Research
Current research projects.
Childhood origins of health and disease
We examine the childhood antecedents of somatic, social and psychological functioning over the lifespan. Our goals are: 1) to extend knowledge on the pathways connecting early-life stressors and early-life environments with later-life outcomes, 2) to extend knowledge on the factors explaining inter-generational transmission of social and health-risks, and 3) to examine how transmission of risks can be reduced by early-life preventions and interventions. We mainly use data from prospective cohort studies following individuals over several decades. We have shown that stressors in childhood confer risk for midlife cardio-metabolic outcomes including diabetes, obesity, and atherosclerotic calcification, as well as mental health outcomes including depressive symptoms and sleep problems. We will proceed by examining the mechanisms underlying these associations and we will test whether behavioural interventions are effective in reducing the outcomes induced by early-life adversities. In the near future, we will examine how psychosocial risks transmit over generations using a unique prospective dataset gathered during 40 years and over three generations (the Young Finns Offspring Study).
- Parental psychological problems were associated with higher screen time and the use of mature-rated media in children. Pulkki-Raback, L. Barnes, J.D., Elovainio, M., Hakulinen, C., Sourander, A., Tremblay, M.S., and Guerrero M. Acta Paediatrica. 2022; 111:825-833.
- Digital interventions for the treatment of depression: A meta-analytic review. Moshe I, Terhorst Y, Philippi P, Domhardt M, Cuijpers P, Cristea I, Pulkki-Råback L, Baumeister H, Sander LB. Psychological Bulletin. 2021; 147: 749-786
- Temperament profiles are associated with dietary behavior from childhood to adulthood. Lipsanen, J., Elovainio, M., Hakulinen, C., Tremblay, M.S., Rovio, S., Lagström, H., Jaakkola, J.M., Jula, A., Rönnemaa, T., Viikari, J., Niinikoski, H., Simell, O., Raitakari, O.T., Pahkala, K., Pulkki-Råback, L. Appetite. 2020; 151: 104681.
- Childhood Psychosocial Environment and Adult Cardiac Health: A Causal Mediation Approach. Komulainen K, Mittleman MA, Ruohonen S, Laitinen TT, Pahkala K, Elovainio M, Tammelin T, Kähönen M, Juonala M, Keltikangas-Järvinen L, Raitakari O, Pulkki-Råback L, Jokela M. Am J Prev Med. 2019 Dec;57(6):e195-e202.
- Positive Psychosocial Factors in Childhood Predicting Lower Risk for Adult Type 2 Diabetes: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study, 1980-2012. Pulkki-Råback L, Elovainio M, Hakulinen C, Lipsanen J, Kubzansky LD, Hintsanen M, Savelieva K, Serlachius A, Magnussen CG, Sabin MA, Burgner DP, Lehtimäki T, Jokinen E, Rönnemaa T, Mikkilä V, Jula A, Hutri-Kähönen N, Viikari J, Keltikangas-Järvinen L, Raitakari OT, Juonala M. Am J Prev Med. 2017; 52: e157-e164.
- Psychosocial environment in childhood and body mass index growth over 32years. Elovainio M, Pulkki-Råback L, Hakulinen C, Lehtimäki T, Jokinen E, Rönnemaa T, Mikkilä V, Tossavainen P, Jula A, Hutri-Kähönen N, Viikari J, Keltikangas-Järvinen L, Raitakari O, Juonala M. Prev Med. 2017; 97: 50-55.
- Childhood and adolescence risk factors and development of depressive symptoms: the 32-year prospective Young Finns follow-up study. Elovainio M, Pulkki-Råback L, Hakulinen C, Ferrie JE, Jokela M, Hintsanen M, Raitakari OT, Keltikangas-Järvinen L. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2015; 69: 1109-17.
- Cumulative effect of psychosocial factors in youth on ideal cardiovascular health in adulthood: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. Pulkki-Råback L, Elovainio M, Hakulinen C, Lipsanen J, Hintsanen M, Jokela M, Kubzansky LD, Hintsa T, Serlachius A, Laitinen TT, Pahkala K, Mikkilä V, Nevalainen J, Hutri-Kähönen N, Juonala M2, Viikari J, Raitakari OT, Keltikangas-Järvinen L. Circulation. 2015; 131: 245-53.
