A multi-year study suggests that social connection and mindfulness may complement sleep, diet and exercise in protecting teenagers against later psychological distress.
Supporting teenagers’ mental health may depend on more than the familiar advice to sleep well, eat properly and keep active. New research from the University of the Sunshine Coast suggests that adolescents who have a wider mix of protective factors in their lives are more likely to enjoy better wellbeing and less psychological distress as time goes on.
The study, led by researchers at UniSC’s Thompson Institute and published in the Journal of Adolescence, followed young people aged 12 to 17 over several years. It examined how lifestyle habits and psychosocial strengths shaped later mental health, rather than looking at a single behaviour in isolation. According to the university, the findings point to a broader view of prevention, one that includes not only physical health routines but also how connected teenagers feel to other people and how often they stay present and engaged in daily life.
Dr Taliah Prince, a co-lead author and youth mental health researcher, said the results showed that the usual focus on sleep, diet and exercise tells only part of the story. Speaking through UniSC, she said social connectedness and mindfulness were also part of the picture, and that young people with more protective factors tended to report better wellbeing and lower distress at later assessments, even after earlier mental health was taken into account.
The work drew on the Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study, or LABS, a five-year project at the Thompson Institute that tracks brain development, cognition, mental health symptoms and lifestyle behaviour from ages 12 to 17. UniSC says the study is designed to help improve understanding of mental health risks before the age of 24, when many difficulties first emerge. That approach is in step with other long-term adolescent research, including the US National Institute of Mental Health’s ABCD study, which follows nearly 12,000 young people to better understand how environmental, social, genetic and biological factors shape brain and behavioural development.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
