Suvi-Maria Saarelainen
Biographic Data
| ID | 374035 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Suvi-Maria Saarelainen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Suvi-Maria |
| FAMILY NAME | Saarelainen |
| SIGNATURE | SAARELAINEN S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Eastern Finland |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5881-132X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 21 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Well-being support in the Finnish university community
PURPOSE: Contemporary university communities have been reshaped by changing societal expectations, the COVID-19 pandemic, and structural reforms, increasing the pace, complexity, and demands of academic work for both staff and students. These pressures disrupt existential well-being (EWB), understood as a multidimensional construct encompassing meaning, purpose, coherence, and relatedness. This study examines how university staff conceptualize we…
Cultural effects on sources of meaning
Meaning in life is a fundamental aspect of human existence that influences wellbeing, yet its sources are not universal; they vary across cultures. While it is suggested that individuals in different historical periods perceive and interpret life through distinct perspectives, evidence indicates that the prominence of certain sources of meaning within populations is not merely a transient phenomenon tied to a specific period but is deeply rooted …
Religious Agency in Finnish Older Adults’ Accounts of Meaning in Life
Agency, often associated with proactivity, becomes challenging when cognitive and physical abilities decline. Therefore, in late life, agency requires reinterpretation. Building on this perspective, this study examines how Finnish older adults embody religious agency in their accounts of meaning in life. Religious agency is understood as claiming and enacting a meaningful identity. The data comprise 24 interviews with older adults aged 70–95. The…
Reforming the Bond With the Deceased Sibling Through Supernatural Experience After Bereavement
This aim of the paper is to examine the bond between a bereaved sibling and a deceased sibling through a supernatural experience and its effects on meaning in life. The bond between siblings is unique and when a sibling dies, the loss can be challenging. Little research has been conducted on sibling bereavement and continuing bonds through afterdeath communication, where the deceased's presence is still sensed. In this qualitative study, 18 parti…
Clarifying the Relationship Between Having a Clear Meaning-of-Life Belief and Three Dimensions of Meaning in Life
Meaning in Life
In this article, we address the potential of mythological narratives to contribute to understanding meaning in life. Drawing on contemporary theories concerning meaning in life including the existential psychotherapeutic approach, discrepancy-based model and hierarchical meaning-making model, we highlight key principles of the meaning-making process that are reflected also in world mythological narratives. These common principles include encounte…
Meaning in Late Life
The Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life (SoMe) questionnaire in Finnish
BACKGROUND: Psychological research about meaningfulness is concerned with a subjective sense of meaning of one's own life, that is, meaning in life. Empirical research in this field is attracting interest, as meaning in life has wide-ranging positive implications for mental health and well-being. AIM: The aim of this article is to test the validity of the Finnish translation of the Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life (SoMe) questionnaire. In t…
Chaplains Forming a Meaningful Relationship with Older People With Dementia – Insights to Pastoral Care in Nursing Home Settings
This article investigates the formation of meaningful pastoral care relationships by chaplains with older people with dementia in nursing homes. The study responds to the recently highlighted need for theological exploration of wellbeing by providing a theological analysis of how a meaningful pastoral care relationship is formed from chaplains’ perspectives. The study employs thematic analysis of ten interviews to uncover core themes. These inclu…
Covid-19 distress, sources of meaning, and crisis of meaning in the Finnish context
In secularised Nordic cultures, more research is needed about the existential significance of COVID-19 distress. The connection between COVID-19 distress, crisis of meaning, and sources of meaning was studied using the Finnish version of Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life (SoMe) questionnaire. The data were collected from 551 Finns. Respondents’ sociodemographic information was related to the studied variables. Commitment to protecting one's …
Religious Deidentification and Religiosity as a Source of Meaning in Life
In the increasingly heterogeneous existential landscape of Nordic societies, older adults are often represented as religious and their religiosity as uniform and traditional. Not much is known about the nuances and possible tension in their relationship to religiosity. This qualitatively oriented mixed-methods study among Finnish older adults explores their relationship to religiosity, approached as beliefs, practices, symbols and organizations o…
