Family Characteristics, Transgender Identity and Emotional Symptoms in Adolescence: A Population Survey Study.

Sociodemographic and psychosocial family factors have profound implications for adolescent development, identity formation and mental health during the adolescent years. We explored the associations of sociodemographic and psychosocial family factors with transgender identity in adolescence and the role of these factors in the associations between gender identity and emotional disorders. Data from a large adolescent population survey from Finland were analysed using logistic regression models. Reporting transgender identity was associated with mother's low level of education, accumulating family life events, lack of family cohesion, perceived lack of family economic resources and female sex. A lack of family cohesion further differentiated between adolescents reporting identifying with the opposite sex and those reporting non-binary/other gender identification. The associations between transgender identity, depression and anxiety were attenuated but did not level out when family factors were controlled for. Transgender identity in adolescence is associated with socioeconomic and psychosocial family factors that are known correlates of negative outcomes in mental health and psychosocial well-being. However, transgender identification is also associated with emotional disorders independent of these family factors.

Transgender identity is associated with severe suicidal ideation among Finnish adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: Emerging evidence reveals disparities in suicidal behaviour and ideation exist between transgender and cisgender youth. It has been hypothesized that certain gender minority specific risk factors, such as experiences of victimization, could partially explain the mental health disparities between transgender and cisgender youth. We set out to explore whether transgender identity is associated with severe suicidal ideation among Finnish adolescents and whether the possible association persist when a range of covariates is controlled for. METHODS: The study included 1,425 pupils (mean age (SD) = 15.59 (0.41)) who participated in the study during a school lesson. Logistic regression was used to study associations between transgender identity and severe suicidal ideation. RESULTS: Four models, each adding more covariates, were created. The final model revealed a statistically significant association between transgender identity and severe suicidal ideation, even though the association grew weaker as more covariates were added and controlled for. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that transgender identity is associated with severe suicidal ideation even after prominent covariates or risk factors of suicidal behaviour and ideation have been taken into account.

Early identification of depressive symptoms in school-aged children: Psychometric properties and validation of a new short version of Short Mood & Feelings Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Depressive mood is a common problem among children in Western countries. Professionals in school and other health services have an important role in identifying children at increased risk for depression. The Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ) is a widely used screening tool, but its 13 items still make it quite time-consuming to complete. There is an urgent need for a quick and easy-to-complete self-report depressive mood scale for use in school health examinations. AIM: This paper aims to describe and validate a revised version of SMFQ: FsMFQ-6 is intended as a short screening tool for the early identification of depressive symptoms in children. METHODS: Nationally representative data (n = 95,725) were drawn from the 2017 School Health Promotion Study. The respondents were fourth- and fifth-grade pupils (aged 10-12) in Finnish primary schools. The data were analysed separately by gender. The construct validity of the scale was studied by principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), convergent validity by both receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and Spearman's correlation coefficient. Reliability was tested by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. RESULTS: Principal component analysis yielded a one-component model: the Finnish Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire 6 (FsMFQ-6). CFA confirmed the validity of FsMFQ-6. Compared with mood at home (AUC = 0.80) and mood at school (AUC = 0.85), overall sensitivity and specificity were optimal at cut-off point 0. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.73, indicating good internal consistency. The results for girls and boys were almost identical. CONCLUSION: The results confirmed the validity and reliability of FsMFQ-6. FsMFQ-6 recognises depressive mood in children and is suitable for screening depressive symptoms in fourth- and fifth-grade pupils in Finland. However, it is important to pay close attention to children who choose the 'Sometimes' response option more than once, for that can be a sign of depressive symptoms.

Evaluating the efficacy of a school-based Finnish Gutsy Go programme in enhancing adolescents' positive mental health, experience of social inclusion, and social competence.

