Mortality among people with mental disorders is considerably higher than in the general population, and mental disorders are also associated with somatic morbidity and social exclusion. These associations are likely to be bidirectional and complex, and they vary across different mental disorders and stages of the life course. Mental disorders also have a significant impact on the well-being of close relatives. Both individual-level and environmental factors are central to the development of mental disorders. However, knowledge of the mechanisms remains limited.
The project examines, from several perspectives, the multidimensional relationships between mental health, social position and isolation, morbidity, and well-being across the life course.
Goals
The project provides new research evidence that can be used to develop more effective intervention and prevention methods.
The project comprises five work packages, which focus on
- the associations between mental health, socioeconomic position, and morbidity
- the effects of climate on mental health, sickness absence, and mortality, as well as the role of population structure, socioeconomic factors, and health status in vulnerability and exposure to weather-related health risks
- the risk of social isolation and exclusion in relation to cancer incidence, case fatality, and all-cause mortality, and the mechanisms underlying these associations
- the complex relationships between educational attainment and mental health, and the factors explaining these relationships
- the effects of mental disorders within social networks and the duration of these effects over time.
Implementation
The research data for the project consist of multiple register-based datasets, including information from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare's (THL) care registers, several registers maintained by Statistics Finland, and registers from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela). The information contained in these registers has been linked by the register authorities using personal identity codes, and anonymized data have been made available to the researchers through Statistics Finland’s FIONA remote access system.
The study uses statistical methods appropriate for register-based research to estimate both relative and absolute risks. In addition to traditional standardization methods, family-based designs are employed to account for shared familial background factors.
The project's results will be published primarily in peer-reviewed international scientific journals.
Funding
Cancer Foundation Finland, European union, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Research Council of Finland, Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation
Partners
Labore, University of Eastern Finland, University of Helsinki, University of Tampere
Contact details
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