The Association Between School Context and Student Health and Wellbeing

Abstract

The overall aim of this thesis is to understand the relationship between school environments and student health and wellbeing outcomes. Specifically, this thesis aims to describe and understand how school environments, including student relationships, teacher wellbeing and health and social support services within schools are associated with student health outcomes. Using a Youth Development Framework, this thesis examines a range of health‐risking behaviours and mental health disorders that have been shown to affect the health and development of adolescents and are the main causes of morbidity and mortality among adolescents in New Zealand. The thesis utilises data from Youth’07, a nationally representative study of over 9,000 secondary school students as well as data from over 2,900 teachers and school administrators who completed questionnaires developed for this thesis on aspects of their school environment and climate. Multilevel modelling is used to explore the association between school contexts and student health and wellbeing outcomes, accounting for student‐level covariates that may confound this relationship. Findings presented within have highlighted the importance of supportive, safe school environments that encourage widespread student participation in school activities. But overall, these school environments appear to play a minor role in determining health outcomes for students compared to other areas of a student’s life that impact their wellbeing. Furthermore, for some students with high levels of emotional and behavioural difficulties, school environments do not appear to be enough to make significant differences in their behaviours. This suggests that, for these students, targeted services are required as opposed to school‐wide environmental changes. Some suggestions of specific areas of school activities are offered that do benefit student health outcomes. These include health and welfare services and supports for disruptive students, which are associated with fewer students engaging in risky sexual behaviours and truanting behaviours respectively. Findings from this thesis should be of interest to policymakers, researchers, educators, families and students, and people in general who are interested in what schools can do to promote the health and wellbeing of young people in New Zealand.