Exploring mechanisms behind the increasing gender gap in adolescent psychological symptoms, 2002-2022: the role of national-level gender equality.

Background: Internalising problems have increased considerably among adolescents in the last decades, particularly among girls, resulting in widening gender gaps. This study examined whether the gender gap in psychological symptoms increased more in more gender-equal countries in the period 2002-2022, and if so, to what extent this could be explained by changes over time in the experience of stressors (i.e.

Cross-National Trends in Adolescents Psychological and Somatic Complaints Before and After the Onset of COVID-19 Pandemic.

Purpose: Building on research suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic may have led to an exacerbation of deteriorating trends in mental health among adolescents, this paper examined trends in adolescents' psychological and somatic complaints across 35 countries from 2010 to 2022, and tested trends in sociodemographic inequalities in these outcomes between 2018 and 2022.

Methods: Using data from 792,606 adolescents from 35 countries (51% girls; mean age = 13.5; standard deviation 1.

Establishing spirituality as an intermediary determinant of health among 42,843 children from eight countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) conceptual framework identifies socio-economic position as a structural determinant of health. Recognized intermediary determinants include biological, behavioural, and psychosocial factors. We examined whether connections afforded by a healthy spirituality potentially act as unrecognized intermediary determinants in adolescent populations, contributing to inequities in mental health.

Feasibility of using health and wellbeing data for school planning: the SHINE pilot in Scotland.

Child and adolescent mental health and wellbeing (MHWB) have received greater attention in recent years due to increases in mental ill health and reports of decreasing subjective wellbeing. The School Health and Wellbeing Improvement Research Network (SHINE) was established to create a national infrastructure to support Scottish schools to collect and use health and wellbeing (HWB) data to inform school improvement action planning. This study aimed to evaluate a pilot of SHINE's provision of school-level HWB data reports from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey and their impact on school action planning.

Structural gender inequality and gender differences in adolescent substance use: A multilevel study from 45 countries.

-Societal gender inequality relates to gender differences in adolescent substance use.-The gender gap in adolescent substance use is larger in countries with higher levels of gender inequality.-Girls in these countries were less likely to get drunk, use alcohol or smoke cigarettes than boys.

TeenCovidLife: a resource to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents in Scotland.

TeenCovidLife is part of Generation Scotland's CovidLife projects, a set of longitudinal observational studies designed to assess the psychosocial and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. TeenCovidLife focused on how adolescents in Scotland were coping during the pandemic. As of September 2021, Generation Scotland had conducted three TeenCovidLife surveys.

Priority Indicators for Adolescent Health Measurement - Recommendations From the Global Action for Measurement of Adolescent Health (GAMA) Advisory Group.

Purpose: This article describes the selection of priority indicators for adolescent (10-19 years) health measurement proposed by the Global Action for Measurement of Adolescent health advisory group and partners, building on previous work identifying 33 core measurement areas and mapping 413 indicators across these areas.

Methods: The indicator selection process considered inputs from a broad range of stakeholders through a structured four-step approach: (1) definition of selection criteria and indicator scoring; (2) development of a draft list of indicators with metadata; (3) collection of public feedback through a survey; and (4) review of the feedback and finalization of the indicator list. As a part of the process, measurement gaps were also identified.

Defining research priorities for youth public mental health: reflections on a coproduction approach to transdisciplinary working.

Background: With most mental health problems established during childhood/adolescence, young people must be a key focus of public mental health approaches. Despite the range of factors known to influence mental health, evidence for effective interventions is lacking for this age group. This study aimed to define priorities for future public health intervention-focused research to support youth mental health by engaging with transdisciplinary stakeholder groups.

Cross-national validation of the social media disorder scale: findings from adolescents from 44 countries.

Background And Aims: There is currently no cross-national validation of a scale that measures problematic social media use (SMU). The present study investigated and compared the psychometric properties of the social media disorder (SMD) scale among young adolescents from different countries.

Design: Validation study.

The Impact of School Closure on Adolescents' Wellbeing, and Steps towards to a New Normal: The Need for an Assessment Tool Update?

Close to 200 countries have implemented school closures to decrease the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Though the closures have seemed necessary, their effects on the wellbeing of children and adolescents have raised serious concerns. To truly understand the impact of such disruption on young people's wellbeing, and their views on how to move towards a new normal, we must adopt different approaches to gather the data to secure children's and adolescents' rights to be heard in the issues that concern their lives.

Structural validity of a brief scale adapted to measure adolescent spiritual health.

Spiritual health is established as an important protective health asset in child populations. Measurement and assessment of this elusive concept are, however, challenging. Brief and age-appropriate instruments are required for surveys and related population health research.

Cross-National Time Trends in Adolescent Mental Well-Being From 2002 to 2018 and the Explanatory Role of Schoolwork Pressure.

Purpose: Previous research has shown inconsistent time trends in adolescent mental well-being, but potential underlying mechanisms for such trends are yet to be examined. This study investigates cross-national time trends in adolescent mental well-being (psychosomatic health complaints and life satisfaction) in mainly European countries and the extent to which time trends in schoolwork pressure explain these trends.

Methods: Data from 915,054 adolescents from 36 countries (50.

Vigorous physical activity in relation to family affluence: time trends in Europe and North America.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine secular trends in vigorous physical activity (VPA) among adolescents in relation to family affluence across 34 countries.

