The text is translated by UiO GPT.
PROMENTA, which is an interdisciplinary center focusing on mental health, substance abuse, and quality of life in the population, gathered over 300 participants on the first day of the conference, which was held at Sentralen in Oslo. Researchers from public health, mental health, and quality of life, as well as practitioners working with public health in municipalities and county councils, came together for the conference.
Several PhD candidates from PROMENTA presented important contributions, including on young people's mental health. Professor Lucy Bowes from the University of Oxford delivered the keynote lecture, presenting interesting findings on the impact bullying can have on mental health.
A venue for researchers and the practice field
– The conference is a very important venue for both PROMENTA and our partner Fremsam (Nettverk for helsefremmende samfunn) to disseminate research-based knowledge in a Norwegian context, both to other researchers and to the practice field, says Tilmann von Soest, professor at the Department of Psychology and leader of PROMENTA.
– Why did you choose to focus on less inequality and more connection?
– In a time where exclusion and social inequality is increasing, we want to focus on how we can work towards a societal development that promotes justice, belonging, and community. We wanted to highlight how social inequality and exclusion affect our mental health and quality of life, and what we know about effective measures against exclusion and for increased quality of life in municipalities.
– What did you find most exciting about the conference?
– I found it very exciting to showcase the wide range of our research, from studies that investigate the interaction between genetic factors and environmental factors, to the evaluation of school reforms. The conference aims to bridge the gap between research and the practice field, and bringing together researchers and those working in public health in the municipalities is one of the most exciting aspects of our conference.
– Many young PhD candidates are presenting their results. Why is that important?
– In addition to inviting renowned researchers such as Mike Savage and Lucy Bowes to the conference, we particularly focus on younger researchers such as PhD candidates and postdocs. It is young researchers who have new, creative ideas and who drive the research field forward, and it is therefore important to give them a platform at the PROMENTA conference as well.
– Tove Gundersen, Secretary General of The Norwegian Council for Mental Health (Rådet for psykisk helse), spoke highly of your research and its significance for the practice field. How important is that?
– There are many different initiatives aiming to promote quality of life, reduce mental health problems, and level social differences. But it is important that such initiatives are based on a solid knowledge foundation so that we can know what works and for whom. Especially in times of poor municipal economies and strained public health services, it is important that research can help identify the measures that should be prioritized, says Tilmann von Soest.
The Secretary General of The Norwegian Council for Mental Health said in her opening speech that knowledge and experience are our most important tools in the quest for a society that better facilitates good mental health development.
– Here, PROMENTA is an essential contributor, she emphasized and continued: – This year, the conference theme is rooted in two of the most important tools that form the basis for quality of life: belonging and community. We are talking about the very springboard for good mental health development. The question is how we can achieve that when exclusion and social inequality are growing, said Tove Gundersen.
She emphasized that being recognized as a valuable fellow human being is important for all of us.
– Then we gain confidence in ourselves and strength to manage our lives. Community building would be much easier if we could just erect a building and ask people to fill it with community. In reality, we find belonging only when several fine-tuned mechanisms come together. We need venues, we need attitudes that encompass and frame, and we need the human resources necessary to forge bonds and be a relational contributor.
– With rising costs and increasing inequality, the distance between people grows, and what we carry in life's backpack comes into play. When vulnerability factors are under pressure and stress, it results in poor mental health and suffering for many.
Marginalization: a major cause for poor mental health
– For many, exclusion becomes a consequence of lacking belonging and community. And as most here are aware, exclusion, marginalization, or a feeling that life lacks meaning is a major cause of a range of problems associated with poor mental health.
Tove Gundersen emphasized that The Norwegian Council for Mental Health works for a society that promotes the best possible mental health for everyone.
– The knowledge we can extract from the type of research initiated and conducted by the PROMENTA research center is central to our political recommendations and in other initiatives intended to influence a good development for the field as a whole, said Tove Gundersen.