Mental Health Profiles Among Swedish High School Students: Relationships to Environmental Sensitivity and Coping Self-Efficacy

Dual-factor models of mental health integrate both positive and negative indicators to provide a more comprehensive understanding of mental health profiles. In this cross-sectional study, we explored the mental health profiles of Swedish high school students by examining five positive indicators of well-being—connectedness, perseverance, optimism, happiness, and engagement—alongside three distress indicators: symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. We further investigated how these profiles related to gender, environmental sensitivity, coping self-efficacy, and the experience of pandemic-related distress. Utilizing latent profile analysis on a sample of 846 students (M_age = 18, SD_age = 0.85), five distinct mental health profiles emerged: Complete mental health (42.9%) exhibited above-average well-being and below-average distress; Moderate mental health (37.8%) showed average well-being and distress levels; Vulnerable (9.8%) had below-average well-being with slightly elevated distress; Symptomatic but managing (5.4%) reported below-average well-being and high distress; and Troubled (4.0%) displayed significantly below-average well-being with very high distress. Gender played a significant role in differentiating these profiles, with girls particularly overrepresented in the Troubled and Symptomatic but managing profiles, suggesting a higher prevalence of mental health challenges among female students. As expected, students in the Complete mental health profile exhibited higher aesthetic sensitivity and greater coping self-efficacy, while those in the Troubled profile showed the highest ease of excitation and lowest coping self-efficacy, indicating a stark contrast in emotional regulation and resilience between the profiles. Interestingly, despite clear variations in well-being and distress, no significant differences were found between profiles in terms of distress experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, although girls reported higher levels of pandemic-related distress overall.

These findings offer critical insights into the diverse mental health experiences of adolescents, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions. Addressing the specific needs of students in compromised mental health profiles is essential to promoting a healthier and more supportive educational environment.