Stronger Connections, Stronger Kids: New Research Highlights the Protective Power of Belonging in Schools

A new HELP study suggests that investing in relationships at school could be one of the most effective strategies for improving mental well-being for students in the middle years.

Over the last decade, children’s rates of thriving (high levels of well-being) self-reported through the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) have declined. Especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, this pattern is consistent with national and international research on trends in well-being in the middle years and adolescence. While this downward trend has been alarming, a new study led by Dr. Eva Oberle and other researchers at the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) offers valuable insight and direction for intervention.

Drawing on eight years of data from the MDI, the study (recently published in Social Science & Medicine) examined the mental health and well-being of thousands of children across British Columbia. The findings show a troubling trend: fewer children are reporting that they are “thriving”. In fact, happiness declined from 2015 to 2022 and sadness increased. This pattern was seen across all neighbourhood income levels and was particularly steep among girls, who consistently reported lower levels of happiness and higher levels of sadness compared to boys.

Among these findings, however, protective mechanisms were also identified: when students felt connected — to their school, to their peers, and to supportive adults at school — trends in well-being over time were more stable, even during the challenging COVID-19 period.

The study also found that when students reported feeling connected in these three key ways, the gap in happiness and sadness rates over time between girls and boys was reduced — suggesting these factors are key in helping to reduce mental well-being disparities.

The MDI is a self-report questionnaire that asks children in Grades 4 through 8 about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in school and in the community. Since 2009, more than 100,000 children have participated in the survey, helping educators, policy makers, health sectors, and many others gain a deeper understanding of their social and emotional competence as well as mental and physical health.

This new research emphasizes when children feel connected and supported at school, they are more likely to thrive. As schools and communities continue to respond to the growing need for mental health support, investing in relationships — and creating spaces for these specific connections at school — could be one of the most effective strategies available.