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.
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.
How education can help children and young people find their place in the community and society? This issue will be addressed in the panel discussion On the Right Track - Education as a Pathway to Inclusion at the Faculty of Education of the University of Turku. On Thursday 8.4. Olli-Pekka Heinonen, the Director General of the Finnish National Agency for Education, will take part in the panel discussion streamed via zoom from 10.15 to 11.45.
In collaboration with researchers from 14 countries around the world, Dr. Claire Garandeau and Dr. Jessica Trach from the INVEST Flagship at the University of Turku are recruiting young adults in Finland to take part in a one-time online survey in Finnish.
Bullying experienced by 13–16-year-old pupils reduced clearly when schools invested in antibullying interventions. Researchers suggest that rooting out cyberbullying has to be more effective and new methods for supporting and strengthening the mental well-being of bullied adolescents have to be introduced. The study published by the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry of the University of Turku was based on reports from Finnish adolescents in 2008 and 2014.