Dataset Information

Adolescent mental well-being, religion and family activities: a cross-sectional study (Northern Ireland Schools and Wellbeing Study).

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

In this study, we seek to explore the relationship between adolescent mental well-being, religion and family activities among a school-based adolescent sample from Northern Ireland.

Setting

The Northern Ireland Schools and Wellbeing Study is a cross-sectional study (2014-2016) of pupils in Northern Ireland aged 13-18 years.

Participants

1618 adolescents from eight schools participated in this study.

Outcomes measures

Our primary outcome measure was derived using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. We used hierarchical linear regression to explore the independent effects of a range of personal/social factors, including religious affiliation, importance of religion and family activities.

Results

In fully adjusted models, older adolescents and females reported lower mental well-being scores-for the year-on-year increase in age β=-0.45 (95% CI=-0.84, -0.06), and for females (compared with males) β=-5.25 (95% CI=-6.16, -4.33). More affluent adolescents reported better mental well-being. No significant differences in mental well-being scores across religious groups was found: compared with Catholics, Protestant adolescents recorded β=-0.83 (95% CI=-2.17, 0.51), other religious groups β=-2.44 (95% CI=-5.49, 0.62) and atheist adolescents β=-1.01 (95% CI=-2.60, 0.58). The importance of religion in the adolescents' lives was also tested: (compared with those for whom it was not important) those for whom it was very important had better mental well-being (β=1.63: 95% CI=0.32, 2.95). Higher levels of family activities were associated with higher mental well-being: each unit increase in family activity produced a 1.45% increase in the mental well-being score (β=0.78: 95% CI=0.67, 0.90).

Conclusions

This study indicates that non-religious adolescents may have lower mental well-being scores when compared with their more religious peers, irrespective of religious denomination. This may relate to both a sense of lack of firm identity and perceived marginalisation. Additionally, adolescents with poor family cohesion are more vulnerable to poor mental well-being.

SUBMITTER: Bamford J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10314551 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Adolescent mental well-being, religion and family activities: a cross-sectional study (Northern Ireland Schools and Wellbeing Study).

Bamford Jordan J Leavey Gerard G Rosato Michael M Divin Natalie N Breslin Gavin G Corry Dagmar D

BMJ open 20230622 6

<h4>Objectives</h4>In this study, we seek to explore the relationship between adolescent mental well-being, religion and family activities among a school-based adolescent sample from Northern Ireland.<h4>Setting</h4>The Northern Ireland Schools and Wellbeing Study is a cross-sectional study (2014-2016) of pupils in Northern Ireland aged 13-18 years.<h4>Participants</h4>1618 adolescents from eight schools participated in this study.<h4>Outcomes measures</h4>Our primary outcome measure was derived ...[more]

PMID: 37349093

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundVeteran residents in Northern Ireland (NI) are an under-researched population. Little is known about their experiences of trauma and mental health management. The overall mental well-being of veterans living in NI may be poorer than other veteran populations, due to the challenges presented by the unique landscape. Understanding their experiences is crucial for providing appropriate, targeted support.MethodSix male veterans, who had received a mental health diagnosis, living in NI and all aged > 40 years participated. Semi-structured interviews, using open-ended questions, were conducted over the telephone. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore their experiences.ResultsTwo experiential themes were identified each containing three experiential statements. Statements for 'an extreme lack of' included: lack of mental health literacy/awareness; lack of expectations of official support; lack of a sense of perceived appreciation. Statements for 'an extreme abundance of' included: exacerbated exposure to a range of extreme environments; high levels of ruled-based living; high levels of engaging with informal/local level support.ConclusionsSeveral experiential statements aligned with existing literature, including having poor mental health literacy and problem recognition, and heavily utilising social support versus formal help-seeking. Some novel findings included bouncing between extreme positive and negative environments which could be as detrimental to mental health as experiencing conflict trauma. Heavy alcohol use was just another rule soldiers followed. Positive help-seeking experiences failed to improve poor opinions of support organisations. Finally, poor self-perceptions connected to military status are pertinent in NI, which seems to fuel self-marginalisation and distrust. A combination of factors likely contributes to many veterans living in NI having poorer mental well-being. Novel findings would benefit from further exploration as understanding how NI veterans interpret their experiences is key to providing adequate healthcare.

