Dissertation: Mood Profiling and Mental Health: Psychometric Evaluation of the Finnish Mood Scale and Group Differences Among a Finnish Population (Luojumäki)

What did you study?

I investigated whether mood could act as an early warning sign of mental health risk by evaluating the Finnish Mood Scale (FIMS). The study involved translating and validating the scale for a Finnish context and examining mood differences across gender and physical activity groups. I also explored whether known mood profile patterns could be identified in a Finnish population.

What were the results of your study?

The FIMS showed a clear six-factor structure, consistent with the Brunel Mood Scale, alongside good reliability and validity. Measurement invariance was supported across gender and physical activity groups, indicating the scale works consistently across populations. Clear differences emerged. Females reported higher levels of negative moods, while males reported higher vigour. Physically inactive individuals showed more negative moods and lower vigour. Competitive athletes showed a mixed pattern, combining higher vigour with some elevated negative moods, while regular exercisers showed the most favourable profiles. Distinct mood patterns were identified, indicating both healthy and potentially at-risk profiles.

How can the results be applied? What new insights did the research contribute?

This research provides a validated Finnish-language tool that is brief, cost-effective, and easy to implement across groups, facilitating mood profiling in the Finnish context. The findings support using the FIMS as a practical monitoring tool for detecting early signs of mental health risk in both sport and general populations. Its simplicity allows coaches and practitioners to integrate mood assessment into daily routines. Certain mood profiles may indicate increased risk and guide timely referral to mental health professionals. Overall, the results highlight the value of using mood as an accessible indicator of mental health risk in applied sport settings.

Opponent: Senior Associate Professor Carolina Lundqvist (Linköping University, Sweden)
Custos: SeniorLecturer Montse Ruiz Cerezo,PhD, Docent (University of Jyväskylä)
Language of the defence: English

The dissertation is available online: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-86-1461-6

The defence can be followed online: https://r.jyu.fi/dissertation-luojumaki-240426