Tertiary education and its association with mental health indicators and educational factors among Arctic young adults: the NAAHS cohort study

Figures & data

Table I. Mental health indicators of the sample by registry data Norwegian Patient Register (NPR) and National Arctic Adolescence Health Survey (NAAHS) variables (10th grade)

		Gender (N=3,987)						Ethnicity (N=3,987)
	Total N (MV)	Females		Males		χ^2/p	Total N (MV)	Sami		Non-Sami		χ^2/p
Mental health specialist service	3,987	N	%	N	%	1.634^p=0.109	3,645 (342)	N	%	N	%	0.367^p=0.304
No-contact	3,444	1,706	85.7	1,738	87.1		3,148	319	87.4	2,829	86.3
Contact	543	285	14.3	258	12.9		497	46	12.6	451	13.8
		Mean	SD	Mean	SD	t/p		Mean	SD	Mean	SD	t/p
SDQ-emotional	3,944 (43)	3.453	2.262	1.691	1.728	27.482^p<0.001	3,643 (344)	2.517	2.047	2.577	2.222	0.493^p=0.621
SDQ-hyperactivity	3,943 (44)	4.283	2.153	4.051	2.128	3.408^p<0.001	3,642 (345)	4.008	2.258	4.164	2.130	1.319^p=0.187
SDQ-conduct	3,946 (41)	1.995	1.417	2.281	1.675	5.778^p<0.001	3,643 (344)	2.442	1.747	2.084	1.531	4.175^p<0.001

MV, missing values; SDQ, Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire.

Table II. Educational factors and achievement indicators of the sample by registry data National Education Data Base (NUDB), based on National Arctic Adolescence Health Survey (NAAHS) variables (10th grade)

		Gender (N=3,987)						Ethnicity (N=3,987)
		Females		Males				Sami		Non-Sami
	Total N (MV)	Mean	SD	Mean	SD	χ^2/p	Total N (MV)	Mean	SD	Mean	SD	χ^2/p
Average marks	3,541 (446)	4.098	0.780	3.802	0.783	11.291^p<0.001	3,264 (723)	3.929	0.786	3.969	0.785	0.866^p=0.387
Educational aspirations	3,928 (59)	N	%	N	%	99.918^p<0.001	3,605 (382)	N	%	N	%	6.453^p=0.092
Higher level	865	472	24.0	393	20.1		812	86	24.0	726	22.4
Intermediate level	722	453	23.0	269	13.7		664	59	16.4	605	18.6
Lower level	1,224	494	25.1	730	37.2		1,102	95	26.5	1,007	31.0
Undecided	1,117	549	27.9	568	29.0		1,027	119	33.1	908	28.0
Upper secondary school	3,981 (6)					0.062^p=0.414	3,639 (348)					2.842^p=0.052
Completion	2,518	1,253	63.1	1,265	63.4		2,283	213	58.7	2,070	63.2
Non-completion	1,463	734	36.9	729	36.6		1,356	150	41.3	1,206	36.8
Completed tertiary education	3,987					5.331^p=0.149	3,645 (342)					2.892^p=0.408
Higher level	217	111	5.6	106	5.3		200	26	7.1	174	5.3
Intermediate level	733	371	18.6	362	18.1		664	67	18.4	597	18.2
Lower level	994	465	23.4	529	26.5		906	95	26.0	811	24.7
Not-completed tertiary education	2,043	1,044	52.4	999	50.1		1,875	177	48.5	1,698	51.8

MV, missing values.

Table III. Sociocultural characteristics of the sample by registry data National Education Data Base (NUDB), based on National Arctic Adolescence Health Survey (NAAHS) variables (10th grade)

