Mental Health & Wellbeing Among Adolescents
Background SALSUS survey undertaken with S2 & S4 pupils since 1982 about health harming behaviours Since 2006 they introduced the Strengths & Difficulties questionnaire Since 2012 they started using WEMWBS to measure mental wellbeing (maximum score 70). This overview will look exclusively at the last 2 measures.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Among Adolescents Survey Overview In 2013, approximately 29,000 S2 and S4 pupils completed the survey. Only 1500 pupils completed in Edinburgh (out of a potential school roll of 6400) SDQ scores remain consistent but individual trends in Edinburgh match national ones.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Among Adolescents Age/Gender Girls more likely than boys to have emotional problems and hyperactivity. Boys more likely to have problems with conduct, peers or pro-social behaviour. Mental wellbeing declines with age with 15 yr old girls particularly vulnerable (4 in 10)
Mental Health & Wellbeing Among Adolescents
1. Friendships The number and nature of a pupil’s friendships had the strongest links to mental health & wellbeing. Highest MH&WB scores in those that said they had 3 or more friends Age of friends was also a risk/protective factor As was number of evenings spent with friends
Mental Health & Wellbeing Among Adolescents 2. Liking of School Pupils relationships with school was the second main area that emerged as key to pupil’s mental health & wellbeing Girls who said they did not like school were nearly 5 x more likely to have a borderline scores as those who they liked school a lot.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Among Adolescents 3. Pressure of School Work Mental wellbeing was also related to feeling pressure from school work. Those that said they felt pressure ‘a lot of the time’ were 4 times as likely to have a borderline or abnormal score in emotional problems. Truanting and exclusion were also associated with poorer mental health and wellbeing. These main findings were confirmed with a logistic regression analysis.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Among Adolescents 4. Belonging to a Group
Mental Health & Wellbeing Among Adolescents 5. Leisure Activities
Mental Health & Wellbeing Among Adolescents Other Risk/Protective Factors Expectations of life after school Mother’s knowledge of child’s activity Physical health Mixed or multiple ethnicity Family Situation Those living in ‘other situations more likely to have conduct, peer, pro- social problems. (Step – emotional or hyperactivity problems)
Mental Health & Wellbeing Among Adolescents 11. Child Poverty/SIMD Higher levels of deprivation as measured by SIMD, FSM and family affluence were correlated with poorer mental health & wellbeing. However, perceived family affluence had a stronger association than SIMD and receipt of FSM.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Among Adolescents Conclusion