larsen, Inger Beate & Topor, Alain Pierre (2025). Når du vet hvor du er, vet du hvem du er. Psyke & Logos. ISSN 0107-1211. 46(2), p. 73–89. doi: 10.7146/pl.v46i2.165675. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Mennesker har behov for et hjem, uavhengig av deres livssituasjon. I denne artikkelen vektlegger vi betydningen av at kommunalt psykisk helse- og rusarbeid også foregår i boligene til mennesker som trenger hjelp. Vi redegjør for utviklingen fra asylbyggingstiden til dagens boformer med fokus på nordiske forhold. Videre ser vi nærmere på hva som skjer når profesjonelle kommer hjem til mennesker med psykiske helse- og/eller rusutfordringer og hvordan privatlivet endrer seg. Til slutt diskuterer vi risikoen for institusjonalisering av hjemmet, basert på sosiale og materielle dimensjoner. Samtidig utforsker vi behovet for en avinstituasjonalisering av hjemmet som kan understøtte menneskers selvstendighet og personlige utforming av hjemmet.

• Flaaten, Ellen; Friesinger, Jan Georg & Larsen, Inger Beate (2025). The Significance of Reflexive Negotiation in Networks - Networks and meaning in people with mental health and/or substance-use challenges. SSM - Qualitative Research in Health. 8. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2025.100619. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  People with mental health or substance abuse problems often face social difficulties. At the same time, research highlights the importance of social factors as determinants of mental health. These phenomena are distinct yet intertwined. Looking for explanations in health and social factors may seem complex but raises questions about linkages between actor and structure. In this study we aim to circumvent what we believe to be simplifications when understanding networks as “structural effects” by maintaining a grounded approach. We critically examine perceptions of networks in an attempt to bridge a gap between the individual and structural level by asking two questions: “What are the characteristics of the networks of users of community mental health services, and what aspects of their network do users highlight as important?”. The findings show some variation in network structures, but as expected, several participants reported small and/or homogeneous networks. A conscious attitude toward different but contradictory relational and personal perspectives seems to be significant. For example, maintaining a sufficient number of relationships conflicted with evaluations of one's own health and assessments of relationship qualities. We argue that this evokes a negotiating way of being and suggest that reflexivity might serve as a missing mechanism challenging structural perspectives yet simultaneously representing new structures.

• Topor, Alain Pierre; Bøe, Tore Dag; Hope, Øyvind Johannes; Ness, Ottar & Friesinger, Jan Georg (2025). The New Institutional Landscape for People with Mental Health Problems. In Boyd, Candice P.; Boyle, Candice P.; Bell, Sarah L.; Högström, Ebba; Evans, Joshua; Paul, Alak & Foley, Ronan (Ed.), Routledge Handbook on Spaces of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Routledge. ISSN 9781032385761. p. 430–445. doi: 10.4324/9781003345725. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  De-institutionalisation can be analysed as the closing of total institutions and the creation of new landscapes at the disposition of persons with mental health problems. These landscapes are everybody's landscape, the cities' cultural, social and commercial offerings, and natural places. It is also a new institutional landscape constituted of social and treatment places. Much attention has been given to the ‘landscape of despair' created in neo-liberal societies, characterised by diverse forms of abandonment. Studies have also focused on specific enabling places. However, a place's role in a person's life depends on the presence of other places. In this chapter we describe and analyse the total institutional landscape in a region of Norway, a welfare society. We found a tight network of places, including the reminiscences of total institutions, and of new social and cultural places. Together they build a rich network of potentially enabling places, but also of tight control.

• Vederhus, John-Kåre; Timko, Christine; Haugland, Siri Håvås & Friesinger, Jan Georg (2025). Assessing Place Attachment by Immigrant Status: Validation of a Short Measure for Multidisciplinary Research. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology. ISSN 1052-9284. 35(3). doi: 10.1002/casp.70096. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Place attachment (PA) is recognised for its influence on health and well-being. We validated a brief PA measure called the PA-4, which focuses on the individual's place of residence and surrounding neighbourhood. The study included 17,487 participants from a national survey conducted in Norway in 2021. The PA-4 comprises four indicators scored on a 0–10 scale. Emotional attachment was measured through indicators of belongingness and feeling safe, while cognitive evaluation was assessed through indicators of satisfaction with housing and satisfaction with the place of residence. The analysis examined the factor structure, internal consistency, and discriminant validity of the measure using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, comparing immigrants and native-born individuals. Convergent validity was assessed by examining the association between the PA-4 and a well-being scale through latent regression analysis. The PA-4 demonstrated good discriminant validity, as evidenced by a hypothesised difference in PA. The latent mean of the PA-4 was 0.65 (95% CI = 0.57–0.73, p < 001) lower for immigrants compared to natives. The regression analysis also supported convergent validity, as shown by PA-4's positive association with well-being. The PA-4 exhibited robust psychometric properties, indicating its suitability for use in multidisciplinary research.

