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Vuosi-ikäluokasta noin neljäsosa nuorista miehistä ei suorita varusmies- tai siviilipalvelusta. Palveluksen määräaikaisissa tai pysyvissä vapautuksissa sekä palveluksen keskeytyksissä mielenterveydelliset syyt nousevat merkittävään asemaan. Palveluksen ulkopuolelle jääneiden miesten tuen tarve ei ole jäänyt viranomaisilta huomaamatta, mutta mikään taho ei ole aikaisemmin tuntunut olevan vastuussa näistä miehistä. Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin varusmies- ja siviilipalveluksen ulkopuolelle määrättyjen nuorten miesten psykososiaalista hyvinvointia sekä tutkittiin tälle kohderyhmälle kehitetyn Time Out! Aikalisä! Elämä raiteilleen tukipalvelun vaikuttavuutta. Vaikuttavuustutkimus toteutettiin satunnaistetulla koeasetelmalla. Tutkimukseen osallistui yhteensä 356 palveluksen ulkopuolelle sekä 440 palvelukseen määrättyä helsinkiläistä ja vantaalaista nuorta miestä. Ongelmien kasautuminen on yleistä varusmies- tai siviilipalveluksen ulkopuolle määrätyille miehille Tutkimus osoitti, että varusmies- tai siviilipalveluksen ulkopuolelle määrätyt miehet erosivat taustoiltaan, elämäntavoiltaan ja -tilanteeltaan sekä psykososiaaliselta hyvinvoinniltaan merkittävästi palvelukseen määrätyistä miehistä. Palveluksen ulkopuolelle jääneet miehet olivat jo lapsuusajan elinolojen suhteen lähtökohtaisesti palvelukseen määrättyjä miehiä heikommassa asemassa. Aikuisikään päästyään heidän tielleen oli kasautunut palvelukseen määrättyjä enemmän erilaisia psyykkisiä ja sosiaalisia ongelmia: päihteiden ongelmakäyttöä, taloudellisia ongelmia, työttömyyttä, asunnottomuutta ja psyykkistä oireilua. Kolmasosa palveluksen ulkopuolelle määrätyistä miehistä oli joskus elämänsä aikana vakavasti harkinnut itsemurhaa. Time Out! Aikalisä! Elämä raiteilleen -tukipalvelu edistää nuorten miesten psykososiaalista hyvinvointia Time Out! Aikalisä! Elämä raiteilleen tukipalvelulla oli positiivinen vaikutus nuorten miesten elämään. Tukipalvelu tavoitti erityisesti psyykkisesti oireilevia nuoria miehiä, joille oli kasautunut erilaisia ongelmia. Miehiä, joille oli kasautunut eniten ongelmia ei kuitenkaan pystytty tavoittamaan ollenkaan. Nuoret miehet tarvitsevat kokonaisvaltaista tukea Varusmies- ja siviilipalveluksen ulkopuolelle määrätyt miehet muodostavat tärkeän kohderyhmän psykososiaalisten ongelmien ja itsemurhien ehkäisyssä. Terveydenhuollon henkilöstön tulee olla tietoinen mielenterveysongelmien ja itsemurhakäyttäytymisen sosiaalisista riskitekijöistä. Nuorten ehkäisevässä työssä tulee kiinnittää erityistä huomiota toimiviin sosiaalisiin suhteisiin. Myös lapsuusajan riskitekijöiden - kuten vanhempien alkoholi- tai mielenterveysongelmien - varhainen tunnistaminen ja tuen tarjoaminen on tärkeää. Ongelmien kasautuminen asettaa haasteen nuorille suunnattujen tukitoimien kehittämiselle. Ongelmien kasautuessa on nuorta pystyttävä tukemaan laaja-alaisesti ja kokonaisvaltaisesti, ei yhden tietyn oireen tai ongelmakäyttäytymisen kautta. Time Out! Aikalisä! Elämä raiteilleen tukipalvelu on hyvä esimerkki nuorille miehille kehitetystä kokonaisvaltaisesta interventiosta. Pienelläkin tuella ja avulla voi olla positiivinen vaikutus nuoren miehen elämään. Tutkimus toi esille tuen tarpeessa olevien nuorten miesten tavoittamiseen liittyvät haasteet. Kutsunnat tarjoavat ainutlaatuisen väylän tavoittaa nuoret miehet kokonaisena ikäluokkana. Tätä nuoren ja yhteiskunnan kohtaamista tulee käyttää hyväksi psykososiaalisten ongelmien ennaltaehkäisyssä. Time Out! Aikalisä Elämä raiteilleen toimintamalli on tällä hetkellä käytössä noin 180 kunnassa kautta maan. Syksyn kutsunnoissa tukipalvelua on tarjottu yli 20 000 nuorelle miehelle. ; The purpose of this study was twofold: to investigate the psychosocial well-being of young men exempted from compulsory military or civil service and to assess the effects of the Time Out! Getting Life Back on Track support programme targeted at this group of men. The study involved a total of 356 men exempted from military or civil service and 440 young men conscripted for service in Helsinki and Vantaa in Finland. Men exempted from service were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n=182) and a control group (n=174). Respondents in the intervention group were offered a personal counsellor, a professional working in municipal social and health services and providing the support programme as part of their basic duties. The counsellors were specially trained for the intervention. The support programme was based on an interactional model for prevention. Together with the counsellor the men were able to discuss their current life situation, such as mental health, substance abuse and general well-being, as well as receive support and encouragement in resolving the situation. The research data were collected using questionnaires, interviews with the men and register data. Information on the implementation of the support programme was collected at different stages. A one-year follow-up survey was conducted. Men exempted from military or civil service differed significantly from conscripts in their background, living habits, life situation and psychosocial well-being. Compared with conscripts, they had already been in a more disadvantaged position with regard their childhood living conditions. In adulthood, they had met with a greater number of mental and social problems than conscripts: substance abuse, economic problems, unemployment, homelessness and mental distress. One third of the young men exempted from compulsory military or civil service reported serious suicidal ideation. Of the men with serious suicidal ideation, one third had attempted suicide. Various childhood adversities and current stressful life events and problems were associated with suicidal ideation. Accumulation of problems was characteristic for men exempted from service. In particular, the Time Out! Getting Life Back on Track support programme reached out to young men suffering from mental distress and an accumulation of problems. However, the men with the most problems could not be reached at all. At one-year follow-up psychological distress decreased in the intervention group more than in the control group. The intervention had no impact on young men s alcohol consumption, self-assessed quality of life, problem accumulation, self-confidence or contentment. Men exempted from compulsory military or civil service comprise an important target group in the prevention of psychosocial problems or suicide. Health service providers should be well aware of social factors that may elevate the risk of mental ill-health or suicidal behaviours. Supporting a healthy network of family and peer relationships should be an important issue in preventive activities among young people. Further, it is important to be aware of early risk indicators such as maternal or paternal alcohol-related or mental health problems. The accumulation of problems poses a challenge for the development of interventions targeted at young people. The Time out! Getting Life Back on Track support programme is a good example of a comprehensive intervention for young men. Even small-scale support can have a positive impact on the general well-being of young men. This study highlights the complexity of adherence in psychosocial interventions. Young men who do not comply with preventive interventions are a heterogeneous group. The need for support may vary widely - even within an identified risk group. Reaching out to young men at risk involves intense activity among service providers.

