Relationship between special family structure and adolescents’ physical and mental health

Abstract

Objective To explore the relationship between family structure with adolescents’ physical and mental health, and to provide a reference for promoting healthy development of adolescents in the family with particular structure.

Methods The stratified random sampling method was used to select 3 941 middle school students aged 13 to 18 years in Shangrao City of Jiangxi Province. Self-designed questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Scale (GAD-7) were used to assess family structure, depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms, participants were divided into underweight or overweight and obesity according to screening for underweight of school-age children and screening for overweight and obesity of school-age children.

Results The proportion of adolescents with special family structure was 7.0%. Univariate analysis showed that underweight rate of adolescents with divorced parents (31.2%) was higher than that of adolescents whose parents were still married (25.3%) (χ ²=3.55, P<0.05), the detection rate of depressive symptoms in adolescents with special family structure (40.9%) was higher than that in adolescents with typical family structure (34.5%) (χ ²=4.60, P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that the risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents with special family structure was 1.41 times higher than that in adolescents with typical family structure (95% CI = 1.02–1.79, P<0.05).

Conclusion No significant relationships between special family structure with underweight, overweight and obesity, and anxiety symptoms of adolescents are observed, however, special family structures are associated with increased risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents.

Abstract

【摘要】 目的 探究特殊家庭结构与青少年身心健康的关联, 为促进特殊结构家庭青少年的健康成长提供数据参考。 方法 采用分层随机抽样法抽取江西省上饶市 13~18 岁 3 941 名中学生为研究对象, 采用自编问卷、患者健康问卷 (PHQ-9) 和广泛性焦虑量表 (GAD-7) 评估青少年特殊结构家庭情况、抑郁和焦虑症状, 并对青少年进行消瘦和超重肥胖筛査。 结果 青少年特殊结构家庭比例为 7.0%。单因素分析显示, 父母离婚的青少年消瘦检出率 (31.2%) 髙于正常家庭者 (25.3%) (χ ² = 3.55, P<0.05), 特殊结构家庭的青少年抑郁症状检出率 (40.9%) 髙于正常结构家庭者 (34.5%) (χ ² =4.60, P<0.05)。多因素 Logistic 回归分析结果显示, 特殊结构家庭青少年的抑郁症状发生风险是正常结构家庭者的 1.41 倍 (95% CI=1.02~1.79, P<0.05)。 结论 特殊结构家庭与青少年消瘦、超重肥胖、焦虑症状间的关系并不明显, 但可能会增加青少年 抑郁症状的发生风险。