Dr. Alina Paula Cosma
Assistant Professor, Psychology
Biography
Dr. Alina Cosma is a researcher specializing in adolescent health and well-being and currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Trinity College Dublin. She has extensive experience in designing and managing cross-sectional, cross-national school health surveys that focus on child and adolescent health. Her research spans a variety of topics, including time trends and predictors of change in adolescent health and mental health (from both within-country and cross-country perspectives), as well as the social and structural determinants of adolescent well-being. Additionally, she investigates the health and well-being of vulnerable populations, such as sexual minorities and adolescents with immigrant backgrounds, and explores the impact of climate change on young people"s mental health. Dr. Cosma is actively involved in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) network, where she leads the Mental Health and Well-being Focus Group. She has also co-authored several WHO reports on adolescent health and well-being.
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Schrijvers K, Cosma A, Potrebny T, Thorsteinsson E, Catunda C, Reiss F, Hulbert S, Kosti"ová M, Melkumova M, Bersia M, Klanš"ek HJ, Gaspar T and Dierckens M, Three Decades of Adolescent Health: Unveiling Global Trends Across 41 Countries in Psychological and Somatic Complaints (1994"2022), International Journal of Public Health, 2024, p1 - 14
Reiss, Franziska, Cosma, Alina, Bersia, Michela, Erhart, Michael, Dalmasso, Paola, Devine, Janine, Hulbert, Sabina, Catunda, Carolina, Gobina, Inese, Giladi, Ariela, Jeri"ek Klanš"ek, Helena, Ravens-Sieberer, Ulrike, Adolescents perception of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and associated mental health and well-being: gender, age and socioeconomic differences in 22 countries, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 18, (1), 2024, p1 - 12
Cosma A., Martin G., de Looze M.E., Walsh S.D., Paakkari L., Bilz L., Gobina I., Page N., Hulbert S., Inchley J., Ravens-Sieberer U., Gaspar T., Stevens G.W.J.M., Cross-National Trends in Adolescents Psychological and Somatic Complaints Before and After the Onset of COVID-19 Pandemic, Journal of Adolescent Health, 2024
Cosma, Alina, Martin, Gina, Walsh, Sophie D., Chzhen, Yekaterina, Currie, Candace, Editorial: Contemporary perspectives in adolescent mental health, Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 2024
Brons, Mathilde E., Helbich, Marco, Elgar, Frank J., Lenzi, Michela, Bolt, Gideon, Dierckens, Maxim, Cosma, Alina, Visser, Kirsten, Stevens, Gonneke W.J.M., School socioeconomic status and psychological complaints among adolescents in 44 countries: The mediating role of schoolwork pressure and classmate support and the moderating role of family SES and country-level income inequality, Social Science & Medicine, 354, 2024, p117062
de Looze, Margreet E., Cosma, Alina, Elgar, Frank J., Schrijvers, Karen, Inchley, Jo, Walsh, Sophie D., Stevens, Gonneke W. J. M., Exploring mechanisms behind the increasing gender gap in adolescent psychological symptoms, 2002"2022: the role of national"level gender equality, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2024
Martin, Gina, Roswell, Tasha, Cosma, Alina, Exploring the relationships between worry about climate change, belief about personal responsibility, and mental wellbeing among adolescents and young adults, Wellbeing, Space and Society, 6, 2024, p100198
Boer M., Cosma A., Twenge J.M., Inchley J., Jericek Klanscek H., Stevens G.W.J.M., National-Level Schoolwork Pressure, Family Structure, Internet Use, and Obesity as Drivers of Time Trends in Adolescent Psychological Complaints Between 2002 and 2018, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 52, (10), 2023, p2061 - 2077, p2061-2077
Samdal O., Budin-Ljosne I., Haug E., Helland T., Kjostarova-Unkovska L., Bouillon C., Broer C., Corell M., Cosma A., Currie D., Eriksson C., Felder-Puig R., Gaspar T., Hagquist C., Harbron J., Jastad A., Kelly C., Knai C., Kleszczewska D., Kysnes B.B., Lien N., Luszczynska A., Moerman G., Moreno-Maldonado C., NicGabhainn S., Pudule I., Rakic J.G., Rito A., Ronnestad A.M., Ulstein M., Rutter H., Klepp K.-I., Encouraging greater empowerment for adolescents in consent procedures in social science research and policy projects, Obesity Reviews, 24, (S2), 2023
Treble M., Cosma A., Martin G., Child and Adolescent Psychological Reactions to Climate Change: A Narrative Review Through an Existential Lens, Current Psychiatry Reports, 25, (8), 2023, p357 - 363, p357-363
