15 research outputs found
Health inequalities among university students: the association between social capital, sense of belonging and psychological health
No full textBackground
A mental health crisis has hit university campuses across the world. According to a survey conducted by the World Health Organization approximately one-third of first-year students suffer for a common DSM–IV mood (e.g., major depressive disorder), anxiety, or substance disorder. The study also showed significant country variations, with the highest rates of mental health problems found among students from Australia. Furthermore, in recent years, there has been growing concern about the poor mental health of young people of gay, lesbian, bisexual, or questioning/queer (LGBQ) sexual orientation. Apart from individual characteristics (e.g., genetic predisposition for depression), studies have documented the role of social determinants (e.g., socioeconomic status) on the etiology and evolution of mental disorders. A number of studies suggest that social capital, often referred to as features of social structures including interpersonal trust and mutual support, is an important determinant of health. Although there is evidence of an association between social capital and many indicators of health most research to date has been conducted among adult and adolescent samples and has primarily focused on one geographical area. Evidence on the effect of social capital on young adults’ and students’ health, specifically, remains limited. However, to tackle the ongoing student mental health crisis it is important to look beyond the common social determinants of health.
The here presented thesis comprises three parts:
• Part I: The SPLASH study
• Part II: The HMS study
• Part III: Overall conclusion
Key aims
Part I: To facilitate a cross-national comparison of the prevalence of mental health problems and to investigate whether social capital is associated with such problems in university students in 12 countries.
Part II: To explore differences in mental health problems between LGBQ and heterosexual students, with a specific focus on the moderating effects of sexual assault and sense of belonging. The specific objective of the secondary data analysis is to test for a potential three-way interaction effect (i.e., moderated moderation) between sexual assault, sense of belonging, and sexual orientation. Specifically, the study aims to examine a) whether there is a difference in mental health between LGBQ and heterosexual students, b) whether exposure to sexual assault may affect students’ psychological states, such as depressive symptoms and suicidality, c) whether a high sense of belonging can buffer the effects of sexual assault exposure on psychological states, and d) whether this differs according to sexual orientation.
Data used
Several methodological approaches were applied due to the diverse range of aspects studied.
Part I: To assess whether there is an association between social capital and students’ health, the Social Capital and Students’ Health study (SPLASH) was developed. This is a two-wave panel study conducted among students from different faculties during their first year at university in Europe, Asia, the Western Pacific, and Latin and North America.
Data was obtained through a self-administered questionnaire, including questions on sociodemographic characteristics, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, health behaviors and social capital.
Part II: Because not enough data for LGBQ students was available (sample size = 7 students), a secondary data analysis was performed using variables from the 2017-2018 Healthy Minds Study (HMS) dataset. HMS is an annual cross-sectional web-based survey that examines mental health, service utilization, and related factors among undergraduate and graduate students in the United States.
Statistical analyses
Part I: Multilevel logistic regression modelling was used to analyze hierarchical data with individuals (1st level) nested in universities/countries (2nd level). The analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, covariates (e.g., perceived stress), and country-level characteristics (e.g., country income).
Part II: To test for a possible three-way interaction effect, Hayes PROCESS macro models were used in SPSS.
Results
Part I: A total of 4,228 students participated in the SPLASH study. Forty-eight percent presented clinically relevant depressive symptoms. The likelihood of having clinically depressive symptoms was greater among those with low individual levels of cognitive social capital (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.44 – 2.29) and those living in regions with low levels of social capital and political instability (OR: 3.22, 95% CI: 1.21 – 8.58).
Part II: In the HMS, 60,200 students from 60 campuses in the United States participated. Around 20% (circa 12,000 students) identified as LGBQ. A significantly higher proportion of LGBQ students reported depression, suicidal ideation, and sexual assault compared to heterosexual students. A significant three-way interaction effect was found for sexual orientation, sexual assault, and sense of belonging, predicting depressive symptoms (b= -0.06, p=0.042) and suicidality (b= -0.10, p=0.004). The effect of sexual assault on mental health differed depending on sexual orientation and sense of belonging. In particular, among LGBQ students, a high sense of belonging was protective in the presence of sexual assault, while its absence had a deleterious effect on mental health.
Discussion:
Part I and Part II: Both the SPLASH study and the HMS study offered a new data on possible risk and protective factors for depressive symptomology among university students. However, both studies followed a cross-sectional design, and therefore, inferences about causality and the directionality of the variables cannot be made. It is possible that social capital and sense of belonging influence students’ mental health or vice versa.