Background: The Finnish Gutsy Go programme is a positive youth development intervention designed to enhance adolescents' psychosocial well-being by enabling eighth-grade students to develop and execute good deeds within the community.Objective: This study aimed to explore the effect of the Gutsy Go programme on adolescents' positive mental health, experience of social inclusion, and social competence using a quasi-experimental study design.Methods: Data were collected with electronic questionnaires at baseline (n = 236 programme participants and n = 303 controls) and follow-up two weeks after the programme (n = 126, 54.2% programme participants and n = 103, 34.1% controls). Analyses included paired samples t-tests and mixed ANOVA analyses.Results: A statistically significant intragroup change across time was detected in the level of cooperation skills among programme participants (t(127) = -2.460, p = 0.015) but not among controls (t(102) = 1.088, p = 0.279). Statistically significant main effects were found for the intervention group on the experience of social inclusion (F(1, 1) = 9.34, p = 0.003, ηp2 = 0.040), cooperation skills (F(1,1) = 5.28, p = 0.020, ηp2 = 0.020), and empathy (F(1,1) = 6.44, p = 0.010, ηp2 = 0.030) across time.Conclusion: The Gutsy Go programme could be beneficial in improving adolescents' experience of social inclusion, cooperation skills, and empathy. More studies are needed to address the effects of the programme more firmly.

Changes over time in mental health symptoms among adolescents in Tampere, Finland.

BACKGROUND: Mental health problems are common in adolescence and seeking help for them is becoming more common. Referrals to adolescent mental healthcare have recently increased in Finland. OBJECTIVE: To examine time trends in internalizing and externalizing mental health symptoms among Finnish adolescents. METHOD: A time-trend school survey was conducted among 9th graders (15-year-olds) in Tampere, Finland, in three time periods: 2002-03, 2012-13 and 2018-19 (N = 4,162). RESULTS: Compared to the period 2002-03, prevalence of externalizing symptoms decreased in the period 2012-13 and further in 2018-19. The prevalence of internalizing symptoms did not change significantly between 2002-03 and 2012-13; however, in 2018-19, depression, social anxiety, general anxiety, poor subjective health, stress symptoms among boys, and poor self-esteem increased compared to earlier time periods. The increases were more marked among girls. However, suicidal ideation did not increase in 2018-19 compared to earlier time periods. CONCLUSION: Whereas the prevalence of externalizing symptoms decreased among Finnish adolescents between 2002-03 and 2018-19, the prevalence of internalizing symptoms increased between 2012-13 and 2018-19. To help to understand the causes of these increases and to prevent internalizing problems, further research on the underlying causes is needed.

Changes in cannabis use according to socioeconomic status among Finnish adolescents from 2000 to 2015.

BACKGROUND: Despite reduced sanctions and more permissive attitudes toward cannabis use in the USA and Europe, the prevalences of adolescent cannabis use have remained rather stable in the twenty-first century. However, whether trends in adolescent cannabis use differ between socioeconomic groups is not known. The aim of this study was to examine trends in cannabis use according to socioeconomic status among Finnish adolescents from 2000 to 2015. METHODS: A population-based school survey was conducted biennially among 14-16-year-old Finns between 2000 and 2015 (n = 761,278). Distributions for any and frequent cannabis use over time according to socioeconomic adversities were calculated using crosstabs and chi-square test. Associations between any and frequent cannabis use, time, and socioeconomic adversities were studied using binomial logistic regression results shown by odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: At the overall level, the prevalences of lifetime and frequent cannabis use varied only slightly between 2000 and 2015. Cannabis use was associated with socioeconomic adversities (parental unemployment in the past year, low parental education, and not living with both parents). The differences in any and frequent cannabis use between socioeconomic groups increased significantly over the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Although the overall changes in the prevalence of adolescent cannabis use were modest, cannabis use increased markedly among adolescents with the most socioeconomic adversities. Socioeconomic adversities should be considered in the prevention of adolescent cannabis use.

Normative and negative sexual experiences of transgender identifying adolescents in the community.

BACKGROUND: Sexuality is a major facet of development during adolescence. Apace with normal sexual development, sexual experiences become more common and intimate. Recent research reports mixed results as to whether this is the case among transgender identifying adolescents. Recent research also suggests that trans youth experience negative sexual experiences (such as dating violence and sexual harassment) more often than their cisgender identifying peers. However, most studies have had clinical or selected samples. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to compare the normative as well as negative sexual experiences of trans youth with their cisgender peers in the general population. METHOD: Our study included 1386 pupils of the ninth year of comprehensive school in Finland, mean age (SD) 15.59 (0.41) years. We compared sexual experiences, sexual harassment and dating violence among trans youth and their cisgender identifying peers. Distributions of the outcome variables were calculated among the whole sample and by sex. Next, multivariate associations were studied using logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, honesty of responding and depression. Odds Ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) are given. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, sex, honesty of responding and ultimately for depression, normative sexual experiences of trans youth did not differ systematically from those of the mainstream, cisgender identifying youth. After adjusting for sex, age and honesty, transgender youth had increased Odds Ratios for experiences of sexual coercion and dating violence perpetration. In the final models however, no statistically significant differences were detected in the negative sexual experiences between transgender and cisgender youth. CONCLUSIONS: Transgender identifying adolescents presented neither with delayed nor with excessively advanced sexual experiences. However, transgender youth seem to be more susceptible to subjection to sexual coercion and, unexpectedly, dating violence perpetration than their cisgender peers. However, these associations may in fact relate more closely to depression, a prevalent phenomenon among trans youth, than transgender identity itself.

