Comorbidity of Physical and Anxiety Symptoms in Adolescent: Functional Impairment, Self-Rated Health and Subjective Well-Being

Judit Balázs, Mónika Miklósi, Agnes Keresztény, Christina W. Hoven, Vladimir Carli, Camilla Wasserman, Gergö Hadlaczky, Alan Apter, Julio Bobes, Romuald Brunner, Paul Corcoran, Doina Cosman, Christian Haring, Jean-Pierre Kahn, Vita Postuvan, Michael Kaess, Airi Varnik, Marco Sarchiapone and Danuta Wasserman
Additional contact information
Judit Balázs: Vadaskert Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Hospital, 1021 Budapest, Hungary
Mónika Miklósi: Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1064 Budapest, Hungary
Agnes Keresztény: Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1064 Budapest, Hungary
Christina W. Hoven: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
Vladimir Carli: National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill-Health (NASP), Karolinska Institute, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
Camilla Wasserman: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
Gergö Hadlaczky: National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill-Health (NASP), Karolinska Institute, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
Alan Apter: Feinberg Child Study Center, Schneider Children’s Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
Julio Bobes: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Oviedo; Centro de InvestigaciónBiomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
Romuald Brunner: Section Disorders of Personality Development, Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
Paul Corcoran: National Suicide Research Foundation, Cork, Ireland
Doina Cosman: Clinical Psychology Department, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Christian Haring: Research Division for Mental Health, University for Medical Information Technology (UMIT), 6060 Hall in Tirol, Austria
Jean-Pierre Kahn: Department of Psychiatry, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire (CHU) de NANCY, Université H. Poincaré, 54003 Nancy, France
Vita Postuvan: Mental Health Department, PINT, University of Primorska, 6000 Koper, Slovenia
Michael Kaess: Section Disorders of Personality Development, Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
Airi Varnik: Estonian-Swedish Mental Health & Suicidology Institute, Ctr. Behav & Hlth Sci, Tallinn University, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
Marco Sarchiapone: Department of Health Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Danuta Wasserman: National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill-Health (NASP), Karolinska Institute, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-12

Abstract: Physical disorders and anxiety are frequently comorbid. This study investigates the characteristics of physical disorders, self-rated heath, subjective well-being and anxiety in adolescents. Data were drawn from the Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe cohort study. From 11 countries 11,230 adolescents, aged 14–16 years were included. Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), WHO-5 Well-Being Index and five questions prepared for this study to evaluate physical illnesses and self-rated heath were administered. Anxiety levels were significantly higher in adolescents who reported having physical disability ( p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 0.40), suffering from chronic illnesses ( p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 0.40), impairments associated to health conditions ( p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 0.61), or reported poor to very poor self-rated health ( p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 1.11). Mediational analyses revealed no direct effect of having a chronic illness/physical disability on subjective well-being, but the indirect effects through higher levels of anxiety were significant. Functional impairment related to health conditions was both directly and indirectly (through higher levels of anxiety) associated with lower well-being. The co-occurrence of anxiety and physical disorders may confer a greater level of disability and lower levels of subjective well-being. Clinicians have to screen anxiety, even in a subthreshold level in patients with choric physical illness or with medically unexplained physical symptoms.

Keywords: anxiety; physical morbidity; self-rated heath; comorbidity; categorical diagnostic model; dimensional diagnostic model; adolescent; SEYLE (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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