Conclusions
Part I: The SPLASH study shows that social capital has a positive effect on the self-rated and psychological health of university students. To understand the decrease in students’ psychological health, one must also consider social aspects of their environment, such as social capital. Strengthening social capital should be considered an important health promotion strategy. Tackling mental health issues among university students requires joint action from universities, mental health professionals, policymakers, and political leaders.
Part II: The secondary data analysis of the HMS study illuminates an important step in understanding mental health disparities in LGBQ students. The findings highlight the need to reduce mental health problems and sexual assault on college campuses, and to foster a sense of belonging to the college. Further longitudinal studies may continue to examine stressors and protective factors that account for mental health disparities among LGBQ and heterosexual students.
A modified version of the second part of this thesis has been published in the Journal of American College health (Backhaus et al. 2019)
Right-wing populism and self-rated health in Europe. A multilevel analysis
No full textBackground: Individuals who identify as politically
conservative have been previously shown to report
better self-rated health compared with liberals. We
tested whether this association still holds for right-wing
populists, which are gaining strength as a political force
in Europe in recent decades.
Methods: We analysed data from 24 617 respondents
nested within 18 European countries included in the
2016 European Social Survey. Multilevel analyses were
conducted to assess the association between political
ideology and self-rated health, adjusting for other
individual covariates (happiness and social capital).
Results: Individuals who voted for right-wing populist
parties were 43% more likely to report fair/poor health
compared with traditional conservatives (OR=1.43,
95% CI 1.23 to 1.67). The association was attenuated
(OR=1.21, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.42) after controlling for
additional individual-level variables, including happiness
and access to social capital. Higher levels of social capital
(informal networks, OR=0.40, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.56;
trust, OR=0.82, 95% CI 0.74 to 0.92) and happiness
(OR=0.18, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.22) were protectively
correlated with fair/poor self-rated health.
Conclusions: Individuals voting for right-wing populist
parties report worse health compared with conservatives.
It remains unclear whether ideology is just a marker
for health-related practices, or whether the values and
beliefs associated with a particular brand of ideology
lead to worse health
The relationship between environment and mental health
No full textMental health is defned by the World Health Organization as a state of well-being in which the person realizes his/her own abilities, can cope with the stressing situations of life, reaches effciency in work and is able to con tribute to the community he/she belongs to. In the past years, a deeper understanding about the causes for mental disorders was gained, but in general, they demonstrated to be related to complex interactions between bio logical and environmental factors. In fact, there is growing evidence that the quality of the environment that surrounds us, both natu ral and anthropological, impacts on physical and mental health.
The relationship between environmental conditions and mental well-being has long been acknowledged and has recently garnered
additional attention in the face of climate change. In this chapter, we will present the main potentially associations between the mental illnesses and heavy metals, the cli matic factors and indoor environment, and will give an overview on new psychological effect of ecological crises, such as eco-anxiety, ecological grief and solastalgia.
Finally, this chapter will give an overview on the methods to better face with the prevention and treatment of mental health related to environmental issues
Resilience and coping with COVID-19: the COPERS study :
No full textA year has passed, and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread around the world. Apart from its direct devastating health consequences, voices have been raised about decreasing mental health. [1] The introduction of social distancing measures and lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 led to a sudden change of routine, a drastic change of the physical and social environment (e.g., reduced social contacts and connection), a change of working conditions and economic losses, all are known to be important drivers for mental health and mental disorders
The adolescent label impact index in a multicentric observational study. Have the tobacco advertisements an impact on the adolescents?
No full textBackground
Pictorial warnings may contribute to lower attractiveness of smoking, particularly among adolescents. The present study compared the impact of two different label styles of tobacco product warnings (textual and pictorial) among adolescents in a new standardized way, using the Adolescent Label Impact Index (ALII).
Methods
A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Adolescent aged 10–20 years completed an online questionnaire. The ALII score was used to assess the impact of only-textual (ALII-T) and pictorial advertisements (ALII-P).
Results
A total of 1,759 students (68.4% response-rate) declared that graphic warnings have a significant impact than textual ones (p < 0.05). The younger group, which has never smoked or just tried and believed in the harmful effects of tobacco, is associated with both scales of ALII scales (T and P) (p < 0.01). The socioeconomic status was associated with ALII-T (p < 0.01), but not ALII-P; female gender, smoker-peers, perception of the body weight are related to the ALII-P (p < 0.05) but not ALII-T.