Experiences of sexual harassment are associated with high self-esteem and social anxiety among adolescent girls.

Introduction: Subjection to sexual harassment among adolescents have been associated with negative mental health outcomes, such as depression and social anxiety. Self-esteem and social support may modify these associations. Methods: The Adolescent Mental Health Cohort 10-year replication data were used. It is a cross-sectional classroom survey involving 656 girls and 636 boys aged (mean (sd)) 15.6 (0.4) years and 15.7 (0.4) years, respectively. Subjection to sexual harassment was elicited with five questions. Depression was measured by the Beck's 13-item Depression Inventory, social anxiety by the SPIN-Fin Inventory, self-esteem by Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale and social support by the PSSS-R scale. The data were analysed using cross-tabulations with chi-square statistics and logistic regressions. Resutls: Among girls, social anxiety and higher self-esteem were positively associated with experiencing subjection to sexual harassment in multivariate models. No statistically significant associations were detected among boys between experiences of sexual harassment and any of the four variables. Conclusion: Experiences of being sexually harassed correlate among adolescents with high social anxiety but also with high self-esteem. Sexual harassment among adolescents may partly be explained as inept ways of showing interest, but it may nevertheless have detrimental effects on the well-being of the those subjected to it.

Socioeconomic Trends in Adolescent Smoking in Finland From 2000 to 2015.

PURPOSE: Smoking is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In the past decades, the prevalence of adolescent smoking has decreased in industrial countries. However, whether the decreasing trend can be seen across all socioeconomic groups is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine time trends in adolescent smoking according to the socioeconomic status among Finnish adolescents between 2000 and 2015. METHODS: A population-based school survey was conducted biennially among 14- to 16-year-old Finns between 2000 and 2015 (n = 761,278). Distributions for frequent smoking, lifelong nonsmoking, and socioeconomic adversities (low parental education, not living with both parents and parental unemployment during the past year) were calculated. Associations were studied using binomial logistic regression results shown by odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Frequent smoking was positively associated and lifelong nonsmoking was negatively associated with socioeconomic adversities. Over the study period, the overall prevalence of frequent smoking decreased and lifelong nonsmoking increased. However, no similar changes were observed among adolescents with most socioeconomic adversities. CONCLUSION: Socioeconomic differences in adolescent smoking increased in Finland between 2000 and 2015. Although the overall prevalence of frequent smoking decreased, no similar decrease was observed among adolescents with most socioeconomic adversities. Similarly, although the overall prevalence of lifelong nonsmoking increased, this was not observed among adolescents with most socioeconomic adversities. Socioeconomic adversities should be considered in the prevention of adolescent smoking.

Adolescents with same-sex interest: experiences of sexual harassment are more common among boys.

Purpose: To explore whether sexual harassment experiences are more common among adolescents reporting romantic and erotic interests in the same sex and both sexes, when sociodemographic and mental health confounding are controlled for, and whether the associations are similar in both sexes and in different phases of adolescence. Methods: A cross-sectional survey among a nationally representative dataset of 25,147 boys and 25,257 girls in comprehensive school, and 33,231 boys and 36,765 girls in upper secondary education. Self-reports of experiences of sexual harassment, and emotional (depression) and behavioral (delinquency) symptoms were used. Results: All associations between sexual minority status and harassment diminished clearly when mental disorder dimensions were controlled for. In the comprehensive school sample (mean age 15.4 years), sexual harassment experiences were 4-7-fold more common among boys, and 1.5-3-fold among girls, with same-sex/both-sexes interest, compared to those interested exclusively in the opposite sex. In the upper secondary education sample (mean age 17.4 years), among boys, sexual harassment was reported 3-6-fold more commonly by those not exclusively heterosexually interested. Among older girls, a slight increase in sexual harassment experiences was seen among those interested in both sexes. Conclusions: Sexual harassment experiences are associated with sexual minority status, particularly among boys. Confounding by mental disorders needs to be accounted for when studying sexual minority status and sexual harassment.

