Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39379332›Full record

ArticleJournal of epidemiology and community health2025

Inequalities in adolescent mental health and allocation of students to selective classes in comprehensive schools in Finland: a longitudinal study.

Heidi Kesanto-Jokipolvi, Mari Siipola, Satu Koivuhovi, Terhi Pasu, Piia Seppänen, Arja Rimpelä

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Article in Journal of epidemiology and community health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Heidi Kesanto-JokipolviUnit of Health Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland heidi.kesanto-jokipolvi@tuni.fi.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-4608-6416
Mari SiipolaCentre for Research on Lifelong Learning and Education (CELE), University of Turku, Turku, Finland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-6445-8826
Satu KoivuhoviInequalities, Interventions, and a New Welfare State (INVEST), University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Terhi PasuCentre for Research on Lifelong Learning and Education (CELE), University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Piia SeppänenCentre for Research on Lifelong Learning and Education (CELE), University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Arja RimpeläUnit of Health Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3273-6226

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLower socioeconomic positions (SEP) and poor academic achievement increase children's risk for mental health problems. The Finnish education system is officially non-selective and unified, but a part of children can be selected into emphasised teaching classes by aptitude tests, which are known to segregate students by SEP and academic achievement. We study here if allocation of students to mainstream and selective classes segregates students by mental health, too.

methodsStudents from primary school (6th grade) were followed to lower secondary school (7th grade). The number in selective classes was n=209 and in mainstream classes n=551. Outcomes were depressed mood, anxiety and daily health complaints. Association between class type and the outcomes was analysed by cross-tabulation and logistic regression models. Gender, academic achievement, SEP and previous mental health were independent and confounding/moderating variables.

resultsStudents in selective classes had better academic achievement and higher SEP compared with students in mainstream classes. Girls reported poorer mental health than boys. Depressive mood did not vary by class type, but anxiety and daily health complaints were more common among girls in mainstream classes. When academic achievement and background factors were considered, among girls only anxiety was more common in mainstream classes, but among boys, anxiety appeared to be statistically significantly more common in selective classes.

conclusionGrouping students by aptitude tests to different classes may select them by mental health, too. Longer follow-up and gender-specific studies would give more reliable answers for education policy makers about student grouping by aptitude test and its effects on segregation.

Indexed as

Health Status DisparitiesMental HealthSchoolsStudentsAcademic SuccessAdolescentAnxietyChildDepressionFemaleFinlandHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleSocial ClassSocioeconomic FactorsAdolescentHealth inequalitiesMental health

Identifiers

PMID39379332
PMCPMC11874459

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.