Search Results (57)

Background/Objectives: Improving the health literacy (HL) of adolescents and parents is an actual theme and needs detailed investigation in a bilingual region. Methods: In this cross-sectional school-recruited sample, parental and adolescent HL were associated with adolescent mental health screening outcomes. Exploratory indirect-effect models suggested possible pathways for future longitudinal research. About 3229 questionnaires provided information. Standardized internationally validated instruments were used. Parental and self-reported data were compared; the associations of HL with social support, problematic Internet use, questionnaire language, and mental health screening outcomes were explored. Results: Adolescents’ HL was associated with questionnaire language, with higher scores observed for German (23.1% high HL) than for Italian (14.3%). Higher levels of HL among both parents and adolescents were related to better mental health screening outcomes in adolescents with higher associations to adolescents’ HL. Social support and problematic Internet use were associated with both mental health screening outcomes and parental- and self-reported HL. HL related partly to the observed. Higher parental education was related to better parental HL and higher parental response rates. Conclusions: Enhancing HL among parents and adolescents through school-based programs needs language and education specific interventions. In the bilingual context of South Tyrol, the introduction of a bilingual program needs to be accompanied by scientific investigations, targeting language specific needs and differences. Existing international German school-based programs can be the basis for developing interventions to fit the Italian healthcare and educational system. South Tyrol offers the unique opportunity to introduce a scientific-based bilingual HL concept at schools. Enhancing information seeking and appraisal strategies in adolescents may be essential. Full article

Adolescents growing up in multilingual regions experience diverse educational contexts that may shape their daily routines and psychosocial environments, but their independent relevance for mental health remains unclear. South Tyrol, with its parallel German-, Italian-, and Ladin-language school systems, provides a unique setting to examine these associations. This study assessed whether school language and home–school language mismatch are associated with mental health, psychosomatic symptoms, and health-related behaviors among adolescents. We analyzed data from a population-based survey of 2005 adolescents aged 11–19 years who provided self-reported information on mental health, psychosomatic complaints, school stress, social support, digital behaviors, lifestyle, and sleep. Multivariable regression analyses examined the independent association of home–school language mismatch with mental health outcomes, adjusting for sociodemographic and educational factors and further incorporating sleep-related behaviors. Mental health outcomes, psychosomatic symptoms, and most health-related behaviors showed little variation by school language, with generally small effect sizes. Home–school language mismatch was associated with slightly higher depressive symptom scores in unadjusted analyses but was not independently associated with mental health outcomes after adjustment. In contrast, weekly sleep problems emerged as the strongest correlate of depressive symptoms, accounting for a substantial proportion of explained variance. These findings indicate that adolescent mental health in this multilingual context is associated less with the language of schooling itself than with broader behavioral and developmental factors, highlighting sleep-related behaviors as a central and modifiable target for prevention. Full article

Background/Objectives: Adolescence is a critical period in terms of mental health, with the family environment being a key determinant. Parental resilience, the ability to adapt and recover from stress, is a parental psychological resource that may shape the family context of adolescent development but population-based evidence is scarce. This study examined if parental resilience is linked to adolescent mental well-being, mediated by perceived family support, and whether it varies by sex or developmental stage. Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study analyzed data from 2004 adolescents aged 11–19 years from the COP-S Wave 4 survey in Italy. Parental resilience was assessed using a Brief Resilience Scale. Perceived social support was measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and mental well-being was assessed across five outcomes: health-related quality of life (KIDSCREEN-10), emotional difficulties (SDQ), depressive symptoms (PHQ-2), anxiety symptoms (SCARED), and psychosomatic complaints (HBSC-SCL). Regression models were used to examine associations, and mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro with bootstrap confidence intervals (5000 resamples). Results: Parental resilience was independently associated with better health-related quality of life, lower emotional and behavioral difficulties, fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms, and fewer psychosomatic complaints, after adjusting for adolescent social support and demographics. Parental resilience showed weak positive associations with the MSPSS subscales; the hypothesis of the strongest family support association was unsupported. The analyses did not support family support as a mediator and no moderation by sex or development was found. Conclusions: In this population-based sample, parental resilience was associated with multiple dimensions of adolescent mental well-being that were distinct from adolescents’ perceptions of social support. These findings suggest that strengthening parental resilience may promote adolescent mental health at the population level. Full article

