Determinants of quality of life and psychological distress in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic

Roxane Dumont, Viviane Richard, Helène Baysson, Elsa Lorthe , Giovanni Piumatti, Stephanie Schrempft , Ania Wisniak, Remy P. Barbe , Klara M. Posfay-Barbe , Idris Guessous, Silvia Stringhini, for the Specchio-COVID19 group.
Determinants of adolescents' Health-Related Quality of Life and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLos One, 17(8): e0272925. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0272925.

Abstract:

Background: We examined the determinants of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and psychological distress in adolescent girls and boys during the COVID-19 pandemic, using a random sample of the population of Geneva, Switzerland.

Methods: Data were collected from adolescents aged 14 to 17, who participated with their families in a serological survey conducted in November and December 2020. Adolescents' HRQoL was assessed using the validated KIDSCREEN-10 scale reported by adolescents and the KINDL® scale reported by parents. Psychological distress was assessed using self-reported sadness and loneliness based on the KINDL® emotional well-being scale. Using generalised estimating equations, we examined the role of socio-demographic, family and behavioural characteristics in influencing the mental health status and well-being of this population.

Results: Among 240 adolescents, 11% had low HRQoL, 35% reported sadness and 23% loneliness. According to parents' perceptions, 12% of adolescents had low HRQoL and 16% reported low emotional well-being. Being a girl (aOR = 3.20; 95% CI: 1.67-6.16), increased time spent on social networks (aOR = 2.07; 95% CI: 1.08-3.97), average to poor parental mood (aOR = 2.62; 95% CI: 1.10-6.23) and average to poor household financial situation (aOR = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.01-6.10) were associated with an increased risk of sadness. Discrepancies between adolescents' perception of HRQoL and that of their parents were more likely for girls (aOR = 2.88; 95% CI: 1.54-5.41) as well as in households with low family well-being (aOR = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.86-0.96 ).

Conclusions: A significant proportion of adolescents showed low levels of well-being during the second wave of COVID-19. During this period, average well-being was lower than pre-pandemic estimates. Adolescents living in disadvantaged or troubled families appeared to be particularly affected. Epidemiological monitoring is needed to assess the long-term effects of the pandemic on adolescents.

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