Effects of a Brief Group-Based Compassion Intervention on Physiological and Subjective Stress Reactivity

Excessive stress reactivity, particularly excessive blood pressure reactivity, to social-evaluative stress is associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes. Compassion-based interventions have demonstrated the ability to buffer against physiological and subjective stress reactivity. However, extant studies have predominantly implemented interventions requiring an intensive time commitment, limiting intervention accessibility, and no studies have measured blood pressure reactivity as a compassion-based intervention outcome. To address these gaps in the literature, this study recruited undergraduate students (n = 50), who were cluster randomized to participate in one of two possible brief (40 min), group-based interventions: (1) compassion training, or (2) an active control intervention which taught participants a skill from cognitive behavioral therapy (i.e., cognitive reappraisal). After the intervention, participants immediately underwent an acute social-evaluative stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups (TSST-G). State compassion for others, state self-compassion, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), and subjective stress were measured before and after the intervention to evaluate pre- to post-intervention effects. Physiological and subjective stress were also measured before, during, and after the TSST-G to evaluate stress-buffering effects of the interventions. Linear mixed models were used to examine both immediate intervention effects and stress-buffering effects. Results indicated that the brief, group-based compassion intervention demonstrated pre- to post-intervention increases in state compassion for other and decreases in SBP compared to the active control intervention, while both interventions demonstrated immediate increases in self-compassion and reductions in HR. The compassion intervention also demonstrated reduced DBP reactivity to the TSST-G compared to the control intervention. These results indicate that brief compassion training may be a promising intervention that demonstrates positive pre- to post-intervention effects and stress-buffering effects for young adults experiencing acute social-evaluative stress. These results provide impetus for incorporating compassion training in settings which serve young adults, such as college counseling centers

Systems action design research : delineation of an application to develop hybrid local climate services

In this thesis, a Systems Action Design Research (SADR) model was developed, which allows the Action Design Research Paradigm to be extended to process hybrid systems of stationary or changing interacting systems; including both quantitative and qualitative aspects. The crucial challenge is to get the experts and grass-root end-users to work together actively in a participatory and cocreative way instead of the foremost current expert dominated practices. Hence the basic model is engaged with an epistemic Delphi entry process, which considers the particular application. This study delineates a unique application to develop hybrid local climate services, which take into account also humanitarian values and presents three case studies done in Mozambique, Kenya, and Tanzania conducted by design thinking.Tutkimuksessa on kehitetty vuorovaikutteisten järjestelmien toiminnan suunnittelun tutkimusmalli, joka laajentaa aikaisempia toiminnan suunnittelun tutkimusmalleja stationaarisiin tai muuttuviin vuorovaikutteisiin mahdollisimman kokonaisvaltaisiin eli hybrideihin järjestelmiin. Malli ottaa huomioon sekä määrällisiä että laadullisia tekijöitä. Vielä nykyisin vallalla olevien asiantuntijapainotteisten käytäntöjen välttämättömänä haasteena on saattaa asiantuntijat ja ruohonjuuritason loppukäyttäjät työskentelemään yhteisen luovuuden merkeissä osallistavalla tavalla. Tästä syystä kehitetyn mallin olennaisena osana on episteeminen, sovelluskohtainen Delphi-prosessi. Sovelluksena toteutettavien hybridien paikallisten loppukäyttäjien tietotarpeita palvelevien mobiili-ilmastomallien osalta viitoitetaan tämän sovelluksen pääpiirteet tutkimuksessa esitetyn mallin näkökulmasta sekä esitetään kolmen Itä-Afrikassa (Mosambik, Kenia ja Tansania) suunnitteluajattelun mukaisesti toteutetun ideointiprojektin ehdotukset. Kehitettävissä mobiiliilmastopalveluissa otetaan soveltuvin osin huomioon myös humanitaariset arvot. Tulokset osoittavat, että kehitetty malli voi avata uusia näköaloja hybridien paikallisten mobiili-ilmastopalvelujen kehittämiseen ruohonjuuritason viljelijöille

Developing A Strategy For Growth In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Finland Using The Natural Church Development Approach Based On A Case Study In The Turku Seventh-Day Adventist Church

