Tuntemattomista vertaistuttaviksi : Esikoisäitien ja -isien perhevalmennusprosessi Espoon uudentyyppisessä perhevalmennuskokeilussa

From Strangers to Peer Acquaintances Mothers and Fathers with a First Born and their Experiences of the New Family Training Process in Espoo This research is composed of two interrelated case studies. The first case was a family training experiment conducted in the City of Espoo during 2003 2005. In the experiment, the content, duration and procedures were modified from the previous family training policy. The new family training system stressed peer group activities and the peer support formed between the participating mothers and fathers. The second case comprised the stories of 14 parents about the family training process. The aim of the research was to find out whether peer group activities and support was demonstrated between the participating parents during the family training process. The second case and its narrative material constituted the main research material. The narrative material was collected by interviews. Eight mothers and six fathers were interviewed twice within a year between their sessions. The parents also filled in questionnaires about their daily life and participated in a drawing exercise, in which they visualized how they experienced the family training during the antenatal period, labour and the postnatal period. A narrative approach was applied to the analysis of the narrative material. The analysis consisted of several stages. In the final stage, the fathers main story was combined with all the participating fathers personal stories. The mothers main story was also constructed from their personal stories. The study implicated that in some parts the mothers and fathers main stories were similar. During the family training, previously unacquainted parents became peer acquaintances. In particular, the first born as a focus created interaction and cooperation among the parents. Parents in similar circumstances became significant to each other. Different figurations formed during the family training. However, the main stories did not always entwine. The mothers were in contact with the other mothers almost daily using mobile phones, email and mother-child activities. The fathers employed outside home met each other only during the family training meetings, but felt being supported by the other fathers. Some families visited one another outside of the family training. This new type of family training had characteristics typical of the project society. The parents peer activities were based on trust, negotiation and contracts between partners. The parents evaluated the benefits of participation in the family training. If they appreciated the activities with peers and peer compassion, they were willing to participate in the family training during the postnatal period. Keywords: family training, parenthood, motherhood, fatherhood, peer, peer group, peer support, social support, social relationships, figurations, the project society, pastoral power, epistolary power

Paimen vailla hiippakuntaa : Kenttäpiispan viran synty ja vaikutus sotilaspapiston asemaan Suomen puolustusvoimissa ja kirkossa vuosina 1939 - 1944

The main purpose of this research is to shed light on the factors that gave rise to the office of Field Bishop in the years 1939-1944. How did military bishophood affect the status of the head of military pastoral care and military clergy during these years? The main sources of my research are the collections in the Finnish National Archives, and I use a historical-qualitative method. The position of the military clergy was debated within both the Church and the Defence Forces before 1939. At that stage, Church law did not yet recognize the office of the leading military priest, the Field Dean. There had been a motion in 1932 to introduce the office of a military bishop, but the bishops' synod blocked it. The concept of Field Bishop appeared for the first time in 1927 in a Finnish military document, which dealt with pastoral care in the Polish military. The Field Dean in Finland had regularly proposed improvements to the salary of the military clergy before the Winter War. After the Winter War, arguments were made for strengthening the position of the military clergy: these arguments were based on the increased respect shown towards this clergy, especially due to their role in the care of the fallen, which had become their task during the war. Younger members of the military clergy in particular supported the demands to improve their position within the Church and the army. The creation of a Field Bishop was perceived as strengthening the whole military clergy, as the Field Bishop was envisioned as a bishop within the Church and a general within the Defence Forces. During that time the Field Dean was still without any military rank. The idea of a Field Bishop was recommended to Mannerheim in June 1940, after which the Defence Forces lent their support to the cause. The status of the military clergy, in Church law, made it to the agenda of the Church council in January 1941, thanks largely to the younger priests' group influence and Mannerheim's leverage. The bishops opposed the notion of a Field Bishop mostly on theological grounds but were ready to concede that the position the Field Dean in Church law required further defining. The creation of the office of Field Bishop was blocked in the Church law committee report issued close to the beginning of the Continuation War. The onset of that war, however, changed the course of events, as the President of the Republic appointed Field Dean Johannes Björklund as Field Bishop. Speculation has abounded about Mannerheim's role in the appointment, but the truth of the matter is not clear. The title of Field Bishop was used to put pressure on the Church, and, at the same time, Mannerheim could remain detached from the matter. Later, in September 1941, the Church council approved the use of the Field Bishop title to denote the head of military pastoral care in Church law, and Field Bishops were assigned some of the duties formerly pertaining to bishops. Despite all expectations and hopes, the new office of Field Bishop did not affect the status of the military clergy within the Defence Forces, as no ranks were established for them, and their salary did not improve. However the office of the Field Bishop within Army HQ was transformed from a bureau into a department in the summer of 1942. At the beginning of the Continuation War, the Field Bishop was criticized by certain military and Church clergy for favouring Russian Orthodox Christians in Eastern Karelia. Björklund agreed in principle with most of the Lutheran clergy on the necessity of Lutheranizing East Karelia but had to take into account the realities at Army HQ. As well, at the same time the majority of the younger clergy were serving in the army, and there was a lack of parish priests on the home front. Bishop Lehtonen had actually expressed the wish that more priests could have been released from the front to serve in local parishes. In his notes Lehtonen accused Björklund of trying to achieve the position of Field Bishop by all possible means. However, research has revealed a varied group of people behind the creation of the office of Field Bishop, including in particular younger clergy and the Defence Forces.

