Immigrant–native disparities in adolescent mental health during COVID‑19 school closures: a multilevel cross‑national analysis (PISA 2022)

Purpose This study aimed to examine the associations between COVID-19-related school closures and psychosomatic symptoms and life satisfaction among 15-year-old adolescents, and to assess whether these associations differed according to immigrant background. Methods Public-use data from the 2022 cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2022) from 13 participating countries were analysed. Associations were estimated using multilevel linear regression models adjusted for student-, school-, and country-level covariates. Mediation analyses examined loneliness during school closures, family support, and school belonging as potential mechanisms. Country-stratified analyses and a negative control analysis using school closures due to non-COVID reasons were also conducted. Results COVID-19-related school closures were positively associated with psychosomatic symptoms (b = 0.117; 95% CI: 0.102; 0.133). First-generation immigrant students reported fewer psychosomatic symptoms than native-born peers (b = − 0.048; 95% CI: −0.077; −0.018), consistent with a healthy immigrant effect. Second-generation immigrant students exposed to COVID-19 school closures reported substantially lower life satisfaction than their native-born counterparts (b = − 0.084; 95% CI: −0.133; −0.035). School belonging was the only significant mediating pathway, linking COVID-19 school closures to both psychosomatic symptoms and lower life satisfaction among second-generation students. Cross-national analyses revealed substantial heterogeneity across countries. Conclusions The findings highlight the importance of fostering school belonging and social inclusion for immigrant students during future public health emergencies.