Youth Compass Research Group

Overview

Core fields of research

Learning, teaching and interaction

Research areas

JYU.Edu

JYU.Well

Behaviour change, health, and well-being across the lifespan

Social Sustainability for Children and Families

Learning, Development and Living Environments

Wellbeing, Interaction, and Interventions

Faculty

Faculty of Education and Psychology

Department

Department of Psychology

Research group description

The Youth Compass Research Group

The research group examines adolescents’ experiences of the brief interactive and gamified Youth Compass internet intervention by examining its effectiveness in supporting youth well-being skills. The research work is funded by the Research Council of Finland and the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

The Youth Compass is a free interactive online program designed to support the well-being of 13–17-year-old adolescents. The research group has developed the intervention program, which is freely available in Finnish, Swedish, and English (visit https://nuortenkompassi.fi/en/). The development of the program has utilized the Student Compass program created in the University of Jyväskylä’s Student Life project to enhance university students’ well-being as well as a previous pilot study of the Youth Compass program.

Over the course of five weeks, the adolescent progresses through the program, reflecting on their own well-being and the quality of their relationships. Through interactive exercises, videos, comics, and game sections within the program, adolescents can examine their own thinking and behavior patterns. This helps to increase self-awareness and understanding of which coping and problem-solving strategies are effective.

The program can be accessed on smartphones, tablets, and computers with an internet connection. The program can serve as a tool for professionals working with youth in various settings or can be used independently by the young person.

News and updates

Here you can follow news related to the project.

English version of the Youth Compass now published

The Youth Compass program to promote adolescent well-being is now free to use also in English (the English pilot version was published in October 2025 at https://nuortenkompassi.fi/en) in addition to Finnish and Swedish.

Youth Compass was developed for lower secondary school students (grades 7–9), but it is also suitable for adolescents in the early stages of their upper secondary education. The interactive Youth Compass program lasts five weeks (one module per week) and includes more than 100 exercises.

The program is free of charge and accessible on computers, tablets, and smartphones with an internet connection. Adolescents can use the program independently, but it can also be utilized by teachers and special education teachers in the classroom or in small groups. The program is also suitable for use in individual sessions by psychologists, guidance counsellors, and health professionals.

Try out the Youth Compass and tell us what you think!

The initial international user experience study of the English Youth Compass program welcomes teachers, special education teachers, counsellors, psychologists, or other school professionals to use the Youth Compass with English-speaking classes, small groups, or individual clients and provide feedback via an anonymous feedback form.

Access the Youth Compass program and free user guide here

Youth Compass flyer for adolescents.pdf

Youth Compass flyer for professionals.pdf

Privacy notice for participants of the international user experience study

Privacy notice_Youth Compass user experience study.pdf

Youth Compass in class study (Finland only)

We are currently looking for teachers, special education teachers, counsellors, psychologists, or other school professionals who would be interested in trying the English version of the Youth Compass and participating in our study with English-speaking classes, small groups, or individual clients in the fall of 2025 or the spring of 2026. The Youth Compass is targeted at adolescents in grades 7 to 9 and the first year of upper secondary education (13–17 years of age).

Publications

In English:

Hämäläinen, T., Kaipainen, K., Keinonen, K., Lappalainen, P., Puolakanaho, A., Lappalainen, R., & Kiuru, N. (2023). The roles of adherence and usage activity in adolescents’ intervention gains during brief guided online intervention. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy: An International Quarterly, 37. 187-206. https://doi.org/10.1891/JCP-2021-0038

Hämäläinen, T., Kaipainen, K., Keinonen, K., Muotka, J., Räsänen, P., & Kiuru, N. (2025). Bidirectional associations between adolescents’ weekly variation and selection of behavior, well-being, and social support during a brief ACT-based internet intervention. Cognitive Therapy and Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-025-10633-x

Hämäläinen, T., Kaipainen, K., Lappalainen, P., Puolakanaho, A., Keinonen, K., Lappalainen, R., & Kiuru, N. (2021). Usage activity, perceived usefulness, and satisfaction in a web-based acceptance and commitment therapy program among Finnish ninth-grade adolescents. Internet Interventions, 25, 100421.

Hämäläinen, T., Lappalainen, P., Puolakanaho, A., Lappalainen, R., & Kiuru, N. (2023). A guided online ACT intervention may increase psychological well-being and support school engagement in adolescents. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 27, 152-159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2023.02.002

Keinonen, K., Lappalainen, P., Puolakanaho, A., Kaipainen, K., Lappalainen, R., & Kiuru, N. (2024). Brief online ACT intervention to improve adolescents’ wellbeing: Effectiveness among adolescents with depressive symptoms during COVID-19. Children and Youth Services Review, 161, 107671. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107671

Keinonen, K., Puolakanaho, A., Lappalainen, P., Lappalainen, R., & Kiuru, N. (2021). Developmental trajectories of experiential avoidance and depressive symptoms and association to health behaviors among adolescents during brief guided online acceptance and commitment therapy. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 22, 24-31.

Kiuru, N., Puolakanaho, A., Lappalainen, P., Keinonen, K., Mauno, S., Muotka, J., & Lappalainen, R. (2021). Effectiveness of a web-based acceptance and commitment therapy program for adolescent career preparation – a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 127, 103578.

Lappalainen, A.-L., Keinonen, K., Lappalainen, P., Lappalainen, R., Kaipainen, K., Puolakanaho, A., & Kiuru, N. (2025). Promoting youth life satisfaction through a brief online intervention: individual differences in initial well-being and intervention response. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 47(3), 262-282.

Lappalainen, P., Lappalainen, R., Keinonen, K., Kaipainen, K., Puolakanaho, A., Muotka, J. & Kiuru, N. (2023). In the shadow of COVID-19: A randomized controlled online ACT trial promoting adolescent psychological flexibility and self-compassion. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 27, 34-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2022.12.001

Lappalainen, R., Lappalainen, P., Puolakanaho, A., Hirvonen, R., Eklund, K., Ahonen, T., Muotka, J., & Kiuru, N. (2021). The Youth Compass – the effectiveness of an online acceptance and commitment therapy program to promote adolescent mental health – a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 20, 1-12.

Peltola, J., Kaipainen, K., Keinonen, K., Kiuru, N., & Turunen, M. (2023). Developing a conversational interface for an ACT-based online program: Understanding expectations on conversational style. Conference CUI 21: ACTM conference on Conversational User Interfaces, CUI, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1145/3571884.3597142

Puolakanaho, A., Kaipainen, K., Keinonen, K., Lappalainen, P., Lappalainen, R. & Kiuru, N. (2024). Factors anticipating adolescents’ dropout from the online ACT during the COVID-19 pandemic. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 46(2), 126-146.

Puolakanaho, A., Lappalainen, R., Lappalainen, P., Muotka, J., Hirvonen, R., Eklund, K., Ahonen, T., & Kiuru, N. (2019). Reducing stress and enhancing academic buoyancy among adolescents using a brief web-based program based on acceptance and commitment therapy: A randomized control trial. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48, 287-305.

In Finnish:

Lappalainen, P., Kaipainen, K., Keinonen, K., Puolakanaho, A., Lappalainen, R., Hämäläinen, T., & Kiuru, N. (2025). ”Tunnetaidot enemmän esille koulutyössä”—Koulun ammattilaisten ja yläkoululaisten kokemuksia hyvinvointia edistävästä Nuorten Kompassi -verkko-ohjelmasta. Oppimisen ja oppimisvaikeuksien erityislehti NMI-Bulletin, 35(1), 66–89.

Lappalainen, P., Kiuru, N., Keinonen, K., Lappalainen, R., Puolakanaho, A., & Kaipainen, K. (2021). Nuorten Kompassi luokassa: Opas opettajalle/ammattilaiselle. Jyväskylän yliopisto, psykologian laitos ja kasvatustieteiden laitos. www.nuortenkompassi.fi

Puolakanaho, A., Kiuru, N., & Lappalainen, P. (2019). Teknologia ja HOT-interventiot nuoren koulutyön tukena. Psykologia, 54, 23-45.

Puolakanaho, A., Kaipainen, K., Kiuru, N., Lappalainen, P., Keinonen, K., & Lappalainen, R. (2022). Digitaalisen Nuorten Kompassi plus -hyvinvointiohjelman soveltuvuus lukiolaisille. Oppimisen ja oppimisvaikeuksien erityislehti NMI-Bulletin, 32(1), 45-64.

Puolakanaho, A., Lappalainen, P., Kaipainen, K., & Keinonen, K., Lappalainen, R., & Kiuru, N. (2023). Nuorten Kompassi -hyvinvointiohjelma: Opas nuorten kanssa työskenteleville ammattilaisille. Niilo Mäki Instituutti: Jyväskylä.

In Swedish:

Lappalainen, P., Kiuru, N., Keinonen, K., Lappalainen, R., Puolakanaho, A., & Kaipainen, K. (2023). De Ungas Kompass i klassen: Handbok för lärare/yrkespersoner. Jyväskylä universitet, psykologiska institutionen och pedagogiska institutionen. www.nuortenkompassi.fi

Current

Members

Research group

Group leaders

Noona Kiuru

Professor

Members

Päivi Lappalainen

Postdoctoral Researcher

Katariina Keinonen

Senior Lecturer

Kirsikka Kaipainen

Postdoctoral Researcher

Tetta Hämäläinen

Postdoctoral Researcher

Postdoctoral Researcher

Francesca Brandolin

Postdoctoral Researcher

Panajiota Räsänen

University Teacher

External members

Kirsikka Kaipainen

Senior Researcher

Tampereen yliopisto

Anne Puolakanaho

Vieraileva tutkija

Jyväskylän yliopisto