• Friesinger, Jan Georg; Haugland, Siri Håvås; Heimburg, Dina von; Ness, Ottar & Vederhus, John-Kåre (2025). Associations between perceived discrimination and health: a cross-sectional public health study. BMC Public Health. 25. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23888-6. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Many people experience discrimination based on factors such as age, gender, illness, disability, ethnicity, skin color, religion, beliefs or sexuality. Discrimination can lead to marginalization and be linked to poor health. As a result, there is a growing interest in exploring the underlying causes of discrimination and its cumulative consequences. The aim of the present study was to explore the prevalence of perceived discrimination (PD) in a large cross-sectional public health study and its association with self-rated health and mental distress. Methods The study was based on data from 18,517 participants in the 2023 Norwegian Counties Public Health Survey (NCPHS) in Agder County. The participants were asked if they had experienced discrimination in the past 12 months and could specify different reasons. Furthermore, they were asked about their self-rated health, mental distress, and sociodemographic factors. In the analysis of the responses, PD was categorized based on the number of reasons, ranging from no PD to one, two, or three or more reasons. Results Among the participants, 17.8% reported experiencing discrimination for at least one reason. Compared with those who experienced no discrimination, participants reporting discrimination for one reason were twice as likely to report poor self-rated health or mental distress. The odds increased to a range between two and a half to three times for those facing discrimination on two grounds. For individuals experiencing discrimination for three or more reasons, the likelihood rose substantially: Four times higher for poor self-rated health and approximately three times higher for mental distress. Conclusions There is a clear association between multiple reasons for PD and low scores in mental and/or physical health, suggesting a cumulative influence. To address this issue effectively, prevention efforts should be implemented at both the national level and within local public health strategies.

• Larsen, Inger Beate & Friesinger, Jan Georg (2025). I et rom i et hus i en have: Psykososial helse som forbindelser mellom mennesker og materialitet. In Andersen, Anders Johan W. & Haugland, Siri Håvås (Ed.), Perspektiver på psykososial helse. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245053180. p. 93–106. doi: 10.55669/oa550205. Full text in Research Archive
• Haugland, Siri Håvås; Topor, Alain Pierre & Friesinger, Jan Georg (2024). 1 plus 1 is more than 2: mental health problems, financial difficulties, and social exclusion in a cross-sectional study of 28,047 general-population adults. BMC Public Health. 24(1). doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-18555-1. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg; Topor, Alain Pierre; Lindvig, Gunnhild Ruud & Larsen, Inger Beate (2024). Micropolitics of Mental Health Recovery: An Assemblage Analysis of People’s Experiences of Becoming Well. Community mental health journal. ISSN 0010-3853. doi: 10.1007/s10597-024-01311-5. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg; Flåto, Maja & Larsen, Inger Beate (2024). Et kritisk blikk på tekster om boliger for personer med psykisk helse- og/eller rusproblematikk: Ideen om den best egnete boligen (A critical perspective on texts about housing for people with mental health and/or substance-use problems: The idea about the most suitable housing). Norsk sosiologisk tidsskrift. 8(5), p. 1–16. doi: 10.18261/nost.8.5.3. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Siden begynnelsen av 2000-tallet har ulike boligløsninger for personer med psykisk helse- og/eller rusproblematikk blitt etablert i norske kommuner. I denne studien har vi brukt en diskursiv tilnærming og analysert tekster (forskningsrapporter, kommunale dokumenter og veiledere) om slike boliger. Våre funn viser at beboerne beskrives som «forskjellige fra oss», som noen som tilhører en gruppe hvor alle har «samme behov», og som trenger «unormal normalitet». Videre synliggjør tekstene at boligene plasseres på steder utenfor ordinære bomiljø, at det benyttes robust materiale i utformingen, og at boligene skal være små. På den måten tegnes det et felles boligspråk om den best egnete boligen innen psykisk helse- og rusfeltet, som kan legitimere en rigid, kommunal boligpraksis. Artikkelen konkluderer med at slike boligmodeller bidrar til stigmatisering.

• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2024). Situasjonsanalyse. In Lorås, Lennart & Ness, Ottar (Ed.), Håndbok i kvalitativ forskning: For psykologi, helsefag og sosialfag. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245034868. p. 363–378. Full text in Research Archive
• Hope, Øyvind Johannes; Ness, Ottar; Friesinger, Jan Georg; Topor, Alain Pierre & Bøe, Tore Dag (2023). ‘Living needs a landscape’: A qualitative study about the role of enabling landscapes for people with mental health and substance abuse problems. Health and Place. ISSN 1353-8292. 84, p. 1–8. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2023.103144. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The deinstitutionalization of mental health institutions has enabled service users to live in the community and search for what Duff coins ‘enabling places.’ These places were explored through walking interviews, in which service-users led the way. This analysis revealed features which made places promote liveable lives: places help people explore, places help people stand out, places give people responsibilities, and places dare people. An adverse feature was also identified: places define people by their problems. Overall, we suggest that ‘living needs a landscape’ to capture how a diversity of places form an ‘enabling landscape’. This suggests a shift of focus in research and treatment, from internal to external landscapes.

• Friesinger, Jan Georg; Haugland, Siri Håvås & Vederhus, John-Kåre (2022). The significance of the social and material environment to place attachment and quality of life: findings from a large population-based health survey. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. 20(135). doi: 10.1186/s12955-022-02045-2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: There is an international public health interest in sustainable environments that promote human wellbeing. An individual’s bond to places, understood as place attachment (PA), is an important factor for quality of life (QoL). The material environment, such as access to nature (AtN), access to amenities (AtA), or noise, and the social environment, such as social support or loneliness, has the potential to infuence PA. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between these factors and QoL. Methods: The study relied on data from 28,047 adults from 30 municipalities in Southern Norway obtained from the Norwegian Counties Public Health Surveys in 2019. Latent regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between the material and social environmental factors and QoL, mediated by PA. Results: We found a relationship between social and material environmental factors and PA. Higher AtN and AtA scores were related to an increase in PA, whereas higher perception of noise problems was related to decreased PA scores. When social environment factors were added to the model, they were even stronger predictors of PA and, in turn, QoL through mediated efects. We also found a strong positive association between PA and QoL (unstandard‑ ized β=0.88, 95% CI=0.87–0.90, p<0.001). The whole model explained 83% of the variance in PA and 65% of the variance in QoL. Conclusions: Taken together, the fndings suggest the relevance of material and social environmental factors for PA and QoL. Therefore, research on public health and QoL should include place-sensitive variables.

• Friesinger, Jan Georg; Birkeland, Bente & Thorød, Anne Brita (2021). Human-Animal Relationships in Supported Housing: Animal Atmospheres for Mental Health Recovery. Frontiers in Psychology. 12. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.712133. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Being in a relationship with an animal can promote the well-being of people. For many individuals, this usually takes place at home. This study reports about homes for people with mental health problems (with or without co-occurring substance use), who live in supported housing operated by public landlords, entailing tenancies that are usually stricter regarding their pet policies than ordinary homes. We thus addressed the following research questions through ethnographic fieldwork at seven distinct places: which types of human–animal relationships occur in supported housing, and how do they affect the tenants? We analyzed the collected data informed by the Grounded Theory approach and found three types of human–animal relationships within supported housing affecting the tenants differently, namely, “no animals,” “visiting animals,” and “shared/sole ownership of animals.” Animals in the buildings can stage atmospheres that promote solidarity and connectedness among people. In contrast, situations in which animals are forbidden can create emotional tensions between tenants and staff or landlords. When discussing fostering animal atmospheres and limits to keeping pets, we concluded that animals can contribute to the mental health recovery of tenants by creating acknowledgment and rootedness. Therefore, public housing services need to guarantee equal rights to the tenants as they do with every citizen, including the right to keep a pet.

