Marjut Forsell, Juhani Laakso, Marja Saarenheimo, Hannu Räty & Kirsi Honkalampi

Do people change in mindfulness based cognitive therapy?

The aim of this study was to explore development and change in mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) qualitatively. Participants of MBCT were interviewed before and after the group intervention. The development in relation to problematic experience was analyzed with the Assimilation of Problematic Experience Scale on the basis of interview utterance data. The results showed that almost half of the participants clearly developed in how they related to problematic experience. Emerging change was perceived in the utterances of some participants. One third of the participants did not show any development in relation to problematic experience. MBCT was found to be most effective in the development of those participants who already had conceptual tools for reflecting on their problematic experience. Those participants who integrated mindfulness-skills into their self-regulation also developed in how they dealt with problematic experiences in general.

Keywords: psychotherapy, mindfulness, qualitative process research, assimilation model, self-reflection

Heli Siltala, Juha Holma & Maria Hallman-Keiskoski

Experiences of domestic violence and connections with health and psychosocial well-being

This study examines the connections between domestic violence experiences and various aspects of health and well-being; mental health continuum MHC-SF. The data were gathered as part of a survey on health and well-being for health care professionals. This study comprises 1 952 responses. Of all respondents 35.6 % had experienced emotional violence, 17.8 % physical violence and 5.3 % sexual violence. There is a statistically significant association between the respondents’ experiences of emotional domestic violence and a lowered mental health continuum: emotional, psychological and social well-being. Emotional domestic violence and its consequences should be included in assessments of well-being.

Keywords: domestic violence, psychological well-being, social well-being, survey on health and well-being, mental health continuum, MHC-SF

Anne-Maarit Turunen & Vilma Hänninen

Paths of depression in the lives of middle-aged women

Women’s experiences of depression have in recent years been increasingly studied, but there is still a paucity of research concerning the meaning of depression in women’s lives. This article describes, on the basis of interviews of 31 women in their forties who have suffered depression, how depression had shaped the women’s lives. The depression narratives obtained by interviews were grouped into three main groups, which were dubbed as the path of empowerment, path of managing, and path of hopelessness. Depression typically did not remain an insignificant episode in one’s life but had sometimes profound effects later on in life. The opportunity to deal with the background of depression in social interaction was a common feature in the process leading to empowerment. Social support and leisure activities helped in managing depression, whereas in the lives of the hopeless there were no supporting relationships or viable ways of coping. In addition to various kinds of opportunities for talking, support for the conduct of everyday life as well as a greater variety of story models for depression could increase the probability of realization of the potential for beneficial outcomes of depression.

Keywords: depression, women, experience, life, narrative, social context

Sanna Kärmeniemi & Kaisa Aunola

Parental daily time spent with the child and children’s academic achievement in first grade

The aim of the study was to investigate, first, the quantity of parental daily time spent with the child by helping with homework, playing and reading, and, second, the relation between spent time and children’s academic achievement in first grade. The role of parental education and the child’s gender were also examined. The participants were 152 first-grade children and their mothers and fathers. Parents filled in a questionnaire including the parent’s educational background at the beginning of first grade (Time 1). In the beginning (Time 1) and the end (Time 2) of first grade parents filled in a daily diary for a one-week period regarding the daily time spent with their child. At the same two time points children’s math and reading skills were tested. The results showed considerable variation in the time mothers and fathers spent with their children. Some evidence was found that the poorer the child’s academic skills are, the more time parents spend with their child and this was particularly true among parents with higher education.

Keywords: parental involvement, time estimation, academic achievement, transition to primary school, diary study