Sam Fluit

• Peters, Kim; Jeftić, Alma; Ballard, Timothy; Zhou, Steven; Steffens, Niklas K. & Inceoglu, Ilke [Show all 379 contributors for this article] (2026). Think political leader — think he or she? A multi-country test of a gender-fair language intervention to reduce gendered leadership stereotypes. Leadership Quarterly. ISSN 1048-9843. 37(6), p. 101991–101991. doi: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2026.101991. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Women are greatly underrepresented in positions of political leadership around the world. In seeking to explain this underrepresentation, some researchers have pointed to people's tendencies to stereotype leaders as more similar to men than women as these tendencies can support the belief that women are unsuited to leadership. This project aimed to test whether a subtle linguistic intervention was able to ameliorate this gender bias in political leadership stereotypes across different languages and national contexts (country/region N = 42, language N = 30, sample N = 22,996). Specifically, this project examined whether gender-fair language (e.g., the use of paired pronouns ‘he or she’) can reduce the tendency for people to stereotype political leaders as more similar to men than women. To increase the rigor with which these stereotypes were measured, this project complemented the dominant ‘cheap talk’ measure of personal stereotype content with an incentivised community measure of this content. As expected, participants stereotyped political leaders as more similar to men than women; this pattern was stronger on the incentivised measure of community stereotypes. Unexpectedly, there was no evidence that paired pronouns reduced this bias (there was weak exploratory evidence that paired nouns increased participants' tendencies to stereotype political leaders as more similar to women). This project suggests that the ability of gender-fair language interventions to ameliorate gender bias in the political leadership domain may be limited.

• Bø, Simen & Fluit, Sam (2026). Psykisk helse, partnere og politikk. Tidsskrift for Norsk psykologforening (Psykologtidsskriftet). ISSN 0332-6470. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sam Fluit har forsket på sammenhengen mellom psykisk helse, selvtillit og politiske holdninger, og om partneres politiske preferanser samme…

• Fluit, Sam; Bierwiaczonek, Kinga; Kunst, Jonas R. & Soest, Tilmann von (2026). The mental health–politics nexus: How mental health trajectories from adolescence to midlife shape political attitudes and voting patterns. Political Psychology. ISSN 0162-895X. 47(4). doi: 10.1111/pops.70178. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract With political polarization increasing, it is important to understand the development of political preferences. Previously, adolescent mental health problems have been linked to lower adulthood voting rates, while relationships between life trajectories of mental health and political attitudes and orientations remain largely underexplored. Using longitudinal data from the population‐based cohort Young in Norway ( N  = 2215) spanning three decades, we examine associations between adolescent internalizing (depression, anxiety symptoms) and externalizing problems and 12 midlife political preferences. Latent class growth analysis identified three trajectories for internalizing and two for externalizing problems. Elevated levels of either problem type demonstrated significant associations with lower political and social trust in midlife. Elevated initial internalizing problems, regardless of subsequent development, were related to more left‐wing profiles. Conversely, persistently elevated externalizing problems showed associations with stronger right‐wing profiles. These findings demonstrate that mental health trajectories from adolescence into adulthood are systematically related to distinct political preferences in midlife.

• Tamnes, Christian K.; Bekkhus, Mona; Eilertsen, Maja; Nes, Ragnhild Bang; Prydz, Monica Beer & Ystrom, Eivind [Show all 63 contributors for this article] (2025). The nature of the relation between mental well-being and ill-being. Nature Human Behaviour. 9(12), p. 2431–2440. doi: 10.1038/s41562-025-02319-x. Full text in Research Archive
• Fluit, Sam; Overall, Nickola; Osborne, Danny; Hammond, Matthew & Sibley, Chris (2025). Intimate Partners’ Political Influence: Longitudinal Evidence for the Mutual Transmission of Party Support between Women and Men. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. ISSN 0146-1672. p. 1–14. doi: https:/journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/01461672251360302. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Cross-sectional research demonstrates that intimate partners generally hold similar political preferences. It is unclear, however, whether intimate partners influence each other’s preferences over time. We address this oversight by investigating the transmission of political party support across 1,613 woman-man couples in long-term intimate relationships using 10 annual waves of longitudinal panel data. Actor-partner interdependence random intercepts cross-lagged panel models revealed that within-person increases in an intimate partner’s party support predicted within-person increases in the other couple member’s party support the following year. These partner effects emerged for six political parties in New Zealand and, with only one exception, did not differ in strength across women and men. Partner effects for self-rated political orientation were not significant. These results suggest that couples mutually reinforce each other’s political party support over time, advancing understanding of the interpersonal transmission of political preferences and identifying a dyadic process that may contribute to political polarization.

