| 1. |
- Almquist B., Ylva, et al.
(författare)
-
Associations between social support and depressive symptoms : social causation or social selection-or both?
- 2017
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Public Health. - : Oxford University Press. - 1101-1262 .- 1464-360X. ; 27:1, s. 84-89
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have demonstrated an association between social support and health, almost regardless of how social support and health have been conceptualised or measured. Even so, the issue of causality has not yet been sufficiently addressed. This issue is particularly challenging for mental health problems such as depressive symptoms. The aim of the present study is to longitudinally assess structural and functional aspects of social support in relation to depressive symptoms in men and women, through a series of competing causal models that, in contrast to many other statistical methods, allow for bi-directional effects.METHODS: Questionnaire data from the Northern Swedish Cohort (n = 1001) were utilised for the years 1995 (age 30) and 2007 (age 42). Associations were analysed by means of gender-specific structural equation modelling, with structural and functional support modelled separately.RESULTS: Both structural and functional support were associated with depressive symptoms at ages 30 and 42, for men and women alike. A higher level of support, particularly functional support, was associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms over time among men. Among women, there were bi-directional effects of social support and depressive symptoms over time.CONCLUSION: Concerning social support and health, the social causation hypothesis seems relevant for men whereas, for women, the associations appear to be more complex. We conclude that preventive and health promoting work may need to consider that the presence of depressive symptoms in itself impedes on women's capability to increase their levels of social support.
|
|
| 2. |
- Almquist, Ylva B, et al.
(författare)
-
Growing through asphalt : What counteracts the long-term negative health impact of youth adversity?
- 2017
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Public Health. - : Oxford University Press. - 1101-1262 .- 1464-360X. ; 27:Suppl 3, s. 47-47
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Adversity in the family of origin tends to translate into poor health development. Yet, the fact that this is not the always the case has been seen an indicator of resilience. The current study highlights factors outside the context of the family with the potential to counteract the long-term negative influences of social and material adversity in adolescence on general health status.Methods: The study was based on the Northern Swedish Cohort born in 1965 (n = 1,001). Measures of social and material adversity, health, and protective factors related to school, peers, and spare time, were derived from questionnaires distributed to the cohort members and their teachers at age 16. Self-rated health was measured at age 43. The main associations were examined by means of ordinal regression analysis, with the role of the protective factors being assessed through interaction analysis.Results: Social and material adversity in youth was associated with poorer self-rated health in midlife among males and females alike, net of health status at baseline. However, having an advantaged situation with regard to school, peers, or spare time – particularly in terms of being seen as having good educational and work prospects, as well as a high-quality spare time – appeared to protect against the detrimental influences of disadvantaged circumstances in the family context on subsequent health.Conclusions: There are several factors outside the context of the family that seemingly have the potential to buffer against the negative health consequences stemming from having experienced a disadvantaged upbringing. Initiatives targeted at increasing academic motivation and commitment as well as social capital and relationships in youth, may here be of particular relevance.Key messages:While the experience of disadvantageous living conditions in adolescence tends to translate into poor health development across the life course, this is not always the case.Advantages related to school, peers, and spare time have the potential of counteracting the negative health impact of an adverse family context.
|
|
| 3. |
- Almquist, Ylva B., et al.
(författare)
-
Prevailing over Adversity : Factors Counteracting the Long-Term Negative Health Influences of Social and Material Disadvantages in Youth
- 2018
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 15:9
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Disadvantaged circumstances in youth tend to translate into poor health development. However, the fact that this is not always the case has been seen as indicative of differential resilience. The current study highlights factors outside the context of the family with the potential to counteract the long-term negative influences of social and material adversity in adolescence on general health status. This study was based on two waves of questionnaire data from the Northern Swedish Cohort. From the wave in 1981 (age 16), indicators of social and material conditions as well as factors related to school, peers, and spare time were derived. From the wave in 2008 (age 43), information about self-rated health was used. Ordinal logistic regression models (n = 908) showed that adversity in youth was associated with poorer self-rated health in midlife among men and women alike, net of health status at baseline. However, having an advantaged situation with regard to school, peers, or spare time appeared to protect against the detrimental influences of disadvantaged circumstances in the family context on subsequent health. This suggests that health-promoting interventions may benefit from focusing on contexts outside the family in their effort to strengthen processes of resilience among disadvantaged youths.
|
|
| 4. |
- Atusingwize, Edwinah, et al.