Problem The growth of the Adventist Church in Finland stagnated in the mid 1980s and after that the membership of the church began to slowly decrease. There is a need to look at the past growth patterns of the church in Finland to discover the reasons for the present decline in membership and develop and implement a strategy for church growth. Method Current literature was reviewed, including books and articles on the principles and strategies of church growth. These were studied in the context of the Turku Church in order to determine if the principles in the Natural Church Development (NCD) approach could be contextualized to be used as a careful analysis tool of the problem and also for the purpose of strategy building. The project was planned and implemented as a case study in the Turku Adventist Church. Results The NCD paradigm was chosen as the preferred approach to the church growth problem. A strategy with an action plan based on NCD was developed and partially implemented in the Turku Church. The Church is willing to develop the plan further in order to remove the barriers for growth. The analysis of the NCD survey has given direction for further development in the quality of the church, which is likely to produce quantitative growth in the future. There is greater confidence and enthusiasm in the church although the process is at an early stage of implementation. The lessons learned will be used in the future revisions of the revitalization and church planting strategy of the Finnish Church. Conclusion The early results indicated that with the help of an NCD survey the church will become more aware of the barriers for growth and it can develop a well-structured plan for future growth in quality and quantity. The NCD process will also increase the effectiveness of the leadership as the strategy is further developed and implemented according to the project plan. It is also expected that the strategy will increase the health and growth of the Church

Carbon Leakage – Are Tariffs a Necessary Tool in Climate Policy?

In absence of binding global agreements on climate policy some regions like the European Union have decided to take unilateral actions to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. These unilateral actions have raised carbon leakage as an important policy issue to be addressed. Carbon leakage means that emission reductions in one region may be offset at least partially by emission increases in the rest of the world as fossil fuel prices fall and domestic companies lose their market shares. This thesis will review the literature concerning the magnitude of the carbon leakage effects and measures to prevent it. The results of these studies are assessed in light of an optimal carbon tariff and tax model introduced by Hoel (1996). The work will provide an overview on estimates of the scale of carbon leakage rate, in addition to an assessment of carbon tariffs and current policy measures as tools to prevent leakage. The findings suggest that carbon leakage is probably a remarkable threat only in certain energy-intensive sectors most exposed to foreign competition. Carbon tariffs or other border adjustments would therefore be limited in scope as a tool of climate policy. Their cost-effectiveness in global emission policy is doubtful, as they would mostly shift the cost burden from developed to developing world, rather than reducing emissions globally. This implies that tariffs would not be a necessary tool in unilateral climate policy. However, the same critique applies to the current measures in the EU as well. Also, the free permit allocation system currently in use is probably too lax, and thus produces effects contrary to the goals of emission policy while providing little protection for domestic industries

Finnish civil society organizations in criminal justice - exploring their possibilities to fulfil mission values and maintain autonomy from a comparative perspective