Changes in delinquency according to socioeconomic status among Finnish adolescents from 2000 to 2015.

Background: Scientific literature suggests that the prevalence of delinquency amongst adolescents has decreased internationally in past decades. However, whether this change is consistent across all socioeconomic groups has not yet been studied. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine changes in delinquency amongst Finnish adolescents according to socioeconomic status between 2000 and 2015. Method: A population-based school survey was conducted biennially amongst 14-16-year-old Finns between 2000 and 2015 (n = 761,278). Distributions for delinquency and socioeconomic adversities (low parental education, not living with both parents and parental unemployment in the past year) were calculated using crosstabs. Associations between delinquency, time, and socioeconomic adversities were studied using binomial logistic regression results shown by odds ratios with 95 % confidence intervals. Results: Delinquency was positively associated with all three socioeconomic adversities studied and cumulative socioeconomic adversity. Although the prevalence of delinquency varied only slightly between 2000 and 2015 in the overall population, it increased significantly amongst adolescents with most socioeconomic adversities. Conclusions: The findings indicate that socioeconomic differences in delinquency have increased amongst Finnish adolescents in past decades. Delinquency prevention and intervention programs should take socioeconomic adversities into account.

Socioeconomic trends in school bullying among Finnish adolescents from 2000 to 2015.

Bullying at school has far-reaching impacts on adolescent well-being and health. The aim of this study was to examine trends in bullying at school according to socioeconomic adversities among Finnish adolescents from 2000 to 2015. A population-based school survey was conducted biennially among 14-16-year-old Finns between 2000 and 2015 (n = 761,278). Distributions for bullying, being bullied and socioeconomic adversities were calculated. Associations between bullying involvement, time and socioeconomic adversities were studied using binomial logistic regression with results shown by odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. At the population level, the likelihoods of bullying and being bullied varied only slightly between 2000 and 2015. Bullying and being bullied were associated with socioeconomic adversities (low parental education, not living with both parents and parental unemployment in the past year). Unlike in the general population, the likelihoods of bullying and being bullied increased markedly among adolescents with most socioeconomic adversities. The increased socioeconomic differences in bullying involvement observed in this study add to the mounting evidence of polarization of adolescent health and well-being. Socioeconomic adversities should be considered in the prevention of bullying at school. In addition, socio-political measures are needed to decrease socioeconomic inequalities among Finnish adolescents.

Mediators between adverse childhood experiences and suicidality.

We investigated whether psychiatric symptomatology, impulsivity, family and social dysfunction, and alcohol use mediate the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and suicidality. The study population comprised 206 adolescent psychiatric inpatients and 203 age- and gender-matched adolescents from the community. ACEs and suicidality were assessed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children - Present and Lifetime version, the Life Events Checklist, and a structured background data collection sheet. Psychiatric symptomatology was measured using the Symptom Checklist -90. Impulsivity, social dysfunction, and family dysfunction were measured using the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire, and alcohol use was assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. A simple mediation test and multiple mediation analyses were conducted. A positive direct effect of ACEs on suicidality was observed. Also seen was a positive indirect effect of ACEs on suicidality through psychiatric symptomatology, impulsivity, and family and social dysfunctions. Alcohol misuse did not, however, mediate the relationship between ACEs and suicidality. According to the multiple mediation analyses, psychiatric symptomatology was the most significant mediator, followed by impulsivity. Psychiatric symptoms, impulsivity, and family and social dysfunctions are factors that should be taken into consideration when assessing suicidality in adolescents.

Experiences of sexual harassment are associated with the sexual behavior of 14- to 18-year-old adolescents.

Subjection to sexual harassment is associated with a number of negative outcomes, such as internalizing and externalizing symptoms and a disinclination to attend school. Among adolescents, sexual harassment may increase with both their emerging sexual desires and increased socializing in mixed-gender peer groups during early adolescence. We set out to study the possible associations between normative and risk-taking sexual behavior and subjection to sexual harassment among adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18 years. The informants included 90,953 boys and 91,746 girls, with a mean (SD) age of 16.3 (1.2) years, who responded to a classroom survey (School Health Promotion Study 2010-2011) in Finland. We found that even early steps in romantic and erotic experiences were associated with experiences of sexual harassment. The more advanced the adolescents' sexual experiences were, the more commonly they reported differing experiences of sexual harassment. These associations were particularly strong among the girls. Among the sexually active adolescents, the more partners the adolescents had for intercourse, the more commonly they reported experiences of sexual harassment. Adolescents actively interested in romantic and sexual relationships may socialize in contexts where sexual harassment is more likely to occur. They may be more sensitive to sexual cues than their non-interested peers, or sexual harassment may be a traumatic experience predisposing adolescents to risk-taking sexual behavior as a form of acting out. A double standard regarding the appropriate expression of sexuality received some support in our data.