Geraets, Anouk Francine Jacqueline, Cosma, Alina, Fismen, Anne-Siri, Ojala, Kristiina, Pierannunzio, Daniela, Kelly, Colette, Melkumova, Marina, Vassallo, Charlene, Gudelj Rakic, Jelena, Heinz, Andreas, Cross-national time trends in adolescent body weight perception and the explanatory role of overweight/obesity prevalence, Child and Adolescent Obesity, 6, (1), 2023
Alina Cosma, Measurement Invariance of the WHO-5 Well-Being Index: Evidence from 15 European Countries , International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, (16), 2022
Michela Bersia, Lorena Charrier, Paola Berchialla, Alina Cosma, ROSANNA IRENE COMORETTO, Paola Dalmasso, The Mental Well-Being of Italian Adolescents in the Last Decade through the Lens of the Dual Factor Model, Children, 9, (12), 2022, p1981
Cosma A., Kolto A., Young H., Thorsteinsson E., Godeau E., Saewyc E., Nic Gabhainn S., Romantic love and involvement in bullying and cyberbullying in 15-year-old adolescents from eight European countries and regions, Journal of LGBT Youth, 2022
Bersia, Michela, Charrier, Lorena, Berchialla, Paola, Cosma, Alina, Comoretto, Rosanna Irene, Dalmasso, Paola, The Mental Well-Being of Italian Adolescents in the Last Decade through the Lens of the Dual Factor Model, Children, 9, (12), 2022, p1981
Heinz, Andreas, Sischka, Philipp E., Catunda, Carolina, Cosma, Alina, García-Moya, Irene, Lyyra, Nelli, Kaman, Anne, Ravens-Sieberer, Ulrike, Pickett, William, Item response theory and differential test functioning analysis of the HBSC-Symptom-Checklist across 46 countries, BMC Medical Research Methodology, 22, (1), 2022
Cosma, Measuring negative emotional responses to climate change among young people in survey research: a systematic review protocol, 2022
Boer M., van den Eijnden R.J.J.M., Finkenauer C., Boniel-Nissim M., Marino C., Inchley J., Cosma A., Paakkari L., Stevens G.W.J.M., Cross-national validation of the social media disorder scale: findings from adolescents from 44 countries, Addiction, 117, (3), 2022, p784 - 795, p784-795
Cosma A., Elgar F.J., de Looze M., Canale N., Lenzi M., Inchley J., Vieno A., Structural gender inequality and gender differences in adolescent substance use: A multilevel study from 45 countries, SSM - Population Health, 19, 2022
Alina Cosma, Bullying, Mental Health, and the Moderating Role of Supportive Adults: A Cross-National Analysis of Adolescents in 45 Countries, International Journal of Public Health, 67, 2022
Andreas Heinz, Philipp E. Sischka, Carolina Catunda, Alina Cosma, Irene García-Moya, Nelli Lyyra, Anne Kaman, Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer, William Pickett, Item response theory and differential test functioning analysis of the HBSC-Symptom-Checklist across 46 countries, BMC Medical Research Methodology, 2022
Alina Cosma, Gender Differences in Bullying Reflect Societal Gender Inequality: A Multilevel Study With Adolescents in 46 Countries, Journal of Adolescent Health, 2022
Cosma A., Kolto A., Badura P., Winkler P., Kalman M., TIME TRENDS IN ADOLESCENT MENTAL WELLBEING IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC BETWEEN 2002 AND 2018: GENDER, AGE AND SOCIOECONOMIC DIFFERENCES, Central European Journal of Public Health, 29, (4), 2021, p271 - 278, p271-278
Cosma A., Stevens G.W.J.M., Vollebergh W.A.M., De Looze M., Time trends in schoolwork pressure among Dutch adolescents, 2001"2017: Gender and educational differences, Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 2021
Ng K., Cosma A., Svacina K., Boniel-Nissim M., Badura P., Czech adolescents" remote school and health experiences during the spring 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, Preventive Medicine Reports, 22, 2021
Joy P., Cosma A., Goodliffe S., Hiltner S., Magnee T., Plug I., A journey of gender in health: Transforming health by promoting gender considerations through comic art, Journal of Applied Arts and Health, 12, (2), 2021, p145 - 162, p145-162
Cosma A., Pavelka J., Badura P., Leisure time use and adolescent mental well-being: Insights from the COVID-19 Czech spring lockdown, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, (23), 2021
Delaruelle K., Walsh S.D., Dierckens M., Deforche B., Kern M.R., Currie C., Maldonado C.M., Cosma A., Stevens G.W.J.M., Mental Health in Adolescents with a Migration Background in 29 European Countries: The Buffering Role of Social Capital, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 50, (5), 2021, p855 - 871, p855-871
Alina Cosma, András Költ", Petr Badura, Petr Winkler, Michal Kalman, Time trends in adolescent mental well-being in Czechia between 2002 and 2018: Gender, age and socio-economic differences, 2020
