Topic
Mental health
Adolescence is a period of immense change and growth, with young people navigating new emotions, social dynamics, and life experiences. This crucial stage of development significantly impacts mental health, encompassing positive well-being, life satisfaction, and emotional regulation. Understanding the factors that influence mental health during these formative years is essential for supporting healthy development and preventing long-term problems.
This section of the HBSC study explores various dimensions of adolescent mental health, including self-rated health, self-efficacy, loneliness, and specific health complaints. By examining these factors, we can gain valuable insights into the mental well-being of young people and identify potential areas for intervention and support.
Select one of the indicators below to view data.
Key Findings
Volume 1A focus on adolescent mental health & well-being
- Girls reported worse outcomes for mental health and well-being than boys across all outcomes included in the 2021/2022 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey.
- An increasing gender difference with age was observed for all the indicators examined.
- The proportion of adolescents who reported excellent health decreased with age. More boys than girls reported excellent health at ages 13 and 15 in nearly all countries and regions.
- Life satisfaction and mental well-being were higher among boys than girls across all three age groups in most countries and regions.
- Adolescents from more affluent families reported higher levels of life satisfaction and mental well-being across almost all countries and regions.
- Life satisfaction and self-rated health declined between the HBSC surveys in 2017/2018 and 2021/2022. This trend was more pronounced among girls.
- Girls consistently reported higher levels of loneliness than boys, except at age 11, where gender differences were found in six countries.
- Almost twice as many 15-year-olds (13% for boys and 28% for girls) than 11-year-olds (8% for boys and 14% for girls) reported feeling lonely in the last year.
- Girls reported more frequent health complaints than boys across all age groups.
- The prevalence of multiple health complaints increased with age, particularly among girls. At age 15, two-thirds of girls reported experiencing multiple health complaints compared with just over a third of boys. This gender gap is the largest since 2013/2014.
- One-third of adolescents (33%) experienced feeling nervous or irritable more than once a week in the last six months. One in four reported sleep difficulties (29%) and/or feeling low (25%). One in five (20%) reported having headaches more than once a week.
- The prevalence of 13- and 15-year-olds feeling low, having headaches and experiencing dizziness was twice as high for girls than for boys in most countries and regions.
Cite this data
Cite this report: Cosma A, Abdrakhmanova S, Taut D, Schrijvers K, Catunda C, Schnohr C. Focus on adolescent mental health and well-being in Europe, central Asia and Canada. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) International Report from the 2021/22 survey. Volume 1. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2023. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
Youth Commentary
“I think there’s a lot of girls who put themselves down because they’re like ‘am I good enough? Am I strong enough? Am I capable of doing things?’ And they put themselves down and beat themselves up for nothing. They don’t appreciate themselves for who they are.”
Girl, Scotland
