Work Demands and Resources, Stress Regulation and Quality of Pedagogical Work Among Professionals in Finnish Early Childhood Education Settings

This study examined early childhood professionals’ (ECPs) stress regulation and the demands and resources they encounter at work, and considered how these factors are associated with the quality of pedagogical work in daycare. The participants were 117 ECPs from 24 daycare centers in the Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland, with data collected using surveys, cortisol measurements, and observational assessments. The results indicated that the professionals generally found their work resources to be adequate and, on average, their stress regulation measured through cortisol activity showed a typical diurnal pattern. Highly important resources at work proved to be support from supervisors, which was associated with stress regulation and the quality of pedagogical work in teams. Although we found only minor associations between cortisol activity and job demands and resources, cortisol activity did relate to pedagogical work, particularly to teamwork; the higher the quality of the teamwork, the lower the ECPs morning cortisol values. Our multidisciplinary study highlights important findings regarding the resources and demands ECPs experience at work, and supports existing literature. In addition, the results demonstrate the importance of social support, especially the role of the supervisor, which proved to be one of the key factors positively enhancing well-being at work. These findings are applicable in planning interventions regarding workrelated well-being among ECPs.Peer reviewe

Occupational well-being and stress among early childhood professionals : the use of an innovative strategy to measure stress reactivity in the workplace

Peer reviewe

Sex differences in the associations between maternal prenatal distress and infant cortisol reactivity and recovery

Previous research suggests that maternal prenatal psychological distress (PPD) is related to altered cortisol reactivity in the exposed child. There are indications for the sex differences in vulnerability for prenatal adversities that depend on the exposure and child outcome. Still, it is not known whether the association between maternal PPD and infant cortisol stress response is moderated by sex. In addition, the recovery phase of the cortisol stress response has not been given as much attention as reactivity. Our aim was to study the sex differences in the associations between self-reported maternal prenatal depressive-, anxiety- and pregnancy-related anxiety symptoms through gestational weeks 14, 24 and 34 and the saliva cortisol reactivity to and recovery from the acute stress among 10-week-old infants. The study population comprised of 363 mother-infant pairs from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. We found evidence for sex-dependent associations between PPD exposure and infant cortisol response. A less steep recovery slope (-10 % per one SD increase in PPD [95 % CI = -18 to -2 %] and -8 % [-16 to 0 %] depending on the exposure) and a possibly less steep reactivity slope (-14 % [95 % CI = -25 to 0 %] and -10 % [-21 to 3 %]) were associated with higher PPD exposure in females. Of the PPD measures, the strongly intercorrelated, and thus combined, depressive and anxiety symptom score provided the most robust prediction of infant cortisol recovery. Our results demonstrate sexually dimorphic alterations in the functioning of the infant hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and especially in the functioning of the negative feedback loop of the axis after prenatal PPD exposure among healthy babies

Toddlers’ diurnal cortisol levels affected by out-of-home, center-based childcare and at-home, guardian-supervised childcare: comparison between different caregiving contexts

Previous research suggests that attending non-parental out-of-home childcare is associated with elevated cortisol levels for some children. We aimed to compare diurnal saliva cortisol levels between children having out-of-home, center-based childcare or those having at-home, guardian-supervised childcare in Finland. A total of 213 children, aged 2.1 years (SD = 0.6), were drawn from the ongoing Finnish birth cohort study. Saliva samples were collected over 2 consecutive days (Sunday and Monday), with four samples drawn during each day: 30 min after waking up in the morning, at 10 am, between 2 and 3 pm, and in the evening before sleep. These results suggest that the shapes of the diurnal cortisol profiles were similar in both childcare groups following a typical circadian rhythm. However, the overall cortisol levels were on average 30% higher (95% CI: [9%, 54%], p = .004) with the at-home childcare in comparison with the out-of-home childcare group. Furthermore, a slight increase in the diurnal cortisol pattern was noticed in both groups and in both measurement days during the afternoon. This increase was 27% higher ([2%, 57%], p = .031) in the out-of-home childcare group during the out-of-home childcare day in comparison with the at-home childcare day. The elevated afternoon cortisol levels were partly explained by the afternoon naps, but there were probably other factors as well producing the cortisol rise during the afternoon hours. Further research is needed to define how a child’s individual characteristic as well as their environmental factors associate with cortisol secretion patterns in different caregiving contexts.</p

Child Temperament and Total Diurnal Cortisol in Out-of-Home Center-Based Child Care and in At-Home Parental Care

The association between child temperament characteristics and total diurnal saliva cortisol in 84 children (M = 2.3 years, SD = 0.6) attending out-of-home, center-based child care and 79 children (M = 2.0 years, SD = 0.5) attending at-home parental care was examined. Saliva samples were collected during two consecutive days, that is, Sunday and Monday, with four samples taken per day. While children higher in surgency had higher total diurnal cortisol production, we did not find evidence that temperament moderated the associations between child-care context and total diurnal cortisol. Negative affectivity and effortful control were not related to cortisol output. Our findings suggest that temperamental surgency may be associated with higher total cortisol production in early childhood across child-care settings.</p