This doctoral dissertation explores, from a comparative perspective, what kinds of possibilities there are for Finnish civil society organizations (CSOs) working in the area of criminal justice to fulfil their value-based missions and maintain their autonomy. This study is particularly focused on CSOs working with offenders and victims of crime. The positions of these CSOs have been chiefly explored from the perspectives of marketization of public service delivery and institutionalization of victim support services. In addition, this dissertation has examined the possibilities for various types of CSOs to pursue their value-bases in decision-making in criminal policy in the context of law-drafting. The dissertation consists of this summary and four sub-studies. The data include interviews with CSO representatives, CSOs’ annual reports as well as documentation created in lawdrafting processes. These sources have been primarily analysed with qualitative methods, although sub-study IV also included quantitative analysis. In addition to Finland, data has been gathered from Norway, Sweden, Scotland and New Zealand. The findings of the first and second sub-studies indicate that although marketization appears to have had more radical consequences in Anglophone CSOs working with offenders, marketization is nonetheless manifested in the possibilities for Finnish CSOs to work according to their value-bases. This emerges especially from the critique of service-delivery arrangements that municipalities use to purchase services from CSOs. Overall, the results of this dissertation indicate that CSOs have experienced difficulty in fulfilling their value-bases within the framework of marketized public service delivery. Nevertheless, the findings illustrate that certain structural arrangements in Finland can enhance the possibilities for CSOs to integrate their values and perspectives into the criminal justice system. The findings of the third sub-study show that unlike in Norway, where CSOs working with victims of crime have had a stronger position than those working in Finland, the Finnish CSOs working with victims did not feel that the advancing institutionalization of victim support services would threaten their autonomy. In contrast, the developments in which the public sector has taken more responsibility for arranging victim support services is perceived to improve their possibilities to pursue causes important to them in society. Although the findings of sub-study III also reveal some similarities between the approaches of the Finnish and Norwegian CSOs, the findings nonetheless illustrate the differences between victim movements in Finland and in other Nordic countries. The fourth sub-study reveals that CSOs are widely included in law-drafting in the area of criminal policy in Finland. However, apart from CSOs composed of ‘legal professionals’, CSOs are included in these decision-making processes in those stages when it is more difficult to introduce significant changes to what has already been proposed. These results are in line with existing knowledge on criminal policy making in Finland and the participation of CSOs in law-drafting. Based on the findings of this research, Finnish CSOs working in the areas of criminal justice and criminal policy have several opportunities to use their autonomy and pursue their values. Nonetheless, the findings indicate that marketized funding arrangements may jeopardize those possibilities to some extent. The findings of this dissertation also raise questions about the ‘alternativeness’ and autonomous position of certain Finnish CSOs in relation to the public sector. Finally, this dissertation suggests that civil society models created in comparative civil society research fail to capture the nature of CSOs working in the area of criminal justice. Future research should therefore aim to formulate specific theoretical models for CSOs in criminal justice that explain how these organizations operate in different countries.Tämä väitöskirja tarkastelee vertailevasta näkökulmasta, millaiset mahdollisuudet suomalaisilla rikosoikeusjärjestelmän alueella työskentelevillä kansalaisjärjestöillä on toteuttaa omia arvojaan ja säilyttää autonomisuutensa. Tutkimuksen erityisenä tarkastelukohteena ovat lainrikkojien ja rikosten uhrien parissa työskentelevät kansalaisjärjestöt. Näiden kansalaisjärjestöjen asemaa tarkastellaan pääasiassa julkisen palveluntuotannon markkinoistumisen ja rikosten uhrien palvelujen institutionaalisoitumisen näkökulmista. Tässä väitöskirjassa on myös tutkittu erityyppisten kansalaisjärjestöjen mahdollisuuksia ajaa omia arvojaan kriminaalipoliittisessa päätöksenteossa lainvalmistelun kontekstissa. Väitöskirja koostuu yhteenvetoluvusta ja neljästä osatutkimuksesta. Tutkimuksen aineistona on käytetty kansalaisjärjestöjen edustajien haastatteluja, järjestöjen vuosikertomuksia sekä lainvalmistelun yhteydessä tuotettua asiakirja-aineistoa. Aineistoja on analysoitu pääasiassa laadullisin menetelmin, vaikka neljäs osatutkimus sisältää myös kvantitatiivista analyysiä. Aineistoja on kerätty Suomen lisäksi Norjasta, Ruotsista, Skotlannista ja Uudesta-Seelannista. Ensimmäisen ja toisen osatutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että markkinoistumisen vaikutukset näyttäytyvät radikaaleimmin kansalaisjärjestöissä, jotka työskentelevät lainrikkojien parissa englanninkielisissä maissa. Tästä huolimatta markkinoistuminen näkyy myös suomalaisten kansalaisjärjestöjen mahdollisuuksissa työskennellä niiden omien arvopohjien mukaisesti. Tämä käy ilmi etenkin kuntien ostopalvelusopimuksiin kohdistetusta kritiikistä. Kokonaisuudessaan tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että kansalaisjärjestöissä on koettu hankalana toteuttaa järjestöjen arvopohjaa markkinoistuneen palveluntuotannon kontekstissa. Toisaalta tutkimuksen tulokset tuovat ilmi, että Suomessa on myös sellaisia rakenteellisia ratkaisuja, jotka edistävät järjestöjen mahdollisuuksia integroida niiden arvoja ja näkökulmia rikosoikeusjärjestelmän toimintaan. Kolmannen osatutkimuksen tulosten mukaan suomalaisten rikosten uhrien parissa toimivien kansalaisjärjestöjen edustajat eivät kokeneet rikosuhripalvelujen institutionaalisoitumisen uhkaavan järjestöjen autonomiaa toisin kuin Norjassa, jossa rikosten uhrien parissa toimivilla kansalaisjärjestöillä on ollut verrattain vahva asema. Suomalaisten rikosten uhrien parissa työskentelevien kansalaisjärjestöjen edustajien näkemysten mukaan nykyinen trendi, jossa julkinen valta ottaa yhä enemmän vastuuta rikosuhrien palvelujen järjestämisestä edesauttaa myös järjestöjen mahdollisuuksia ajaa niille tärkeitä asioita yhteiskunnassa. Vaikka kolmannen osatutkimuksen tulokset paljastavat joitakin samankaltaisuuksia suomalaisten ja norjalaisten järjestöjen lähestymistavoissa, ne tuovat ilmi tärkeitä eroavaisuuksia suomalaisessa uhriliikkeessä verrattuna muihin Pohjoismaihin. Neljäs osatutkimus osoittaa, että kansalaisjärjestöjä osallistetaan laajasti lainvalmisteluun kriminaalipolitiikan alueella Suomessa. Pois lukien eräät juridiikan ammattilaisten järjestöt, kansalaisjärjestöjen osallistaminen kohdistuu kuitenkin lähinnä niihin lainvalmistelun vaiheisiin, joissa merkittävien muutosten tekeminen ehdotettuihin lakiesityksiin on vaikeaa. Tutkimuksen tulokset ovat linjassa aiempien tutkimusten kanssa, joissa on selvitetty kansalaisjärjestöjen osallistumista lainvalmisteluun Suomessa. Väitöskirjan tulosten perusteella suomalaisilla kansalaisjärjestöillä on useita mahdollisuuksia ajaa niille tärkeitä arvoja rikosoikeusjärjestelmän alueella. Tästä huolimatta tulokset osoittavat myös, että markkinoistuneet rahoitusjärjestelyt voivat jossain määrin vaarantaa nuo mahdollisuudet. Tutkimuksen havainnot herättävät myös kysymyksiä joidenkin suomalaisten kansalaisjärjestöjen ‘vaihtoehtoisuudesta’ ja itsenäisestä asemasta suhteessa julkiseen sektoriin. Lopuksi väitöskirjassa esitetään, että vertailevassa kansalaisyhteiskunnan tutkimuksessa luodut teoreettiset mallit eivät sovellu luonnehtimaan rikosoikeuden alueella toimivia kansalaisjärjestöjä. Jatkotutkimuksessa tulisikin kehittää teorioita, jotka pyrkivät kuvaamaan ja selittämään juuri rikosoikeuden alueella toimivia kansalaisjärjestöjä eri maissa

