HBSC Briefing Paper 13: Perceptions of School and the Health of Schoolchildren

Experiences and exposures that happen early on in life can have long-term implications for health (Morgan, 2004). School is an important context for young people’s health due to the amount of time they spend within the school setting. Experiences at school are known to have a strong influence on young people’s social and emotional health and development (Weare, 2000; Wells, 2000), as well as their academic achievement (Moon & Callaghan, 1999). Young people who enjoy school are more likely to feel good about themselves and report high levels of well-being (Samdal et al, 2004). Conversely, adolescents who report negative views of school report poorer health outcomes (Anderman, 1999; Torsheim and Wold, 2001) and higher levels of risk behaviour such as smoking (Samdal et al, 2000). School can therefore be seen as a resource or a risk for young people’s health. This briefing paper describes the health and well-being of young people in Scotland in relation to their school experience. It presents research findings for 11, 13 and 15-year-olds from the 2002 Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children: WHO Collaborative Cross-National Study (HBSC) and compares findings from Europe and North America. The survey methodology is described in the Technical Appendix. School systems and the social and academic expectations and pressures presented by school vary between countries. The HBSC study gives a unique opportunity to examine the impact of perceptions of school on young people’s health across Europe and North America. This thirteenth briefing paper in the series examines associations between school experience and aspects of adolescent mental health, physical health and well-being. It features life satisfaction, confidence, happiness, and smoking and drinking behaviour