Intersectionality and Adolescent Mental Well-being: A Cross-Nationally Comparative Analysis of the Interplay Between Immigration Background, Socioeconomic Status and Gender

Matthias Robert Kern; Elisa L. Duinhof; Sophie D. Walsh; Alina Cosma; Concepción Moreno-Maldonado; Michal Molcho; Candace Currie; Gonneke W.J.M. Stevens

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.02.013

Intersectionality and Adolescent Mental Well-being: A Cross-Nationally Comparative Analysis of the Interplay Between Immigration Background, Socioeconomic Status and Gender

Matthias Robert Kern^*, Elisa L. Duinhof, Sophie D. Walsh, Alina Cosma, Concepción Moreno-Maldonado, Michal Molcho, Candace Currie, Gonneke W.J.M. Stevens

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Purpose: Intersectionality theory highlights the importance of the interplay of multiple social group memberships in shaping individual mental well-being. This article investigates elements of adolescent mental well-being (life dissatisfaction and psychosomatic complaints) from an intersectional perspective. It tests mental well-being consequences of membership in combinations of multiple social groups and examines to what extent such intersectional effects depend on the national context (immigration and integration policies, national-level income, and gender equality). Methods: Using Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy, we assessed the role of the national context in shaping the interplay between immigration background, socioeconomic status, and gender, using data from 33 countries from the 2017/2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey. Results: We found no uniform intersectionality effects across all countries. However, when allowing the interplay to vary by national context, results did point toward some intersectional effects. Some aggravated negative effects were found for members of multiple disadvantaged social groups in countries with low levels of income equality and restrictive migration policies, whereas enhanced positive effects were found for members of multiple advantaged groups in these countries. Similarly, mitigated negative effects of membership in multiple disadvantaged groups were shown in countries with higher levels of income equality and more inclusive migration policies, whereas mitigated positive effects were found for multiply advantaged individuals. Although for national-level gender equality results pointed in a similar direction, girls' scores were counterintuitive. High national-level gender equality disproportionately benefitted groups of disadvantaged boys, whereas advantaged girls were doing worse than expected, and reversed effects were found for countries with low gender equality. Conclusions: To fully understand social inequalities in adolescent mental well-being, the interplay between individual-level and national-level indicators must be explored.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	S12-S20
Number of pages	9
Journal	Journal of Adolescent Health
Volume	66
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.02.013
Publication status	Published - 1 Jun 2020

Funding

Health Behaviour in School-aged Children is an international study carried out in collaboration with WHO/EURO. The International Coordinator was Jo Inchley (University of Glasgow) for the 2017/2018 survey. The Data Bank Manager was Professor Oddrun Samdal (University of Bergen). The 2017/2018 survey included in this study were conducted by the following Principal Investigators in the 33 countries: Albania (Gentiana Qirjako), Austria (Rosemarie Felder-Puig), Azerbaijan (Gahraman Hagverdiyev), Belgium (Flemish: Bart De Clercq; French: Katia Castetbon), Bulgaria (Lidiya Vasileva), Croatia (Ivana Pavic Simetin), Czech Republic (Michal Kalman), Denmark (Mette Rasmussen), Estonia (Leila Oja, Katrin Aasvee), Finland (Jorma Tynj?l?), Germany (Matthias Richter), Greece (Anna Kokkevi), Hungary (?gnes N?meth), Iceland (Arsaell M. Arnarsson), Ireland (Saoirse Nic Gabhainn), Italy (Franco Cavallo), Kazakhstan (Shynar Abdrakhmanova and Valikhan Akhmetov), Luxembourg (Helmut Willems), Malta (Charmaine Gauci), The Netherlands (Gonneke Stevens and Saskia van Dorsselaer), Norway (Oddrun Samdal), Poland (Joanna Mazur), Portugal (Margarida Gaspar de Matos), Republic of Moldova (Galina Lesco), Romania (Adriana Baban), Russia (Anna Matochkina), Serbia (Jelena Rakic), Slovenia (Helena Jericek), Spain (Carmen Moreno), Sweden (Petra Lofstedt, Lilly Augustine), Switzerland (Marina Delgrande-Jordan and Herv? Kuendig), Ukraine (Olga Balakireva), United Kindgom (Scotland: Jo Inchley; Wales: Chris Roberts). Disclosure: This supplement was supported by the World Health Organization European Office and the University of Glasgow. The articles have been peer-reviewed and edited by the editorial staff of the Journal of Adolescent Health. The opinions or views expressed in this supplement are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the funder.

