Lower Psychosocial Well-being Research Articles

Quality of Life in Long-Term Survivors of Surgical Necrotizing Enterocolitis

ObjectiveThis study evaluated the quality of life (QoL) in patients who have recovered from surgical necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary centre and patients who have received surgery for NEC between 2000 and 2014 were invited to participate. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Generic (PedsQL™) Core Scale Version 4.0 was used as the assessment tool. Values were reported as median (interquartile rage) and compared with age-matched controls. ResultsDuring the study period, 90 patients were eligible for the study and 29 patients have completed the survey. There was no gender difference and the median age was 10 years (9–13 years). Nine patients have suffered from short bowel syndrome (SBS) as a result of the surgery.For the QoL assessment, 17 participants have completed both parent proxy and child-rated survey; 11 completed the parent-rated survey and 1 completed child-rated survey only. The scores for parent-rated survey were - overall: 86.4 (70.7–92.7); physical: 95.3 (83.6–100) and psychosocial: 82.5 (66.3–90.4). The scores for child-rated survey were – overall: 82.1 (73.4–96.2); physical: 96.9 (90.6–99.2) and psychosocial: 81.7 (64.2–95.8).Regarding the impact of previous SBS on the QoL, there were no significant difference in the overall score for both parent proxy and child-rated survey (SBS-ve vs + ve) (parent-rated: 87.5 vs 85.3, p = 0.849; child-rated: 81.0 vs 88.0, p = 0.503). There were also no differences in physical and psychosocial assessments (parent-rated: [physical] 95.3 vs 95.3, p = 0.267; [psychosocial] 84.2 vs 80.0, p = 0.274; child-rated: [physical] 95.3 vs 96.9, p = 0.395; [psychosocial] 79.2 vs 87.5, p = 0.611). ConclusionThe QoL in long-term survivors of surgical NEC without major medical illnesses is comparable to normal population. However, they may have a lower psychosocial well-being that should be addressed. Previous history of SBS does not have a significant impact on the future QoL. Level of evidenceIII.

Diabetes Stigma and Psychosocial Outcomes in Adolescents and Young Adults: The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study.

To examine the association between diabetes stigma, socioeconomic status, psychosocial variables, and substance use in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. This is a cross-sectional analysis of AYAs from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study who completed a survey on diabetes-related stigma, generating a total diabetes stigma score. Using multivariable modeling, stratified by diabetes type, we examined the relationship of diabetes stigma with variables of interest. Of the 1,608 AYAs who completed the diabetes-related stigma survey, 78% had type 1 diabetes, and the mean age was 21.7 years. Higher diabetes stigma scores were associated with food insecurity (P = 0.001), disordered eating (P < 0.0001), depressive symptoms (P < 0.0001), and decreased health-related (P < 0.0001) and diabetes-specific quality of life (P < 0.0001). Diabetes stigma is associated with food insecurity, disordered eating, and lower psychosocial well-being.

Perceived stigmatization, psychosocial well-being and self-esteem among individuals living in leprosy center in south-west, Nigeria

