Mental Health of Adolescents with Native, Immigrant, and Mixed-Heritage Backgrounds: The Mediating Role of Family and School Experiences
Abstract Despite the growing population of youth with mixed-heritage background, little is known about their mental health. This study examined differences in life satisfaction, psychological, and somatic complaints between adolescents with native, immigrant, and mixed-heritage backgrounds, and whether the quality of their family and school relationships accounts for divides in mental health. A total of 150,920 adolescents ( M age =13.54, SD = 1.65; 51.79% female) from 32 countries participated in the 2017/18 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. Compared to natives, mixed-heritage adolescents had poorer mental health and worse family and school relationships, which accounted for observed mental health divides. Compared to immigrant-origin peers, mixed-heritage adolescents had slightly more psychological complaints but higher family support. Findings highlight more risks than resources associated with a mixed-heritage.
Authors
- Maxim Dierckens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8991-9352)
- Michela Lenzi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7721-2448)
- Nour Hammami (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5816-5949)
- Beatrice Bobba (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3653-4197)
- Catrin Finkenauer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5429-0627)
- Katarzyna Porwit (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2924-1268)
- Coriena de Heer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1752-5853)
- Hester Sijtsma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1820-0559)
- Gonneke W. J. M. Stevens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9929-7972)
- Camille Davisse‐Paturet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0521-7351)
- Rodrigo Antunes Lima (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7778-2616)
- Mirna Naddour (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5154-2849)
Institutions
- University of Padua (IT)
- Inserm (FR)
- Utrecht University (NL)
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ES)
- Ghent University (BE)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (ES)
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (ES)
- University of Warsaw (PL)
- Trent University (CA)
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Youth and Adolescence
- Published
- 2026-11-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-026-02425-7
- Primary Topic
- Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00