School belonging and depressive symptoms: the mediating roles of social inclusion and loneliness

Abstract

Background

Loneliness and depressive symptoms are prevalent among Finns.

Objectives

This study, which analyzes nationwide data from 149,986 students aged 13–18 years in Finland, focuses on the mediating effects of social inclusion and loneliness in the association between school belonging and depressive symptoms.

Method and results

The analysis of variance showed that boys reported higher levels of school belonging and social inclusion, whereas girls reported higher levels of loneliness and depressive symptoms. Mediation analysis showed that social inclusion and loneliness partially mediated the effect of school belonging on depressive symptoms, but that social inclusion’s effect was much greater than loneliness’s. By focusing on the moderating role of sex, it was discovered that social inclusion significantly mediated depressive symptoms in girls more than boys.

Conclusion

The importance of social inclusion in preventing depressive symptoms was highlighted in the discussion.

Keywords:

• Depressive symptoms
• school belonging
• social inclusion
• loneliness

Ethical approval

The institutional review board of the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) has evaluated the school health promotion study research plan. Responding to the survey was voluntary, and participants provided informed consent by answering the survey. The guardians of participants under 15 years of age were informed in advance, and they had the option to decline their child’s participation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from Finnish Social Science Data Archive, http://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3551. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for this study.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation.

Notes on contributors

Meysam Haddadi Barzoki

Meysam Haddadi Barzoki, a social psychologist affiliated with the University of Eastern Finland, focuses his research on the examination of mental well-being, the phenomenon of sexual objectification, and the prevalence of excessive internet use among student populations.