The mental health of children and adolescent is a current topic around the world, especially now, when the well-being of young people is burdened by many crises. With the pandemic, suicides among young people have been on the rise worldwide. According to researchers, climate change and the loss of biodiversity are also significant threats to public health.
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.
Professor of social work Mia Hakovirta and Professor of child psychiatry André Sourander have received funding from NordForsk call Welfare among Children and Young People in the Post-Pandemic Nordics. Both projects examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of children and adolescents in the Nordic countries.
In a recent seminar, there were presentations about mental health stigma and ways to reduce it. A major topic of discussion was the prevalence of mental health stigma and its negative effect on the human dignity of those in need of services. The seminar was organized by The Research Centre for Child Psychiatry, INVEST research centre and the Advisory Board for Public health (Ministry of Social Affairs and Health).
According to a new study conducted by the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry of the University of Turku and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the amount of new psychiatric diagnoses by Finnish specialist services increased by nearly a fifth among children and adolescents in Finland after the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The diagnoses increased particularly among females, adolescents and those living in the Helsinki region, which had the highest COVID-19 rates and tightest restrictions when compared to the rest of the country.
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.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety were more likely in adolescents exposed to war than those living outside the war-affected region in Ukraine. The unique study conducted by the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry of the University of Turku is the largest epidemiological study using standardised measures that examined the impact of the Russia–Ukraine war 2014 on the mental health of adolescents.
Children who bullied others at the age of 8–9 have higher hazard for committing violent offences by the age of 31. This was shown in a Finnish Nationwide Birth Cohort Study conducted at the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry at the University of Turku, Finland.