Nuorten vaikuttaminen Ilomantsissa : nuorten kuulemisen kehittäminen

Opinnäytetyön tarkoitus on kerätä ilomantsilaisten nuorten näkemyksiä ja kokemuksia vaikuttamisesta Ilomantsissa. Lisäksi haetaan vastauksia seuraaviin kysymyksiin: ”Mitä mieltä nuoret ovat äänestysrajan laskemisesta kunnallisvaaleissa?” ja ”Haluavatko he perustaa nuorten vaikuttajaryhmän Ilomantsiin?” Opinnäytetyön tuloksia hyödynnetään Nuorten ääni näkyväksi Ilomantsissa -hankkeessa ja Ilomantsin nuorisotoimen nuorten vaikuttamisen ja kuulemisen kehittämisessä. Tutkimuskyselyn perusteella muodostetaan Ilomantsin nuorisotoimen alaisuuteen nuorten vaikuttajaryhmä. Tämän vaikuttajaryhmän avulla kehitetään nuorten vaikuttamista, osallisuutta ja kuulemista. Nuorisovaalit pidetään marras- joulukuussa 2010. Tutkimus toteutettiin kuusisivuisella lomakekyselyllä Ilomantsin yläkoulussa ja lukiossa toukokuussa 2010. Vastausprosentti oli noin 91. Tutkimusaineisto tallennettiin ja analysointiin SPSS- ohjelmassa. Tuloksien mukaan ilomantsilaiset nuoret ovat melko tyytyväisiä elämäänsä, eivätkä koe tarpeelliseksi olla aktiivisia vaikuttajia. Nuoret eivät halunneet laskea äänestysikärajaa 16-vuotiaaksi kunnallisvaaleissa. Kyselyyn vastanneet nuoret antoivat kuitenkin selkeän tukensa nuorten vaikuttajaryhmän perustamiseen. 7. luokkalaiset ja lukiolaiset olivat myönteisempi kuin 8. ja 9. luokkalaiset. Sukupuolisesti tytöt suhtautuivat poikia huomattavasti myönteisemmin vaikuttajaryhmän perustamiseen. Vastauksien mukaan Ilomantsin nuoret toivovat, että seuraavia nuorten asioita kehitetään: Ensisijaisesti tekemistä nuorten vapaa-ajalle harrastustoiminnan ja tapahtumien kautta; etenkin niin sanottu nuorisokahvilan kehittäminen nousi esille. Lisäksi vaikuttajaryhmän tulisi puolustaa nuorten oikeuksia ja lisätä heidän hyvinvointiaan ja viihtyvyyttään sekä miettiä nuorten työllistymistä.The purpose of the thesis is to gather the experiences and opinions of the youth about how much influence they have in Ilomantsi. In addition, the thesis is meant to answers the following questions: “What do the youth think about lowering the voting age in municipal election?” and “Do they want to establish their own influential group in Ilomantsi?” The results of thesis are used in “Bring Forth Youth’s Voice in Ilomantsi” -project and to develop the influence and audibility of the youth in the youth work of Ilomantsi. The research enquiry is used to find an influential group of young people under the youth work of Ilomantsi. The help of this group will be used to develop the influence, participation and audibility of youth. Juvenile election is held at the turn of November and December 2010. An enquiry of six pages was used to conduct the research in middle school and in upper secondary school of Ilomantsi during May 2010. The response rate was approximately 91 percent. The research material was saved and analyzed with the SPSS- program. The results of the research show that the youth of Ilomantsi are relatively happy with their lives, and thus do not feel the need to be active influencers. They also did not want to lower the voting age to 16 years in municipal election. However, the youth gave their unwavering support for establishing an influential group of young people. The seventh-graders and the students in upper secondary school were more favorable than the eighth- and ninth-graders. In addition, girls were more favorable than boys. The youth of Ilomantsi hope that following matters are developed: First of all, they wish for more activities for themselves in the form of hobbies and youth events – an idea of youth café was strongly brought up. Secondly, the influential group of young people should defend youth rights, increase their health and living conditions and it should also contemplate youth employment

Kortteli 48 - luova osaamisyhteisö 2011-2012 : Loppuraportti

Tämä julkaisu on Kortteli 48 – luova osaamisyhteisö -hankkeen loppuraportti ja siinä kuvataan hankkeen toiminta yhden vuoden toimintakauden ajalta. Kortteli 48 oli Joensuun kaupungin nuorisotoimen hallinnoima ja Joensuun seudun ja Keski-Karjalan alueellisen Koheesio- ja kilpailukykyohjelman rahoittama KOKO-hanke. Hankkeen tavoitteena oli tehdä Joensuun keskuskorttelista kulttuuri-, nuoriso- ja luovien alojen alueellinen keskittymä. Hankkeen ensisijaisena kohderyhmänä olivat Joensuun seudun kulttuuri- ja nuorisoalojen toimijat sekä näiden muodostamat miniklusterit. Hankkeen tarkoituksena oli käynnistää prosessi, jonka lopputuloksena kortteli 48:ssa sijaitsee vahva luovien toimialojen sekä nuoriso- ja kulttuuripalveluiden keskittymä