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Aims: Little is known about the effect of economic recessions on cardiovascular disease. Therefore, we investigated the association of the economic recession in Finland in the 1990s with the incidence of cardiovascular disease among middle-aged and older women. Methods: A total of 918 women aged 53–73 years were examined for health and socioeconomic position in 1998–2001, as part of the population-based prospective Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. The participants were asked whether Finland's economic recession in the early 1990s had affected their lives socially or economically. The cohort was followed for 18 years, and incident physician-diagnosed cases of cardiovascular disease were obtained through record linkage with the national hospital discharge registry that covers every hospitalisation in Finland. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the risk of cardiovascular disease among those with and without exposure to socioeconomic hardships during the recession, after adjusting for possible confounders. Results: At the baseline, 587 women reported having experienced socioeconomic hardships due to the recession. During the 20 years' follow-up, 501 women developed cardiovascular disease. After adjustment for age, the risk of cardiovascular disease was 27% higher among women exposed to socioeconomic hardships compared to those who were not (hazard ratio 1.27, 95% confidence interval 1.06–1.53, P =0.012). Further adjustments for overall socioeconomic position at baseline, prior cardiovascular health, and lifestyle factors did not attenuate the association (hazard ratio 1.23, 95% confidence interval 1.02–1.5, P =0.029). Conclusions: The early 1990s economic recession was associated with a subsequently increased risk of cardiovascular disease among Finnish women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To estimate whether large macroeconomic fluctuations in the 2000s affected inequalities in alcohol‐related mortality in the Baltic countries and Finland. Design Longitudinal register‐based follow‐up study. Setting: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland. Participants: General population in the 35–74 age group. Measurements Socioeconomic status was measured by the highest achieved educational level and was categorised using the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 as low (included categories 0–2), middle (3–4), and high (5–8). Educational inequalities in alcohol‐related mortality in 2000–2003, 2004–2007, 2008–2011 and 2012–2015 were examined using census‐linked longitudinal mortality data. We estimated age‐standardised mortality rates and the relative and slope index of inequality. Findings Alcohol‐related mortality increased in all countries in 2004–2007 except among Estonian women and decreased/remained the same from 2008 onward except among Latvian men. By 2012–2015 alcohol‐related mortality was still higher than in 2000–2003 in Finland, Latvia and Lithuania (women only). Relative inequalities increased across the study period in all countries (significantly in Lithuania and Latvia). The 2004–2007 increase in relative inequalities was mostly driven by a larger mortality increase among the low educated, whereas in 2008–2011 and in 2012–2015 inequalities often increased because of a larger relative mortality decline among the high educated. However, these period changes in relative inequalities and between educational groups were often not statistically significant. Absolute inequalities were larger in 2012–2015 versus 2000–2003 in all countries except Estonia (decrease). Conclusion: In the Baltic countries and Finland, alcohol‐related mortality tended to increase faster among the low educated during a period of economic expansion (2004–2007) and decrease more among the high educated during a period of economic recession (2008–2011). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A financial recession has been associated with a decrease in all-cause mortality, but little is known about how psychosocial fluctuations in stress tolerance or orientation to life affect this association. Sense of Coherence (SOC) is a core construct in the Salutogenic Model of Health and is determined by generalized resistance resources and measures one's orientation to life by comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness. We followed the mortality of a cohort of middle-aged Finnish men (n = 854) from the 1980s to the end of 2019. The cohort baseline was stratified into four age groups at baseline: 42, 48, 54, and 60. SOC was measured twice, at the baseline and at the 11-year follow-up visit. Between these SOC measurements, Finland confronted a deep financial recession, the effects of which were examined at the follow-up visit by questionnaires related to economic hardship (sum of nine items) and experience of the recession (one item). Using age group, marital status, employment status, and education as covariates, the change in SOC mediated both the economic hardship and the experience of recession relations to mortality: the indirect effects -19.57 (95% CI -43.23 to -0.92), and -26.82 (95% CI -59.52 to -0.61), respectively. Every one-point increase in economic hardship predicted about 2 and a half weeks shorter life expectancy, and those who experienced very strong disadvantages of economic recession had about 3 and a half months lower life expectancy by the end of 2019 than those who fully avoided the disadvantages. Furthermore, the younger age groups, 42 and 48, experienced the recession more severely than the older groups, 54 and 60. We conclude that following how orientation to life changes among middle-aged might be an informative approach after a recession. • Examined how the experience of financial recession is associated with mortality. • Followed a cohort of middle-aged men who lived through a recession. • Measured sense of coherence (SOC) before and after the recession. • Change in SOC was a mediator between recession and mortality. • Psychosocial change is a potential explanation for the recession-induced mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of Finnish psychiatry has been characterized by polarizations: priority in hospitals vs. outpatient care, centralized vs. decentralized organization, independent vs. integrated administration, biological vs. psychological treatments, private vs. public production, special psychiatric policies vs. general health policies. The independent psychiatric organizations on District level lasted from the 1920s until 1990. Since then, the formerly independent psychiatry