Keywords

Cross-national
Gender
Gender equality
Immigration and integration policies
Immigration background
Income equality
Intersectionality
MAIHDA
Mental well-being
Socioeconomic status

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.02.013

PIIS1054139X20300823Final published version, 407 KBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

Kern, M. R., Duinhof, E. L., Walsh, S. D., Cosma, A., Moreno-Maldonado, C., Molcho, M., Currie, C., & Stevens, G. W. J. M. (2020). Intersectionality and Adolescent Mental Well-being: A Cross-Nationally Comparative Analysis of the Interplay Between Immigration Background, Socioeconomic Status and Gender. Journal of Adolescent Health, 66(6), S12-S20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.02.013

@article{797cdba3db4f47e4b904a9f955b5823b,

title = "Intersectionality and Adolescent Mental Well-being: A Cross-Nationally Comparative Analysis of the Interplay Between Immigration Background, Socioeconomic Status and Gender",

abstract = "Purpose: Intersectionality theory highlights the importance of the interplay of multiple social group memberships in shaping individual mental well-being. This article investigates elements of adolescent mental well-being (life dissatisfaction and psychosomatic complaints) from an intersectional perspective. It tests mental well-being consequences of membership in combinations of multiple social groups and examines to what extent such intersectional effects depend on the national context (immigration and integration policies, national-level income, and gender equality). Methods: Using Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy, we assessed the role of the national context in shaping the interplay between immigration background, socioeconomic status, and gender, using data from 33 countries from the 2017/2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey. Results: We found no uniform intersectionality effects across all countries. However, when allowing the interplay to vary by national context, results did point toward some intersectional effects. Some aggravated negative effects were found for members of multiple disadvantaged social groups in countries with low levels of income equality and restrictive migration policies, whereas enhanced positive effects were found for members of multiple advantaged groups in these countries. Similarly, mitigated negative effects of membership in multiple disadvantaged groups were shown in countries with higher levels of income equality and more inclusive migration policies, whereas mitigated positive effects were found for multiply advantaged individuals. Although for national-level gender equality results pointed in a similar direction, girls' scores were counterintuitive. High national-level gender equality disproportionately benefitted groups of disadvantaged boys, whereas advantaged girls were doing worse than expected, and reversed effects were found for countries with low gender equality. Conclusions: To fully understand social inequalities in adolescent mental well-being, the interplay between individual-level and national-level indicators must be explored.",

keywords = "Cross-national, Gender, Gender equality, Immigration and integration policies, Immigration background, Income equality, Intersectionality, MAIHDA, Mental well-being, Socioeconomic status",

author = "Kern, {Matthias Robert} and Duinhof, {Elisa L.} and Walsh, {Sophie D.} and Alina Cosma and Concepci{\'o}n Moreno-Maldonado and Michal Molcho and Candace Currie and Stevens, {Gonneke W.J.M.}",

year = "2020",

month = jun,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.02.013",

language = "English",

volume = "66",

pages = "S12--S20",

journal = "Journal of Adolescent Health",

issn = "1054-139X",

publisher = "Elsevier Inc.",

number = "6",

}

Kern, MR, Duinhof, EL, Walsh, SD, Cosma, A, Moreno-Maldonado, C, Molcho, M, Currie, C & Stevens, GWJM 2020, 'Intersectionality and Adolescent Mental Well-being: A Cross-Nationally Comparative Analysis of the Interplay Between Immigration Background, Socioeconomic Status and Gender', Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 66, no. 6, pp. S12-S20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.02.013

Intersectionality and Adolescent Mental Well-being: A Cross-Nationally Comparative Analysis of the Interplay Between Immigration Background, Socioeconomic Status and Gender. / Kern, Matthias Robert; Duinhof, Elisa L.; Walsh, Sophie D. et al.
In: Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 66, No. 6, 01.06.2020, p. S12-S20.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Intersectionality and Adolescent Mental Well-being

T2 - A Cross-Nationally Comparative Analysis of the Interplay Between Immigration Background, Socioeconomic Status and Gender

AU - Kern, Matthias Robert

AU - Duinhof, Elisa L.

