Ingrid Holsen’s research while affiliated with University of Bergen and other places

Most empirical knowledge on the processes and challenges of conducting youth participatory action research (YPAR) in the school setting stems from research in the US; only a few studies exist among European youth. In addition, what youth participation looks like in YPAR is rarely described. The present study investigates the experiences of implementing a Junior-researcher YPAR initiative from the perspectives of students and teachers in five ninth-grade classes in Norway. We also observed two of the classes throughout the process. The findings from interviews and observations showed that the Junior-researcher mostly promoted a sound experience of participation and knowledge production among the students. However, students and teachers were not familiarized with a YPAR designed to promote unstructured learning methods and student autonomy, or to limit teacher involvement. The present results illustrate some of the challenges youth participatory approaches may face in a school context. ARTICLE HISTORY

Introduction Social media use is part of everyday life for adolescents. Over the last decade, concerns about the potential negative effects of social media use on mental health and well-being has been raised. Possible positive effects of social media use have to a lesser extent been explored. However, some studies have found associations between social support on social media and well-being. Self-disclosing thoughts and feelings on social media might provide social support and positively affect well-being. The current study aimed to explore adolescents’ experiences with sharing something difficult on social media and the association with well-being. Methods The survey data in this cross-sectional study were collected from a sample of 2023 adolescents from senior high schools (mean age 17.4, 55.6% females). Mental well-being was measured using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being scale (WEMWBS). Multiple linear regression adjusting for age, gender, social media frequency/duration of use, and the number of close friends was used to explore the association of sharing something difficult on social media and mental well-being. Results The findings indicated that sharing something difficult on social media, either with a few friends/family members or in a public post, was associated with lower well-being. Perceived social support (easier to talk about, received support, positive experience) after sharing something difficult was associated with higher well-being. Females reported sharing something difficult more than boys, but no interaction effect of gender was found in the associations between private or public sharing and well-being. Discussion The results indicate that social media can serve as a supportive environment for adolescents. Future research may want to explore additional aspects of adolescents’ social media use, sharing, and well-being, such as differences in public and private sharing. Such contributions will increase the knowledge base of optimal ways to seek social support through social media.

Although a vulnerable period, adolescence is a time of great potential for healthy development. Understanding factors that contribute to mental well-being in this period is of great importance to facilitate for healthy development. During the adolescence period the body goes through rapid and considerable changes, and the focus on body appearance and perfection is substantial at societal, media, and peer level. In this study, we investigated the association between dimensions characterizing positive youth development, and mental well-being among Norwegian adolescents 16–17 years 1 year later, and whether this association was mediated by degree of body appreciation. We further tested whether the indirect and direct paths between positive youth development dimensions and mental well-being were moderated by gender. We used data from the first and second follow-up of the control arm of the COMPLETE study, a cluster randomized controlled trial in upper secondary schools in Norway. Findings showed that positive youth development in grade 1, as measured by both a combined global PYD and the dimensions competence, and connection were significantly associated with mental well-being in grade 2 in models adjusted for mental well-being in grade 1, gender and perceived family affluence. Also, body appreciation in grade 1 significantly predicted mental well-being in grade 2 in models including each of global PYD, competence, connection, character, and caring dimensions. Contrary to our hypothesis, no mediating effects of body appreciation were observed, and no moderation of indirect effects by gender were observed.

More than half of the municipalities in Norway report drug misuse as the most important public health challenge. Following a whole‐of‐government tradition, the ambition is to achieve horizontal and vertical coordination between different policy areas to address complex problems, such as youth drug use, and avoid fragmented services. This study aims to offer new perspectives on how governmental structures shape local drug prevention. By including the perspective of both local policy makers and outreach social workers, we can come closer to understanding how local drug prevention transforms policy into practice. The study will thus explore how policy makers and outreach social workers describe the local drug prevention strategy and how the outreach social workers implement it in practice. An instrumental case study of one Norwegian municipality was used to investigate the structures for drug prevention in detail. Data were gathered through 14 interviews with public officials from the relevant policy areas and outreach social workers from a drug prevention outreach service. The data were analysed using a thematic framework analysis. This study demonstrated that the policy makers’ and outreach social workers’ descriptions of drug prevention highlighted the creation of good living conditions and promotion of protective factors surrounding at‐risk youths. This perspective may offer a broader approach to drug policy, which includes many policy areas. While collaboration was regarded as paramount, the policy makers described a “siloed” organisation that made it difficult to collaborate. The outreach social workers, however, indicated that they were able to navigate the “siloed” structures. We discuss the structural conditions surrounding outreach social workers that shape the implementation of policies, such as the resource perspective. The discussion shows that outreach social workers may act as a safety net for a potentially fragmented municipal structure for drug prevention.

