M Tiilikainen
Biographic Data
| ID | 4085 |
|---|---|
| NAME | M Tiilikainen |
| GIVEN NAMES | M |
| FAMILY NAME | Tiilikainen |
| SIGNATURE | TIILIKAINEN M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Helsinki |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5613-7637 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 50 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2003 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Hospitality and Agency in Young Refugees’ Everyday Relationships: A Study of Mutual Becoming
This study asks how former unaccompanied minors in Finland practice hospitality and reciprocity with those they value, both locally and transnationally, and how agency emerges in these encounters as they rebuild sustainable lives despite challenges. Previous research often frames unaccompanied minors and other young refugees primarily as aid recipients within support systems, overlooking their agency and capacity to shape their own social worlds.…
Living separated from family: The socioeconomic resources and mental health of unaccompanied refugee minors in young adulthood
Purpose This study aims to examine the role of absence of family on the education outcomes, labor market position and mental health of unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) in Finland. Design/methodology/approach The authors used Finnish register data covering 1991–2015 from a Nordic study titled Coming of Age in Exile that studied how socio-economic and health inequities develop during the formative years in young refugees (in Finland born between…
Family-like Relationships and Wellbeing of Young Refugees in Finland, Norway, and Scotland
In this article, we explore the role of family-like relationships in creating wellbeing for unaccompanied minor refugees (UMRs) to Europe. Our theoretical point of departure is a relational approach to wellbeing as conceptualized by Sarah C. White. The data comprises interviews with 51 settled UMRs in Finland, Norway, and Scotland, focused on their social networks, and a selection of paired interviews with young people alongside someone they defi…
Lived Experience Related to the Covid-19 Pandemic among Arabic-, Russian- and Somali-Speaking Migrants in Finland
Increasing research shows that migrants are disproportionately exposed to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, little is known about their lived experience and related meaning-making. This qualitative study maps COVID-19-related experiences among respondents from three migrant groups living in Finland: Somali-, Arabic- and Russian-speakers ( N = 209). The data were collected by telephone interviews over four weeks in March and April 2020…
Transnational Marriage among the Kurds in Finland
Wellbeing of Transnational Muslim Families: Marriage, Law and Gender
This book examines the needs, aspirations, strategies, and challenges of transnational Muslim migrants in Europe with regard to family practices such as marriage, divorce, and parenting. Critically re-conceptualizing ‘wellbeing’ and unpacking its multiple dimensions in the context of Muslim families, it investigates how migrants make sense of and draw on different norms, laws, and regimes of knowledge as they navigate different aspects of family …
Transnational migrant families: Navigating marriage, generation and gender in multiple spheres
This special issue seeks to enrich readers’ understandings of the transnational family practices and relations of selected migrant groups of a predominantly Muslim background in a number of Western contexts. It presents theoretically and empirically grounded studies that investigate how these family practices and ties are transnationally shaped, navigated and experienced by different family members. It focuses on two aspects of family life: marri…
Whenever mom hands over the phone, then we talk’: Transnational ties to the country of descent among Canadian Somali youth
This article focuses on the transnational experiences of second-generation Canadian Somalis, in particular their social ties to Somalia. It sheds light on the transnational family relations and practices of the second generation as well as the meanings, emotions and identifications that they attach to such relations and practices. The concepts of transnational ways of being and belonging are employed as analytical tools. In their everyday life, t…
Usage of healthcare services and preference for mental healthcare among older Somali immigrants in Finland
Objectives: The aims of the study were, first, to describe and analyze healthcare services utilization patterns of older immigrants in Finland, and particularly to compare the availability and accessibility of health services between older Somalis and Finns. The second aim was to examine the preferences for mental healthcare within the group of Somalis. The third aim was to test the existence of a service usage gap expected to be characteristic o…
Causal attributions of mental health problems and depressive symptoms among older Somali refugees in Finland
Causal attributions of mental health problems play a crucial role in shaping and differentiating illness experience in different sociocultural and ethnic groups. The aims of this study were (a) to analyze older Somali refugees' causal attributions of mental health problems; (b) to examine the associations between demographic and diagnostic characteristics, proxy indicators of acculturation, and causal attributions; and (c) to analyze the connecti…
Looking for a Safe Place: Security and Transnational Somali Muslim families
