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Socioeconomic inequalities in mental health and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents from 11 European countries

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Public Health

Abstract

Objectives

To assess the presence and magnitude of social inequalities in mental health and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in the population aged 8–18 years in 11 European countries.

Methods

Cross-sectional surveys were carried out in representative samples of children/adolescents (8–18 years) from the participating countries of the KIDSCREEN project. Mental health was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and HRQOL by means of the KIDSCREEN-10. Socioeconomic status (SES) was assessed using the Family Affluence Scale and parental level of education. The association between health outcomes and SES was analyzed with the regression-based relative index of inequalities (RII) and population attributable risk.

Results

A total of 16,210 parent–child pairs were included. The SDQ showed inequalities in mental health according to family level of education in all countries (RII = 1.45; 1.37–1.53). The RII for HRQOL was 2.15 (1.79–2.59) in the whole sample, with less consistent results by age and country.

Conclusions

Socioeconomic inequalities in mental health were consistently found across Europe. Future research should clarify the causes of these inequalities and define initiatives which prevent them continuing into adulthood.

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Acknowledgments

The KIDSCREEN project was financed by a grant from the European Commission (QLG-CT-2000-00751) within the EC 5th Framework-Programme “Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources”. This work was also partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Health (Contract No PI042405).

Conflict of interest

All authors have no conflict of interest. Luis Rajmil had full access to all the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Catalan Agency for Health Information, Assessment and Quality (CAHIAQ), Carrer de Roc Boronat, 81–95 (2na planta), 08005, Barcelona, Spain

    Luis Rajmil

  2. CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain

    Luis Rajmil & Jordi Alonso

  3. Institut de Recerca Hospital del Mar (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain

    Luis Rajmil & Jordi Alonso

  4. Insight Consulting and Research, Mataró, Spain

    Michael Herdman

  5. Department of Psychosomatics in Children and Adolescents, University Medical Center, Hamburg, Germany

    Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer

  6. Zentralinstitut für die kassenärztliche Versorgung in Deutschland, Berlin, Germany

    Michael Erhart

Authors
  1. Luis Rajmil
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  2. Michael Herdman
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  3. Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer
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  4. Michael Erhart
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  5. Jordi Alonso
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Consortia

The European KIDSCREEN group

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luis Rajmil.

Additional information

Members of the KIDSCREEN group are listed in "Appendix".

Appendix

Appendix

Austria: Wolfgang Duer, Kristina Fuerth; Czech Republic: Ladislav Czerny; France: Pascal Auquier, Marie-Claude Simeoni, Stephane Robitail; Germany: Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer (international coordinator in chief), Michael Erhart, Jennifer Nickel, Bärbel-Maria Kurth, Angela Gosch, Ursula von Rüden; Greece: Yannis Tountas, Christina Dimitrakakis; Hungary: Agnes Czimbalmos, Anna Aszman; Ireland: Jean Kilroe, Celia Keenaghan; The Netherlands: Jeanet Bruil, Symone Detmar, Mariska Klein Velderman, Eric Verrips; Poland: Joanna Mazur, Ewa Mierzejeswka; Spain: Luis Rajmil, Silvina Berra, Cristian Tebé, Michael Herdman, Jordi Alonso; Sweden: Curt Hagquist; Switzerland: Thomas Abel, Corinna Bisegger, Bernhard Cloetta, Claudia Farley; United Kingdom: Mick Power, Clare Atherton, Katy Phillips.

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Rajmil, L., Herdman, M., Ravens-Sieberer, U. et al. Socioeconomic inequalities in mental health and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents from 11 European countries. Int J Public Health 59, 95–105 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-013-0479-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-013-0479-9

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