was subordinated to General Hospital administration and the centralized system of state planning and financing of healthcare was gradually decentralized and run down. During the heavy Finnish economic recession of the early 1990s, the cuts of the public sector were unfortunately focused most heavily on psychiatric services. The main focus of research and teaching has shifted from earlier emphasis on psychoanalytical approach to biological psychiatry since the late 1980s. The administrative position of psychiatry has been repeatedly changing and unstable during the last 20 years. At the level of the contents of the services, however, there have been many very positive and promising developments. Psychiatry has come closer to other specialties from its formerly isolated position, when the separate administrations have been integrated. Provision of outpatient services has increased remarkably, while the number of hospital beds has decreased radically. Interest and resources in research have increased remarkably, and numerous new and good quality psychiatric research reports are being published. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the operations of a sample of rental independent living senior apartments in Tampere, Finland. We compare 10 properties containing 421 units owned by one nonprofit and two for-profit housing providers. We examine costs and revenues across properties using data collected through interviews and a survey of company representatives and property managers. The results indicate that until the recent economic downturn, these senior houses generally experienced fast initial lease-up and low turnover but relatively long vacancies for some units when re-leasing. Performance varies among properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author advances a critical concept about cultural identity, through her own national perspective. The work puts forward a construction of collective memories of the nation and the people, from inside the author's national landscape. The paper explores the relationship between two poles. On the one hand, she looks at how the nation was portrayed in the visual form of popular culture during a time of economic recession. On the other hand, she explores how the history of the country had been organized in order to serve the purpose of mobilization and unity of the nation in this new situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the applicability of the family economic stress model (FESM) in understanding the influences of economic hardship on child mental health during a nationwide economic recession in Finland. The information was gathered from 527 triads of 1 2-year-olds and their mothers and fathers from a population sample. The structural equation models showed that the FESM fit the data well, indicating its generalizability in Finnish society. The results confirmed that a reduction in disposable family income constitutes a risk for child mental health through increased economic pressure and negative changes in parental mental health, marital interaction, and parenting quality. Controlling the children's prerecession mental health substantiated that economic hardship can lead to deterioration in children's mental health. Alternative models based on fully recursive analyses revealed reciprocal influences between parents and their children over time: Children's prerecession mental health problems predicted compromised parenting, which in turn contributed to children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms during the recession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the changes in the status of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland during the 20th century. Specifically, the article investigates the ways in which the recession of the 1990s affected the Church's societal role and analyses the role of the social work of the church and its associations as an indicator of its status. The theoretical framework of the article includes secularisation and post-secularisation (sacralisation) theories. In contract to most previous post-secularisation studies, the level of analysis in this article is organisational and societal arguing that the changes in the societal role of the church indicate an increase in influence. The direction has been towards church social work having increasing importance in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies job and worker flows during a deep recession in the early 1990's in the business sector in Finland. Effect of different characteristics of plants and their employees on flows of plant workers; Determinants of hiring from unemployment and separation to unemployment; Excess worker turnover and excess job reallocation; Countercyclicality of job reallocation.

Finland, one of the welfare states of northern Europe, faced an exceptionally deep economic recession at the beginning of the 1990s. Based on the Family Stress Model (Conger & Elder, 1994) we studied specific mediating paths between economic hardship and the different domains of parenting in 527 mother-father-child triads. The results show that economic hardship created economic pressures for both parents. For fathers, both the general and specific pressures were further associated with symptoms of anxiety and social dysfunction, whereas for mothers, only the specific economic pressures were negatively reflected in mental health by increasing depressing mood and anxiety symptoms. Paternal anxiety was then associated with hostile marital interaction, perceived by the wife, and maternal anxiety with low marital support, perceived by the husband. The negative marital interaction finally was associated with poor parenting, especially among the fathers. Fathers' anxiety was also directly related to their punitive and noninvolved fathering, and social dysfunction to noninvolved fathering. Depressive symptoms in mothers were negatively reflected in authoritative mothering. Finally, the results revealed that supportive and nonhostile marital interaction was able to moderate the negative impact of economic hardship on parenting. The findings suggest that mothers and fathers fulfil gendered roles in dealing with the family economy and relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the relationship between the alleged neo-conservative turn in Finnish politics and the newspaper stories about the unemployed during the Finnish recession in the 1990s. It describes the metaphors used in the writing to describe the situation and recurring complaint about the media and politicians were that, they were implying that the unemployed are work-shy.