BACKGROUND: Despite numerous studies providing evidence for positive effects of physical activity and physical fitness, evidence for association between physical fitness and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in young adults is limited. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate the association of cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness with HRQoL from the perspective of its physical and mental components among young adult Finnish males. METHODS: The sample consisted of 754 men, with the mean age of 26 years (SD 6.7 years), who participated in the military refresher training. HRQoL was measured using the Finnish RAND 36-item health survey. Cardiorespiratory fitness was determined by a bicycle ergometer test, and muscular fitness by various tests measuring maximal strength and muscular endurance. Logistic regression modelling was used to compare low, moderate and high physical and mental component of HRQoL scores to the respective levels of muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness. RESULTS: The findings of the adjusted (age, educational level, marital status, employment status, smoking, use of alcohol and BMI) analysis showed that cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness are positively associated with both physical and mental components of HRQoL. In terms of the physical component of HRQoL, even a moderate fitness level was positively associated with better HRQoL. In terms of the mental component of HRQoL, the impact was seen only in the group with the highest fitness level. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest a positive contribution of physical fitness to mental health and highlight the importance of both muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness in the promotion of HRQoL. Even lighter forms of physical activity that result in moderate physical fitness could contribute to the physical component of HRQoL. In terms of the mental component of HRQoL, higher levels of physical fitness may be needed to gain higher levels of HRQoL among young males.

