The Relationships Between Alcohol/Drug Use and Quality of Life Among Adolescents: An International, Cross-Sectional Study

Addictive behavior and mental health of adolescents aged 11-17 years in Bangladesh in 2014: A cross-sectional study

Background and Aims

This study aimed to evaluate the factors associated with addictive behavior and mental health in adolescents aged 11-17 years in Bangladesh.

Methods

This study analyzed data from the Bangladesh Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS) conducted in 2014. Adolescents aged 11-17 years studying government schools were considered as respondents for this survey. A two-phase group sample design was utilized to deliver illustrative information of all understudies in grades (classes) 7-10 in Bangladesh. Bivariate analyses followed by a weight-adjusted multiple logistic regression was fitted to a sample of size 2989 adolescents.

Results

One in ten and one in four adolescents had different substance addictions and some forms of mental health conditions, respectively. Sex of participants (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 4.49; confidence interval [CI]:2.28-8.84), being bullied (AOR: 3.08; CI:1.46-6.49), use of tobacco among parents (AOR: 5.82; CI:3.16-10.75), parental understanding of adolescents' problems (AOR: 0.45; CI:0.23-0.82), and food affordability (AOR: 1.24; CI:1.09-1.42) were associated with addictive behaviors of adolescents. Bullied males with nonempathetic parents were found to be more vulnerable to addictive behaviors and bullied females showed higher tendencies to mental health issues.

Conclusion

Considering the elevated prevalence of reported mental health concerns, identifying vulnerable groups and formulating intervention-oriented policies engaging youths can pave the way towards achieving robust health and well-being for them in Bangladesh.

Substance use in childhood and adolescence and its associations with quality of life and behavioral strengths and difficulties

BACKGROUND

Substance use in childhood and adolescence continues to be a current health concern. The aims of the present study were to identify trends in the use of alcohol, cigarettes, and cannabis in children and adolescents in the last 10 years and to assess associations between substance use and quality of life and behavioral strengths and difficulties.

METHODS

Substance use was examined in 1829 9- to 18-year-old German children and adolescents participating in the LIFE Child cohort study between 2011 and 2020. Quality of life was investigated using the KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire. The Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to assess behavioral strengths and difficulties. Associations were assessed using linear regression analyses. All effects were adjusted for age, gender, and family socio-economic status.

RESULTS

38.44% of participants reported drinking alcohol at least sometimes. Smoking (6.23%) and the use of cannabis (3.94%) were less frequent. While we observed no significant changes in smoking between 2011 and 2021, the consumption of cannabis and the frequent consumption of alcohol has increased in this time period. Cigarette and cannabis use were associated with additional symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention and reduced prosocial behavior. For all three substances, usage was associated with more conduct problems. We also found significant associations between substance use and a lower quality of life in the areas of physical wellbeing, psychological wellbeing, parent relation and autonomy, and school environment. One noteworthy finding was that cigarette consumption and frequent alcohol use were associated with higher quality of life in terms of social support/peer group relations. Some significant interactions between substance use and child age indicated that associations between substance use and quality of life or behavioral difficulties were stronger in younger than in older children.

CONCLUSIONS

The results show that quality of life and behavioral difficulties are associated with substance use and should be considered when developing or implementing preventive measures to counter substance use. Furthermore, the findings indicate that substance use can be accompanied by improved peer relations. Therefore, the influence of peers, especially of peers who use these substances, should not be underestimated.

Quality of life during a randomized trial of a therapeutic-workplace intervention for opioid use disorder: Web-based mobile assessments reveal effects of drug abstinence and access to paid work

Background

Employment and improved quality of life (QOL) are, separately, valued outcomes of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. It is also important to understand QOL changes caused by employment itself; therefore, we assessed QOL during a randomized trial of a contingency-management-based Therapeutic Workplace for people with opioid use disorder.

Methods

For 12 weeks, participants (n = 61) responded to QOL questionnaires in a mobile web app accessed with study-issued smartphones. At enrollment, participants were randomized to work in the Therapeutic Workplace immediately (immediate work group, IWG) or after a 3-week waitlist delay (delayed work group, DWG). Once both groups could work, wage-resetting contingencies were introduced for their opiate- and cocaine-urinalysis. Data were analyzed by (1) access to work with and without contingencies and (2) overall urinalysis-verified opiate- and cocaine-abstinence.

