Perceived Demands of Schooling, Stress and Mental Health: Changes from Grade 6 to Grade 9 as a Function of Gender and Cognitive Ability

Clarifying the Links between Perceived Stress and Depressiveness: a Longitudinal Study of COVID-19's Effects on Adolescents in Germany

Young people are navigating an increasingly uncertain and unstable social and economic environment, further complicated by COVID-19. Individual resources and vulnerabilities, such as mental health and sensitivity to stress, play a significant role in how well youth adapt to the career paths and living conditions altered by the pandemic, a dynamic that is not yet well understood. This study examined the role of COVID-19 on the intertwined relation between perceived stress and depressiveness (negative and positive affect) in adolescents, focusing on gender differences. Longitudinal data from 673 German adolescents (Mage = 16.8 years, SDage = 0.91; female = 59%) were collected in three waves, before (T1) and during the pandemic (T2, T3). Using Latent Change Score models, the bidirectional relation between perceived stress and depressiveness was analyzed, considering gender as a moderator. The results showed that adolescents who found their situation stressful were at risk of developing depressiveness at the outbreak of the pandemic and throughout its progression. As the pandemic progressed, an increase in positive affect was linked to heightened perceived stress. Gender-specific differences were particularly evident in the levels of perceived stress and depressiveness, with women being more vulnerable. This study highlights how vulnerabilities in stress perception affect adolescents' mental health, with gender-specific differences underscoring the need for tailored mental health measures.

Positive school climate and strong school identification as protective factors of adolescent mental health and learning engagement: A longitudinal investigation before and during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant disruptions for children and youth around the world, especially given school closures and shifts in teaching modes (on-line and hybrid). However, the impact of these disruptions remains unclear given data limitations such as a reliance on cross-sectional and/or short-interval surveys as well as a lack of broad indicators of key outcomes of interest. The current research employs a quasi-experimental design by using an Australian four-year longitudinal survey with student responses from Grade 7 to 10 (aged 12-15 years old) (N = 8,735 from 20 schools) in one education jurisdiction. Responses are available pre-pandemic (2018 and 2019) and during the pandemic (2020 and 2021). Importantly the survey included measures of well-being, mental health and learning engagement as well as potential known school-environment factors that could buffer against adversity: school climate and school identification. The findings were generally in line with key hypotheses; 1) during COVID-19 students' learning engagement and well-being significantly declined and 2) students with more positive school climate or stronger school identification pre-COVID-19 fared better through the disruption of the pandemic. However, these same students suffered from a steeper decline in well-being and engagement which may be explained through the impact of losing meaningful social or group connections. This decline was evident after controlling for gender, academic grade (as a proxy of age), parental education, and socioeconomic status. It is concluded that investing in the social environment of schools is important in crisis preparedness and can facilitate better crisis response among youth.

Does fear-of-failure mediate the relationship between educational expectations and stress-related complaints among Swedish adolescents? A structural equation modelling approach

BACKGROUND

This study investigated the possible mediating role of fear-of-failure between educational expectations and adolescent stress-related complaints with a specific focus on gender differences among Swedish adolescents, and related these findings more broadly to school-related demands and stress-related complaints.

METHODS

A total of N = 5504 Swedish adolescents (Mage = 15 years, SD = 0.0 years, 50.2% girls) were drawn from the 2018 Swedish Programme for International Student Assessment study for our investigation. We used structural equation models to explore if fear-of-failure mediates the relationship between educational expectations and negative affect, with a specific focus on gender differences. Educational expectations were utilized in the measurement model. Fear-of-failure was constructed as a latent mediating variable. Negative affect was constructed as a latent variable and utilized as an outcome variable. We subsequently undertook bootstrapping tests of indirect effects and non-linear comparisons of indirect effects to assess the reliability of the results.

RESULTS

Fear-of-failure partially mediated the association between educational expectations and negative affect (39%). Our gender-specific structural equation model demonstrated that this relationship was more pronounced for girls, suggesting girls are more vulnerable to negative affect as a result of experiencing higher levels of fear of failing.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that fear-of-failure partially explains the association between educational expectations and negative affect and that this association is more pronounced for girls. This study provides insights into better understanding adolescent stress-related complaints, and the differential role fear of failing has in regards to gender.

