Family socioeconomic status and provincial‐level economic, educational, and health‐related factors as predictors of present‐ and future‐oriented subjective wellbeing in junior high school students in China

Wu, Xiaoshan; Gai, Xiaowu; Xu, Lili; Liu, Fangqing; Wang, Hong; Kou, Hongyang

doi:10.1002/jad.12027

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 80 publications

(113 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…21 In addition to school-level factors, regional factors, such as Human Development Index (HDI) scores, have been found to be associated with subjective well-being among youths. 22 According to the livability theory, 23 people in a developed region may benefit from better economic prosperity and educational opportunities, which may be associated with improved mental well-being. 3 Some researchers have found that people in a more-developed society show a better mean level of mental well-being.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Factors Associated With Mental Well-Being Among Chinese Youths at Individual, School, and Province Levels

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ImportanceAlthough rapid urbanization in China provided improved economic prosperity and educational opportunities, it was associated with increased internalizing and externalizing problems among youths, with negative outcomes for mental well-being. Previous studies suggested that factors in individual, school, and regional levels were associated with mental well-being, and comprehensively examining these factors may provide evidence for policies for improving youth mental health.ObjectiveTo investigate factors associated with mental well-being at individual, school, and province levels among Chinese youths.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cross-sectional study analyzed nationally representative data collected December 1, 2021, to January 1, 2022, from schools in China. Among 435 schools, 144 institutions had primary school students, 107 institutions had middle school students, 95 institutions had primary and middle school students, and 89 institutions had high school students. A total of 398 520 students were included.ExposuresCharacteristics at individual, school, and province levels.Main outcomes and measuresThe main outcome was mental well-being, assessed by the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate individual, school, and regional disparities in mental well-being among youths.ResultsThere were 398 520 participants (194 460 females [48.80%]; mean [SD; range] age, 13.78 [2.40; 9-20] years). At the school level, 352 443 students (88.44%) were in public school and 291 354 students (73.11%) were in urban schools. Drinking (coefficient = −1.08; 95% CI, −1.12 to −1.05; P &lt; .001), smoking (coefficient = −0.89; 95% CI, −0.96 to −0.83; P &lt; .001), and increased age (coefficient per 1-year increase in age = −0.02; 95% CI, −0.03 to −0.01; P &lt; .001) were associated with worse mental well-being. Male sex (coefficient = 1.01; 95% CI, 0.98 to 1.04; P &lt; .001), being in a 1-child family (coefficient = 0.17; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.20; P &lt; .001), being in the Han group (coefficient vs other ethnic groups = 0.20; 95% CI, 0.14 to 0.26; P &lt; .001), a higher frequency and coverage of psychological courses (eg, ≥2/wk for all students vs none: coefficient = 1.02; 95% CI, 0.36 to 1.69; P = .003), and a higher level of self-rated popularity in school (coefficient per 1-unit increase in score = 0.89; 95% CI, 0.88 to 0.89; P &lt; .001) were associated with improved mental well-being. However, age (eg, age and 1 courses/2 wk for all students: coefficient per 1-year increase in age = −0.047; 95% CI, −0.089 to −0.005; P = .03) and sex (eg, female sex and ≥2 courses/wk for some students: coefficient = −0.184; 95% CI, −0.323 to −0.046; P = .009) had interactions with the association between psychological courses and mental well-being.Conclusions and relevanceThis study found that social disparities in mental well-being existed and that various factors at different levels were associated with mental well-being among Chinese youths. These findings suggest that public mental health programs may be recommended for associated improvements in regional disparities in mental health resources.

show abstract