At-risk youth often rely on different municipal services, such as child welfare services, social services and medical services. All of these services play an important role in preventing drug use and promoting well-being, following the health promoting principles in the Norwegian Public Health Act of 2012. While the goal is for these services to coordinate their actions, many youths fall through the cracks of the system. Some municipalities have developed outreach services aimed at helping these at-risk youth. This study gives insight into the relationship between the outreach service and the youths, and how the youths experience the outreach service as compared to other municipal services through individual interviews and focus groups. The findings demonstrate that the outreach service has legitimacy as a trustworthy service, emphasizing the importance of at-risk youth having trusting relationships with professionals. The outreach service also promotes the youth’s empowerment, which was contrasted to the deficit-focus the youths experienced with other services. The outreach service’s resource-orientation endorses the need for empowering-oriented approaches aimed at at-risk youths. The findings also show that the outreach service is able to aid the youths in navigating with the other services. We discuss the outreach service role as a “safety net” between disintegrated services in the municipal organization, enabled by their legitimacy as a trustworthy service and the empowering approach. The study illustrates the valuable role a service such as the outreach service can play, both for the individual at-risk youth and also on a structural level within a municipal organization.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an intervention with a universal program (single-tier) in one group, and the combination of this universal program and a selected + indicated measure (multi-tier) in another group. Interventions were designed to enhance the psychosocial environment to reduce loneliness and mental health problems. 17 upper secondary schools in Norway were randomly assigned with six, six, and five schools in the single-tier, multi-tier and control group respectively. An overall increase in mental health problems and loneliness was found in all groups at follow-up. Compared to girls in the control group, girls in the multitier group had a significantly lower increase in mental health problems. Due to small effects, we take caution in interpreting findings.

Purpose: Norwegian municipalities report that drug misuse is the most important public health challenge. The municipalities play a unique role in drug prevention aimed at youth, since young people rely on several services in their daily lives that are organized by different municipal departments. However, the municipal structure is described as siloed, and the policy areas as differentiated. This situation has led to a need for integration between different policy sectors to prevent drug use and promote health. The following study explores how policymakers describe the structures for integration within local government in practice with regard to drug prevention aimed at youth, contributing to the ongoing debate on collaboration and integration in response to public health challenges. Methods: A single case study design was used to investigate the accounts of policymakers from different municipal departments in a Norwegian municipality following Axelsson and Axelsson's conceptual scheme of integration. Findings: Collaboration between departments was viewed as important to successfully address drug prevention; however, the policymakers recognized problems with integration. The participants described confusion regarding ownership between the departments and a perceived lack of a mandate for collaboration. Conclusions: The findings and discussion illustrate that integration of drug prevention in a siloed structure relies on departments appreciating their respective roles in drug prevention and advisers experiencing a mandate to manage the siloes that exist in the organization. By gaining a better understanding of the siloed structures, we can provide valuable information needed to navigate them.

Introduction Research on positive youth development typically takes a more‐is‐better approach in which higher scores on measures of positive youth development indicate better outcomes. We question the validity of this assumption and describe how an imbalance among the Five Cs of Positive Youth Development can lead to a situation where “more” is actually “less.” We then provide an empirical illustration using cross‐sectional data. Methods We examined conditional associations between indicators of thriving and the C of caring using survey data obtained from a sample of 2,386 students in Norway (mean age 16.60 years [SD = 1.98]; 44.8% girls). Multilevel models assessed whether associations between caring and the thriving indicators (here defined as greater mental well‐being and lower anxiety and depressive symptoms) differed when versus when not controlling for overall positive youth development. Results When positive youth development was not included as a covariate, caring was positively associated with mental well being and anxiety but not significantly associated with depressive symptoms. After adding positive youth development to the model, caring became less strongly associated with mental well‐being, more strongly associated with anxiety, and significantly (positively) associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusions Our results indicate that, after controlling for a set level of positive youth development, caring does not predict adaptive outcomes in a monotonic more‐is‐better way. These findings illustrate an instance where developmental regulations benefit the context at the cost of the individual and therefore speak to a growing acknowledgement in the literature—young people may suffer if they “care too much.”