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Dr. Alina Cosma

Assistant Professor Global Health (Psychology)
ARAS AN PHIARSAIGH
      
Profile Photo

Dr. Alina Cosma

Assistant Professor Global Health (Psychology)
ARAS AN PHIARSAIGH

 cosmaa@tcd.ie

 3531896 1886


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.
  ADOLESCENT   Adolescent Health   Adolescent Psychology   Adolescents   BULLYING   Child and adolescent health   Child and Adolescent Mental Health   Cross-Cultural Studies   Cyberbullying   Emotional/Mental Health--Child/Adolescent
Project Title
 GenerationZ
From
February 2022
To
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
Programme
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Project Type
Individual Fellowship

Details Date
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 From 2011 onwards
International Association for Adolescent Health 2020
European Association for Developmental Psychology Early Career National Representative for Ireland 2023
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 September 2024
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
French Medium Medium Medium
German Fluent Fluent Fluent
Romanian Fluent Fluent Fluent
Details Date From Date To
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. 2011 Present
International Association for Adolescent Health (IAAH) Young Professional Network I am one f the Education and Training Officers, 2019 Present
European Association for Developmental Psychology. I am the national Irish representative for the Early Careers Researchers. 2023 present
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. September 2024 Present
Tarantino, Giampiero, Gracia, Pablo, Cosma, Alina, Adolescent mental health, disability conditions and family socioeconomic status: a cross-national study of 16 countries, European Societies, 2026, p1-48 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Treble, Matthew, Martin, Gina, Faulkner, Violeta, Akhtar, Tooba Nadeem, Cosma, Alina, Roswell, Tasha, Ali, Habib Mohammad, Climate change emotions, perceived mental health impacts, and supports among adolescents in Dhaka, Bangladesh: A cross-sectional mixed methods exploratory study, The Journal of Climate Change and Health, 27, 2026, p100611 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Alina Cosma, Michelle Black, Stoja Vukovic, Ivana Pavi", Helena Fonseca, Marzia Lazzerini, The changing epidemiology of child and adolescent mental health requires an immediate policy response, Public Health in Practice, 10, 2025, p100655 - 100655, p100655-100655 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Ishwar Tiwari, Rebekah A. McKinnon, Azeezah Jafry, Eshleen Grewal, Jason Gilliland, Kendra Nelson Ferguson, Kiffer G. Card, Maya Gislason, Alina Cosma, Gina Martin, Canadian adolescents" perceptions of how climate change is impacting their mental health: A qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses, PLOS mental health., 2, (9), 2025, pe0000424 - e0000424, pe0000424-e0000424 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Sophie D. Walsh, Frank J. Elgar, Wendy Y. Craig, Alina Cosma, Peter Donnelly, Yossi Harel"Fisch, Michal Molcho, Marta Malinowska-Cie"lik, Kwok Ng, William Pickett, COVID-19 School Closures and Peer Violence in Adolescents in 42 Countries: Evidence from the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Study, International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
András Költ", Kristina Winter, Rachael Maloney, Louise Lunney, Christiana Nicolaou, Alina Cosma, Margaretha de Looze, Colette Kelly, Gina Martin, Cross-National Trends in Early Sexual Initiation Among 15-Year-Old Adolescents, 2002"2022, International Journal of Public Health, 70, 2025, p1607711 - 1607711, p1607711-1607711 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Michal Molcho, Sophie D. Walsh, Nathan King, William Pickett, Peter Donnelly, Alina Cosma, Frank J. Elgar, Kwok Ng, Lilly Augustine, Marta Malinowska-Cie"lik, Ylva Bjereld, Wendy Craig, Trends in Indicators of Violence Among Adolescents in Europe and North America 1994"2022, International Journal of Public Health, 70, 2025, p1607654 - 1607654, p1607654-1607654 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Torsheim, Torbjørn, Elgar, Frank J., Cosma, Alina, Residori, Caroline, Samdal, Oddrun, Schnohr, Christina, Methodological Approaches to Comparative Trend Analyses: The Case of Adolescent Toothbrushing, International Journal of Public Health, 69, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Sischka, Philipp E., Martin, Gina, Residori, Caroline, Hammami, Nour, Page, Nicholas, Schnohr, Christina, Cosma, Alina, Cross-National Validation of the WHO-5 Well-Being Index Within Adolescent Populations: Findings From 43 Countries, Assessment, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Zhu, Yuhang, Cong, Xianzhu, Qiu, Zhenliang, Jeffrey, Ricky, Li, Ranran, Jing, Li, Zhu, Gaopei, Yang, Xi, Li, Shuang, Wang, Jinling, Xu, Xu, Zhu, Hongliu, Wang, Xinjian, Huang, Ling, Sun, Xueqin, Wu, Di, Zhang, Kai, Miao, Xunhong, Wen, Rui, Huang, Qinglang, He, Zhuang, Li, Juan, Cosma, Alina, Shi, Fuyan, Wang, Suzhen, , , Kha, A., Cai, Haiyan, Chen, Heqiong, Chen, Ke, Chen, Yaojun, Cui, Conglan, Fu, Ruijia, Guo, Xiaomin, He, Cuiduan, Jiang, Tao, Bäzang, Kunga, Li, Chunfang, Li, Meilian, Liao, Xiajun, Shi, Mei, Tan, Hanguang, Wang, Yichang, Wei, Fei, Yu, Hongxia, Yuan, Bing, Yue, Chengrong, Zhang, Xiaojing, Zhang, Zhenfu, Zhao, Weili, Zhao, Xiaoyao, Zhao, Xiuke, Zheng, Huafeng, Zhong, Yanjun, Chen, Lingyun, Guan, Min, He, Jingxuan, Huang, Xiaoyu, Jiang, Shengqiang, Ning, Jianglong, Qu, Xinye, Tao, Yufang, Wang, Chunyan, Xu, Dezhong, Xu, Lili, Yang, Jie, Yang, Nan, Zhong, Yunhui, Zhou, Yaofei, Zhu, Xiaojuan, Chen, Zijing, Li, Jiahao, Lou, Pengyu, Mao, Qingduo, Shao, Qing, Wang, Min, Wang, Xinling, Wu, Bingyi, Yue, Mengyuan, Zhang, Han, Zhang, Mengjie, Zhang, Xuewen, Using the HBSC Symptom Checklist to measure junior secondary school students" psychosomatic complaints in the Chinese Mainland: Rasch-based validation, population-based norm, and norm-referenced scoring algorithm, BMC Psychology, 13, (1), 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
  

