The Buffering Effect of Perceived Parental Social Support in the Longitudinal Relationship Between Homophobic Cyberbullying and LGBTQIA Adolescents’ Health Outcomes

This 1-year longitudinal study examined the moderating effect of perceived parental social support in the associations between homophobic cyberbullying involvement (victimization and bystanding) and suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-harm, and subjective health complaints among 467 adolescents ( Mage = 13.81 years; 59% female) who identified as LGBTQIA. Results showed that homophobic cyberbullying involvement were both related positively to suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-harm, and subjective health complaints 1 year later. Parental support did not moderate the relationship between homophobic cyberbullying involvement and subjective health complaints. However, parental support moderated the relationship between homophobic cyberbullying involvement (both victimization and bystanding) and suicidal ideation and non-suicidal self-harm. Hence, the present study highlights the need for more research on homophobic cyberbullying, the crucial role parents can play in mitigating negative outcomes of involvement in homophobic cyberbullying, and the development of inclusive anti-cyberbullying prevention programs that acknowledge the needs of LGBTQIA adolescents.

Self-Reported Health in Patients on or at Risk of Sick Leave Due to Depression and Anxiety: Validity of the EQ-5D

Objectives: The EQ-5D is a generic, self-report measure of health that is increasingly used in clinical settings, including mental health. The EQ-5D captures health using five dimensions: Mobility, Self-care, Usual activities, Pain/discomfort, and Anxiety/Depression. The validity of the EQ-5D is previously unexplored in patients on or at risk of sick leave due to depression and anxiety. The study’s aim was to examine its validity in this group of patients.Methods: Baseline data were collected from self-report questionnaires in an observational study (N=890) at a Norwegian outpatient-clinic. Participants were adults on or at risk of sick leave due to depression and anxiety who were referred for treatment by general practitioners. The crosswalk methodology was applied to estimate the EQ-5D value. Validity was assessed by comparing responses on the EQ-5D with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Subjective Health Complaints (SHC). An ordinal regression model was used to assess known-groups validity. Convergent validity was assessed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and a multivariate regression model that included sociodemographic characteristics.Results: The mean EQ-5D value was 0.631, indicating reduced health status compared to “full health” anchored at 1.0, and patients reported moderate levels of depression and anxiety. Ordinal regression indicated that the EQ-5D could discriminate between different levels of symptom severity for depression and anxiety. The EQ-5D value showed significant correlation with the clinical measures; r=−0.52 for the BDI-II, r=−0.49 for the BAI, and r=−0.44 for SHC. The multivariate regression showed that the clinical variables significantly predicted the EQ-5D value, explaining 40.1% of the variance. Depression and anxiety scores were the largest determinants of EQ-5D value, respectively, whilst sick leave, subjective health complaints, and gender made moderate contributions.Conclusion: The EQ-5D showed indication of validity in patients on or at risk of sick leave due to depression and anxiety in the present study. The EQ-5D value was sensitive to both symptom severity and functional impairment in the form of sick leave. The findings support the EQ-5D as a feasible and relevant measure of health status in these patients.

Subjective health complaints in early adolescence reflect stress: A study among adolescents in Western Sweden

Aims: Mental health problems are common among Swedish adolescents and are sometimes referred to as ‘stress-related’. The overall aim of this study is to do an analysis of subjective health complaints (SHCs) and perceived general stress among adolescents in Sweden, both their prevalence and association, by gender, migration background, family structure and socioeconomic conditions. Methods: Data from the baseline (comprising 2283 adolescents aged 13) of the STudy of Adolescence Resilience and Stress (STARS) study in Västra Götaland in Sweden were used. SHCs were measured by the Psychosomatic Problems Scale (PSP-scale) and self-reported stress was measured by Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Socioeconomic conditions were measured with the Family Affluence Scale (FAS) and the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status (SSS). Statistical analyses included Student’s t-tests and ANOVAs of means, linear and logistic regression analyses and Pearson’s correlations. Results: Social inequalities in both SHCs and self-reported stress were found; levels were higher among girls, adolescents living with one parent or in families with less favourable socioeconomic conditions. Self-reported stress and SHCs were found to be strongly correlated ( r=0.70). Correlations with self-reported stress were stronger for psychological complaints ( r=0.71) than for somatic complaints ( r=0.52). Correlations did not vary with socioeconomic conditions of the family. Conclusions: SHCs do reflect general stress among adolescents, and it is appropriate to address the complaints as ‘stress-related’. Measures to improve adolescents’ mental health by reducing levels of SHCs should pay special attention to stressors in adolescents’ daily lives and strengthening adolescent’s coping resources and strategies.

