Katarina Alanko

• Ph.D
• Senior Researcher at University of Turku

Kyselytutkimuksessa kartoitettiin Suomessa toimivien hoito- ja rikosseuraamusalojen ammattilaisten kokemuksia ja valmiuksia työskennellä potilaiden kanssa, jotka tuntevat seksuaalista mielenkiintoa lapsia kohtaan. Kyselyyn vastasi 352 ammattilaista, joista valtaosa oli psykologeja, lääkäreitä tai sairaanhoitajia. Tulokset osoittivat, että noin 20 p...

Kouluakäymättömyys on kasvava ja monisyinen ongelma. Minäpystyvyydellä tarkoitetaan yksilön uskoa omiin kykyihinsä tai mahdollisuuksiinsa onnistua käsillä olevassa tehtävässä. Minäpystyvyyttä on tutkittu monissa yhteyksissä, mutta kouluakäymättömyyden yhteydessä niukasti. On kuitenkin indikaatioita siitä, että kouluakäymättömien oppilaiden minäpyst...

School attendance problems (SAPs) are heterogenous in nature and thus warrant rigorous assessment prior to intervention. The Inventory of School Attendance Problems (ISAP) is a new instrument that supports a comprehensive assessment of SAPs. This study is the first evaluation of the Swedish version of the ISAP. A web survey comprising the ISAP, Sch...

School non-attendance (SNA) is an increasing, complex phenomenon. Self-efficacy refers to the individual’s belief in his/her capacity to act or succeed with the task at hand. Self-efficacy has been widely studied, but less so in relation to SNA. Nevertheless, there are indications of non-attending youth reporting lower self-efficacy than school at...

Internalizing psychiatric symptoms and school absenteeism often co-occur. This study explores their detailed associations and examines whether internalizing symptoms (depression and anxiety) mediate the relationship between social outsiderhood (loneliness and ostracism) and school absence. It also investigates the links between various types of sch...

Mobbning kan leda till långsiktiga negativa konsekvenser för mobbade elever. Sådana konsekvenser är skolundvikande och skolfrånvaro. Syftet med denna systematiska litteraturöversikt är att utforska sambandet mellan mobbning och skol-undvikande respektive skolfrånvaro i longitudinella studier. Litteratur-sökningarna genomfördes i PsycInfo och ERIC,...

Introduction: “School engagement” refers to the feelings and thoughts pupils have for school, which, according to theory, can be divided into behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement. Previously identified factors predicting school engagement are teacher-student relationship, individual characteristics, emotional stability, and gender. Aim:...

Sexual compliance (i.e., consensually engaging in sex despite a lack of desire for it) is common in committed intimate relationships, but the consequences of compliance for the well-being of the individual and the relationship are poorly understood. We investigated the perceived consequences of sexual compliance and perceptions of factors contribut...

Background Internet use has increased and sleep and physical activity (PA) have decreased in recent years among adolescents. Besides sleep and PA, another determinant of future health for adolescents is education. Our aim was to evaluate the associations of excessive internet use (EIU), short sleep duration and low PA with both unexcused absences a...

Sosiaalikääketieteen aikakauslehti Könsdysfori (DSM-5) innebär en upplevelse av att könsidentiteten inte motsvarar det kön man tilldelats vid födseln. Denna inkongruens kan orsaka betydande lidande och nedsatt psykisk och social funktionsförmåga. Könsdysfori kan behandlas medicinskt med bland annat hormonella och kirurgiska ingrepp. Tidigare stud...

Existing evidence indicates genetic and non-genetic influences on sexual orientation; however, the possibility of gene-environment interplay has not been previously formally tested despite theories indicating this. Using a Finnish twin cohort, this study investigated whether childhood gender nonconformity and early-life adversities independently mo...

Education is a central determinant of adolescent health. School absences and bullying involvement jeopardize wellbeing, mental health, and educational attainment. We analyzed time trends in school absenteeism over two decades and examined the association of absenteeism with bullying involvement. We analyzed data from the nationwide School Health Pr...

Positive psychology is the scientific study of human thoughts, feelings and behaviour that focuses on building resources rather than treating illness. The current pilot study utilised qualitative methods to explore an intervention, ‘Tweens’, based on proven methods from positive psychology. Tweens was designed to be suitable for adolescents aged 11...

Sexual compliance (i.e., consensually engaging in sex despite a lack of desire for it) is common in committed intimate relationships, but the consequences of compliance for the well-being of the individual and the relationship are poorly understood. We investigated the perceived consequences of sexual compliance and possible factors contributing to...

Lisääntyneet koulupoissaolot haastavat kouluja ja hoitojärjestelmää. Koulupoissaolot voidaan nähdä jatkumona, jossa lievemmästä kouluun menon vastustelusta voi ajan myötä seurata koulupoissaoloja. Neuropsykiatrisista oireyhtymistä kärsivät oppilaat on nähty alttiiksi koulupoissaoloille niiden erityispiirteiden vuoksi. Tässä integratiivisessa kirjal...