(författare)
-
Social media use and alcohol consumption among students in Uganda : a cross sectional study
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Global Health Action. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1654-9716 .- 1654-9880. ; 15:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Globally, alcohol use significantly contributes to the disease burden. Alcohol consumption in Uganda is related to several health consequences among young people, including university students. Social media is commonly used by students to share academic information and create social networks. Among young people in high-income countries, previous studies have also shown that social media use can have negative health outcomes related to alcohol use, and associated problems. To date, similar studies conducted in low- and middle-income countries are largely missing. Objective To assess the prevalence of and associations between social media use and alcohol consumption among university students in Uganda. Method This was a cross-sectional study among 996 undergraduate students at Makerere University. Data were collected using a questionnaire. Alcohol use in the previous 12 months was the dependent variable. The independent variable was social media use categorised as general use, alcohol-related use, and social media lurking/passive participation. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess associations. Crude and adjusted odds ratios were reported. Results Nearly all students (97%) used social media and 39% reported alcohol use. Regular alcohol use was significantly associated with moderate (OR = 2.22, CI: 1.35-3.66) and high level general social media use (OR = 2.45, CI: 1.43-4.20). Regular alcohol use was also associated with alcohol-related social media (OR = 6.46, CI: 4.04-10.30), and alcohol-related lurking (OR = 4.59, CI: 2.84-7.39). Similar, although weaker associations were identified for occasional alcohol use. Conclusions Approximately four in ten students reported alcohol use in the past year, and almost all students used social media. Alcohol-related social media use was associated with occasional and regular alcohol use, with stronger associations for regular use. These findings may guide further research and present an opportunity for potential alcohol control interventions to improve health among young populations in low- and middle-income countries.
|
|
| 5. |
- Bortes, Cristian, et al.
(författare)
-
Psychotropic medication use and academic performance in adolescence : A cross-lagged path analysis
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Journal of Adolescence. - : Elsevier. - 0140-1971 .- 1095-9254. ; 91, s. 25-34
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: The study investigated the directionality of associations between mental health problems and school grades across two timepoints (T1 and T2) during mid to late adolescence; in school year 9 (ages 15-16) and school year 12 (ages 17-18). The study also investigated variation in the associations as a function of gender and across socioeconomic groups. Methods: Longitudinal data from several Swedish administrative registers were utilised. Information on prescribed psychotropic drugs was used as a proxy for mental health problems, and teacher-assigned school grades were used to measure academic performance. The study sample comprised 85 186 individuals (50.7% girls) born in 1991 who were alive and resident in Sweden in 2010. Directions of associations were analysed by estimating a series of cross-lagged path models. Results: The model with the best fit to data showed that higher school grades at T1 were associated with relatively lower rates of mental health problems by T2, for both boys and girls, mainly in socioeconomic groups with the highest educated parents. This association was equal in size across all of the socioeconomic groups that were explored. Conclusions: Performing well in school is equally important for boys' and girls' subsequent mental health, but only among adolescents in socioeconomic groups with the highest educated parents. The results underscore the importance of promoting opportunities for youth to do as well as they can in school.
|
|
| 6. |
- Dahlqvist, Heléne, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
-
Poly-victimization of Bullying, Sexual Harassment and Violence in Youth : A Latent Class Analysis
- 2019
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Introduction: Violence in a broad sense among youth is common and there is some evidence that there are groups of youth who are victims of more than one form of violence. More knowledge is needed in terms of patterning of subgroups of poly-victimization. The aim was to explore if there are distinct subgroups of youth with particular patterns of violence victimization.Method: Survey data from a Swedish sample (n = 1,569) of 14-16-year-olds were used (females 48.4%). Measures were physical violence, threat of physical violence, bullying, sexual harassment, and cyber bullying and harassment in the past six months as well as lifetime physical violence. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to identify subgroups of youth with particular violence victimization patterns. Model fit assessment was based on model parsimony, theoretical justification and fit indices criteria (the Akaike information criterion and the Bayesian information criterion).Result: A three-latent-class model was selected: 1. Poly-victims with high probabilities of being victimized by a multitude of different types of violence (girls 47.6%). 2. Overall low probabilities of violence victimization (girls 47.5%). 3. High probabilities of victimization of sexual harassment off- and online as well as bullying online (girls 65.6%).Discussion: Three distinct subgroups of violence victimization in youth was evident in the data. There was a greater representation of girls in the purely sexualized violence sub-group. Further research and preventive programs should acknowledge that young people who are victims of one type of violence are likely also to be victims of other types of violence.
|
|
| 7. |
- Gotfredsen, Anne Christina, et al.
