Changes in students’ well-being over time: a longitudinal approach spanning from lower to upper secondary education

Vollständiger Abstract

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Abstract The study aimed to investigate how students’ social well-being and mental health developed from the age of 12 to 19. Reports from Swedish authorities and research have shown that students’ self-reported well-being has decreased during the last decade, but few studies have examined longitudinal changes during primary and upper secondary school. Longitudinal questionnaire data from the Swedish project Evaluation Through Follow-up was analysed with growth modelling within the structural equation modelling environment. The sample was drawn from the cohort of students born in 2004 ( N = 9,437). By using data from three time-points (Grades 6, 9, and 12), the development in well-being within individuals over time could be investigated. Besides, grade point average (GPA) from sixth grade, parental education, and gender were included as covariates. Social well-being at school declined over time, while emotional distress and psychosomatic symptoms increased, including sadness, irritation, stomach aches, headaches, and sleeping difficulties. Girls reported lower social contentment than boys and consistently experienced more emotional and physical health problems, with some differences widening over time. Students from families with lower parental education also reported higher levels of emotional distress and psychosomatic ill-being than those from more highly educated families. Overall, girls and students from lower-education backgrounds appear especially vulnerable to declining well-being.