Burnout syndrome is conceptualized as a work-related psychological condition primarily marked by persistent exhaustion, emotional and cognitive impairment and mental distancing. In addition to these core dimensions, burnout may give rise to secondary symptoms, including psychological distress, psychosomatic complaints, and depressive mood. The Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) includes specific measures for both primary and secondary symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the validity evidence of the BAT’s secondary symptoms Brazilian version scale (BAT-S). The sample consisted of 1.750 professionals (71% women), with a mean age of 39 years (SD = 11). Confirmatory Factor Analyses indicated that a model of two oblique first-order factors, differentiating psychological distress from psychosomatic complaints, provided a superior fit compared to the unidimensional solution. The scale also presented satisfactory internal consistency for the scales of psychological distress (α = 0.88 and ω = 0.90) and psychosomatic complaints (α = 0.85 and ω = 0.87). The BAT-S represents a reliable tool to assess these secondary symptoms of burnout, advancing research that integrates behavioral and physiological markers, offering practical applications for occupational health interventions and preventive strategies in the workplace. Full article

Background/Objectives: Parental health literacy is linked to child health outcomes, but the evidence relies mainly on parent proxy reports. This study examined the association between parental health literacy and proxy-reported mental health outcomes in children aged 6–10 years and assessed whether these associations reflect general reporting patterns. Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of data derived from a population-based cross-sectional survey conducted in South Tyrol, Italy, including proxy data from 3183 children aged 6–10 years. Parental health literacy was categorized as inadequate, problematic, adequate, or missing/insufficient. The outcomes included emotional and behavioral difficulties, psychosomatic complaints, and perceived social support. Linear regression models were estimated for each outcome, adjusted for children’s age, gender, parental age, education, family affluence, migration background, residential setting, and questionnaire language. Selective missingness and insufficient completion of parental health literacy data were examined using logistic regression analysis. Sensitivity analyses were used to adjust the mental health models for social support. Results: Higher parental health literacy was associated with lower emotional and behavioral difficulties (B = −1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] −1.79 to −1.01), higher psychosomatic complaint scores (B = 0.61, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.081), and higher perceived social support (B = 0.14, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.26). The effect sizes were small. Missing or insufficient parental health literacy data showed social patterns by parental education and age, whereas no systematic predictors of early disengagement were observed among parents who partially completed the health literacy instrument. Sensitivity analyses attenuated but did not eliminate the associations between parental health literacy and child mental health outcomes. Conclusions: Parental health literacy is associated with proxy-reported psychosocial outcomes in children aged 6–10 years. The consistency of the effects across outcomes suggests that parental health literacy may influence how parents report child functioning, underscoring the importance of considering informant characteristics in proxy-based research. Full article

Background: Burnout is a syndrome resulting from long-term, unmanaged work-related stress. This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Serbian versions of BAT among fifth-year medical students at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine. Methods: This cross-sectional study, which included a total of 431 students at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, was conducted during the last week of November 2024. The study instruments used were the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). Results: Cronbach’s alpha for the entire BAT scale was α = 0.946; for core burnout symptoms, it was α = 0.938; for the exhaustion scale, α = 0.865; for mental distance, α = 0.858; for cognitive impairment, α = 0.907; for emotional impairment, α = 0.878; for secondary symptoms, α = 0.863; for psychological distress, α = 0.791; and for psychosomatic complaints, α = 0.801. The EFA showed six factors that explained a total of 63.76% of the variance. Factor 1 explained 35.71% of the variance; factor 2 explained 9.81%; factor 3, 5.785%; factor 4, 5.415%; factor 5, 3.956%; and factor 6 explained 3.076% of the variance. After the elimination of the three items with the lowest loadings, the EFA showed five factors that explained a total of 63.347% of the total variance. Factor 1 explained a total of 36.637% of the variance; factor 2, 10.544%; factor 3, 6.345%; factor 4, 5.612%; and factor 5 explained a total of 4.209%. Conclusions: This study showed that the Serbian version of the BAT exhibits excellent reliability, clear factorial validity, and strong convergent and discriminative performance. Full article

