Declining Well-Being in Young Swedes Born in 1990 Versus 1974

Gender and sexual identity-based inequalities in adolescent wellbeing: findings from the #BeeWell Study

BACKGROUND

Gender and sexual minority adolescents experience greater symptoms of psychological distress than their peers, but little is known about broader aspects of their wellbeing. This study examines wellbeing inequalities relating to gender and sexual identity among adolescents from Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom.

METHOD

37,978 adolescents (aged 12-15, attending 165 secondary schools) completed surveys of life satisfaction, positive and negative affect (hedonic framework); autonomy, self-esteem, optimism, and positive relationships (eudaimonic framework); and, symptoms of distress and mental wellbeing (complete state framework). Structural correlated factors models were used to assess gender and sexual identity wellbeing inequalities.

RESULTS

The magnitude of wellbeing inequalities pertaining to gender and sexual identity were routinely substantially greater than those concerning other characteristics (e.g., socio-economic disadvantage). Gender identity wellbeing inequalities followed a consistent pattern, with the largest disparities evident between gender diverse adolescents and boys. Sexual identity wellbeing inequalities also followed a consistent pattern, with the largest disparities evident between sexual minority youth (both gay/lesbian and bi/pansexual) and their heterosexual peers. Finally, variation was evident across wellbeing domains. For example, observed gender identity (boys vs. girls) and sexual identity (heterosexual vs. sexual minority) disparities were substantially greater for symptoms of distress than for mental wellbeing in the complete state model.

CONCLUSIONS

LGBTQ + adolescents experience lower wellbeing than their peers, and this is evident across a range of wellbeing domains. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for the prioritisation of improved prevention and intervention efforts that can better meet the needs of gender diverse and sexual minority youth, and future research should be conducted to improve understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the wellbeing inequalities observed.

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.

A Global Decline in Adolescents' Subjective Well-Being: a Comparative Study Exploring Patterns of Change in the Life Satisfaction of 15-Year-Old Students in 46 Countries

There is a growing body of research that demonstrates declines in subjective well-being and increases in mental health problems among children and young people in recent decades. However, there is little comparative research examining changes in adolescents' life satisfaction (LS) across a large number of countries, and critically, how this differs across sociodemographic groups. This study addresses this question by investigating changes in the LS of 15-year-old students between 2015 and 2018, with particular attention given to differences by gender, socio-economic status, immigrant background and urbanity. Data for this study come from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Due to the skewed nature of LS scale variables, the current study includes both mean levels of LS in a 0 to 10 scale, and the proportion of students reporting low LS (5 points or less). Linear regression models were used. Results demonstrate a global decline in mean levels of LS in 39 out of the 46 countries. In most countries, mean LS declined more among girls than among boys. Mean LS declined more, and the proportion of students reporting low LS increased more, among non-immigrant students and those of higher SES in the majority of countries. Findings regarding rural or urban communities were mixed. We advise that heterogeneity across all sociodemographic groups needs to be accounted for in public policy efforts to increase LS among young people.

The effectiveness of smartphone compassion training on stress among Swedish university students: A pilot randomized trial

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of a 6-week smartphone compassion training intervention on mental health.

METHOD

Fifty-seven Swedish university students (mean age = 25, SD = 5) reporting high levels of stress were randomized to compassion training (n = 23), mindfulness (n = 19), or waitlist (n = 15).

RESULT

Multilevel models indicated that both compassion and mindfulness training increased self-compassion compared to the waitlist, while only compassion significantly reduced stress. Between-group effect sizes for compassion compared to waitlist were large for both self-compassion (d = 1.61) and stress (d = 0.94). Compassion and mindfulness did not differ significantly, but effect sizes were in favor of compassion. Secondary outcomes indicated positive effects on emotional awareness, while no effect was found for global psychological distress.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that compassion training via a smartphone application can improve self-compassion and reduce stress among university students. Future studies in larger clinical samples are warranted.

Childhood Bereavement and Lower Stress Resilience in Late Adolescence

PURPOSE

Although childhood traumatic experiences are recognized as important determinants for adolescent psychiatric health in general, our objective was to explore the specific influence of childhood bereavement on the stress resilience development trajectory.

METHODS

In this national register-based cohort study, we identified 407,639 men born in Sweden between 1973 and 1983, who underwent compulsory military enlistment examinations in late adolescence, including measures of psychological stress resilience. We defined exposure as loss of a first-degree family member in childhood, and estimated relative risk ratios (RRRs) for reduced (moderate or low), compared with high, stress resilience with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using multinomial logistic regression.

RESULTS

Loss of a parent or sibling in childhood conferred a 49% increased risk of subsequent low stress resilience (RRR, 1.49, 95% CI, 1.41-1.57) and an 8% increased risk of moderate stress resilience (RRR, 1.08, 95% CI, 1.03-1.13) in late adolescence. There was also a graded increase in risk with increasing age at loss; teenagers were at higher risk for low resilience (RRR, 1.64, 95% CI, 1.52-1.77) than children aged 7-12 (RRR, 1.47, 95% CI, 1.34-1.61) and ≤6 years (RRR, 1.16 95% CI, 1.02-1.32). The excess risk was observed for all causes of death, including suicide and unexpected deaths as well as deaths due to other illnesses. The associations remained after exclusion of parents with a history of hospitalization for psychiatric diagnoses.

CONCLUSIONS

The long-term consequences of childhood bereavement may include lower stress resilience in late adolescence.