Existential loneliness and meaning-in-life in the lived experience of nursing home residents
This study expands our understanding of how existential loneliness and meaning-in-life might be connected in the lived experience of nursing home residents. A secondary analysis of interviews with nursing home residents ( n = 8) was conducted. The analysis starts inductively using template analysis, and ends deductively, with a theoretical framework guiding the process. Existential loneliness and meaning-in-life are prominent in nursing home resi…
Nursing Homes as a Context of Pastoral Care
Earlier studies indicate that moving into a nursing home raises a variety of existential concerns for older adults. Yet less is known about how nursing home chaplains experience caring for these individuals. Based on an interpretative phenomenological analysis, the article examines how chaplains perceive their role in caring for older people in nursing homes who are experiencing meaninglessness and/or existential loneliness. Particularly, we anal…
A many-analysts approach to the relation between religiosity and well-being
The relation between religiosity and well-being is one of the most researched topics in the psychology of religion, yet the directionality and robustness of the effect remains debated. Here, we adopted a many-analysts approach to assess the robustness of this relation based on a new cross-cultural dataset (N=10,535 participants from 24 countries). We recruited 120 analysis teams to investigate (1) whether religious people self-report higher well-…
Mapping Existential Loneliness
In the last decade, there has been a renewed interdisciplinary interest in the study of existential loneliness (EL) or existential isolation (EI). However, to date, there is still no consensus in the literature on what exactly EL/EI is and how should be measured, resulting in a wide variety of definitions and operationalizations of the experience. Therefore, this scoping review provides an overview of the available terminology, definitions, and o…
Relational aspects of meaning in life among older people – a group-interview gerontechnology study
Earlier studies show that experiencing life as meaningful in old age promotes holistic wellbeing and health among older people. As more and more people are living with reduced capacities in their own homes, there is an urgent need to find new ways of promoting holistic wellbeing of the ageing population. Analysing data gathered from existential discussion groups on Service TV (STV), we show how strongly relationality and meaning in life are inter…
Funeral Wills and the Autonomy of a Dying Person
The Search for Meaning in Life Through Continuing and/or Transforming the Bond to a Deceased Spouse in Late Life
Bereavement is an ongoing process of negotiation and meaning-making in which widows and widowers make sense of the changed nature of their relationship with their deceased spouse. We analyzed the experiences of meaning in life among older widows and widowers (aged 65+) using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA; see Smith et al. in Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research, Sage, 2009), with the following ques…
Religious Experiences of Older People Receiving Palliative Care at Home
Increasingly more older people are now being cared for in their own homes. Furthermore, it has become more common that people stay at home to receive end-of-life care. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), we analyzed the religious experiences of older people (aged 65+). We answered these questions: What kind of religious experiences do older people have when death is approaching? What does this tell us about their religious copin…
Meeting the Spiritual Care Needs of Emerging Adults with Cancer
Every year 90,000 young people in Europe and the USA are newly diagnosed with cancer. The majority of earlier studies have taken a quantitative perspective, rarely focusing on the importance of religiosity and spirituality. From these premises, this narrative study explores the spiritual needs of emerging adults with cancer and suggests spiritual care practices that would benefit them in their shift to the remission stage. The data were obtained …
Emerging Finnish Adults Coping with Cancer
Emerging Finnish Adults Coping with Cancer
Relational aspects of meaning in life among older people – a group-interview gerontechnology study
Earlier studies show that experiencing life as meaningful in old age promotes holistic wellbeing and health among older people. As more and more people are living with reduced capacities in their own homes, there is an urgent need to find new ways of promoting holistic wellbeing of the ageing population. Analysing data gathered from existential discussion groups on Service TV (STV), we show how strongly relationality and meaning in life are inter…
The Search for Meaning in Life Through Continuing and/or Transforming the Bond to a Deceased Spouse in Late Life