Cosma A., Walsh S.D., Chester K.L., Callaghan M., Molcho M., Craig W., Pickett W., Bullying victimization: time trends and the overlap between traditional and cyberbullying across countries in Europe and North America, International Journal of Public Health, 65, (1), 2020, p75 - 85, p75-85
Kolto A., Cosma A., Moreau N., Young H., Thorsteinsson E.B., Gobina I., Godeau E., Saewyc E.M., Nic Gabhainn S., Self-Reported Health and Patterns of Romantic Love in Adolescents from Eight European Countries and Regions, LGBT Health, 7, (2), 2020, p90 - 100, p90-100
Stevens G.W.J.M., Boer M., Titzmann P.F., Cosma A., Walsh S.D., Immigration status and bullying victimization: Associations across national and school contexts, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 66, 2020
Kern M.R., Duinhof E.L., Walsh S.D., Cosma A., Moreno-Maldonado C., Molcho M., Currie C., Stevens G.W.J.M., Intersectionality and Adolescent Mental Well-being: A Cross-Nationally Comparative Analysis of the Interplay Between Immigration Background, Socioeconomic Status and Gender, Journal of Adolescent Health, 66, (6), 2020, pS12 - S20, pS12-S20
Alina Cosma, Gonneke Stevens, Gina Martin, Elisa L. Duinhof, Sophie D. Walsh, Irene Garcia-Moya, András Költ", Inese Gobina, Natale Canale, Carolina Catunda, Jo Inchley, Margaretha de Looze, Cross-National Time Trends in Adolescent Mental Well-Being From 2002 to 2018 and the Explanatory Role of Schoolwork Pressure, Journal of Adolescent Health, 66, (6), 2020, pS50--S58
Craig W., Boniel-Nissim M., King N., Walsh S.D., Boer M., Donnelly P.D., Harel-Fisch Y., Malinowska-Cieslik M., Gaspar de Matos M., Cosma A., Van den Eijnden R., Vieno A., Elgar F.J., Molcho M., Bjereld Y., Pickett W., Social Media Use and Cyber-Bullying: A Cross-National Analysis of Young People in 42 Countries, Journal of Adolescent Health, 66, (6), 2020, pS100 - S108, pS100-S108
Walsh S.D., Sela T., De Looze M., Craig W., Cosma A., Harel-Fisch Y., Boniel-Nissim M., Malinowska-Cieslik M., Vieno A., Molcho M., Ng K., Pickett W., Clusters of Contemporary Risk and Their Relationship to Mental Well-Being Among 15-Year-Old Adolescents Across 37 Countries, Journal of Adolescent Health, 66, (6), 2020, pS40 - S49, pS40-S49
De Looze M.E., Cosma A.P., Vollebergh W.A.M., Duinhof E.L., de Roos S.A., van Dorsselaer S., van Bon-Martens M.J.H., Vonk R., Stevens G.W.J.M., Trends over Time in Adolescent Emotional Wellbeing in the Netherlands, 2005-2017: Links with Perceived Schoolwork Pressure, Parent-Adolescent Communication and Bullying Victimization, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49, (10), 2020, p2124 - 2135, p2124-2135
Kolto A., Cosma A., Young H., Moreau N., Pavlova D., Tesler R., Thorsteinsson E.B., Vieno A., Saewyc E.M., Gabhainn S.N., Romantic attraction and substance use in 15-year-old adolescents from eight European Countries, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16, (17), 2019
Elgar F.J., Gariepy G., Dirks M., Walsh S.D., Molcho M., Cosma A., Malinowska-Cieslik M., Donnelly P.D., Craig W., Association of Early-Life Exposure to Income Inequality with Bullying in Adolescence in 40 Countries, JAMA Pediatrics, 173, (7), 2019
Gobina I., Villberg J., Valimaa R., Tynjala J., Whitehead R., Cosma A., Brooks F., Cavallo F., Ng K., de Matos M.G., Villerusa A., Prevalence of self-reported chronic pain among adolescents: Evidence from 42 countries and regions, European Journal of Pain (United Kingdom), 23, (2), 2019, p316 - 326, p316-326
Duinhof E.L., Lek K.M., De Looze M.E., Cosma A., Mazur J., Gobina I., Wustner A., Vollebergh W.A.M., Stevens G.W.J.M., Revising the self-report strengths and difficulties questionnaire for cross-country comparisons of adolescent mental health problems: The SDQ-R, Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 2019
Cosma A., Balazsi R., Baban A., Bullying victimization and internalizing problems in school aged children: A longitudinal approach, Cognition, Brain, Behavior. An Interdisciplinary Journal, 22, (1), 2018, p31 - 45, p31-45
Kolto A., Young H., Burke L., Moreau N., Cosma A., Magnusson J., Windlin B., Reis M., Saewyc E.M., Godeau E., Gabhainn S.N., Love and Dating Patterns for Same- and Both-Gender Attracted Adolescents Across Europe, Journal of Research on Adolescence, 28, (4), 2018, p772 - 778, p772-778
Whitehead R.D., Cosma A., Cecil J., Currie C., Currie D., Neville F., Inchley J., Trends in the perceived body size of adolescent males and females in Scotland, 1990"2014: changing associations with mental well-being, International Journal of Public Health, 63, (1), 2018, p69 - 80, p69-80
