This study explored the sequential interplay between challenges and regulatory processes in high- and low-performing collaborative groups. 66 students from a Finnish higher education institution participated in a collaborative task in groups of three. Approximately 34 h of video data were coded. The sequential analysis revealed that both groups…

Existing gap-year research indicates a number of benefits of a gap-year at the end of school and before university enrollment. Life span theory of control, however, suggests that direct goal investment, rather than delay, at developmental transitions is associated with more adaptive outcomes. Comparing these perspectives, the authors undertook 2…

In this paper, I examine whether generalized trust and education, as well as social security policies of welfare state institutions matter for cross-national differences in subjective well-being (SWB), because knowledge on this issue is still lacking. For this purpose I integrated the insights of two sociological theories: Social Function…

This study compared the subjective and school-related happiness of 75 11- to 16-year-old special education students to 77 age- and gender-matched mainstream students using two quantitative measures. Additionally, the respondents chose from a list of 12 putative happy makers what they felt increased their happiness. Ten special education students…

Although most people in developed countries experience sexual initiation during adolescence, little is known about inter-country variability in the psychosocial correlates of early initiation. Population-based samples of 15-year-olds (n = 6,111, 52% female) who participated in the Health Behaviors in School-Aged Children Study (Finland, Scotland,…

A study was conducted to measure the extent to which Finnish midwives accept the "mother myth," or the stereotypical beliefs of mothers who idealize motherhood. A set of 45 statements about motherhood was administered to 382 Finnish midwives who were given 30 minutes to read the statements and indicate the extent of their agreement on a…

A study was made of comprehensive school teachers' perceptions of mental health when it was defined as a "dynamic integration process of the physical, psychical, social, and spiritual existence of a human being." Two groups participated: 76 middle-aged teachers and 87 advanced teacher trainees. Perceptions of health and mental health…