Trends in bullying victimization in Scottish adolescents (1994-2014) : changing associations with mental well-being

Objectives Bullying victimization among schoolchildren is a major public health concern. This paper aims to analyse the changing associations over two decades between bullying victimization and mental well-being in a representative Scottish schoolchildren sample. Methods Data were collected in six rounds of the cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study in Scotland, with 42,312 adolescents (aged 11, 13 and 15 years). Logistic and linear regression were used to examine changes in the association between bullying victimization and mental well-being. Results The prevalence of bullying victimization rates in Scotland increased between 1994 and 2014 for most age-gender groups, apart from 13-year old boys and 15-year old girls. Over time, female victims reported less confidence and happiness and more psychological complaints than their nonbullied counterparts. This worsening effect over time was not observed in boys. Conclusions Overall, our evidence indicates that the associations between bullying victimization and poor mental well-being strengthened overtime for bullied girls. This finding might partly explain the observed deterioration in mental health indicators among Scottish adolescent girls.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Covid-19 pandemic and quality of life among Romanian athletes

The aim of this study was to analyze athletes’ quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved 249 athletes between 15 and 35 of age, M = 21.22, SD = 5.12. The sample was composed of eight Olympic Games medalists, three European medalists, 67 international medalists, and 63 national medalists. The instruments used were: (1) COVID-19 Anxiety Scale, (2) Athlete Quality of Life Scale, (3) Impact of Pandemic on Athletes Questionnaire, and (4) International Personality Item Pool (IPIP Anxiety, Depression, and Vulnerability Scales). The results indicate significant differences in COVID-19 anxiety depending on the sport practiced, F (9239) = 3.81, p < 0.01, showing that there were significant differences between sports. The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic mediates the relationship between trait anxiety and the athletes’ quality of life. The percentage of mediation was 33.9%, and the indirect effect was −0.11, CI 95% (−0.18, −0.03), Z = −2.82, p < 0.01. Trait anxiety has an increasing effect on the intensity of the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 0.23, CI 95% (.10, 0.35), Z = 3.56, p < 0.01, and the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has a decreasing effect on quality of life, −0.47, CI 95% (−0.67, −0.27), Z = −4.62, p < 0.01. Gender and age did not moderate the relationship between the negative impact of COVID-19 and athletes’ quality of life. The results of the study highlighted the impact that social isolation and quarantine have on athletes’ affective well-being

Using a Mixed-Methods Approach to Explore Changes in Adolescent Well-Being across Several European Countries

The promotion of positive mental health is a becoming priority worldwide. Despite all the efforts invested in preventive and curative work, it is estimated that one in four persons will experience a mental health condition at some point in their lives. Even more worrying is the fact that up to a half of all mental health problems have their onset before the age of 14. Recent statistics (national and international surveys, meta-analyses, international reports) point out to the fact that child and adolescent mental health problems are on the rise. The present study will try to corroborate these results and further explore their meaning, by employing a sequential mixed methods research design (quantitative–qualitative). The quantitative part will analyze time trends using Health Behaviors in School-aged Children data (four survey cycles: 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014) on mental well-being from four European countries (the Czechia, Germany, Italy, and United Kingdom). The qualitative part will rely on focus groups to explore the perspectives of 13- and 15-year- old boys and girls on gender differences and on the changes in adolescent mental well-being over time, as well as measures through which these issues could be addressed. Thematic analysis will be employed to analyze qualitative data. The results of this study could make a major contribution to our understanding of the current trends in adolescent mental well-being, as well as the ways in which existing data could be linked to international and national health policies

Czech adolescents' remote school and health experiences during the spring 2020 COVID-19 lockdown

Schools around the world were closed during the spring 2020 lockdown to reduce the spread of COVID-19. As such, these rapid changes to adolescent daily routines may have had immediate as well as long-term effects on their physical, social, and mental health. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the experiences, health behaviors and perceived change in health behaviors among adolescents in Czechia during the spring 2020 lockdown. Adolescents (n = 3,440, 54% girls; M-age = 13.5 years, SD = 1.6) from all regions of Czechia were recruited to complete a self-report survey based on the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study, with additional items on household disruptions and socialization during lockdown, as well as items on perceived changes in health behaviors during lockdown. First, we described the self-reported impacts of the spring lockdown by gender and grade. Second, log-linear analyses were used to examine the perceived behavioral changes based on standardized cut-off values reporting for health behaviors and gender. Less than a third, 19% and 32% of the respondents reported economic and psychosocial disruptions to their family life, 79% indicated they had positive opportunities for family interactions or learning new things. Girls and older adolescents reported the worst levels of social and mental well-being. Changes in respondents' perceived health behaviors varied by reported behavior frequencies and gender. These results may be useful to compare with future secular trends, and may serve as input in developing strategies to counter the impact of the spring 2020 or future similar lockdowns on the adolescents' well-being.Web of Science22art. no. 10138

