The social gradient in adolescent mental health: mediated or moderated by belief in a just world?

Dominic Weinberg; Gonneke W J M Stevens; Margot Peeters; Kirsten Visser; Jet Tigchelaar; Catrin Finkenauer

doi:10.1007/s00787-021-01905-4

The social gradient in adolescent mental health: mediated or moderated by belief in a just world?

Dominic Weinberg, Gonneke W J M Stevens, Margot Peeters, Kirsten Visser, Jet Tigchelaar, Catrin Finkenauer

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

Abstract

PURPOSE: A social gradient in adolescent mental health exists: adolescents with higher socioeconomic status (SES) have fewer mental health problems than their peers with lower SES. Little is known about whether adolescents' societal beliefs play a role in this social gradient. Belief in a just world (BJW) may be a mediator or moderator of the social gradient in adolescent mental health.

METHODS: Using data from 848 adolescents (Mage = 17) in the Netherlands, path analyses examined whether two indicators of BJW (general and personal) mediated or moderated the associations between two indicators of SES (family affluence and perceived family wealth), and four indicators of adolescent mental health problems (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems).

RESULTS: Adolescents with lower family affluence and lower perceived family wealth reported more emotional symptoms, and the association between perceived family wealth and emotional symptoms was mediated by lower personal and general BJW. Furthermore, higher personal BJW amplified the negative association between SES and peer problems.

CONCLUSION: This study suggests BJW may both mediate and amplify the social gradient in adolescent mental health. Adolescents' beliefs about society may be important to include in research aimed at understanding this social gradient.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	773–782
Number of pages	10
Journal	European child & adolescent psychiatry
Volume	32
Issue number	5
Early online date	9 Nov 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-021-01905-4
Publication status	Published - May 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was supported by funding from Dynamics of Youth (Utrecht University). The funding source had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).

Keywords

Adolescent mental health
Belief in a just world
Health inequalities
Social gradient
Socioeconomic status

UN SDGs

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

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Cite this

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title = "The social gradient in adolescent mental health: mediated or moderated by belief in a just world?",

abstract = "PURPOSE: A social gradient in adolescent mental health exists: adolescents with higher socioeconomic status (SES) have fewer mental health problems than their peers with lower SES. Little is known about whether adolescents' societal beliefs play a role in this social gradient. Belief in a just world (BJW) may be a mediator or moderator of the social gradient in adolescent mental health.METHODS: Using data from 848 adolescents (Mage = 17) in the Netherlands, path analyses examined whether two indicators of BJW (general and personal) mediated or moderated the associations between two indicators of SES (family affluence and perceived family wealth), and four indicators of adolescent mental health problems (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems).RESULTS: Adolescents with lower family affluence and lower perceived family wealth reported more emotional symptoms, and the association between perceived family wealth and emotional symptoms was mediated by lower personal and general BJW. Furthermore, higher personal BJW amplified the negative association between SES and peer problems.CONCLUSION: This study suggests BJW may both mediate and amplify the social gradient in adolescent mental health. Adolescents' beliefs about society may be important to include in research aimed at understanding this social gradient.",

keywords = "Adolescent mental health, Belief in a just world, Health inequalities, Social gradient, Socioeconomic status",

author = "Dominic Weinberg and Stevens, {Gonneke W J M} and Margot Peeters and Kirsten Visser and Jet Tigchelaar and Catrin Finkenauer",

note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by funding from Dynamics of Youth (Utrecht University). The funding source had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, The Author(s).",

year = "2023",

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doi = "10.1007/s00787-021-01905-4",

language = "English",

volume = "32",

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AU - Weinberg, Dominic

AU - Stevens, Gonneke W J M

AU - Peeters, Margot

AU - Visser, Kirsten

AU - Tigchelaar, Jet

AU - Finkenauer, Catrin

N1 - Funding Information: This research was supported by funding from Dynamics of Youth (Utrecht University). The funding source had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results. Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).

PY - 2023/5

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N2 - PURPOSE: A social gradient in adolescent mental health exists: adolescents with higher socioeconomic status (SES) have fewer mental health problems than their peers with lower SES. Little is known about whether adolescents' societal beliefs play a role in this social gradient. Belief in a just world (BJW) may be a mediator or moderator of the social gradient in adolescent mental health.METHODS: Using data from 848 adolescents (Mage = 17) in the Netherlands, path analyses examined whether two indicators of BJW (general and personal) mediated or moderated the associations between two indicators of SES (family affluence and perceived family wealth), and four indicators of adolescent mental health problems (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems).RESULTS: Adolescents with lower family affluence and lower perceived family wealth reported more emotional symptoms, and the association between perceived family wealth and emotional symptoms was mediated by lower personal and general BJW. Furthermore, higher personal BJW amplified the negative association between SES and peer problems.CONCLUSION: This study suggests BJW may both mediate and amplify the social gradient in adolescent mental health. Adolescents' beliefs about society may be important to include in research aimed at understanding this social gradient.

AB - PURPOSE: A social gradient in adolescent mental health exists: adolescents with higher socioeconomic status (SES) have fewer mental health problems than their peers with lower SES. Little is known about whether adolescents' societal beliefs play a role in this social gradient. Belief in a just world (BJW) may be a mediator or moderator of the social gradient in adolescent mental health.METHODS: Using data from 848 adolescents (Mage = 17) in the Netherlands, path analyses examined whether two indicators of BJW (general and personal) mediated or moderated the associations between two indicators of SES (family affluence and perceived family wealth), and four indicators of adolescent mental health problems (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems).RESULTS: Adolescents with lower family affluence and lower perceived family wealth reported more emotional symptoms, and the association between perceived family wealth and emotional symptoms was mediated by lower personal and general BJW. Furthermore, higher personal BJW amplified the negative association between SES and peer problems.CONCLUSION: This study suggests BJW may both mediate and amplify the social gradient in adolescent mental health. Adolescents' beliefs about society may be important to include in research aimed at understanding this social gradient.

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The social gradient in adolescent mental health: mediated or moderated by belief in a just world?

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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