Aino Saarinen

Twenty-First-Century Feminisms under Repression: Gender Regime Change and the Women’s Crisis Center Movement in Russia

This article charts the ideology and mobilization of the women’s crisis center movement—the most recognizable example of postcommunist feminist activism until 2011—over the first decade of the twenty-first century as Russia moved toward consolidation and authoritarianism. We draw on our experience in and observation of this movement, a 2008 photoethnography project, and a nationwide survey of crisis centers conducted in 2008–9. By the end of Vladimir Putin’s first presidency, we find that Russia’s semiauthoritarianism was infused with a new masculinism, leaving less room for self-identified feminisms and for feminisms that include critique of male roles. The crisis centers as a phenomenon were etaticized and domesticated: they no longer resembled an autonomous movement, and much of the feminism had been lost. Yet even staff at state agencies frame their work in the language of women’s rights, a shift from their earlier tendency to assert that women provoke the violence against them. Previous studies of feminism under authoritarianism suggest that feminism is often driven underground, both in terms of activities and the way activists can frame their claims. Our study suggests that in the growing number of semiauthoritarian states such as Russia, feminism may go inside the state, a tribute to the transnational women’s activism of the last three decades. However, such insider feminism often has much more moderate claims and comes at the expense of autonomous feminism.

Longitudinal associations of temperament and character with paranoid ideation: A population-based study

The aim of this study was to examine (a) the associations of temperament and character dimensions with paranoid ideation over a 15-year follow-up in the general population (b) the associations of explosive temperament and organized character profiles with paranoid ideation. 2137 subjects of the Young Finns Study completed the Temperament and Character Inventory and the Paranoid Ideation Scale of the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised in 1997, 2001, and 2012. Temperament dimensions of high novelty seeking, high harm avoidance, low reward dependence and explosive temperament profile were associated with the development of higher paranoid ideation. Regarding character, high self-directedness, high cooperativeness, and low self-transcendence and organized character profile were associated with lower paranoid ideation. These associations sustained after controlling for age, gender, and socioeconomic factors. However, the associations between temperament and paranoia mostly disappeared after taking character into account. Our study supported the hypothesis that personality dimensions contribute to the development of paranoid ideation. Temperament and character might combine a variety of single previously found risk factors into a more comprehensive framework for the developmental etiology of paranoia. Our findings provide evidence for psychotherapeutic interventions that support the self-regulation of temperamental vulnerabilities by internalizing mature concepts about the self and social relationships.

Political and Labour Market Inclusion of Migrants in Finland

Is Finland as migrant-friendly a state as it has been thought to be in many European comparisons? (see MIPEX, 2011, pp. 10–11). We suggest that, when the actual political inclusion of migrants is con- sidered, Finland is not a model country: new residents are poorly represented in formal decision-making bodies.1 The same applies to the other Nordic countries, which, like Finland, presently confront chal- lenges to their long-term commitment to implementing human rights (Kvist et al, 2012). The Nordic welfare regime is one of many in the European Union, and in Finland in particular it was formulated well before migration began to increase, which took place as late as the early 1990s. In other words, new migrant-settlers have needed to adapt them- selves to a ‘ready-made’ model. Proper representation and integration in decision-making are still only a vision: the norms and policies seem to be formulated for the migrants and not with them (Saarinen and Jappinen, 2010a; see also Sum and Skjeie, 2008). Consequently, it is nec- essary to put the issue of political inclusion on the agenda as a matter of urgency. In this context we discuss the current economic and social challenges faced by the Finnish-Nordic regime.

Against Romanophobia, for Diversity and Equality: Exploring the Activism Modes of a “Movement Within a Movement” in Finland

The Finnish chapter by Aino Saarinen, Heini Puurunen, Airi Markkanen, and Anca Enache presents a “movement within a movement” that works to improve conditions for Eastern European Roma, the “beggars” who arrived in Finland as a result of EU’s free movement directive. The chapter is inspired by debates on acts of citizenship and the typology of political activism modes. It focuses on a few key pro-actors and their joint campaigning and annual forums with transnational links. Finnish Roma are mobilized for human rights and solidarity, but mobile Roma participate only for their economic interests. The political landscape is changing. The populist right-wingers are in the government where the Finns have promoted welfare nationalism/chauvinism. In the summer of 2017, however, the “migration critics” who took over the party ended up in opposition, whereas the new party in the making, to be called the Blue Future, is still in the government.

The co-occurrence between depressive symptoms and paranoid ideation: A population-based longitudinal study

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to examine longitudinally in the general population (a) whether depressive symptoms co-occur with paranoid ideation from late adolescence to middle age (b) whether depressive subsymptoms are differently linked with paranoid ideation (c) whether depressive symptoms are associated with state-level or trait-level paranoid ideation. METHODS Altogether 2109 subjects of the Young Finns study completed the Paranoid Ideation Scale of the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised and a modified version of the Beck Depression Inventory in 1992, 1997, 2001, 2007, and 2012, and the Beck Depression Inventory-II in 2007, 2011, and 2012. RESULTS Higher self-rated depressive symptoms were associated with the course of more severe paranoid ideation over age, especially in late adolescence and early adulthood. Regarding depressive subsymptoms, the associations of negative attitude and performance difficulties with paranoid ideation were evident over age, whereas the influence of somatic symptoms (such as changes in sleep and appetite) was not significant until after early adulthood. Additionally, depressive symptoms were more evidently associated with the development of trait- than state-level paranoid ideation. LIMITATIONS Our study mostly captured mild depressive and paranoid symptoms. The results cannot be directly generalized to clinical populations. CONCLUSIONS Depressive symptoms were associated with the course of paranoid ideation from late adolescence to middle age. Patients with paranoid ideation might merit from evaluation of potential depressive symptoms, especially in late adolescence and early adulthood. Among patients with co-occurring depressive symptoms and paranoid ideation, there may be a substantial need for neurocognitive rehabilitation and community-based treatments.

Is It Good To Be Good? Dispositional Compassion and Health Behaviors

BACKGROUND Despite the documented importance of dispositional compassions for a range of health-related outcomes, its role in predicting health behaviors remains unclear. PURPOSE This study examined the associations between dispositional compassion and three domains of health behavior, including physical activity, alcohol use, and smoking. METHODS The participants (N = 1,279-1,913) were from the Finnish population-based Young Finns study. We collected self-reports of compassion in 1997 and 2011 and health behaviors in 2001, 2007, and 2011. In addition, an objective pedometer measure of physical activity was collected in 2011. Linear and logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between compassion and the health behavior outcomes. RESULTS In a cross-sectional analysis, compassion was associated with having never smoked and a reduced likelihood of at-risk alcohol use and binge drinking. There was no robust association between compassion and physical activity. In longitudinal analyses over a 14-year period, the associations remained for at-risk alcohol use and binge drinking. CONCLUSIONS Dispositional compassion may have a protective effect against unhealthy behaviors, especially excessive alcohol consumption.