Everyday problems in the social world of students in Swedish lower secondary schools–navigating social norms while maintaining good mental health

Abstract

For several decades, reports on increasing levels of mental illness among youths, in Sweden and globally, have multiplied. In investigating reasons for this, one finding has been that self-reported complaints could frequently be related to everyday problems rather than mental illness, among students in lower secondary school. Three areas of everyday problems have been identified in the questionnaires that alarm reports are often based upon: the body, school, and relationships. The aim of this article is to further investigate adolescents’ experience of everyday problems connected to relationships and to social norms. Data from seven focus groups with students from lower secondary schools in southern Sweden was qualitatively analysed, with a phenomenological ethnographic approach. The findings show how adolescents navigate social norms and the multiple pressures to achieve. This knowledge will be important in developing school-based interventions and demonstrates the importance of including young people’s perspectives in mental health research.