Background: Leprosy has over time been seen as a symbol of shame and stigmatization as people affected by leprosy continue to be stigmatized and discriminated against even after they have been cured. The study aimed to assess the perceived levels of stigmatization, psychosocial well-being, and self-esteem among individuals living at a leprosy center in South-West, Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design of face-to-face research was conducted in a leprosy center using a simple random technique. The study instrument was a self-structured questionnaire containing sociodemographic details, questions on stigmatization towards the individual affected by leprosy and their family members, and questions regarding their psychosocial well-being adapted from literature, as well as questions adapted from the validated Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSES) by Morris Rosenberg to assess their self-esteem. Data were analyzed with the aid of SPSS version 26 software. Results: A total of 134 participants were included in the study. Most of the participants were females (61.2%) within the age range of 21- 40 years old (32.8%), and are students (25.4%). Out of the 134 participants, 29.1% (39) of them were affected by leprosy. The participants perceived a high level of stigmatization (37.3%), a high level of psychosocial well-being (38.8%), and demonstrated a moderate level of self-esteem (50.7%). The male gender perceived both low (B = -3.054, p = 0.004) and high (B = -1.84, p = 0.049) stigmatization at p&lt; 0.05. The married (B = -5.421, p = 0.004), the Christians (B = 5.424, p = 0.043) and Islamic (B = 7.743, p = 0.011) participants perceived low stigmatization at p&lt; 0.05. The participants within the age range 21 - 40 (B = 6.25, p = 0.019) and 61 – 80 years (B = 7.29, p = 0.017) perceived high psychosocial well-being while the single (B = -4.43, p = 0.049) and married (B = -5.26, p = 0.017) participants perceived low psychosocial well-being at p&lt; 0.05. None of the demographic factors had relationships with self-esteem at p&lt; 0.05. The perceived levels of stigmatization (r= 0.314, p= 0.0001) and psychosocial well-being (r= 0.225, p= 0.009) are associated with the level of self-esteem at p&lt; 0.05. Conclusion: This study concludes that the individuals affected by leprosy and their family members living at the leprosy center experienced a high level of stigmatization and, a high level of psychosocial well-being but had moderate self-esteem.

A Study to assess the impact of Pandemic Restrictions on Psychosocial well being among school going children in Pediatric ward and outpatient department of JMMC and RI, Thrissur

The descriptive study to assess the impact of pandemic restrictions on psychosocial well-being among school going children and find the association between selected socio-demographic variables and impact of pandemic restrictions on psychosocial well-being among school going children. Methodology: The study was conducted among 100 school going children in pediatric ward and outpatient department of JMMC &amp; RI, Thrissur. The research design used was descriptive design and sampling technique was purposive sampling. Data collected through questionnaires. Tool was divided in to two sections, section A – sociodemographic and clinical data questionnaire and section B- Modified Multi-dimensional student life satisfaction scale. Result: It shows that 1. Socio-demographic data: Out of the 100 samples Majority of 53(53%) children belongs to the age group of 10-12 years, 60(60%) were males, 41(41%) belongs to Muslim community, Half of them are studying in Vth standard, 57(57%) are studying in state syllabus. Majority of fathers, 49(49%) belongs to the age group of 31-40 years, 27(27%) have educational status of both primary and secondary education, 96(96%) are working. Majority of mothers, 61(61%) belongs to the age group of 31-40 years, 33(33%) have educational status of degree, 75(75%) are not working. Majority of family income, 52(52%) are having the income between 15,000-25, 000 rupees. Majority of their family's, 76(76%) belongs to nuclear family, 55(55%) have the presence of grandparents, 63(63%) has no COVID-19 history, 57(57%) has knowledge about COVID-19 and 95(95%) has no significant history of mental/social illness. The overall distribution of samples showed 55(55%) has moderate psychosocial well-beings, 45(45%) has high psychosocial well-being and 0(0%) has low psychosocial well-being. There is significant association (p&lt;0.05) between socio demographic variable sex (χ2= 5.093, p &lt;0.023) with psychosocial Well-being of school going children. As out of the 100 samples there were 574 (14.35%) has given the response as ‘Never’, 357(8.92%) has given the response as ‘Sometimes’, 595(14.88%) has given the response ‘Often’, 2474(61.85%) has given the response as ‘Almost often’ to the questionnaire given in the modified multidimensional students life satisfaction scale. From the scoring, we found that 55(55%) has moderate psychosocial well-being and 45(45%) has high psychosocial well-being. Moreover, we found that there is no evidence of low psychosocial Well-being among school going children during the pandemic restriction time period. As compared to the male children, female children have high psychosocial well-being.