Determiners in Finnish-speaking Learners' English : A Transfer Based, Quantitative Text Analysis

This thesis studied texts written by Finnish-speaking learners of English. The goal of this study was to examine how Finnish-speaking learners use determiners in their written English. English has traditionally been difficult to learn for native Finnish-speakers, as the languages are quite distant from each other. This study focuses specifically on determiners, as the challenges a Finnish-speaking learner faces can be more comprehensively understood by examining a linguistic system that greatly differs between the two languages. The texts analyzed in this thesis originated from the YKI-Corpus; a collection of essays written by candidates taking The National Certificate of Language Proficiency examination, compiled by the University of Jyväskylä for research purposes. Essays were taken from 30 participants in total, all of whom were native Finnish-speakers taking the examination in English. 15 of the learners took an passed the exam on intermediate level (B level on the Common European Framework of Reference), 15 on advanced level (C level on CERF). The texts were analyzed using two Natural Language Processing tools: Simple Natural Language Processing Tool (SiNLP) and a Python extension library spaCY. All determiners in the texts were first counted and categorized, then analyzed and compared using the statistical analysis tool SPSS. The results of this study indicated that Finnish-speakers prefer articles as their determiners: 57 % of all determiners were some type of an article across both proficiency levels. Definite articles were the most common type of an article on both levels. Advanced level learners used a higher number of determiners per word than intermediate learners, slightly over 18 %, which seemed to be very close to the ratio of native level speakers. Advanced level learners also used zero articles much more often, whereas intermediate level learners preferred possessive determiners instead. Overall, a higher proportion of articles, especially zero articles, as well as an increased number of determiners per word suggested a higher level of proficiency in English. However, it is outside of the scope of this thesis to further analyze the reasons for these differences, as that would require more extensive, perhaps qualitative research

