Browsing by Subject "interventions"
Now showing items 1-3 of 3
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(2024)Objectives: The current societal challenges together with the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) highlight the need to prioritise children’s social and emotional learning SEL skills and well-being. We need to equip them with the tools they need to navigate the complexities of the modern world. This thesis has two objectives. First, it conducts an extensive literature review on SEL and Positive Education, analysing the theoretical background of the Pikkuli intervention—a multimethod intervention aiming to support children's social and emotional skills in their early years. Second, the study examines the different uses of the various methods of the Pikkuli multimethod tool and their influence on the efficacy of the intervention. In this research, I aim to investigate children's prosocial behaviours and internalising problems, building upon the existing knowledge from our recent publication Martikainen et al. (2023). This study contributes to the growing body of literature on SEL interventions in early childhood education, providing insights into the potential of multimethod tools like Pikkuli intervention to support children’s SEL skills. Methods: The study was conducted in five different early childhood education and care (ECEC) groups across two municipalities in Finland, and our sample included 60 children (Mean age= 77 months, SD= 4,4, 28 boys,32 girls). Data were collected using the strengths and difficulties questionnaires (SDQ) and intervention implementation diaries, which the ECEC group educators filled out. To analyse the intervention implementation diaries, a qualitative thematic analysis was conducted to identify the different intervention methods used and their frequency during the intervention. Next, a statistical analysis was performed using SPSS to study the difference in prosocial behaviours and internalising problems in each ECEC group before and after the intervention. Results and conclusions: Inspired by the literature review and the defined research gap in a common framework for SEL interventions supported by Positive Education, I present an integrated framework that can be utilised in future research. In regards to the research questions, the results indicate that the use of various methods does not significantly impact the effectiveness of the intervention, and the preference for the use of methods varied among the ECEC groups. However, there was no statistically significant difference among the ECEC groups. Overall, the findings of this study can be utilised to develop future educational materials and interventions that support the development of essential SEL skills and well-being to help children thrive in their lives. The current study highlights the importance of incorporating social and emotional learning (SEL) and Positive Education into early childhood education programmes. Although the study complements the growing body of literature on SEL interventions in ECEC and provides insights into the potential of multimethod tools, future studies are necessary to understand the intervention's long-lasting effects and impact on larger sample sizes.
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(2015)Background. The Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression (DASA) is a 7-item rating scale used to predict imminent aggression in psychiatric inpatients. DASA measures the presence of seven behaviors that predict the probability of violence within 24 hours. The purpose of this research was to validate the sensitivity of DASA in a Finnish psychiatric inpatient population, examine the risk decreasing interventions applied after identifying high-risk patients and study which interventions were the most effective in decreasing the DASA score over one day of follow-up. Examinations also took into account the number of interventions needed to decrease the perceived risk of violence. Methods. The data (n = 300) were collected in a naturalistic setting during a six-month period in an acute psychiatric admission ward. Interventions were clustered into four groups by frequency of use: (1) interventions restricted by the Finnish Mental Health Act, (2) PRN-medication, (3) discussion with nursing staff, and (4) other interventions. Associations between interventions and change in DASA scores were examined separately for each intervention and also in a single model adjusted for all other interventions. Results and conclusions. There were 44 incidents in which a patient had been mechanically restrained or secluded. Patients had been rated as potentially violent (DASA ≥ 4) in 61 % (n = 27) of the incidents and non-violent (DASA = 0) in 16 % of the incidents (n = 7). The most frequently used interventions were PRN-medication (33.5 % of all interventions), seclusion (15.8 %) and focused discussion with nurse (10.8 %). Interventions regulated by the Finnish Mental Health Act (seclusion, mechanical restraint, involuntary intramuscular medication, limitation of the freedom of movement, physical restraint, and limitation of contacts), PRN-medication, and discussion with nursing staff were not associated with DASA score the following day. Only the category of "other interventions" (e.g., daily activities) were associated with lower DASA score the following day when examined separately or when adjusted for the use of other concurrent interventions. The results showed that the total DASA score decreased if the patient received one to three interventions. Four or more interventions had no statistical relevance on DASA score the following day. DASA is an effective method to predict imminent aggression in the Finnish psychiatric patient population, even though there remains unpredictable violence that is foreseen through DASA scores. Psychiatric staff tend to use fairly restrictive and coercive methods, but DASA scores were seen to decrease only in individuals who received non-coercive interventions.
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(2010)Objectives. School personnel who are exposed to school violence are at risk in developing post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In Finland there have been two such events in recent years, Jokela school shooting on 7.11.2007 and Kauhajoki school shooting about a year later. The aim of the present study was to examine the presence and change in PTSD symptoms during the first year after the Jokela school shooting. A second aim was to study how the initial exposure and treatment affects the symptom levels of PTSD. There were four hypotheses: 1) The PTSD symptoms are higher for the people who were exposed to the school shooting than for the people who did not face the stressor. 2) The PTSD symptoms increase in the follow up for the people at the school which was not attacked because of the second incident brought up the memories from the Jokela school shooting. 3) Those who have greater exposure to the shooting will have higher level of PTSD symptoms at both 4 and 11 months after the shooting than those who were not directly exposed to the shooting. 4) The PTSD symptoms are reduced more in the group that starts treatment right after the traumatic event than in other groups. Methods. A sample of 24 members of Jokela school personnel were examined four months after the incident and 16 were reassessed 11 month after the incident. To study the change and level of symptoms in other schools during the same period, a group with no exposure to the shooting was used as a control group (n=22). The assessment included Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist Specific (PCL-S) and a social and professional support questionnaire. In addition questions about timing of support and experiences of psychological debriefing were asked. Results and conclusions. Most participants in the study group experienced some symptoms of PTSD at both 4 and 11 months. In both measures three participants from the study group fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. The study group and control group differed significantly in overall symptom levels. The study group had more PTSD symptoms in the first measure but in the follow-up the study group's PTSD symptoms decreased and the control group's increased. There was a significant change in the study groups PTSD symptom level for those who started treatment right after the traumatic event. The results from this study showed that an exposure to school shooting has long-term effects on school personnel. The findings suggest that it is crucial to plan a comprehensive and long-term treatment for school personnel in the aftermath of school shooting.
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