Erika Augustsson

I am a postdoctoral researcher in social gerontology at the Aging Research Center. I received my PhD from Karolinska Institutet in 2025, with the thesis Anchored or Adrift? Social Connection, Health and Loneliness in Later Life, which examined social connectedness among older adults, focusing on how different relationship types, friendships, and loneliness evolve over time and relate to health and wellbeing. I also hold an MSc in Rocial Research and Social Statistics from the University of Stirling and MA (Hons) in Sociology with Quantitative Methods from the University of Glasgow. 

My research focuses on older adults’ social relationships, loneliness, and wellbeing. I am particularly interested in the role of friendships and how different types of relationships serve distinct emotional and practical functions in later life.

I am currently involved in two larger research projects:

• Research programme on Ageing, Loneliness, and Mental Health (REALM) – where I work on assessing risk factors and consequences of loneliness among different groups of older adults.
• Building Sustainable Care Systems for Older People in the Nordic-Baltic Region (SustainCare) – where I work on identifying current and future demographic and health-related needs to promote more sustainable formal and informal care systems.

I recently became convenor of the Society and Health course in the Psychology program, alongside a colleague, after several years as course assistant. I also supervise master’s students during internships and dissertation writing, for both Swedish and international students, as well as undergraduate students.