Mental health status according to the dual-factor model in Swedish adolescents: A cross sectional study highlighting associations with stress, resilience, social status and gender.

In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to I) investigate the dual-factor model of mental health by forming and describing four participant groups and II) examine associations between mental health status and background factors, school-related factors, stress, and resilience among adolescents in a community population in Sweden. Data were collected through a survey completed by 2,208 students in lower and upper secondary school on the Swedish island of Gotland. After missing data were removed, a total of 1,833 participants were included in the study. The survey included the Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF) for the assessment of mental well-being and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for the assessment of mental health problems. These two measures were combined into a dual-factor model, forming four mental health status subgroups: Vulnerable (47.5%), Complete mental health (36.2%), Troubled (13.9%), and Symptomatic but content (2.5%). Associations between these groups were explored regarding background factors, school-related factors, stress, and resilience through chi-squared tests and logistic regressions. Girls (OR: 1.88) and participants with high stress levels (OR: 2.23) had elevated odds for Vulnerable mental health status, whereas higher resilience (OR: 0.87) and subjective social status in school (OR: 0.76) were factors associated with reduced odds for this mental health status classification. Female gender (OR: 5.02) was also associated with Troubled mental health status. Similarly, a high level of stress (ORs: 4.08 and 11.36) was associated with Symptomatic but content and Troubled mental health status, and participants with higher levels of resilience had decreased odds for being classified into these groups (ORs: 0.88 and 0.81). The findings highlight the importance of interventions to increase resilience, reduce stress, and address stereotypic gender norms as well as social status hierarchies to support adolescents' mental health.

'Feeling down one evening doesn't count as having mental health problems'-Swedish adolescents' conceptual views of mental health.

AIMS: To explore Swedish adolescents' conceptual views of mental health and mental health problems. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive study design. METHODS: Semi-structured focus group interviews and individual interviews were conducted with, in total, 32 Swedish adolescents (15-18 years old) in October-November 2020. Data were analysed using systematic text condensation. RESULTS: Three themes were identified through the analysis: Mental health is about how we feel; One's mental health depends on one's situation, thoughts and ways of coping; and Mental health problems should be taken seriously and can get severe. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that adolescents understand the complexity and holistic nature of mental health and mental health problems. According to the participating adolescents, positive mental health and mental health problems should be considered simultaneously to understand a young person's mental health state. Good health was described as having both absence of mental health problems and high levels of well-being: feeling well. Mental health problems were defined as something other than normal difficulties in life, but ranging from minor difficulties to more severe conditions. However, all kinds of mental health problems were termed as feeling unwell. The results suggest that adolescents are in need of support to cope with normal difficulties in life rather than lectures about life sometimes being challenging. In addition, the results highlight the need to prevent school-related stress and offer adolescents support for minor mental health problems. IMPACT: The findings have implications for nurses and other professionals who encounter adolescents in their profession, for example specialist nurses, school nurses and public health professionals. The findings add knowledge that could be useful for communication with adolescents about their mental health and methods to assess their mental health status. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The preliminary results were presented to three classes, in year nine in lower secondary school, for validation.

Encuesta sobre hábitos dietarios, en particular hidratos de carbono / Survey on dietary habits, in particular carbohydrates

Introducción: existe evidencia científica de una relación directa entre hábitos y costumbres en referencia con la alimentación y la salud bucal. Objetivo: la Cátedra de Odontopediatría propuso identificar ciertos hábitos y comportamientos en la elección de la dieta de familias y niños uruguayos que inciden en el proceso salud-enfermedad. Material y Método: se diseñó y realizó un trabajo de encuesta en los padres y niños que fueron asistidos en la Clínica de Odontopediatría por alumnos de quinto grado en el año lectivo 1998. Resultados: se presentan los resultados de la encuesta realizada, en la cual resaltan ciertos comportamientos particulares de los uruguayos relacionados con la dieta de notoria influencia en la salud bucal. Conclusiones: se enfatiza además la importancia del conocimiento del tema por parte de profesionales de la salud para el establecimiento de estrategías de Promoción y Educación para la salud