(författare)
-
Carving out space for collective action : a study on how girls respond to everyday stressors within leisure participation
- 2020
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1748-2623 .- 1748-2631. ; 15:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Stress and achievement pressure constitute factors affecting young people's mental health, especially among girls. Leisure participation holds the potential to be a collective space where young people can respond to stressors together. This study explores how girls collectively construct responses to daily stressors within the context of leisure participation. Methods:Nine focus groups were conducted with 16 girls aged 14-21 who were active members in two sport organizations in northern Sweden. Data was collected by using participatory observations and photo-elicited focus group discussions. Results:Our findings from the inductive thematic analysis were interpreted by combining the stress process model with social practice theory, resulting in three subthemes or responses: sharing sites of responsibility, resisting norms related to (gendered) youth and focused distraction. The subthemes were abstracted into the central theme of trustful belonging as a resource for collective responses, representing what pre-conditions need to be in place to make the responses possible. Conclusion:Leisure participation is an important relational space for young people to respond to stressors by making use of everyday routines, and the agency these social practices hold. However, the effort needed to respond to these stressors brought additional pressure in terms of responsibilities, and achievements.
|
|
| 8. |
- Gotfredsen, Anne C., et al.
(författare)
-
'I teach them that anything is possible' : exploring how adult leaders perceive and handle social factors of youth mental health in the context of young people’s civic engagement
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Community Development Journal. - : Oxford University Press. - 0010-3802 .- 1468-2656. ; 56:3, s. 506-523
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this qualitative study was 2-fold: to explore, in the context of young people’s civic engagement in Sweden, (i) how adult leaders perceive social factors of youth mental health and (ii) how adult leaders handle such social factors within their organizations. Interviews were conducted with leaders engaged in various civic organizations that provide leisure activities for young people. Using thematic analysis, three themes were constructed. Firstly, the social landscape of youth mental health described how adult leaders perceived the social factors of youth mental health within the context of civic engagement. Secondly, the organizational structures developed by adult leaders illustrated the organizing forms that leaders created for young people’s civic engagement. Thirdly, adult leaders’ strategies for addressing the social factors of youth mental health reflected the strategies developed to handle e.g. stress and achievement pressure. The adult leaders recognized the importance of their organizations and their huge potential to have a positive impact on youth mental health. However, some participants also saw limitations in terms of their own resources and competence. They found themselves having to address the complex issue of social factors of youth mental health regardless of whether they felt competent and prepared to do this or not. Our findings contribute to the existing knowledge on youth and community development via the role of adult leaders in promoting young people’s mental health by highlighting the organizational structures and leadership strategies developed by them.
