BACKGROUND Understanding when people seek online information about depression may help improve the timing of mental health interventions. This study examines the temporal rhythms in depression-related online search behavior in Finland between 2013 and 2022. METHODS We analyzed diurnal, weekly, and seasonal patterns in six Google-suggested depression-related search queries and two comparator terms using data from Google Trends and the Google Health Trends Application Programming Interface. RESULTS Search volumes exhibited distinct temporal patterns at the daily, weekly, and seasonal levels. A robust diurnal rhythm was observed across search terms, with a pronounced nightly peak. Weekly patterns showed increased search activity during weekends, except for masennus ("depression"), which displayed a distinct weekday pattern. Seasonal analyses revealed bimodal patterns for masennus and masennustesti ("depression test"), with peaks in spring and autumn and reduced search interest during summer. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight consistent temporal patterns in depression-related online search behavior and may provide complementary information for healthcare providers and policymakers when planning the timing of mental health communication and interventions.
Aims: To examine differences in maternal and child health service utilization between Somali-/Arabic-speaking, Russian-speaking, and Finnish-speaking mothers, and to explore whether health service use and breastfeeding peer support mediate the association between maternal origin and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). Methods: We used data from the FinChildren 2020 survey. The analysis included 5348 mothers with infants aged 4–5 months: 78 Somali-/Arabic-speaking, 123 Russian-speaking, and 5147 Finnish-speaking mothers. Mediation analysis was used to examine the potential mediating role of health service use and breastfeeding peer support in the association between maternal origin and EBF. Results: Among the infants born to Somali-/Arabic-speaking mothers, 23% had not attended routine child health clinic visits, compared with 1.7% of Russian-speaking and 0.4% of Finnish-speaking mothers ( p < 0.005). Somali-/Arabic-speaking mothers were less likely to be offered postpartum nurse home visits (50% vs. 62% and 72%, respectively; p < 0.005) and to report adequate breastfeeding peer support (50% vs. 57% and 69%, respectively; p < 0.005). In unadjusted mediation analyses, breastfeeding peer support and the offer of a postpartum nurse home visit showed the largest indirect effects (−0.013 and 0.002, respectively). Using child health clinic services showed small effects. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, all indirect effects were attenuated and no longer statistically significant. Conclusions: Somali-/Arabic-speaking mothers experienced disparities in health service use and breastfeeding support. Although these differences partly accounted for the association between maternal origin and EBF, this was no longer observed after adjustment. Further research is needed to identify mechanisms underlying these disparities and to identify ways to promote equitable access to these services and support.
Background: Systematic Text Condensation (STC) was introduced as a method for qualitative thematic analysis in 2012. Since then, STC has been increasingly tailored to advance knowing of subjectivity and complexity in medicine, health care and public health. STC is widely used but not always applied as intended. Aim: Drawing on substantial uptake of STC and instances of inconsistent adherence to its principles and procedures, this article revisits the method, highlighting advances in its epistemological assumptions and methodological approaches. Methods: This article retains the roadmap from 2012 while elaborating and nuancing aspects that require further attention. Readers familiar with the method should recognise what has changed and why it matters. Results: The original four-step analytic structure and key terms remain unchanged. Greater emphasis is placed on epistemological congruence, making explicit the assumptions underpinning subjectivity, interpretation and reflexivity, and their implications for methodological practice. The flow of inductive analysis is clarified from an early analytical focus based on preliminary themes through coding and synthesis. Procedural guidance is refined, particularly regarding empirically based abstraction through condensation in Step 3 and consistent use of terminology across the analysis steps. Implications for methodological practice: This updated version of STC entails a stronger commitment to epistemological assumptions and their methodological implications than the original presentation conveyed. By making these assumptions explicit and operationalising them through refined analytical procedures, STC now provides a stronger compass for navigating subjectivity and complexity in medical, health care and public health research.
Background: Early childhood is important for child development, and family psychosocial factors during childhood are associated with later developmental outcomes. In preventive child healthcare, it may be useful to prioritise risk factors for adverse outcomes. Objectives: This study aims to examine which psychosocial factors are the most important in predicting problems in children’s expressive language performance and socioemotional functioning. Method: This Danish prospective observational study used questionnaires, medical records, and register data of mothers from the cohort of the Family Well-being Trial. Several psychosocial predictors’ relative importance to expressive language (measured by the 100-item Communicative Development Inventory (CDI)) and socioemotional functioning (measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)) were assessed in a dominance analysis. The strongest three predictors for each outcome were assessed in a multivariable linear regression model to evaluate the size of the association and its direction. Results: Parental education is a key predictor, with higher education linked to better child vocabulary. Living in urban areas correlates with higher CDI scores than in large rural towns. Psychosocial factors such as limited social support, parental separation, first-time mothers, and maternal psychiatric diagnosis were associated with slightly more socioemotional difficulties. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of psychosocial factors for early child development. The findings support prioritising targeted language support in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas and focusing developmental monitoring on families affected by social isolation, parental separation, first-time parenthood, and maternal psychiatric conditions, alongside broader structural and policy-level interventions. Registration: The participants were part of the cohort from the Family Well-being Trial (FamilieTrivsel), registered October 16th, 2019, with trial registry number: NCT04129359.
AIMS Physical availability is a key determinant of gambling spending and, consequently, gambling harm. The aim of the study was to examine, using objective revenue data linked to gamblers' residential postal codes, how the availability of electronic gambling machines and area-level socioeconomic disadvantage are associated with average electronic gambling machine losses per adult and the share of local electronic gambling machine revenue attributable to local residents. METHODS The analysis draws on register-based data on electronic gambling machine revenue at the postal code level combined with area-level socioeconomic indicators drawn from official statistics. Linear regression models were used to estimate the associations between electronic gambling machine availability, area-level socioeconomic status, and two outcomes: average electronic gambling machine losses per adult and the share of electronic gambling machine revenue attributable to local residents. RESULTS Average losses per adult among local residents increase with electronic gambling machine availability and are highest in the most disadvantaged areas, particularly where availability is high. At the same time, the share of local electronic gambling machine revenue attributable to local residents declines as availability increases, although this decline is less pronounced in more disadvantaged areas, where local residents account for a substantially larger share of revenue than in less disadvantaged areas. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that higher electronic gambling machine availability and local socioeconomic disadvantage are associated with greater gambling losses among local residents, who also contribute a larger share of electronic gambling machine revenue in more disadvantaged areas. Given that monetary losses are a key risk factor for gambling harm, effective prevention requires the regulation of electronic gambling machine availability.