Background Despite numerous studies providing evidence for positive effects of physical activity and physical fitness, evidence for association between physical fitness and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in young adults is limited. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate the association of cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness with HRQoL from the perspective of its physical and mental components among young adult Finnish males. Methods The sample consisted of 754 men, with the mean age of 26 years (SD 6.7 years), who participated in the military refresher training. HRQoL was measured using the Finnish RAND 36-item health survey. Cardiorespiratory fitness was determined by a bicycle ergometer test, and muscular fitness by various tests measuring maximal strength and muscular endurance. Logistic regression modelling was used to compare low, moderate and high physical and mental component of HRQoL scores to the respective levels of muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness. Results The findings of the adjusted (age, educational level, marital status, employment status, smoking, use of alcohol and BMI) analysis showed that cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness are positively associated with both physical and mental components of HRQoL. In terms of the physical component of HRQoL, even a moderate fitness level was positively associated with better HRQoL. In terms of the mental component of HRQoL, the impact was seen only in the group with the highest fitness level. Conclusions The findings suggest a positive contribution of physical fitness to mental health and highlight the importance of both muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness in the promotion of HRQoL. Even lighter forms of physical activity that result in moderate physical fitness could contribute to the physical component of HRQoL. In terms of the mental component of HRQoL, higher levels of physical fitness may be needed to gain higher levels of HRQoL among young males. ; peerReviewed

Increased mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic have become a major concern among young adults. Our aim was to understand which COVID-19-related questions predicted mental well-being during the outbreak. Two cross-sectional datasets were used. The primary dataset was collected in May 2020 (n = 1001), during the initial COVID-19 outbreak, and the secondary in April 2019 (n = 10866), before the pandemic. Mental well-being was assessed with the Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. Relationships between mental well-being and COVID-19-related questions were investigated with lasso regression. As an exploratory analysis, two-way ANOVAs were used to compare mental well-being before and during the outbreak. Results: Higher levels of mental well-being were associated with lower levels of academic stress and COVID-19-related worry, along with a higher satisfaction with the procedures and information provided by the higher education institutions and the government. COVID-19-related symptoms and infections did not have an impact on students' mental well-being during the outbreak. Small to moderate effect sizes across the time points were detected, indicating an overall decrease in mental well-being across age and gender during the outbreak. Conclusions: COVID-19 had an impact on higher education students' mental well-being. Higher education institutes may play a crucial role in protecting their students' well-being during uncertain times. ; publishedVersion ; Peer reviewed

Purpose: To examine whether retrospectively assessed sports participation (SP) and competitive sports (CS) at the age of 12 years is associated with mental health and health behavior in young adulthood among males. Design: A cross-sectional study using self-administered questionnaires. Setting: Conducted prior to compulsory military refresher training course in Finland allowing geographically representative sample of Finnish young men. Participants: Six hundred eighty males aged between 20 and 35 years. Measures: Mental well-being was measured with the short version of Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale and mental distress with 5 items of The Short Form Helalth Survey (SF-36) scale. Analysis: Binary logistic regression models. Results: Sports participation at the age of 12 was associated with better mental health in young adulthood, with both mental well-being (odds ratio [OR] = 1.86, 95% confidence interval 1.11-3.11) and mental distress (OR = 0.61, 0.41-0.90). Age, years of education, and current physical activity were controlled. Higher level of intensity of SP and the level of CS in childhood were associated with lower level of mental distress in adulthood. No association was found between the level of CS in childhood and mental well-being in adulthood. Further, youth SP seemed to be a risk factor for increased alcohol consumption and use of snuff in adulthood. Conclusions: Despite negative outcomes related to health behavior, the findings provide support for the association between youth SP and positive mental health outcomes in adulthood among males.

Healthy lifestyle behaviors including physical activity (PA) have been recognized to contribute positively to mental health. Most of the evidence on relationship between PA and mental health relies on self-reported PA results. Device-based measures on PA or sedentary behavior (SB) are less frequently used in mental health research. The present study aimed at examining the relationship between mental health and PA/SB measured by accelerometers in young Finnish men. The sample consisted of 409 men (mean age 28 ± 7 years), who participated in the military refresher training in Finland. Self-rated mental health was measured with Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5) and short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS) measuring mental health both from the perspective of mental health problems and mental well-being. PA was measured with accelerometer from the perspective of light, moderate, vigorous, and total activity, as well as SB. Linear regression models and compositional analysis were applied. Age, education, marital status, employment status, BMI, alcohol use and smoking were used as covariates. Evidence on relationship between total PA (standardized regression coefficient 0.340; 95% CI 0.022–0.657, p = 0.036) and SB (standardized regression coefficient −0.340; 95% CI −0.657 to −0.022, p = 0.036) with symptoms of mental health problems was found after adjusting for age, education, marital and employment status. The relationship was marginally significant (p = 0.056) after adjusting also for BMI, alcohol use and smoking. No evidence on relationship between PA or SB and mental well-being was found, neither in standard linear regression analysis nor in compositional approach. In our sample of young adult men, PA seemed to have a stronger relationship with symptoms of mental health problems rather than with mental well-being. The findings lead to a conclusion that all PA per se may not be independently associated with mental well-being in young adult males and raise the question whether the domain of PA and its context play a critical role in these relationships. ; publishedVersion ; Peer reviewed