Nota sullo status della gallina prataiola (Tetrax tetrax) nella Zona di Protezione Speciale Piana di Semestene, Bonorva, Macomer e Bortigali (Sardegna), 2007-2009

The little bustard Tetrax tetrax is a bird of agro-pastoral landscapes rapidly disappearing from most of Western Europe due to agricultural intensification. In Italy, the species is virtually extinct from the mainland but still occurs in Sardinia, where four Special Protection Areas (SPAs) have been designated in 2007 to protect the bustard and related habitat. In this note, we document a steep decline (between 50 and 87,5%) of the species during the last decade in one of those four SPAs, Plains of Semestene, Bonorva, Macomer and Bortigali. However, during summer 2009, a group of 17 individuals was found within the SPA, confirming that the species, although at low numbers (5-15 displaying males), still breeds successfully in the area. Potential limiting factors are also discussed. We urge to undertake conservation measures based on solid scientific evidence if the local population is to be saved from probable extinction in the near future.

Oral health, smoking and adolescence

The present cross-sectional study examined the effect of smoking on oral health in a birth cohort of 15 to 16-year-old Finnish adolescents. The hypothesis was that oral health parameters were poorer among smoking than non-smoking subjects and that a tobacco intervention program could be effective among the adolescents. The study was conducted in the Kotka Health Center, Kotka, Finland. Altogether 501 out of 545 subjects (15- to 16-year-old boys [n = 258] and girls [n = 243]) were clinically examined in 2004 and 2005. The sample frame was a birth cohort of all subjects in 1989 and 1990, living in Kotka. A structured questionnaire was also filled in by the participants to record their general health and health habits, such as smoking, tooth brushing, and medication used. The participants were classified into nonsmokers, current smokers, and former smokers. Subgingival pooled plaque samples were taken and stimulated salivary samples were also collected. The subjects were asked from which of seven professional groups (doctors, school nurses, dental nurses, general nurses, dentists, teachers and media professionals) they would prefer to receive information about tobacco. The two most popular groups they picked up were dentists and school nurses. Current smokers (n=127) were then randomly assigned into three groups: the dentist group (n =44), the school-nurse group (n =42), and the control group (n =39). The intervention was based on a national recommendation of evidence based guidelines by The Finnish Medical Society Duodecim ( 5A counseling system). Two months after the intervention, a second questionnaire was sent to the smokers in the intervention groups. Smoking cessation, smoking quantity per week, and self-rated addiction for smoking (SRA) were recorded. The results were analyzed using the R-statistical program. The results showed that 15% of the subjects had periodontitis. Smokers (25%) had more periodontitis than non-smokers (66%) (p < 0.001). Smoking boys (24%) also had more caries lesions than non-smokers (69%) (p < 0.001), and they brushed their teeth less frequently than non-smokers. Smoking significantly impaired periodontal health of the subjects, even when the confounding effects of plaque and tooth brushing were adjusted. Smoking pack-years, intensified the effects of smoking. Periodontal bacteria Prevotella nigrescens, Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola were more frequently detected among the smokers than non-smokers, especially among smoking girls. Smoking significantly decreased the values of both the salivary periodontal biomarkers MMP-8 (p=0.04) and PMN elastase (p=0.02) in boys. The effect was strengthened by pack years of smoking (MMP-8 p=0.04; elastase p0.01). Of those who participated in the intervention, 19 % quit smoking. The key factors associated with smoking cessation were best friend`s influence, nicotine dependence and diurnal type. When the best friend was not a smoker, the risk ratio (RR) of quit smoking after the intervention was 7.0 (Cl 95% 4.6 10.7). Of the diurnal types, the morning people seemed to be more likely to quit (RR 2.2 [Cl 95% 1.4 3.6]). Nicotine dependence also elicited an opposite effect: those who scored between 3 and 5 dependence scores were less likely to quit. In conclusion, smoking appears to be a major etiological risk factor for oral health. However, the early signs of periodontal disease were mild in the subjects studied. Based on the opinions of the adolescent s, dental professionals may have a key position in their smoking cessation. The harmful effects of smoking on oral health could be used in counselling. Best friend`s influence, nicotine dependence and diurnal type, all factors associated with smoking cessation, should be taken more carefully into account in the prevention programs for adolescents.