Characteristics and Psychosocial Well-being of Caregivers of Veterans with TBI

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> The study has two aims: 1) To investigate the extent to which the veterans' traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related changed behaviors are related to the spouse/partner caregiver's psychosocial well-being in terms of spirituality, family happiness, depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. 2) To investigate caregivers' demographic characteristics and caregiving situations in relationship to their perceptions of their care recipients' post-TBI behaviors. <h3>Design</h3> Secondary cross-sectional survey study. <h3>Setting</h3> Participants were recruited nationally via flyers posted at Veterans Affairs (VA) clinics and on Facebook. Recruitment letters were also sent from a polytrauma outpatient clinic of a midwestern VA hospital. <h3>Participants</h3> Inclusion criteria for members of the parent study were (1) female (2) 18 years or older, and (3) wife or female partner caring for a male veteran diagnosed with a TBI within the past three months to 10 years. <h3>Interventions</h3> Not applicable. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> The psychological spiritual subscale and the family happiness subscale of the Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depressive Symptoms Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, and Key Behaviors Change Inventory. <h3>Results</h3> Caregivers who reported less changed behaviors in the partners with TBI reported higher levels of psychosocial well-being. Lower psychosocial well-being was associated with the interpersonal difficulties and unawareness of problems behaviors, younger age, and white race. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Younger caregivers who are white may be particularly vulnerable to the emotional and mental health consequences of caregiving. Practitioners should consider the impact of age and race on the experience of TBI-related behaviors in order to develop tailored interventions for these caregivers' psychosocial well-being. Interventions that promote social capital may be particularly meaningful for this population. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> We have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Patient-Reported Outcomes of Breast Reconstruction: Does the Quality of Decisions Matter?

Little is known about how the quality of decisions influences patient-reported outcomes (PROs). We hypothesized that higher decision quality for breast reconstruction would be independently associated with better PROs. We conducted a prospective cohort study of patients undergoing mastectomy with or without reconstruction. Patients were enrolled before surgery and followed for 18 months. We used BREAST-Q scales to measure PROs and linear regression models to explore the relationship between decision quality (based on knowledge and preference concordance) and PROs. Final models were adjusted for baseline BREAST-Q score, radiation, chemotherapy, and major complications. The cohort included 101 patients who completed baseline and 18-month surveys. Breast reconstruction was independently associated with higher satisfaction with breasts (β=20.2, p=0.0002), psychosocial well-being (β=14.4, p=0.006), and sexual well-being (β=15.7, p=0.007), but not physical well-being. Patients who made a high-quality decision had similar PROs as patients who did not. Among patients undergoing mastectomy with reconstruction, higher decision quality was associated with lower psychosocial well-being (β=-14.2, p=0.01). Breast reconstruction was associated with better PROs in some but not all domains. Overall, making a high-quality decision was not associated with better PROs. However, patients who did not have reconstruction had a trend toward better well-being after making a high-quality decision, whereas patients who did have reconstruction had poorer well-being after making a high-quality decision. Additional research on the relationship between decision quality and PROs is needed.

Pathways to socioeconomic health differences in Armenian adolescents: The role of bullying perpetration.

Bullying perpetration might be an alternative way of hierarchy formation among adolescents. It can potentially compensate for the negative health influences of low socioeconomic status (SES), rewarding this unwanted behavior. This study aimed to investigate the role of bullying perpetration in the relationship between SES and health among Armenian adolescents. A nationally representative sample of 3679 adolescents aged 11–15 years (mean = 13.1, standard deviation = 1.6) participated in the Health Behavior in School-aged Children 2013/14 survey in Armenia. Complex samples multiple logistic regression were used to estimate the associations between two SES measures (family socioeconomic position [SEP] and material well-being) and three health outcomes (perceived health status, psychosocial well-being, and psychosomatic symptoms). Bullying perpetration was not associated with less than good health or low psychosocial well-being (P > 0.05) but increased the odds of reporting high psychosomatic symptoms (P < 0.05). Perpetration did not change the SES-health gradient substantially. However, in stratified analyses, socioeconomic inequalities in health were consistently weaker among perpetrators. The largest observed difference was in the relationship between low family SEP and less than good health (OR = 3.60, 95% CI = 2.77–4.67 vs. OR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.06–3.04), whereas the smallest difference was in the relationship between low family SEP and high psychosomatic symptoms (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.03–1.56 vs. OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.61–1.77). Our findings suggest that bullying perpetration, as an alternative hierarchy, may be looked at as a compensatory but vicious strategy in the face of the negative health influences of low SES in Armenian adolescents. For high-SES adolescents, on the other hand, social, emotional, or psychological problems might contribute to bullying perpetration. Consequently, bullying prevention activities in Armenia should focus on both low and high-SES adolescents, considering SES-specific pathways and mechanisms.