|
|
| 9. |
- Gotfredsen, Anne, 1981-
(författare)
-
Carving out collective spaces : Exploring the complexities of gender and everyday stressors within rural youth leisure
- 2021
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: The reasons why young people are increasingly suffering frommental health problems, and the opportunities to turn this development aroundare globally debated. Stressors such as education, relationships, futuretrajectories of housing and employment all constitute important factors affectingyoung people’s mental health, leading to stress and achievement pressureespecially among girls and young women. The need to reduce individualization ofyoung people’s health problems, and instead encourage spaces for collectivesupport, action, and change has been called for in previous studies. Leisureparticipation has the potential to be such a collective space where young peopletogether can respond to stressors experienced in their daily life. Apart fromstudies on individual behavior change, leisure participation has been anoverlooked arena within public health and within research on young people’smental health and stress in particular. The complexity of youth leisure, especiallyin relation to gender and spatiality, calls for further investigation, exploring thesocial places of leisure that young people create themselves.Aim: The aim of this thesis is to understand how places of youth leisure areperceived and collectively constructed as social factors of youth mental health,and to analyze the strategies developed within these places to handle and respondto the everyday stressors experienced by young people.Conceptual framework: The analysis builds on four conceptual sections: (i)The stress process model explores stressors as situated in a wider social context,where social factors shape both the stressors that affect mental health, theresources to handle those stressors as well as the mental health outcomes. (ii) Thesocial practice theory highlights how social practices within places of leisure canbe identified as resources in relation to responses to stressors. (iii) The thirdsection of the framework takes on the relationship between stress, leisure, andpost-feminist perspectives on gender and successful femininity. The final section(iv) outlines leisure as a spatial (re)construction; emphasizing rural space andplace in relation to gender, stress, and precarity.Methods: This thesis builds on two sub-studies, generating three papers. SubstudyI is based on data from individual interviews with eight adult leaders fromdifferent leisure organizations (paper 1), and sub-study II (paper 2 and 3) is basedon an ethnographic multiple-case study with 16 girls (age 14-21) from two leisureorganizations. The setting for both sub-studies is rural northern Sweden. Thematerial from the ethnographic study was collected through participatoryobservations and focus group discussions using photo elicitation. For the first andsecond paper, thematic analysis was used as an analytical strategy, while a4discursive psychology approach (interpretative repertoires) was used for the thirdand final paper.Results: The first part of the results concerns how girls and adult leadersperceived and experienced daily stressors within the context of youth leisure.Such stressors were represented by the high demands girls face in relation toachievement pressure and time management, school, gender norms andexpectations, but also in relation to their leisure engagement. The second partexplores how the girls and adult leaders developed and negotiated strategies torespond to stressors, within the context of leisure. Responses were constructedthrough daily social practices within the context of leisure e.g. through sharingexperiences of stress with each other, based on a sense of belonging and trust. Inthe final part, rurality holds a central position in how place and space werediscursively constructed by the participants, in relation to leisure, gender, andstressors. Here, one of the main results in the third part was the complexity ofhow the participants’ constructed leisure as a place of wellbeing. In order to buildand maintain a space that enabled responses to stressors, the girls constantlyneeded to invest time, engagement, achievements, and emotions. In addition,places of leisure needed to be constructed in certain ways to be perceived asbeneficial and ‘positive’, for example as a place marked by respectability and selfdevelopment.This illustrates the precarity of youth leisure where educational andlabor-market opportunities have changed how young people now understand freetime as something that should be ‘productive and meaningful’. The metaphor of‘carving out spaces’ speaks for the effort the girls had to make in order to createand sustain such places; not only in relation to a successful femininity, but alsoin relation to the rural community and the survival of rural places of leisure.Conclusions: This study contributes to a better understanding of youth leisure,and how to build sustainable and inclusive places of leisure from a gender andrural perspective. Places of leisure and civic engagement are perceived asimportant social factors of youth mental health, and needs to be taken intoconsiderations when young people’s stress and mental health are discussed.Places of youth leisure are spaces where responses to everyday stressors can becollectively developed. At the same time, youth leisure is also precarious,demanding, and contributes to the reproduction of gendered discourses onrespectability and responsibility, both in relation to a successful femininity, butalso in making it work for the rural collective.
|
|
| 10. |
- Gotfredsen, Anne, et al.
(författare)
-
Precarious leisure in a teenage wasteland? : Intertwining discourses on responsibility and girls' place-making in rural Northern Sweden
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Journal of Youth Studies. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1367-6261 .- 1469-9680. ; 25:10, s. 1350-1366
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The relationship with place has been recognized as a significant dimension of rural youth leisure, both through the discursive constructions of place, but also as affective and embodied dimensions. This study captures these processes by applying the concept of place-making as a set of recurrent discursive processes, analyzing how girls in Northern Sweden engage in place-making alongside, beyond, and in contrast to dominant discourses on leisure, rurality and wellbeing. The study draws on data from photo-elicited focus groups with girls from two sports organizations. The discursive psychology analysis resulted in three interpretative repertoires. The first repertoire describes the sharp contrast between discourses of the 'rural dull' and how stressful the participants constructed their own places of leisure. The second illustrates the gendered discourses around what is considered to be productive and respectable leisure. The third shows how the participants are made responsible for the survival of their leisure. Through place-making, the participants shape places of leisure, affecting both themselves and their rural community. They engage in, conform to, and challenge place-making within discourses of responsibility and precariousness, creating space for their own initiatives, which are simultaneously shaped by the material conditions under which these practices take place.
|
|