Bereavement is an ongoing process of negotiation and meaning-making in which widows and widowers make sense of the changed nature of their relationship with their deceased spouse. We analyzed the experiences of meaning in life among older widows and widowers (aged 65+) using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA; see Smith et al. in Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research, Sage, 2009), with the following ques…
Religious Experiences of Older People Receiving Palliative Care at Home
Increasingly more older people are now being cared for in their own homes. Furthermore, it has become more common that people stay at home to receive end-of-life care. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), we analyzed the religious experiences of older people (aged 65+). We answered these questions: What kind of religious experiences do older people have when death is approaching? What does this tell us about their religious copin…
Emerging Finnish Adults Coping with Cancer
Meeting the Spiritual Care Needs of Emerging Adults with Cancer
Every year 90,000 young people in Europe and the USA are newly diagnosed with cancer. The majority of earlier studies have taken a quantitative perspective, rarely focusing on the importance of religiosity and spirituality. From these premises, this narrative study explores the spiritual needs of emerging adults with cancer and suggests spiritual care practices that would benefit them in their shift to the remission stage. The data were obtained …
Religious Experiences of Older People Receiving Palliative Care at Home
Increasingly more older people are now being cared for in their own homes. Furthermore, it has become more common that people stay at home to receive end-of-life care. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), we analyzed the religious experiences of older people (aged 65+). We answered these questions: What kind of religious experiences do older people have when death is approaching? What does this tell us about their religious copin…
Funeral Wills and the Autonomy of a Dying Person
The Search for Meaning in Life Through Continuing and/or Transforming the Bond to a Deceased Spouse in Late Life
Bereavement is an ongoing process of negotiation and meaning-making in which widows and widowers make sense of the changed nature of their relationship with their deceased spouse. We analyzed the experiences of meaning in life among older widows and widowers (aged 65+) using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA; see Smith et al. in Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research, Sage, 2009), with the following ques…
Relational aspects of meaning in life among older people – a group-interview gerontechnology study
Earlier studies show that experiencing life as meaningful in old age promotes holistic wellbeing and health among older people. As more and more people are living with reduced capacities in their own homes, there is an urgent need to find new ways of promoting holistic wellbeing of the ageing population. Analysing data gathered from existential discussion groups on Service TV (STV), we show how strongly relationality and meaning in life are inter…
Nursing Homes as a Context of Pastoral Care
Earlier studies indicate that moving into a nursing home raises a variety of existential concerns for older adults. Yet less is known about how nursing home chaplains experience caring for these individuals. Based on an interpretative phenomenological analysis, the article examines how chaplains perceive their role in caring for older people in nursing homes who are experiencing meaninglessness and/or existential loneliness. Particularly, we anal…
A many-analysts approach to the relation between religiosity and well-being
The relation between religiosity and well-being is one of the most researched topics in the psychology of religion, yet the directionality and robustness of the effect remains debated. Here, we adopted a many-analysts approach to assess the robustness of this relation based on a new cross-cultural dataset (N=10,535 participants from 24 countries). We recruited 120 analysis teams to investigate (1) whether religious people self-report higher well-…
Mapping Existential Loneliness
In the last decade, there has been a renewed interdisciplinary interest in the study of existential loneliness (EL) or existential isolation (EI). However, to date, there is still no consensus in the literature on what exactly EL/EI is and how should be measured, resulting in a wide variety of definitions and operationalizations of the experience. Therefore, this scoping review provides an overview of the available terminology, definitions, and o…
Meaning in Late Life
The Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life (SoMe) questionnaire in Finnish
BACKGROUND: Psychological research about meaningfulness is concerned with a subjective sense of meaning of one's own life, that is, meaning in life. Empirical research in this field is attracting interest, as meaning in life has wide-ranging positive implications for mental health and well-being. AIM: The aim of this article is to test the validity of the Finnish translation of the Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life (SoMe) questionnaire. In t…
