The Association between Loneliness, Mental Well-Being, and Self-Esteem among Adolescents in Four Nordic Countries
Positive mental health is central to adolescent well-being. The present study examines the prevalence of loneliness and positive mental health indicators (mental well-being and self-esteem) in four Nordic countries and associations between loneliness, mental well-being, and high self-esteem. This st...
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doaj-26bd1ef011f84292a0f7ad5fb8c6442a2021-07-23T13:43:47ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health1661-78271660-46012021-07-01187405740510.3390/ijerph18147405The Association between Loneliness, Mental Well-Being, and Self-Esteem among Adolescents in Four Nordic CountriesNelli Lyyra0Einar Baldvin Thorsteinsson1Charli Eriksson2Katrine Rich Madsen3Asko Tolvanen4Petra Löfstedt5Raili Välimaa6Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, FinlandFaculty of Medicine and Health, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, AustraliaDepartment of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, SwedenThe National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense, DenmarkFaculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, FinlandDepartment of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, SwedenFaculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, FinlandPositive mental health is central to adolescent well-being. The present study examines the prevalence of loneliness and positive mental health indicators (mental well-being and self-esteem) in four Nordic countries and associations between loneliness, mental well-being, and high self-esteem. This study is based on data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study which was conducted in 2018 in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden. Participants were 5883 15-year-old boys and girls. To examine the associations between loneliness, mental well-being, and self-esteem, structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied. In the comparison of Nordic countries, the prevalence of loneliness was highest among Finnish and Icelandic adolescents. High mental well-being and high self-esteem were most prevalent in Denmark and Sweden. In general, boys scored higher on positive mental health indicators and girls on loneliness. Loneliness was also a strong indicator of low mental well-being and low self-esteem in all Nordic countries. Loneliness is not only associated with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, but it is also a risk factor for adolescents’ positive mental health. Positive mental health is important for healthy maturation and there is a need to develop initiatives to reduce adolescent loneliness and so support positive development.https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/14/7405lonelinesspositive mental healthmental well-beingself-esteemadolescentsNordic countries |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Nelli Lyyra Einar Baldvin Thorsteinsson Charli Eriksson Katrine Rich Madsen Asko Tolvanen Petra Löfstedt Raili Välimaa |
spellingShingle |
Nelli Lyyra Einar Baldvin Thorsteinsson Charli Eriksson Katrine Rich Madsen Asko Tolvanen Petra Löfstedt Raili Välimaa The Association between Loneliness, Mental Well-Being, and Self-Esteem among Adolescents in Four Nordic Countries International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health loneliness positive mental health mental well-being self-esteem adolescents Nordic countries |
author_facet |
Nelli Lyyra Einar Baldvin Thorsteinsson Charli Eriksson Katrine Rich Madsen Asko Tolvanen Petra Löfstedt Raili Välimaa |
author_sort |
Nelli Lyyra |
title |
The Association between Loneliness, Mental Well-Being, and Self-Esteem among Adolescents in Four Nordic Countries |
title_short |
The Association between Loneliness, Mental Well-Being, and Self-Esteem among Adolescents in Four Nordic Countries |
title_full |
The Association between Loneliness, Mental Well-Being, and Self-Esteem among Adolescents in Four Nordic Countries |
title_fullStr |
The Association between Loneliness, Mental Well-Being, and Self-Esteem among Adolescents in Four Nordic Countries |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Association between Loneliness, Mental Well-Being, and Self-Esteem among Adolescents in Four Nordic Countries |
title_sort |
association between loneliness, mental well-being, and self-esteem among adolescents in four nordic countries |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
issn |
1661-7827 1660-4601 |
publishDate |
2021-07-01 |
description |
Positive mental health is central to adolescent well-being. The present study examines the prevalence of loneliness and positive mental health indicators (mental well-being and self-esteem) in four Nordic countries and associations between loneliness, mental well-being, and high self-esteem. This study is based on data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study which was conducted in 2018 in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden. Participants were 5883 15-year-old boys and girls. To examine the associations between loneliness, mental well-being, and self-esteem, structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied. In the comparison of Nordic countries, the prevalence of loneliness was highest among Finnish and Icelandic adolescents. High mental well-being and high self-esteem were most prevalent in Denmark and Sweden. In general, boys scored higher on positive mental health indicators and girls on loneliness. Loneliness was also a strong indicator of low mental well-being and low self-esteem in all Nordic countries. Loneliness is not only associated with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, but it is also a risk factor for adolescents’ positive mental health. Positive mental health is important for healthy maturation and there is a need to develop initiatives to reduce adolescent loneliness and so support positive development. |
topic |
loneliness positive mental health mental well-being self-esteem adolescents Nordic countries |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/14/7405 |
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