This article explores human security from the perspective of those who live under the securitization and governance of Islam, i.e. Muslims themselves. I focus on one hand on the insecurities and threats that have been identified by Somali Muslims in the diaspora, and on the other hand on their means for managing insecurity and creating a sense of safety. The challenges, opportunities and experiences of the Somali diaspora are linked to the histor…
Mental and somatic health and pre- and post-migration factors among older Somali refugees in Finland
Mental and somatic health was compared between older Somali refugees and their pair-matched Finnish natives, and the role of pre-migration trauma and post-migration stressors among the refugees. One hundred and twenty-eight Somalis between 50-80 years of age were selected from the Somali older adult population living in the Helsinki area ( N = 307). Participants were matched with native Finns by gender, age, education, and civic status. The BDI-2…
Depressive Symptoms and Their Psychosocial Correlates Among Older Somali Refugees and Native Finns
In this study, we analyzed the manifestation of somatic-affective and cognitive depressive symptoms among older Somali refugees and native Finns. Second, we explored how depressive symptoms, alexithymia, and somatization are associated in the two groups. Finally, we analyzed how two psychosocial factors, sense of coherence (SOC) and social support, are connected to depressive symptoms among Somalis and Finns. The participants were examined with t…
Civil Society in Making: Challenges of the Somali Diaspora Organizations
This article contributes to the discussion on migrants and civil society by directing attention towards the importance of transnational processes. Somali organizations in Finland will be addressed against the state-failure and conflict in Somalia. Among the Somalis, an NGO largely remains an alien and donor-driven concept, whereas clan, religious affiliations and associational structures may be blurred in complex ways. There is a need to rethink …
Transforming the Boundaries of Health Care: Insights from Somali Migrants
Despite its growing practice, transnational medical care has not yet been embedded as a critical component of health research, professional practice, or analyses of changes in the social determinants of health. Biomedical practitioners in Finland have failed to take into account the transformative role of transnational health care. Consequently, Somali migrants do not receive informed advice on how to incorporate distant practices into physical a…
Changing Conceptions of Mental Distress Among Somalis in Finland
This article examines how the conceptions, expressions and treatment of mental distress are changing among Somalis living in Finland. The data derive from two focus group interviews with Somali seniors and two individual interviews with Islamic healers. Conditions conceptualized by the Finnish biomedical system as mental disorders, are seen by most Somalis as spiritual and/or social problems. Somali migrants face new sources of suffering and new …
The Transnational Somali Field: Ethical and Methodological Challenges
Somali Women and Daily Islam in the Diaspora
Somali asylum seekers started migrating to Finland in 1990. Today, the number of Somalis, Finland's largest Muslim group, is around 7000. The author examines immigrant Somali women as religious agents, who in an active way follow Islam in their daily life and construct their identities as Muslims. Islam features as a practical and moral guideline, which helps Somalis to manage in a new religious and cultural environment, but which may also heal t…
Transforming the Boundaries of Health Care: Insights from Somali Migrants
Despite its growing practice, transnational medical care has not yet been embedded as a critical component of health research, professional practice, or analyses of changes in the social determinants of health. Biomedical practitioners in Finland have failed to take into account the transformative role of transnational health care. Consequently, Somali migrants do not receive informed advice on how to incorporate distant practices into physical a…
Changing Conceptions of Mental Distress Among Somalis in Finland
This article examines how the conceptions, expressions and treatment of mental distress are changing among Somalis living in Finland. The data derive from two focus group interviews with Somali seniors and two individual interviews with Islamic healers. Conditions conceptualized by the Finnish biomedical system as mental disorders, are seen by most Somalis as spiritual and/or social problems. Somali migrants face new sources of suffering and new …
Mental and somatic health and pre- and post-migration factors among older Somali refugees in Finland
Mental and somatic health was compared between older Somali refugees and their pair-matched Finnish natives, and the role of pre-migration trauma and post-migration stressors among the refugees. One hundred and twenty-eight Somalis between 50-80 years of age were selected from the Somali older adult population living in the Helsinki area ( N = 307). Participants were matched with native Finns by gender, age, education, and civic status. The BDI-2…
Family-like Relationships and Wellbeing of Young Refugees in Finland, Norway, and Scotland
In this article, we explore the role of family-like relationships in creating wellbeing for unaccompanied minor refugees (UMRs) to Europe. Our theoretical point of departure is a relational approach to wellbeing as conceptualized by Sarah C. White. The data comprises interviews with 51 settled UMRs in Finland, Norway, and Scotland, focused on their social networks, and a selection of paired interviews with young people alongside someone they defi…
