Catherine Rothon

Can social support protect bullied adolescents from adverse outcomes? A prospective study on the effects of bullying on the educational achievement and mental health of adolescents at secondary schools in East London

This paper investigates the extent to which social support can have a buffering effect against the potentially adverse consequences of bullying on school achievement and mental health. It uses a representative multiethnic sample of adolescents attending East London secondary schools in three boroughs. Bullied adolescents were less likely to achieve the appropriate academic achievement benchmark for their age group and bullied boys (but not girls) were more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms compared to those not bullied. High levels of social support from family were important in promoting good mental health. There was evidence that high levels of support from friends and moderate (but not high) family support was able to protect bullied adolescents from poor academic achievement. Support from friends and family was not sufficient to protect adolescents against mental health difficulties that they might face as a result of being bullied. More active intervention from schools is recommended.

Physical activity and depressive symptoms in adolescents: a prospective study

BackgroundThe frequency of mental illness amongst adolescents and its potential long-term consequences make it an important topic to research in relation to risk and protective factors. Research on the relationship between physical activity and depressive symptoms in adolescents is limited. There is a particular lack of evidence from longitudinal studies. This study examines the relationship between depression and physical activity using the Research with East London Adolescents: Community Health Survey (RELACHS).MethodsThis was a prospective cohort study. Participants were recruited from three Local Education Authority boroughs in East London in 2001 from year 7 (aged 11-12) and year 9 (aged 13-14) and were followed-up in 2003. All pupils in the 28 schools that took part were eligible for the study. Of the total 3,322 pupils eligible for the survey the overall response rate was 84% (2,789 pupils). A total of 2,093 (75%) pupils were also followed-up in 2003. The sample was multiethnic (73% of respondents were non-white) and deprived. Just under half of the sample was male (49%). Depressive symptoms were measured using the Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ). Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between physical activity and depressive symptoms both cross-sectionally and longitudinally.ResultsAfter adjustments, there was evidence for a cross-sectional association between physical activity and depressive symptoms for both boys and girls at baseline, with a decrease in the odds of depressive symptoms of about 8% for each additional hour of exercise undertaken per week (boys: odds ratio (OR) = 0.92, 95% CI 0.85 to 0.99; girls: OR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.00). There was no evidence for an association between a change in physical activity from baseline to follow-up and depressive symptoms at follow-up.ConclusionsThis study provides some evidence for an association between level of physical activity and decreased depressive symptoms in adolescents. Further longitudinal research of these associations is required before physical activity can be recommended as an intervention for depression in adolescents.

Equalisation or inflation? Social class and gender differentials in England and Wales

The Labour government elected in 1997, which lost power in 2010, was the longest serving Labour administration Britain has ever had. This period saw an enormous expansion of further and higher education, and an increase in the proportion of students achieving school‐level qualifications. But have inequalities diminished as a result? We examine the impact of this educational expansion on levels of social class and gender differentials in educational attainment and participation, using the Youth Cohort Study data for the period 1990–2006. We take a novel approach to the presentation of inequalities, examining differentials in the form of 1) Percentage points, 2) Proportionate gaps and finally, 3) Relative rankings in the hierarchy of examination results. We find that social class inequalities have declined since 1997, but more modestly in terms of relative rankings than in terms of proportionate gaps.

Gender Inequalities in the Education of the Second Generation in Western Countries

Drawing on comparative analyses from nine Western countries, we ask whether local-born children from a wide range of immigrant groups show patterns of female advantage in education that are similar to those prevalent in their host Western societies. We consider five outcomes throughout the educational career: test scores or grades at age 15, continuation after compulsory schooling, choice of academic track in upper-secondary education, completion of upper secondary, and completion of tertiary education. Despite great variation in gender gaps in education in immigrants’ origin countries (with advantages for males in many cases), we find that the female advantage in education observed among the majority population is usually present among second-generation immigrants. We interpret these findings in light of ideas about gender role socialization and immigrant selectivity.

Reliability of self report questionnaires for epidemiological investigations of adolescent mental health in Cape Town, South Africa

Objective: This study aimed to assess the reliability of a number of self report questionnaires for epidemiological investigations of adolescents’ mental health in Cape Town, South Africa. The scales used were: the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ), Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-esteem Questionnaire (SEQ), Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) and Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Method: The self-report questionnaire (available in Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa) was administered to 237 grade 8 students (14–15 years) on 2 occasions in metropolitan Cape Town high schools. The mean interval between first and second administration of the questionnaire was 8.3 days. Test-retest reliability was assessed using Cohens kappa and observed agreement. Pearsons correlation coefficients were used to assess consistency across total scores between occasion 1 and occasion 2. Cronbachs alpha was used to assess the internal consistency of each scale. Results: All items had at least fair test-retest reliability (kappa > 0.20) apart from two items on the Self-rating Anxiety Scale and one item on the Harvard Trauma questionnaire. Test-retest reliability was strong for the HTQ (Pearsons correlation coefficient >0.75), moderate for the SAS, SEQ and MSPSS (0.50–0.74) and weak for the SMFQ (0.25–0.49). Cronbachs alpha for all scales was acceptable (>0.60). Analysis by the different language versions (Afrikaans/English and isi-Xhosa/ English) of the questionnaire indicated good internal consistency for most measures for all three languages. Conclusions: The results indicate that many of these instruments may be used reliably in South Africa to assess adolescent mental health and that the different language versions of the instruments used in the questionnaire are generally reliable for use in South African schools. However, some caution is required with the use of the SAS and SEQ in different language groups.