Care leavers in early adulthood: How do they fare in Britain, Finland and Germany?

In this paper we examine the longer term outcomes of young people who experienced out of home care (OHC) as children, in Britain, Germany and Finland, countries characterised by different welfare regimes. While there is some evidence on immediate transitions after leaving care (up to age 21), there is less evidence on experiences around age 30, a phase of early adulthood. Drawing on existing longitudinal data for general population samples we focus on outcomes related to education, employment, family, health and receipt of welfare benefits for those who were ever in care and those who were not. We find evidence for continuing disadvantage regarding education and employment for those who were in care as children, but also indications of subjective wellbeing and commitment to family life – possibly a reflection of “normality” and efforts to “fit in” as parents. Surprisingly, despite variations in welfare system and differences in the scope and quality of available data, trends were similar in each of the countries, suggesting that none provide adequately for the needs of care experienced young adults. The findings point towards the need for a revised conceptualisation of the notion of “independence” which has to take into account the manifold and changing relationships between individuals and the state. Instead of a “cliff edge” approach there should be support for a more gradual shift from “dependence” to “independence” enabling those with care experience to develop their full potential. In interpreting the findings, limitations of the available data have to be acknowledged, pointing to the need for generating harmonised and longitudinal data on vulnerable subpopulations to enable effective monitoring of needs and provision

Kelan järjestämä kuntoutus vuonna 1987 syntyneille

Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin vuonna 1987 Suomessa syntyneiden henkilöiden Kelan järjestämän kuntoutuksen käyttöä. Aineistona oli Kelan kuntoutusratkaisu- ja kuntoutuskustannustiedot Kansallinen syntymäkohortti 1987 -rekisteriaineistoon kuuluville henkilöille vuosilta 1987–2012. Kaikkiaan 6,2 % kohortin henkilöistä oli 25 ikävuoteen mennessä saanut myönteisen ratkaisun jollekin Kelan myöntämälle kuntoutustoimenpiteelle. Eri lakiperustein myönnettyjä kuntoutusratkaisuja tutkittiin omina kokonaisuuksinaan kuntoutustoimenpiteiden, pääsairausdiagnoosien ja kuntoutuksen kustannusten osalta. Myönteisen ratkaisun vaikeavammaisen lääkinnälliselle kuntoutukselle saaneiden henkilöiden määrät olivat pieniä (1,3 % syntymäkohortista) mutta kuntoutustoimenpiteitä eri terapiamuodoissa oli näillä henkilöillä runsaasti, ja myös kuntoutuksen henkilöä kohden lasketut kustannukset olivat korkeimmat. Yleisimmät diagnoosiryhmät olivat älyllinen kehitysvammaisuus ja CP-oireyhtymä. Ammatillista kuntoutusta oli myönnetty 2,3 %:lle kohortista, ja merkittävimmät kuntoutusmuodot henkilömäärittäin olivat ammattikoulutus ja kuntoutustutkimus. Ammatillisen kuntoutuksen kustannuksissa havaittiin selkeää nousua vuoden 2007 jälkeen. Merkittävimmät pääsairausdiagnoosit olivat masennustila ja lievä älyllinen kehitysvammaisuus. Myönteisen kuntoutuspäätöksen oli harkinnanvaraisen kuntoutuksen lakiperusteella saanut 3,2 % kohortista, ja näistä kuntoutustoimenpiteistä yli puolet oli ennen vuoden 2011 alkua myönnettyä kuntoutuspsykoterapiaa. Tämän lisäksi kuntoutus- ja sopeutumisvalmennuskurssit olivat myös merkittävä kuntoutustoimenpide. Masennustila sekä ahdistuneisuushäiriöt olivat merkittävimmät diagnoosiryhmät – myös niillä, joilla kuntoutusmuoto oli jokin muu kuin psykoterapia. Kuntoutuspsykoterapiaa omalla lakiperusteellaan oli saanut 1,3 % henkilöistä, ja psykoterapia olikin fysioterapian jälkeen määrällisesti merkittävin terapiamuoto. Alustavassa alueellisessa tarkastelussa havaittiin huomattavia eroja kuntoutustoimenpiteiden käytössä eri alueilla

Determinants of long-term unemployment in early adulthood: A Finnish birth cohort study

Cumulative contributions of social and health-related determinants to long-term unemployment during early working life among young adults are poorly understood. Therefore, we used four cumulative indices of both parental and own social and health-related determinants of such unemployment among a cohort which comprised a complete census of children born in Finland in 1987. The cohort participants were registered in the Medical Birth Register, and they were followed-up through 2015 (N = 46 521). We calculated predicted probabilities for long-term unemployment (> 12 months) when participants were 25–28 years. Moreover, we examined whether the associations differed by unemployment at the municipal level.During the follow-up, 4.5% of women and 7.1% of men experienced long-term unemployment. All cumulative indices of parental and own social and health-related determinants predicted the probability of long-term unemployment. The greatest probabilities were observed for own social determinants, both in municipalities with high and low unemployment although the probabilities were higher in the high-unemployment municipalities. Of the individual determinants, poor school performance showed the strongest association with long-term unemployment among women (OR 6.65, 95% CI 5.21–8.55) and men (OR 3.70, 95% CI 2.96–4.67), after adjusting for other own social determinants. The results highlight the importance of life course social equality in the prevention of long-term unemployment in early adulthood.</p