Chaplains Forming a Meaningful Relationship with Older People With Dementia – Insights to Pastoral Care in Nursing Home Settings
This article investigates the formation of meaningful pastoral care relationships by chaplains with older people with dementia in nursing homes. The study responds to the recently highlighted need for theological exploration of wellbeing by providing a theological analysis of how a meaningful pastoral care relationship is formed from chaplains’ perspectives. The study employs thematic analysis of ten interviews to uncover core themes. These inclu…
Covid-19 distress, sources of meaning, and crisis of meaning in the Finnish context
In secularised Nordic cultures, more research is needed about the existential significance of COVID-19 distress. The connection between COVID-19 distress, crisis of meaning, and sources of meaning was studied using the Finnish version of Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life (SoMe) questionnaire. The data were collected from 551 Finns. Respondents’ sociodemographic information was related to the studied variables. Commitment to protecting one's …
Religious Deidentification and Religiosity as a Source of Meaning in Life
In the increasingly heterogeneous existential landscape of Nordic societies, older adults are often represented as religious and their religiosity as uniform and traditional. Not much is known about the nuances and possible tension in their relationship to religiosity. This qualitatively oriented mixed-methods study among Finnish older adults explores their relationship to religiosity, approached as beliefs, practices, symbols and organizations o…
Existential loneliness and meaning-in-life in the lived experience of nursing home residents
This study expands our understanding of how existential loneliness and meaning-in-life might be connected in the lived experience of nursing home residents. A secondary analysis of interviews with nursing home residents ( n = 8) was conducted. The analysis starts inductively using template analysis, and ends deductively, with a theoretical framework guiding the process. Existential loneliness and meaning-in-life are prominent in nursing home resi…
Cultural effects on sources of meaning
Meaning in life is a fundamental aspect of human existence that influences wellbeing, yet its sources are not universal; they vary across cultures. While it is suggested that individuals in different historical periods perceive and interpret life through distinct perspectives, evidence indicates that the prominence of certain sources of meaning within populations is not merely a transient phenomenon tied to a specific period but is deeply rooted …
Religious Agency in Finnish Older Adults’ Accounts of Meaning in Life
Agency, often associated with proactivity, becomes challenging when cognitive and physical abilities decline. Therefore, in late life, agency requires reinterpretation. Building on this perspective, this study examines how Finnish older adults embody religious agency in their accounts of meaning in life. Religious agency is understood as claiming and enacting a meaningful identity. The data comprise 24 interviews with older adults aged 70–95. The…
Reforming the Bond With the Deceased Sibling Through Supernatural Experience After Bereavement
This aim of the paper is to examine the bond between a bereaved sibling and a deceased sibling through a supernatural experience and its effects on meaning in life. The bond between siblings is unique and when a sibling dies, the loss can be challenging. Little research has been conducted on sibling bereavement and continuing bonds through afterdeath communication, where the deceased's presence is still sensed. In this qualitative study, 18 parti…
Clarifying the Relationship Between Having a Clear Meaning-of-Life Belief and Three Dimensions of Meaning in Life
Meaning in Life
In this article, we address the potential of mythological narratives to contribute to understanding meaning in life. Drawing on contemporary theories concerning meaning in life including the existential psychotherapeutic approach, discrepancy-based model and hierarchical meaning-making model, we highlight key principles of the meaning-making process that are reflected also in world mythological narratives. These common principles include encounte…
Well-being support in the Finnish university community
PURPOSE: Contemporary university communities have been reshaped by changing societal expectations, the COVID-19 pandemic, and structural reforms, increasing the pace, complexity, and demands of academic work for both staff and students. These pressures disrupt existential well-being (EWB), understood as a multidimensional construct encompassing meaning, purpose, coherence, and relatedness. This study examines how university staff conceptualize we…
Psychology (18 works) · Psychotherapist (11 works) · Social Psychology (11 works) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (10 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Medicine (9 works) · Philosophy (8 works) · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction (6 works) · Aging and Gerontology Research (5 works) · Epistemology (5 works)