Project description:IntroductionSmartphone and social media use is prevalent during adolescence, with high levels of use associated with lower levels of mental well-being. Secondary schools in the UK have introduced policies that restrict daytime use of smartphones and social media, but there is no evaluation on the impact of these policies on adolescent mental well-being. The SMART Schools Study aims to determine the impact of daytime restrictions of smartphone and social media use on indicators of adolescent mental well-being, anxiety, depression, physical activity, sleep, classroom behaviour, attainment and addictive social media use.Methods and analysisThis is a natural experimental observational study using mixed methods. Secondary schools within a 100 mile radius of the recruiting centre in the West Midlands (UK) have been categorised into two groups: Schools that restrict (intervention) and permit (comparator) daytime use of smartphones. We aim to recruit 30 schools (20 restrictive, 10 permissive) and 1170 pupils aged 12-13 and 14-15 years. We will collect data on mental well-being, anxiety and depressive symptoms, phone and social media use, sleep and physical activity from pupil surveys, and accelerometers. Policy implementation measures and data on individual pupil factors will be collected through school staff surveys, and website/policy analysis. Six case study schools will explore individual, school and family/home factors that influence relationships between school smartphone policies, smartphone/social media use, and mental well-being. Economic evaluation will be completed through a cost-consequence analysis from an education sector perspective.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was obtained from the University of Birmingham's Research Ethics Committee (ERN_22-0723). Parents/carers of pupil participants can complete a form to opt their child out of the study. Pupil, school staff and parent/carer participants are asked to complete online/written consent (or assent). Findings will be disseminated through policy briefings, resources for schools, social media, reports, and open access publications.Trial registration numberISRCTN77948572.

Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic caused far-reaching societal changes, including significant educational impacts affecting over 1.6 billion pupils and 100 million education practitioners globally. Senior school leaders were at the forefront and were exposed to particularly high demands during a period of "crisis leadership". This occupation were already reporting high work-related stress and large numbers leaving the profession preceding COVID-19. This cross-sectional descriptive study through the international COVID-Health Literacy network aimed to examine the well-being and work-related stress of senior school leaders (n = 323) in Wales (n = 172) and Northern Ireland (n = 151) during COVID-19 (2021-2022). Findings suggest that senior school leaders reported high workloads (54.22±11.30 hours/week), low well-being (65.2% n = 202, mean WHO-5 40.85±21.57), depressive symptoms (WHO-5 34.8% n = 108) and high work-related stress (PSS-10: 29.91±4.92). High exhaustion (BAT: high/very high 89.0% n = 285) and specific psychosomatic complaints (experiencing muscle pain 48.2% n = 151) were also reported, and females had statistically higher outcomes in these areas. School leaders were engaging in self-endangering working behaviours; 74.7% (n = 239) gave up leisure activities in favour of work and 63.4% (n = 202) sacrificed sufficient sleep, which was statistically higher for females. These findings are concerning given that the UK is currently experiencing a "crisis" in educational leadership against a backdrop of pandemic-related pressures. Senior leaders' high attrition rates further exacerbate this, proving costly to educational systems and placing additional financial and other pressures on educational settings and policy response. This has implications for senior leaders and pupil-level outcomes including health, well-being and educational attainment, requiring urgent tailored and targeted support from the education and health sectors. This is particularly pertinent for Wales and Northern Ireland as devolved nations in the UK, who are both implementing or contemplating major education system level reforms, including new statutory national curricula, requiring significant leadership, engagement and ownership from the education profession.

Dataset Information

Adolescent mental well-being, religion and family activities: a cross-sectional study (Northern Ireland Schools and Wellbeing Study).

Objectives

Setting

Participants

Outcomes measures

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Adolescent mental well-being, religion and family activities: a cross-sectional study (Northern Ireland Schools and Wellbeing Study).

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets