Abstract
BackgroundMost studies on the effect of life events (LEs) have been carried out in convenience samples which cannot be considered representative of the general population. In addition, recent studies have observed that gender differences in the health related quality of life (HRQoL) impact of LEs might be lower than believed. We assessed the relationship between LEs and HRQoL in a representative sample of Spanish adolescents/youths, focusing on gender differences.MethodsParticipants (n = 840) completed the KIDSCREEN-27 to measure HRQoL at baseline and again after 3 years (n = 454). Follow-up assessment included the Coddington Life Events Scales (CLES) to measure LEs experiences in the previous 12 months. Respondents were categorized according to the amount of stress suffered. We calculated both the number of LEs and the Life Change Unit (LCU) score, a summary of the amount of stress inherent to the event and the time elapsed since occurrence. LEs were classified as desirable or undesirable, and family-related or extra-family. Effect sizes were calculated to evaluate changes in HRQoL. To assess the impact of LEs typologies, multiple linear regression models were constructed to evaluate their effect on HRQoL.ResultsGirls reported a mean 5.7 LEs corresponding to 141 LCUs, and boys 5.3 and 129, respectively. The largest impact of LEs on HRQoL was observed in the group of boys that reported to have lived more stress (third tertil of LCUs distribution). The linear association between LEs and HRQoL tended to be stronger among boys than girls, but the difference was not statistically significant. The effect on HRQoL was deemed important when undesirable events had been experienced. To have an important impact on HRQoL, 200 LCUs due to undesirable events were necessary in boys. In girls, slightly higher scores were necessary for a similar impact.ConclusionsA moderate association was found between recent LEs and HRQoL, mainly among those who experienced several undesirable events that correspond to at least 200 LCUs. No gender differences were found in this association. Results may be useful for identifying adolescents with particular health risks, regardless of gender.
Highlights
Most studies on the effect of life events (LEs) have been carried out in convenience samples which cannot be considered representative of the general population
Studies based on general population are deemed needed[13,17], to establish whether genderbased differences exist in such samples
The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of LEs on health related quality of life (HRQoL) using data collected with a longitudinal design, in a general population sample
Summary
Most studies on the effect of life events (LEs) have been carried out in convenience samples which cannot be considered representative of the general population. We assessed the relationship between LEs and HRQoL in a representative sample of Spanish adolescents/youths, focusing on gender differences. Adolescence and youth are considered periods of development when individuals construct their own identity [1] These periods include life events (LEs) and transitions[2], which can be either desirable or undesirable. Most studies on the effect of LEs have been carried out in convenience samples which cannot be considered representative of the general population[14,15,16], limiting their ability to make inferences based on the available observations. Lacking a previous measure of perceived health may lead to overestimate the effect of LEs experiences on girls
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