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BEDREHELSE-Bedre helse og livskvalitet

Social inequalities, educational attainment and mental health: Development, mediators and moderators in a longitudinal child cohort study

Alternative title: null

Awarded: NOK 6.0 mill.

Project Manager:

Project Number:

228189

Application Type:

Project Period:

2014 - 2017

Partner countries:

There is a well-documented social gradient in mental health. However, there is limited knowledge regarding predictors of this social gradient, as well as its development from childhood through early adulthood. In the current project, we will examine this by utilizing data from the large scale epidemiological Bergen Child Study, linked to registry data. This will enable us to explore the association between socioeconomic status, mental health, health complaints, and school outcomes. We will specifically focus on sleep, physical activity and negative life events as possible factors that may account for the association. The project is a collaboration between researchers from RKBU, Uni Research Health and researchers from National Institute of Public Health, The Norwegian Center for Child Behavioral Development and international partners from the University of Auckland, New Zealand and Boston College, USA. Last year we published an article in Journal of Sleep Research on the association between mental health, family characteristics and Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. This year we have published three articles in international journals. In one article published in Journal of Developmental Pediatrics we investagated the association between low income and symptoms of externalizing- and internalizing problems for more than 12.000 five-year olds that participated in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). The results show that growing up in a family with low income is related to more symptoms of externalizing problems, and that children with an emotionally reactive temperament is more vulnerable for the negative impact of low household income. In another paper published in Plos ONE we investigated the psychometric properities of the Strenghts and Difficulties Questionnaire, and found gender differences in conduct problems suggesting that the instrument may overestimate these problems in adolescent girls. We have also investigated the association between socioeconomic status and tests of intellectual functioning in an article published in Scandinavial Journal of Psychology. In the project, we have also focused on increasing awareness and competence about the role of SES in influencing the health and development in children and adolescents, through contributing talks in various seminars and at conferences for different professions.

Socioeconomic disadvantage is related to immediate and persisting impairments in mental and subjective health. Further, familial socioeconomic status is related to school attainment and drop-out. The present project will further expand our understanding o f these associations by investigating the specific mechanisms or pathways through which socioeconomic disadvantage has its influence on children's health and well-being, and the role of mediators and moderators between SES and health and functional outc omes. Specifically, the stressful/ negative life events, sleep problems, and physical activity as mediators and/or moderators between SES and health and examine the prospective associations with dropout and academic performance. The main strength of the study is the availability of comprehensive information on health and the possible factors that influence health from childhood to adolescence, obtained from a large population based sample. Also, the use of national registries allows for detailed informat ion about subsequent educational attainment and drop out. The most recent data-collection (2012) is particularly designed to study the intersection between school and health data within a developmental framework.

Publications from Cristin

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Funding scheme:

BEDREHELSE-Bedre helse og livskvalitet