Perceived rather than actual overweight is associated with mental health problems in adolescence.

BACKGROUND: Overweight and perceived overweight are common among adolescents. The nature of the relationship between overweight/perceived overweight and mental health problems is still unclear. AIMS: The aim of this study was to examine whether actual overweight, perceived overweight or both are associated with internalizing and externalizing disorders among adolescents. METHODS: Data were collected by two similar school surveys in all Finnish-speaking secondary schools in Tampere (population 200,000) in the academic years 2002-2003 and 2012-2013. A total of 2775 acceptable responses were received. All the analyses were carried out separately for girls and boys. Mean age of the respondents was 15.6 years. RESULTS: In multivariate analyses perceived overweight, not actual weight, was significantly associated with higher risk of self-reported depression (OR: 4.3, 95% CI: 2.9-6.3, p < .001) and self-reported conduct disorder (OR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.6-3.3, p < .001) in girls and with higher risk of self-reported depression (OR: 3.26, 95% CI: 1.65-6.4, p = .001) and self-reported social phobia (OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.0-5.6, p = .05) in boys. CONCLUSION: Perceived overweight rather than actual weight status is associated with both internalizing and externalizing mental health problems in adolescents.

Social phobia, depression and eating disorders during middle adolescence: longitudinal associations and treatment seeking.

BACKGROUND: Longitudinal associations between social phobia (SP), depression and eating disorders (EDs), and the impact of antecedent SP and depression on subsequent treatment seeking for EDs have rarely been explored in prospective adolescent population studies. AIM: We aimed to examine these associations in a large-scale follow-up study among middle adolescents. METHOD: We surveyed 3278 Finnish adolescents with a mean age of 15 years for these disorders. Two years later, 2070 were reached and again surveyed for psychopathology and treatment seeking. Longitudinal associations between the self-reported disorders and treatment-seeking patterns for self-acknowledged ED symptoms were examined in multivariate analyses, controlling for SP/depression comorbidity and relevant socioeconomic covariates. RESULTS: Self-reported anorexia nervosa (AN) at age 15 years predicted self-reported depression at age 17 years. Furthermore, self-reported SP at age 15 years predicted not seeking treatment for bulimia nervosa (BN) symptoms, while self-reported depression at age 15 years predicted not seeking treatment for AN symptoms during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents with AN should be monitored for subsequent depression. Barriers caused by SP to help seeking for BN, and by depression for AN, should be acknowledged by healthcare professionals who encounter socially anxious and depressive adolescents, especially when they present with eating problems.

Delinquency and sexual experiences across adolescence: does depression play a role?

PURPOSE: To elucidate a possible connection between delinquency and adolescent sexual behaviours in different age groups from 14 to 20 and the role of depression therein. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were gathered from the cross-sectional Finnish School Health Promotion Study 2010 and 2011 with 186,632 respondents. We first examined the bivariate relationship between delinquency and sexual behaviour, and then proceeded to multivariate models accounting for self-reported depression. Analyses were conducted separately for girls and boys, in seven age groups. The main outcomes were analysed by χ2 test and logistic regression. RESULTS: Delinquency was connected to having experienced sexual intercourse across all age groups, and was related to reporting multiple sexual partners among sexually active adolescents, in both boys and girls, before and after controlling for depression. Delinquency and depression were independently associated with the sexual behaviours studied. CONCLUSIONS: Being sexually active and engaging in risky sexual behaviours are related to delinquency in the adolescent population throughout the developmental phase, even in late adolescence when being sexually active is developmentally normative. Being sexually active is further connected to depression until middle adolescence, and risky sexual behaviours across adolescence. Clinicians working with adolescents presenting with delinquent behaviour with or without depression need to address their sexual health needs.

Are eating disorders and their symptoms increasing in prevalence among adolescent population?

