A recent doctoral dissertation reveals that adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse and neglect, predisposes adolescents to suicidality. Girls had a higher risk of a suicidal event occurring during treatment, and suicidality risk screening at intake to behavioral and mental health services failed to predict a large number of suicidal events.
A diverse group of new Master’s degree students have started their studies in the new Public Mental Health programme, which attracted significant interest from students worldwide in its first intake. As the first programme of its kind in Finland, it aims to address mental health challenges at the population and service system level through interdisciplinary approaches and a global perspective.
Yuko Mori conducted a large international school survey for her doctoral dissertation in child psychiatry. The research showed that around 5% of young people had attempted suicide. Students who had been victims of both cyberbullying and traditional bullying were the most likely to have attempted suicide. The survey also found that around a third of young people feel unsafe at school and that young people rarely seek professional help for their mental health problems.
A large international study conducted at the University of Turku in Finland found that most adolescents do not seek professional help even when they have a high level of mental health problems. This unmet need was prevalent across all eight Asian and European countries involved in this study but especially in lower-income countries.
There has not previously been conducted any population-based study on suicidality among children and adolescents during the Russian invasion in Ukraine. A new study carried out by a multinational research group showed high levels of suicidal thoughts and attempts in adolescents, which were strongly associated with wartime traumatic experiences, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.
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.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental well-being of individuals worldwide. A recent study examines the relationship between COVID-19-related concerns, anxiety, and worry, and the emotional quality of daydreaming and nighttime dreaming during these challenging times.
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.