Semester of Graduation

Spring

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

When it was introduced, the dual-factor model of mental health revolutionized student mental health conceptualization by including measures of subjective well-being alongside psychopathological indicators. However, the manner in which students are assigned to mental health profiles may not be reflective of their actual characteristics. Therefore, the current study sought to expand on dual-factor model research through the employment of latent profile analysis (LPA), a person-centered approach to group classification, to examine to what degree well-established constructs predict student mental health. Constructs selected for the current study included school connectedness and school engagement. School connectedness is generally considered a protective factor for student mental health outcomes, whereas school engagement is the primary lens through which school dropout is examined. Using two indicators of subjective well-being and psychopathology, a five-profile solution was selected as the best fitting model of latent profiles for the present sample of adolescent students (N = 494). Alongside the classic groups associated with dual-factor research – Complete Mental Health, Troubled, Vulnerable, and Symptomatic but Content – a Moderate Mental Health profile was identified, wherein student mental health was characterized by neither low psychopathology nor high subjective well-being. A logistic regression demonstrated that student cognitive and affective engagement, as well as school connectedness, were each predictive of student mental health status. Behavioral engagement, however, was not predictive of student mental health status. Implications, future directions, and strengths and limitations of these findings are discussed.

Date

1-31-2025

Committee Chair

Kelly Clark

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Available for download on Tuesday, May 06, 2025

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