Understanding adolescent males’ poor mental health and health-compromising behaviours: A factor analysis model on Swedish school-based data

Abstract

Aim: The aim was to develop a factor model of the clustering of poor mental-health symptoms and health-compromising behaviours (HCBs) in adolescent males. Methods: The study was based on two cross-sectional school-based Swedish surveys in 2011 (response rate 80%, N=2823) and 2014 (response rate 85%, N=2358), both of which comprised questionnaires from males aged 15–16 and 17–18 years. A factor model was developed by exploratory factor analysis on the 2011 survey and validated by confirmatory factor analysis on the 2014 survey. Results: Four aspects of poor mental health and HCBs emerged in the exploratory factor analysis: (a) deviancy as a tendency to substance use and delinquency, (b) unsafety as an inclination towards feelings of unsafety in different environments, (c) gloominess as a tendency towards pessimism and feeling unwell and (d) pain as an inclination to experience physical pain. The model was validated with good model fit. Age did not affect the model structure, but older adolescent males were more influenced by deviancy and gloominess and less by unsafety compared to their younger peers. Conclusions: Separating symptoms of poor mental health and HCBs into four areas – deviancy, unsafety, gloominess and pain – brings new perspectives to the understanding of adolescent males’ health. To the best of our knowledge, our factor model is the first to include unsafety and pain in this context. Whenever a comprehensive approach to the health of adolescent males is needed in the clinic or in the field of public health, this factor model may provide guidance.

Confidentiality matters! Adolescent males’ views of primary care in relation to psychosocial health: a structural equation modelling approach

“…A confirmatory factor analysis validated the four latent variables among GP visitors in the present study (using the same methods for data generation and estimation as in the study mentioned above [ 27 ]). Model fits were acceptable to good (Comparative Fit Index 0.95, Tucker-Lewis Index 0.94, and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation 0.05).…”

“…In the analyses, symptoms of poor mental health and HCBs were represented by four latent variables that were developed and validated in data from Swedish adolescent males in Y9 and Y2U through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis: unsafety , gloominess, pain, and deviancy ( Table 2 ) [ 27 ]. Unsafety stands for an inclination to feel unsafe in a large variety of circumstances and locations.…”

“…Factor analysis groups variables, based on their statistical associations, into validated factors (called latent variables in structural equation modelling, SEM). In the present context, the latent variables represent a continuum from health to risk (details are presented elsewhere [ 27 ]). For example, deviancy extends from normal healthy experimentation to excessive engagement in multiple HCBs.…”

Adolescents’ Experiences of Close Relatives Having Physical Illness, Mental Illness, Addiction/Gambling Disorders, or Death Are Associated with Poor Mental Health and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

“…This study was approved by the Regional Ethical Review Board, Stockholm (Dnr 2017/709-32). The Life and Health in Youth surveys have previously been used in other research projects regarding adolescents' health [32][33][34].…”

Socioeconomic Disadvantage among Adolescents: Associations between Having Relatives with Severe Health Conditions, Parental Work Status, and Poor Mental Health

“…This study was approved by the Regional Ethical Review Board, Stockholm (Dnr 2017/709-32). Several previous studies focusing on adolescents' health have used data from the Life and Health Surveys [8,19,33,34].…”