Is being a "small fish in a big pond" bad for students´ psychosomatic health? A multilevel study on the role of class-level school performance

Inequalities in adolescent mental health and allocation of students to selective classes in comprehensive schools in Finland: a longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Lower socioeconomic positions (SEP) and poor academic achievement increase children's risk for mental health problems. The Finnish education system is officially non-selective and unified, but a part of children can be selected into emphasised teaching classes by aptitude tests, which are known to segregate students by SEP and academic achievement. We study here if allocation of students to mainstream and selective classes segregates students by mental health, too.

METHODS

Students from primary school (6th grade) were followed to lower secondary school (7th grade). The number in selective classes was n=209 and in mainstream classes n=551. Outcomes were depressed mood, anxiety and daily health complaints. Association between class type and the outcomes was analysed by cross-tabulation and logistic regression models. Gender, academic achievement, SEP and previous mental health were independent and confounding/moderating variables.

RESULTS

Students in selective classes had better academic achievement and higher SEP compared with students in mainstream classes. Girls reported poorer mental health than boys. Depressive mood did not vary by class type, but anxiety and daily health complaints were more common among girls in mainstream classes. When academic achievement and background factors were considered, among girls only anxiety was more common in mainstream classes, but among boys, anxiety appeared to be statistically significantly more common in selective classes.

CONCLUSION

Grouping students by aptitude tests to different classes may select them by mental health, too. Longer follow-up and gender-specific studies would give more reliable answers for education policy makers about student grouping by aptitude test and its effects on segregation.

Impact of Digital Media, School Problems, and Lifestyle Factors on Youth Psychosomatic Health: A Cross-Sectional Survey

BACKGROUND

Post-pandemic psychosomatic complaints in children and adolescents have been underreported. This study investigated psychosomatic complaints in children and adolescents in Northern Italy in 2023, with the aim of identifying changes in predictors and vulnerable subgroups.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data representative of scholars from a northern Italian province were analyzed using the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) checklist. The sum scores, count data, and dichotomized data were examined, and predictor effects were expressed using a linear regression model for the sum scores.

RESULTS

Data from 4525 participants (aged 7-19 years, 50.5% girls) were analyzed. Psychosomatic symptoms remained unchanged after the pandemic. Significant gender differences were noted, especially in older age groups, with girls reporting more complaints. Factors such as children's health, digital media use, and school problems significantly influence psychosomatic outcomes. While migration background negatively affected girls' psychosomatic well-being, boys showed improvement through sports.

CONCLUSION

The psychosomatic well-being of children and adolescents did not improve after the pandemic. These findings indicate the need for targeted interventions, improved health literacy, and ongoing monitoring to support the mental well-being of this vulnerable population. Reducing screen time remains a critical strategy for enhancing youth well-being.

Beneficial and negative factors for the development of students’ well-being in educational context

Students’ school-related well-being (SWB) is of vital importance. Nevertheless, it is unclear how SWB develops in late adolescence, especially among students in high-achieving environments and which factors are associated with it. Based on a longitudinal dataset (T1: Grade 11, T2: Grade 12), we analyzed how SWB (school satisfaction, academic self-concept, stress experience, exam anxiety, peer satisfaction) develops and whether psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) and achievement pressure from teachers and parents were related to the development. 1,286 students from high-achieving high schools (46.7% female, MageT1 = 16.40) answered sociodemographic questions and questions about key variables. From T1 to T2, particularly students’ stress experience and peer satisfaction declined. Need fulfilment and perceived achievement pressure was related to changes. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

A bio-ecological framing of evidence on the determinants of adolescent mental health - A scoping review of the international Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study 1983-2020

This paper extracts, organises and summarises findings on adolescent mental health from a major international population study of young people using a scoping review methodology and applying a bio-ecological framework. Population data has been collected from more than 1.5 million adolescents over 37 years by the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children: WHO Cross-National (HBSC) Study. The paper reviews the contribution that this long standing study has made to our understanding of the individual, developmental, social, economic, cultural determinants of adolescent mental health by organising the findings of 104 empirical papers that met inclusion criteria, into individual, microsystem, mesosystem and macrosystem levels of the framework. Of these selected papers, 68 were based on national data and the other 36 were based on international data, from varying numbers of countries. Each paper was allocated to a system level in the bio-ecological framework according to the level of its primary focus. The majority (51 papers) investigate individual level determinants. A further 28 concentrate primarily on the microsystem level, 6 on the mesosystem level, and 29 on the macrosystem level. The paper identifies where there is evidence on the determinants of mental health, summarises what we have learned, and highlights research gaps. Implications for the future development of this population health study are discussed in terms of how it may continue to illuminate our understanding of adolescent mental health in a changing world and where new directions are required.