People born outside the Nordic region use less mental healthcare than those born in Sweden, despite similar levels of poor health. This is shown in a new doctoral thesis by Joseph Junior Muwonge at Karolinska Institutet.
Joseph Junior Muwonge has investigated how equal the use of healthcare for mental health issues is among young people and adults in Sweden, how differences have changed over time - including during the COVID-19 pandemic - and what factors can reduce inequality. The studies are based on analyses of healthcare use among people who have reported their mental health status in questionnaire studies.
The results show that people with lower socioeconomic status generally have poorer mental health and use more healthcare, including young people with ADHD and autism.
Several signs of inequity
At the same time, there were exceptions: young people from more disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds used less healthcare for depression and anxiety, and adults with low levels of education used less primary care for mental health issues. In addition, people born outside the Nordic region used less healthcare than those born in Sweden despite similar levels of ill-health, an inequality that increased during the pandemic.
"Our studies found several signs of inequity in healthcare use for poor mental health in Sweden," says Joseph Junior Muwonge. "The gaps among, for example, foreign-born individuals are not due to lower care needs, but to barriers such as costs, limited knowledge about the healthcare system, and low trust. By reducing these barriers, we can contribute to more equal healthcare."
He conducted his doctoral studies at the Department of Global Public Health at Karolinska Institutet and defended his thesis on 23 January, 2026.
