Suchergebnisse

The first Generations and Gender Survey in Finland was collected in 2021/2022 as a web-based survey. In addition to the standard GGS-questionnaire, the Finnish survey included two new modules: the Miller Instrument, which captures childbearing motivations, and Global uncertainties, which enquires about perceptions of future threats. To further advance research on family dynamics, data from GGS Finland is linked to administrative records. This allows researchers to explore employment and family trajectories until 2026. Analyses of core socio-demographic characteristics and well-established fertility indicators reveal that the sample, by and large, represents the target population.

This study explores the associations between receiving social support from network members other than individuals' parents and fertility intentions in Finland. It additionally examines whether support from others can compensate for the lack of parental support or complement their support. Using logistic regression models applied to Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) data on individuals aged 18–45 years enriched with administrative registers, we found that Finns who received instrumental support from others were more likely to intend to have a child. Support from others did not compensate for, nor complement, a lack of parental support or parental geographic remoteness. However, among men with at least one parent deceased or unknown, those receiving emotional support from others were more likely to intend to have a child within three years (and as likely as individuals with both parents alive) than those not receiving this support, suggesting a compensatory mechanism.

Studies have suggested both adverse and protective associations of obesity with depressive symptoms. We examined the contribution of environmental and heritable factors in this association. Participants were same-sex twin pairs from two population-based twin cohort studies, the Older Finnish Twin Cohort (n= 8,215; mean age = 44.1) and the US Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS;n= 1,105; mean age = 45.1). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from self-reported height and weight. Depressive symptoms were assessed using Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI; Finnish Twin Cohort), and by negative and positive affect scales (MIDUS). In the Finnish Twin Cohort, higher BMI was associated with higher depressive symptoms in monozygotic (MZ) twins (B = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.0, 3.0) and dizygotic (DZ) twins (B = 1.17, 0.5, 1.9) with BMI >22. This association was observed in within-pair analysis in DZ twins (B = 1.47, CI = 0.4, 2.6) but not in within-pair analysis of MZ twins (B = 0.03, CI = -1.9, 2.0). Consistent with the latter result, a bivariate genetic model indicated that the association between higher BMI and higher depressive symptoms was largely mediated by genetic factors. The results of twin-pair analysis and bivariate genetic model were replicated in the MIDUS sample. These findings suggest an association between obesity and higher depressive symptoms, which is largely explained by shared heritable biological mechanisms.