A deep dive into the loneliness among Chinese immigrants in Finland

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Figure 1 Structure of the thesis.png (130.08 KB)
Figure 2 Research objectives and questions.png (43.53 KB)
Figure 3 Typical loneliness among Chinese immigrants in Finland and related scenarios.png (135.83 KB)
Figure 4 Service providers in the service ecosystem.png (125.64 KB)
Figure 5 Systematic strategies from prevention to intervention along the migration journey.png (152.89 KB)
Table 1 Semi-structured interview script.png (292.93 KB)
Table 2 Demographic distribution of interviewees.png (110.25 KB)

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Volume Title

School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Master's thesis
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Authors

Date

2023

Department

muo

Major/Subject

Mcode

Degree programme

Master's Programme in Creative Sustainability

Language

en

Pages

45

Series

Abstract

Studies worldwide have shown that loneliness is one of the significant psychological problems that plague Chinese immigrants. However, there is still a gap in research on loneliness among Chinese immigrants in Finland. Therefore, this study used an exploratory research method to conduct semi-structured interviews with 11 Chinese immigrants in Finland. Through the field research, the study identified four typical types of loneliness that plague Chinese immigrants: (1) contextual loneliness, (2) existential loneliness, (3) social loneliness, and (4) emotional loneliness. Moreover, the social integration challenges behind loneliness were analyzed in depth, as well as the diversity of immigrants' experiences of loneliness. Finally, four improvement strategies are proposed based on the systemic problems of the existing loneliness intervention service ecosystem. The first one is ensuring accessibility of resources in the early stages of migration. The second one is promoting social integration through pre-reminders and life guides at the macro level. The third one is preventing loneliness by providing long-term opportunities to interact with local culture and people at the meso level. And the last one is providing proactive psychological services to intervene in chronic loneliness at the micro level.

Description

Supervisor

Jalas, Mikko

Thesis advisor

Kollmann, Talvikki

Keywords

Chinese immigrants in Finland, loneliness, loneliness intervention, exploratory research, service ecosystem, intervention strategy

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Media files notes: Media rights: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0

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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202311276925

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[master] Taiteiden ja suunnittelun korkeakoulu / ARTS