School connectedness and adult depressiveness, longitudinal study of the Northern Swedish Cohort

H Gunnarsdottir; G Hensing; A Hammarström

doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckz187.058

School connectedness and adult depressiveness, longitudinal study of the Northern Swedish Cohort

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz187.058 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

H Gunnarsdottir ◽

G Hensing ◽

A Hammarström

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Peer Relations ◽

Sense Of Belonging ◽

School Connectedness ◽

Public Mental Health ◽

Family Climate ◽

Academic Achievements ◽

Life Course Studies ◽

Swedish Cohort ◽

Poor School

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to use Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory to investigate adolescents’ school connectedness and family climate as potential predictors of depressiveness in adulthood. Methods The data are from the Northern Swedish Cohort and the sample consists of 481 women and 526 men born 1965 that participated in data collection at four time points, at age 16, 21, 30 and 43. Multivariate linear regression was used to examine the associations between school connectedness and family climate and depressiveness, respectively. Results Poor school connectedness was found to be associated with depressiveness up to mid adulthood and social/material adversities in adolescence were found to expand this association in young adulthood. Conclusions This study show that poor school connectedness can have long lasting effects on mental health. Thus, mental health promoting initiatives with holistic approach aiming at enhancing both sense of belonging in school, peer relations and academic achievements are needed. The study accentuates the complex processes determining mental health and propose a theoretical approach appealing for public mental health research. To advance the knowledge of the mechanisms behind the associations between proximal processes and depressiveness in adulthood, additional life-course studies are called for. Key messages Poor school connectedness can have long lasting effects on mental health. Initiatives aiming at enhancing both sense of belonging in school, peer relations and academic achievements are needed.

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Does social and professional establishment at age 30 mediate the association between school connectedness and family climate at age 16 and mental health symptoms at age 43?

Journal of Affective Disorders ◽

10.1016/j.jad.2018.12.027 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 246 ◽

pp. 52-61

Author(s):

Anna Nyberg ◽

Kristiina Rajaleid ◽

Hugo Westerlund ◽

Anne Hammarström

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

School Connectedness ◽

Family Climate ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Health Symptoms

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Kindness By Post: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of A Participatory Public Mental Health Project

10.1101/2021.11.19.21266589 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Congxiyu Wang ◽

Eiluned Pearce ◽

Rebecca Jones ◽

Brynmor Lloyd-Evans

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Sense Of Belonging ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Public Mental Health ◽

Service Evaluation ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Free Text ◽

Health Project

Background: Random acts of kindness can improve wellbeing. However, less is known about the impacts of giving and receiving acts of kindness with strangers on wellbeing and loneliness. Therefore, the study objectives were to evaluate a participatory public mental health project involving sending and receiving a card with goodwill messages, to understand how such acts of kindness influence wellbeing and loneliness, and to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying the impacts of the project. Materials and methods: This study was a secondary analysis of anonymised service evaluation data collected in the Kindness by Post (KBP) project in 2020. It used a mixed-methods single-group design and data from 289 participants. Changes in wellbeing, loneliness, sense of belonging and hope from baseline to follow-up were analysed using linear or multinomial logistic regression. Regression models also examined the associations between changes in wellbeing and baseline loneliness or participation level. Free text responses about experiences and suggestions for the project were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Participants had a small, but statistically significant improvement, in wellbeing equating to 0.21 standard deviations (SD) (95% CI: 0.12 to 0.30) after taking part in the project, as well as improvements in loneliness, sense of belonging and hope. How lonely a participant was at baseline and whether participants both sent and received a kindness card were not associated with improvements in wellbeing. In the qualitative analysis, a desire to help others emerged as the main motivator to take part in the card exchange. Participants reported enhanced personal fulfilment, leading to improvements in wellbeing. Receiving a card could make people feel special and cherished, which was reported to establish a sense of connection with others, with potential benefits for reducing loneliness. Conclusions: This study provided preliminary evidence that the KBP project might improve wellbeing, loneliness, sense of belonging and hope. Sending a kindness card in this project played a predominant role in wellbeing enhancement, and receiving a kindness card could reduce loneliness. This study suggests that the KBP project can be replicated in more contexts in the future, and might improve wellbeing and loneliness in large communities.

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