AU - Walsh, Sophie D.

AU - Cosma, Alina

AU - Moreno-Maldonado, Concepción

AU - Molcho, Michal

AU - Currie, Candace

AU - Stevens, Gonneke W.J.M.

PY - 2020/6/1

Y1 - 2020/6/1

N2 - Purpose: Intersectionality theory highlights the importance of the interplay of multiple social group memberships in shaping individual mental well-being. This article investigates elements of adolescent mental well-being (life dissatisfaction and psychosomatic complaints) from an intersectional perspective. It tests mental well-being consequences of membership in combinations of multiple social groups and examines to what extent such intersectional effects depend on the national context (immigration and integration policies, national-level income, and gender equality). Methods: Using Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy, we assessed the role of the national context in shaping the interplay between immigration background, socioeconomic status, and gender, using data from 33 countries from the 2017/2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey. Results: We found no uniform intersectionality effects across all countries. However, when allowing the interplay to vary by national context, results did point toward some intersectional effects. Some aggravated negative effects were found for members of multiple disadvantaged social groups in countries with low levels of income equality and restrictive migration policies, whereas enhanced positive effects were found for members of multiple advantaged groups in these countries. Similarly, mitigated negative effects of membership in multiple disadvantaged groups were shown in countries with higher levels of income equality and more inclusive migration policies, whereas mitigated positive effects were found for multiply advantaged individuals. Although for national-level gender equality results pointed in a similar direction, girls' scores were counterintuitive. High national-level gender equality disproportionately benefitted groups of disadvantaged boys, whereas advantaged girls were doing worse than expected, and reversed effects were found for countries with low gender equality. Conclusions: To fully understand social inequalities in adolescent mental well-being, the interplay between individual-level and national-level indicators must be explored.

AB - Purpose: Intersectionality theory highlights the importance of the interplay of multiple social group memberships in shaping individual mental well-being. This article investigates elements of adolescent mental well-being (life dissatisfaction and psychosomatic complaints) from an intersectional perspective. It tests mental well-being consequences of membership in combinations of multiple social groups and examines to what extent such intersectional effects depend on the national context (immigration and integration policies, national-level income, and gender equality). Methods: Using Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy, we assessed the role of the national context in shaping the interplay between immigration background, socioeconomic status, and gender, using data from 33 countries from the 2017/2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey. Results: We found no uniform intersectionality effects across all countries. However, when allowing the interplay to vary by national context, results did point toward some intersectional effects. Some aggravated negative effects were found for members of multiple disadvantaged social groups in countries with low levels of income equality and restrictive migration policies, whereas enhanced positive effects were found for members of multiple advantaged groups in these countries. Similarly, mitigated negative effects of membership in multiple disadvantaged groups were shown in countries with higher levels of income equality and more inclusive migration policies, whereas mitigated positive effects were found for multiply advantaged individuals. Although for national-level gender equality results pointed in a similar direction, girls' scores were counterintuitive. High national-level gender equality disproportionately benefitted groups of disadvantaged boys, whereas advantaged girls were doing worse than expected, and reversed effects were found for countries with low gender equality. Conclusions: To fully understand social inequalities in adolescent mental well-being, the interplay between individual-level and national-level indicators must be explored.

KW - Cross-national

KW - Gender

KW - Gender equality

KW - Immigration and integration policies

KW - Immigration background

KW - Income equality

KW - Intersectionality

KW - MAIHDA

KW - Mental well-being

KW - Socioeconomic status

U2 - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.02.013

DO - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.02.013

M3 - Article

C2 - 32446604

AN - SCOPUS:85084849851

SN - 1054-139X

VL - 66

SP - S12-S20

JO - Journal of Adolescent Health

JF - Journal of Adolescent Health

IS - 6

ER -

Intersectionality and Adolescent Mental Well-being: A Cross-Nationally Comparative Analysis of the Interplay Between Immigration Background, Socioeconomic Status and Gender

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this