In Finland in 2019–2021, there were more than 10,000 deaths or near-fatal incidents among young people under the age of 30 related to drugs, suicide, or violence. The project seeks to identify turning points in these young people’s lives where timely intervention could have prevented premature deaths.
The project examines why these young people did not receive adequate help at the right time, and what kinds of support might have made a difference. We combine expertise from the behavioural, health, and social sciences with approaches and traditions from data analytics. Using a social autopsy approach, we focus on the social worlds and living conditions of young people to gain knowledge that extends beyond the individual perspective.
The project is carried out by researchers from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), the Finnish Youth Research Society, the A-Clinic Foundation, and the Universities of Helsinki, Tampere and Turku, in interaction with practitioners, public administration and young people themselves. The project is part of the Strategic Research Council’s YOUNG Programme.
Goals
- Identifying the factors contributing to drug-related, violent and suicide deaths among young people by using diverse data sources, the social autopsy approach, and the latest methods in data science, and to develop practices that promote openness and transparency in research.
- Generating new knowledge to support the promotion of young people’s wellbeing and the prevention of premature deaths.
- Reducing drug-related deaths, suicides, and violent deaths among people under the age of 30.
Implementation
The study applies to the social autopsy approach. This approach begins with a set of similar death cases and systematically examines the social and political factors that contributed to them, with the aim of raising public awareness and promoting changes in underlying conditions.
Whereas forensic investigations of causes of death focus on the immediate medical reasons, and psychological approaches emphasise individual risk factors, social autopsy seeks to uncover the social and cultural mechanisms behind patterns of mortality that place certain individuals and communities at higher risk of premature death.
Funding
The project is funded by The Strategic Research Council (SRC) in the Academy of Finland.
Partners
- Addiction and the Family International Network (AFINet)
- Aggredi street violence prevention work
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
- Children of the Station
- City of Helsinki
- Correlation-European Harm Reduction Network (C-EHRN)
- Diaconia University of Applied Sciences
- FinFami – Uusimaa ry
- Finnish Co-operation Network on The Field of Substance Use (PÄIVYT)
- Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health (SOSTE)
- Finnish Foundation for Psychiatric Research
- Finnish Red Cross
- Finnish University Network for Youth Studies (YUNET)
- Helsinki Police Department
- Huoma – Henkirikosten uhrien läheiset ry
- Icehearts ry
- Irti Huumeista ry
- Life without crime (RETS)
- Maria Akatemia
- Mielenterveyden Keskusliitto
- MIELI Mental Health Finland
- Ministry of Justice (National Council for Crime Prevention)
- Ministry of Education and Culture (The State Youth Council)
- Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
- National Police Board of Finland
- Non-Discrtimination Ombudsman
- Ombudsman for Children
- Prevenza Oy
- Prison and Probation Service of Finland
- Safety Investigation Authority, Finland
- Sekasin Collective
- Sopimusvuori ry
- Suomen perhe- ja pariterapiayhdistys
- Surunauha ry
- The Blue Ribbon Foundation
- The Finnish Blue Ribbon
- The Network for Preventive Substance Abuse Work
- Tukikohta ry
- University of Helsinki
- Wellbeing Services County of Päijät-Häme
Contact details
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