Mental health problems, negative life events, perceived pressure and the frequency of acute infections among adolescents. Results from a cross-sectional, multicultural, population-based study

Abstract

Aim: To study the association between mental health problems, negative life events, perceived pressure at school and the frequency of acute infectious illnesses in an adolescent population, and to explore whether the association differs by sex and immigration status.

Methods: A cross-sectional study involving all tenth grade pupils in Oslo in 2000 and 2001. Of 8316 eligible pupils, 7346 participated in the study, giving a participation rate of 88%. Twenty-four percent of participants were first- or second-generation immigrants.

Results: Mental health problems and negative life events were associated with the number of acute infections in a population-based setting, even after adjustment for possible confounding factors. For girls with an immigrant background, internalised mental health problems and own serious illness or injury had the strongest association with acute infections. For adolescents with a non-immigrant background, experiencing sexual violence had the strongest association, and for native-born boys the strongest association with acute infections was externalised mental health problems. Smoking was the cofactor with the strongest association to acute infections.

Conclusion: There is a relationship between acute infection, mental health problems and negative life events among adolescents in a multicultural population-based setting.