Background: Adolescence is a transitional period of child development to adulthood. Risk-taking behaviors involve part of adolescent development. Ten to fifteen percent of adolescents suffer from chronic illnesses that affect their health and well-being. Understanding the prevalence of risk-taking behaviors could raise awareness of early detection and intervention to improve the quality of care in this population.
Objective: To explore the prevalence of risk-taking behaviors and psychosocial functioning in adolescents with chronic diseases compared to those of healthy adolescents.
Methods: One hundred and twenty adolescents with chronic conditions aged 10 to 18 years and their age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled from the outpatient clinic of Chiangmai University Hospital between June 2021 and September 2022. The computer-based self-reported Thai Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQ) were obtained from all participants to assess risk-taking behaviors and psychosocial problems.
Results: Adolescents with chronic illnesses had the following risk behaviors: unintentional injuries 20.8%, interpersonal violence 38.3%, mental health problems 18.3%, tobacco use 3.3%, alcohol exposure 20.0%, substance use 0.8%, sexual behavior problems 5.0%, inadequate exercise 65.8%, excessive screen time 74.2%, and inadequate sleep time 37.5%. They had a significantly higher risk of mental health problems compared to their healthy controls (18.3% vs 0.8%, p < 0.001). Adolescents with chronic illnesses also showed better lifestyle behaviors, including inadequate exercise (65.8% vs 90.8%, p<0.001), excessive screen time (74.2% vs 97.5%, p<0.001), and inadequate sleep time (37.5% vs 66.7%, p<0.001), than healthy controls.
Conclusion: Findings from this study have suggested that adolescents with chronic diseases had a higher risk of mental health problems than healthy ones. This may affect treatment outcomes and worsen their illness conditions and quality of life. Appropriate psychological evaluation and support should be provided to improve the quality of life in adolescents with chronic illnesses.
Keywords: adolescents, chronic disease, risk-taking behavior, mental health problem
