Connections between the school environment and emotional problems among boys and girls in upper secondary school

Abstract

This study explores the connections between aspects of the school environment and emotional problems among boys and girls. The sample comprised 2,120 adolescents aged 17 and 18 years, in 129 school classes from 13 upper secondary schools in Trøndelag county, Norway. The response rate was 79%. The girls reported more emotional problems than the boys. Variations in perceptions of emotional problems between schools and classes is an under-researched topic. Multilevel models revealed a substantial class-level effect regarding emotional problems and a smaller school-level effect. Emotional problems varied between classes because of the class composition (share of boys and girls) and the class context. Contextual factors relevant to emotional problems were peer support, teacher support, and that emotional problems could ‘spread’ in a class. Relations between emotional problems and peer support, teacher support, and parental support were stronger for girls than boys. The study emphasizes the importance of the classroom environment, and it suggests that fostering strong relationships between adolescents and teachers, as well as addressing emotional issues among adolescents, can have a positive impact on emotional well-being. An important topic for future studies is whether the inclusion of the health and life skills theme improves mental health support in schools.

Keywords:

• Emotional problems
• school environment
• school class effect
• social support
• multilevel model

REVIEWING EDITORS:

• Peter Wood, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom

SUBJECTS:

• Mental Health
• Educational Research
• Secondary Education
• Health & Society

Ethics approval statement

The study was ethically approved by the Norwegian Centre for Research Data (NSD), ID: 42443.

Disclosure statement

The authors report that there are no competing interests to declare.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Professor Per Frostad and Associate Professor Per Egil Mjaavatn for giving us the opportunity to take part in their research project called “Life in schools”. This project has been a great experience. We would also like to thank all the students that participated in this project.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ingvild Røsand

Ingvild Røsand is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Department of Education and Lifelong Learning at NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Her professional research interests include adolescents’ mental health and well-being, stress, coping, social support, and a mixed-methods approach.

Vegard Johansen

Vegard Johansen is a Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He is Deputy Head of Research at the Department of Education and Lifelong Learning. He has written extensively about entrepreneurship education and project work in schools, children’s welfare and social policy, and everyday life in secondary schools. Johansen has led many national and international research projects. He teaches research methods courses at Bachelor, Master and PhD-levels.