School-aged children

Which CoHeReNt members are involved?
Andrea Madarasová Gecková (andrea.geckova@upjs.sk)
Zuzana Dankulincová Veselská, Peter Kolarčik, Lucia Bosáková, Daniela Husárová, Jaroslava Kopčáková, Zuzana Boberová

What does the team do?
The team focuses on healthy development of youth. Research is oriented on health and health-related behaviour among school-aged children within their social context.

What methods does the team use?
The team uses predominantly questionnaire-based and school-based methodology within cross-sectional design with the addition of qualitative methodology as a part of measures validation. Currently we are planning to engage participative approach as a part of the youth engagement.

What are the team’s most remarkable projects?
Our team members, as a part of a Slovak national team, are involved in cross-national Health Behaviour in School-aged children (HBSC) study aimed not only to monitor health and health-related behavior of school-aged children in their social context, but also deepen the understanding of the mechanisms influencing differences and changes in health. With adolescents making about one sixth of the world’s population, HBSC uses its findings to inform policy and practice to improve the lives of millions of young people.

In addition to already ongoing HBSC study, our team prepared disHBSC study with aim to monitor health and quality of life in children with various types of sensory impairments, physical disabilities, or chronic diseases. Regarding this research topic, some of the team members are involved in the project which investigates psychosocial development and quality of life in children with health impairment, in particular diabetes mellitus type 1.

However, the development of new technologies and their utilization in ever-younger children is an unprecedented formational influence and we decided to pay attention on this topic within project Generation Z – new challenges in youth development. The aim of this project was to investigate the specifics of the maturing Generation Z through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods with application of a participatory approach and multidisciplinary international cooperation. We surveyed psycho-social and behavioural characteristics of pupils as well as their changes with the use of data obtained in the scope of the HBSC studies conducted in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 on nationally representative samples of 11 to 15-year-old pupils belonging to Generation Z.

This work as a part of the project “Generation Z – New challenges in youth development.” was supported by the Research and Development Support Agency under Contract No. APVV-18-0070.

Our research still continues. We are aware that the current generation of adolescents faces several socio-economic challenges and crises that impact their mental health. Our current project “Mental health among adolescents in the context of current societal challenges” aims to explore adolescent mental health by combining quantitative and qualitative methods, applying a participatory approach and multidisciplinary international collaboration. The psychosocial and behavioral characteristics of adolescents contributing to their mental health will be examined, as well as changes in those characteristics, using four cross-sectional questionnaire studies conducted as part of the international Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Study in 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026 with nationally representative samples of 11- to 15-year-old schoolchildren. Qualitative methods will be used to map key factors influencing mental health, with an emphasis on experiences in the school environment from the perspectives of adolescents and teachers and practitioners.

This work as part of the project “ Mental health among adolescents in the context of current societal challenges ” was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the Contract no. APVV-22-0078.

Related documents

HBSC international report 2021/2022- A focus on adolescent mental health and well-being

HBSC national report 2021/2022

HBSC national report 2017/2018

HBSC international report 2017/2018

HBSC national report 2013/2014

HBSC international report 2013/2014

HBSC international report 2013/2014: Slovak republic, Czech republic, Hungary, Ukraine and Poland