• Larsen, Inger Beate; Friesinger, Jan Georg; Strømland, Monica & Topor, Alain Pierre (2021). You realise you are better when you want to live, want to go out, want to see people: Recovery as assemblage. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. ISSN 0020-7640. p. 1–8. doi: 10.1177/00207640211019452. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: The lack of social and material perspectives in descriptions of recovery processes is almost common in recovery research. Aim: Consequently, we investigated recovery stories and how people with mental health and/or addiction challenges included social and material aspects in these stories. Method: We conducted focus group and individual interviews. We investigated how the participants narrated their stories and how they assembled places and people in their recovery stories. Results: We found that narratives of recovery became assemblages where humans and their environments co-exist and are interdependent. Conclusion: As such, narratives about recovery are about everyday assemblages of well-being into which stories of insecurity are interwoven, without a start or stop point.

• Friesinger, Jan Georg; Topor, Alain; Bøe, Tore Dag & Larsen, Inger Beate (2020). Materialities in supported housing for people with mental health problems: a blurry picture of the tenants. Sociology of Health and Illness. ISSN 0141-9889. 47(7), p. 1742–1758. doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.13162. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg; Topor, Alain Pierre; Bøe, Tore Dag & Larsen, Inger Beate (2019). Studies regarding supported housing and the built environment for people with mental health problems: A mixed-methods literature review. Health and Place. ISSN 1353-8292. 57, p. 44–53. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.03.006. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg; Topor, Alain Pierre; Bøe, Tore Dag & Larsen, Inger Beate (2019). The ambiguous influences of fire safety on people with mental health problems in supported housing. Palgrave Communications. 5. doi: 10.1057/s41599-019-0230-0. Full text in Research Archive

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• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2025). Diskriminering og helse: Resultater fra folkehelseundersøkelsen i Agder. doi: https:/folkehelsekonferansen.no/abstract/diskriminering-og-helse-resultater-fra-folkehelseunders%C3%B8kelsen-i-agder. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Bakgrunn: En av fem i Norge opplever å bli behandlet dårligere enn andre på grunn av alder, kjønn, helse, funksjonsnedsettelse, etnisitet, hudfarge, religion, politisk syn, seksualitet eller andre grunner. Diskriminering kan føre til et tap av goder, men også til dårligere helse. Hensikten med denne studien er å undersøke sammenhengen mellom opplevd diskriminering og helse. Metode: Studien bygger på svarene fra 18,517 innbyggere som deltok i folkehelseundersøkelsen (FHUS) i Agder 2023. Deltakerne ble spurt om de har opplevd diskriminering i løpet av de siste 12 månedene og kunne oppgi ulike årsaker. Videre ble de spurt om selvopplevd helse, psykiske helseplager (SCL-5), samt andre sosiodemografiske forhold. I analysen av svarene kategoriseres opplevd diskriminering til en grunn og flere grunner, og det benyttes deskriptiv statistikk og logistisk regresjon. Resultater: Foreløpige funn antyder at diskriminering er assosiert med dårligere selvopplevd helse og økte psykiske helseplager. Deltakerne som rapporterer flere ulike årsaker til diskriminering, hadde høyere odds for dårlig fysisk og psykisk helse enn de som ikke hadde opplevd diskriminering. Konklusjoner: Studien indikerer at det er en sammenheng mellom det å ha opplevd diskriminering og dårlig helse. Videre tyder funnene på en kumulativ effekt der flere opplevde diskrimineringsgrunner øker risikoen for dårlig fysisk og/eller psykisk helse ytterligere. Nye tiltak bør utvikles på lokalt nivå for å beskytte mot urettferdig behandling.

• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2023). Betydningen av et sted å høre til. Verdensdagen for psykisk helse. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2023). Eilerts Salong / paneldeltagelse: Medvirkning uten virkning? Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2023). Studieplanutvikling: Etablering av ny videreutdanning/masterspesialisering i psykisk helse, rus og avhengighetsarbeid. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg & Hope, Øyvind Johannes (2023). Steders betydning for folkehelse og inkludering - "living needs a landscape". Full text in Research Archive
• Lindvig, Gunnhild Ruud; Kogstad, Ragnfrid Eline; Strømland, Monica; Larsen, Inger Beate; Topor, Alain Pierre & Bøe, Tore Dag [Show all 19 contributors for this article] (2022). Regjeringens utdaterte forståelse av psykisk helse. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg & Wehus, Walter Norman (2022). Lykken er å høre til et sted. [Internet]. forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg; Birkeland, Bente & Thorød, Anne Brita (2021). Kommuner kan gjøre enkle grep for bedre psykisk helse. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg & Wehus, Walter (2020). Også omsorgsboliger må være gode hjem. [Internet]. uia.no. Full text in Research Archive
• Brennås, Maiken Amanda; Brennås, Maiken Amanda & Friesinger, Jan Georg (2020). Norge i Europatoppen i Boligoppussing. [Internet]. https://www.nrk.no/kultur/norge-i-europatoppen-i-boligoppuss. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2020). Arendal er ikke New York. Agderposten. ISSN 0805-3723. Full text in Research Archive
• Wehus, Walter Norman & Friesinger, Jan Georg (2020). Et godt hjem er bedre enn praktiske løsninger, viser studie på omsorgsboliger. [Internet]. forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg & Larsen, Inger Beate (2020). «Kontrastene kunne ikke vært større i Arendals byrom for tiden» - Housing First er et bedre alternativ for en mer sosial inkluderende boligpolitikk i Arendal. Agderposten. ISSN 0805-3723. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg; Strømland, Monica & Larsen, Inger Beate (2019). Gammel ide i ny innpakning? Agderposten. ISSN 0805-3723. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2019). Presentasjon av forskningen relatert til 'betydningen av bosteder og materialitet for mennesker med psykiske helse problemer'. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2019). Mellom omsorgsfull og ekskluderende arkitektur. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2018). Stedets betydning for mennesker med psykiske lidelser som får hjelp i sine hjem. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2018). Poster: The built environment and supported housing for people with severe mental illness: A mixed-method literature review. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2018). Poster: Stedets betydning for mennesker med psykiske lidelser som får hjelp i sine hjem. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2018). The importance of the built environment for people with severe mental illness within their supported housing. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2017). Dwelling and Therapy places for people with mental health problems: A historical critical review of the mental landscape since the 16th century. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2017). Fire protection systems in supportive/-ed housings for people with mental health problems: A short presentation of preliminary findings from an ethnographic inquiry of their living conditions in Norwegian municipalities. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2017). Poster: Fire safety in supportive/-ed housing. Full text in Research Archive
• Friesinger, Jan Georg (2020). Materialities matter : An exploration of supported housing for people with mental health problems. Universitetet i Agder. ISSN 9788271179755. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: In the second half of the twentieth century, supported housing was founded as a comprehensive approach to people with mental health problems, who could receive help in the communities. These living places are situated in post-asylum geographies and differ not only in regard to the quality of healthcare services but also in regard to their ordinary materialities, such as surroundings, buildings, rooms and objects. Aim: The aim of this thesis was to explore and understand how materialities in terms of the human–nonhuman interplay influence the living situations of people with mental health problems as tenants in supported housing. This overall research problem was addressed by three studies, each from a different angle. Methods: Study I had an international focus and consisted of a mix-method literature review of studies on supported housing and the built environment. Studies II-III had a local focus and consisted of a multi-sited ethnography of seven supported housing settings in Norway. The analysis was informed by Grounded Theory approaches, whereby study II illuminated understandings of tenants expressed in materialistic, while study III examined the organisation and influences of materialities with respect to fire safety that were highlighted by the tenants themselves. Findings: The findings of each study showed how materialities might influence the tenants’ living situations in various ways. To begin, the included literature in the mixmethod review indicated that the built environment is significant for tenants’ wellbeing, social identity and privacy, and it could thereby have different potentials for them regarding neighbourhood qualities and (congregate or independent) housing types. Then, the multi-sited Norwegian studies demonstrated that materialities of supported housing could present a blurry picture of tenants in a range from stereotypes to individuals. In addition, fire safety in terms of an all-embracing network could have ambiguous influences on tenants’ daily lives. Lastly, the studies together pointed out that materialities matter in multiple and contradicting ways. The materialities of supported housing that are involved in social interactions, relations and practices, as well as how they are experienced, shape the living situations of the tenants in ways that could be both limited and expanded. Nonetheless, the materialities of supported housing could make a contribution by placing tenants in relatively stable living situations and allowing them to create a meaningful place they could call home. Conclusion: The thesis illuminated how materialities of supported housing matter for people with mental health problems in their daily lives. For those involved in the planning, building and administration of supported housing, it is important to consider the wholeness of these places in terms of both the inside and outside of supported housing. In other words, the surroundings, buildings, rooms and objects of supported housing are assembled in a broader social geography that could help tenants to express themselves as worth respecting citizens with their own identities. This social geography must therefore include ordinary materialities of supported housing as being arguably meaningful for people with mental health problems in the processes of their own becoming, both within healthcare services and in the spaces beyond them.

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