Results

DWG and/or IWG reported improvements in several QOL areas (sleep, transportation, recreation); however, they also reported increased money-related difficulties and less time spent with friends/family. These changes did not coincide with DWG's work access, but some (more sleep, money-related difficulties) coincided with the urinalysis contingencies. Greater opiate- and/or cocaine-abstinence was also associated with several improvements: sleep, paying bills, time spent with friends/family, and exercising. Surprisingly, intermediate cocaine abstinence was associated with reductions in work-capacity satisfaction and recreation.

Conclusions

Participants reported complex QOL differences during their experimental employment and associated with drug abstinence. Future work should help participants address issues that may be relevant to employment generally (e.g., time with friends/family) or contingency management specifically (e.g., money-related issues for non-abstinent participants).

Parent Report of Health Related Quality of Life in Young Children in Rural Guatemala: Implementation, Reliability, and Validity of the PedsQL in Stunting and Wasting

In this study, we review the implementation, reliability, and validity of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), a measure of health-related quality of life, in young children in rural Guatemala. Mothers of 842 children (age range = 1-60 months) completed the PedsQL Generic Core Scales 4.0 serially for 1 year. Low (Pearson’s r = 0.28, P < .0001) to moderate (Pearson’s r = 0.65, P < .0001) consistency in responding over time was shown. The PedsQL did not discriminate reliably between healthy children and those with stunting or wasting. PedsQL scores were not lower during the time of an acute illness. While we found low to moderate evidence for the reliability of the PedsQL in healthy children, it did not discriminate between healthy children and those with stunting, wasting or other acute illness.

Association between Lifestyle Behaviors and Health-Related Quality of Life in a Sample of Brazilian Adolescents

This study aimed to analyze the association between lifestyle behaviors and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Brazilian adolescents. We evaluated 739 adolescents (51.0% girls; mean age, 16.4 ± 1.0 years) from the mesoregion Grande Florianópolis, Brazil. Participants were asked to complete an online questionnaire and sex, age, mother's education, health-related quality of life, physical activity, screen time indicators, sleep duration, diet, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, and drug experimentation were retrieved. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the Kidscreen-10 instrument. Measures of body mass and height were taken by trained researchers. Mixed-effects linear regression models were used. Self-reported health-related quality of life was higher in males (β = 3.68, 95%CI: 2.75; 4.61) compared to females, and no association was observed for age and mother's education level. Practicing sports (β = 1.19, 95%CI: 0.29; 2.08) was associated with better HRQoL, while processed food score (β = -0.45, 95%CI: -0.78; -0.13), working using screen devices for more than 4 h/day (β = -2.38, 95%CI: -4.52; -0.25), having experimented illicit drugs (β = -2.05, 95%CI: -3.20; -0.90), and sleeping less than 8 h/night (β = -1.35, 95%CI: -2.27; -0.43) were unfavorably associated with HRQoL. Non-sport physical activities, unprocessed food, studying, watching videos, playing videogames, using social media, alcohol drinking, and smoking were not associated with health-related quality of life. These findings suggest that promoting sports and adequate sleep, and preventing excessive workloads and the use of drugs among adolescents may be effective strategies to improve HRQoL.

Predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy from six European countries

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive, genetically determined neuromuscular disease that affects males and leads to severe physical disability in early teenage years. Over the last decades, patient-reported outcomes such as Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) gained great interest in clinical research. However, little is known about factors affecting HRQoL in boys with DMD. Data from the multi-center CARE-NMD project of boys with DMD from six European countries collected between 2011 and 2012 were analyzed (8-17 years old; n = 321). HRQoL was measured using the KIDSCREEN-10 index, the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) and the Neuromuscular Module of the PedsQL (NMM). Linear regression models served to examine influences of socio-demographic, disease- and treatment-specific as well as participation- and environment-related factors on overall and disease-specific HRQoL. Proportions of explained variance varied across models using different outcomes (18-34%). Overall HRQoL according to the KIDSCREEN-10 index was associated with household income, the frequency of attending a clinic with specialized staff, the number of days spent outside home, and the attitude of the local community, but no significant association with age occurred. Overall HRQoL according to the generic PedsQL and disease-specific HRQoL were both positively associated with age and influenced by the country of residence, the disease stage, number of days spent outside home, and the attitude of the local community. Our results may be relevant for clinical practice and planning interventions for this population, but should be confirmed by future research. Further questions for future studies on boys with DMD are proposed.