Background: Adolescence is a sensitive period for psychological, academic, and social development, and sports participation has been described as a potential protective factor for academic performance and psychological well-being. However, limited research has examined the combined influence of sports involvement, sport type, and family background on adolescents’ academic and psychological outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the associations between organized sport participation, sport type (football vs. judo), psychological well-being, psychosomatic symptoms, academic performance, and family socioeconomic background among adolescent boys. Methods: The sample consisted of 52 boys aged 11–14 years from a rural school, divided into football players (n = 13), judo athletes (n = 13), non-athletes (n = 13), and a contextual subgroup of students with special educational needs (SEN; n = 13), with the latter included for exploratory purposes only. Data included school-record-based academic performance and validated self-report measures of life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, psychosomatic complaints, perceived physical fitness, and socioeconomic background. Results: Athletes demonstrated significantly higher academic achievement than non-athletes in overall grade point average (p < 0.001), mathematics (p < 0.001), Romanian (p < 0.001), English (p = 0.03), and Hungarian (p < 0.001). They also reported higher life satisfaction (p < 0.001) but simultaneously showed slightly elevated depressive symptom scores (p < 0.001), indicating a paradoxical pattern of concurrent psychosocial benefits and psychological strain. Parental education (p < 0.001), parental occupational status (p = 0.01), and fathers’ occupational position (p = 0.02) were significantly higher among athletes’ families. Perceived physical fitness was also rated higher by athletes (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found in body mass index, family structure, or most psychosomatic symptoms. Conclusions: Sport participation was associated with more favorable academic and psychological indicators, yet also with elevated depressive symptoms, highlighting the dual nature of organized sport during adolescence. Future research should apply longitudinal designs, include female participants, and incorporate objective indicators of training load. Full article

Background/Objectives: Eating disorders (EDs) in adolescents are increasingly prevalent. In South Tyrol, a bilingual region in Northern Italy, not only actual gender and age prevalences can be compared to screening rates, but even the comparability of screening tools across languages can be examined. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis integrated clinical registry data with representative, online school-recruited adolescents (11 to 17) self-reports. 166 clinically diagnosed cases and 1465 screened adolescents (1246 German, 219 Italian), were examined. The SCOFF questionnaire (cutoff ≥ 2 for German and ≥3 for Italian), body mass index, body image perception, psychosocial and lifestyle indicators in proxy and self-reports were examined using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Results: The clinical dataset for 2024 has a prevalence rate of 0.4%. The SCOFF screening tool identified symptomatic cases in 10.6%, and an age-increasing trend among females. The overall SCOFF-prevalence did not differ between language versions, although responses to individual items varied significantly. Predictors of ED included body image, psychosomatic complaints, problematic social media use, and low social support, with differences between genders. Parents tended to underestimate their children’s perception of being “too thick.” Conclusions: In early adolescence, preventive strategies are needed and targeted interventions in late adolescence. For early detection and intervention, gender-sensitive prevention and active parental involvement is needed. The SCOFF questionnaire demonstrates utility across both languages, but bilingual comparison highlights the need for culturally adapted tools and cross-language validation. Full article

Background/Objectives: Agility and reaction speed are critical components of sports performance and are influenced by both physical conditioning and psychological state. Interventions such as SmartACT, which integrate mindfulness, acceptance, and commitment, guided imagery and hypnosis techniques are still underexplored in high-performance sport, despite their potential to affect both psychological and motor dimensions. Methods: This 7-week controlled trial investigated the effectiveness of SmartACT in reducing psychological and somatic symptoms and enhancing motor performance in adolescent athletes. A total of 193 athletes aged 15–18 years were assigned to three groups: SmartACT (n = 69), MAC (Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment, the standardized Gardner & Moore protocol; n = 65), and a control group (n = 59). Agility was measured using the T-Drill Agility Test with Microgate electronic timing, and reaction speed was assessed using BlazePod devices. Psychological and somatic symptoms were evaluated using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Ghent Multidimensional Somatic Complaints Scale (GMSCS). Results: The SmartACT group showed significantly improved agility (MD = −1.07 s, p < 0.001, d = 2.50, 95% CI [1.79, 3.35]), faster reaction times (MD = −643.75 ms, p < 0.001, d = 0.85, 95% CI [0.35, 1.41]), and a higher number of BlazePod touches (MD = +2.53, p < 0.001, d = 1.43, 95% CI [0.87, 2.07]). Psychological symptoms (DASS-21) and somatic complaints (GMSCS) decreased significantly more than in the MAC and control groups. Conclusions: SmartACT appears to be an effective hybrid psychological intervention to simultaneously improve physical performance and reduce psychological and psychosomatic distress in adolescent athletes. Full article

Background: A subset of patients with chronic dyspepsia exhibits palpable upper abdominal hardness and systemic symptoms like headache, chest discomfort, neck/shoulder stiffness, fatigue, and depression. In traditional Korean medicine (TKM), this symptom complex is referred to as Damjeok syndrome (痰积症候群, DJS). Although DJS is frequently observed in TKM practice, it lacks a clear case definition and biological mechanism, limiting its integration in gastroenterology research and evidence-based practice. Clarifying its clinical and biological features is essential to understand its pathophysiology and clinical significance. Methods: This case–control study aimed to characterize DJS by comparing 16 female patients diagnosed with DJS and 15 age-matched healthy females as controls. A female-only cohort was selected to reflect the higher prevalence of chronic dyspepsia in women and reduce biological variability. Clinical characteristics and potential DJS-specific biomarkers were evaluated through complete blood count (CBC), serum biochemical tests, heart rate variability (HRV) for autonomic function, and plasma 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), a serotonin metabolite linked to gastrointestinal motility and autonomic regulation. Results: The DJS group had a mean disease duration of 58.0 ± 46.2 months, with epigastric fullness and underlying abdominal hardness as primary complaints. Postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) was the most common (43.8%) dyspepsia subtype, often combined with epigastric pain syndrome (EPS). Extra-gastrointestinal symptoms such as headache/fatigue (87.5%) and anxiety/depression (81.3%) were highly prevalent. Neutrophil counts were significantly lower in the DJS group (p = 0.01), while other hematological or biochemical markers showed no differences (p > 0.1). HRV analysis revealed decreased parasympathetic activity (RMSSD and HF, p < 0.1), and plasma 5-HIAA levels were significantly elevated compared to healthy controls (p = 0.01). Conclusions: DJS aligns with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), sharing psychosomatic symptoms and reduced parasympathetic activity, suggesting gut–brain axis dysregulation. However, distinct features like palpable upper abdominal hardness and elevated plasma 5-HIAA levels indicate that DJS may represent a unique subtype within the category of FGIDs. These findings highlight the need for larger, well-designed studies to further elucidate the pathophysiology of DJS. Full article

School refusal is a growing concern having potentially long-term consequences for affected children and adolescents. Early intervention is widely recommended, yet there is limited knowledge about early warning signs that could support timely identification. This study explores whether parents’ experiences can contribute to a better understanding of such early indicators. A two-phase survey was conducted among parents of children with school refusal. In the first phase, 196 parents responded to an open-ended question about early signs, which were categorized into 30 types. These categories formed the basis for a structured questionnaire used in the second phase, completed by 509 parents. The analysis revealed significant variation in the occurrence of signs and signals. A factor analysis identified seven distinct types of early indicators, including social difficulties, academic challenges, psychosomatic complaints, and emotional expressions. The findings suggest that parents’ observations can provide valuable insights for early identification. However, many of the signs overlap with indicators of other challenges, such as anxiety or neglect, and must therefore be interpreted within a broader social context. This study highlights the importance of incorporating parental perspectives into early intervention strategies and the need for nuanced interpretation of early signs of school refusal. Full article

In recent years, changing working conditions have placed high demands on employees, resulting in increased work intensity, which may affect employees’ health and performance. Based on job and personal resources, individual behaviors help to cope with increased work intensity. We investigated two individual behaviors, namely resilient behavior, which is a reactive approach that helps to cope with adverse situations at work, and job crafting, which is a proactive approach to managing the constellation of job demands and job resources. In a study of 1108 employees, we used regression analyses to examine the interplay between work intensity and individual behaviors and their impact on various outcomes. Our results showed that resilient behavior moderated the relationship between work intensity and psychosomatic complaints. In addition, work intensity moderated the relationship between job crafting and task performance. In summary, individual behaviors can have different effects on the constellation of work intensity and specific outcomes. Our findings on the specific effects of resilient behavior and job crafting allow for a more targeted application. Since the above behaviors can be enhanced through training, organizations can embrace this idea to maintain employees’ health and performance. Full article

