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PurposeThe paper presents a study on whether citizens’ immigration attitudes shape their attitudes towards social welfare in three Nordic countries.Design/methodology/approachThe main analysis was performed using linear regression analysis. Data were retrieved from the eighth round of the European Social Survey (2016). The data cover the Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish respondents (N = 5,021).FindingsThe analyses indicate that citizens’ immigration attitudes are associated with their social welfare attitudes. The more positive the attitudes towards immigration are, the more positive the attitudes toward social welfare will be. Further, people in the political Left have more positive attitudes towards social welfare compared to those in the political Right; but, the immigration issue is more divisive of the political Left’s opinion than that of the Right.Research limitations/implicationsPublic opinion research has its limitations because behind an individual’s opinion there are many hidden factors. An individual may also have different opinions depending on the dimensions of the welfare state.Social implicationsIf the immigration issue reduces the support for social welfare among the political Left, it may reduce the legitimacy of the Nordic social policy because the support of the political Left has traditionally been in favour of the universal principles of the welfare state.Originality/valueThe association of the immigration issue and social welfare attitudes has been broadly studied; but, the interaction of the immigration issue and political opinion on social welfare attitudes is less studied.

Sosiaalityöntekijät työskentelevät nuorisopsykiatriassa erityistyöntekijöinä tuoden sosiaalista näkökulmaa moniammatilliseen vuoropuheluun. Nuorisopsykiatriassa on viime vuosina kehitetty hoitomalleja. Samalla erityistyöntekijöiden työnkuvaa on pyritty vahvistamaan. Artikkelissa sosiaalityön psykososiaalisen asiantuntijuuden jäsentymistä tarkastellaan nuorisopsykiatrian avohoidon monialaisessa ja muuttuneessa toimintaympäristössä. Tutkimuksen aineisto koostuu nuorisopsykiatrian ammattilaisille järjestetyistä fokusryhmähaastatteluista. Nuorisopsykiatriassa psykososiaalinen sosiaalityö jäsennetään kaksoisroolina, joka koostuu nuoren sosiaalisen toimintakyvyn ja perheen kokonaistilanteen arvioimisesta ja palveluverkoston koordinoinnista sekä terapeuttisesta työstä. Ammattiryhmien haastatteluissa korostui yhteisesti näkemys siitä, että lähtökohtana sosiaalityöntekijän asiantuntijuudelle nuorisopsykiatriassa on ymmärrys psyykkisten oireiden vaikutuksesta nuoren sosiaaliseen toimintakykyyn.

This systematic review followed the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. The primary aim of this research was to identify risks and protective factors for the mental health of forced migrants. The secondary aim was to suggest an alternative, more comprehensive approach in social work that surpasses usual diagnoses and intrinsically contradicts the medicalization of mental health issues of forced migrants. The search was conducted between January 2015 and January 2021. As a result, 29 studies met inclusion criteria. Medicalizing mental health issues by relying solely on the effectiveness of medicine was a controversial risk factor that negatively affected daily life activities of refugees and reduced their willingness for seeking professional mental health services. Empowering vulnerable minorities by giving them back their power and agency to be able to speak for themselves and raise voices of trauma and recovery was the missing protective factor for a sustainable mental health practice. The benefits of group-based interventions were highlighted in which communities and individuals address mental health issues as well as isolation through building collective identities and support networks. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) can add more strength to any kind of mental health interventions. Finally, the benefits of applying an ecological perspective for the study of the mental health of refugees, and its implications for a sustainable intercultural practice, were discussed. Social workers in this model are the representatives of at-risk groups, and thus require more agency and creativity in reflecting client’s concrete needs.

Objectives Loneliness and social isolation both increase mortality and are likely to affect health via several pathways. However, information on the potential pathways remains scarce. We investigated the associations between loneliness, social isolation, and mortality, and possible mechanisms underlying these connections. Methods The analyzed data comprised a prospective population-based cohort of Finnish men (42–61 years at baseline, n = 2588) who were followed up for an average of 23.2 years. Mortality data were obtained from the national population register in 2012. Cox proportional hazards analysis with adjustments for possible confounding factors was used to examine the associations between loneliness and social isolation at baseline and all-cause, injury, cancer, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Mediation analysis was conducted to investigate the mechanisms underlying the associations of loneliness and social isolation with mortality. Results Loneliness predicted all-cause mortality, even after adjustments for all covariates. Loneliness predicted cancer mortality, except after adjustments for lifestyle variables or Human Population Laboratory (HPL) depression scores, and also predicted CVD mortality, except after adjustments for HPL depression scores. Social isolation predicted all-cause mortality and injury mortality. The effect of social isolation on all-cause mortality was mediated by loneliness and HPL depression scores. Conclusions Our findings suggest that both loneliness and social isolation increase the risk of all-cause mortality, while they have differing effects on different causes of death. Loneliness and depressive symptoms may mediate the effect of social isolation on increased mortality.

