Between performance and well-being: a multi-layered exploration of Swedish adolescents’ mental well-being in school

Abstract in English

The overarching aim of this doctoral thesis was to explore how different levels within the Swedish education system – from national policy to classroom practices and individual experiences – may influence adolescent mental well-being. Guided by a bioecological systems framework, the thesis sought to address four specific research objectives:

1. to assess whether the Swedish educational reform package implemented in 2011 was associated with increases in adolescent school pressure and gender differences in this experience;
2. to examine whether fear-of-failure mediates the relationship between educational expectations and negative affect, and whether this mediation differs by gender;
3. to investigate how distinct teaching practices within Swedish schools impact students’ subjective well-being regarding stress and school satisfaction, and;
4. to identify adolescent mental well-being profiles based on psychosomatic complaints, perceived sense of coherence, and satisfaction with health and family life.

Theoretical framework:

This work is conceptually informed by Bronfenbrenner and Morris’ bioecological systems model, which highlights the multi-layered and interactive influences of environmental contexts on development. The model draws attention to how adolescent development may be shaped not only by immediate settings such as family and school (microsystem), but also by the interactions between these settings (mesosystem) and broader institutional and policy structures (macro-system). In this thesis, the model is used conceptually in a top-down manner, starting from macro-level influences and tracing their potential effects through meso- and micro-level contexts. This multi-level perspective provides a framework for considering how different environmental layers might jointly contribute to mental well-being outcomes. Within this conceptual approach, the thesis applies the dual-factors model of mental health to understand adolescent mental well-being as encompassing both positive aspects (e.g., sense of coherence, satisfaction) and negative indicators (e.g., psychosomatic complaints, stress). Together, these frameworks offer a way to explore the complex interplay of individual, relational, and structural factors that may influence well-being in educational settings, enabling consideration of how influences at different levels potentially spill over to shape adolescents’ mental well-being experiences.

Dats and methods:

The research objectives were addressed by utilising multiple large-scale, nationally representative datasets spanning various years and cohorts collectively covering the period from 2001 to 2018. Study I utilised Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey data from the period 2001 to 2018 and applied synthetic control methods to evaluate the association between the 2011 education reform and changes in school pressure. Study II drew on data from the Programme for International Student Assessment and employed structural equation modelling to test the mediating role of fear-of-failure in the association between educational expectations and negative affect. Study III used data from the Evaluation Through Follow-up database to identify teaching practices and their associations with subjective well-being. Study IV also used Evaluation Through Follow-up data and applied latent class analysis to identify distinct mental well-being profiles among adolescents. This methodological approach combined quantitative, longitudinal, and person-oriented techniques to capture both group-level patterns and individual variation.

Results and conclusions:

The findings demonstrated that the 2011 Swedish educational reform package coincided with a significant increase in reported school pressure among adolescents, with the rise especially pronounced among girls, reflecting a widening gender gap in experienced stress. The findings suggests that performance-oriented educational reforms may inadvertently intensify academic stressors, particularly among girls. Mediation analyses in Study II revealed that fear-of-failure partially mediated the relationship between adolescents’ educational expectations and their experience of negative affect, with the effect being stronger among girls than boys. This pattern points to how performance-related concerns, shaped by both structural demands and gendered norms around achievement, may contribute to differentiated well-being outcomes among adolescents in high-stakes educational settings. Study III identified three distinct teaching practice profiles – teacher-centred, student-centred, and student-dominated – each associated with different patterns of student subjective well-being. Student-centred teaching, involving collaborative group work and interactive teacher-student dialogue, was linked to lower stress and higher school satisfaction, indicating more favourable subjective well-being. In contrast, teacher-centred and student-dominated practices were associated with higher stress or lower satisfaction, underscoring the importance of a balanced instructional approach in supporting students’ subjective well-being. Finally, latent class analysis in Study IV uncovered four distinct adolescent mental well-being profiles: (1) resilient and satisfied students with low psychosomatic complaints and high coherence and satisfaction; (2) strained but satisfied students exhibiting moderate complaints but maintaining positive outlooks; (3) vulnerable and unsatisfied students marked by high psychosomatic complaints and low coherence and satisfaction; and (4) secure but uncertain students who displayed mixed indicators of well-being. Gendered patterns emerged across these profiles, with girls disproportionately represented in the vulnerable and unsatisfied group, underscoring the need for gender-sensitive interventions. Conceptually, these findings point to the complex and interacting influences of policy, teaching practice, and individual factors on adolescent mental well-being in Sweden. This thesis suggests that adolescent well-being may be shaped by processes operating across multiple levels of the education system, where reforms, school practices, and individual experiences potentially spill over and interact in ways that influence stress and well-being. Gendered patterns appear particularly salient within these dynamics and merit further attention. The findings emphasise the need for social work and educational policy to move beyond individual-focused interventions and adopt systemic, preventive approaches addressing broader institutional and relational determinants. By integrating these perspectives, more equitable and supportive school environments can be developed to promote adolescent mental well-being, learning, and future life opportunities.