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Papers by Kaj Björkqvist

Gender dilferences in rcgard to aggressive behaviour werc investigatcd in a series of studies of ... more Gender dilferences in rcgard to aggressive behaviour werc investigatcd in a series of studies of schoolchildren of different age cohorb: 8-yeanolds (N = 85), ll-yeanolds (N = l(l), and lS-yeanolds (N = 127). Difierrnt types ofaggressive behaviour were measured with peer nomination techniques, supported by self-ratings. The socisl structure of the peer gn ups wene also studied. The results of the ll-yeanold cohort $iere previousfy prrsented by Lagerspetz et al. [19tt; Aggressive Behavior l4t4034l4], but they are compared here with the other age groups. The principal frnding wes that girls of the two older cohorts overall malre greater use of indlrect means of aggression, whercas bo5t tend to employ direct means. Previously, the main dilference between the genders has been thought to be that boys use physical aggressive strategies, wbile girls prefer verbd ones. Our studies suggest that the difiercntiation between direct and indirect strategies of aggression prcsents a morc exact picturc. Indlrect aggressive shategies nrcrr not yet fully developed among the E-yeanold girls, but they were dready prominent among the ll-yeanold girls. Aggressive behaviour was assessed overdt by the children themselves to be the highest in ttris age gmup.

Non-peer reviewed reports by Kaj Björkqvist

THL Discussion Paper 34, 2014

This report aims to describe the regional population survey on mental health performed in 2014 an... more This report aims to describe the regional population survey on mental health performed in 2014 and to introduce the questions and survey instruments included. The survey was a continuation of the population surveys carried out in 2005, 2008 and 2011.

A large scale development project for the mental health and substance abuse services, the Ostrobothnia Project, has been implemented since 2005 by the hospital districts of the Ostrobothnia, South Ostrobothnia and Central Ostrobothnia regions. In addition, the ‘Pohjalaiset masennustalkoot’ project aimed at promoting identification and management of depression, was implemented by the Vaasa and South Ostrobothnia hospital districts in 2004–2007. Both projects were co-funded by the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and
Health. To lay the basis for an evaluation of the outcome and effectiveness of these projects, a baseline population survey was performed in spring 2005. The aim of the survey was to assess the status prior to implementing the project interventions. Sequel surveys were conducted in spring 2008, 2011 and 2014. The random population sample consisted of 5000 persons aged 15 to 80 from the intervention area and another 5000 persons of the same age from the hospital district of Southwest Finland, which was set as a control area.
The number of inhabitants and the demography of the Southwest Finland region can be considered similar to
the intervention area.

The survey objective was to collect information about mental health determinants, respondents’ mental health, their attitudes towards mental disorders and their use and experience of mental health and substance abuse services. Age, gender, municipality, marital status, mother tongue, the most advanced degree of education, current main activity, internet use and activities in associations and societies were set as background questions. Standardized survey instruments were used in the questionnaire to define different indicators related to mental health. Positive aspects of mental health were studied with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being scale (WEMWBS) and with the Pearlin's Sense of Mastery scale. The Oslo-3 instrument was used to define social support. Exposure to physical abuse during childhood was measured
with the Brief Physical Punishment Scale (BPPS). Six items from the RAND health survey were used to define role limitations due to emotional problems and physical health. Respondents’ psychological distress was measured with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) scale and alcohol problems with the AUDIT-C test. The Lie/Bet tool was included as a screening instrument to identify problem gambling behaviours.
Questions based on the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form (CIDI-SF) were used for assessing prevalence of major depressive disorder. Use of social and health care services for mental health or alcohol problems was studied with the same questions used in the Finnish health examination studies Health 2000 and Health 2011. One of the questions included in this survey for measuring aspects of social capital was also used in the Health 2000 study. Respondents’ attitudes towards mental ill health were examined with questions that were partly constructed for this survey.

The survey response rate was 36.7 per cent. The Vaasa Hospital District had the highest response rate (40.6 %) whereas the South Ostrobothnia district had the lowest rate (31.7 %). An obvious gender difference was also noted with regards to response rates; 43.3 per cent of women responded to the questionnaire but only 31.4 per cent of men. A higher proportion of Swedish speaking respondents participated in the survey (47.8 %) compared with Finnish speaking respondents (36.2 %). The age group 71–80 years had the highest response rate (54.2 %) and the 21-30 year age group the lowest (25.1 %). Responses could be submitted by
mail or online on the web. Only 6.2 % of all the survey answers were given online. Younger respondents
utilized the web-response opportunity at a higher rate. The final dataset is adjusted for age, gender, language, and hospital district.

THL Discussion Paper 34, 2014