Bidirectional Associations Between Civic Engagement, Depressive Symptoms, and Suicidality in Youth: A Population-Based Study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Civic engagement is common in youth, yet its longitudinal association with mental health remains understudied. This study aims to document bidirectional associations between civic engagement, depressive symptoms, and suicidality at 20 and 23.

Methods

We included 1451 participants born in 1997/98 from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development in Canada. At 20 and 23, youth self-reported their engagement in five types of civic activities, namely political engagement, volunteering, activism, charitable actions, community involvement, depressive symptoms, and suicidality. Cross-lagged path models adjusted for sex and parental socioeconomic status were used to test associations between civic engagement and mental health outcomes.

Results

Concurrently,

SUBMITTER: Sciola A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12682244 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature