Kati Kataja

Kati Kataja serves as a Senior Research Fellow within the Faculty of Health Sciences, dedicating her career to critical youth mental health research since 2003. Her work spans substance abuse patterns, suicide prevention frameworks, and digital communication's impact on adolescent well-being, with 53 documented research outputs reflecting sustained scholarly contribution.

Her research program centers on qualitative exploration of youth suicide through meta-analytic approaches and social frame analysis, examining how platforms like YouTube mediate risk communication and substance use experiences. She investigates polydrug use patterns, psychostimulant interactions, and alcohol-related behaviors within youth communities while developing mixed-methodology frameworks for understanding metaphorical meaning in risk experiences. Current projects analyze societal structures influencing youth mental health and political discourse surrounding young citizens.

Recent publications (2024-2025) reveal intensified focus on digital-era youth challenges: three 2025 studies dissect suicide conversations in online counseling services, theoretical social frames of youth suicide, and contemporary youth socialization. Two 2024 works examine political representation of youth age groups and societal-mental health interconnections, demonstrating consistent application of qualitative rigor to urgent public health questions. Her fingerprint shows dominant expertise in polydrug use (100% thematic concentration) with significant cross-cutting work in social media risk communication and mixed-methods suicide research.