Family structure and relationships and health among schoolchildren

For adolescents, as well as younger children, the family represents a vitally important setting for physical, emotional and social development. It is the context in which social behaviour and attitudes are formed. The influence of the family continues throughout adolescence and indeed through the life course in varying degrees (Pedersen et al, 2004a). Patterns of adolescent health have been shown to be associated with family factors such as quality of relationships and family composition (King et al, 1996; Nic Gabhainn and Francois, 2000; Settertobulte, 2000; Griesbach et al, 2003). This briefing paper describes the health and well-being of 11–15 year olds in Scotland in the context of the family using data from the 2001/02 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: World Health Organisation Cross-national Collaborative survey (HBSC). Comparisons are also made with the other 34 HBSC countries. Details of HBSC survey methodology, including the family and health questions, are detailed in the Technical Appendix along with a map and a list of participating HBSC countries. The composition of the family unit has undergone significant change in recent decades due to wide-ranging social, cultural and historical developments (Pedersen et al, 2004a) and varies across Europe (Iacovu, 2004). HBSC attempts to capture some of the complexities of contemporary family life by studying family structures and relationships and revealing the variety of ways in which adolescents and their families are living across Europe and North America.