Partner 1 – Team Member
name
Anton Dahlberg
nationality
Swedish
institution / department
- Maternal and Child Health Care
Akademiska University Hospital, Region Uppsala
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences
Social Medicine / Child Health and Parenting (CHAP)
Uppsala university
city / country
Uppsala, Sweden
professional status
Licensed Psychologist, Researcher in Child Health and Parenting
keywords
#child mental health #preschool mental health #early identification #emotional and behavioral problems #parenting support #child participation #child health services #maternal and child health care #psychological assessment #screening instruments #implementation science #preventive interventions #family relationships #access to care #youth wellbeing
orcid
role in the project
Anton Dahlberg will contribute expertise in child psychology, early identification of emotional and behavioral difficulties, parenting support, and the involvement of children in research and service development. He will support the adaptation and implementation of the VOICE intervention within the Swedish context and contribute to the development and evaluation of age-appropriate methods for identifying mental health needs among children.
He will also contribute expertise in psychological assessment, screening instruments, preventive interventions, and referral pathways between schools, child health services, and appropriate support and care. His experience of listening directly to young children and incorporating their perspectives will strengthen the project’s commitment to meaningful child participation.
general expertise and its relevance for the project
Anton Dahlberg is a licensed psychologist and researcher within Child Health and Parenting (CHAP) at Uppsala university. He also works clinically as a psychologist in maternal and child health care. His research focuses on preschool children’s mental health, emotional and behavioral difficulties, parenting support, early identification, and preventive interventions.
He completed his PhD in 2021 with a thesis examining emotional and behavioral problems among preschool children from the perspectives of parents, preschool teachers, and children. His work includes the development and evaluation of screening instruments, implementation of parenting programs in preschool settings, and research into the longer-term implications of early mental health difficulties.
A central part of his research concerns ensuring that even the youngest children are able to express their experiences and perspectives. He uses and evaluates child-centered interview methods, including In My Shoes, to explore children’s family relationships, emotional experiences, and views of interventions that affect them.
His expertise is highly relevant to VOICE through its focus on early identification of mental health needs, age-appropriate screening and assessment, parenting support, child participation, and the development of effective pathways to timely support and care. His combined clinical and research experience will contribute to ensuring that the VOICE intervention is developmentally appropriate, evidence-based, and responsive to children’s own perspectives.
responsibilities
- Licensed psychologist working clinically within maternal and child health care.
- Researcher within Child Health and Parenting (CHAP), Uppsala university.
- Researcher in the FOCUS project on preschool children’s mental health and parenting support.
- Uses and evaluates the child-centered interview method In My Shoes.
- Contributes to research on the implementation and evaluation of parenting support and early identification methods in preschool and child health services.
- Participates in multidisciplinary research involving psychology, public health, child health services, preschool, and family support.
additional information
Anton Dahlberg combines clinical experience as a psychologist with research expertise in early childhood mental health, parenting support, psychological assessment, and preventive interventions. His work bridges research and routine practice within maternal and child health care, preschool, and family support services.
A particular strength of his research is the inclusion of young children’s own perspectives. Through child-centered methods such as In My Shoes, he investigates how children understand their family relationships, emotional experiences, and the support offered to them. This expertise will help ensure that children’s voices are meaningfully incorporated into the adaptation, implementation, and evaluation of the VOICE intervention.
His research on early emotional and behavioral difficulties, screening instruments, parenting programs, and pathways to services is closely aligned with VOICE’s objective of identifying mental health needs early and improving access to timely, appropriate support for children and families.
positions
Present
Researcher
Child Health and Parenting (CHAP), Social Medicine
Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences
Uppsala university, Uppsala, Sweden
Present
Psychologist
Maternal and Child Health Care
Region Uppsala, Sweden
education
2021 - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Faculty of Medicine, Uppsala university, Sweden. Thesis: Capturing and Addressing Preschool Children’s Emotional and Behavioural Problems: Using Parents’, Teachers’ and Children’s Perspectives
20XX - Degree in Psychology
five publications relevant to the proposal
2026 - Dahlén J., Dahlberg A., Fabian H., Durbeej N. Associations between early emotional and behavioral problems and subsequent mental disorders in children: Findings from a Swedish cohort study. PLOS ONE.
2025 - Dahlberg A., Bolic Baric V., Sampaio F., Fängström K. The effect and cost-effectiveness of a group-based parenting intervention for parents of preschool children with subclinical neurodevelopmental disorders and mental health problems: protocol for a multiple-baseline single-case experimental design with a pre-, post- and follow-up. BMC Psychology.
2024 - Dahlberg A., Fängström K. “Daddy comforts me”: Young Swedish children’s perspectives on their family relations before and after their parents’ participation in a parenting programme. PLOS ONE.
2023 - Sarkadi A., Thell M., Fängström K., Dahlberg A., et al. Are We Ready to Really Hear the Voices of Those Concerned? Lessons Learned from Listening to and Involving Children in Child and Family Psychology Research. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review. 26:994–1007.
2022 - Dahlberg A., Salari R., Fängström K., Fabian H., Sarkadi A. Successful implementation of parenting support at preschool: An evaluation of Triple P in Sweden. PLOS ONE. 17(4). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265589
complete list of publications
Salari R., Sarkadi A., Fabian H., Malek S., Dahlberg A., et al. Applying the Principles of Direct-to-Consumer Marketing to Recruit Mothers and Fathers to Parenting Programs: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Behavior Therapy. 2026. 57:90–102.
