Mervi Issakainen ([email protected])
I work as a senior researcher in social psychology, with a particular interest in health and well-being issues. I have explored young people’s distress in relation to cultural conceptions of depression, and the experiences, life situations and rights of people with mild cognitive impairment or early onset dementia in working age. I am currently involved in research projects on the well-being and rights of older people, people living with dementia and people living with epilepsy. In the project Access to justice for marginalized groups of older people in aging society (AMIS; 2023–2027), funded by the Research Council of Finland, I lead a work package focusing on the mental health challenges of older people.
Ulla-Greta Mikkonen ([email protected])
In my doctoral research, I study a self-care preparedness index and its associations with the health-related quality of life, health, and depressive symptoms in primary health care patients (Participatory Patient Care Planning in Primary Care 4PHC trial) and the effects of motivational self-care promotion on depressive symptoms in type 2 diabetes. In the DEPKuopio study, we will examine the effects of multicomponent motivational lifestyle intervention as a supportive treatment for depression in primary health care.