Ungdomar i utsatta områden: En oväntad hälsobild. En jämförelse i psykisk hälsa mellan ungdomar i utsatta områden och områden med goda socioekonomiska förutsättningar i Sverige
(2025) PSPR14 20242Department of Psychology
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Att leva med begränsade socioekonomiska förutsättningar har tidigare visat sig ha ett samband med psykisk ohälsa. I Sverige finns områden med låg socioekonomisk status och utbredd kriminalitet, så kallade utsatta områden enligt Polisen. Denna studie syftade till att undersöka hur ungdomar i dessa områden rapporterar sin psykiska hälsa, i jämförelse med ungdomar i områden med goda socioekonomiska förutsättningar. Därtill undersöktes könsskillnader i psykisk hälsa och huruvida anknytning hade ett positivt samband med psykisk hälsa och fungerade som en modererande faktor för sambandet mellan boendeområde och psykisk hälsa. Ungdomar i årskurs 7, 8 och 9 (medelålder 14 år) på skolor i utsatta områden (n = 297, 51% tjejer) och områden med goda... (More)
- Att leva med begränsade socioekonomiska förutsättningar har tidigare visat sig ha ett samband med psykisk ohälsa. I Sverige finns områden med låg socioekonomisk status och utbredd kriminalitet, så kallade utsatta områden enligt Polisen. Denna studie syftade till att undersöka hur ungdomar i dessa områden rapporterar sin psykiska hälsa, i jämförelse med ungdomar i områden med goda socioekonomiska förutsättningar. Därtill undersöktes könsskillnader i psykisk hälsa och huruvida anknytning hade ett positivt samband med psykisk hälsa och fungerade som en modererande faktor för sambandet mellan boendeområde och psykisk hälsa. Ungdomar i årskurs 7, 8 och 9 (medelålder 14 år) på skolor i utsatta områden (n = 297, 51% tjejer) och områden med goda socioekonomiska förutsättningar (n = 1093, 50% tjejer), besvarade enkäter om sitt mående. Resultaten visade oväntat att ungdomar i utsatta områden rapporterade högre livstillfredsställelse och lägre nivåer av både ångest- och depressionssymtom, jämfört med ungdomar i områden med goda socioekonomiska förutsättningar. Detta resultat står i kontrast till mycket tidigare forskning. Effektstorlekarna var generellt måttliga. Vidare rapporterade tjejer, oavsett områdestyp, sämre psykisk hälsa än killar, vilket är i linje med tidigare forskning. De största könsskillnaderna uppmättes inom ångestsymtom. Stark anknytning, i form av upplevd närhet i relationen till en viktig vuxen, var enligt förväntan konsekvent förknippat med bättre psykisk hälsa, oavsett kön och områdestyp, även om dess modererande effekt var obetydlig. Studiens resultat indikerar att ungdomar i utsatta områden uppvisar bättre psykisk hälsa än ungdomar i områden med goda socioekonomiska förutsättningar. Eftersom detta resultat står i kontrast till tidigare forskning och studien har vissa begränsningar så behövs vidare forskning för att bättre förstå de komplexa sambanden mellan socioekonomisk utsatthet och psykisk hälsa. (Less)
- Abstract
- Living with limited socioeconomic conditions has previously been shown to be associated with mental health issues. In Sweden, areas with low socioeconomic conditions and widespread crime are referred to as disadvantaged areas by the Police. This study aimed to examine how adolescents in disadvantaged areas report their mental health compared to adolescents in areas with advantageous socioeconomic conditions. Additionally, gender differences in mental health and whether attachment has a positive relationship with mental health, as well as whether it acts as a moderating factor in the relationship between living conditions and mental health, were investigated. Adolescents in grades 7-9 (mean age 14 years) from schools in disadvantaged (N =... (More)
- Living with limited socioeconomic conditions has previously been shown to be associated with mental health issues. In Sweden, areas with low socioeconomic conditions and widespread crime are referred to as disadvantaged areas by the Police. This study aimed to examine how adolescents in disadvantaged areas report their mental health compared to adolescents in areas with advantageous socioeconomic conditions. Additionally, gender differences in mental health and whether attachment has a positive relationship with mental health, as well as whether it acts as a moderating factor in the relationship between living conditions and mental health, were investigated. Adolescents in grades 7-9 (mean age 14 years) from schools in disadvantaged (N = 297; 51% girls) and advantaged (N = 1093; 50% girls) areas completed completed surveys about their mental health. Unexpectedly, the results showed that adolescents in disadvantaged areas reported higher life satisfaction and lower levels of both anxiety and depression symptoms compared to adolescents in areas with advantageous socioeconomic conditions, contrary to much previous research. The effect sizes were generally moderate. Furthermore, girls, regardless of area type, reported poorer mental health than boys, consistent with previous research. The largest gender differences were found in anxiety symptoms. Strong attachment, measured by perceived closeness in the relationship with a significant adult, was consistently associated with better mental health, as expected, regardless of gender and area type, although its moderating effect was insignificant. These findings suggest that adolescents in disadvantaged areas may feel psychologically better than adolescents in areas with advantageous socioeconomic conditions. However, since these findings contradict previous research and the study has certain limitations, further research is needed to better understand the complex relationships between socioeconomic disadvantage and mental health. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9182270
- author
- Lundin, Klara LU and Ericsson, Mathilda LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- PSPR14 20242
- year
- 2025
- type
- H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
- subject
- keywords
- Utsatta områden, Socioekonomiska faktorer, Psykisk hälsa, Ungdomar, Könsskillnader, Anknytning, Disadvantaged areas, Socioeconomic factors, Mental health, Adolescents, Gender differences, Attachment
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9182270
- date added to LUP
- 2025-01-22 12:57:28
- date last changed
- 2025-01-22 12:57:28
@misc{9182270,
abstract = {{Living with limited socioeconomic conditions has previously been shown to be associated with mental health issues. In Sweden, areas with low socioeconomic conditions and widespread crime are referred to as disadvantaged areas by the Police. This study aimed to examine how adolescents in disadvantaged areas report their mental health compared to adolescents in areas with advantageous socioeconomic conditions. Additionally, gender differences in mental health and whether attachment has a positive relationship with mental health, as well as whether it acts as a moderating factor in the relationship between living conditions and mental health, were investigated. Adolescents in grades 7-9 (mean age 14 years) from schools in disadvantaged (N = 297; 51% girls) and advantaged (N = 1093; 50% girls) areas completed completed surveys about their mental health. Unexpectedly, the results showed that adolescents in disadvantaged areas reported higher life satisfaction and lower levels of both anxiety and depression symptoms compared to adolescents in areas with advantageous socioeconomic conditions, contrary to much previous research. The effect sizes were generally moderate. Furthermore, girls, regardless of area type, reported poorer mental health than boys, consistent with previous research. The largest gender differences were found in anxiety symptoms. Strong attachment, measured by perceived closeness in the relationship with a significant adult, was consistently associated with better mental health, as expected, regardless of gender and area type, although its moderating effect was insignificant. These findings suggest that adolescents in disadvantaged areas may feel psychologically better than adolescents in areas with advantageous socioeconomic conditions. However, since these findings contradict previous research and the study has certain limitations, further research is needed to better understand the complex relationships between socioeconomic disadvantage and mental health.}},
author = {{Lundin, Klara and Ericsson, Mathilda}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Ungdomar i utsatta områden: En oväntad hälsobild. En jämförelse i psykisk hälsa mellan ungdomar i utsatta områden och områden med goda socioekonomiska förutsättningar i Sverige}},
year = {{2025}},
}