Association between transition readiness and mental health comorbidity in youth with chronic health conditions

Abstract

PurposeBetween 33 and 59% of youth with chronic health conditions experience mental health conditions. Transition readiness, or the acquisition of knowledge and self-management skills, facilitates successful transition to adult care. Transition readiness among youth with co-occurring chronic health and mental health conditions has not been explored. Design and methodsThis study used a sample of 201 patients (aged 16–21) with chronic conditions. All patients completed the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionniare (TRAQ) and were grouped into Cohort A: chronic health conditions only (n = 140), and Cohort B: co-occurring chronic health and mental health conditions (n = 61). A quantile regression at the 50th percentile was conducted to examine associations between TRAQ score and mental health comorbidity, age, gender and immigration status. ResultsThe median TRAQ score for Cohort A was 3.87 (IQR 0.84) versus 4.00 (IQR 0.87) for Cohort B. Our analysis revealed that having a mental health comorbidity (b = 0.402, p = 0.034), being older in age (b = 0.540, p = 0.004) and being female (b = 0.388, p = 0.001) were associated with higher overall TRAQ score. ConclusionsThe presence of a mental health comorbidity was associated with greater transition readiness as measured by the TRAQ in our sample. Future research should explore why youth with co-occurring chronic health and mental health conditions exhibit greater transition readiness. Practice implicationsYouth with co-occurring chronic health and mental health conditions may develop transition readiness as a result of coping with mental health challenges. Practitioners could invite them to reflect on how their physical and mental health are related and affect their level of preparedness for adult care.