• Clarke, Eden V.; Lilly, Kieren J.; Osborne, Danny; Cone, Deborah Hill; Fluit, Sam & Simionato, Natalia M. [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2025). A Naturalistic Test of Minority Stress Theory: Examining Social and Psychological Well-Being Trends Across Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Adults from 2009 to 2022. Journal of Sex Research. ISSN 0022-4499. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2025.2458636. Full text in Research Archive
• Ivanova, Anna; Fluit, Sam; Fischer, Nantje; Soest, Tilmann Martin von & Kozák, Michal (2025). Masturbation Trajectories from Late Adolescence into Mid-Adulthood: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study. Journal of Sex Research. ISSN 0022-4499. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2025.2489091. Full text in Research Archive
• Bierwiaczonek, Kinga; Fluit, Sam; Soest, Tilmann von; Hornsey, Matthew J. & Kunst, Jonas R. (2024). Loneliness trajectories over three decades are associated with conspiracist worldviews in midlife. Nature Communications. 15(1). doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-47113-x. Full text in Research Archive
• Evje, Jacob; Fluit, Sam & Soest, Tilmann von (2024). Transgender people experience more discrimination and violence than cisgender lesbian, gay, or bisexual people: a multilevel analysis across 30 European countries. International Journal of Transgenderism. ISSN 2689-5269. doi: 10.1080/26895269.2024.2440856. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Introduction Considering recent waves of transphobia, it is crucial to comprehensively research transgender people’s experiences with discrimination and violence. This study investigates the extent of discrimination and violence experienced by trans people and cisgender lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people in Europe. We explore how these experiences vary across countries, how they are affected by a person’s disability and ethnic minority background, and whether experiences vary between trans women, trans men, and nonbinary people. Method Using the 2020 EU LGBTI Survey II, we conducted multilevel analyses across 30 European countries on experiences of discrimination and violence among trans people and cisgender LGB people (N = 138,212). The 2019 Rainbow Europe Country Ranking was included as a country-level predictor. Results Our findings demonstrated that trans people reported consistently more discrimination and violence than cisgender LGB people throughout Europe, irrespective of the countries’ rankings of LGBTQ+ rights. This difference was more pronounced among participants with ethnic minority backgrounds and disabilities. Results also varied across genders as trans women and nonbinary people reported more violence than trans men, whereas trans men and trans women both reported more discrimination than nonbinary people. Conclusions This study provides compelling evidence of disproportionately negative experiences of trans people in Europe. The findings underscore the need for policy interventions and future studies addressing discrimination and violence faced by trans people.

• Fluit, Sam; Garcia, Laura Cristina Cortes & Soest, Tilmann von (2024). Social marginalization: A scoping review of 50 years of research. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. 11(1). doi: 10.1057/s41599-024-04210-y. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Despite growing interest in social marginalization, the concept lacks a common and clear definition. Using a scoping review method, this paper systematically analyzed 1121 papers identified in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, spanning 50 years of research. The results show a diffusively expanding research field that covers 17 topics of social marginalization and identifies 12 socially marginalized groups. Health was the most frequent topic, with immigrants and minorities being the most targeted study population. From the extensive body of research, 97 unique definitions of social marginalization were extracted. These definitions were analyzed and synthesized into four themes, and subsequently integrated into a new definition. We defined social marginalization as a multifaceted concept that refers to a context-dependent social process of “othering”—where certain individuals or groups are systematically excluded based on societal norms and values—and the resulting experience of disadvantage. This review addresses recent academic calls for clarity by promoting a unified understanding of social marginalization. Moreover, we provide guidelines for both research and policy interventions aimed at addressing this critical issue.