Body Self-Perception After Breast Reconstruction in Young Female Patients Affected by Poland Syndrome

BackgroundCosmetic and social aspects of breast anomalies in Poland syndrome are not negligible. Early diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic timing may have a positive impact on quality of life.MethodsFemales affected by Poland syndrome, who had breast reconstruction between 2014 and 2018, were asked to complete the Body Uneasiness Test and the postoperative Breast-Q. Correlation between scores was evaluated. Correlation between scores was statistically evaluated.ResultsThirty patients who had completed breast reconstruction at 20.9 ± 6.5 yo fulfilled the questionnaires at the average age of 26.5 ± 8.1 yo. BUT scores were similar to healthy population considering different age groups, with the exception of Compulsive Self-Monitoring subscale for 16–17-year age group. A correlation between Depersonalization and “Thighs” and “Legs” was present. On average, satisfaction with breast resulted 79.1%, satisfaction with surgical outcome was 94.9%, psychosocial well-being was 78.5%, sexual well-being was 75.3%, and relative physical well-being in chest and upper body was 36.9%. Global Uneasiness, Avoidance, Weight Phobia, Body Image Concern and Depersonalization were significantly correlated with lower psychosocial well-being. Avoidance was significantly correlated with lower sexual well-being.ConclusionsBreast reconstruction in Poland syndrome can help to improve quality of life. However, general body uneasiness can affect satisfaction with the final result.Level of Evidence IVThis journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors http://www.springer.com/00266.

Income inequality and depression among Canadian secondary students: Are psychosocial well-being and social cohesion mediating factors?

BackgroundNearly one-third of secondary school students report experiencing depressive symptoms in the past year. Existing research suggests that increasing rates of depression are due in part to increasing income inequality. The aim of this study is to identify mechanisms by which income inequality contributes to depression among Canadian secondary school students. MethodsWe used data from a large sample of Canadian secondary school students that participated in the 2017/18 wave of the Cannabis, Obesity, Mental health, Physical activity, Alcohol, Smoking, and Sedentary behaviour (COMPASS) study. The sample included 61,642 students across 43 Census divisions (CDs) in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. We used multilevel path analysis to determine if the relationship between CD-level income inequality and depression was mediated by student's psychosocial well-being and/or social cohesion. ResultsAttending schools in CDs with higher income inequality was related to higher depression scores among Canadian secondary students [unstandardized ß (ß) = 5.36; 95% CI = 0.74, 9.99] and lower psychosocial well-being (ß = −14.83, 95% CI = −25.05, −4.60). Income inequality was not significantly associated with social cohesion, although social cohesion was associated with depression scores among students (ß = −0.31; 95% CI = −0.34, −0.28). DiscussionFindings from this study indicate that income inequality is associated with adolescent depression and that this relationship is mediated by psychosocial well-being. This study is the first of its kind in Canada to assess the mechanisms by which income inequality contributes to adolescent depression. These findings are applicable to school-level programs addressing mental health.

