The study aim was to investigate Australian Year 12 students' sense of connectedness to their schools, families, and peers, and examine associations between connectedness and emotional wellbeing. Year 12 students (492 male, 449 female) from 10 secondary schools in Victoria, Australia participated in Phase 1 of the study. Of these, 204 participants (82 male, 122 female) returned surveys 1 year later; 175 of these were attending tertiary education institutions. The study found high levels of depression, anxiety and stress among Year 12 students, with higher negative affect associated with lower levels of family, peer and school connectedness. Negative affect 1 year after leaving school was predicted by negative affect and peer connectedness at Year 12. Results suggest there are significant numbers of at-risk young people in their final year of school, who feel lonely and disconnected from peers, and who maintain concerning levels of depression, anxiety and stress in first year of university.

In considering the applicability of protective factors that have been found in research based largely on Northern American populations to Australian young people, a series of focus groups were established to find out what young people think promotes resilience and well-being. A total of 1447 Year 11 students in Victoria completed a questionnaire which focused on beliefs regarding the factors that promote resilience and well-being. Five main factors were indicated by young people to promote resilience. These were peer connectedness (having good friends), family connectedness (feeling that you are loved by family), feeling that your family respects your decisions, school connectedness (believing that you fit in at school and having good teachers). The current study outlines the factors considered important to the young participants in this study and discusses the implications of these findings for student welfare and the development of programs in schools and communities.