Chronic illness in childhood and early adolescence: A longitudinal exploration of co-occurring mental illness.

Chronic health conditions are hypothesized to disrupt the typical trajectory of child and adolescent development, and subsequently lead to increased levels of mental illness. However, due to methodological limitations in existing studies, this theory remains to be fully substantiated by empirical research. This study aimed to more thoroughly test hypotheses in the field. This study used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to examine the co-occurrence of mental illness among children with chronic illness in late childhood into early adolescence and explore mediating factors in these outcomes. Children with chronic health problems presented with a disproportionate rate of psychiatric illness at 10 years, and these chronic health problems continued to be associated with poor mental health outcomes at 13 years and 15 years. These outcomes were mediated by high levels of peer victimization and health-related school absenteeism. This study suggests that chronic illness may impact on functioning and social development in early adolescence, and consequently lead to increased rates of mental illness. Examining rates of school absenteeism and peer victimization may be key to identifying children at risk over time.

Psychiatric outcomes associated with chronic illness in adolescence: A systematic review.

Recent years have seen an increased focus on the high rates of psychiatric comorbidities in adults with chronic illness. This systematic review explored whether chronic illness in adolescents was similarly associated with poor psychiatric outcomes. The literature search identified 129 articles, only 5 of which were indicated to be at a low risk of methodological bias. Four of these articles found a strong relationship between asthma in adolescence and an increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders, while the remaining article, which focused on diabetes mellitus, indicated similarly increased rates of psychiatric illness. Trends among the remaining studies suggested that many illnesses were not associated with poor adolescent mental health. Please note that chronic conditions with a neurological aetiology were excluded from the main review due to indications of qualitative differences in comorbidities. Findings highlight that the well-being of adolescents with chronic illness warrants a specific research focus.