Relations between students’ well-being and academic achievement: evidence from Swedish compulsory school

The study aimed to investigate students’ psychological, cognitive, and social well-being in 6th Grade and the relations to academic achievement in compulsory school, as measured by grades in 9th Grade. Due to reports from Swedish authorities and research, students’ self-reported well-being has decreased during the last decade. Data from the Swedish longitudinal project Evaluation Through Follow-up was analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. By using data from two birth cohorts (1998: N = 7 684 and 2004: N = 9 437), differences in well-being across the two cohorts could be investigated. Cognitive ability, parental education, and gender were also accounted for. Statistically significant cohort and gender differences were found, where cohort 2004 was disadvantaged in all three well-being dimensions, and girls were disadvantaged in psychological and social well-being. Psychological well-being was negatively related to academic achievement, indicating that students who experienced more school-related stress performed higher than students who experienced less stress. Cognitive well-being was positively related to academic achievement. Possible causes of the decrease in well-being may be changes in the educational and assessment system, which meant that cohort 2004 went through compulsory school with a stronger focus on results and grades than earlier cohorts.

Preventing Stress among High School Students in Denmark through the Multicomponent Healthy High School Intervention-The Effectiveness at First Follow-Up

Stress is a widespread phenomenon and young people especially are experiencing high levels of stress. School-related factors are the most frequently self-reported stressors among adolescents, but few interventions have targeted the school environment. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Healthy High School (HHS) intervention on stress at a 9-month follow-up. The study included 5201 first-year high school students (~16 years) in Denmark. Participating schools were randomized into the HHS intervention (N = 15) or control group (N = 15). Baseline measurements were conducted in August 2016 and the follow-up was conducted in May 2017. The intervention was designed to promote well-being (primary outcome) by focusing on physical activity, meals, sleep, sense of security, and stress (secondary outcomes). The intervention comprised: structural initiatives at the school level; a teaching material; peer-led innovation workshops; and a smartphone app. The 10-item Perceived Stress Scale was used to measure stress. Intervention effects on perceived stress were estimated using an intention-to-treat approach with multiple imputations of missing data and multilevel general linear regression modelling. A total of 4577 students answered the baseline questionnaire. No statistically significant difference was found in stress between students at intervention and control schools at the follow-up (mean score: 16.7 versus 16.7, adjusted b = 0.42, 95% CI: -0.16;1.00). The HHS Study is one of the first large randomized controlled trials targeting school environmental stressors. Potential implementation failures and the failures of the program theory are discussed.

Psychosocial School Conditions and Mental Wellbeing Among Mid-adolescents: Findings From the 2017/18 Swedish HBSC Study

Objectives: To investigate mid-adolescent boys' and girls' experiences of school demands, teacher support, and classmate support, and explore the associations of these factors with mental wellbeing. Methods: Data were derived from the Swedish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study of 2017/18, with information collected among 1,418 students in grade 9 (∼15-16 years). School demands, teacher support, and classmate support were measured by indices based on three items each. Mental wellbeing was measured by the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). Linear regression analyses were performed. Results: Higher demands were associated with lower mental wellbeing. Conversely, mental wellbeing increased with greater teacher support and classmate support. Interactions between demands and the support variables showed that at the lowest levels of teacher and of classmate support, mental wellbeing was low and not associated with school demands. With increasing levels of teacher and classmate support, the overall level of mental wellbeing increased and revealed an inverse association between school demands and mental wellbeing. Conclusion: The study contributes with knowledge about how psychosocial conditions in school may hinder or enhance wellbeing among students.