Cosma A., Belic J., Blecha O., Fenski F., Lo M.Y., Murar F., Petrovic D., Stella M.T., 'Talkin' 'bout my generation': Using a mixed-methods approach to explore changes in adolescent well-being across several European countries, Frontiers in Psychology, 8, (MAY), 2017
Cosma, A., Whitehead, R., Neville, F., Currie, D., Inchley, J., Trends in bullying victimization in Scottish adolescents 1994"2014: changing associations with mental well-being, International Journal of Public Health, 62, (6), 2017, p639-646
Whitehead R., Berg C., Cosma A., Gobina I., Keane E., Neville F., Ojala K., Kelly C., Trends in Adolescent Overweight Perception and Its Association With Psychosomatic Health 2002"2014: Evidence From 33 Countries, Journal of Adolescent Health, 60, (2), 2017, p204 - 211, p204-211
Meinck F., Cosma A.P., Mikton C., Baban A., Psychometric properties of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Abuse Short Form (ACE-ASF) among Romanian high school students, Child Abuse and Neglect, 72, 2017, p326 - 337, p326-337
Neville F.G., McEachran J., Aleman-Diaz A., Whitehead R., Cosma A., Currie D., Currie C., Trends in the sexual behaviour of 15-year olds in Scotland: 2002-14, European Journal of Public Health, 27, (5), 2017, p835 - 839, p835-839
Young H., Kolto A., Reis M., Saewyc E.M., Moreau N., Burke L., Cosma A., Windlin B., Gabhainn S.N., Godeau E., Sexual Health questions included in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Study: An international methodological pilot investigation, BMC Medical Research Methodology, 16, (1), 2016
Alina Cosma, Balázsi Róbert, Adriana B"ban, Time Trends in Bullying Involvement among Romanian School Aged Children from 2006 to 2014, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 209, 2015, p17--24
Chester, K.L., Callaghan, M., Cosma, A., Donnelly, P., Craig, W., Walsh, S., Molcho, M., Cross-national time trends in bullying victimization in 33 countries among children aged 11, 13 and 15 from 2002 to 2010, European Journal of Public Health, 25, 2015, p61-64
"tefan, C.A., Rebega, O.L., Cosma, A., Romanian Preschool Teachers" Understanding of Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties: Implications for Designing Teacher Trainings, Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 36, (1), 2015, p61-83
Cosma, A., Baban, A., The associations between bullying behaviors and health outcomes among romanian school children, Cognition, Brain, Behavior, 17, (4), 2013, p263-276
Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications
Alina Cosma, Michal Molcho, William Pickett, A focus on adolescent peer violence and bullying in Europe, central Asia and Canada, Health Behaviour in School-aged Children international report from the 2021/2022 survey, Volume 2, World Health Organization, March, 2024, p1 - 40
Alina Cosma, Shynar Abdrakhmanova, Diana Taut, Karen Schrijvers, Carolina Catunda, Christina Schnohr, A focus on adolescent mental health and well-being in Europe, central Asia and Canada, https://iris.who.int/bitstream, Health Behaviour in School-aged Children international report from the 2021/2022 survey, Volume I, World Health Organisation, October, 2023, p1 - 65
nchley J, Currie D, Budisavljevic S, Torsheim T, Jåstad A, Cosma A et al., Spotlight on adolescent health and well-being. Findings from the 2017/2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey in Europe and Canada. International report. Volume 1. Key findings, WHO Regional Office for Europe, June, 2020, p1 - 72
Research Expertise
Description
My research addresses critical contemporary challenges in adolescent health and mental health, with a strong focus on cross-national perspectives. Using large-scale nationally representative datasets, complemented by smaller qualitative and quantitative studies, I investigate time trends and mechanisms behind adolescent mental health changes. My work has demonstrated a significant decline in adolescent mental health over time, with factors such as school stress, family support, and structural inequities contributing to these trends. A key focus of my research explores gender disparities in adolescent well-being. I have shown that gender gaps in mental health widened during the COVID-19 pandemic across 45 countries and that structural factors, such as gender inequality, explain variations in risk behaviours and bullying involvement. I also study the psychological impact of climate change on young people, an emerging and urgent issue. Currently, I am validating new measures on climate change emotions and impacts within Ireland and