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Citation |
Haavet OR, Dalen I, Straand J. Eur. J. Public Health 2005; 16(4): 400-404. |
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Affiliation |
Section for General Practice, Department of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2005, Oxford University Press) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
16207727 |
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Abstract |
BACKGROUND: A school is generally acknowledged to be a key setting for promoting pupils' health and well-being. METHODS: Data from a cross-sectional questionnaire study conducted with all 10th grade pupils in 46 public schools. Depressive symptoms was defined by a positive score on Hopkin's Symptom Check List-10 (HSCL-10). Two composite variables expressing risk were established: (i) presence of negative factors (PNF), consisting of self-reported pressure to succeed, sexual violation, and exposure to bullying and violence; and (ii) absence of positive factors (APF), comprising respondents' self-reported physical activity, educational aspirations, and family's valuing their opinions. RESULTS: Out of 7505 pupils, complete data were obtained for 6207. The prevalence of symptoms of depression varied greatly among different schools (boys, from 0 to 19%; girls, from 3.3 to 39%). The PNF varied from 12.3 to 45.5% for boys, and from 4.2 to 38.8% for girls. Corresponding figures for APF were 2.4-23.1% for boys and 4.3-37.5% for girls. Among boys, we found significant associations between PNF and symptoms of depression, odds ratio (95% CI) 4.5 (3.5-5.8), and between APF and depressive symptoms, 3.1 (2.3-4.1). For girls, corresponding odds ratios were 3.5 (2.9-4.2) and 2.1 (1.7-2.6), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of pupils with depressive symptoms varies greatly among Oslo public schools. This variation is associated with features of the pupils' social context. |