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Perceived family functioning, adolescent psychopathology and quality of life in the general population: a 6-month follow-up study

Quality of Life Research volume 25, pages 959–967 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the study was to investigate whether perceived family functioning of adolescent is moderating or mediating the longitudinal association of adolescent internalizing and externalizing psychopathology with quality of life (QoL) after 6 months in the general population.

Methods

Using a cluster sampling technique in one Norwegian county 1331, 10- to 16-year-old students were included in the study (51 % girls). Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist for the assessment of adolescent psychopathology at Time 1. The students completed the General Functioning Scale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device and the Inventory of Life Quality in Children and Adolescents at time 2 6 months later. Psychopathology, family functioning and QoL were treated as latent variables in a structural equation model adjusted for sex, age and parent education.

Results

The regression coefficients for paths from psychopathology decreased (β = .199 for the internalizing and β = .102 for the externalizing model) in each case when including the indirect path via family functioning compared with the direct path from psychopathology to QoL. The sum of indirect effects on QoL via family functioning was significant for internalizing β = 0.093 (95 % CI 0.054–0.133) and externalizing β = 0.119 (95 % CI 0.076–0.162) psychopathology.

Conclusions

Family functioning significantly mediated the longitudinal association between psychopathology and QoL. Because the family remains an important social domain for adolescents, it must be an important consideration when attempting to reduce or alleviate psychopathology in youth and improve the quality of their life experience throughout this period.

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Acknowledgments

Funding

This study was funded by the Norwegian National Council of Mental Health/EXTRA.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, Regional Center for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Pb. 8905, MTFS, 7491, Trondheim, Norway

    Thomas Jozefiak

  2. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, St. Olavs Hospital, Postboks 6810, Elgeseter, 7433, Trondheim, Norway

    Thomas Jozefiak

  3. Psychological Sciences and Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California, Merced, 5200, North Lake Rd, Merced, CA, 95343, USA

    Jan L. Wallander

Authors
  1. Thomas Jozefiak
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  2. Jan L. Wallander
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas Jozefiak.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The first author receives royalities from publisher Hogrefe/Psykologiförlag Stockholm for authorship of the "Norwegian Manual - ILC QoL measure, 2012" which is used in this study.

Informed consent

All adolescents and parents who participated gave their written informed consent. This study was approved by the Regional Commitee for Medical Research Ethics in Central Norway. The procedures in this study were in accordance with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

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Jozefiak, T., Wallander, J.L. Perceived family functioning, adolescent psychopathology and quality of life in the general population: a 6-month follow-up study. Qual Life Res 25, 959–967 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-015-1138-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-015-1138-9

Keywords

  • Family functioning
  • Adolescents
  • Quality of life
  • Psychopathology