Geographic, Socio-Demographic and School Type Variation in Adolescent Wellbeing and Mental Health and Links with Academic Competence in the United Arab Emirates

Interest in adolescents' wellbeing and mental health is growing worldwide, but little research in this area has been conducted in certain world regions and countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Geographic, socio-demographic and school type differences in adolescent wellbeing and mental health are commonly observed in the field, and the UAE is a diverse country where these types of differences have been found for other outcomes (notably, academic). Yet, no prior national study has explored these differences in terms of wellbeing and mental health in the nation. We address this gap by investigating differences across emirates, gender, socio-economic status, immigrant status, school sector and school curriculum for overall life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, meaning and purpose in life, and internalizing difficulties. We use linear regression to analyse cross-sectional data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study from 2015 and 2018. We find substantial geographic, socio-demographic and school type differences in levels (2018) of wellbeing and mental health -which vary across distinct domains- and declines (2015-2018) of wellbeing. Better wellbeing and mental health are observed in the northern emirates and among boys. Better wellbeing and poorer mental health are observed among nationals (compared to expatriates) and in public schools (compared to private schools). Despite presenting the best academic outcomes, British schools present the worst wellbeing and mental health outcomes. However, results show the absence of a trade-off between academic competence and wellbeing and mental health, with evidence of a small positive association with wellbeing.

Student achievement goals and psychosomatic health complaints among Swedish adolescents: the role of sex

Aim

School related determinants (e.g. student motivation and goals) may be important for student achievement as well as their mental health. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the links between two goal orientations (mastery and performance) and psychosomatic health problems by investigating the general patterns as well as the patterns for specific classifications of students, in particular by investigating the potential statistical interaction effects by gender.

Subject and methods

Swedish nationally representative data among 4573 school year 9 students (15–16 years old) responding to the Evaluation Through Follow-up (ETF) questionnaire, in 2014, were used. Linear regression analysis as well as multinomial logistic regression were applied in order to address the research questions.

Results

Both the mastery orientation and the performance orientation are independently associated with adolescent psychosomatic health problems. The links between these goal orientations and psychosomatic health show different patterns. The mastery goal orientation may be considered a protective factor as there is a negative link to psychosomatic problems; the performance orientation may be considered a risk factor due to the positive association with psychosomatic health problems. The effect of performance orientation on psychosomatic health complaints was significantly stronger for girls (OR = 4.28) compared to boys (OR = 2.04). In particular, low mastery/high performance students may be at risk for experiencing poor psychosomatic health.

Conclusion

Adolescent psychosomatic health may be improved by the encouragement of student goals related to adaptive and successful goal profiles such as mastery orientation.

Stresserleben und Stresssymptomatik bei Kindern und Jugendlichen

Zusammenfassung. Diese Studie untersucht, ob sich das Ausmaß des Stresserlebens und der physischen Stresssymptomatik bei Kindern und Jugendlichen in den vergangenen 20 Jahren verändert hat. Grundlage bilden die Daten von 4450 Schülerinnen und Schülern der dritten bis sechsten Klassenstufe (Altersbereich: 6 bis 14 Jahre), die im Rahmen der Normierung des Fragebogens zur Erhebung von Stress und Stressbewältigung im Kindes- und Jugendalter (SSKJ) in den Jahren 1996 (Kohorte 1, n = 960, 49 % männlich), 2006 (Kohorte 2, n = 1324, 49 % männlich) und 2018 (Kohorte 3, n = 2166, 50 % männlich) erfasst wurden. Die Überprüfung der Messinvarianz anhand konfirmatorischer Faktorenmodelle zeigte für beide Skalen partielle skalare Invarianz, wonach die Voraussetzung für die Durchführung latenter Mittelwertvergleiche erfüllt ist. Die Vergleiche weisen bei beiden Skalen nicht auf eine bedeutsame Veränderung über die Zeit hinweg hin. Gleichzeitig lassen die Invarianzanalysen erkennen, dass die Struktur der erhobenen Konstrukte über die Zeit stabil war.

Stressors and vulnerability during upper secondary school: subjective experiences of classroom climate and coping beliefs as predicting factors of school stress in Norway

The present longitudinal study was designed to scrutinize how adolescents perceive their life in upper secondary schools in general, and how central aspects of their perceived classroom climate predicted their coping beliefs and experience of school stress in particular. The participants were 1215 students in upper secondary schools (grades 2 and 3) from one county in Norway. The data were analysed by means of structural equation modelling, and the findings reveal gender differences that need further investigation in future research. Our study indicates that a performance-oriented goal structure and social support from peers and teachers seem to be a potential risk factor and/or protective factor when it comes to adolescents’ development of coping beliefs and experiences of school stress, especially among girls.