Dahlén J., Dahlberg A., Fabian H., Durbeej N. Associations between early emotional and behavioral problems and subsequent mental disorders in children: Findings from a Swedish cohort study. PLOS ONE. 2026.
Hermann V., Dahlberg A., Sarkadi A., Hansson L., et al. Evaluation of a modified version of the Attitudes About Mental Illness and its Treatment instrument: Psychometric assessment and attitudes among adolescents in Sweden. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry. 2025. 79:450–461.
Durbeej N., Dahlberg A., Yildirim S., Fabian H., et al. Emotional and behavioral problems during preschool years and risk of asthma among children. European Journal of Public Health. 2025. 35:98–106.
Dahlberg A., Larsson A., Fäldt A. Swedish Boys Were Almost Twice as Likely to be Referred for Suspected Language Difficulties Than Girls and at an Earlier Age. Acta Paediatrica. 2025. 114:2044–2048.
Dahlberg A., Bolic Baric V., Sampaio F., Fängström K. The effect and cost-effectiveness of a group-based parenting intervention for parents of preschool children with subclinical neurodevelopmental disorders and mental health problems: protocol for a multiple-baseline single-case experimental design (SCED) with a pre-, post- and follow-up. BMC Psychology. 2025.
Nazmun Nahar S., Fäldt A., Dahlberg A., Durbeej N. Preschool children of parents who screen positive for mental health problems have an increased risk of subsequent mental disorders: Findings from a longitudinal follow-up study in Sweden. PLOS ONE. 2025.
Dahlberg A., Levin A., Fäldt A. A higher proportion of children aged 4 years were referred to speech and language therapists after the introduction of a new language screening tool. Acta Paediatrica. 2024. 113:1340–1345.
Ashok P., Fäldt A., Dahlberg A., Durbeej N. Early emotional and behavioural problems predict use of habilitation services among children: Findings from a longitudinal follow-up study. PLOS ONE. 2024.
Durbeej N., Ssegonja R., Salari R., Dahlberg A., et al. Preschool-level socio-economic deprivation in relation to emotional and behavioural problems among preschool children in Sweden. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. 2024. 52:978–987.
Fabian H., Fält E., Dahlberg A., Salari R., et al. Not attending preschool was linked to challenges in peer relationships. Acta Paediatrica. 2024. 113:2534–2542.
Dahlberg A., Fängström K. "Daddy comforts me": Young Swedish children's perspectives on their family relations before and after their parents' participation in a parenting programme. PLOS ONE. 2024.
Dahlberg A., Levin A., Fäldt A.E. Implementation of the Infant-Toddler Checklist in Swedish child health services at 18 months: an observational study. BMJ Paediatrics Open. 2024.
Dahlberg A., Sarkadi A., Fängström K. "They Yell and I Yell Back": Pre-schoolers' Descriptions of Conflict Laden Interactions at Home. Journal of Child and Family Studies. 2023. 32:3835–3847.
Sarkadi A., Thell M., Fängström K., Dahlberg A., et al. Are We Ready to Really Hear the Voices of Those Concerned? Lessons Learned from Listening to and Involving Children in Child and Family Psychology Research. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review. 2023. 26:994–1007.
Abshir J.N.L., Osman F., Dahir G., Dahlberg A. Parental burnout among Somali mothers: Associations with mental health, perceived social support, and sociodemographic factors. PLOS Global Public Health. 2023.
Dahlberg A., Salari R., Fängström K., Fabian H., et al. Successful implementation of parenting support at preschool: An evaluation of Triple P in Sweden. PLOS ONE. 2022. 17:e0265589.
Sarkadi A., Dahlberg A., Leander K., Johansson M., et al. An Integrated Care Strategy for Pre-schoolers with Suspected Developmental Disorders: The Optimus Co-design Project that has Made it to Regular Care. International Journal of Integrated Care. 2021.
Edvinsson Sollander S., Fabian H., Sarkadi A., Salari R., Dahlberg A., et al. Asthma and allergies correlate to mental health problems in preschool children. Acta Paediatrica. 2021;110:1601–1609.
Fäldt A., Fabian H., Dahlberg A., Thunberg G., et al. Infant-Toddler Checklist identifies 18-month-old children with communication difficulties in the Swedish child healthcare setting. Acta Paediatrica. 2021. 110:1505–1512.
Dahlberg A., Fält E., Ghaderi A., Sarkadi A., Salari R. Swedish norms for the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for children 3–5 years rated by parents and preschool teachers. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. 2020. 61:253–261.
Sarkadi A., Dahlberg A., Fängström K., Warner G. Children want parents to ask for permission before "sharenting". Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. 2020. 56:981–983.
Dahlberg A., Ghaderi A., Sarkadi A., Salari R. SDQ in the Hands of Fathers and Preschool Teachers: Psychometric Properties in a Non-clinical Sample of 3–5-Year-Olds. Child Psychiatry and Human Development. 2019. 50:132–141.
Fängström K., Dahlberg A., Ådahl K., Rask H., et al. Is the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire with a Trauma Supplement a Valuable Tool in Screening Refugee Children for Mental Health Problems? Journal of Refugee Studies. 2019.
Dahlberg A., Ghaderi A., Sarkadi A., Salari R. Validity of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in non-clinical samples of parents and teachers. European Journal of Public Health. 2017.
Fängström K., Bokström P., Dahlberg A., Calam R., Sarkadi A. In My Shoes – Validation of a computer assisted approach for interviewing children. Child Abuse & Neglect. 2016. 58:160–172.
