Thoroddur Bjarnason turns 61 on November 1, 2026, a birthday that offers an opportunity to look at research addressing subjects close to many Icelandic families: adolescence, relationships with parents and substance use.
His published work includes international comparisons of children’s living arrangements and studies of adolescent alcohol use. Across those subjects, his research brings experiences in Iceland into a wider European and international picture.
Bjarnason’s academic training began with sociology, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1991. He received a master’s degree in social science data analysis in England in 1995, followed by a doctorate in sociology from the University of Notre Dame in 2000. After four years as an assistant professor at the University at Albany, SUNY, he returned to Iceland for a faculty position in 2004, according to his biographical record.
Family life features prominently in his publication history. A 2011 paper co-authored with AA Arnarsson examined joint physical custody and communication with parents across 36 Western countries. Another collaborative study, published in 2012, explored children’s life satisfaction in different family structures across 36 Western societies. These publications place everyday questions about children’s homes and relationships within a comparative research setting.
His work on substance use has a similarly international reach. He co-authored a 2003 study examining alcohol culture, family structure and heavy drinking among 15- and 16-year-old students in 11 European countries. He was also among the authors of the 2007 ESPAD report on substance use among students in 35 European countries.
Iceland itself is the focus of a further paper co-authored with A Arnarsson and GK Kristofersson. Published in 2018, it examined adolescent alcohol and cannabis use in Iceland over the period 1995–2015.
On his 61st birthday, those publications provide a grounded way to appreciate Bjarnason’s work: sustained attention to young people’s lives, connecting questions familiar to Icelandic households with research across national borders.
