There is a well-documented social gradient in mental health. However, there is limited knowledge regarding predictors of this social gradient, as well as its development from childhood through early adulthood. In the current project, we will examine this by utilizing data from the large scale epidemiological Bergen Child Study, linked to registry data on both school performance and school
completion. This will enable us to explore the association between socioeconomic status, mental health, health complaints, and school outcomes. We will specifically focus on sleep, physical activity and negative life events as possible factors that may account for the association.
In 2015 we published an article in Journal of Sleep Research on the association between mental health, family characteristics and Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. We showed that adolescents with a delayed sleep phase were more likely to come from families with poorer family economy, single parent families and have fathers with a lower level of education.
The project is a collaboration between researchers from RKBU, Uni Research Health and researchers from National Institute of Public Health, The Norwegian Center for Child Behavioral Development and international partners from the University of Auckland, New Zealand and Boston College, USA