Dawit Shawel Abebe1, Lars Roar Frøyland2, Anders Bakken2, Tilmann von Soest3. 1. Norwegian Social Research (NOVA), Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Norway dawit.s.abebe@nova.hioa.no. 2. Norwegian Social Research (NOVA), Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Norway. 3. Norwegian Social Research (NOVA), Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Norway Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway.
Abstract
AIM: This study aimed to investigate municipal-level variations and individual- and municipal-level predictors of high levels of depressive symptoms among Norwegian adolescents. METHODS: We used data from the Norwegian cross-national Ungdata study. We included 77,424 adolescents from 171 municipalities attending junior high school (Grades 8-10; age 13-16 years) from 2011 to 2013. Multilevel (two-level) logistic regression models were applied for the data analyses. RESULTS: The study revealed that 11% of adolescents reported high levels of depressive symptoms. The median odds ratio without adjusting for any individual- or municipal-level predictors was 1.24, indicating a small between-municipalities variability for high levels of depressive symptoms. All individual-level factors, such as gender, school grade, family income, substance use behaviours, bullying and dissatisfaction with different aspects of life, were significantly associated with high levels of depressive symptoms (p < 0.05). As to municipal-level factors, a low annual budgets for municipal health services was the sole significant predictor of high levels of depressive symptoms between municipalities. Municipal-level factors and variables related to survey characteristics explained a moderate proportion of the variation in high levels of depressive symptoms between municipalities. CONCLUSIONS: The cluster heterogeneity in high levels of depressive symptoms was small between municipalities in Norway. Further research should examine the geographic clustering of mental health problems at the school and neighbourhood level.
AIM: This study aimed to investigate municipal-level variations and individual- and municipal-level predictors of high levels of depressive symptoms among Norwegian adolescents. METHODS: We used data from the Norwegian cross-national Ungdata study. We included 77,424 adolescents from 171 municipalities attending junior high school (Grades 8-10; age 13-16 years) from 2011 to 2013. Multilevel (two-level) logistic regression models were applied for the data analyses. RESULTS: The study revealed that 11% of adolescents reported high levels of depressive symptoms. The median odds ratio without adjusting for any individual- or municipal-level predictors was 1.24, indicating a small between-municipalities variability for high levels of depressive symptoms. All individual-level factors, such as gender, school grade, family income, substance use behaviours, bullying and dissatisfaction with different aspects of life, were significantly associated with high levels of depressive symptoms (p < 0.05). As to municipal-level factors, a low annual budgets for municipal health services was the sole significant predictor of high levels of depressive symptoms between municipalities. Municipal-level factors and variables related to survey characteristics explained a moderate proportion of the variation in high levels of depressive symptoms between municipalities. CONCLUSIONS: The cluster heterogeneity in high levels of depressive symptoms was small between municipalities in Norway. Further research should examine the geographic clustering of mental health problems at the school and neighbourhood level.
Authors: Pernilla Garmy; Eva K Clausson; Agneta Berg; Katarina Steen Carlsson; Ulf Jakobsson Journal: Scand J Public Health Date: 2017-12-11 Impact factor: 3.021
Authors: Gry Anette Sælid; Nikolai Olavi Czajkowski; Leif Edvard Aarø; John Roger Andersen; Thormod Idsøe; Miguel Delgado Helleseter; Arne Holte Journal: BMC Psychol Date: 2022-01-24