	Total N (MV)	Gender (N=3,987)					Total N (MV)	Ethnicity (N=3,987)
		Females		Males		χ^2/p		Sami		Non-Sami		χ^2/p
Ethnicity/gender	3,645 (342)	N	%	N	%	0.145^p=0.372		N	%	N	%
Sámi	365	187	10.2	178	9.8
Non-Sámi	3,280	1,646	89.8	1,634	90.2
Religious group	3,978 (9)					12.117^p<0.001	3,645 (342)					116.267^p<0.001
Laestadian	254	100	5.0	154	7.7		253	75	20.5	178	5.4
Non-Laestadian	3,724	1,882	95.0	1,842	92.3		3,392	290	79.5	3,102	94.6
Residency	3,987					1.826^p=0.401	3,645 (342)					290.663^p<0.001
Nordland County	2,104	1,033	51.9	1,071	53.6		1,923	89	24.4	1,834	56.0
Troms County	1,310	674	33.9	636	31.9		1,195	119	32.6	1,076	32.8
Finnmark County	573	284	14.2	289	14.5		527	157	43.0	370	11.2
Parental educational level	3,974 (13)					1.471^p=0.689	3,633 (354)					1.169^p=0.760
Higher educational level	337	167	8.4	170	8.5		305	29	8.0	276	8.4
Intermediate educational level	1,285	633	31.9	652	32.8		1,176	110	30.2	1,066	32.6
Lower educational level/upper secondary school	1,892	963	48.5	929	46.7		1,729	182	50.0	1,547	47.3
Lower secondary school	460	222	11.2	238	12.0		423	43	11.8	380	11.6
Family financial situation	3,918 (69)					0.326^p=0.955	3,584 (403)					4.050^p=0.256
Poor	136	66	3.4	70	3.6		129	10	2.8	119	3.7
Average	1,355	682	34.9	673	34.3		1,250	116	32.3	1,134	35.2
Good	2,129	1,057	54.0	1,072	54.6		1,933	198	55.2	1,735	53.8
Very good	298	151	7.7	147	7.5		272	35	9.7	237	7.3

MV, missing values.

Table IV. Logistic regression analysis with completed tertiary education as a dependent variable [adjusted for sociodemographic factors (OR, 95% CI)]

	Completed tertiary education^a
	Higher level		Intermediate level		Lower level
Covariate	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males
Sociocultural factors
Sámi ethnicity
Laestadian affiliation					1.820 (1.006–3.292)^p=0.048
Troms County^b
Finnmark County^b
Parental intermediate educational level^c				0.507 (0.281–0.915)^p=0.024	0.472 (0.283–0.786)^p=0.004
Parental lower (vocational) educational level^c					0.562 (0.376–0.839)^p=0.005
Parental lower secondary school, educational level^c					0.497 (0.326–0.757)^p=0.001
Family finances: average^d
Family finances: good^d
Family finances: very good^d
Mental health indicators
Contact with specialist mental health service
SDQ-emotions		1.121 (1.004–1.252)^p=0.043			1.055 (1.002–1.110)^p=0.041
SDQ-hyperactivity
SDQ-conduct					1.137 (1.048–1.233)^p=0.002
Educational factors
Non-completion upper secondary school	0.007 (0.001–0.048)^p=0.001	6.616E-11^p=0.001	0.051 (0.032–0.079^) ^p=0.001	0.071 (0.048–0.107)^p=0.001	0.180 (0.138–0.237)^p=0.001	0.251 (0.196–0.323)^p=0.001
Average mark				1.209 (1.015–1.442)^p=0.034
Educational aspiration: lower level^e
Educational aspiration: intermediate level^e
Educational aspiration: higher level^e

SDQ, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

Reference groups: ^aNot completed tertiary education. ^bNordland County. ^cParental educational level – higher. ^dFamily financial situation – poor. ^eEducational aspiration undecided.

Table V. Logistic regression analysis with completed tertiary education as a dependent variable [fully adjusted model (OR, 95% CI)]

	Completed tertiary education^a
	Higher level		Intermediate level		Lower level
	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males
Sociocultural factors
Laestadian affiliation
Troms County^b
Finnmark County^b		0.460 (0.246–0.859)^p=0.015
Parental intermediate educational level^c		0.307 (0.118–0.801)^p=0.016		0.442 (0.227–0.861)^p=0.016	0.474 (0.275–0.818)^p=0.007
Parental lower (vocational) educational level^c		0.405 (0.198–0.828)^p=0.013			0.501 (0.322–0.778)^p=0.002
Parental lower secondary school, educational level^c		0.380 (0.178–0.813)^p=0.013			0.489 (0.309–0.773)^p=0.002
Mental health indicators
Contact with specialist mental health service				0.551 (0.368–0.826)^p=0.004
SDQ-emotions
SDQ-hyperactivity
SDQ-conduct					1.146 (1.042–0.246)^p=0.005
Educational factors
Non-completion upper secondary school	0.014 (0.003–0.057)^p=0.001	6.916E-11^d,p=0.001	0.069 (0.046–0.103)^p=0.001	0.067 (0.051–0.089)^p=0.001	0.187 (0.142–0.246)^p=0.001	0.219 (0.184–0.261)^p=0.001
Average mark

SDQ, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

Reference groups: ^aNot completed tertiary education. ^bNordland County. ^cParental educational level – higher.

^dVery low numbers, both OR and CI.