Study finds sharper rise in mental health difficulties among Swedish girls
Two school cohorts, studied 17 years apart, showed increases in girls’ self-harm and disordered eating when broader mental health problems were also present.
The short version
- What they foundGirls with broader mental health problems showed threefold increases in repeated self-harm and high-risk disordered eating.
- What it meansThe findings highlight the importance of viewing these difficulties alongside wider mental health problems.
- What we don't know yetThe study cannot explain the rise or show whether it occurs elsewhere.
The study at a glance
- Sample size
- 987–992; 810–836 students
- Who
- Swedish adolescents, about age 14
- Study type
- Two school cohorts
- Followed for
- One year per cohort
The study compared two groups of students from the same Swedish municipality, separated by 17 years. The first group took part in 2007–2008 and the second in 2024–2025. Students were surveyed twice within each period, one year apart.
The earlier cohort included 987 to 992 students, depending on the measure analyzed, and had a response rate of about 90%. The later cohort included 810 to 836 students, with a response rate of about 80%. Students were about 14 years old on average in both periods.
Researchers used multi-question self-report tools rather than relying on a single question. They measured non-suicidal self-injury, often called NSSI, disordered eating, and broader mental health problems. Non-suicidal self-injury refers to self-harm assessed separately from suicidal behavior. The team used research cutoffs meant to identify clinically relevant levels of difficulty.
The clearest changes were among girls who reported both repeated NSSI and other mental health problems. That group rose from 6.6% in 2007–2008 to 21.0% in 2024–2025. Girls reporting both high-risk disordered eating and other mental health problems rose from 2.7% to 8.7%.
Those are roughly threefold increases in the combined problems. But the pattern matters: the study did not find a rise in repeated NSSI or high-risk disordered eating among girls when those problems occurred without other mental health difficulties. The researchers interpret this as evidence that the increase is closely linked with broader mental health problems rather than representing a general rise in these behaviors alone.
Among boys, the study found no increase in repeated NSSI, either with or without other mental health problems. The university’s news coverage also reported that mental health problems increased among boys over the study period, but less sharply than among girls. The journal abstract provides the detailed figures for the combined NSSI, disordered-eating, and mental-health patterns among girls.
This was a completed observational study, not a treatment trial. It shows that reported problems changed over time in these cohorts, but it cannot identify the reason. It cannot tell us whether social conditions, school experiences, access to care, changes in reporting, or other factors drove the increase.
The findings also come from one municipality in Sweden. They may not apply in the same way to adolescents in other places. The results relied on students’ self-reports, and response rates were lower in the more recent cohort. Those details are important when comparing the two periods.
More research in other communities would be needed to see how widely this pattern appears and to better understand what may be behind it. Studies would also be needed to test which forms of support best help young people experiencing self-harm, disordered eating, or wider mental health difficulties.
Why it matters
The study suggests that increases in girls’ self-harm and disordered eating may be concentrated among those also facing broader mental health difficulties. That distinction could matter for how schools and health services understand young people’s needs.
What to keep in mind
This observational study cannot show what caused the changes. It involved adolescents in one Swedish municipality and used self-reported questionnaires, so its results may not reflect every community.
If you're a parent
A gentle conversation opener could be: “How have you been feeling lately, and is there anything you want help with?”
A conversation starter, not medical advice.
Joi Frontier Health News shares hopeful, credible health information. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment — talk with a qualified healthcare professional about your situation. If you are in crisis or thinking about self-harm, contact your local emergency or crisis line.
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