Excessive screen time and lower psychosocial well-being among preschool children

ObjectiveToo much screen time is a common and severe threat to child health and excessive screen exposure exists in the early childhood population in Turkey. We aimed to investigate the associations between excessive screen time and psychosocial well-being in a sample of Turkish preschool children. MethodsMothers and their healthy children aged 2–5 years who applied to general pediatric outpatient clinics for well-child examinations were enrolled in this descriptive cross-sectional study. Children with a daily screen time of less than 1 h (low) or more than or equal to 4 h (excessive) were included. Psychosocial well-being was assessed using the parent version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. ResultsIn all, 220 mother–child pairs participated in this study. Emotional symptoms, conduct problems, peer relationship problems, and total difficulties scores were significantly higher in the children with excessive screen time (p<0.05), while the hyperactivity-inattention and prosocial scores were not different between the low and excessive screen time groups (p>0.05). After adjusting for potential confounders, the children with excessive screen time had significantly increased odds ratios for having conduct and peer relationship problems (OR [95% CI]: 2.62 [1.11–6.19], p = 0.028 and 2.57 [1.25–5.26], p = 0.010, respectively). ConclusionTurkish preschool children with excessive screen time were significantly more likely to have poor psychosocial well-being. Preschool children with behavioral problems should be evaluated for excessive screen time.

Socioeconomic inequalities in health among Armenian adolescents: the role of bullying perpetration

Abstract Background Bullying perpetration might be an alternative way of hierarchy formation among adolescents. It can potentially suppress the socioeconomic inequalities in health or might compensate for the negative health influences of low socioeconomic status (SES), rewarding this unwanted behavior. Methods A nationally representative sample of 3679 adolescents aged 11-15 years participated in the Health Behavior in School-aged Children 2013/14 survey in Armenia. Complex samples multiple logistic regression were used to estimate the associations between two SES measures (family socioeconomic position [SEP], material well-being) and three health outcomes (perceived health status, psychosocial well-being, psychosomatic symptoms). Results Bullying perpetration was not associated with less than good health or low psychosocial well-being (P &amp;gt; 0.05) but increased the odds of reporting high psychosomatic symptoms (P &amp;lt; 0.05). Perpetration did not change the SES-health gradient substantially. However, in stratified analyses, socioeconomic inequalities in health were consistently weaker among perpetrators. The largest observed difference was in the relationship between low family (SEP) and less than good health (OR = 3.60, 95% CI = 2.77-4.67 vs. OR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.06 - 3.04), whereas the smallest difference was in the relationship between low family SEP and high psychosomatic symptoms (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.03-1.56 vs. OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.61-1.77). Conclusions Our findings suggest that bullying perpetration, as an alternative hierarchy, may be looked at as a compensatory but vicious strategy in the face of the negative health influences of low SES in Armenian adolescents. For high-SES adolescents, on the other hand, social, emotional, or psychological problems might contribute to bullying perpetration. Key messages Less vicious alternatives to bullying perpetration should be encouraged, especially for Armenian adolescents from low-SES families. Targeted health interventions might be necessary for bulling perpetrators from high-SES families.

Psychosocial well-being and quality of life in siblings of children with congenital heart disease: A systematic review.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a major global health problem. Until recently, the siblings of this group did not receive much attention. This review, conducted from November 2019 to October 2020, aims to summarize knowledge about psychosocial well-being and quality of life (QoL), associated factors, and interventions for siblings of children with CHD. Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Web of Science via EBSCOhost, and CENTRAL. Twelve articles were included. Results showed that psychosocial well-being was impaired in 14% to 40% of siblings. Negative impact of illness was highest for CHD siblings compared to siblings of children with cancer, cystic fibrosis, or diabetes. QoL was impaired in up to one-third. Siblings of children with CHD and cancer rated their QoL lower than those of siblings of children with cystic fibrosis or type-1 diabetes. Associated factors were sibling age, gender, socioeconomic status, miscarriage, previous sibling death, visibility of illness, and severity of condition. Only one of two interventions focused on siblings of CHD children. Although data are scarce and inhomogeneous, it indicates that siblings of CHD children suffer from lower psychosocial well-being and QoL than siblings of children with other chronic conditions. Interventions to improve their situation should be developed.

