Chair: Jessica Hemberg (Åbo Akademi University)
Wednesday Nov 8th 2023 at 2.30–5.15 pm (online)
Adolescents’ and young adults’ mental health and well-being were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, for example during lockdown periods with fewer or no social interactions. It is crucial to explore deeper in what ways adolescents’ and young adults’ mental health and well-being were affected and how they experienced this, as well as its impact on their daily lives and studies. It is also important to examine how this is related to stress and performance requirements among adolescents and young adults in order to be able to find ways of coping better with such situations and create support mechanisms for young people’s mental health and well-being. In this symposium, with four paper presentations, the topic is to explore Mental health and well-being in daily life among adolescents’ and young adults’, as well as experiences of stress and performance pressure and how social media relates to this according to adolescents’ and young adults’ own depictions. The methods used are in-depts interviews and focus group interviews. Content analysis was used as a data analysis method.
Finland-Swedish students’ experiences of social interaction, mental health and performance pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic
Jessica Hemberg (Åbo Akademi University)
Amanda Hyvönen (Åbo Akademi University)
Pia Nyman-Kurkiala (Åbo Akademi University)
Young adults’ everyday lives and lives have been dramatically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and students have experienced limitations both in university studies and in social life, which has affected their well-being and health. The aim of the study was to explore Finland-Swedish young students’ experiences of social interaction, health and performance requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative exploratory design was used. The dataset consisted of essays with 43 young adult students (aged 18-28) at a university in Swedish-speaking Finland. The data analysis method consisted of qualitative content analysis. The results showed four main categories: Continued health obstacles, self-reflection and vitality, Performance requirements as a constant destructive companion or source of self-compassion, New start with university studies, Balancing act between social interaction and loneliness. Young people’s experiences of high performance demands and stress in everyday life need to be addressed and supported by the university and society. Further research should focus on investigating which forms of support and psychosocial interventions should be developed in the opinion of young people, in order to adequately respond to their need for support.
Social media and young people and young adults’ wellbeing
Jessica Hemberg (Åbo Akademi University)
Emelie Käcko (Åbo Akademi University)
Yulia Korzhina (Åbo Akademi University)
Amanda Sundqvist (Åbo Akademi University)
Pia Nyman-Kurkiala (Åbo Akademi University)
Social media is a normal part of young people’s lives and everyday lives today and thus it also has an impact on their wellbeing. The study aim was to investigate how young people experience and view social media and how it impacts their wellbeing in daily life. Data was collected through individual interviews with 15 Finnish adolescents and young adults aged 16-25 and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The findings highlight that social media enables to receive information, maintain social interaction with people and make contacts with new friends. Social media can have both a positive and negative impact on young people’s well-being. Social media can provide feelings of belonging and be entertaining but also create discomfort and anxiety as well as addiction. Future research could focus on social media and the use of different applications in relation to experienced loneliness from young peoples’ perspectives in order for it to support their well-being.
Health habits and experiences of stress and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Young people’s lived experiences
Miia Hästbacka (Åbo Akademi University)
Jessica Hemberg (Åbo Akademi University)
Pia Nyman-Kurkiala (Åbo Akademi University)
Adolescents and young adults mental health and wellbeing as well as everyday life, have been affected due to the social and societal restrictions that have come to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many adolescents health habits, stress and wellbeing may have been affected during the pandemic and it is important to examine these in more detail from the adolescents perspective. The purpose of the study was to explore and create understanding of adolescents and young adults health habits, stress and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic in Swedish-speaking Finland. Sence of coherence (SOC), the theory of comprehensibility, meaningfulness and manageability by Aaron Antonovsky (1996) was used as the theoretical framework. A qualitative exploratory design was used in the study conducted in 20222023 as part of a Åbo Akademi University led research project Loneliness among adolescents in Swedish-speaking Finland. The data consisted of interviews with 13 adolescents (1725 years) in Swedish-speaking Finland. The data analysis method consisted of qualitative content analysis. The results showed two themes and seven categories. The first theme was Resilience from positive health habits followed by three categories: Positive health habits as coping strategies for the promotion of wellbeing, Resilience through self-compassion and adaptation, Essential with a support network. The second theme was Changed conditions and the need for better support followed by four categories: Concern for others and lack of social interaction, Insufficient support, Stress and high demands, The impact of distance learning and social media. Adolescents need for support and suggestions for strategies to strengthen their well-being need to be considered and addressed by society. Further research should focus on investigating professionals views on how adolescents stress could be reduced and how their health and wellbeing could be promoted.
Social media and loneliness – young peoples and young adults experiences and perceptions
Emelie Käcko (Åbo Akademi University)
Jessica Hemberg (Åbo Akademi University)
Pia Nyman-Kurkiala (Åbo Akademi University)
Youth is associated with various emotions and experiences that can negatively affect adolescents health and well-being, loneliness being one of them. In the transition between childhood and adulthood, experiences of loneliness are common and can often have a negative impact on an individuals psychological well-being. The study aim was to investigate how young people and young adults experience and perceive loneliness and social media. Data was collected through individual essays with nine Finnish adolescents and young adults aged 19-27 and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Three main themes and eight subthemes emerged. The main themes were: Negative experiences of involuntary loneliness, Positive experiences of voluntary loneliness, and Social media can reinforce and alleviate experiences of loneliness. More research on social media is needed because of its influence on loneliness among youth and young adults; and on how social media can be used in order for it to support their well-being.
Stress and well-being in daily life among Swedish speaking students in upper secondary and vocational education
Matilda Wrede-Jäntti (University of Helsinki)
Isabella Martin (socialworker)
Adolescents and young adults, especially girls, self-report high levels of mental health issues and stress. Two questionnaires, covering four main topics – life satisfaction, mental health and stress factors, the future and Covid-19 – were sent to Swedish speaking students in upper secondary and vocational education.
The first questionnaire was sent in 2020 (N= approx. 300), the second one in 2022 (N= approx. 500). Some of the respondents also participated in personal in-depts interviews performed over phone. The data were analyzed both using IMB SPSS Statistics and content analysis.
The results show that the respondents are giving their general life satisfaction a decent figure on the Finnish grading scale: 7 ½. However, more than half of the respondents report being worried about their future and feeling stressed about their studies. Boys and girls point out these same sources as the producers of stress in their everyday lives. They respondents draw a strong connection between high levels of stress, mental health issues and the experiences of constantly having to perform well in their studies.
Clear differences were found between the sexes, with more girls experiencing high requirements, whereas the differences were not as distinctive between students from the two educational paths. Despite the respondents alarmingly high estimates of mental health issues among young Finns in general and their own ability to perform on the demanded level, two out of three believe (s)he is happier and feeling better than the average youth. Encouraging is also that more than half of the respondent believe that their future will look brighter in ten years.