‘Talkin’ ‘bout my generation’: using a mixed-methods approach to explore changes in adolescent well-being across several European countries

The promotion of positive mental health is a becoming priority worldwide. Despite all the efforts invested in preventive and curative work, it is estimated that one in four persons will experience a mental health condition at some point in their lives. Even more worrying is the fact that up to a half of all mental health problems have their onset before the age of 14. Recent statistics(national & international surveys, meta-analyses, international reports) point out to the fact that child and adolescent mental health problems are on the rise. The present study will try to corroborate these results and further explore their meaning, by employing a sequential mixed methods research design (quantitative-qualitative). The quantitative part will analyse time trends using Health Behaviours in School-aged Children (HBSC) data (four survey cycles: 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014) on mental well-being from four European countries (the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom). The qualitative part will rely on focus groups to explore the perspectives of 13- and 15-year-old boys and girls on gender differences and on the changes in adolescent mental well-being over time, as well as measures through which these issues could be addressed. Thematic analysis will be employed to analyse qualitative data. The results of this study could make a major contribution to our understanding of the current trends in adolescent mental well-being, as well as the ways in which existing data could be linked to international and national health policies.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

A journey of gender in health: Transforming health by promoting gender considerations through comic art

Sex and gender are determinants of health outcomes across an individual’s life course. However, often in health research and practice, sex and gender considerations are either overlooked or confounded. Recent developments in health research and practice ask for the inclusion of sex and gender considerations within health research and practice. This article is a reaction to these calls. It explores the ways in which an international team of health researchers created a comic book that highlighted the impact of gender in many areas of health across an individual’s life course. The creative processes are critically explored, as well as selected images. Through this work, it is proposed that comic art knowledge mobilization projects can be viewed as means to transform health research and practice by critiquing and disrupting dominant cis-heteronormative sex and gender discourses

Effect of Heavy Metals on the Germination of Wheat Seeds: Enzymatic Assay

Stress caused by heavy metals is a major problem which affects agricultural productivity and, implicitly, human health. Natural flora presents differences of tolerance to heavy metals. Some plants grow well in a soil enriched with heavy metals, while others cannot develop in such conditions. This study investigates the effect of heavy metals on plant viability at molecular level and draws attention to the danger of the widespread use of toxic compounds

Bullying, mental health, and the moderating role of supportive adults: a cross-national analysis of adolescents in 45 countries

Copyright © 2022 Kim, Craig, King, Bilz, Cosma, Molcho, Qirjako, Gaspar De Matos, Augustine, Šmigelskas and Pickett. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Objectives: Relationships with supportive adults during adolescence may be a protective factor that lowers the risks associated with bullying. The current study aimed to examine the moderating role of supportive adults in the associations between bullying involvement (in-person and cyber) and mental health problems (psychological symptoms and low life satisfaction). Methods: Data from 45 countries and regions taking part in the 2017/18 Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children study (N = 230,757) were used. Multivariable Poisson regression models were used to estimate relative risks of bullying on mental health. Effect estimates were compared across the number of supportive adults to examine a possible cumulative protective effect of relationships with supportive adults. Results: Bullying involvement was consistently associated with poor mental health across the 45 countries. Risk of mental health problems associated with bullying involvement was greatest among students reporting relationships with multiple supportive adults. This was true for all indicators of bullying involvement. Conclusion: Bullying remains a prevalent and harmful experience for youth worldwide. Merely having supportive adults is not sufficient in protecting youth from experiencing the mental health risks associated with bullying.Grant funding for the researchers involved in this cross-national manuscript was provided by the: 1) Public Health Agency of Canada; 2) Canadian Institutes of Health Research (operating grant MOP341188). HBSC Ireland was funded by the Health Promotion Policy Unit, Department of Health, Ireland.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio