[School type, school stress and health problems in 17-year-old Zurich middle school students]

In the present study a sample of 661 seventeen-year-old students of different undergraduate colleges of the Canton of Zurich were investigated by questionnaire. They were asked about various psychosocial variables, their consumer behavior, school-life and their physical and mental health. The aim of the study was to investigate whether students of different college types differ in regard to their psychosocial and morbidity characteristics: Out of the sample two subgroups were formed: Students of the traditional college type B (classical/modern languages) and C (mathematics and sciences) on the one hand, and students of the modern college type D (modern languages) and L (modern languages/fine arts) on the other. Regarding sociodemographic variables and social contact there were no differences for both sexes between the two college types. Female students of the modern colleges reported to drink alcohol more regularly. There was a significant difference, however, taking college type into account in regard to eating behavior, body image, and physical and mental complaints. Girls of the modern colleges showed more symptoms and disturbances on all applied check lists. Regardless the college type, the results indicated that low academic grades and stressfully assessed school life were accompanied with significantly higher symptom scores in female students. The findings of the study indicate that targeted concepts for prevention and health promotion should be advanced especially in the classes of the modern colleges.