Tuuli Pitkänen

Research to support understanding and well-being of young people

Research has shown that some young people are not doing so well: the number of young people who use drugs has increased, the reduction in alcohol use among young people has stopped, and a small number of young people are getting involved in increasingly serious crime. The exceptional circumstances caused by the pandemic have increased the anxiety, depression and loneliness experienced by many young people. There is a continuous need for studying the effects of political decision making on youth and bringing up the points of view of young people.

The main purpose of my current joint research projects is to conduct high-quality research that provide information for general population, practicians and decision makers for increasing understanding and well-being of young people.

Research Manager at Finnish Youth Research Society since 11/2020

My work includes planning and coordinating research projects, analyzing large data sets, interviewing patients, staff and service providers, and writing scientific papers. The aims of my projects have varied, however, the main focus has been in the needs and psychosocial well-being, effectiveness and improvement of services, valuable use of register data, and co-operation between different stakeholders. Before FYRS, I worked as senior researcher at Järvenpää Addiction Hospital and A-Clinic Foudation. Please see the list of publications and the description of research projects.

I work in co-operation with wide range of national and international NGOs, the National Institute of Health and Welfare and universities. My work includes preparation of commentaries, proposals and applications to external bodies, and participation to seminars and meetings. Several post-doc students use our data sets under my supervision. 

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2381-9436

Link to a publication data base