Mental well-being in Swedish adolescents 2014-2023: A repeated population-based cross-sectional study focusing on temporal variations and differences between groups.
Mental well-being is more than merely the absence of mental illness; it is a multidimensional concept that includes both emotional and functional well-being, which are valuable resources during adolescence. In order to develop relevant interventions and policies to strengthen adolescent mental healt...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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2025-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323963 |
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| author | Lena Uvhagen Johanna Gustafsson Fredrik Söderqvist |
| author_facet | Lena Uvhagen Johanna Gustafsson Fredrik Söderqvist |
| author_sort | Lena Uvhagen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mental well-being is more than merely the absence of mental illness; it is a multidimensional concept that includes both emotional and functional well-being, which are valuable resources during adolescence. In order to develop relevant interventions and policies to strengthen adolescent mental health, a continuous monitoring of the population well-being becomes important. The aim of the study was to examine the level, distribution, and changes in mental well-being over time in a Swedish adolescent population. Current study is based on four waves (2014-2017-2020-2023) of a cross-sectional student survey (N = 16288, Mage = 16.23). The outcome was measured with the Mental Health Continuum Short Form. Ten explanatory factors were chosen to examine differences in mental well-being in the study population: Grade, Sex, Sexual orientation, Socioeconomic status, Country of birth, Visual, Hearing or Mobility impairment, Specific learning disorder and Neurodevelopmental disorder. Differences in mental well-being between groups as well as temporal trends were examined and evaluated through statistical testing and hierarchical multiple linear regressions modeling. Girls, non-heterosexual adolescents, and adolescents with low socioeconomic status or impairments have lower levels of mental well-being than boys, heterosexual adolescents, and adolescents with higher socioeconomic status or without impairments, respectively. A deterioration in mental well-being is seen over time for several groups; however, results of the multivariable analysis indicates that the deterioration is mainly an effect of sex and the significant decline in mental well-being seen among girls. The most significant factor for explaining the variation in mental well-being in this study is socioeconomic status. This study elucidates temporal changes and differences in levels of mental well-being between social groups in the adolescent population. The overall differences are small, but their potential implications for public health warrant careful consideration since they concern a significant part of the population. The results underscore the imperative of promoting mental well-being in adolescents, particularly among vulnerable groups. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4d104d37a7f045909acf5c3bf8e12faa |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-4d104d37a7f045909acf5c3bf8e12faa2025-08-20T03:25:34ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01205e032396310.1371/journal.pone.0323963Mental well-being in Swedish adolescents 2014-2023: A repeated population-based cross-sectional study focusing on temporal variations and differences between groups.Lena UvhagenJohanna GustafssonFredrik SöderqvistMental well-being is more than merely the absence of mental illness; it is a multidimensional concept that includes both emotional and functional well-being, which are valuable resources during adolescence. In order to develop relevant interventions and policies to strengthen adolescent mental health, a continuous monitoring of the population well-being becomes important. The aim of the study was to examine the level, distribution, and changes in mental well-being over time in a Swedish adolescent population. Current study is based on four waves (2014-2017-2020-2023) of a cross-sectional student survey (N = 16288, Mage = 16.23). The outcome was measured with the Mental Health Continuum Short Form. Ten explanatory factors were chosen to examine differences in mental well-being in the study population: Grade, Sex, Sexual orientation, Socioeconomic status, Country of birth, Visual, Hearing or Mobility impairment, Specific learning disorder and Neurodevelopmental disorder. Differences in mental well-being between groups as well as temporal trends were examined and evaluated through statistical testing and hierarchical multiple linear regressions modeling. Girls, non-heterosexual adolescents, and adolescents with low socioeconomic status or impairments have lower levels of mental well-being than boys, heterosexual adolescents, and adolescents with higher socioeconomic status or without impairments, respectively. A deterioration in mental well-being is seen over time for several groups; however, results of the multivariable analysis indicates that the deterioration is mainly an effect of sex and the significant decline in mental well-being seen among girls. The most significant factor for explaining the variation in mental well-being in this study is socioeconomic status. This study elucidates temporal changes and differences in levels of mental well-being between social groups in the adolescent population. The overall differences are small, but their potential implications for public health warrant careful consideration since they concern a significant part of the population. The results underscore the imperative of promoting mental well-being in adolescents, particularly among vulnerable groups.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323963 |
| spellingShingle | Lena Uvhagen Johanna Gustafsson Fredrik Söderqvist Mental well-being in Swedish adolescents 2014-2023: A repeated population-based cross-sectional study focusing on temporal variations and differences between groups. PLoS ONE |
| title | Mental well-being in Swedish adolescents 2014-2023: A repeated population-based cross-sectional study focusing on temporal variations and differences between groups. |
| title_full | Mental well-being in Swedish adolescents 2014-2023: A repeated population-based cross-sectional study focusing on temporal variations and differences between groups. |
| title_fullStr | Mental well-being in Swedish adolescents 2014-2023: A repeated population-based cross-sectional study focusing on temporal variations and differences between groups. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mental well-being in Swedish adolescents 2014-2023: A repeated population-based cross-sectional study focusing on temporal variations and differences between groups. |
| title_short | Mental well-being in Swedish adolescents 2014-2023: A repeated population-based cross-sectional study focusing on temporal variations and differences between groups. |
| title_sort | mental well being in swedish adolescents 2014 2023 a repeated population based cross sectional study focusing on temporal variations and differences between groups |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323963 |
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