• Kunst, Jonas R.; Bierwiaczonek, Kinga; Obaidi, Milan; Fluit, Sam; Soest, Tilmann von & SAM, DAVID [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2024). Selective cultural adoption: The roles of warmth, competence, morality and perceived indispensability in majority-group acculturation. British Journal of Social Psychology. ISSN 0144-6665. 64(2). doi: 10.1111/bjso.12801. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Psychological research has begun considering the dynamics involved in majority-group acculturation, which is the extent to which cultural majority groups adopt the culture of immigrants and minority groups. However, previous research has predominantly concentrated on reactions to ‘immigrants’ or ‘minority groups’ as a homogenous entity, overlooking the nuanced perceptions and varied valuations attributed to different groups. Recognizing the heterogeneity among immigrant and minority groups, the present work investigated the influence of several perceived characteristics of immigrant and minority groups on majority-group members' adoption of their cultures. Specifically, in three pre-registered studies—one correlational (Nparticipants = 201, Ntrials = 2814) and two within-subjects experimental (Nparticipants = 144 and 146, Ntrials = 720 and 730) designs with close to politically representative samples from the U.K. and U.S. —majority-group members were more willing to adopt immigrant and minority-group cultures that they perceived as warm, competent and moral because these perceptions made immigrants and minority groups seem indispensable to the identity and economy of the mainstream society. Our studies highlight the importance of considering the differentiated acculturation that majority-group members have to various groups within the same national context. We discuss the societal and cultural repercussions of this selective uptake of other cultures.

• Fluit, Sam; Martinović, Borja; Verkuyten, Maykel & Zhou, Siyuan (2023). With or without you? Perceived indispensability and opposition to separatist movements. British Journal of Social Psychology. ISSN 0144-6665. doi: 10.1111/bjso.12624. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Positive intergroup relations are shown to be related to the perception that, despite mutual differences, all subgroups are indispensable for the identity or functioning of the overall society. Yet, so far, the research on identity and functional indispensability is concerned with minorities that strive for inclusion in the larger nation-state (e.g., immigrants). In contrast, we examined the roles of identity and functional indispensability in the context of separatist movements. In Study 1 (N = 397), we found that Han Chinese' perceptions of identity and functional indispensability of Tibetans and Uyghurs were associated with higher willingness to engage in collective action against these groups' separatist movements. We replicated these findings in Study 2a and 2b among a diverse sample of the Dutch concerning the Brexit (N = 378) and Frexit (N = 279). In experimental Study 3, again among the Dutch (N = 405), we found that indispensability increased anti-Frexit action intentions. We conclude that, in the context of separatist movements, perceived indispensability can make attitudes towards separatist movements more antagonistic. The findings contribute to a better understanding of intergroup relations when subgroups' interests clash.

• Fluit, Sam; Kunst, Jonas R.; Bierwiaczonek, Kinga & Soest, Tilmann von (2023). Self-esteem trajectories over three decades predict opposition to social equality in midlife. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). ISSN 0027-8424. 120(1). doi: 10.1073/pnas.2212906120. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Although life trajectories are frequently theorized to explain people’s attitudes toward different social groups, few studies have been able to directly assess their importance with suitable data. Addressing this gap and focusing on the development of general and domain-specific self-esteem, we report results from a population-based sample of Norwegians (N = 2,215) followed over 28 years and five time points from adolescence to midlife. Growth curve models demonstrated that irrespective of self-esteem domain, low levels of self-esteem in adolescence as well as a depressed self-esteem development over the next three decades were related to more overall opposition to social equality as well as more opposition to gender equality and immigration in midlife. The results held when controlling for participants’ baseline political orientations and other key covariates in adolescence. Our findings indicate that low self-esteem and a lack of posi- tive self-esteem development can be detrimental to harmonious intergroup relations in ever-diversifying societies. We discuss how future psychological interventions aimed at enhancing self-esteem may promote support for a more inclusive society.

