Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had implications for adolescents’ interpersonal relationships, communication patterns, education, recreational activities and well-being. An understanding of the impact of the pandemic on their mental health is crucial in measures to promote the post-pandemic recovery. Using a person-centered approach, the current study aimed to identify mental health profiles in two cross-sectional samples of Finnish adolescents before and after the peak of the pandemic, and to examine how socio-demographic and psychosocial factors, academic expectations, health literacy, and self-rated health are associated with the emerging profiles. Methods and findings: Survey data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study conducted in Finland in 2018 (N = 3498, age M = 13.44) and 2022 (N = 3838, age M = 13.21) were analyzed. A four-profile model using cluster analysis was selected for both samples. In Sample 1, the identified profiles were (1) “Good mental health”, (2) “Mixed psychosocial health”, (3) “Somatically challenged”, and (4) “Poor mental health”. In Sample 2, the identified profiles were (1) “Good mental health”, (2) “Mixed psychosomatic health”, (3) “Poor mental health and low loneliness”, and (4) “Poor mental health and high loneliness”. The results of the mixed effect multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that in both samples, being a girl and reporting lower maternal monitoring; lower family, peer, and teacher support; higher intensity of online communication; a less positive home atmosphere and school climate; and poor self-rated health were most strongly linked to belonging to a poorer mental health profile. In addition, in Sample 2, low subjective health literacy was a key factor associated with poorer mental health profiles, and teacher support was more important than before COVID. Conclusions: The current study stresses the importance of identifying those vulnerable to developing poor mental health. To maximize post-pandemic recovery, the role of schools, especially teacher support and health literacy, along with the factors that remained important over time should be taken into account in public health and health promotion interventions.

The Nordic countries are among the most digitally advanced societies in the world. Past research suggests that both social support offline and interaction online are linked to adolescent psychological adjustment. However, less is known regarding the complex implications of distinctive sources of social support offline and online interaction for a broader range of indices of adolescent psychosocial well‐being, including its contemporary forms such as social media addiction. This study utilized two methodological approaches to examine the social components and determinants of psychosocial well‐being (psychosomatic complaints and problematic social media use) among 22,384 Nordic adolescents aged between 11 and 15 years. A variable‐centered approach focused on examining perceived support from four sources (family, peers, teachers, and classmates), preference for online interaction, and intensity of online interaction as predictors of psychosocial well‐being. Concurrently, a person‐centered approach was utilized to explore the subgroups at risk of psychosocial ill‐being. In the variable‐centered analysis, lower support from family, teachers, and classmates, higher preference for online interaction, and higher intensity of online interaction with “online contacts” (i.e., interaction partners met online) were linked to higher levels of psychosomatic complaints and more problematic social media use. Additionally, lower peer support was associated with increased psychosomatic complaints, while greater intensity of online interaction with “offline contacts” (e.g., close friends, parents) was related to more problematic social media use. The person‐centered analysis identified five profiles of adolescents: (1) “Multiply supported online users” (56%), (2) “Primarily (family‐peer) supported high online users” (22%), (3) “Non‐supported online users” (13%), (4) “Primarily non‐supported online users” (5%), and (5) “Non‐supported high online users” (4%). Adolescents reporting higher support from multiple sources and moderate online interaction with offline contacts experienced the lowest levels of psychosomatic complaints and the least problematic social media use, while the other profiles exhibited more complex and less optimal psychosocial well‐being. In conclusion, these findings suggest that adolescents benefit most from robust social support offline across multiple social networks, but strong support from certain sources (teachers, classmates) can somewhat mitigate the adverse effects of low support from other sources (family, peers). The relationship between online interaction and psychosocial well‐being is contingent on the level of social support.

Regular access to green space has been shown to provide several health benefits for children. However, children today spend less time outdoors. Thus, it has become important to understand what drives and limits children’s activities in nature. Based on a Finnish online survey of 1463 parents of children aged 2–7 conducted in 2019, the current study examined parents’ perceived barriers to visiting nature with their children. It also examined how parental mental well-being is related to families’ frequency of nature visits, and whether this association is mediated by different categories of parents’ perceived barriers. Eleven out of 12 barriers were largely perceived by parents as reasons that did not prevent them from visiting nature with their children. Next, factor analysis indicated a three-factor solution to the barriers. The results of a multiple mediation analysis showed that better parental mental well-being was associated with more frequent adult-child nature visits, and this relationship was partially mediated by a “lack of competence and logistics” and a “lack of time and interest”, but not by “insecurity and fear”. The results indicated that parents with poor mental well-being were more likely to perceive barriers to visiting nature, which in turn appeared to be related to a higher likelihood of having children who visited nature less frequently.