Perceived stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and adolescents' depression symptoms: The moderating role of character strengths

The outbreak of COVID-19 could increase adolescents' psychological distress and have a detrimental effect on their mental health. However, the negative effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents' mental health might be moderated by their existing psychological resources. The present study sought to investigate whether the relationship between adolescents' perceived stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and their depression symptoms was alleviated by their character strengths. A total of 617 adolescents were recruited and completed the online survey during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results indicated that adolescents' perceived stress of the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly positively correlated with their depression symptoms. Character strengths were significantly negatively correlated with adolescents' perceived stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and their depression symptoms. Moreover, the moderating effect of character strengths on the relationship between adolescents' perceived stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and their depression symptoms was significant. Therefore, adolescents' character strengths as a protective factor could buffer the effect of perceived stress of the COVID-19 pandemic on their depression symptoms and contribute to maintaining their mental health.

Psychosocial Working Conditions in School and Life Satisfaction among Adolescents in Sweden: A Cross-Sectional Study

Poor psychosocial working conditions in school have consistently been shown to be associated with adverse health among adolescents. However, the relationships between school demands, teacher support, and classmate support and positive aspects of health have not been explored to the same extent. The aim of this study was to examine differences in psychosocial working conditions in school and in life satisfaction by gender and by grade, and to investigate the association between psychosocial working conditions in school and life satisfaction among boys and girls, and among students in different grades. Data from the Swedish Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study of 2017/18 were used, consisting of 3614 students in Grades 5, 7, and 9 (~11, 13, and 15 years). Psychosocial working conditions in school were captured by indices of perceived school demands, teacher support, and classmate support. Life satisfaction was measured by the 11-step Cantril’s ladder (using cutoffs at >5 and >8, respectively). Whereas girls reported higher school demands than boys, higher levels of teacher and classmate support were reported by boys. Students in lower grades reported lower school demands but higher levels of teacher and classmate support compared with students in higher grades. Boys and students in lower grades were more likely to report high life satisfaction compared with girls and students in higher grades. Results from binary logistic regression analyzes showed that school demands were inversely associated with life satisfaction, and that higher levels of teacher support and classmate support were associated with high life satisfaction. These results were found for both boys and girls, and for students in all grades. The findings indicate that schools have the potential to promote positive health among students.

Experiences of a non-clinical set of adolescents and young adults living with persistent pain: a qualitative metasynthesis

PURPOSE

Around 15%-30% of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) experience persistent or chronic pain. The purpose of this study was to synthesise evidence from qualitative primary studies on how AYAs in a non-clinical population experience living with persistent pain.

METHOD

A qualitative metasynthesis guided by Sandelowski and Barroso's guidelines was used. The databases Medline, Embase, Cinahl, PsycINFO, Mednar and ProQuest were searched for studies from 1 January 2005 to 15 February 2021. Inclusion criteria were AYAs aged 13-24 years with first-hand experience of living with persistent, recurrent or episodic non-clinical pain in any body site. Pain associated with a medical diagnosis, malignant diseases, medical procedures or sport activities was excluded.

RESULTS

Of 2618 screened records, data from nine studies conducted in a Western cultural context including 184 participants (127 female and 57 male aged 11-28 years) were analysed into metasummaries and a metasynthesis. Headaches was the most focused pain condition (n=5), while three of the studies did not specify type of pain. The participants' experiences were characterised by (1) juggling pain with everyday life; (2) exploring sources of information to manage pain; (3) AYAs' use of medication to find relief and (4) non-pharmacological strategies for pain relief.

