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European Journal of Applied Sciences (EJAS) Vol. 11, Issue 2, April-2023
across generations. It is relative to the time and place in question and characterized by agency
(someone or something is doing the exclusion). [4] Social exclusion can be seen as a continuum,
a complex cyclical, self-perpetuating and reinforcing process in which an individual gradually
drifts beyond the reach of institutions. [6] In Finland, the public debate most commonly has
concentrated on exclusion from the welfare system, education and employment. [2]
Social exclusion is an important concept for nursing and nursing science as well. It has
relevance in promoting the health of vulnerable groups [7] and in addressing potential health
inequities related to race, class, gender, disability, sexual orientation and immigrant status. [3]
Benbow et al. [1] have suggested that social exclusion should be conceptualised within a social
justice framework, which can be seen as a foundation for nursing science. They stress the
importance of continuing work for the development of clear definitions as well as transparency
with respect to the philosophical and political underpinnings of the concept. [1] For the time
being, social exclusion remains the most commonly used concept for describing young people’s
marginalization, poverty, disadvantage and lack of power, despite having been criticised for
being an ambiguous and stigmatising concept. [8]
There is an association between social exclusion and mental health problems. Boardman [4] has
argued that the conditions of social exclusion could be the cause or a consequence of mental
health problems, or there may be many third variables, which contribute to both social
exclusion and mental health problems. Loneliness, social isolation and social exclusion have
been found to affect mental health negatively. [9-12] On the other hand, depression and loneliness
increase social exclusion; [13-16] this is a two-way road.
The identification of all the various factors that contribute to social exclusion of young people
is crucial in order to alleviate human suffering and to mitigate welfare deficiency and the cost
to society. [17, 18] According to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL, [19] significant
risk factors contributing to the social exclusion of young people include low education and the
family’s problems related to low income, mental health and intoxicant use. Especially those
young people, who have experienced harmful family conditions and child protection, have
difficulty adjusting themselves to society. [18] Parents’ mental health problems increase their
children’s risk of more severe and chronic mental health disorders, compared to peers with
healthier parents. [19] Problems like unemployment, low income, housing problems, violence
and neglect may perpetuate across generations. [19]
Besides family, school is the institution that most powerfully shapes the young people’s social
life. Therefore, being excluded from the school community is a significant factor associated
with the risk of social exclusion. [20] Experienced loneliness and social isolation have a negative
effect on individuals’ mental health. [21-23] and can contribute to the development of social
exclusion. Becoming excluded can occur through bullying, which has been found to constitute
a risk to the physical, psychological and social wellbeing of both those who bully and those who
are bullied. Being bullied is also strongly associated with decreased study motivation. [24, 25]
In recent years, young people’s mental health problems have increased both in Finland and
internationally, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, socioeconomic factors and climate
change anxiety. [26] The pandemic resulted in prolonged state of physical isolation from peers,
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Salminen-Tuomaala, M., Nissinen, K., & Haasio, A. (2023). Factors Contributing to the Social Exclusion of Secondary School Aged Youth. European
Journal of Applied Sciences, Vol - 11(2). 29-43.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.112.14145
teachers, extended families, and community networks. [27] Social withdrawal and various
addictions have increased. [28, 29]
Importantly, however, a single problem does not usually affect an individual’s life management
significantly. The risk of social exclusion mostly grows with the accumulation of problems. [19]
A person’s childhood circumstances do not directly determine their later life, and for some
individuals social exclusion may be temporary. [21]
It is difficult to assess the number of marginalized young people accurately. The statistics may
indicate, who the people are with accumulated risk factors, but they do not reliably tell us who
is socially excluded. [19] In addition, part of the young people is not visible in any statistics, and
it is impossible to assess their situation.[30] Secondly, as the definitions of social exclusion
always depend on cultural values, the experiences of the young people themselves should be
included in the analysis of social exclusion. [8] Having said that, and keeping the ambiguous
definitions of social exclusion in mind, the estimates for the number of socially excluded young
people vary from 40,000 to 100,000 in Finland (population 5.5 million). [19] Another relevant
estimate is that half of the mental health disorders start before the age 14. [31]
The social exclusion of children and young people cannot be resolved in isolation from the rest
of society.[6] The Europe 2020 strategy includes guidelines for active inclusion policies for
vulnerable young people. In addition to the EU-level initiatives, a large number of policy
measures in education, labour market, and social policy fields exist on national and regional
levels that aim to improve young people labour market integration and social inclusion. [32]
In Finland, secondary school-aged young people have the right to have access to primarily
preventive welfare services that support the school community as a whole and include
cooperation between the school and home and systematic multi-professional cooperation
between teaching staff, health and social services as well as any other actors deemed necessary.
[33]“The other actors” include outreach services, regional health and social services centres and
psychiatric clinics. Finland is also committed to the Youth Guarantee initiated by the European
Union. In practice, it means that young people can receive an offer of employment, training,
work try-outs, startup grants, coaching and career guidance within a period of three
months. Almost 70 One-Stop Guidance Centres across Finland have been provided for help in
matters related to work, education and everyday life. [34, 35]
In this qualitative study, the purpose was to describe secondary school nurses’, subject
teachers’, special needs teachers’, study counselors’ and school social workers’ experiences of
factors that contribute to the development of social exclusion in secondary school aged
adolescents. The topic has not been explored much for this age group before. It is important for
school and school health professionals to become aware of the potential risk factors and early
signs of social exclusion. The study aimed at producing knowledge that could promote the
identification of social exclusion and facilitate early interventions in secondary schools.
The research question was: What factors can contribute to the social exclusion of secondary
school-aged young people?