English Summaries (03/2023)
The prevalence of eating disorder symptoms among higher education students as assessed by the SCOFF questionnaire
Depending on the study, eating disorder symptoms occur in approximately 10–25 per cent of higher education students. This study examined the prevalence of eating disorder symptoms assessed by the Sick, Control, One Stone, Fat, Food (SCOFF) eating disorder screen, which consists of five questions, in Finnish university and polytechnic students (65.3% women, 34.7% men). Based on the SCOFF screening points, the participants were divided into two groups. In addition, the prevalence of eating disorders was assessed by finding out what proportion of students reported that they have a doctor-diagnosed eating disorder that has had symptoms or required treatment during the past year. The data used in the study (n = 3110) is part of the 2016 Finnish Student Health Service’s (FSHS) nationwide health survey of higher education students. 10.3 per cent of the respondents belonged to the eating disorder risk group as assessed by the SCOFF questionnaire. In addition, 1.3 per cent of the respondents reported that they have an eating disorder diagnosed by a doctor. Women, polytechnic students and those with a higher body mass index were found to have more symptoms of eating disorders. Eating disorder symptoms were not found to be associated with age. The most significant findings in our research deviating from previous research were the association of obesity (BMI over 30) with eating disorder symptoms and the fact that 30 per cent of those students that reported that they have an eating disorder diagnosed by a doctor did not exceed the cut-off limit in the SCOFF questionnaire. The eating disorder symptoms of higher education students have barely been studied in Finland with the SCOFF questionnaire. Prevention and early identification of eating disorder symptoms is important, and the SCOFF survey can serve as a tool in primary care.
Keywords: eating disorders, eating disorder symptoms, SCOFF, higher education students, prevalence
Validation of Finnish loneliness at work scale with remote and hybrid worker sample
Loneliness at work refers to negative feelings which arise from the lack of meaningful social relationships at work. Loneliness at work has been shown to be harmful to both the individual and the whole organization, and remote and hybrid work can act as risk factors for increased feelings of loneliness at work. This study presents the concept of loneliness at work and validates a Finnish scale to measure it. This validation study is based on two datasets collected during the COVID-19 pandemic. One dataset consists of teaching professionals (N = 1348) and the other consists of longitudinal data with three measurements from employees working in a multinational technology industry company. The longitudinal data had 1,257 employees in the first measurement, and 496 employees responded to all three measurements. The construct validity of the loneliness at work scale was investigated by utilizing confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analysis. The validity and reliability of the loneliness at work scale turned out to be good. The scale was invariant across different groups and over measurement points. The scale was also related to other variables according to theory and previous research. This short and simple loneliness at work scale can be used in scientific research, barometers, and in organizations. Even though the validation data mainly consists of remote and hybrid workers, this scale should be able to be used with office workers and in different organizations due to its general nature.
Keywords: loneliness at work, validation, reliability, confirmatory factor analysis