• Soest, Tilmann von; Kozák, Michal; Cano, Ruben Rodriguez; Fluit, Sam; Garcia, Laura Cortes & Ulset, Vidar Sandsaunet [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2021). Adolescents’ psychosocial well-being one year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway. Nature Human Behaviour. 6(2). doi: 10.1038/s41562-021-01255-w. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically restricted adolescents’ lives. We used nationwide Norwegian survey data from 2014–2021 (N = 227,258; ages 13–18) to examine psychosocial outcomes in adolescents before and during the pandemic. Multilevel models revealed higher depressive symptoms and less optimistic future life expectations during the pandemic, even when accounting for the measures’ time trends. Moreover, alcohol and cannabis use decreased, and screen time increased. However, effect sizes of all observed changes during the pandemic were small. Overall, conduct problems and satisfaction with social relationships remained stable. Girls, younger adolescents, and adolescents from low socioeconomic backgrounds showed more adverse changes during the pandemic. Estimated changes in psychosocial outcomes varied little with municipality infection rates and restrictions. These findings can inform means and interventions to reduce negative psychological outcomes associated with the pandemic and identify groups that need particular attention during and after the pandemic.

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• Vu, Dinh Hung; Izotova, Anastasia & Fluit, Sam (2026). Beyond the rainbow: Visibility, belonging, and the politics of queer inclusion. doi: https:/www.oslopride.no/events/ph26-beyondrainbow. Full text in Research Archive
• Espseth, Luca Dalen; Evje, Jacob & Fluit, Sam (2026). Sam Fluit and Jacob Evje about trans peoples experience in Europe - Trans Norge | Podcast. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Jacob Evje won the "verdt å vite" award for his Masters that compared the experience of transpeople with cisgender LGB people in Europe. In this episode you meet him and his supervisor Sam Fluit. We talk about the findings, but also about how it is to do research on queer topics this days. And Luca are sorry about all the swearing he commits in this episode :) More about the price: https://www.sv.uio.no/om/aktuelt/vag-a-vite/intervjuer/2023/vag-a-vite-diskriminering-vold-mot-transpersoner-psi.html

• Fluit, Sam; Evje, Jacob & Lervik, Martin (2025). Bisexual erasure. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Selv om bifile utgjør den største gruppen blant skeive, blir de ofte oversett, fornektet eller misforstått – både i den skeive bevegelsen, i historien, akademia og media. I sin mest ekstreme form innebærer dette det som kalles bi erasure, eller bifil usynlighet: en påstand om at biseksualitet ikke eksisterer, og at personer som identifiserer seg som bifile egentlig er enten heterofile eller homofile. Slike forestillinger gir grobunn for stereotype oppfatninger, som at bifile er forvirret, i fornektelse eller – som med bifile menn – egentlig er homofile som “bare” trenger tid til å “bestemme seg”. Dette fenomenet henger tett sammen med bifobi. Selv om holdningene ikke alltid manifesteres på en uttalt eller uttrykkes på en aggressiv måte, bidrar de til usynliggjøring og til store utfordringer for bifile, som ofte opplever å bli marginalisert både i samfunnet og i LGBTQ+-miljøet.

• Fluit, Sam & Bjerke, Ylva Lie (2025). Mai er internasjonal onanimåned: – Å masturbere har store helsegevinster – Dagsavisen. [Journal]. Dagsavisen. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Stipendiat Sam Fluit og kollegaene har forska på nordmenns onanivaner. Det er store forskjeller mellom menn og kvinner, men en ting er klinkende klart: Vi gjør det alle sammen.

