Eva Oberle

This study examined how individual, relational, and organizational factors relate to school belonging in early adolescence. Multilevel models used population-level data from 23,421 Grade 6-8 students in 365 British Columbia schools, with predictors centered within cluster and school means entered at Level 2 to separate within-from between-school associations. Belonging was lower among students in higher grades. Within schools, optimism, connectedness with adults and peers, and low victimization were associated with greater belonging, and adult and peer connectedness interacted. Between schools, school-average connectedness with adults and, especially, school-average victimization showed stronger associations than their within-school counterparts. Students in standalone middle schools reported lower belonging than students in elementary schools, whereas secondary and K-12 settings did not differ, after adjustment for grade, individual characteristics, and relational climate. The model explained 45.6% of within-school and 73% of between-school variance. Findings position belonging as co-constructed by students, school relational climate, and grade-span configuration.

Background: Insufficient physical activity, excessive recreational screen time, and inadequate sleep pose health risks in school-aged children and adolescents. The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth advocate for balanced daily movement behaviours. This population-level study in British Columbia (BC), Canada, examined the proportion of young adolescents following these guidelines and how adherence correlated with their mental well-being. Methods: Using cross-sectional self-report data from 26,974 grades 6–8 children (48% girls, mean age = 13.31) who had completed the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) in BC in 2023, we calculated the percentages of children meeting physical activity (at least 1 h daily), sleep (9 + hours for 5- to 13-year-olds, 8 + for > 13-year-olds), and screen time (no more than 2 h daily) recommendations. Eight groupings were created, indicating how many and which movement behaviour guidelines were met: none, sleep only, physical activity only, screen time only, physical activity and sleep, physical activity and screen time, sleep and screen time, and all three behaviours. Mean differences in depressive symptoms, optimism, and satisfaction with life scores across categories were estimated through sex-stratified linear mixed models, adjusting for covariates. Results: Four percent of adolescents met all recommendations, while 15% met none. Meeting some or all recommendations was associated with higher levels of optimism and satisfaction with life, and lower levels of depressive symptoms compared to meeting none. Beneficial effects were overall larger for girls, and largest for depressive symptoms among girls meeting all recommendations versus none (-1.05, 95% CI [-1.14, -0.96]). Conclusions: Adherence to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines was associated with higher levels of well-being, but most grades 6–8 adolescents in our study did not meet the recommendations. Given sex differences in meeting the movement behaviour recommendations, public health strategies need to consider targeted interventions aimed at improving adherence to these guidelines, particularly focusing on reducing recreational screen time and increasing physical activity.

Objectives: This study examined whether poverty (neighborhood and household) was associated with future health or life satisfaction outcomes and whether the association operated through social support (adult support at home, adult support at school, peer belonging), or differed by the immigration background (nonimmigrant family or immigrant family) of the family.Methods: This study utilized a retrospective, longitudinal, population‐based cohort that included self‐reported survey data from the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) completed by children at age 9 and age 12, linked to administrative records. Participants included 5906 children in British Columbia, Canada. Neighborhood and household poverty were observed at age 8. Social support from adults and peers was self‐reported at age 9. Outcomes (overall health; life satisfaction) were self‐reported at age 12. Adjusted multi‐level multiple linear regression analyses and parallel mediation analyses were utilized. The interaction between poverty exposure and immigration background was also examined.Results: Exposure to either poverty type was associated with lower levels of life satisfaction and overall health at age 12, though household poverty appeared to be associated with lower outcomes in comparison to neighborhood poverty. The indirect effects of poverty on outcomes appeared to operate primarily through adult support at home and peer belonging. Children in immigrant families had a larger negative association between neighborhood poverty and life satisfaction.Conclusions: Household poverty had a larger negative association to outcomes in comparison to neighborhood poverty. The association of poverty to outcomes differed by immigration background and operated partially through adult support at home and peer belonging.