Attitudes towards suicide among Master’s degree students: a cross-cultural comparison between China and Finland

Attitudes towards suicide among Master’s degree students in Chang Sha (China) and Helsinki (Finland) were compared in order to explore possible cross-cultural differences. The sample included 206 Master’s degree students, 101 Chinese and 105 Finnish. Data were collected using the 30-item Multi-Attitudes Suicide Tendency Scale (MAST) and a demographic information form. According to the results, both Chinese and Finnish students held positive attitudes towards life, they held contradictory attitudes towards suicide, with Finnish students having more permissive and liberal attitudes towards suicide than their Chinese counterparts. In addition, three socio-demographic characteristics, namely religion, family structure, and economic status, associated with attitudes towards suicide among the Chinese Master’s degree students; meanwhile, all socio-demographic characteristics, including gender, religion, major subject, family structure, economic status, and received social support related to attitudes towards suicide among the Finnish Master’s degree students. However, after examining the interaction effect between socio-demographics and cultural backgrounds on attitudes towards suicide, the attitudes of Chinese students were more related to gender, marital status, family economic status, and received social support, whereas Finnish students were more influenced by religion. These findings suggest that culture plays an important role in shaping country-specific differences in attitudes towards suicide and their association with socio-demographic characteristics. Understanding individual attitudes towards suicide could help in intervention to prevent the development of suicidal ideation and in providing appropriate psychological counseling to reduce mental problems. Therefore, these cross-cultural differences may provide indications on how to conduct suicide prevention programs while considering culture-specific contexts.

Uutta, vanhaa ja lainattua : Tampereen Kaupunkilähetyksen kristillissosiaalisen työn asemoituminen hyvinvointivaltion rakentumisessa vuosina 1939−1973

The main purpose of this study was to provide a full account of the Christian social work carried out at the Tampere City Mission (TCM) as well as the Missions sphere of operations from the Second World War to the early 1970s, comprising a period of significant change. The study consists of charting the processes of change and connections within the activities of the TCM and how examining these were linked to the general tendencies of the period, in lay work, social work, professionalization and the representation of gender. The positioning of the activities is described on the basis of these tendencies. The main sources for the study were the archives of the Mission, for example the minutes of meetings, correspondences as well as annual reports, and the archives of its partners, such as the City of Tampere, the Evangelical Lutheran parishes of Tampere and the State Welfare Administration. The archives of the Helsinki, Turku and Stockholm Missions supplied comparison reference and other material. In particular, social welfare and Christian social work technical journals of were used as printed sources. The principal method used was the genetic method of historiology. The research subject was also evaluated from the point of view of third sector research in addition to that of professionalization studies and gender studies. By the beginning of the research period, the TCM had turned more and more dedicatedly into a multipurpose social service organization maintaining social services such as old people s homes and children´s homes. This development continued, even though new areas of activity emerged and older ones fell into disuse. Social innovations sprang up, marriage counseling being one of them. On the national level, the TCM pioneered the provision of sheltered industrial work for intellectually disabled persons as well as housing services for them. As new activities were initiated, they overlapped with the established ones, and the TCM handed some of its child protection functions over to the municipality, in accordance with the current adaptation theory. The use of its own property to produce ever-changing social services may be the reason why the association s work continued on with vitality. Functional networks and political aid in the field of social services also bolstered the association. As in other Nordic countries, nonprofit organizations served as partners rather than competitors, with the State establishing institutional welfare arrangements. In the 1960s the municipal takeover of social services impacted the TCM activities. Rules for government subsidies and municipal allowances were not well established; hence these funds were not easily available, making improvements difficult. The TCM was a community in which women had a relatively strong position and an opportunity to make a difference. Female staff were reasonably equal to men, and women worked as heads of a several institutions. Care work employed a number of men, which went against the traditional segregation of labour between the sexes. The TCM s operations were from early on very professionalized, and were developed with particular care. Keywords: Christian social work, third sector, professionalization, gender