• Fluit, Sam & Vollan, Mette (2025). Forskere med ny studie om onani: Store forskjeller på kvinner og menn - NRK. [Internet]. NRK. Full text in Research Archive
• Izotova, Anastasia; Ayorech, Ziada; Fluit, Sam & Evje, Jacob (2025). Education of Mental Health Professionals in Norway and the Role of Intersectionality in Clinical Work - Panel discussion. Full text in Research Archive
• Evje, Jacob; Nysæter, Maren Kristin; Nygård, Stine; Ivanova, Anna; Bjaalid, Emily & Fluit, Sam [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2024). LGBTQ+ health-seeking: A scoping review of health care needs, experiences and barriers. Full text in Research Archive
• Fluit, Sam (2023). Forskere har knyttet lav selvfølelse til negative holdninger om innvandring, likestilling og sosial utjevning. [Internet]. https://psykologisk.no/2023/01/forskere-har-knyttet-lav-selv. Full text in Research Archive
• mayerhofer, lilian; Ruiz, Virginia; Fluit, Sam & Ayorech, Ziada (2022). PSI Pride. Full text in Research Archive
• Fluit, Sam & Castello, Claudio (2022). Lav selvfølelse knyttet til innvandringsskepsis. [Journal]. https://www.utrop.no/nyheter/nytt/329143/. Full text in Research Archive
• Fluit, Sam & Soest, Tilmann von (2022). Unge med dårlig selvfølelse er mer negative til likestilling og innvandrere som voksne. [Internet]. nrk.no. Full text in Research Archive
• Fluit, Sam (2026). Homo Politicus: Investigations on the Role of Psychosocial Development in Political Attitudes and Behavior. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In times of political polarization, understanding the factors that shape political attitudes and behavior is crucial. Recent research and policy reports have emphasized the importance of psychosocial factors, pointing to possible links between polarization and ongoing crises in mental health and social belonging. The central aim of this doctoral thesis was to advance knowledge about how psychosocial factors influence political preference formation across the life course. To do so, I drew on large-scale longitudinal data spanning key developmental stages, from adolescence to midlife. This thesis examined three important psychosocial domains: mental health, self-esteem, and interpersonal relationships, and their role in shaping political preferences in adulthood. Together, these factors were studied in relation to more than a dozen indicators of political attitudes and voting behavior. The project comprised three studies based on two longitudinal datasets from Norway and New Zealand—both multi-party political systems characterized by coalition governments. Although this is the dominant democratic model worldwide, political attitudes in multi-party contexts remain relatively understudied. Each study employed distinct longitudinal designs, offering different advantages for examining how psychosocial factors and political preferences are interrelated. Papers 1 and 2 used Norwegian data following 2,215 participants across five waves spanning 28 years, beginning in adolescence (1992) and ending in midlife (2020). Paper 3 drew on annual dyadic data from 1,613 intimate partner couples in New Zealand, followed for 10 years (2013–2022). Paper 1 used latent class growth analysis to assess how internalizing problems (depressive symptoms and anxiety) and externalizing problems (conduct problems) from adolescence to midlife related to 12 political outcomes, including political orientation, trust, and voting behavior. Paper 2 applied latent growth curve modeling to three types of self-esteem—general, social, and close friendship—to examine to what extent their developmental trajectories are associated with polarization-related attitudes including social dominance orientation, opposition to immigration, and opposition to gender equality. Paper 3 used actor–partner interdependence random-intercept cross-lagged panel models to test whether changes in one partner’s political preferences predicted changes in the other partner’s preferences the following year. The findings provide several key insights. First, the analysis of mental health trajectories identified three classes for internalizing problems and two for externalizing problems. Individuals in the classes with high levels of either showcased lower political and social trust in midlife. Furthermore, high internalizing problems were associated with more left-leaning orientations and attitudes, while those with high externalizing problems demonstrated more right-leaning populist tendencies. Second, the self-esteem analyses showed that low self-esteem in adolescence, as well as depressed self-esteem across three decades, were associated with stronger social dominance orientation and greater opposition to immigration and gender equality. These findings were consistent across all self-esteem domains and while controlling for adolescent conservatism and other key covariates. Third, the intimate partner study demonstrated that increases in one partner’s party support predicted increases in the other partner’s support the following year. These partner effects appeared for six political parties and, with one exception, were equally strong among women and men. Taken together, the three studies lead to two overarching conclusions about psychosocial development and political preferences in adulthood. First, adolescence is a critical period: psychosocial challenges such as internalizing or externalizing problems or low self-esteem are associated with distinct political outcomes decades later, particularly when these challenges persist beyond adolescence. Second, political attitudes continue to evolve in adulthood. Intimate partners play a role in shaping these changes. In sum, this thesis demonstrates that political attitudes and behaviors are not fixed early in life but are shaped by long-term psychosocial trajectories. Drawing on decades of longitudinal data, it provides clearer insight into how mental health, self-esteem, and interpersonal relationships relate to political preferences, while also highlighting pathways that may contribute to political polarization.

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