Introduction: Early adolescents who are new to Canada experience dual challenges of navigating developmental changes and multiple cultures. This study examined how changes in early adolescents’ emotional health from ages 9 to 12 differed by immigration background, and to what extent peer belonging and supportive school climate protected or promoted their emotional health.Methods: This study drew upon linked self‐report and administrative data. Across 10 school districts in British Columbia, Canada, N = 4479 non‐immigrant, immigrant, and refugee adolescents reported on their peer belonging, school climate, and emotional health (life satisfaction, optimism, self‐esteem, sadness, worries) in Grades 4 and 7, using the Middle Years Development Instrument. Immigration background including immigration class (economic, family, refugee) and generation status (first, second) were obtained from linked Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada data. Multi‐level modeling assessed the effect of time (grade level), immigration group, and changes in peer belonging and school climate on changes in self‐reported emotional health. Analyses were adjusted for gender, English first language, and low family income.Results: Immigrant and refugee adolescents reported worse emotional health in Grade 4 compared to non‐immigrants. Non‐immigrant and immigrant adolescents reported declines in emotional health from Grades 4 to 7. In contrast, first‐generation refugee adolescents reported significant improvements in life satisfaction, and first‐ and second‐generation refugees reported improvements in worries over this period. Perceived improvements in peer belonging and school climate were associated with positive changes in emotional health for all adolescents.Conclusions: Changes in adolescents’ emotional health from Grades 4 to 7 differed between immigrants, refugees, and non‐immigrants. Immigrants and refugees who enter adolescence with lower emotional health than their non‐immigrant peers may particularly benefit from culturally responsive school and community‐based interventions.

The current study addresses the lack of out‐of‐school time (OST) research in low‐ and middle‐income countries by exploring OST use in the context of Pakistan and incorporating youth's voices. Using a qualitative descriptive design with focus‐group discussions, we conducted a study in three middle schools set in low‐ to middle‐income neighborhoods in urban and rural areas of Karachi, Pakistan. We engaged 86 youth (50% girls; aged 10–15 years) that were purposefully selected from grade six (31.4%), seven (44.2%) and eight (24.4%) classrooms, balancing gender and locality. In each focus group, we asked participants to describe their afterschool activity routine on a typical weekday afternoon until bedtime. Digital recordings of discussions were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis. Based on sixteen focus groups with five to six participants in each group, we identified eight distinct categories: religious activities, schoolwork, screentime, helping adult family members, family time, outdoor play, indoor leisure activities, and hanging out with friends. We found that structured activities (e.g., religious activities and schoolwork supervised by an adult) were reported more frequently than unstructured activities (e.g., outdoor play and family time). Participation in activities varied by gender and location (i.e., urban vs. rural), highlighting disparities associated with the sociocultural context that marginalized youth face. Our findings provide a glimpse into the everyday lives of Pakistani youth outside of school. Additionally, they elucidate how economic resources, sociocultural norms regarding gender, and community safety shape youth's time use and socialization patterns. Findings from this study can inform the development of OST activities and initiatives aimed at promoting the positive development of Pakistani youth.

Outdoor free play encompasses unstructured, self-directed play in the outdoors and has been shown to support children’s health and development. Accurate and reliable measures are required to conduct research on children’s outdoor free play and examine cross-sectional and longitudinal variation. This study systematically reviews and evaluates measurement approaches for children’s outdoor free play used in existing literature. A scoping review was conducted to identify English-language peer-reviewed and grey literature that included measurements of the occurrence, frequency or duration of outdoor free play with children aged 2 to 17 years old. Studies were excluded if the outdoor free play measure included structured settings or activities, or focused on a specific location or play activity. Quantitative and qualitative content analysis was used to consider outdoor free play terminology, definition, and operationalization; positioning in relation to other variables and the topic of interest; and data collection context. A total of 4,860 unique studies were identified. After screening and full-text review, 184 papers were taken forward for analysis. Parent-recall questionnaires were used in 70.1% of included studies to measure outdoor free play, often using a single question to capture the variable. A lack of differentiation between outdoor play emanating from structured and unstructured settings was common, as was limited consideration of contextual factors such as season, school or non-school days, and time of day. The implications of existing approaches to measuring children’s outdoor free play and the need for valid and reliable measures to further research examining children’s outdoor free play are discussed.