Working life, socioeconomic factors, and social relations as determinants of health
Here we focus on three streams of research: a) poor social relations / loneliness as health risks, b) socioeconomic origins of lifespan health and c) work-life stressors producing health and disease. We have shown that loneliness, social isolation and poor quality social relations are risksfor excess mortality, cardiovascular heart disease, and cognitive decline. An other major line of research relates to socioeconomic factors predicting lifespan health and on the pathways that may explain such relations. Here we are interested in elucidating the inter-relations between psychiatric disorder and the development of socioeconomic status and social relations over the lifespan. We are also interested if accumulation of socioeconomic adversities and poor social relations over the lifespan produces permanent changes in a person’s physiological system. The changes may include for instance inflammatory activation or premature epigenetic aging (DNA methylation). We will test these hypotheses in our future work, extending knowledge on the mechanisms whereby socioeconomic and psychosocial exposures are associated with human health and wellbeing. We have also shown that negative psychosocial characteristics at the workplace, such as low level of organizational justice, lack of job control, confer risky outcomes for mental and somatic health. In the future, we will examine new mechanisms connecting work-place stressors with health outcomes, including inflammatory pathways and epigenetic pathways. Elucidating such mechanisms will enhance knowledge on how to prevent work-related health problems and how to enhance wellbeing at work.
- Association of social isolation, loneliness and genetic risk with incidence of dementia: UK Biobank Cohort Study. Elovainio M, Lahti J, Pirinen M, Pulkki-Råback L, Malmberg A, Lipsanen J, Virtanen M, Kivimäki M, Hakulinen C. BMJ Open. 2022: Feb 23;12(2):e053936.
- Social isolation and loneliness as risk factors for myocardial infarction, stroke and mortality: UK Biobank cohort study of 479 054 men and women. Hakulinen C, Pulkki-Råback L, Virtanen M, Jokela M, Kivimäki M, Elovainio M. Heart. 2018: Sep;104(18):1536-1542
- Structural social relations and cognitive ageing trajectories: evidence from the Whitehall II cohort study. Elovainio M, Sommerlad A, Hakulinen C, Pulkki-Råback L, Virtanen M, Kivimäki M, Singh-Manoux A. Int J Epidemiol. 2018: Jun 1;47(3):701-708.
- Contribution of risk factors to excess mortality in isolated and lonely individuals: an analysis of data from the UK Biobank cohort study. Elovainio M, Hakulinen C, Pulkki-Råback L, Virtanen M, Josefsson K, Jokela M, Vahtera J, Kivimäki M. Lancet Public Health. 2017; 2: e260-e266.
New methodologies to examine psychosocial exposures
Here we leverage on new statistical approaches to examine how psychosocial factors and lifestyle factors are related each other and to mental and somatic outcomes. The network approach is a new statistical method where we can examine if some symptoms (e.g., symptoms of depressive disorder) are more central than other in producing health-related outcomes. This approach also allows examining how various symptoms evolve over time and how they may trigger other symptoms over development. Such knowledge allows combining different theoretical approaches with each other, thereby advancing the integration of research across disciplines. We will also apply accumulation models, mover-stayer models and latent profile analyses. Applying these methodologies allows us to examine how accumulation of adversity affects health and wellbeing, why people adopt healthy vs. unhealthy lifestyles, and how exposures cluster with each other, thereby enhancing knowledge on the development on mental and somatic health.
- Is symptom connectivity really the most important issue in depression? Depression as a dynamic system of interconnected symptoms revisited. Elovainio, M., Lipsanen, J., Pulkki-Raback, L., Suvisaari, J. & Hakulinen, C. Journal of Psychiatry Research. 2021: Oct;142:250-257.
- Dynamic fluctuations of emotional states in adolescents with delayed sleep phase—a longitudinal network modeling approach. Elovainio, M., Kuula, L., Halonen, R., & Pesonen, A.-K. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2020: 1;276:467-475.
- A network approach to the analysis of psychosocial risk factors and their association with health. Elovainio M, Hakulinen C, Pulkki-Råback L, Juonala M, Raitakari OT. J Health Psychol. 2020: 25:1587-1600
- The network structure of childhood psychopathology in international adoptees. Elovainio, M., Hakulinen, C., Pulkki-Råback, L., Raaska, H. & Helena Lapinleimu, H. Journal of Child and Family Psychology. 2018: 27; 2161-2170 .