Usage of healthcare services and preference for mental healthcare among older Somali immigrants in Finland
Objectives: The aims of the study were, first, to describe and analyze healthcare services utilization patterns of older immigrants in Finland, and particularly to compare the availability and accessibility of health services between older Somalis and Finns. The second aim was to examine the preferences for mental healthcare within the group of Somalis. The third aim was to test the existence of a service usage gap expected to be characteristic o…
Civil Society in Making: Challenges of the Somali Diaspora Organizations
This article contributes to the discussion on migrants and civil society by directing attention towards the importance of transnational processes. Somali organizations in Finland will be addressed against the state-failure and conflict in Somalia. Among the Somalis, an NGO largely remains an alien and donor-driven concept, whereas clan, religious affiliations and associational structures may be blurred in complex ways. There is a need to rethink …
Causal attributions of mental health problems and depressive symptoms among older Somali refugees in Finland
Causal attributions of mental health problems play a crucial role in shaping and differentiating illness experience in different sociocultural and ethnic groups. The aims of this study were (a) to analyze older Somali refugees' causal attributions of mental health problems; (b) to examine the associations between demographic and diagnostic characteristics, proxy indicators of acculturation, and causal attributions; and (c) to analyze the connecti…
Depressive Symptoms and Their Psychosocial Correlates Among Older Somali Refugees and Native Finns
In this study, we analyzed the manifestation of somatic-affective and cognitive depressive symptoms among older Somali refugees and native Finns. Second, we explored how depressive symptoms, alexithymia, and somatization are associated in the two groups. Finally, we analyzed how two psychosocial factors, sense of coherence (SOC) and social support, are connected to depressive symptoms among Somalis and Finns. The participants were examined with t…
Somali Women and Daily Islam in the Diaspora
Somali asylum seekers started migrating to Finland in 1990. Today, the number of Somalis, Finland's largest Muslim group, is around 7000. The author examines immigrant Somali women as religious agents, who in an active way follow Islam in their daily life and construct their identities as Muslims. Islam features as a practical and moral guideline, which helps Somalis to manage in a new religious and cultural environment, but which may also heal t…
The Transnational Somali Field: Ethical and Methodological Challenges
Changing Conceptions of Mental Distress Among Somalis in Finland
This article examines how the conceptions, expressions and treatment of mental distress are changing among Somalis living in Finland. The data derive from two focus group interviews with Somali seniors and two individual interviews with Islamic healers. Conditions conceptualized by the Finnish biomedical system as mental disorders, are seen by most Somalis as spiritual and/or social problems. Somali migrants face new sources of suffering and new …
Transforming the Boundaries of Health Care: Insights from Somali Migrants
Despite its growing practice, transnational medical care has not yet been embedded as a critical component of health research, professional practice, or analyses of changes in the social determinants of health. Biomedical practitioners in Finland have failed to take into account the transformative role of transnational health care. Consequently, Somali migrants do not receive informed advice on how to incorporate distant practices into physical a…
Civil Society in Making: Challenges of the Somali Diaspora Organizations
This article contributes to the discussion on migrants and civil society by directing attention towards the importance of transnational processes. Somali organizations in Finland will be addressed against the state-failure and conflict in Somalia. Among the Somalis, an NGO largely remains an alien and donor-driven concept, whereas clan, religious affiliations and associational structures may be blurred in complex ways. There is a need to rethink …
Mental and somatic health and pre- and post-migration factors among older Somali refugees in Finland
Mental and somatic health was compared between older Somali refugees and their pair-matched Finnish natives, and the role of pre-migration trauma and post-migration stressors among the refugees. One hundred and twenty-eight Somalis between 50-80 years of age were selected from the Somali older adult population living in the Helsinki area ( N = 307). Participants were matched with native Finns by gender, age, education, and civic status. The BDI-2…
Depressive Symptoms and Their Psychosocial Correlates Among Older Somali Refugees and Native Finns
In this study, we analyzed the manifestation of somatic-affective and cognitive depressive symptoms among older Somali refugees and native Finns. Second, we explored how depressive symptoms, alexithymia, and somatization are associated in the two groups. Finally, we analyzed how two psychosocial factors, sense of coherence (SOC) and social support, are connected to depressive symptoms among Somalis and Finns. The participants were examined with t…
Looking for a Safe Place: Security and Transnational Somali Muslim families