CONCLUSION

These AYAs experience of how pain influences everyday life, and their striving to find relief from pain by support from family, friends, professionals and the Internet should be strongly respected. Public health nurses and other healthcare professionals encountering AYAs need to respect their pain experiences, and to support them in healthy coping strategies. Further studies on this issue are needed, especially research focusing on AYAs pain in exposed populations and AYAs from non-Western cultures.

The Bidirectional Relationship Between Subjective Well-Being and Academic Achievement in Adolescence

The well-being of young people in relation to their school performance has received increased attention in recent years. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the longitudinal and reciprocal relationship between adolescents' subjective well-being and their academic achievements. The current study examined the bidirectional relationship between subjective well-being and academic achievement across two timepoints (T1 and T2) during the course of mid to late adolescence, i.e., in school year 9 (age 15), and school years 11-12 (ages 17-18). The study also investigated variation in the association as a function of adolescent gender. Data on subjective well-being and teacher-assigned school grades of 723 adolescents (48.7% girls) residing in Sweden were analyzed by estimating a series of cross-lagged path models. The findings suggest gender differences in the relationship as no associations were found among boys. Support for a bidirectional relationship between the constructs was only found for girls. For girls, higher subjective well-being at T1 was associated with higher academic achievements at T2, while higher academic achievements at T1 was associated with lower subjective well-being at T2. These findings highlight that the subjective well-being of adolescent girls may be important for their ability to perform at school, but their academic achievements may also inflict negatively on their subjective well-being.

The Impact of Positive Youth Development Attributes and Life Satisfaction on Academic Well-Being: A Longitudinal Mediation Study

While research studies revealed that positive youth development (PYD) attributes have beneficial impact on adolescent developmental outcomes, whether and how PYD qualities are related to academic well-being (such as academic stress and academic satisfaction) are unclear. Based on a longitudinal study (N = 2,312 secondary school students; Mage = 12.54 ± 0.68; 51% female) in Hong Kong, the present study tested a longitudinal mediation model in which it was hypothesized that PYD qualities predicted life satisfaction, academic stress, and academic satisfaction, with satisfaction with life mediating the influence of PYD qualities on academic well-being. Results showed that PYD qualities positively predicted academic satisfaction but negatively predicted academic stress over time. While life satisfaction partially mediated the influence of PYD attributes on academic satisfaction, it fully mediated the influence of PYD attributes on academic stress. The present study supports the proposed conceptual model and underscores the role of PYD qualities in academic well-being through the mediation of life satisfaction.

Physical Activity in 15-17-Year-Old Adolescents as Compensation for Sedentary Behavior in School

The traditional concept of education and school settings significantly contribute to the sedentary behavior of adolescents at secondary schools. The aim of this study is to identify the volume and intensity of physical activity (PA) that adolescent boys and girls engage in during recesses, after school, and during the day to compensate for sedentary behavior in lessons. The study was conducted at 29 Czech and 9 Polish schools. The study involved 868 girls and 409 boys aged 15-17 years. An ActiTrainerTM accelerometer was used to monitor PA and heart rate. Participants were divided into four quartile groups. Most sedentary boys and girls had less PA and showed a worse ratio of physical inactivity (PI)/PA than non-sedentary participants during recesses. In the after-school period, there were no significant differences. On school days, most sedentary boys and girls showed lower PA, a worse ratio of PI/PA, fewer steps·hour-1, and lower energy expenditure than their non-sedentary counterparts. Vigorous PA of ≥8 METs was reached by 48% of most sedentary boys (75% non-sedentary) and 47% of most sedentary girls (54% non-sedentary). Most sedentary adolescents do not compensate for their sedentary behavior in lessons with higher PA intensity or volume during recesses, after-school, or in overall daily PA.

Adolescent coping with academic challenges: The role of parental socialization of coping

INTRODUCTION

How youth cope with academic challenges has important implications for their academic outcomes. The contributions of parental involvement have been relatively well-established; however, few, if any studies have investigated the role of parental socialization of academic coping (i.e., coping suggestions) in shaping youth coping with academic challenges.

