CAPMH health-related quality of life among adolescent psychiatric outpatients: a 12-month follow-up study among 12–14-year-old Finnish boys and girls

Abstract

BackgroundLittle is known about adolescents’ perceptions about their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the course of routine adolescent psychiatric treatment. The aim of this 1-year follow-up study was to investigate HRQoL and changes in it among youths receiving adolescent psychiatric outpatient treatment.MethodsThe study comprised 158 girls and 82 boys aged 12–14 years from 10 psychiatric outpatient clinics in one Finnish hospital district. Same-aged population controls (210 girls and 162 boys) were randomly collected from comprehensive schools. HRQoL was measured using the 16D instrument. The questionnaire was self-administered when the adolescents entered the polyclinics (= baseline), after a treatment period of 6 months, and after 12 months.ResultsThe mean age of respondents was 13.8 years (SD 0.63). At baseline, the mean HRQoL score of both female and male outpatients was significantly lower than that of population controls (p < 0.001). HRQoL of female patients was significantly worse than that of male patients (p < 0.001). In girls, HRQoL improved continuously during the 12-month follow-up, yet it remained worse than that of female population controls. Among boys, HRQoL was substantially better at the 6-month follow-up than at baseline, but this positive development was no longer seen at the 12-month follow-up.ConclusionsFrom the perspective of HRQoL, girls seem to benefit more than boys from adolescent psychiatric outpatient treatment. Possible explanations for this finding are discussed.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Adolescents Attending Secondary School and Its Associated Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study in Kuching and Samarahan Districts in Sarawak, Malaysia

“…In multiple linear regression, the psychological distress variable remained a highly significant factor on overall HRQOL and all four of its domains. This finding is in line with previous studies done by Ravens-Sieberer et al [19], Sawyer et al [39], Otto et al [17], and Rissanen et al [40]. HRQOL is the perceived health situation in regards to the adolescents' physical, emotional, social, and school functioning.…”

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“…The wooden sticks with cotton wool on top were held in the nasal cavity behind the junction of the skin and mucous membrane for 60 s. The sampled nasal secretion swabs were placed in an Eppendorf tube, volume 2 mL, which had 1 mL transfer medium (phosphate-buffered saline with 50 µg/mL gentamicin, 340 U/mL penicillin G and 500 µg/mL fungizone) for 30 min, due to the diffusion of cytokines into the transfer medium, and then it was kept at a temperature of 4 • C for a maximum of 2 h. Nasal secretions were centrifuged at 1000 rpm for 10 min to separate cellular components. After centrifugation, the supernatant was stored and frozen at −70 • C until cytokine detection [28,29]. Concentrations of thirteen cytokines (IL-1β, IFN-α2, IFN-γ, TNF-α, MCP-1 (CCL2), IL-6, IL-8 (CXCL8), IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-17A, IL-18, IL-23 and IL-33) were measured.…”

Health care costs and changes in subjective health-related quality of life among Finnish adolescents referred to secondary psychiatric out-patient services: a one-year follow-up study

“…The care consists of psychoeducation, psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological interventions, parents' appointments, and networking with schools and child welfare services. Inpatient care is available to support outpatient treatment when needed (32).…”

“…We have previously reported the effectiveness of municipal adolescent psychiatric secondary care services by measuring HRQoL among 12-14-yearold girls and boys referred to psychiatric outpatient clinics (32). In this study, we analyze in greater detail both the costs and HRQoL effects of treatment in the three most common psychiatric diagnostic categories of these adolescents, namely behavioral and emotional disorders, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders.…”