Keyword: INVEST Research Flagship Centre

Social relationships are formed unequally according to class background even in relatively egalitarian Finland, as shown in Minna Tuominen's doctoral research. Particularly trust, which is strongly linked to well-being, varies by social class, accumulating more among the highly educated and better-off classes. Especially vulnerable are those in lower education and income groups, as well as immigrants, who often rely on relatively fewer social relationships.

The largest trial of its kind in the United Kingdom has shown how a low-cost, structured, anti-bullying programme KiVa can improve social dynamics in primary schools and reduce victimisation. Judy Hutchings identifies as KiVa’s strength its way of targeting the whole school and stripping bullies of the social reward.

A new study reveals that sex differences in academic strengths are found throughout the world and girls’ relative advantage in reading and boys’ in science is largest in gender-equal countries. 

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.

A summer job at church children’s camps changed the life of the upper secondary school student. Working with children sparked a desire to help and understand vulnerable children and young people. This eventually led Riikka Korja to become a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Turku. Her passion is to help not only the vulnerable, but also early career researchers and students.

University of Turku researchers Sarah Malamut, Tiina Turunen, Daniela Alaattinoğlu, and Joni Teräväinen have received prestigious research funding from the European Research Council (ERC). Funded projects explore the causes and effects of school bullying, the legal inclusion and exclusion of Sámi people, and decades-old mathematical 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.  
 

The new project will investigate the role of housing and longitudinal careers as determinants of later and forgone parenthood in the Nordic countries.