METHODS

Using a community sample from the United States, we utilized a multi-informant, longitudinal design to investigate the prospective association between parental socialization of academic coping and adolescent coping with academic challenges. Adolescent gender was also examined as a moderator of associations. Participants included 86 two-parent families (54% boys; 38-52% ethnic minorities). At Time 1, mothers and fathers reported on their problem-solving, help-seeking, and disengaged coping suggestions in response to three hypothetical academic challenge scenarios (i.e., forgetting about or performing poorly on an assignment, difficulties managing academic demands). At Times 1 and 2, adolescents reported on their coping strategies (e.g., strategizing, help-seeking, escape) in response to academic challenges.

RESULTS

Father-reported problem-focused suggestions were associated with youths' more adaptive coping (e.g., strategizing, help-seeking) over time. Interestingly, father-reported disengaged suggestions were associated with less maladaptive coping over time. Further, adolescent gender moderated associations linking mothers' and fathers' problem-focused suggestions and fathers' help-seeking and disengaged suggestions with adolescent coping over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, fathers' coping suggestions were associated with more adaptive coping for girls as compared with boys. Findings highlight the role of parental socialization of coping, particularly fathers' role, in the academic domain.

Gender and secular trends in adolescent mental health over 24 years - The role of school-related stress

Increasing levels of psychosomatic symptoms, and other mental health problems, among adolescents, and especially among girls, have been reported across various countries. The "educational stressors hypothesis" states that this trend can be explained by an increasing amount of stressors in the school environment. This study tests this hypothesis, using repeated cross-sectional data, between the years 1993-2017, from the Health Behaviours of School-aged Children (HBSC) survey. Regression and decomposition techniques are used to investigate the role of school stress for trends in psychosomatic symptoms, and for gender differences in symptoms. Results show that the effects of school stress on psychosomatic symptoms have become stronger over time, but that they can only account for a small share of the overall increase in symptoms since 1993. However, school stress has increased more among girls than among boys, and it explains about half of the growth of the gender gap in symptoms. Thus, school stress accounts for a substantial portion of the increase in symptoms for girls, but only a minor share of the increase for boys. In sum, we found weak evidence for the educational stressors hypothesis in regard to the overall trend in symptoms, but strong evidence for it in explaining the growing gender gap.

The Role of Academic Achievement in the Relationship between School Ethos and Adolescent Distress and Aggression: A Study of Ninth Grade Students in the Segregated School Landscape of Stockholm

Equitable access to high-quality schools is important for student achievement. However, the increasing attention placed on adolescent mental health promotion suggests that school contextual factors and school achievement may also play an important role for students’ psychological well-being. This study examined the relationships between school ethos, academic achievement, psychological distress and aggressive behaviour among Swedish students, further considering the role of school sociodemographic composition. Analyses were based on two separate data collections in Stockholm, one among teachers (n = 2089) and the other among students aged 15–16 (n = 9776; 49.7% girls). Using multilevel structural equation modelling, the relations between teachers’ reports of school ethos and students’ reports of achievement, psychological distress and aggressive behaviour were tested. Analyses showed a positive relationship between a school’s ethos and average academic achievement. At the school level, higher academic achievement was in turn associated with less psychological distress among students, providing an indirect pathway between school ethos and psychological distress. At the individual level, students with higher academic achievement reported less psychological distress and aggressive behaviour. These findings indicate that schools’ value-based policies and practices can play a role for students’ academic performance, and through this, for their psychological well-being.

Is the effect of ill health on school achievement among Swedish adolescents gendered?

This study investigates why the relationship between health problems requiring hospitalization between the ages of 13 and 16 and school achievement (school grades in 9th grade) in Sweden was stronger for girls than for boys. We reviewed previous research on gender differences in subjective health, health care utilization and medical drug treatment to identify mechanisms responsible for this gendered effect. The relationship was analysed using retrospective observational data from several national full-population registers of individuals born in 1990 in Sweden (n = 115 196), and ordinary least squares techniques were used to test hypotheses. We found that girls had longer stays when hospitalized, which mediated 15% of the interaction effect. Variability in drug treatment between boys and girls did not explain the gendered effect of hospitalization. The main mediator of the gendered effect was instead differences in diagnoses between boys and girls. Girls' hospitalizations were more commonly related to mental and behavioural diagnoses, which have particularly detrimental effects on school achievement.

