Finnish Student Poverty and Mental Health Problems

Finnish students live way below the poverty line of 1410€ a month. The average student living alone has only 771€ a month at their disposal. Most of this “income” is usually a student loan being taken out on a biannual basis. In August 2024, this government-backed loan part of the income will increase to a maximum of 850€ a month. In my opinion, this sounds good at first,  but then you may realize it is a loan that needs to be paid back. This scares a lot of students, and some try to live in smaller spaces or reduce their spending to a minimum.

Some students, however, decide to work while they are studying. This solution could be challenging if you exhaust yourself or even burn out. These situations could lead to mental health issues. According to the study done in the University of Helsinki, by Korkeamäki et al (https://helda.helsinki.fi/server/api/core/bitstreams/40321884-d44e-4322-af55-2a1b291978c9/content), up to 14,5% of participating students reported a diagnosed mental disorder, while up to 32,4% of women and 25,6% of men reported symptoms of mental health issues. 40% of higher education students felt that the support offered to them was inadequate.

The study also found a correlation between social and financial issues and mental health problems in secondary school students. This information was not as readily available in the higher education part, as the survey only asked about the financial situation of the family. However, the financial stability of the family of a higher education student is still a stabilizing factor, as the family might provide a financial safety network for the student.

It is safe to say that the students of today are living in tough times. Not to say students before us were not, but the cost of living is rising, while student income is not. Students are facing financial difficulties and mental health problems. Trying to balance studying, working, and personal life is not easy. On top of all these issues, students are sometimes mocked and belittled on social media and are often told to get a job. This is impossible for some, especially those facing mental health struggles.

What solution would you suggest for improving the student’s mental health and financial situation? Personally, I would like to suggest that people do not comment on students’ situations, especially if they do not have any experience, or if their experience is not very recent. Most students do not need to know that you ran to school every day while being chased by a bear. All jokes aside, I really hope that the students of the future do not have to constantly worry about finances and struggle mentally, and that we will move on from making light of the dire situation students are in.