Mental health problems among transition-aged youth with physical disabilities: an initial evaluation.
Amanda Amalfi, Jia Yin Li, Vanessa Théberge-Lamoureux and 4 others
PMID 37214127WHAT IT FOUND
Most transition-aged youth with physical disabilities reported mental health risks, particularly in self-esteem and somatization.
Females and those with more functional issues were significantly more likely to score in the at-risk range. Screening for these specific areas is warranted.
Key findings
01Self-esteem and somatization were the most frequent areas where youth fell into the 'at risk' or 'clinically significant' categories.
02Females were significantly more likely than males to fall into the 'at risk and above' category for somatization, atypicality, and test anxiety.
03Youth with a higher number of functional issues were significantly more likely to experience depression, somatization, and internalizing problems compared to those with fewer issues.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (33 participants), recruited via convenience sampling from three centers, which limits generalizability. Most data (72.7%) was collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have influenced mental health reports. Youth with significant intellectual delays or neurodegenerative disorders were excluded, so findings do not apply to those groups. The study is cross-sectional, so it describes associations but cannot prove that functional issues cause mental health problems or vice versa. Somatization scores may reflect actual physical discomfort from the disability rather than psychological distress, making interpretation difficult.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was part of a larger clinical trial funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Foundation for Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high rates of somatization as purely psychological distress. The authors note it is unclear if these scores reflect emotional state or physical discomfort inherent to the participants' complex medical conditions.