Citation

Haavet OR, Straand J, Hjortdahl P, Saugstad OD. J. Adolesc. Health 2005; 37(2): 128-134.

Affiliation

Department of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. o.r.haavet@medisin.uio.no

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jadohealth.2004.08.031

PMID

16026722

Abstract

PURPOSE: To analyze associations among the negative life experiences and health-care-seeking of adolescents during the 12 months before the study. METHODS: Cross-sectional questionnaire study among 10th-year students at all secondary schools in Oslo. RESULTS: In 2000 and in 2001, 7329 (88%) of Oslo's 8316 secondary-school students responded to the questionnaire. Some contacts with primary health care during the previous year were reported by 71% of respondents, and 6% had seen a mental health practitioner (psychologist or psychiatrist). Health care utilization was not correlated with the family's financial situation as reported by the student (boys = 1019; girls = 1258), or with a parent's unemployment (boys = 253; girls = 325). The 2112 boys (59% of all) and 2378 girls (64%) who reported feeling strong pressure from others to succeed, had more contacts with all primary health care services. Girls, but not boys, who reported being bullied by others reported more psychologist or psychiatrist visits than did their nonbullied peers. Exposure to physical violence was associated with a significant increase in visits to the School Health Service, family physician, and emergency medical service, and was related to more than doubling the probability of visiting a mental health practitioner. Being sexually violated during the previous year increased the likelihood of boys visiting mental health practitioner more than four times (odds ratio [OR] 4.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7-12.2); and visiting School Health Service by nearly four times, (OR 3.7; 95% CI 1.0-13.5). CONCLUSION: Variation in adolescent health care seeking can, by and large, be predicted by negative life experiences.

Language: en