BACKGROUND: A debate concerns whether eating disorders are increasing in prevalence. The role of socio-economic status (SES) for adolescent eating disorders (ED) is another matter of debate. AIMS: To ascertain whether self-reported eating disorders or their symptoms have increased in prevalence in adolescent population from the early 2000s to early 2010s. METHODS: A person-identifiable classroom survey, Adolescent Mental Health Cohort study, was carried out among the 9th graders in comprehensive schools in Tampere, Finland, during academic year 2002-2003, and replicated among then 9th graders during academic years 2012-2013. Eating disorders were elicited with questionnaires tailored according to DSM-IV criteria for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. RESULTS: No changes were observed between 2002-2003 and 2012-2013 in the prevalence of anorexia and bulimia, most of the symptoms of anorexia and bulimia, or the proportion of adolescents having received treatment due to eating disorders among the girls or the boys. Eating disorders, treatment contacts due to eating disorders, and eating disorder symptoms were not systematically associated with either low or high parental socio-economic status. CONCLUSION: Based on this dataset, eating disorders are not increasing in the adolescent population. Adolescent eating disorders are not associated with socio-economic status of their family.

Psychometric properties of the Symptom Checklist-90 in adolescent psychiatric inpatients and age- and gender-matched community youth.

BACKGROUND: The Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) is a questionnaire that is widely used to measure subjective psychopathology. In this study we investigated the psychometric properties of the SCL-90 among adolescent inpatients and community youth matched on age and gender. METHODS: The final SCL-90 respondents comprised three subsets: 201 inpatients at admission, of whom 152 also completed the instrument at discharge, and 197 controls. The mean age at baseline was 15.0 years (SD 1.2), and 73 % were female. Differential SCL-90 item functioning between the three subsets was assessed with an iterative algorithm, and the presence of multidimensionality was assessed with a number of methods. Confirmatory factor analyses for ordinal items compared three latent factor models: one dimension, nine correlated dimensions, and a one-plus-nine bifactor model. Sensitivity to change was assessed with the bifactor model's general factor scores at admission and discharge. The accuracy of this factor in detecting the need for treatment used, as a gold standard, psychiatric diagnoses based on clinical records and the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime (K-SADS-PL) interview. RESULTS: Item measurement properties were largely invariant across subsets under the unidimensional model, with standardized factor scores at admission being 0.04 higher than at discharge and 0.06 higher than those of controls. Determination of the empirical number of factors was inconclusive, reflecting a strong main factor and some multidimensionality. The unidimensional factor model had very good fit, but the bifactor model offered an overall improvement, though subfactors accounted for little item variance. The SCL-90s ability to identify those with and without a psychiatric disorder was good (AUC = 83 %, Glass's Δ = 1.4, Cohen's d = 1.1, diagnostic odds ratio 12.5). Scores were also fairly sensitive to change between admission and discharge (AUC 72 %, Cohen's d = 0.8). CONCLUSIONS: The SCL-90 proved mostly unidimensional and showed sufficient item measurement invariance, and is thus a useful tool for screening overall psychopathology in adolescents. It is also applicable as an outcome measure for adolescent psychiatric patients. SCL-90 revealed significant gender differences in subjective psychopathology among both inpatients and community youth.

Sexual harassment victimization in adolescence: Associations with family background.

Sexual harassment has been studies as a mechanism reproducing inequality between sexes, as gender based discrimination, and more recently, as a public health problem. The role of family-related factors for subjection to sexual harassment in adolescent has been little studied. Our aim was to study the role of socio-demographic family factors and parental involvement in adolescent's persona life for experiences of sexual harassment among 14-18-year-old population girls and boys. An anonymous cross-sectional classroom survey was carried out in comprehensive and secondary schools in Finland. 90953 boys and 91746 girls aged 14-18 participated. Sexual harassment was elicited with five questions. Family structure, parental education, parental unemployment and parental involvement as perceived by the adolescent were elicited. The data were analyzed using cross-tabulations with chi-square statistics and logistic regressions. All types of sexual harassment experiences elicited were more common among girls than among boys. Parental unemployment, not living with both parents and low parental education were associated with higher likelihood of reporting experiences of sexual harassment, and parental involvement in the adolescent's personal life was associated with less reported sexual harassment. Parental involvement in an adolescent's life may be protective of perceived sexual harassment. Adolescents from socio-economically disadvantaged families are more vulnerable to sexual harassment than their more advantaged peers.