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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, Notes: [The WHO Regional Office for Europe and the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study present crucial insights into adolescent bullying, cyberbullying, and peer violence across 44 countries and regions. With data from over 279,000 young respondents, this report highlights the changing landscape of adolescent interactions and the rise of cyberbullying amidst stable trends in traditional school bullying.], Report, PUBLISHED
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, Notes: [HEALTH BEHAVIOR HEALTH STATUS DISPARITIES SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS GENDER EQUITY ADOLESCENT HEALTH CHILD HEALTH MENTAL HEALTH], Report, PUBLISHED
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, Notes: [HEALTH BEHAVIOR HEALTH STATUS DISPARITIES SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS GENDER ADOLESCENT HEALTH CHILD HEALTH ADOLESCENT CHILD], Report, PUBLISHED

  


Award Date
"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 2021
ZonMw: Gender in Research Fellowship: attending the research summer school on Gender in Health Research organized by Erasmus Summer Program, Rotterdam, Netherlands 2019
Basel Winter School Scholarship: On Leadership and Professional Skills for Psychologists and Psychiatrists 2018
Stefan Goanga Prize for best Psychology PhD thesis at Department of Psychology, Babes Bolyai University, Romania 2015
Scholarship for attending the EARA-SRA Adolescent Development Summer School, Utrecht, Netherlands 2014
Scholarship for attending the ISBBD Regional Workshop- Adolescent Development, Budapest, Hungary 2013
PhD- National Scholarship from Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania 2011-2015
Merit based scholarship from Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj Napoca, Romania 2007-2011
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.