Structural and socio-psychological influences on adolescents' educational aspirations and subsequent academic achievement.

Previous literature indicates that educational aspirations are an important predictor of achievement at school and beyond. This paper examines the factors that are associated with high educational aspirations. It also looks at the relationship between aspirations and achievement at the General Certificate of Secondary Education in a deprived area of London.

Area social fragmentation, social support for individuals and psychosocial health in young adults: evidence from a national survey in England.

This paper uses national survey data for young adults in England to explore empirically the relationships between social fragmentation in communities (measured for geographical areas), social support experienced by individuals from their immediate social circle, and psychosocial health of young adults. After reviewing previous research about these associations, we adopted an empirical approach to these questions, which was innovative in using data on area social fragmentation from a different source to the survey data on individuals. Also, we have examined the relevance for mental health of interactions between individual social support and area social fragmentation, as well as their independent associations with health.

Psychological symptoms and physical health and health behaviours in adolescents: a prospective 2-year study in East London.

Aims: To examine whether physical health and health-risk behaviours in young people are risk factors for psychological distress and depressive symptoms over a 2-year period.

Design/setting: A 2-year, prospective epidemiological cohort study in East London.

Participants: A total of 1615 adolescents from the Research with East London Adolescents: Community Health Survey (RELACHS)-a representative cohort of young people aged 11-12 and 13-14 years at baseline, followed-up after 2 years.