Exploring Contemporary Phenomena-Related Anxiety in Finnish Society
Pokornyi, Tristan (2026)
2026
Master's Programme in Public and Global Health
Yhteiskuntatieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Social Sciences
Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2026-07-24
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202607218396
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202607218396
Tiivistelmä
Increasing levels of anxiety have been reported in Finland and globally in recent decades, with strong associations to social determinants of health. Meanwhile, anxiety has been linked with various contemporary societal and global phenomena, but less is known about contemporary phenomena related anxiety as a broader construct, its association with sociodemographic risk factors, and differences across phenomena. This study aimed to investigate associations between self-reported anxiety related to contemporary phenomena and sociodemographic factors in Finland.
The study utilised the 2023 Finnish Mental Health Barometer Survey data, a cross-sectional survey of n = 2126 persons aged 17-80 living in Finland. Participants self-reported their anxiety level regarding nine contemporary phenomena on a 1-10 scale. Mean anxiety scores across the phenomena were recategorised into a three-level anxiety variable, with no-to-low anxiety (1-3), medium anxiety (4-6) and high anxiety (7-10). Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, with Spearman's correlation used to examine associations between phenomena. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to estimate associations between anxiety levels and sociodemographic characteristics.
Overall, 31.9 percent of the study participants reported no or low anxiety, 59.8 percent medium anxiety and 8.3 percent high anxiety. The highest mean anxiety scores concerned the economic crisis and rising prices, the Ukraine war, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Cronbach's α = 0.867 indicated high internal consistency, while Spearman's correlation coefficients demonstrated moderate-to-high positive associations between anxiety scores for the nine phenomena. Female gender (ORs: 1.69-2.73, 95% CI: 1.37-3.97), insecure household economic situation (ORs: 1.53-3.35, 95% CI: 1.16-6.11) and help-seeking behaviour (ORs: 1.49-1.85, 95% CI: 1.13-2.90) were independently associated with higher odds for medium and high anxiety. Among women, younger age was associated with medium and high anxiety. Similar sociodemographic patterns were observed across the highest-rated contemporary phenomena, with slight variation in predictors across different phenomena.
The research highlights that contemporary phenomena are associated with substantial levels of self-reported anxiety in Finland, varying among individuals according to established social determinants of mental health. Women and financially insecure individuals may be more vulnerable. The findings support the usefulness of considering contemporary phenomena-related anxiety as a broader construct. The findings may inform future research, mental health promotion strategies and clinical assessment of anxiety related to contemporary societal concerns.
The study utilised the 2023 Finnish Mental Health Barometer Survey data, a cross-sectional survey of n = 2126 persons aged 17-80 living in Finland. Participants self-reported their anxiety level regarding nine contemporary phenomena on a 1-10 scale. Mean anxiety scores across the phenomena were recategorised into a three-level anxiety variable, with no-to-low anxiety (1-3), medium anxiety (4-6) and high anxiety (7-10). Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, with Spearman's correlation used to examine associations between phenomena. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to estimate associations between anxiety levels and sociodemographic characteristics.
Overall, 31.9 percent of the study participants reported no or low anxiety, 59.8 percent medium anxiety and 8.3 percent high anxiety. The highest mean anxiety scores concerned the economic crisis and rising prices, the Ukraine war, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Cronbach's α = 0.867 indicated high internal consistency, while Spearman's correlation coefficients demonstrated moderate-to-high positive associations between anxiety scores for the nine phenomena. Female gender (ORs: 1.69-2.73, 95% CI: 1.37-3.97), insecure household economic situation (ORs: 1.53-3.35, 95% CI: 1.16-6.11) and help-seeking behaviour (ORs: 1.49-1.85, 95% CI: 1.13-2.90) were independently associated with higher odds for medium and high anxiety. Among women, younger age was associated with medium and high anxiety. Similar sociodemographic patterns were observed across the highest-rated contemporary phenomena, with slight variation in predictors across different phenomena.
The research highlights that contemporary phenomena are associated with substantial levels of self-reported anxiety in Finland, varying among individuals according to established social determinants of mental health. Women and financially insecure individuals may be more vulnerable. The findings support the usefulness of considering contemporary phenomena-related anxiety as a broader construct. The findings may inform future research, mental health promotion strategies and clinical assessment of anxiety related to contemporary societal concerns.