Conclusions
The pictorial labels represent a policy of tobacco use control that has potential effects, in particular in reducing communication inequalities between socio-economic categories, reinforcing the knowledge about the damage of smoking, discouraging adolescents, especially the younger ones who do not have never smoked or have just tried to become smokers
Trends in negative interpersonal relationships at work and awareness of occupational safety and health services: A 2014-2019 trend analysis
No full textObjective: A good psychosocial climate at work, including positive interpersonal relationships, is a protective factor for health, whereas social conflict imposes a considerable health risk. Occupational safety and health (OSH) services can help create a positive working environment. In the present study, we analyzed trends in the awareness of OSH services and interpersonal relationships and whether these are linked.
Methods: We used time series data from the Italian Survey on Health and Safety at Work (INSuLa) from 2014 and 2019 (n = 16 000 employees). Negative interpersonal relationships included workplace bullying and lack of workplace support. The availability of OSH services was measured through items inquiring about the awareness of OSH representatives and OSH training. We used Poisson regression in reporting prevalence ratios and provided predicted probabilities and average marginal effects to show trends and differences in interpersonal relationships and OSH availability.
Results: Our findings suggest that negative interpersonal relationships at work increased, whereas awareness about OSH services declined between 2014 and 2019. These trends were particularly strong for young workers, for whom workplace bullying increased by 6.3% and awareness of OSH training declined by 11.7%. We also found that unawareness about OSH services is associated with negative interpersonal relationships at work.
Conclusion: The results suggest that low OSH awareness may be an increasing problem, whereas exposure to an adverse social climate at work became more frequent at the same time. Given the role of OSH services in ensuring a positive working climate, it is important to increase workers’ awareness about OSH services.publishedVersio
Health and education professionals’ perspectives of education inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textInternational audienc
Adolescent well-being during the pandemic, through the lens of a conceptual framework
No full textInternational audienc
Inequalities in education during the COVID-19 pandemic: health and education professionals’ perspectives
No full textInternational audienceBackgroundCycles of school closure and reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with remote learning, led to concerns about increasing inequality in education that persist in 2024. The aim of this abstract, within a wider study of safe school reopening, is to explore health and education professionals’ perceptions of inequalities among students during the pandemic.MethodsIn 2021, online semi-structured interviews were conducted in 6 languages with education and health professionals. They explored the: 1-effect of the pandemic on schools/pupils/teachers; 2-reorganisation of schools; 3-experience of implementing infection control measures in schools; 4-intersectoral working; 5-important resources for keeping schools open. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and translated into English where needed. A deductive qualitative analysis was undertaken using the conceptual framework developed by the United Nations H6+ Technical Working Group on Adolescent Health and Well-Being. Domain 3 (safety and supportive environment) includes consideration of equality.Results62 interviews were included in the analysis (22 health and 40 education professionals from 28 countries). Professionals perceived greater negative impact on education for specific groups of students. Those with chronic illness stayed out of school for longer than others. Good access to distance learning was difficult for students from rural areas (lack of internet/electricity), disadvantaged families (lack of electronic equipment) or larger families (less learning space at home).ConclusionsProfessionals perceived that school closures intensified the disadvantage experienced by certain groups of students, exacerbating inequalities in education. Targeted catch-up strategies are still needed.Key messages• School closure during the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated inequalities in education.• In future health crisis impacting schooling, targeted catch-up strategies would be needed for certain groups of students
Organizational change: challenges for workplace psychosocial risks and employee mental health
No full textBackground: Constant organizational change is the norm in many companies today. At present, evidence on the impact of organizational change on psychosocial risks at work and employee mental health is limited. We investigate organizational change and its association with psychosocial risks and mental health in three consecutive surveys covering 12 years.
Methods: The study was based on data from three cross-sectional waves (2006, 2012, 2018) of the German BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey, comprising 53,295 employees. Four change indicators (i.e., introduction of new software, changes in goods and services produced/provided, downsizing and restructuring), five indicators of psychosocial risks (i.e., time pressure, interruptions, multitasking, working to the limits of capability, and working very quickly) and four mental health indicators (i.e., sleep disturbances, nervousness, tiredness and depressive symptoms) were investigated. We applied Poisson regression analysis to examine associations between organizational change, psychosocial risks, and mental health.
Results: According to the pooled analysis of all three waves, the majority of employees reported having experienced at least one organizational change, such as downsizing or restructuring, between 2006 and 2018. Organizational change was negatively associated with psychosocial risks (e.g., working to the limits of one's capability, PR: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.48 – 1.86) and with employee mental health (PR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.61 – 2.04).
Conclusions: Organizational change is omnipresent in the modern economy. Our research suggests that transformation processes in organizations can bear risks to employees' health as psychosocial risks increase. Therefore, companies planning organizational change should accompany such processes with occupational health and safety measures
