Social anxiety, lifestyle behavior and quality of life in disadvantaged migrant adolescents: A case-control study

Emotional and relational problems of adolescents with and without a migrant background in Europe: a systematic review

Mental health of migrant adolescents is a topic that has been widely studied in the past decades. Emotional and behavioural problems are amongst the most explored areas; however, little attention has been paid to the relational sphere, which represents another key aspect of mental health and is paramount during adolescence. This systematic review analysed the available evidence on emotional and relational problems comparing adolescents with and without a migrant background in Europe between 2010 and 2021. The search was conducted in four databases using a common search strategy composed of terms addressing adolescence, migrant population, and emotional and relational problems. Three rounds of screening produced 36 eligible studies. Factors affecting both types of problems were identified and categorised using thematic synthesis, dividing them into factors affecting both types of problems jointly or separately and analysing them according to three systemic levels affecting the adolescents' lives (intrapersonal, interpersonal and external). Critical analysis of the results pointed to mixed findings, with a mild tendency in migrant-background adolescents to portray more emotional problems than their native peers and a stronger tendency for relational problems in the same direction. Several limitations were identified and, along with the conclusions, point to suggestions for future research focusing on studying relational problems as a key component of mental health and its link to emotional problems. Further suggestions entail designing studies that target adolescents with different migrant-background profiles and cultural origins to establish differences between them and identify additional factors affecting emotional and relational problems during the pre-migration and transit phases of the migratory journey to help prevent the onset of these problems.

Lifestyle habits, health indicators and sociodemographic factors associated with health-related quality of life and self-esteem in adolescents

BACKGROUND

Mental health is defined as a state of emotional, psychological, and social well-being, and has been shown to be positively associated with self-esteem and quality of life. It is important to note that mental health is dynamic and influenced by a wide range of social, biological, and behavioral factors. Therefore, the aim this study was to describe the health-related quality of life and self-esteem in adolescents, examining their relationship with various health indicators, lifestyle habits, and sociodemographic variables.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study was conducted with a representative sample of 761 students (14.51 ± 1.63 years). Health-related quality of life, self-esteem, satisfaction with body image, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, physical activity practice, hours of nightly sleep, maximum oxygen consumption, body mass index, academic performance, and various sociodemographic factors of all participants were analyzed.

RESULTS

Regression analysis showed that body satisfaction and academic performance were associated of both health-related quality of life and self-esteem. Additionally, physical activity, age, and favourable settings for physical activity engagement were also found to be related to health-related quality of life, whilst adherence to the Mediterranean diet, hours of nightly sleep, maximum oxygen consumption and socioeconomic status were associated with self-esteem.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the associations found between health-related quality of life and self-esteem with lifestyle habits and sociodemographic indicators, there is an urgent need to develop interdisciplinary and cross-cutting promotion strategies to improve the mental health of adolescents.