Conclusion
Earlier studies using variable-centered procedures have increasingly found positive associations between indicators of civic engagement and youth mental health. However, in the present study, although we found some significant associations between the two factors in univariate analysis, our findings from a person-centered approach did not confirm any significant differences between the optimal, intermediate, and sub-optimal trajectories of mental health in terms of civic engagement (either as an ideology or action-oriented). This is surprising, considering that Norway like other Scandinavian countries, is noted for its strong participation in civic activities, which in our expectation, should translate to better mental health over time. While this finding could be related to our measurement of civic engagement, which possibly did not adequately capture the concept of “dugnad,” a well-established civic activity in the Norwegian society, both civic engagement and mental health may be impacted by trends in globalization, modernization, and individualization, causing them to play out differently. Notwithstanding, the findings that high SES and males are more likely to belong to optimal trajectories of mental health overlap with earlier conclusions and suggest that there is still more work to be done concerning the assessment and advancement of factors determining the well-being of youth belonging to low SES and the female gender, a step that can help reach the aims of UN SDGs, in general, and goal 3, in particular.