Disciplinary Structure and Teacher Support in Chinese and Canadian Schools: Examining How Authoritative Disciplinary Practices Protect Youth Involved in Bullying at School

Bullying is a peer relational problem that can inflict psychological harm onto both those who are victimized and those who witness it occur. Fostering a positive classroom environment is an important protective factor in preventing bullying. Authoritative classroom climates may protect victimized and bystander youth from negative mental health outcomes associated with bullying involvement. The current study examined how dimensions of authoritative classrooms–disciplinary structure and teacher support – moderate the relationship between bullying involvement (e.g., victimization, witnessing) and students’ psychological functioning (e.g., psychosocial wellbeing, emotional problems). We explored how authoritative classroom climate may protect victimized and bystander youth across different cultural contexts. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted on two separate samples of youth, from China (2,395 students in grades 5-9, from 58 classrooms across 5 schools), and Canada (538 students in grades 5-8, from 31 classrooms across 5 schools). Findings indicated that both victimization and witnessing were associated with lower psychosocial wellbeing and higher levels of emotional problems among Chinese and Canadian youth. For Chinese youth, witnessing was less strongly associated with lower psychosocial wellbeing in classrooms with higher disciplinary structure. In contrast, witnessing was more strongly related to emotional problems and lower psychosocial wellbeing in Chinese classrooms with higher teacher support. Collectively, these findings suggest that bullying negatively affects the mental health of the broader school community across both Chinese and Canadian contexts. In more collectivist cultures, promoting classroom climates that regulate student’s behaviors by enforcing discipline fairly and consistently may help lower distress among students who witness bullying.

Selective Education in Guyana: Comparing the Psychosocial Well-Being of Students Across Schools

Selective education research has demonstrated that students are aware of the low status of being allocated to a low-ability school. Recent data in Guyana has shown that low-ability school attendance is associated with low rates of student attendance, retention, and graduation. This study aims to understand the effects of ability grouping on students by comparing the psychosocial well-being of students from different ability schools. Data was collected from a sample of 193 adolescents (70 males and 123 females) aged 13-18 from four secondary schools; representing the four school ability rankings. It was hypothesised that student psychosocial well-being would be significantly lower in low-ability schools compared to high-ability schools. Unexpectedly, the results indicated that the highest ability school had significantly lower psychosocial well-being than the other lower ability schools. The results may be potentially explained by the theory of Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect, however confirmation in future research is warranted.

Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 Nursing Home Restrictions on Visitors of Residents With Cognitive Impairment: A Cross-Sectional Study as Part of the Engaging Remotely in Care (ERiC) Project.

Background: COVID-19 has disproportionately affected older people. Visiting restrictions introduced since the start of the pandemic in residential care facilities (RCFs) may impact negatively on visitors including close family, friends, and guardians. We examined the effects of COVID-19 visiting restrictions on measures of perceived loneliness, well-being, and carer quality of life (QoL) amongst visitors of residents with and without cognitive impairment (CI) in Irish RCFs.Methods: We created a cross-sectional online survey. Loneliness was measured with the UCLA brief loneliness scale, psychological well-being with the WHO-5 Well-being Index and carer QoL with the Adult Carer QoL Questionnaire (support for caring subscale). Satisfaction with care (“increased/same” and “decreased”) was measured. A history of CI was reported by respondents. Sampling was by convenience with the link circulated through university mail lists and targeted social media accounts for 2 weeks in June 2020.Results: In all, 225 responses were included of which 202 noted whether residents had reported CI. Most of the 202 identified themselves as immediate family (91%) and as female (82%). The majority (67%) were aged between 45 and 64 years. Most (80%) reported that their resident had CI. Approximately one-third indicated reduced satisfaction (27%) or that restrictions had impaired communication with nursing home staff (38%). Median loneliness scores were 4/9, well-being scores 60/100 and carer QoL scores 10/15. Visitors of those with CI reported significantly lower well-being (p = 0.006) but no difference in loneliness (p = 0.114) or QoL (p = 0.305). Reported CI (p = 0.04) remained an independent predictors of lower WHO-5 scores, after adjusting for age, sex, RCF location, and dementia stage (advanced), satisfaction with care (reduced), and perception of staff support measured on the Adult Carer QoL Questionnaire.Conclusion: This survey suggests that many RCF visitors experienced low psychosocial and emotional well-being during the COVID-19 lockdown. Visitors of residents with CI report significantly poorer well-being as measured by the WHO-5 than those without. Additional research is required to understand the importance of disrupted caregiving roles resulting from visiting restrictions on well-being, particularly on visitors of residents with CI and how RCFs and their staff can support visitors to mitigate these.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health among Armenian Adolescents.

