FAQ
Here you can find answers to frequently asked questions from a research perspective. You can find the answers by clicking on each question below.
The page is updated regularly.
In line with the principles of open science, we endeavour to make SLOSH data - and results based on SLOSH data - available to researchers both inside and outside the country. This not only promotes research, but also maximises the benefits of participants' work in responding to surveys.
It is important to read the information on the Access to data page before placing an order.
There is an older data dictionary in Word format which is now outdated and contains numerous errors. We are working on a much more advanced and user-friendly online solution which will be published on this website in the future, but there is still a lot of work to be done on this metadata catalogue. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Hopefully the result will be all the better when it arrives.
We cannot put the surveys online for copyright reasons, but as a researcher you can get access to them by contacting data@slosh.se, and you will also get access to a lot of other documentation about SLOSH, such as technical reports, ethical approvals, etc.
Yes, SLOSH has a valid research ethics permit that was originally approved by the Regional Ethical Review Board in Stockholm on 15 March 2012 under no. 2012/373-31/5. This basic permit has subsequently been supplemented by approved applications for amendments to the Regional Ethical Review Board and to the Swedish Ethical Review Authority as listed below. Note, however, that research projects wishing to use SLOSH data in principle always need their own ethical research permits in addition to those already in place for the SLOSH cohort itself.
2013/2173 32, approved 2013-12-09: authorisation for data collection in 2014 and updating of register links, but also inclusion of participants from AMU from the years 2007, 2009, and 2011 in SLOSH.
2015/1766-32, approved 2015-11-11: supplement for processing at KI by Åkerstedt and Melin
2015/2187-32, approved 2016-01-14: supplement for the 2016 data collection.
2015/2298-32, approved 2016-01-14: authorisation for updating register data in 2016 and 2017.
2017-2535-32, approved on 27 December 2017: supplement for the 2018 data collection.
2018/2383-32, approved 2018-12-03, supplement for the inclusion of AMU participants from 2015 and 2017 without survey follow-up.
2019-06331, approved 2020-03-03: supplement for the 2020 data collection.
2020-02999, approved 2020-06-14: supplement for the sub-study SLOSH-corona.
2020-04268, approved 2020-09-10: amendment to the supplement for the SLOSH-corona substudy.
2021-04569, approved 2021-12-28: supplement for the SLOSH-corona substudy, wave 2.
2022-00156-02, approved 2022-02-16: supplement for the 2022 data collection with an increased number of participants.
2022-06686-02, approved 2022-12-30: supplement for the purpose of studying the quality of questions, and increasing knowledge, about work-related victimisation.
2023-01122-02, approved 2023-02-20: addition for 2023 data collection.
2024-00202-02, approved 2024-01-24: addition of younger persons through Y-SLOSH, who receive a customised questionnaire.
2024-01000-02, approved 2024-03-03: supplementation for the 2024 main survey data collection including updating of all register data.
2024-03432-02, approved 2024-06-05: supplement for specific analyses regarding Covid-19 in collaboration with e.g. Chinese researchers.
2024-08146-02, approved 2024-12-27: clarification regarding which register data SLOSH is entitled to obtain from the National Board of Health and Welfare's register.
2024-08146-02, approved 2024-12-27: supplement with clarification due to questions from the National Board of Health and Welfare regarding which health register data may be included.
2025-01135-02, approved 2025-02-28: supplement for the 2025 SLOSH and Y-SLOSH surveys in line with earlier approved data collections, addition of new persons and updates of all earlier obtained register data.
2026-01089-02, approved 2026-03-08: supplement for the 2026 SLOSH and Y-SLOSH surveys in line with earlier approved data collections, addition of new persons and updates of all earlier obtained register data.
Older data collections were based on previous ethical permits from the Regional Ethical Review Board in Stockholm: dnr 2006/158-31, dnr 2008/240-32 extended 2008-07-01, dnr 2008/1808-32, dnr 2009/337-32, dnr 3009/493-31/3 and dnr 2010/0154-32, which in turn were based on permits from the Ethics Committee at Karolinska Institutet, dnr 92-198 from 1992-09-21 extended 2000-11-15, the same dnr, and dnr 03-125 from 2003-03-10.
Under the heading Charts and Results, you will find many opportunities to explore data and create charts that you can export and use in your paper. Feel free to try it out, the service is completely free! If you need help interpreting the graphs and avoiding errors, please contact one of the researchers in the SLOSH group (see under Contacts).
However, as SLOSH contains very sensitive personal data and is subject to statistical confidentiality, it is generally not possible to access raw data for analysis in student projects. However, it may be possible to write a thesis within the framework of an ongoing research project that uses SLOSH data with the authorisation of the Swedish Ethical Review Authority. In this case, the intention is that the paper, or results based on it, will later be published in the form of a peer-reviewed scientific article. As a rule, you also need to be employed to be subject to the same duty of confidentiality as other university employees, and data may only be stored and analysed on secure SU computers.
If you are interested in using SLOSH data in the latter way, please contact a researcher working with SLOSH data. If you find that your plans fit into the project, the researcher can help you further. Students from universities other than SU may also have the opportunity to work with our data. Please note that we charge a fee for producing a data file and this cost must be covered by the university where the research is conducted.