Social media use has rapidly increased over the past decade, especially among young people. To obtain more insight into the potential negative associations with problematic social media use in Dutch early adolescents, we assessed its relation to self-reported well-being. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 585 students in their final year of primary school (11–12 years old) who completed a questionnaire during school hours. We examined the association between problematic social media use and psychosomatic complaints, as well as general life satisfaction and whether perceived social support and sex moderated these associations. Problematic social media use was associated with lower general life satisfaction, as well as all psychosomatic complaints, with the strongest association for having a bad mood or feeling irritated (OR = 3.08, 99% CI = 2.05–4.63). Most associations were not moderated by perceived social support or sex. Our findings indicate that the well-being of early adolescents may be affected by problematic social media use already in primary school. The association persisted regardless of the amount of perceived social support, and without strong gender differences. This suggests that the potential for limiting the potential negative consequences of problematic social media use through increasing social support is limited. Full article

Background: We investigated the predictors of poor SRH in a representative sample of Lithuanian mainstream school students in grades 7–8. We also checked for gender differences in the associations between SRH and depressive symptoms and other predictors. Methods: A total of 2104 7th–8th-grade students participated (response rate 73.95%) and were asked about depressive symptoms, psychosomatic health complaints, negative acts at school, feeling at school, family stress and violence, sense of coherence, self-esteem, and lifestyle. We used a hierarchical regression analysis including a variety of self-rated health predictors. Results: Boys scored significantly higher on physical activity and smoking, whereas girls scored significantly higher on SRH, depressive symptoms, psychosomatic health complaints, and family stress and violence, though the significance was lost in the hierarchical regression. Depressive symptoms were the strongest predictor of poor SRH (standardized β = 0.309, p < 0.001), though other investigated predictors were also significant but had lower effect sizes. Strong evidence was found supporting the buffering role of sense of coherence in the relationship between depressive symptoms and SRH (standardized β = −0.266, p < 0.001). Conclusions: We can conclude that the magnitude of the relationship between depressive symptoms and self-rated health is dependent on the levels of sense of coherence. We did not find gender differences in those associations. As poor SRH is easy to determine, especially with a one-item question, the cases of poorly rated health should be detected early and corrected by interventions in order to prevent poor health outcomes in the future. Full article

The aim of this study was to assess the mental health situation of children and adolescents during a period of less strict COVID-19-pandemic-related measures after the first pandemic wave. This cross-sectional study was conducted in July 2021 by carrying out an online survey among children and adolescents (aged 10–18 years) from Halle (Saale), Germany (n = 233). The questionnaire measured important aspects of mental health among young people, namely health-related quality of life (HRQoL, using the self-report version of the KIDSCREEN-10), mental health problems in general (using the SDQ), depressive symptoms (using the CES-DC), and psychosomatic complaints (using the HBSC symptom checklist). In addition, other important health issues such as sleep behavior and related difficulties, disordered eating, and any positive consequences of the pandemic were addressed. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A total of 223 children participated in the survey. About 69.7% of the participating children and adolescents had a high HRQoL, while 10.5% displayed abnormal results on the SDQ. There were indications of emotional problems in 16.5% of the participants based on the SDQ subscales. Almost 44% of the participants were screened as positive for depressive symptoms on the CES-DC, with girls and older adolescents being more likely to be affected. This also applied for psychosomatic complaints. Here, irritability was experienced at least once a week or more frequently by 58.9% of the children and adolescents. Although we had a small sample size, this study showed a high prevalence of mental health problems regarding the SDQ and HRQoL. However, our study population showed a better mental health than comparable studies conducted earlier in the pandemic. Depressive symptoms were still substantially higher than those in pre-pandemic data. We hypothesize that this might reflect the fact that there were a few COVID-19-related restrictions at the time when our survey took place. Based on these findings, we assume that the mental health of children and adolescents differed between different phases in the pandemic. Full article