School Demands and Coping Resources-Associations with Multiple Measures of Stress in Mid-Adolescent Girls and Boys

Stress, and stress-related health complaints, are common among young people, especially girls. Since studies have shown that school demands are an important driver of stress in adolescents, identifying if school-based resources can protect against stress is highly relevant. The aim of this study was to analyse task-related demands and task-related coping resources as aspects of the school work environment of potential relevance for stress in mid-adolescent girls and boys. The data came from “The School Stress and Support study” (TriSSS) conducted among students in grades 8 and 9 (aged 14–16 years). Self-reports of demands, coping resources, stress, as well as recurrent pain, were collected through questionnaires (n = 411). A subsample of students (n = 191–198) also provided salivary samples, which were analysed for the stress marker cortisol. Linear (OLS) and binary logistic regression analyses showed that higher demands were associated with more perceived stress, a higher likelihood of recurrent pain, and a lower cortisol awakening response. Greater coping resources were associated with less perceived stress and a lower likelihood of recurrent pain, but there was no association with cortisol. The strength of the associations differed by gender. The findings suggest that schools can promote student wellbeing by providing clear and timely information and teacher support to the students, especially for boys. Identifying specific features of the schoolwork that give rise to stress and to modify these accordingly is also of importance, especially for girls.

Association of psychological stress with skin symptoms among medical students

Objectives:

To evaluate the association between psychological stress and skin symptoms among medical students.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was carried out between January and June 2015. Electronic survey consists of Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) and Self-Reported Skin Complaints Questionnaire were distributed to all 1435 undergraduate students at College of Medicine, King Saud University (KSU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Results:

Final analysis was performed on data from 529 (36.9%) students. Students were divided into three groups: least stressed students, n=135, PSQ index <0.39; highly stressed students, n=136, PSQ index >0.61; and moderately stressed students, n=258. Older age, female gender, during exam weeks, and fourth and fifth years of medical school (all p<0.01) were associated with the highest perceived stress levels. When compared to least stressed students, highly stressed students suffered from more oily, waxy patches or flakes on scalp (p≤0.0001), dry/sore rash (p≤0.0001), warts (p≤0.0001), pimples (p≤0.0001), itchy skin (p≤0.0001), hands itchy rash (p≤0.0001), hair loss (p≤0.0001), pull-out own hair (p=0.008), scaly skin (p=0.012), troublesome sweating (p=0.016), nails biting (p=0.028), and other rashes on face (p=0.028).

Conclusion:

Various common skin conditions could appear in context of psychological stress among medical students.

Gender differences in subjective health complaints in adolescence: The roles of self-esteem, stress from schoolwork and body dissatisfaction

AIMS

The aims of this study were to examine subjective health complaints among Norwegian adolescents and assess the development of gender differences in subjective health complaints between age 14 and 16; to investigate whether self-esteem, stress from schoolwork or body dissatisfaction affected adolescents' subjective health complaints; and determine whether these factors could explain the excess of subjective health complaints among girls.

METHODS

We used multiple linear regression analyses to analyse longitudinal survey data from 751 Norwegian adolescents at the ages of 14 and 16. The results from various cross-sectional and prospective analyses were compared.

RESULTS

Girls reported more subjective health complaints than boys, and gender differences increased from age 14 to 16. Self-esteem and stress from schoolwork had cross-sectional and prospective associations with subjective health complaints. Stress from schoolwork at age 14 was also associated with changes in subjective health complaints from age 14 to 16. The cross-sectional mediation analyses indicated that self-esteem and stress from schoolwork accounted for 61% of the excess of subjective health complaints among girls at age 16. The same variables measured at age 14 accounted for 24% of the gender differences in subjective health complaints two years later. The investigated factors could not account for the increase in gender differences in subjective health complaints between ages 14 and 16.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings showed that self-esteem and stress from schoolwork were associated with subjective health complaints during adolescence. These factors could partially explain the excess of subjective health complaints among girls.