Mental health among former students with special educational needs who are now in their mid‐30s

Abstract

This article discusses how psychosocial health in adolescence influences adult mental health among former students with special educational needs in Norway. These individuals have been followed prospectively from their teens and into their mid-30s. The study is inspired by life course perspectives with an emphasis on cumulative processes. The logistic regression analysis reveals that the risk of suffering from adult mental distress is higher among those with psychosocial difficulties in their juvenile years compared with those without such problems. Our results also show that the mental health of subjects who experienced health problems and received social security benefits in their late 20s is negatively affected when they are 33 to 34 years of age. In addition, the risk of poor adult mental health is considerably higher for females than males. Receiving assistance from teaching assistants in the classroom at upper secondary school does not seem to be conducive to subsequent positive mental health.

Establishment in productive occupations and perceived work ability among former students with special educational needs one year after upper secondary education

“…However, examples of reasons stated by upper secondary school students themselves are commonly related to an unsupportive home and school environment and lack of the necessary adjustments to their educational needs [15][16][17]. Båtevik [13] concluded that, irrespective of gender, but particularly for women, graduation significantly increases the probability of employment for former students with SEN. Efforts to support students with SEN to obtain educational qualifications should be prioritised to decrease their risk of social and economic vulnerability, health problems [7,[18][19][20], loss of productive capacity, and costs for the welfare system. In a study by Yngve et al [21], students with SEN who received a student-centred information and communication technology (ICT) intervention in upper secondary school perceived a significantly more supportive school environment and a positive tendency in terms of increased school attendance.…”

Participation and ICT : Students with Special Educational Needs in Upper Secondary School

“…Furthermore, experiencing SEN during upper secondary education increases the risk of mental health problems later in life. As an example, Myklebust and Myklebust (2017) found that upper secondary school students with SEN had an increased risk of mental distress in their thirties.…”