Classroom Immigrant Density Predicts Psychological Well-Being Among Adolescents With an Immigration Background: Findings From the 2017/18 Swedish Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Study

• Main Authors: Maria Granvik Saminathen (Author), Petra Löfstedt (Author), Sara Brolin Låftman (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A., 2021-07-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Objectives: Group-level characteristics in shared contexts such as schools may affect adolescent psychological health. This study examined if the immigrant density in the classroom was associated with the level of self-reported psychological complaints among students with an immigration background.Methods: Cross-sectional data were derived from 2,619 lower secondary school students (aged 13-15) in the 2017/18 wave of the Swedish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey. Using multilevel analysis estimating two-level random intercept linear regression models, classroom immigrant density was considered as a potential predictor of immigrant students' psychological complaints.Results: Students with an immigration background reported significantly fewer psychological complaints, on average, than students without such a background, even when adjusting for other sociodemographic characteristics. A cross-level interaction indicated that both first- and second-generation immigrant students experienced fewer psychological complaints in immigrant-dense classes compared to when the proportion of immigrant students was lower.Conclusion: Students with an immigration background fare better psychologically in classes with a higher proportion of immigrant students. Such compositional effects could be alleviated by strengthening all schools' capacities to provide a more inclusive classroom climate.

Item Description

1661-8564
10.3389/ijph.2021.647380