across Europe and Southeast Asia to better capture these effects. Additionally, I contribute to advancing the validation of research instruments for cross-national adolescent health studies, leading efforts on tools like the WHO-5 Well-Being Index and instruments measuring mental health, problematic social media use, and sexual health behaviours. My leadership in international research is reflected in my role as Chair of the Mental Health and Well-being Focus Group within the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) network and as a member of the WHO Global Action for Measurement of Adolescent Health (GAMA) Advisory Group. Furthermore, I contributed to the WHO Europe Child and Adolescent Health Strategy (2025-2030), now under consultation, and authored several WHO reports on adolescent health and well-being, demonstrating the policy relevance of my work and my capacity to translate research findings into policy recommendations. These contributions underline my research leadership in addressing adolescent health challenges globally and my commitment to impactful, interdisciplinary research.Projects
- Title
- GenerationZ
- Summary
- There is no health without mental health, and the foundation of the latter is largely laid in adolescence. Recent evidence indicates that today's adolescents (i.e. Generation Z) experience worse mental health than the preceding generation (i.e. the Millennials). The EU-funded GenerationZ project aims to examine individual changes in adolescent mental health, and assess cross-national variation and trends in population-level adolescent mental health across 40+ European countries. The project's work is in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the European regional and national health strategies.
- Funding Agency
- European Commission
- Date From
- February 2022
Recognition
Representations
Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) a WHO Collaborative Study Chair: Mental Health and Well-being Focus Group Previous: 2015-2023: Chair of the Early Career Group 2015 -2018: Research Project Officer HBSC network
International Association for Adolescent Health
European Association for Developmental Psychology Early Career National Representative for Ireland
Advisory Group member - The Global Action for Measurement of Adolescent health (GAMA). This Group advises WHO and UN partners on the systematic selection of a set of indicators for global, regional and national adolescent health measurement and on how these indicators can be best used in countries and by data collection groups. https://www.who.int/groups/the-global-action-for-measurement-of-adolescent-health/about-us
Awards and Honours
"The study of trends in Health Behavior in School Aged Children (HBSC) research"- Ref. Scholarships 08/2021 at University of Padova, Department of Psychology and Socialization
ZonMw: Gender in Research Fellowship: attending the research summer school on Gender in Health Research organized by Erasmus Summer Program, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Basel Winter School Scholarship: On Leadership and Professional Skills for Psychologists and Psychiatrists
Stefan Goanga Prize for best Psychology PhD thesis at Department of Psychology, Babes Bolyai University, Romania
Scholarship for attending the EARA-SRA Adolescent Development Summer School, Utrecht, Netherlands
Scholarship for attending the ISBBD Regional Workshop- Adolescent Development, Budapest, Hungary
PhD- National Scholarship from Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania
Merit based scholarship from Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj Napoca, Romania
Memberships
Researcher in Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC)network where I chair the Mental Health and Well-being focus group (ie., a group of 200 researcher from 51 countries). HBSC study is a unique cross-national research study into the health and well-being of adolescents across Europe and North America, conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe.
European Association for Developmental Psychology. I am the national Irish representative for the Early Careers Researchers.
International Association for Adolescent Health (IAAH) Young Professional Network I am one f the Education and Training Officers,
Advisory Group Member The Global Action for Measurement of Adolescent health (GAMA) WHO, in collaboration with UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women, the World Bank Group, and the World Food Programme (WFP), has established the Global Action for the Measurement of Adolescent health (GAMA) Advisory Group.