Marianne Bonnert

I am a licensed psychologist and researcher at Karolinska Institutet. My research focuses on behavioural medicine and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), with a particular interest in the interplay between physical and mental health in respiratory disease.

Together with Josefin Särnholm, I co-lead the research group Behavioural Medicine and Mental Health Across the Lifespan – Bonnert/Särnholm Research Group. Our research examines psychological and behavioural mechanisms that influence health, illness, functioning, and quality of life in children, adolescents, and adults, with a particular focus on mental health and cardiovascular and respiratory disease.

My research focuses on behavioral medicine and digital cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), with a particular emphasis on the psychological and behavioral mechanisms that influence symptoms, functioning, and quality of life in chronic health conditions.

A major focus of my current research is respiratory disease and the interplay between respiratory symptoms, psychological factors, and behavior. In particular, I investigate how symptom-related fear, avoidance, and the perception and interpretation of bodily symptoms may contribute to symptom burden and impaired functioning, and how these modifiable mechanisms can be targeted through psychological interventions.

One current area of research concerns children and adolescents with co-occurring asthma and anxiety. This combination may exacerbate both respiratory symptoms and psychological distress and can make it difficult to distinguish asthma symptoms from anxiety-related symptoms. This work builds on my research on internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) for adults with asthma-related anxiety.

My previous research also includes disorders of gut–brain interaction (DGBI) in adolescents, where we identified reductions in avoidance as an important mechanism of treatment. I remain actively involved in DGBI research through ongoing collaborations.

I also lead research on digital interventions for parents of young children with behavioral difficulties. This work reflects my broader interest in parental and family factors, as well as in developing accessible and developmentally appropriate psychological interventions for children and their families.

Supervision to doctoral degree

• Jenny Görling, Internet-delivered Parent–Child Interaction Therapy for severe behavioral problems in young children, 2026-
• Nielsen Eva, Internet-delivered psychological treatment of functional gastrointestinal disorders in youth: the impact of negative illness understanding and parental illness worries, 2026
• Ulrika Ehrén, Online Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Anxiety Related to Pediatric Asthma, 2023-