Healthy lifestyle behaviors including physical activity (PA) have been recognized to contribute positively to mental health. Most of the evidence on relationship between PA and mental health relies on self-reported PA results. Device-based measures on PA or sedentary behavior (SB) are less frequently used in mental health research. The present study aimed at examining the relationship between mental health and PA/SB measured by accelerometers in young Finnish men. The sample consisted of 409 men (mean age 28 ± 7 years), who participated in the military refresher training in Finland. Self-rated mental health was measured with Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5) and short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS) measuring mental health both from the perspective of mental health problems and mental well-being. PA was measured with accelerometer from the perspective of light, moderate, vigorous, and total activity, as well as SB. Linear regression models and compositional analysis were applied. Age, education, marital status, employment status, BMI, alcohol use and smoking were used as covariates. Evidence on relationship between total PA (standardized regression coefficient 0.340; 95% CI 0.022–0.657, p = 0.036) and SB (standardized regression coefficient −0.340; 95% CI −0.657 to −0.022, p = 0.036) with symptoms of mental health problems was found after adjusting for age, education, marital and employment status. The relationship was marginally significant (p = 0.056) after adjusting also for BMI, alcohol use and smoking. No evidence on relationship between PA or SB and mental well-being was found, neither in standard linear regression analysis nor in compositional approach. In our sample of young adult men, PA seemed to have a stronger relationship with symptoms of mental health problems rather than with mental well-being. The findings lead to a conclusion that all PA per se may not be independently associated with mental well-being in young adult males and raise the question whether the domain of PA and its ...

The aim of the study was to examine whether sports participation (SP), engagement in competitive sports (CS), and the type of sport undertaken at the age of 12 are associated with the physical and mental components of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in young adulthood. The data were collected using questionnaires prior to a compulsory military refresher training course in Finland. The sample consisted of 784 men (mean age 26 years). HRQoL was measured with RAND 36 and childhood SP with a series of questions. Data were analyzed with logistic regression. Higher frequency of SP, participation in district-level CS; performing team, endurance, or extreme sports; and playing yard games in childhood were after adjustments all associated with better HRQoL in early adulthood. The association was mainly found with the mental component, and to a lesser extent with the physical component, of HRQoL. Team (OR 1.43, CI 1.00–2.06) and extreme sports (OR 1.77, CI 1.19–2.63) were associated with better mental HRQoL, while playing yard games (OR 0.62, CI 0.44–0.89) reduced the likelihood for having low physical HRQoL. SP in childhood—in the forms of team or individual sports, but also as informal physical activity, such as playing yard games—is associated with HRQoL in young adulthood. ; peerReviewed

The aim of the study was to examine whether sports participation (SP), engagement in competitive sports (CS), and the type of sport undertaken at the age of 12 are associated with the physical and mental components of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in young adulthood. The data were collected using questionnaires prior to a compulsory military refresher training course in Finland. The sample consisted of 784 men (mean age 26 years). HRQoL was measured with RAND 36 and childhood SP with a series of questions. Data were analyzed with logistic regression. Higher frequency of SP, participation in district-level CS; performing team, endurance, or extreme sports; and playing yard games in childhood were after adjustments all associated with better HRQoL in early adulthood. The association was mainly found with the mental component, and to a lesser extent with the physical component, of HRQoL. Team (OR 1.43, CI 1.00–2.06) and extreme sports (OR 1.77, CI 1.19–2.63) were associated with better mental HRQoL, while playing yard games (OR 0.62, CI 0.44–0.89) reduced the likelihood for having low physical HRQoL. SP in childhood—in the forms of team or individual sports, but also as informal physical activity, such as playing yard games—is associated with HRQoL in young adulthood.