Predictors of non-completion of upper secondary education in Finland based on register data.

Aims: School non-completion is a public health and educational concern in most countries. This study sought to identify the strongest predictors of the non-completion of upper secondary education based on register data.

Methods: A cross-validated elastic net regression analysis was used to predict school non-completion in a population of 2696 students in the city of Jyväskylä, Finland.

Nature contact and general health: Testing multiple serial mediation pathways with data from adults in 18 countries.

The role of neighbourhood nature in promoting good health is increasingly recognised in policy and practice, but consistent evidence for the underlying mechanisms is lacking. Heterogeneity in exposure methods, outcome measures, and population characteristics, little exploration of recreational use or the role of different types of green or blue space, and multiple separate mediation models in previous studies have limited our ability to synthesise findings and draw clear conclusions. We examined multiple pathways linking different types of neighbourhood nature with general health using a harmonised international sample of adults.

Urban green space and mental health among people living alone: The mediating roles of relational and collective restoration in an 18-country sample.

Rates of living alone, especially in more urbanised areas, are increasing across many industrialised countries, with associated increases in feelings of loneliness and poorer mental health. Recent studies have suggested that access to nature (e.g.

Special Issue: Place, Space, and Mental Health.

Global megatrends, including climate change and urbanisation, are shaping and changing how we live in the future [...

Use of Health Services Among People Living Alone in Finland.

Although health issues are more common in people living alone than in those living with someone, research on the service use of people living alone has focused on older age groups. Based on large Finnish cross-sectional health survey (FinHealth 2017, n = 4686), we examined the difference in the use and assessment of health services between those living alone and those living with someone, and whether some sub-groups within those living alone use or perceive the use of health care services differently to those living with someone. The adjusted proportions, based on logistic regression models controlling for demographic variables and perceived health and mental health, showed that those living alone had seen a doctor in the past year less often (65.

Profiles of subjective health among people living alone: a latent class analysis.

Background: Living alone has increased globally and especially in Finland where 45% of all households are single occupancy. Epidemiological research has found that living alone a risk factor for a wide range of adversities related to quality of life but the rapidly-changing demographics of people living alone calls for a more detailed investigation of their subjective health status.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey sent for a random sample of Finnish residents in single-person households (n = 884), we explored with latent class analysis whether the respondents form different health profiles based on the three health dimensions defined by the World Health Organization: physical, social, and mental well-being.

Positive Mental Health of Finnish People Living Alone: The Role of Circumstantial Factors and Leisure-Time Activities.

Living alone has become more common across Europe. Past research has consistently identified living alone as a risk factor for poor mental health while evidence on the positive dimension(s) of mental health has been scarce. Positive mental health has been associated with rather stable circumstantial factors, such as socio-economic characteristics and social relationships, and day-to-day activities in the form of leisure participation, in general populations.

Neighbourhood blue space, health and wellbeing: The mediating role of different types of physical activity.

Background: Evidence suggests that living near blue spaces such as the coast, lakes and rivers may be good for health and wellbeing. Although greater levels of physical activity (PA) may be a potential mechanism, we know little about the types of PA that might account for this.

Objectives: To explore the mediating role of: a) 'watersports' (e.

Can Nature Walks With Psychological Tasks Improve Mood, Self-Reported Restoration, and Sustained Attention? Results From Two Experimental Field Studies.

The evidence for restorative effects of contact with nature is vast. Drawing from two well-known theories in Environmental Psychology, Stress reduction theory and Attention restoration theory, restoration can be seen as a sequential, interactive process that begins with physiological relaxation and results in affective and attention restoration and broader life reflection. This interaction between a person and their environment may be facilitated by actively engaging with the environment but this has been understudied.

Environmental Strategies of Affect Regulation and Their Associations With Subjective Well-Being.

Environmental strategies of affect regulation refer to the use of natural and urban socio-physical settings in the service of regulation. We investigated the perceived use and efficacy of environmental strategies for regulation of general affect and sadness, considering them in relation to other affect regulation strategies and to subjective well-being. Participants from Australia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, India, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden ( = 507) evaluated the frequency of use and perceived efficacy of affect regulation strategies using a modified version of the Measure of Affect Regulation Styles (MARS).

Learning under your gaze: the mediating role of affective arousal between perceived direct gaze and memory performance.

Previous studies have shown that cognitive performance can be affected by the presence of an observer and self-directed gaze. We investigated whether the effect of gaze direction (direct vs. downcast) on verbal memory is mediated by autonomic arousal.

The relationship between perceived health and physical activity indoors, outdoors in built environments, and outdoors in nature.

Background: A body of evidence shows that both physical activity and exposure to nature are connected to improved general and mental health. Experimental studies have consistently found short term positive effects of physical activity in nature compared with built environments. This study explores whether these benefits are also evident in everyday life, perceived over repeated contact with nature.