We aimed to study the hypothesis of socioeconomic equalization in health among Armenian adolescents participating in the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children 2013/14 survey. Classes corresponding to the ages 11, 13, and 15 were selected using a clustered sampling design. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used. In a nationally representative sample of 3679 students, adolescents with a low family socioeconomic position (SEP) had greater odds of reporting less than good health (odds ratio (OR) = 2.81, 95% CI = 2.25–3.51), low psychosocial well-being (OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.44–2.61), or psychosomatic symptoms (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.07–1.56). Low levels of material well-being were associated with a higher likelihood of reporting less than good health (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.06–1.65) or low psychosocial well-being (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.04–1.54). The presence of both risk factors had a synergistic effect on having low psychosocial well-being (P-interaction = 0.031). Refuting the equalization hypothesis, our results indicate that low SEP might be strongly related to adolescent health in middle-income countries such as Armenia. Low material well-being also proved important, and, for further research, we hypothesized an association via decreased peer social status and compromised popularity.

The tempo of puberty and its relationship to adolescent health and well-being: A systematic review.

Emerging evidence suggests that pubertal tempo, that is rate of passage through puberty, has relevance to adolescent mood and behaviour. However, its wider health and developmental significance remain unclear. This systematic review sought to clarify the relationship of pubertal tempo to indicators of health and development, and to document tempo definitions and pubertal durations reported in the literature. Eight electronic databases were searched from earliest record to July 2018. Study eligibility: healthy participants; age 8-21years; ≥2 longitudinal measures of puberty; analysis of tempo against a health or developmental indicator. Thirty-eight studies met eligibility, and these reported on diverse tempo definitions and seven health- and development-related domains. Data sets with varying tempo definitions converged on an association of rapid pubertal progression to: (a) higher adiposity during childhood and adolescence in both sexes; and (b) lower psychosocial well-being in adolescent males. Later thelarche unanimously predicted faster progression to menarche in females, but this compensation was largely undetected when alternate definitions of pubertal timing and/or tempo were used. Duration of puberty ranged from 2.5-4.1years. Pubertal tempo may be clinically relevant when considering trajectories of adiposity and psychosocial well-being among adolescents, especially males. Consensus on the definition of tempo would facilitate between-study comparisons.

Cumulative Encouragement to Diet From Adolescence to Adulthood: Longitudinal Associations With Health, Psychosocial Well-Being, and Romantic Relationships