The present study examines the association between individualistic values and citizens´ attitudes towards the state’s welfare responsibility (welfare attitudes). This study also examines the association between political placement and welfare attitudes. Data from the European Social Survey (N = 37,743 in 20 countries) are analyzed using a two-level regression analysis. The findings indicate that individualism at the cultural culture is a significant factor in terms of individuals’ attitudes to welfare, in that the higher the level of individualism, the lesser the likelihood that the state’s welfare responsibility is supported. On the other hand, citizens’ attitudes towards state responsibility for welfare are associated with the political placement of those citizens. Politically, people leaning to the right have a lower degree of interest in the state’s welfare responsibility. Furthermore, the degree of individualism modifies the association at the individual level of political placement and welfare attitudes. There is a greater attitudinal difference between the supporters of right-wing and left-wing political views in individualistic countries than in collectivist countries. From a social policy perspective, this study emphasizes the association of individualism and welfare attitudes. The results suggest that social policy is based more on national cultural values than one might assume.

Background Children's disabilities and long-term illnesses (DLTIs) are a significant risk factor in the development of maltreatment. Objective The study is focused on the association of children's DLTIs with child maltreatment and poly-victimization perpetrated by parents. Participants and setting The study is based on a 2013 Child Victim Survey (N = 11,364), which is a cross-sectional survey. This nationally representative survey focused on the life situation of Finnish children aged 12–17 years, as well as on experiences of violence, crime, and bullying. Methods Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association of children's DLTIs and child maltreatment. Results Poly-victimization played a significant role in child maltreatment. Children's hearing impairment (OR 5.68, 95% Cl 2.25–14.35), physical disability (OR 3.32, 95% Cl 1.61–6.88), and mental health problems (OR 4.37, 95% Cl 1.63–11.72) increased the odds of poly-victimization more than other forms of abuse. The situation was similar with both somatic diseases (OR 1.59, 95% Cl 1.14–2.21) and psychiatric illnesses (OR 2.12, 95% Cl 1.36–2.47) in children. Further, somatic and psychiatric multimorbidity in children increased the odds of poly-victimization (OR 4.17, 95% Cl 2.25–7.75) slightly more than risk of physical abuse (OR 3.57, 95% 1.11–11.49). As control variables, child's gender and age, the family financial situation, and the parent's intimate partner violence were adjusted in all of the analyses. Conclusion Clinical professionals should consider children's multimorbidity as a potential risk factor of maltreatment. The results of the study can be used to support families and children with DLTIs.

Aim: The significance of welfare and health technology has been highlighted in recent years. However, employees’ attitudes towards welfare technology in substance abuse treatment have received little attention. This article examines employees’ readiness to introduce welfare technology in substance abuse treatment and their attitudes towards its use. Design: The theoretical framework of this study is based on Ajzen’s (1991, 2001) theory of planned behaviour, and the ongoing discussion about the adoption of new technology in healthcare. The research data (N = 129) were collected in the form of an electronic questionnaire in Finland in 2015. Results: The results are consistent with the theory of planned behaviour and previous studies on the acceptance of information systems in healthcare. Employees’ readiness to introduce new welfare technology applications and devices in substance abuse treatment is influenced by their personal appreciation of welfare technology, the expectations of their colleagues and supervisors, as well as their own perceptions of their capacity to learn to use the applications. Conclusions: The study found some links between demographic factors and cognitions related to welfare technology. In particular, employees with a healthcare background are more inclined to adopt the technology than other employees in substance abuse treatment. In addition, a person’s age has a negative relationship with their perceived technology management. However, age has no significant connection with attitudes and no direct independent effect on the readiness to introduce a new welfare technology. Lastly, the results show that previous positive experiences of welfare technology make it easier to introduce new technologies., published version, peerReviewed

In this study, we analyze youngpeople’sattitudes towards entrepreneurship in theHelsinki-Uusimaa region of Finland.First, ourtheoretical framework links withattitude research, in particular, Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior. Our secondperspective derives from the theory of representations. Third, our analysis is basedon discussionsofthe welfare state and democratic values. We ask what socialpsychological factors explain young people’s entrepreneurial intentions. Surveydata (N=873)was collected in electronic formatfromsecondary and vocationalschools. The questions were mainly multiple choiceLikert-scalequestions. Theanalysis was undertaken using simple statistical methods. Our results demonstratethat the relationship betweensocial values, representations concerningentrepreneurship,and entrepreneurial intention is complex in the Finnish context.Whilewe further argue thatthetheory of planned behavior is valid in thisinstance, the representations and social values serve to explain entrepreneurialintentiononly weakly.