Education is a central determinant of adolescent health. School absences and bullying involvement jeopardize educational attainment. We analyzed time trends in school absenteeism over two decades and examined the association of absenteeism with bullying involvement. We analyzed data from the nationwide School Health Promotion study, with self-repor...

Introduction: A link between having a neurodevelopmental disorder, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and school absenteeism, has been found in previous studies. Why ADHD poses a risk for absenteeism remains unclear, and insight into the mechanisms of the association is needed. The aim of the present study was to investigate sc...

Background Evidence indicates that minority stress does not sufficiently explain mental health disparities in non-heterosexual compared to heterosexual individuals. We investigated alternative mechanisms whereby childhood factors (childhood gender nonconformity, early-life adversities and parent-child interactions) moderate the relationships betwee...

Reviews of the effectiveness of interventions for school refusal (SR) rely upon well-conducted primary studies. Currently there are no guidelines for those conducting primary studies about the measurement of outcome following intervention for SR. Most people would agree that it is important to measure school attendance as an outcome but there has b...

Föräldraalienation och dess följder för barnet-en systematisk litteraturöversikt Föräldraalienation (parental alienation, PA) är ett beteendemönster genom vilken den ena föräldern för-söker försämra relationen mellan barnet och den andra föräldern. Syftet med denna litteraturöversikt är att sammanställa empirisk forskning som publicerats mellan åre...

Positive, gender supportive relationships have been found to promote well-being of transgender youth. The present study investigates how the quality of relationships to parents, friends and partners affects the mental well-being of transgender youth. An online-survey was used for data collection. The sample consisted of 1,613 Finnish youth between...

The aim of the present study was to investigate experiences that tell about coping and resilience in the lives of 19 Finnish transgender adults, aged 21–62 years (M = 35.20, SD = 12.10). The study was explorative in nature, using semistructured interviews. Results indicated, with data analyzed according to principles of grounded theory, the followi...

An association between experiences of sexual abuse in one’s childhood (ECSA), and sexual offending against children in adult age has been established in several studies. The aim of the present study was to further elucidate this link. First, we explored whether ECSA predicted different types of adult sexual offending against children (hands-on, chi...

Introduction: The etiology of sexual preference disorders (paraphilias) in general and pedophilia in particular remains unknown. There are some indications of biological factors related to pedophilic interest and pedophilic disorder. Aim: To examine single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) potentially associated with pedophilic sexual interest. M...

Hyvinvoiva sateenkaarinuori -tutkimushanke on Nuorisotutkimusseuran ja Setan yhteishanke. Hanke on Suomessa ensimmäinen laatuaan siinä, miten laajasti hankkeessa on selvitetty seksuaali- ja sukupuolivähemmistöihin kuuluvien nuorten hyvinvointia eri näkökulmista. Tutkimus mittasi hyvinvointia monella eri tasolla nuorten fyysisen ja psyykkisen tervey...

Sex-differences in parental investment and in age-related fertility variations are expected to have shaped the sexual strategies for both sexes. To investigate sex-differences in sexual interest and sexual activity as a function of both the respondents’ and the objects’ age, we gathered observations from a population-based sample of 12,656 Finns. W...

Alcohol intoxication, sexual arousal and negative emotional states have been found to precede certain sexual behaviors. Using data from an online self-report survey distributed to adults (N = 717; 423 men and 304 women), we compared adults with adult online sexual interactions (n = 640; 89.3%) to adults with interactions with a child or an adolesce...

Keväällä 2013 nuorten hlbtiq-ihmisten hyvinvointia Suomessa kartoitettiin laajalla verkkokyselyllä (hlbtiq viittaa homoihin, lesboihin, biseksuaaleihin, transihmisiin, intersukupuolisiin ja queer-ihmisiin). Tutkimus on osa Setan ja Nuorisotutkimusverkoston yhteistyöprojektia ”Hyvinvoiva sateenkaarinuori”. Projekti toteutetaan avustuksella, jonka op...

We employed a quasi-experimental design, with researchers impersonating children and adolescents in online chat rooms. One was directed towards homosexual men, while the others were unspecified in this aspect. We investigated whether male chat room visitors would initiate a sexual conversation with children and adolescents, and whether they would s...

Under våren 2013 kartlades välmående bland unga HBTIQ-personer i Finland (HBTIQ står för homosexuell, bisexuell, transperson, interkönad och queer) i en omfattande nätenkät. Undersökningen är en del av Setas och Ungdomsforskningsnätverkets samarbetsprojekt ”Välmående HBTIQ-ungdom”. Projektet genomförs med Undervisnings och kulturministeriets unders...

