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Mental Health and Life Skills among Young People and Adolescents
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Mental Health and Life Skills among Young People and Adolescents

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 25477

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Linda Beckman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Public Health Sciences, Karlstad University, 651 88 Karlstad, Sweden
Interests: mental health; adolescents; life skills; bullying; health promotion; school interventions
Dr. Lisa Hellström

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of School Development and Leadership, Malmö University, 211 19 Malmö, Sweden
Interests: bullying; mental health; special needs; health promotion; school research; life skills

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Child mental health is one of our greatest public health challenges of today. Despite important improvements in healthcare, less stigmatization, and more knowledge in recent decades, as much as 20% of Western adolescents and young people report mental health problems, according to the World Health Organization. There are, however, many aspects of mental health, and the border between what is perceived as normal reactions to life experiences and serious mental conditions needing professional help is difficult to draw. Research indicates that parents, professionals meeting youth in different situations, and of course the youths themselves all need more knowledge and tools to strengthen their different roles and increase youths’ life skills.

With this Special Issue, we want to collect research on life skills among youth. What is the understanding among youth, parents, school personnel, and professionals of what skills and abilities are necessary for youth to cope with everyday life, what are the perspectives on mental health in general, and how can we translate this knowledge into practice? Empirical studies using both qualitative and quantitative methodology, as well as literature reviews, are welcomed.

Dr. Linda Beckman
Dr. Lisa Hellström
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • life skills
  • mental health
  • adolescents and young people
  • parents
  • professionals
  • school personnel
  • health promotion in schools

