Citation

Haavet OR, Sagatun Å, Lien L. Scand. J. Public Health 2011; 39(1): 58-63.

Affiliation

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

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Associations of Public Health in the Nordic Countries Regions, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1403494810375491

PMID

20595249

Abstract

AIMS: The aim of this study is to examine the possible changes in depressive symptoms related to various adverse experiences, based on a three-year follow-up among adolescents. METHODS: All 10(th) graders invited to enter the youth section of the Oslo Health Study 2001 (n = 3,811) constituted a baseline of a longitudinal study. A high level of mental distress (Hscl-10 score ≥ 1.85) according to the different life experiences was compared, at baseline (15 years) and follow-up (18 years). RESULTS: All adverse experiences were associated with a high Hscl-10 score except parents not living together and death of a close person at 15 and 18 years for boys, and death of a close person at 18 years of age for girls. A development from high Hscl-10 score at baseline to low score at follow up was defined as recovery from mental distress. The proportion of the youth that had a high Hscl-10 score related to reporting adverse life experiences at age 15, followed by a low Hscl-10 score three years later proved to be between 44% and 89% among boys and between 16% and 31% among girls. CONCLUSIONS: From a three year longitudinal perspective the recovery from mental distress is substantial and higher among boys than among girls. However, mental distress seems to persist in a considerable proportion of the adolescents. Consequently, it is insufficient to brush aside traumas and hurt and rely on a time healing process only.

Language: en