View article

To describe the relationship between family meals and adolescent mental health and determine whether the relationship differs by sex.

Secondary analyses of a cross-sectional survey.

A total of 8,500 nationally representative students.

Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale; Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; World Health Organization Well-being Index.

Multiple regression models determined the relationships between family meals and mental health indicators; sociodemographic variables and family connection were included as covariates.

Approximately 60% of adolescents shared family meals ≥5 times in the previous week, whereas 22% reported that they shared ≤2 meals in the previous week. Greater frequency of family meals was associated with fewer depressive symptoms (P < .001), fewer emotional difficulties (P < .001) and better …