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This study examined socioeconomic disparities in changes in adolescent mental health between fall 2019 (pre-COVID-19), spring 2020 (initial coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) phase), and fall 2020 (prevailing COVID-19 phase). Using data from 1429 adolescents (Mage = 17.9) from tertiary vocational schools in the Netherlands with n = 386 participating in all three waves, linear and latent basis growth curve models were assessed and multigroup analyses conducted. Results showed a small but significant decrease in life satisfaction and small but significant increases in emotional problems, peer relationship problems, conduct problems, and hyperactivity-inattention problems. For emotional problems and peer relationship problems, increases between pre-COVID-19 and the initial COVID-19 phase were more pronounced than increases between the initial and prevailing COVID-19 phase. In contrast, linear decreases were found for life satisfaction and linear increases for conduct problems and hyperactivity-inattention problems over the course of the study. Mental health patterns were largely comparable for adolescents from families with varying socioeconomic status. ispartof: STRESS AND HEALTH vol:39 issue:1 pages:169-181 ispartof: location:England status: published

Purpose A social gradient in adolescent mental health exists: adolescents with higher socioeconomic status (SES) have fewer mental health problems than their peers with lower SES. Little is known about whether adolescents’ societal beliefs play a role in this social gradient. Belief in a just world (BJW) may be a mediator or moderator of the social gradient in adolescent mental health. Methods Using data from 848 adolescents (Mage = 17) in the Netherlands, path analyses examined whether two indicators of BJW (general and personal) mediated or moderated the associations between two indicators of SES (family affluence and perceived family wealth), and four indicators of adolescent mental health problems (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems). Results Adolescents with lower family affluence and lower perceived family wealth reported more emotional symptoms, and the association between perceived family wealth and emotional symptoms was mediated by lower personal and general BJW. Furthermore, higher personal BJW amplified the negative association between SES and peer problems. Conclusion This study suggests BJW may both mediate and amplify the social gradient in adolescent mental health. Adolescents’ beliefs about society may be important to include in research aimed at understanding this social gradient.

The social gradient in adolescent mental health is well established: adolescents’ socioeconomic status is negatively associated with their mental health. However, despite changes in social cognition during adolescence, little is known about whether social cognitions mediate this gradient. Therefore, this study tested this proposed mediational path using three data waves, each 6 months apart, from a socioeconomically diverse sample of 1,429 adolescents (Mage = 17.9) in the Netherlands. Longitudinal modeling examined whether three social cognitions (self-esteem, sense of control, and optimism) mediated associations between perceived family wealth and four indicators of adolescent mental health problems (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems). There was evidence of a social gradient: adolescents with lower perceived family wealth reported more concurrent emotional symptoms and peer problems and an increase in peer problems 6 months later. Results also showed evidence of mediation through social cognitions, specifically sense of control: adolescents with lower perceived family wealth reported a decrease in sense of control (though not self-esteem nor optimism) 6 months later, and lower sense of control predicted increases in emotional symptoms and hyperactivity 6 months later. We found concurrent positive associations between perceived family wealth and all three social cognitions, and concurrent negative associations between social cognitions and mental health problems. The findings indicate that social cognitions, especially sense of control, may be an overlooked mediator of the social gradient in adolescent mental health.

The concept of a ‘social gradient’ in adolescent mental health states that adolescent socioeconomic status (SES) is positively associated with mental health. Despite robust evidence for the association, several questions on the what, why, and for whom of this social gradient remain. First, what is the relative importance of three different indicators of adolescent SES – parental SES, adolescent perception of their family SES, and adolescent educational level – for adolescent mental health? Second, which adolescent-level mechanisms can explain the association between SES and mental health? Third, which adolescents are vulnerable to, or protected from, the adverse association between SES and mental health? The results showed, first, that adolescent perception of their family SES and adolescent educational level were more strongly positively associated with adolescent mental health than parental SES was. Second, two psychological processes mediated this social gradient among adolescents. A higher perception of their family SES was associated with more sense of control and stronger beliefs in a just world, and these processes were, in turn, associated with better mental health. Third, parental SES was more strongly associated with mental health for adolescents with lower (compared to higher) perception of their family SES, and for adolescents living in countries with stronger (compared to weaker) meritocratic beliefs (meaning that people generally believe that the world is just). The results of this dissertation emphasise that adolescents themselves – how they perceive their family SES, their educational level, and the way they see themselves in the world – are important in understanding this social gradient.

Background Previous research established a positive association between national income inequality and socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent health, but little is known about the extent to which national level inequalities in accumulated financial resources (i.e. wealth) are associated with these health inequalities. Therefore, we examined the association between national wealth inequality and income inequality and socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent mental wellbeing. Methods Data were from 17 countries participating in three successive waves (2010, 2014 and 2018) of the cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. We combined individual-level data on adolescents' life satisfaction, psychological and somatic symptoms and socioeconomic status (SES) with country-level data on income and wealth inequality (n = 244771). We performed time-series analysis on a pooled sample of 48 country/year groups. Results Higher levels of national wealth inequality were associated with fewer average psychological and somatic symptoms, while higher levels of national income inequality were associated with more psychological and somatic symptoms. No associations between either national wealth inequality or income inequality and life satisfaction were found. Smaller differences in somatic symptoms between higher and lower SES groups were found in countries with higher levels of national wealth inequality. In contrast, larger differences in psychological symptoms and life satisfaction (but not somatic symptoms) between higher and lower SES groups were found in countries with higher levels of national income inequality. Conclusions Although both national wealth and income inequality are associated with (socioeconomic inequalities in) adolescent mental wellbeing, associations are in opposite directions. Further research is warranted to gain better understanding in the role of national wealth inequality on (socioeconomic inequalities in) adolescent health. Key messages This is one of the first studies to examine if socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent mental wellbeing are associated with national wealth inequality independently from national income inequality. Opposing effects of national wealth inequality and income inequality on socioeconomic inequalities in adolescents’ mental wellbeing warrant further research before policy recommendations can be made.