Ethnic differences in youth well-being: The role of sociodemographic background and social support

Who Stays, Who Moves on and the Host Population: A Picture of Adolescents' Perceived Well-Being and Risk Behaviours

The study aims to evaluate the health profile of first- and second-generation Romanian immigrants living in Italy compared to their adolescent peers in the country of origin (Romania) and the host population (Italian-borns). Analyses were performed on the 2013/2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey data. Romanian natives showed lower levels of health complaints and higher life satisfaction than Romanian migrants, who were similar to the host population, especially the second-generation ones. A comparable prevalence of being bullied was registered among Romanians, both native and immigrant, with significantly lower levels among Italian natives. Bullying others showed the second-generation migrants share a similar prevalence with the host population. The prevalence of liking school a lot was three times higher among the Romanian natives than among their peers living in Italy. Thanks to the HBSC data, this study is the first to examine the health of adolescent migrants from both the perspective of the host country and the population of origin. The results highlight the need for a more nuanced approach to studying immigrant populations, taking into account both the host country's perspective and the health patterns of the population of origin.

Adolescent Health Literacy and Neighbourhood Features: HBSC Findings from Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia

The role of supportive environments on health, wellbeing, and longevity has been widely recognized. However, there is no strong empirical evidence on the association between health literacy (HL) as a particular health-related competence and neighbourhoods. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the association between the features of neighbourhoods and the level of HL competencies of young people from three countries (Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia). Self-reported data from an international sample of 11,521 students aged 13-15 years participating in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study (HBSC) in the year 2018 were included in the analyses. The level of HL shows a strong positive relationship with family wealth, and a significant relationship is maintained in all studied countries. Both social and structural features of neighbourhoods turned out to have an impact on students' HL. However, HL is most clearly explained by the school environment. This study confirms the school effect on higher levels of HL competences in adolescents. This indicates the need to invest in schools located in less affluent areas to generally improve the level of education, implement modern health education combined with HL, and strengthen the social and health competencies of students.

Social Determinants of Health and Well-Being of Adolescents in Multicultural Families in South Korea: Social-Cultural and Community Influence

Objectives: Adolescents in multicultural families (AMFs) are exposed to numerous stressors and face environmental vulnerability within the family, school, and community systems, which may affect their health and well-being. Concrete discussion on policies is lacking due to insufficient data on the levels of well-being of AMFs in South Korea. This study aimed to investigate social-cultural and community factors affecting their well-being. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of 206 AMFs (aged 13-18 years) from 16 general schools and three multicultural schools across eight large cities. AMFs completed a self-administrative questionnaire assessing well-being, individual factors (acculturative stress, health behavior), social and community factors (social support, sense of community), and environmental factors (school type, economic status). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results: Social support and sense of community significantly and directly affected well-being. The economic status and type of school had an indirect effect on well-being, whereas the effect of acculturative stress was not significant. Factors significantly affecting adolescents' well-being were social support, sense of community, economic status, and type of school. Conclusion: Addressing well-being may be the strategy leading AMFs to grow into healthy adults. These results could help educators, health professionals, and policymakers to identify ways to enhance the well-being of AMFs.

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.

Connectedness as a protective factor in immigrant youth: results from the Health Behaviours in School-aged Children (HBSC) Italian study

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this work was to study whether and to what extent selected connectedness variables (perceived family, peer, and school support) are protective factors against low life satisfaction and high health complaints in immigrant youth with different ethnic backgrounds, while also taking into account the effect of socioeconomic status (SES).

METHODS

A representative sample of 47,799 students (15% immigrants, among whom 4980 were from non-Western countries) aged 11, 13, and 15 years were recruited from schools throughout Italy within the framework of the Italian 2013/2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. Bayesian network analyses were used to assess the association between connectedness variables, and low life satisfaction and high health complaints.

RESULTS

The connectedness variables family and school support were strong protective factors against both low life satisfaction and high health complaints (99% probability of relative risk < 1 in all subgroup comparisons). This protective role was still present when subgroups with high SES were compared. Peer support also showed a protective effect, though it was weaker.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that, among immigrant youth, perceived high support can act as a moderator on the effect of environmental stressors. In line with international guidelines, these results confirm that public health professionals should create school interventions that foster a culture of inclusiveness, promote a supportive school environment, and engage families of immigrant youth.