Background: Research has indicated that the effectiveness of intervention programs is affected by how well these programs are implemented, but key gaps remain in our understanding of the factors that promote or inhibit implementation. This study examined how demographic characteristics and perceived work environment among early childhood educators were associated with implementation outcomes of the Increased Health and Wellbeing in Preschools (DAGIS) intervention, which was conducted as a cluster randomized trial. Methods: Participants included 101 educators from 32 intervention preschool classrooms. Data were analyzed at the classroom level, as the DAGIS intervention was delivered in preschool classrooms consisting of several educators instead of individual implementers. Linear regression was used to estimate the associations of educators’ demographic characteristics and perceived work environment with different aspects of implementation (i.e., dose delivered; dose received – exposure; dose received – satisfaction; and perceived quality, as well as a total sum score based on these four dimensions). Municipality was controlled in the adjusted models. Results: Findings indicated that having a higher proportion of educators with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in education within the classroom was associated with higher dose received – exposure and higher total degree of implementation, and the significance of the models was unaffected by adjustment for municipality. Moreover, having a higher proportion of educators younger than 35 years within the classroom was associated with higher dose received – exposure. However, the association was non-significant when adjusted for municipality. No other educator factor (i.e., work experience in years and perceived support from coworkers, group work, and innovative climate) predicted implementation outcomes. Conclusions: Higher educational attainment and younger age among educators at the classroom level were associated with higher scores for some of the implementation outcomes. Educators’ work experience in years at the current preschool and in early childhood education, support from coworkers, group work, and innovative climate were not significantly associated with any implementation outcomes. Future research should explore ways to improve educators’ implementation of interventions aimed at promoting children’s health behaviors.

WHO-Koululaistutkimus on Suomessa käytetty nimi Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) -tutkimukselle, jonka kyselyyn vastasi 11-, 13- ja 15-vuotiaita koululaisia yli 50 maasta aineistokeräyksessä 2021/2022. Ensimmäisen aineistonkeräys oli 40 vuotta sitten vuonna 1983 ja vuonna 2022 aineistoa kerättiin 11. kerran. Suomessa anonyymiin kyselyyn vastaavat koululaiset ovat perusopetuksen 5., 7. ja 9. luokalta. WHO-Koululaistutkimuksen tavoitteena on tuottaa kansainvälisesti vertailukelpoista ja kansallisesti tärkeää tietoa koululaisten terveyskäyttäytymisestä, terveydestä ja hyvinvoinnista sekä niiden taustalla olevista tekijöistä. Lisäksi tavoitteena on lisätä ymmärrystä terveyden eriarvoisuudesta ja arvioida terveyden eriarvoisuuden kehittymistä eri aineistonkeruuvuosien välillä. Tutkimus tuottaa tietoa lasten ja nuorten terveyden edistämisen käytänteiden ja poliittisen päätöksenteon tueksi. Tutkimuksesta vastaa tutkijaryhmä Jyväskylän yliopiston Liikuntatieteellisessä tiedekunnassa toimivasta Terveyden edistämisen tutkimuskeskuksesta. Tutkimusta johtavat apulaisprofessori Leena Paakkari ja yliopistonlehtori Nelli Lyyra. Tässä raportissa esitetään WHO-Koululaistutkimuksen 2022 tuloksia 5-, 7- ja 9-luokkalaisten koululaisten koetusta terveydestä, yksinäisyydestä, mielen hyvinvoinnista, koulukokemuksista, terveystottumuksista sekä terveyttä vaarantavasta käyttäytymisestä ja terveyden voimavaroista. Ajallisia muutoksia tarkastellaan vertaamalla vuoden 2022 tuloksia vuosiin 2014 ja 2018. Raportti sisältää myös suomen- ja ruotsinkielisten nuorten hyvinvoinnin vertailua vuoden 2022 tulosten perusteella. Raportti päättyy terveyden ylläpitämiselle ja edistämiselle tärkeän terveyden lukutaidon tilan sekä sen ja koetun terveyden ja terveyskäyttäytymisen välisten yhteyksien tarkasteluun.

Research on well-being inequalities has typically examined the independent effects of social positions, often overlooking how the interplay of multiple social categorizations can shape well-being outcomes. This study explored how multiple social positions based on gender, age, immigrant background, family structure, and perceived family socioeconomic status shape patterns of inequality in three well-being outcomes-psychosomatic complaints, mental well-being, and problematic social media use-among Nordic adolescents. Data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study, collected in four Nordic countries (Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) in 2022 (N = 22 366, ages 9-19), were analyzed using the Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy (MAIHDA) approach. Participants were nested within 168 strata defined by their multiple social positions. Of the additive contributions of individual social positions, female gender was most strongly associated with poorer well-being across all outcomes. Interaction effects indicating more favorable well-being than expected based on additive main effects were identified across all outcomes for non-immigrant girls aged 9 to 12 perceiving high family socioeconomic status. Unexpectedly, non-immigrant boys aged 15 years and older from nuclear families with low perceived family socioeconomic status reported better well-being levels than anticipated. In contrast, interaction effects demonstrating less favorable well-being were observed for older, non-immigrant girls from nuclear families with high perceived family socioeconomic status, who reported poorer outcomes than expected. Several other subgroups also displayed significant deviations from anticipated outcomes in specific well-being domains. The findings reveal significant intersectional disparities in well-being, notably in psychosomatic complaints and problematic social media use. The same social positions can form different patterns of advantage and disadvantage for individuals across different subgroups.