This article explores human security from the perspective of those who live under the securitization and governance of Islam, i.e. Muslims themselves. I focus on one hand on the insecurities and threats that have been identified by Somali Muslims in the diaspora, and on the other hand on their means for managing insecurity and creating a sense of safety. The challenges, opportunities and experiences of the Somali diaspora are linked to the histor…
Transnational migrant families: Navigating marriage, generation and gender in multiple spheres
This special issue seeks to enrich readers’ understandings of the transnational family practices and relations of selected migrant groups of a predominantly Muslim background in a number of Western contexts. It presents theoretically and empirically grounded studies that investigate how these family practices and ties are transnationally shaped, navigated and experienced by different family members. It focuses on two aspects of family life: marri…
Whenever mom hands over the phone, then we talk’: Transnational ties to the country of descent among Canadian Somali youth
This article focuses on the transnational experiences of second-generation Canadian Somalis, in particular their social ties to Somalia. It sheds light on the transnational family relations and practices of the second generation as well as the meanings, emotions and identifications that they attach to such relations and practices. The concepts of transnational ways of being and belonging are employed as analytical tools. In their everyday life, t…
Usage of healthcare services and preference for mental healthcare among older Somali immigrants in Finland
Objectives: The aims of the study were, first, to describe and analyze healthcare services utilization patterns of older immigrants in Finland, and particularly to compare the availability and accessibility of health services between older Somalis and Finns. The second aim was to examine the preferences for mental healthcare within the group of Somalis. The third aim was to test the existence of a service usage gap expected to be characteristic o…
Causal attributions of mental health problems and depressive symptoms among older Somali refugees in Finland
Causal attributions of mental health problems play a crucial role in shaping and differentiating illness experience in different sociocultural and ethnic groups. The aims of this study were (a) to analyze older Somali refugees' causal attributions of mental health problems; (b) to examine the associations between demographic and diagnostic characteristics, proxy indicators of acculturation, and causal attributions; and (c) to analyze the connecti…
Wellbeing of Transnational Muslim Families: Marriage, Law and Gender
This book examines the needs, aspirations, strategies, and challenges of transnational Muslim migrants in Europe with regard to family practices such as marriage, divorce, and parenting. Critically re-conceptualizing ‘wellbeing’ and unpacking its multiple dimensions in the context of Muslim families, it investigates how migrants make sense of and draw on different norms, laws, and regimes of knowledge as they navigate different aspects of family …
Transnational Marriage among the Kurds in Finland
Lived Experience Related to the Covid-19 Pandemic among Arabic-, Russian- and Somali-Speaking Migrants in Finland
Increasing research shows that migrants are disproportionately exposed to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, little is known about their lived experience and related meaning-making. This qualitative study maps COVID-19-related experiences among respondents from three migrant groups living in Finland: Somali-, Arabic- and Russian-speakers ( N = 209). The data were collected by telephone interviews over four weeks in March and April 2020…
Family-like Relationships and Wellbeing of Young Refugees in Finland, Norway, and Scotland
In this article, we explore the role of family-like relationships in creating wellbeing for unaccompanied minor refugees (UMRs) to Europe. Our theoretical point of departure is a relational approach to wellbeing as conceptualized by Sarah C. White. The data comprises interviews with 51 settled UMRs in Finland, Norway, and Scotland, focused on their social networks, and a selection of paired interviews with young people alongside someone they defi…
Hospitality and Agency in Young Refugees’ Everyday Relationships: A Study of Mutual Becoming
This study asks how former unaccompanied minors in Finland practice hospitality and reciprocity with those they value, both locally and transnationally, and how agency emerges in these encounters as they rebuild sustainable lives despite challenges. Previous research often frames unaccompanied minors and other young refugees primarily as aid recipients within support systems, overlooking their agency and capacity to shape their own social worlds.…
Living separated from family: The socioeconomic resources and mental health of unaccompanied refugee minors in young adulthood
Purpose This study aims to examine the role of absence of family on the education outcomes, labor market position and mental health of unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) in Finland. Design/methodology/approach The authors used Finnish register data covering 1991–2015 from a Nordic study titled Coming of Age in Exile that studied how socio-economic and health inequities develop during the formative years in young refugees (in Finland born between…
Sociology (13 works) · Somali (12 works) · Gender Studies (11 works) · Migration, Health and Trauma (9 works) · Political science (9 works) · Psychology (8 works) · Mental health (7 works) · Migration and Labor Dynamics (7 works) · Refugee (7 works) · Gender Studies (6 works)