Out of Despair – providing solutions to break the pathways leading to violent, suicidal and drug-induced deaths of young people (Young Despair)

The Out of Despair research concortium aims to generate a new, comprehensive knowledge base of youth in despair by applying and developing a method of social autopsy. This includes an extensive examination of the pathways of young people who died or nearly died from violent, suicidal, or drug-induced causes. By investigating deaths and near-death experiences of people under 30 years old, we are looking for ways to prevent risk behavior and to increase well-being and equality of young people. The common work of the consortium is divided to work packages (WP).

Risk behavior and services – viewpoint of young people at risk is the research project that is carried out in WP5 by the Youth Research Society and the A-Clinic Foundation. Risk factors related to life situations of young people and how they view the available services are investigated with an ethnographic approach and through activities of non-governmental organizations. Hard-to-reach youths are interviewed on their experiences of overdose, violence-related situations or suicide attempts, occasionally using a photovoice method.

Additionally, the experiences of young people are examined using anonymous chat conversation data. Young peoples’ experiences of despair are studied as an online phenomenon through discussions related to suicide. See also a linked project CHAT-YOUTH.

Funding and partners

Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, leader of the consortium Pekka Hakkarainen
University of Helsinki / Faculty of Social Sciences, Janne Kivivuori
Tampere University / Faculty of Social Sciences, Sami Pirkola
Finnish Youth Research Society, Tuuli Pitkänen
University of Turku / Department of Computing, Leo Lahti
A-Clinic Foundation, Jouni Tourunen

Funded by The Strategic Research Council (SRC).

Out of Despair webpage in English.