Assessing adverse childhood experiences, social, emotional, and behavioral symptoms, and subjective health complaints among Hungarian adolescents

Background Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can have lifelong adverse impacts; they can play a role in the development of subsequent emotional, cognitive, and social impairments leading to somatic and mental difficulties, as well as health damaging behaviours. Unfortunately, there are currently no research data available in Hungary regarding the frequency of ACEs among adolescents. Aims A cross sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in a community sample of Hungarian adolescents to assess the frequency of ACEs and analyse their association with current social, emotional, and behavioural symptoms (SEB), and subjective health complaints (SHC). Methods Demographic data, ACEs, SEB and SHC status of 516 adolescents aged 12 to 17 were collected. ACEs were assessed using the ACE Score Calculator; for SEB the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and for SHC some specific items from the Health Behaviour of School Children questionnaire were employed. To analyse the relationship of ACEs to SEB and SHC logistic regression was performed. Results Our results showed that the frequency of ACEs, SEB and SHC is high among adolescents. One-fourth of the students reported ≥ 2 categories of childhood exposures, and 7.4% reported having experienced ≥ 4 types of ACEs. The most prevalent forms of child maltreatment were emotional neglect (15.5%) and emotional abuse (14.5%). The most frequent dysfunctional household condition was parental divorce or separation (23.8%), followed by household substance abuse (8.9%) and household mental illness (8.1%). Almost one-fifth of students (17.5%) reported SEB symptoms (peer relationship problems in 21.7%, emotional symptoms in 14.6%, conduct problems in 18.3%, hyperactivity in 15%). The prevalence of SHC was also high: more than half of the students experienced at least one subjective health complaint multiple times a week. Significant associations were found between ACEs and the SEB/SHC reported by students. Conclusions Adverse childhood experiences, social, emotional, and behavioural symptoms, and SHC are common among Hungarian adolescents. The cumulation of ACEs is associated with a higher number of SEB and SHC symptoms. Therefore, prevention programmes, early recognition, risk reduction, and therapy are needed.

Understanding the relationship between subjective health complaints and satisfaction with life for people in prevocational training in Norway

Background and aim: In Norway, a large part of the population is dependent on disability benefits. The main reasons for this are related to long-term musculoskeletal pain and psychological complaints. Prevocational rehabilitation, aimed at increasing participation in working life, targets people in need of a sheltered vocational environment. This group has been found to report a very high level of health complaints. Therefore, a better understanding of the psychological mechanisms affecting satisfaction with life for people who experience subjective health complaints could be important for tailoring more optimal vocational rehabilitation initiatives for these individuals. This study aimed to investigate the possible mediator role of basic psychological need satisfaction, described in self-determination theory, in the relationship between subjective health complaints and satisfaction with life. Methods: A total of 201 adult participants attending prevocational training on care farms in Norway answered a questionnaire, including demographic questions and standardised instruments on subjective health complaints, basic psychological need satisfaction and satisfaction with life. Analyses were conducted using a structural equation model. Results: Most of the participants had been out of work for more than one year, had a high prevalence of subjective health complaints and a low level of satisfaction with life. The structural equation model showed that basic psychological need satisfaction mediated the negative association between psychological health complaints and satisfaction with life. Conclusion: The results indicate that even though health complaints remain, prevocational programs can counteract some of the negative associations between subjective health complaints and satisfaction with life by creating contexts that support basic psychological needs that are important for well-being and functioning. Providing clients with understanding, guidance, positive feedback, meaningful tasks and a close, supportive social community, has been found to facilitate satisfaction of basic psychological needs in prevocational training on care farms

Association of Vitamin D Concentrations with subjective health complaints in children and adolescents: the CASPIAN-V study

Background Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is recognized as a global pandemic. Identification, any association between VDD and subjective health complaints (SHC), can be helpful to realize critical mechanisms and improve psychological and somatic symptoms. Given few studies published on this issue and the importance of its clarification, the main objective of this study was to examine the association between VDD and the SHC in children and adolescents. Methods In this national cross-sectional study, 2596 Iranian children and adolescents aged 8–18 years were included. Data on SHC, anthropometric indices, physical activity, and serum levels of vitamin D were collected. Logistic regression models (crude, adjusted) were applied to examine the association between the VDD and the SHC. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA version 11. P-values< 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results Serum levels of vitamin D in approximately 70% of Iranian children and adolescents were lower than 30 ng/mL. Among the SHC, irritability (40.9%) and feeling anxiety (33.7%) were the most prevalent ones. Multiple complaints in students with the VDD was 2.5 times greater than those with sufficient vitamin D concentrations (p < 0.001). Compared to the reference group, the strongest association was found between vitamin D status and difficulties in getting to sleep (OR: 2.5, 95%CI: 1.18, 3.53, p < 0.001). Conclusion VDD was observed in the considerable percentage of the study population. There were no significant differences between the two gender groups. In addition, there were significant associations between vitamin D status and most of the somatic and psychological symptoms, particularly for getting to sleep. It seems national interventional programs for vitamin D supplementation or food fortifications can be helpful.