Conditions and strategies high school students living in lodgings experience as important and helpful for their well-being

Many 15- to 16-year-old adolescents in Scandinavian countries have to move away from home to live in lodgings during senior high school. This transition might affect the adolescents’ well-being and mental health, with the risk of dropping out of school and/or potential mental health problems. This study aims to explore what adolescents experience to be of importance and helpful for their well-being through their lives in lodgings during senior high school. Qualitative, in-depth interviews were performed among 21 adolescents from the ages of 16 to 18 of both genders living in lodgings in a Norwegian county. Eleven interviews were performed in 2008 and 10 interviews performed in 2016. Interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Two main categories and six subcategories were identified as important for well-being: (1) Conditions for well-being, me and my surroundings: (a) practical support; (b) relational support; (c) convenient housing; and (d) supportive class environment. (2) Strategies for well-being, me and myself: (a) practical strategies, and (b) strategies facing challenges. Adolescents living in lodgings experience several conditions in their surroundings to be of importance for their well-being, based on which they develop their own strategies to feel well. Implications towards promoting and strengthen their well-being are discussed.