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 372 KiB  
Article
Life Challenges and Barriers to Help Seeking: Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Voices of Mental Health
by Lisa Hellström and Linda Beckman
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 13101; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182413101 - 12 Dec 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 6509
Abstract
Listening to the voices of adolescents and young adults regarding their lived experiences could be a way to identify important skills and abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that will enable youth to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. [...] Read more.
Listening to the voices of adolescents and young adults regarding their lived experiences could be a way to identify important skills and abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that will enable youth to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. Hence, the aim with the current study is to explore the experiences and understandings of the life situation among adolescents and young adults of today, by making their voices heard in regards to mental health and help-seeking behaviour. A total of 6 group interviews were conducted with 22 adolescents and young adults (13 girls and 9 boys) ages 17–25 (M = 18.6 years). Data analysis was conducted using qualitative content analysis and resulted in two categories and five subcategories. The first category, Life challenges, included views on the sources of mental health, how to manage different types of relationships, and thoughts on accepted ways to express mental health problems. The second category, The need of present adults, highlighted important aspects for seeking help, such as an expressed need to be seen and heard by adults including parents, school staff, and other professionals as well as a need for adults’ increased availability. The challenges to students’ well-being and mental health are many, and there are no simple solutions. Based on the results in this study, life skills training should include elements to enhance the development of individual coping strategies, to be applied when life feels tough and when the body is experiencing stress reactions. Further, to minimize the risk of self-stigma and the internalization of negative stereotypes and self-blame, life skills training should include elements to increase knowledge of structural factors that have effects on the life situation as well as parents, school personnel, and other important adults. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health and Life Skills among Young People and Adolescents)
14 pages, 340 KiB  
Article
Views on Adolescents’ Mental Health in Sweden—A Qualitative Study among Different Professionals Working with Adolescents
by Linda Beckman and Lisa Hellström
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(20), 10694; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182010694 - 12 Oct 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3578
Abstract
Professionals who meet and work with adolescents hold important information and perspectives on adolescents’ mental health that, in addition to the adolescents’ voices, can shed light on complex issues. The aim was to explore professionals’ views on what challenges they face and how [...] Read more.
Professionals who meet and work with adolescents hold important information and perspectives on adolescents’ mental health that, in addition to the adolescents’ voices, can shed light on complex issues. The aim was to explore professionals’ views on what challenges they face and how they can strengthen today’s adolescents’ mental health. This study involves four group interviews, conducted in March and October of 2020, including professionals with different working backgrounds. Data were analyzed with a qualitative content analysis. Two categories emerged: navigating life arenas and support for mental health. The first category included the demanding aspects of school, the challenges of social media, and the professionals’ thoughts on which pieces of mental health knowledge adolescents are lacking. The second category included what the professionals thought today’s parents need to develop and do to best support their children. Moreover, self-critical views were expressed on which aspects the professionals could do better to improve adolescents’ mental health. In conclusion, listening to professionals working with adolescents talk about adolescents’ mental health gives important insights. According to the professionals, both adolescents and their parents need improved life skills, including a strengthened and empowered self-esteem as well as improved mental health literacy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health and Life Skills among Young People and Adolescents)
19 pages, 388 KiB  
Article
Lifestyle Changes among Polish University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Karolina Fila-Witecka, Adrianna Senczyszyn, Agata Kołodziejczyk, Marta Ciułkowicz, Julian Maciaszek, Błażej Misiak, Dorota Szcześniak and Joanna Rymaszewska
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(18), 9571; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18189571 - 11 Sep 2021
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 5669
Abstract
Students worldwide have been impacted by nationwide safety closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating an environment with loss of interaction with colleagues, social isolation, boredom, and economic uncertainty. Since university students were considered uniquely vulnerable to mental health problems even before the [...] Read more.
Students worldwide have been impacted by nationwide safety closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating an environment with loss of interaction with colleagues, social isolation, boredom, and economic uncertainty. Since university students were considered uniquely vulnerable to mental health problems even before the pandemic, this study aimed to investigate lifestyle and behavioral changes experienced by this population due to the epidemiological situation and their effect on their mental health. Data were collected via an online survey conducted among university students across Poland. The survey addressed recent lifestyle changes that were a result of the pandemic as well as psychological distress, symptoms of insomnia and symptoms of post-traumatic stress. The results indicate that protective factors include maintaining a daily routine, staying physically active, following a usual eating pattern and taking care of sleep hygiene. Changes in behavior contributing to poorer mental health included giving up a daily routine, neglecting meals, tidiness, hygiene as well as social relationships, changes in food intake, sleeping schedule, a decrease in physical activity and the onset of sexual dysfunctions. A history of psychiatric treatment and an increase in self-harm as well as an increase in alcohol and tobacco consumption were also found to be associated with psychological distress. Experienced lifestyle and behavioral changes and their impact on mental health were apparent throughout the obtained data, highlighting the need for psychological support in the studied population. Based on the results we were able to establish a list of protective and risk factors influencing the everyday life and psychological wellbeing of students amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which could also be translated into life skills. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health and Life Skills among Young People and Adolescents)
15 pages, 745 KiB  
Article
Pupils’ Use of Social Media and Its Relation to Mental Health from a School Personnel Perspective: A Preliminary Qualitative Study
by Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland, Viktor Schønning, Bodil Elisabeth Valstad Aasan, Randi Træland Hella and Jens Christoffer Skogen
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(17), 9163; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18179163 - 31 Aug 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 8878
Abstract
The extent of mental health problems among adolescents seems to be on the rise, and this observed trend has often been linked to a coinciding increase in social media use. The goal of the current preliminary study was to investigate how senior high [...] Read more.
The extent of mental health problems among adolescents seems to be on the rise, and this observed trend has often been linked to a coinciding increase in social media use. The goal of the current preliminary study was to investigate how senior high school personnel experience the role of social media in relation to the mental health of their pupils. Two focus group interviews (total n = 11) were completed and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, resulting in 4 themes and 11 subthemes. The results illustrate that school personnel experience social media as a tool for communication, but also as a potential cause of mental health issues and reduced academic performance among pupils. The participants called for schools to become better equipped to meet the opportunities and challenges of social media. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health and Life Skills among Young People and Adolescents)
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