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Mental health problems are increasingly common risk factors for chronic pain, while stressors in school are associated with persistent and recurrent pain among students, and negatively associated with educational achievements. Clearly, it is important to identify elements that influence frequencies or intensities of mental health problems. To assist such efforts, this study analysed views of interviewed upper secondary students, in terms of physical, social and mental spaces. The results corroborate previous findings, such as the importance of school staff members collaboratively addressing students' problems. However, the participants also explicitly or implicitly suggested other improvements in school environments and practices that could help them to cope, thereby enhancing their functioning. These included treating mental health problems as general problems rather than problems of a specific group, to reduce stigmatisation and frequencies of symptoms. They also indicate that small interventions, e.g. providing help with structuring schoolwork and other activities may be surprisingly beneficial.

In this study we examine how the academic-vocational divide is manifested today in Finland, Iceland and Sweden in the division between vocationally (VET) and academically-oriented programmes at the upper-secondary school level. The paper is based on a critical re-analysis of results from previous studies; in it we investigate the implications of this divide for class and gender inequalities. The theoretical lens used for the synthesis is based on Bernstein´s theory of pedagogic codes. In the re-analysis we draw on previous studies of policy, curriculum and educational praxis as well as official statistics. The main conclusions are that contemporary policy and curriculum trends in all three countries are dominated by a neo-liberal discourse stressing principles such as "market relevance" and employability. This trend strengthens the academic-vocational divide, mainly through an organisation of knowledge in VET that separates it from more general and theoretical elements. This trend also seems to affect VET students' transitions in terms of reduced access to higher education, particularly in male-dominated programmes. We also identify low expectations for VET students, manifested through choice of textbooks and tasks, organisation of teacher teams and the advice of career counsellors.