Mental well-being trends and school-based protective factors among adolescents in British Columbia (2015-2022): A...

Adolescent mental well-being has declined in the past decade. Much research relies on administrative data and population-based research incorporating youth voices and exploring protective factors for mental well-being is scarce. This study examined trends in adolescent mental well-being from 2015 to 2022 in British Columbia (BC), Canada. We examined sex differences in the trends, the role of protective factors in school, and the relative importance of protective factors for mental well-being.

We drew from self-report data from eight years of implementation (2015-2022) of the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) with grade 7 students (N = 69,391; 49 % girls) in schools. Positive (satisfaction with life; SWL) and negative (depressive symptoms) mental well-being indicators were examined over time using a repeated cross-sectional design. Analyses were stratified by sex. The presence of 0-3 protective factors (adult support at school, peer belonging, school connectedness) and SES were covariates.

SWL significantly declined and depressive symptoms significantly increased across the study period and for most adjacent study years. Girls had significantly lower well-being and a steeper decline than boys. For the subset of students who scored high on all protective factors, the decline in well-being was attenuated but not eliminated and the sex gap was reduced.

The decline in well-being and the protective nature of modifiable protective factors identified in our study highlight the need for population-level mental health strategies that can be implemented in partnership with school districts.