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Peer victimization is a common problem among school-aged children, and those with chronic conditions are at an increased risk. A systematic review of the literature was carried out to explore the increased risk of peer victimization among children with chronic conditions compared with others, considering a variety of chronic conditions; and to assess intervention programs designed to reduce negative attitudes or peer victimization at school toward children with chronic conditions. Various data sources were used (PubMed, ERIC, PsycINFO, Web of Science), and 59 studies published between 1991 and 2011 and mainly carried out in North American and European countries were included in the review. A higher level of peer victimization among children with chronic conditions was shown for each type of condition explored in this review (psychiatric diagnoses, learning difficulties, physical and motor impairments, chronic illnesses, and overweight). Despite a substantial number of studies having shown a significant association between chronic conditions and peer victimization, intervention studies aiming to reduce bullying among these children were rarely evaluated. The findings of this review suggest a growing need to develop and implement specific interventions targeted at reducing peer victimization among children with chronic conditions.

In all countries studied, students reporting D/CI were more likely to report being victims of bullying. Victims of bullying reported more negative subjective health outcomes regardless of their D/CI status. Although inclusive education is currently a major topic of educational policies in most countries, additional efforts should be made to improve the quality of the integration of students with D/CI.

Purpose-There is increasing recognition of children's abilities to speak for themselves. School democracy, as demonstrated by genuine participation, has the potential to benefit both teachers and students; leading to better relationships and improved learning experiences. The aim of this study is to investigate whether participation in schools in Ireland is linked with perceived academic performance, liking school and positive health perceptions. Design/methodology/approach-Data were collected via self-completion questionnaires from a stratified random sample of 10,334 students aged 10-17 years in Irish schools. The questions included encouragement to express their views in class, participation in the organisation of school events; taking part in making school rules; liking school, perceived academic performance, self-rated health, life satisfaction and self-reported happiness. Associations between school participation and other measures were expressed by odds ratios from logistic regression models, conducted separately for girls and boys. Findings-More than 63 per cent of participating students reported that they were encouraged to express their views in class, 58 per cent that they were involved in organising school events and 22 per cent that they had been involved in making school rules. All forms of participation were lower among older students. Participation in school was significantly associated with liking school and higher perceived academic performance, better self-rated health, higher life satisfaction and greater reported happiness. Research limitations/implications-These data are all cross-sectional and relationships cannot imply causality. Practical implications-These findings underscore the relevance of school participation for students in Ireland. Originality/value-The paper illustrates that, in general, positive relationships between school participation and health and wellbeing are demonstrated among Irish children.

Purpose – Child participation is increasingly a global phenomenon as stated by Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on Children's Rights. This supports the first principle, Democracy, of the Health Promoting School movement. The purpose of this paper is to facilitate a three-phase participatory research process (PRP) to document the views of children about participation in school. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 248 primary school pupils aged nine to 13 years participated: the first group of pupils answered two questions on individual coloured paper; the second group categorised these data separately, by question, assigning labels for each of the categories; and the third group used the categories to develop schema. The analysis was inductive. Findings – The most common categories for what made pupils feel a part of their school were school uniforms, sports, friends, teachers and their school/classroom environment. Increase in the number of school activities, encouraging friendship and equal participation were key indicators of how pupils would ensure that everybody felt a part of the school. The findings indicate that interpersonal relationships and belonging are in the opinion of children important for taking part in school life. Originality/value – The paper illustrates children's understanding of what taking part in school means to them. The PRP encouraged pupils to have control of the three-phase research process, and demonstrated the ability of children to work together in groups while having fun at the same time.

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The benefits of physical activity for the physical health of individuals are well documented. Less is known about the benefits of physical activity for mental health. This paper explores the associations between physical activity and positive mental health and mental health problems. The paper utilises data collected from a representative sample of 10–17-year-old adolescents in Ireland. Physical activity in the study is measured using moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA). Mental health was measured using the Cantril Leader of Life Satisfaction, the WHO-5 index, Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5) and the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Symptom Checklist (HBSC-SCL). Data were analysed using bivariate (Pearson Correlation, t-test, one-way ANOVA) and multivariate (two-way ANOVA, ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions) analyses. In total, 8636 adolescents were included in this analysis. Higher participation in physical activity was associated with higher scores on the positive mental health indicators and lower scores on the mental health problems indicators. When modelled together, VPA was a stronger predictor of mental health than MVPA, especially in girls. For example, standardised beta coefficients for predicting MHI-5 were −0.09 for MVPA (p < 0.001) and −0.13 for VPA (p < 0.001) To our knowledge, this is the first study that looks at levels of physical activity as well as both positive mental health and mental health problems. The study highlights the need to encourage and enable adolescents, and especially girls, to participate in vigorous exercising as way of promoting positive mental health.

Objectives: We explored whether modes of transport (cycling, walking, public transport or private vehicle) between home and school are associated with mental well-being in children aged 10–17 years, participating in the Irish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study.Methods: Scores on the World Health Organization Well-being Index and the Mental Health Inventory five-item versions, self-reported life satisfaction, happiness with self, body satisfaction, excellent self-rated health, and multiple health complaints of 9,077 schoolchildren (mean age: 13.99 ± 1.91 years, percentage girls: 52.2%) were compared across modes of transport, unadjusted and adjusted for gender, age, family affluence and area of residence.Results: Those who reported using public transport reported poorer mental well-being than those using other means of transport, but adjusting for sociodemographic variables obscured these differences. The only exception was excellent health, where children who cycled outperformed the other three groups, even after adjustment for sociodemographic variables.Conclusions: Cycling can improve well-being in children. However, in promotion of cycling, social and environmental determinants and inequalities which influence adolescents’ and their parents’ decisions on modes of transport, need to be considered.