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The association between medical conditions and gender, well‐being, psychosomatic complaints as well as school adaptability
Author(s) -
Olsson Ann,
Hasselgren Mikael,
Hagquist Curt,
Janson Staffan
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.12174
Subject(s) - medicine , adaptability , context (archaeology) , association (psychology) , clinical psychology , well being , medical school , family medicine , psychiatry , psychology , medical education , ecology , paleontology , psychotherapist , biology
Aim The aim was to assess the association between medical conditions and gender, well‐being, psychosomatic complaints and school adaptability. The second aim was to determine whether self‐reported medical conditions should be included in class‐room questionnaires that deal with well‐being and risk behaviour. Methods A cross‐sectional class‐room questionnaire was given to all 15‐ to 16‐year‐olds within a Swedish county. The questionnaire included background factors, subjective health, well‐being, psychosomatic complaints, self image, drug use and also several themes from the school context. In addition, there were 13 medical conditions/problems to tick (yes or no) and an open alternative for other problems/medical conditions. Results 3108 questionnaires (response rate 84%) were analysed. The majority of the girls and the boys reported no medical conditions; however, 49% of the girls and 39% of the boys reported at least one medical condition. The medical conditions were associated with gender, well‐being, psychosomatic complaints and school adaptability. The association was stronger for girls than for boys. Conclusion Medical conditions among these teenagers were associated with gender, well‐being, psychosomatic complaints and school adaptability, particularly for girls. Our results suggest that medical conditions could preferably be included in regular classroom questionnaires.