This study examines equality in education during a national recession when the supply of special services has decreased. Who gets selected for the scanty services? The need for and the availability of special services (remedial instruction, special education and psychological counselling) were studied with reference to students' social, family and personal factors. The sample included 906 sixth-graders from southern Finland and the study was carried out by means of questionnaires to students and teachers. A considerable gap was found between need and supply of special services. The need for services was widely related to the background factors. The selection process was biased against boys in remedial instruction, internalising children in psychological counselling, and it favoured students with more resources: those achieving well, being motivated and having a higher socio-economic status. The study reveals one possible pathway aggravating inequality in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated attempted suicide trends during a deep economic recession in the 1990s in a well-defined urban catchment area.Methods: The data covered every suicide attempt treated in health care during sample periods in 1989-1997 in Helsinki, Finland. Annual rates were estimated, 3-year moving averages for trends calculated, and significances tested.Results: The overall attempted suicide rate remained stable over the 9-year study period. Against expectations, male rates decreased significantly (P < 0.01), especially among those aged 15-34. There was a convergence of female and male rates, although male rates remained higher. The proportion of poisonings as method increased (P < 0.01).Conclusions: Despite the deep economic recession, with rapidly rising unemployment attempted suicide rates remained unexpectedly stable. The total attempted suicide rate did not increase as might have been anticipated, and the male rate even decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of mental disorder and associated factors during an economic recession. Random samples of Finnish general population were collected in 3 consecutive years, 1993-95. The prevalence of mental disorders was assessed by means of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The prevalence of mental disorders varied among Finnish men from 15.6% to 19.2% and among women from 21 to 24.5%. Mental disorder was more common among women than among men in every study year. Mental disorder was more common among the unemployed than among other respondents both in women and men in every year. Subjective poor health, suicidal thoughts and poor economic situation were constantly associated with mental disorder in both sexes every year. Using logistic regression analyses, problems with a partner, uncertain future orientation and use of psychoactive drugs, in particular, were found to be fairly permanent independent risk factors in relation to mental disorder. As studied by gender no major changes occurred in the mental health status of Finns during economic recession, although in many specific groups mental disorder was markedly more common than in the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the relationship between the economic situation and public support for the welfare state is investigated. Two hypotheses are presented: (I) serious economic crises reduce the support for welfare, and (2) once the crisis is over, support will gradually return to its pre-crisis level. These hypotheses are studied using Finnish public opinion data from 1975 to 1993, and considerable support for them is found. Furthermore, the article demonstrates that, even during a deep recession, public opinion gives higher priority to the welfare functions of the state over other functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After enjoying rapid economic growth in the 1980s, Finland suffered a deep economic recession that began in 1990. It has been claimed that recession and uneven subsidies influence the use of dental services negatively. Finnish adults born after 1956 and world war veterans are entitled to subsidized dental care either in the Public Dental Service (PDS) or in the private sector. Other adults pay their treatment costs. Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the economic recession in Finland during the early 1990s affected the use of dental services. Methods: The data were collected by the National Research and Development Center for Welfare and Health using a method called CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interview). The target population was non-institutionalized persons aged 25-79 years. Results: About one-third of those interviewed had visited a dentist during the previous 6 months and this proportion was stable during the years studied. Number of teeth, length of education, income and sex had the highest predictive values for use of dental services as analyzed by multiple logistic regression. Two-thirds had visited a private practitioner, one-third a PDS clinic and a small percentage some other dentist or denturist. Conclusions: The results showed that the dental service utilization by Finns was stable during this period of economic downturn and only minor changes occurred in the mean number of visits. The most prominent change was seen in the youngest age group, among whom dental utilization decreased by almost 10%. The study indicated that subsidies do not strongly affect dental utilization today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the employment prospects of college graduates in Finland's labor market at the height of the country's economic recession. Instability of employment for college graduates who found work; Strategies adopted by the graduates to cope with the situation; Model constructed to illustrate the employment crisis and strategies for coping.

Assesses the relation between the economic recession in the 1990s in Finland and sleep behavior of an adult Finnish population cohort. Information on the economic recession in Finland in the 1990s; Reference to research on the effect of the economy on well-being; How to prevent damaging effects on health.