PurposeThe aim of the study was to identify whether parent encouragement to diet as an adolescent predicts subsequent encouragement to diet from significant others/romantic partners as an adult and examine longitudinal associations between cumulative encouragement to diet from close relationships (i.e., parent and significant other) and later weight, weight-related, and psychosocial well-being outcomes in adulthood. MethodsData from Project EAT I-IV, a 15-year longitudinal population-based study of socioeconomically and racially/ethnically diverse adolescents followed into adulthood (n = 1,116; mean age = 31.1 years; 61% female), were used for this study. Surveys and anthropometric measures were completed at school by adolescents in 1998–1999, and follow-up mailed and online surveys were completed at approximately 5-year intervals between 2003 and 2016. ResultsAdolescents who experienced encouragement to diet from their parents were more likely to have a significant other as an adult who also encouraged them to diet. In addition, there was a significant (p < .05) cumulative effect of encouragement to diet, such that experiencing more encouragement to diet from both a parent(s) and significant other was associated with higher weight status, more unhealthy weight-control behaviors (e.g., dieting, binge eating, and unhealthy weight control behaviors), and lower psychosocial well-being (e.g., lower body satisfaction and self-esteem and higher depressive symptoms) as a young adult. ConclusionsEncouragement to diet tracked from one close relationship to another and had a cumulative effect on adult weight, weight-related, and psychosocial well-being outcomes. Future interventions, clinical work, and research should be aware of these patterns and cumulative effects of encouragement to diet to target key relationships to reduce these harmful interpersonal patterns.

Gaming Behavior Among Conscripts: The Role of Lower Psychosocial Well-Being Factors in Explaining Gaming Addiction

Gaming addiction is usually characterized by a loss of control and mental instability, which may be particularly problematic in the military where task performance often requires optimal physical and mental functioning. No previous studies have thus far investigated levels of gaming addiction among conscripts. The aim of the present study was to assess the levels of gaming addiction among conscripts (at the entry of service), and to investigate if indicators of lower psychosocial well-being (particularly boredom, loneliness, depression, and anxiety) can help explain the variance in gaming addiction among conscripts. Lower psychosocial well-being has previously been related to gaming addiction in the general population, and coping with negative emotions has also been identified as a major motivation for gaming. The sample consisted of 1,017 conscripts (80.3% men) with a mean age of 19.5 years (SD = 1.0). Results showed that 4.8% of the conscripts were addicted to gaming, and the addicted gamers scored significantly higher on boredom, loneliness, depression, and anxiety, compared with nonproblem gamers and nongamers. Results from hierarchical regression analyses showed that weekly time spent gaming explained most of the variance in gaming addiction (18.8%) whereas the indicators of low psychosocial well-being explained an additional 6.7% in Step 2, where depression, loneliness, and lack of external stimulation contributed significantly. Addiction is likely to have negative impact on training, operative ability, and task performance of the soldiers; hence a revision of the present selection criteria to include gaming addiction as an exclusion criterion for drafting may be warranted.

Quality of life in young adults with cerebral palsy

BackgroundLittle is known about the quality of life (QOL) of young adults with cerebral palsy. Objective/hypothesisThis cross-sectional analysis compares the QOL of a cohort of young Australian adults with CP with a cohort of able-bodied peers to explore the relationship between QOL and impairments, functioning, and social participation. MethodsYoung adults identified from the Victorian Cerebral Palsy Register were invited to complete a survey about QOL, gross motor function, independence in self-care, and social participation. QOL was assessed with the Quality of Life Instrument for Young Adults (YAQOL). A general population sample of young North American adults, who had completed the YAQOL was selected for comparison. ResultsSurveys and consent forms were completed by 335 young adults or their proxies, an overall participation rate of 63% of those located. The mean age of the study participants was 24.7 [s.d = 2.8] years; 51% were male and 49% female. Two hundred and seven (62%) of the 335 participants self-reported their QOL. When compared with the general population sample, self-reporting participants had similar QOL scores for the social relationship and environmental context domains (p > 0.05), while QOL scores were lower for the physical health, psychological well-being, and role function domains (p < 0.001). There was no association between psychological well-being and variables related to body structure and gross motor function in young adults with CP. ConclusionsContrary to the assumption that young adults with severe CP have low psychosocial well-being, it is apparent that these individuals can have good psychosocial well-being regardless of their disability.