Introduction: Sexual interest in children resembles sexual gender orientation in terms of early onset and stability across the life span. Although a genetic component to sexual interest in children seems possible, no research has addressed this question to date. Prior research showing familial transmission of pedophilia remains inconclusive about...

The association between disordered eating and gender identity was examined in a sample of 20 (11 female-to-male, 9 male-to-female) transgender Finnish adults, aged 21-62 years. Using semi-structured interviews, participants' own understanding of the underlying causes of their disordered eating was analyzed, as well as the effect of gender reassignm...

An association between childhood gender atypical behaviour (GAB) and a negative parent-child relationship has been demonstrated in several studies, yet the causal relationship of this association is not fully understood. In the present study, different models of causation between childhood GAB and parent-child relationships were tested. Direction o...

Potential effects of sexual orientation on ejaculatory function have been overlooked in the literature. In anticipation of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), attempts have been made to formulate universally suitable definitions for different subtypes of premature ejaculation. However, the propose...

Sociosexual orientation refers to the differences between individuals in willingness to engage in uncommitted sexual relations. According to evolutionary theory, much of the variation in sociosexual orientation results from different evolved mating strategies and could reflect heritable factors. Previous research has identified an association betwe...

This study explores the relation between the level of current symptoms of depression and anxiety and recalled childhood gender atypical behavior (GAB), and quality of relationships with parents among men and women who reported same-sex sexual attraction or engaged in same-sex sexual behavior and men and women who did not. Matched pairs, 79 men (n =...

The existence of genetic effects on gender atypical behavior in childhood and sexual orientation in adulthood and the overlap between these effects were studied in a population-based sample of 3,261 Finnish twins aged 33-43 years. The participants completed items on recalled childhood behavior and on same-sex sexual interest and behavior, which wer...

Individual differences in parenting behaviors are due, in part, to genetic factors. In the present study, the authors sought to determine whether the degree of genetic influence varied according to the type of parental behavior under consideration. A population-based sample of 2,334 pairs of Finnish twins provided ratings on the physical affection,...

The association between childhood gender atypical behavior (GAB) i.e. behavior traditionally considered more typical for children of the opposite sex, and adult psychiatric symptoms as well as cold or over-controlling parenting style as a moderator of the association were studied in a sample of 1767 Finnish participants aged 33 to 43years (M = 37.5...

Recently, in anticipation of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V, much consideration has been given to the diagnostic criteria for premature ejaculation (PE). The scientific community is yet to agree not only on the etiology of PE, but also on the most suitable diagnosis and forms of treatment. It has been suggested that the...

Objective The objective was to examine how childhood gender typicality/atypicality and sexual orientation of men and women are related to recalled quality of relations to parents and to the level of current symptoms of depression and anxiety. Method Questionnaires were completed by 3604 Finnish 33 to 43 year old twins from a population based sample...

Previous studies have shown moderate heritability for female orgasm. So far, however, no study has addressed the pattern of genetic and environmental influences on diverse sexual dysfunctions in women, nor how genetic and environmental factors contribute to the associations between them. The sample was drawn from the Genetics of Sex and Aggression...

The genetic and environmental influences on sexual coercion, and to what extent its associations with alcohol use and psychopathy depend on shared genetic and environmental effects, were explored in a Finnish population-based sample of 938 men, aged 33-43 years, using the classical twin study design. All three phenotypes were associated positively...

Associations between number of children, pregnancy, and overall relationship satisfaction were explored in a population-based sample of 2081 women, aged 33-43 years. Multiparous women had less orgasm problems compared to nulliparous women. Nulliparous women had more pain problems and were sexually less satisfied compared to women with children, reg...

We investigated the potential to engage in homosexual behavior in 6001 female and 3152 male twins and their siblings finding that 32.8% of the men and 65.4% of the women reported such potential (p<0.001). 91.5% of these men and 98.3% of these women reported no overt homosexual behavior during the preceding 12 months. The potential to engage in homo...

A number of different theoretical approaches to understanding the etiology of ejaculatory dysfunction have been proposed, but no behavior genetic study has yet, to our knowledge, been conducted to explore the genetic and environmental influences on ejaculatory dysfunction. The aim of the present study was to explore the genetic and environmental ef...

The effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by cellular phones on the event related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) of the 4-6, 6-8, 8-10, and 10-12 Hz electroencephalogram (EEG) frequency bands were studied in 24 normal subjects performing an auditory memory task. This study was a systematic replication of our previous work. In...

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of alcohol on EEG event-related desynchronization (ERD) and event-related synchronization (ERS) of the 4-6, 6-8, 8-10, and 10-12 Hz frequency bands during an auditory memory task. Twenty subjects performed an auditory memory task during which the EEG was recorded. Half the subjects perform...