Social Disconnectedness, Loneliness, and Mental Health Among Adolescents in Danish High Schools: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Previous research has suggested that social disconnectedness experienced at school is linked to mental health problems, however, more research is needed to investigate (1) whether the accumulation of various types of social disconnectedness is associated with risk for mental health problems, and (2) whether loneliness is a mechanism that explains these associations.Methods: Using data from the Danish National Youth Study 2019 (UNG19), nation-wide cross-sectional data from 29,086 high school students in Denmark were analyzed to assess associations between social disconnectedness experienced at school (lack of classmate support, lack of teacher support, lack of class social cohesion, and not being part of the school community) and various mental health outcomes, as well as the mediating role of loneliness for each type of disconnectedness. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted to assess the associations.Results: Descriptive analyses suggest that 27.5% of Danish high school students experience at least one type of social disconnectedness at school. Each type of social disconnectedness was positively associated with mental health problems (depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, stress, sleep problems, suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-injury, eating disorder, body dissatisfaction, and low self-esteem) and negatively associated with mental well-being. In all cases, loneliness significantly mediated the associations. We found a clear dose-response pattern, where each addition in types of social disconnectedness was associated with (1) stronger negative coefficients with mental well-being and (2) stronger positive coefficients with mental health problems.Conclusion: Our results add to a large evidence-base suggesting that mental health problems among adolescents may be prevented by promoting social connectedness at school. More specifically, fostering social connectedness at school may prevent loneliness, which in turn may promote mental well-being and prevent mental health problems during the developmental stages of adolescence. It is important to note that focusing on single indicators of school social connectedness/disconnectedness would appear to be insufficient. Implications for practices within school settings to enhance social connectedness are discussed.

Connectedness to Family, School, and Neighborhood and Adolescents’ Internalizing Symptoms

“…School connectedness was also associated with teen depression and anxiety. These findings replicate previous research that documents the protective impact of schools on adolescent mental well-being [ 17 , 31 , 45 ]. What is noteworthy is that youth perceptions of school connectedness exerted a greater effect on teen depression above that of family poverty level and other contextual domains.…”

“…For example, research has shown that U.S. adolescents with an average age of 15.5 years who reported an increased sense of school connection reported less depressive symptoms including suicidal ideations and less anxiety [ 17 ]. Another study that was conducted with Danish high schoolers found that social disconnectedness at school was positively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms, suicidal ideation, sleep disturbances, and stress, and was negatively associated with mental well-being [ 31 ]. Recent empirical findings point to the benefits of youth connections in the school environment in promoting positive mental health during adolescence.…”

Mental health and loneliness in Scottish schools: A multilevel analysis of data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study

“…In a school context, loneliness plays an important role in mediating school belongingness and subjective wellbeing (Arslan, 2021), and is higher among adolescents who feel less integrated into their school (Chipuer, 2001;Kingery & Erdley, 2007). A cross-sectional study of over 29,000 adolescents in Denmark, suggested that mental health problems among adolescents may be prevented by promoting social connectedness (thus preventing loneliness) at school (Santini et al, 2021). There is also evidence that an increased sense of school connectedness can reduce loneliness and buffer mental health among adolescents (Cavanaugh & Buehler, 2015;Benner et al, 2017).…”

Loneliness dan Internalizing Problems Remaja

“…Loneliness juga terjadi karena tidak adanya dukungan dari orang sekitarnya seperti teman sekelas, guru ataupun lingkungan sekolah. Hal ini sejalan dengan dengan penjelasan Santini et al, (2021) bahwa remaja yang tidak mendapat dukungan dari guru maupun teman sekolah dapat merasa kesepian yang menimbulkan masalah internalizing problems seperti gejala depresi, kecemasan, stres. Hal ini terjadi karena seseorang tidak mampu membentuk hubungan dengan orang lain sehingga terjadi social connectedness atau keterputusan sosial dan muncul simtom internalizing problems.…”