[The Importance of the "Big Five" Personality Traits for Subjective Health and Life Satisfaction in Adolescence: Results of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS)]. / Die Bedeutung der "Big Five"-Persönlichkeitsmerkmale für die subjektive Gesundheit und Lebenszufriedenheit im Jugendalter: Ergebnisse des Nationalen Bildungspanels (NEPS).

BACKGROUND: The role of personality traits in self-rated health and well-being of adolescents has barely been studied in Germany so far. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between the Big Five personality traits and self-reported health as well as life satisfaction of adolescents in Germany. METHODS: The study data are based on the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), starting cohort 3 (wave 3, 2012). This sample includes (n=5,440) 7th grade adolescents in regular schools. Personality traits were measured by the Big Five-Inventory (BFI-10): Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Openness. Statistical analyses were carried out using bivariate methods and binary-logistic multilevel models, taking into account individuals nested in school classes and schools. RESULTS: Adolescents with pronounced neuroticism had a higher risk of both poor self-rated health (OR: 1.33) and low life satisfaction (OR: 1.46). In contrast, adolescents with high levels of conscientiousness had a reduced risk of poor health (OR: 0.72) and low life satisfaction (OR: 0.59). High levels of extraversion (OR: 0.78) and agreeableness (OR: 0.72) also correlated with higher life satisfaction, but not with better self-reported health. The characteristic of openness was not associated with either self-reported health or the life satisfaction of adolescents. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that certain personality traits, namely the Big Five can be important indicators of health and life satisfaction of adolescents in early adolescence. However, further studies are needed to assess the link between the Big Five and its generalizability to other age groups.

[The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: The Relationship between social Media Use, Subjective Health and Risk Behavior Among Children and Adolescents]. / The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Die Beziehung zwischen sozialer Mediennutzung, subjektiver Gesundheit und Risikoverhalten im Kindes- und Jugendalter.

BACKGROUND: The current generation of young people spends more time using social media than any other age group. So far, not much is known about the consequences of social media use in terms of health and well-being among teenagers in Germany. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between social media use, health and risk behavior using data from a large representative sample for Germany. METHODS: Data were obtained from the German part of the WHO collaborative study "Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC)" conducted in 2013/14. The analysis is based on 5.094 students aged 11, 13 and 15 years. Social media use was measured with an index based on 5 items. Outcomes were different measures of health and well-being as well as risk behavior. Analyses were conducted using cross tabulations and log-binomial regression models, separately for girls and boys. RESULTS: The results show that a frequent use of social media among girls was linked with poorer self-rated health (OR=1.58, 95%-CI=1.17-2.15) as well as repeated multiple psychosomatic complaints (OR=1.56, 95%-CI=1.22-1.98). For boys, multiple psychosomatic complaints (OR=1.36, 95%-CI=1.03-1.80) and low school satisfaction (OR=1.39, 95%-CI=1.06-1.83) were associated with high social media use. In terms of risk behavior, there was a clear and consistent link between frequent social media use and regular tobacco and alcohol consumption, drunkenness and bullying of classmates, irrespective of gender. The results remained stable after adjusting for age, school type and migration background. CONCLUSIONS: A clear association between social media use and various indicators of health and risk-behavior in childhood and adolescence in Germany could be identified. The results provide first indications of possible health-damaging effects of heavy social media use; these need to be confirmed using longitudinal data.

Perceived school climate, academic well-being and school-aged children's self-rated health: a mediator analysis.

Background: Schools are crucial settings for young people's development. Rare studies have examined the impact of perceived school-climate and academic well-being on young people's self-rated health in joint analyses. This study focuses on the role of perceived school-climate and academic well-being for young people's self-rated health and examines whether school climate is mediated by indicators of academic well-being. Methods: Data were obtained from the German National Educational Panel Study, including seventh grade students (n = 6838) aged 11-12, nested in 710 classes within 277 schools. Indicators of school climate (teacher control, demands, autonomy, interaction, goal setting and orientation, teaching quality) and academic well-being (satisfaction with school, helplessness in major school subjects) were reported from students. Multilevel modelling was used to analyze the relative importance of perceived school-climate and academic well-being on school-aged children's self-rated health. Results: Results showed that academic well-being is strongly related to self-rated health. The better students perceive their academic well-being, the lower the likelihood of poor self-rated health. In contrast, indicators of perceived school climate are only indirectly related to self-rated health, mediated by academic well-being or are not at all associated with self-rated health. Conclusions: This study suggests that school climate is important for academic well-being but not as important for students' self-rated health as academic well-being. Health promotion initiatives in schools have to ensure that school climate serves to enhance students' academic well-being to avoid health problems in the long-run.

[Social Determinants of Subjective Health, Life Satisfaction and Absence From School due to Illness Among Adolescents: First results of the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS)]. / Soziale Determinanten der subjektiven Gesundheit, Lebenszufriedenheit und krankheitsbedingten Schulfehltage von Heranwachsenden in Deutschland: Erste Ergebnisse des Nationalen Bildungspanels (NEPS).

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of social determinants on subjective health, life satisfaction and absence from school due to illness among adolescents in secondary schools, by using data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS).Data was obtained from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). The sample included (n=5 790) 6th grade pupils in regular schools in 2011 (Starting Cohort 3, Wave 2). The socioeconomic background of adolescents was measured by pupils' school type as well as household income and parental education level. Family structure and gender were considered as additional social determinants in the analyses. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression techniques were applied.The results show that type of school and low household income were related to poor subjective health among students. Life satisfaction varied by family structure and school type. For absence from school due to illness, we found a weak association with students in low track schools.The results indicate that especially the school type had the most important impact on subjective health, life satisfaction and absence from school due to illness. Health promotion and preventive strategies should particularly focus on pupils in low track schools and in relation to socially unequal distribution of educational opportunities also on young people from households with low socioeconomic status.