Trend of Correlations between Psychological Symptoms and Socioeconomic Inequalities among Italian Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study from 2006 to 2018 in Tuscany Region

Dario Lipari (), Bianca Maria Bocci, Cesare Rivieri, Elena Frongillo, Antonella Miserendino, Andrea Pammolli, Claudia Maria Trombetta, Ilaria Manini, Rita Simi and Giacomo Lazzeri
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Dario Lipari: Post Graduate School of Public Health, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Bianca Maria Bocci: Post Graduate School of Public Health, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Cesare Rivieri: Post Graduate School of Public Health, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Elena Frongillo: Post Graduate School of Public Health, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Antonella Miserendino: Post Graduate School of Public Health, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Andrea Pammolli: Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Claudia Maria Trombetta: Post Graduate School of Public Health, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Ilaria Manini: Post Graduate School of Public Health, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Rita Simi: Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Giacomo Lazzeri: Post Graduate School of Public Health, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 15, 1-11

Abstract: Adolescence is a critical moment in life; people become individuals, create new relationships, develop social skills and learn behaviours that they will use for the rest of their lives. During this phase, adolescents establish patterns of behaviour that can protect their health. This study aims to 1. assess the presence of psychological disorders in adolescents of both genders, 2. determine their relation to socio-economic differences based on the Family Affluence Scale (FAS), and 3. assess trends from 2006 to 2018. Data were collected from the Italian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey given to a representative sample of Tuscan adolescents aged 11–15 years. Participants ( n . 12,550) filled out questionnaires to assess whether psychological symptoms such as feeling low, irritability, nervousness, or sleeping difficulties manifested weekly or more often over the past six months. For the study we utilized a cross-sectional survey method and linear regression to examine the association between psychological symptoms (dependent variable measured on an interval scale (0–16)), gender and FAS. We conducted similar analyses using logistic regressions for each of the four symptoms. An increase in psychological symptoms in both genders was revealed between 2006 and 2018, with a statistically significant presence in females: 0.29 (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 0.17 to 0.41), 1.43 (95% CI, 1.37 to 1.48) and 1.43 (95% CI, 1.34 to 1.52) in low-, medium- and high-affluence families, respectively; whereas males presented 0.14 (95% CI, 0.01 to 0.27), 0.71 (95% CI, 0.65 to 0.77) and 0.31 (95% CI, 0.22 to 0.39), respectively. The probability of a predictive episode of psychological symptoms (feeling low, irritability, nervousness, sleeping difficulties) occurring weekly, or more, often was greatly increased in females of all socioeconomic classes. These findings suggest that the increase in psychological disorders in adolescents should be considered a public health problem and further investigated through longitudinal studies and continuous monitoring of health trends.

Keywords: HBSC study; adolescence; psychological symptoms; trends; socio-economic factors; mental wellbeing; gender; family affluence scale (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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