The Finnish psychiatric birth cohort consortium (PSYCOHORTS) - content, plans and perspectives

Background: Psychiatric disorders tend to be developmental, and longitudinal settings are required to examine predictors of psychiatric phenomena. Replicating and combining data and results from different birth cohorts, which are a source of reliable data, can make research even more valuable. The Finnish Psychiatric Birth Cohort Consortium (PSYCOHORTS) project combines birth cohorts in Finland. Aim: The aim of this paper is to introduce content, plans and perspectives of the PSYCOHORTS project that brings together researchers from Finland. In addition, we illustrate an example of data harmonization using available data on causes of death. Content: PSYCOHORTS includes eight Finnish birth cohorts. The project has several plans: to harmonize different data from birth cohorts, to incorporate biobanks into psychiatric birth cohort research, to apply multigenerational perspectives, to integrate longitudinal patterns of marginalization and inequality in mental health, and to utilize data in health economics research. Data on causes of death, originally obtained from Finnish Cause of Death register, were harmonized across the six birth cohorts using SAS macro facility. Results: Harmonization of the cause of death data resulted in a total of 21,993 observations from 1965 to 2015. For example, the percentage of deaths due to suicide and the sequelae of intentional self-harm was 14% and alcohol-related diseases, including accidental poisoning by alcohol, was 13%. Conclusions: PSYCOHORTS lays the foundation for complex examinations of psychiatric disorders that is based on compatible datasets, use of biobanks and multigenerational approach to risk factors, and extensive data on marginalization and inequality

Parenthood mining using hashtag social network mining approach

Abstract Low birth phenomenon is a global trend with an important economic and societal consequences that stress global and holistic initiatives in western countries. This paper attempts to contribute to this issue by developing an original approach to mine parenthood patterns from Twitter social media platform. Relevant hashtags are employed to develop a social network-based approach to distinguish relevant communities. The three relevant online communities were identified. We conducted a topical based analysis to comprehend the discussion trend and sentiment analysis to further monitor issues of parenthood concerns. Examples of concerns raised by the community analysis include anxiety in autism parenting, stress in single parenting, college loans, and debts in pandemic time

Depression and violence in adolescence and young adults: Findings From three longitudinal cohorts

Objective Despite recent research demonstrating associations between violence and depression in adults, links in adolescents are uncertain. This study aims to assess the longitudinal associations between young people’s depression and later violent outcomes. Method We used data from three cohorts with different measurements of depression exposures and subsequent violent outcomes. In a Dutch community cohort Research on Adolescent Development And Relationships (RADAR; N = 623) and a population-based British birth cohort Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC; N = 4,030), we examined the longitudinal links between adolescent depressive symptoms and violent behaviors from age 13 to 17 years. In a total Finnish birth cohort (FBC 1987; N = 57,526), we estimated risk of violent convictions in individuals clinically diagnosed with depression from age 15-27 years. Results During a mean follow-up period of four years, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of violent behaviors per unit of increase in depressive symptoms was 1.7 (95% CI: 1.2-2.5) in the Dutch RADAR community sample and 1.8 (95% CI: 1.4-2.3) in the British ALSPAC birth cohort. In the FBC 1987 cohort, the aOR of violent convictions was 2.1 (95% CI: 1.7- 2.7) among individuals with a depression diagnosis compared with general population controls without depression. All risk estimates were adjusted for family socioeconomic status and previous violence. Conclusion Consistent findings across three longitudinal studies suggest that clinical guidelines should consider recommending risk assessment for violence in young people with depression. The benefits of targeting risk management in subgroups by gender need further investigation.</p

The Finnish psychiatric birth cohort consortium (PSYCOHORTS) - content, plans and perspectives

Background: Psychiatric disorders tend to be developmental, and longitudinal settings are required to examine predictors of psychiatric phenomena. Replicating and combining data and results from different birth cohorts, which are a source of reliable data, can make research even more valuable. The Finnish Psychiatric Birth Cohort Consortium (PSYCOHORTS) project combines birth cohorts in Finland. Aim: The aim of this paper is to introduce content, plans and perspectives of the PSYCOHORTS project that brings together researchers from Finland. In addition, we illustrate an example of data harmonization using available data on causes of death. Content: PSYCOHORTS includes eight Finnish birth cohorts. The project has several plans: to harmonize different data from birth cohorts, to incorporate biobanks into psychiatric birth cohort research, to apply multigenerational perspectives, to integrate longitudinal patterns of marginalization and inequality in mental health, and to utilize data in health economics research. Data on causes of death, originally obtained from Finnish Cause of Death register, were harmonized across the six birth cohorts using SAS macro facility. Results: Harmonization of the cause of death data resulted in a total of 21,993 observations from 1965 to 2015. For example, the percentage of deaths due to suicide and the sequelae of intentional self-harm was 14% and alcohol-related diseases, including accidental poisoning by alcohol, was 13%. Conclusions: PSYCOHORTS lays the foundation for complex examinations of psychiatric disorders that is based on compatible datasets, use of biobanks and multigenerational approach to risk factors, and extensive data on marginalization and inequality.Peer reviewe