Effects of Failure and Avatar Death in Multiplayer Online Shooter Games

Even though casual games capture large audiences, hardcore games are increasing in popularity evident by the success of Dark Souls games and the rise of the battle royale genre. These hardcore games often feature gruesome punishments for failure such as permadeath or a great loss of progress. This study investigates how players can fail in online multiplayer shooter games, how they are penalised and how the penalties affect the overall player experience. Formal gameplay analysis was conducted on Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds to identify failure mechanics and their punishments for avatar death. Then, an online player experience survey was deployed to measure the player experience of each of the sample games. The analysis of the results revealed no connection between the severity of the game's punishments and the overall player experience. However, the data suggested the players of PUBG, the most severely punishing game, report their experiences to be more memorable than the players of the other games. Furthermore, the participants of the PUBG survey reported more physical reactions to winning supporting the notion that failure mechanics and avatar death do influence the player experience. Based on those results, I concluded that no clear connection between avatar death and player experience could be found. However, the interesting findings do warrant further exploration into the topic

The Influence of Self-compassion on Perceived Stress Reactivity

Contemplative psychological traits (e.g., mindfulness and self-compassion) have become a popular area of research in recent years, often in the context of their influence on stress (Creswell & Lindsay, 2014). One promising subset of contemplative science research demonstrates that higher levels of contemplative traits are associated with decreased physiological stress reactivity during psychosocial stress induction. This is important due to the negative health outcomes that are associated with persistently heightened stress reactivity. Research investigating self-compassion has demonstrated that higher levels of trait self-compassion are associated with lower levels of stress reactivity (Breines et al., 2015; Luo et al., 2018). Currently, this area of research is limited to stress induction studies, which can be costly and time-consuming. A cross-sectional self-report measure of stress reactivity, the Perceived Stress Reactivity Scale (PSRS; Schlotz et al., 2013) was recently developed and validated, but it has not yet been examined in relation to trait self-compassion. To evaluate whether self-compassion may be an intervention target to buffer against stress reactivity, it would be helpful to establish how it is related to the PSRS. Thus, this study investigated whether trait levels of self-compassion significantly account for variance in a regression model with self-reported stress reactivity as the dependent variable, while controlling for state stress levels. It also investigated whether self-compassion moderates the relation between state stress and self-reported stress reactivity. Planned post-hoc analyses were conducted to examine these same analyses with each specific subscale of the PSRS (i.e., Prolonged Reactivity, Reactivity to Work Overload, Reactivity to Social Evaluation, Reactivity to Social Conflict, and Reactivity to Failure). Results indicate that self-compassion significantly accounted for variance in total stress reactivity while controlling for state stress, but it did not moderate the relation between state stress and total stress reactivity. Post-hoc analyses demonstrated that self-compassion significantly accounted for variance in stress reactivity measured via each specific subscale while controlling for state stress. When the Reactivity to Social Evaluation subscale score was the dependent variable, self-compassion accounted for more variance than any other subscale. Further, the post-hoc moderation analyses were only significant for self-compassion moderating the relation between state stress and Reactivity to Social Evaluation, indicating that self-compassion may confer unique stress-buffering properties during social-evaluative situations (e.g., job interviews). Limitations of this study included having a well-educated, upper middle class sample population, the inability to determine causality from a cross-sectional design. Recommendations for future research included examining self-compassion intervention effects on self-reported stress reactivity and investigating the ability of self-compassion to protect against job stress or academic stress by buffering against social-evaluative stress reactivity