BEDREHELSE-Bedre helse og livskvalitet

Mental health problems are among the most prevalent health problems among young people. The majority of disability pension awards in young adulthood are for mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. The association between common mental disorder an d occupational disability is well established, and so is the prospective effect of mental illness on later disability pension award. School dropout is a risk factor for later occupational underachievement and need of benefits. There is also evidence that lack of daily activity (school or work) can increase the risk of mental illness. A substantial proportion of Norwegian adolescents drop out of school between the age of 16 and 19. Dropout has increased as a result of a reform in 1994 where higher academic standards became the norm, also in vocational educations. Parallel to this, we see an increased incidence of mental health-related disability pension in early adulthood. The causal chain of events is, however, largely unknown. To explore this, we will ut ilize individual-level survey data from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study linked to individual panel data extracted from multiple Norwegian administrative registries (registry of employment, benefits and educational attainments). Data will be analyzed with combinations of multiple linear and logistic regression models. In addition, we will exploit exogenous variation in educational outcomes induced by several reforms of the Norwegian school system, in order to evaluate their possible causal effects on menta l health related outcomes. Increasing rates of young adults being awarded disability pension is an increasing problem, both in terms of the welfare burden to society, but equally important for the individual. We already know that mental health problems an d school dropout are important risk factors, but specific knowledge about the causal chains is imperative to inform policy and interventions to prevent school dropout and later permanent occupational disability.