Keyword: child psychiatry

In Turku, child psychiatry recognises the inseparable connection between the psychological well-being of children and society. Factors such as the COVID pandemic, war, and migration have a significant impact on the mental health of children and adolescents. In addition to conducting cutting-edge research, Turku is actively developing means to make an impact on psychological well-being from an early stage within primary health care, starting from maternity clinics.

Ukrainian professor Olga Osokina has seen the consequences of the Russian full-scale invasion with her own eyes. As a visiting professor, she helps the University of Turku to build understanding of the mental health of children and adolescents in war-torn Ukraine.

Professor Hyoun Kim has a multitude of research expertise areas in the field of Child and Family Studies. In Turku, she will discuss collaboration opportunities with the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry and deliver lectures on current topics.

A large international study found that on average 31.4% of adolescents reported feeling unsafe at school in 13 European and Asian countries. The result revealed inequality in securing a safe educational environment for students across countries.

A recently published extensive systematic review showed a 28% reduction in mental health service use in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic among children and young people. Reductions were mainly recorded for ED visit due to mental health issues for which the services reduced on average by 40%.

Maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy was associated with 44% increased risk of ASD in the offspring when compared to mothers who had sufficient levels of vitamin D during pregnancy. The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the University of Turku, Finland, and Columbia University, New York.

Adolescents who had received a mental health disorder diagnosis were often excluded from the labour market and education as young adults. This particularly applied to adolescents who had been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder or psychosis. The results were found out in a birth cohort study of people born in Finland in 1987. The study was published on 5 October in British Journal of Psychiatry.

Children born in December are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with a learning disorder as those born in January. ADHD was found not to affect the association between month of birth and the likelihood of a learning disability diagnosis.

Professor André Sourander has received substantial research funding from the European Research Council (ERC). Sourander received ERC Advanced Grant funding for a project “DIGIPARENT -  Implementation, personalization and genetics of digitally assisted parent training intervention to improve child mental health services.