Methods: This study used data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study from 34 countries in Europe and North America. Adolescents (N = 501,647) aged 11, 13 and 15 years across three survey cycles (2006, 2010, 2014) self-reported data on VPA and a family affluence scale (FAS) using standardized questionnaires.

Do country-level environmental factors explain cross-national variation in adolescent physical activity? A multilevel study in 29 European countries.

Background: Worldwide, roughly 80% of adolescents fail to meet World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations regarding physical activity, though there is substantial variation in adolescent physical activity prevalence across countries. This study explored whether country-level environmental differences explained cross-national variation in adolescent moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and vigorous-intensity activity (VPA).

Method: Using the data of 138,014 11- to 15-year-olds from 29 European countries in the 2013/2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, multilevel regression models examined the influence of four types of country-level environmental factors (physical, socio-cultural, economic, and political) on self-reported individual-level physical activity (MVPA and VPA).

Domains of spirituality and their associations with positive mental health: a study of adolescents in Canada, England and Scotland.

Spirituality is a concept with ancient roots yet contemporary relevance to mental health. Its assessment in populations of young people, however, remains an immense challenge. Efforts to perform such assessments typically involve use of unidimensional scales incorporating items related to four domains (connections to "self", "others", "nature", and the "transcendent").

Comparisons in Screen-Time Behaviours among Adolescents with and without Long-Term Illnesses or Disabilities: Results from 2013/14 HBSC Study.

Reducing sedentary behaviours can help prevent non-communicable diseases, particularly among young adolescents with long term illnesses or disabilities (LTID). Much of young people's voluntary sedentary time is related to screen-time behaviours (STBs) such as TV viewing, playing computer games, and using the computer for other activities. Although public health data on adolescents' STB is growing, information about adolescents with LTID is currently lacking in a European context.

Self-reported weight and predictors of missing responses in youth.

Objective: The aims of the present manuscript are to analyse self-reported data on weight, including the missing data, from the 2014 Scottish Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Study, and to investigate whether behavioural factors related with overweight and obesity, namely dietary habits, physical activity and sedentary behaviour, are associated with weight non-response.

Research Methods & Procedures: 10839 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds participated in the cross-national 2014 Scottish HBSC Study. Weight missing data was evaluated using Little's Missing Completely at Random (MCAR) test.

Spirituality as a protective health asset for young people: an international comparative analysis from three countries.

Objectives: Spirituality has been proposed as a potential health asset a 'developmental engine' that works by fostering the search for connectedness, meaning and purpose. The aim is to examine to what extent spiritual health might be protective of young people's overall health and well-being.

Methods: In 2014, young people aged 11, 13, and 15 years in England, Scotland and Canada were surveyed as part of the HBSC study (n = 26,701).

Physical Activity Among Adolescents With Long-Term Illnesses or Disabilities in 15 European Countries.

Physical activity (PA) is an important health-promoting behavior from which adolescents with long-term illnesses or disabilities (LTID) can benefit. It is important to monitor differences across countries in adherence with PA recommendations for health. The aim of this study was to compare PA levels among 15 European countries after disaggregating data by disability.

Trends in the perceived body size of adolescent males and females in Scotland, 1990-2014: changing associations with mental well-being.

Objectives: This paper explores trends in Scottish adolescents' body size perceptions and associated mental well-being outcomes.

Methods: Data were collected on Scottish 11-, 13-, and 15-year-olds by the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study between 1990 and 2014 (n = 42,312). Logistic regression was used to examine changes in the prevalence of over- and underweight perceptions.

Trends in bullying victimization in Scottish adolescents 1994-2014: changing associations with mental well-being.

Objectives: Bullying victimization among schoolchildren is a major public health concern. This paper aims to analyse the changing associations over two decades between bullying victimization and mental well-being in a representative Scottish schoolchildren sample.

Methods: Data were collected in six rounds of the cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study in Scotland, with 42,312 adolescents (aged 11, 13 and 15 years).

Developmental patterns of adolescent spiritual health in six countries.

The spiritual health of adolescents is a topic of emerging contemporary importance. Limited numbers of international studies provide evidence about developmental patterns of this aspect of health during the adolescent years. Using multidimensional indicators of spiritual health that have been adapted for use within younger adolescent populations, we therefore: (1) describe aspects of the perceptions of the importance of spiritual health of adolescents by developmental stage and within genders; (2) conduct similar analyses across measures related to specific domains of adolescent spiritual health; (3) relate perceptions of spiritual health to self-perceived personal health status.

Educational expectations and adolescent health behaviour: an evolutionary approach.

Objectives: Previous research finds adolescents expecting to attend university are more likely to demonstrate health-promoting behaviour than those not expecting university attendance. This suggests public health improvements may be achievable by encouraging adolescents to adopt academic goals. We investigate confounders of this putative relationship, focusing on those identified by evolutionary theory.

Are associations between electronic media use and BMI different across levels of physical activity?

Background: The use of electronic media has been found to be a risk factor for higher BMI and for being overweight. Physical activity has been found to be associated with lower BMI and lower risk for being overweight. Little is known about whether the associations between physical activity and electronic media use are additive or interactive in predicting BMI and risk for overweight among adolescents.