Physical and mental aspects of quality of life among Afghan school-going adolescents

Authors

  • Abdul Qadim Mohammadi Herat Regional Hospital
  • Laila Qanawezi Herat Maternity Hospital
  • Vanya Rangelova Medical University Plovdiv
  • Habibah Afzali Afghanistan Center for Epidemiological Studies
  • Raaz Mohammad Tabib Afghanistan Center for Epidemiological Studies
  • Aroop Mohanty All India Institute of Medical Sciences

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56101/rimj.v3i2.131

Keywords:

Quality of life, Physical component, Mental component, Adolescents, Afghanistan

Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization define quality of life (QoL) as "the individual's perception of their position in life, within the context of the culture and value systems in which they live, and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns’’. This study, focuses on the physical, and mental aspects of Afghan school adolescents' quality of life.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey study involving 545 adolescents was carried out in Herat province, Afghanistan. The participants were selected from 10 public primary, secondary, and high schools, which were randomly chosen from a pool of 86 schools registered with the Herat Education Department.

Results: The quality of life of almost half of the participants was poor on the physical component score (49.2%). Two-thirds of the participants had poor quality of life on the mental component score (66.8%). Multiple regression indicated that middle-income economic status (AOR=2.289, p=0.022), and low-income economic status (AOR=1.550, p=0.044) were significantly associated with physical component score of quality of life.  It indicated that place of residency (AOR=1.620, p=0.040) was significantly associated with physical component score of quality of life.

Conclusion: This study found that QoL of school students are low in both the physical and mental components. It is important to identify children and adolescents who are at risk of developing mental health problems at an early age. To help young people who are struggling with mental health issues and their access to medical treatments, targeted early preventative and intervention are required.

Author Biographies

Abdul Qadim Mohammadi, Herat Regional Hospital

Department of Mental Health, Herat Regional Hospital, Herat, Afghanistan

Laila Qanawezi, Herat Maternity Hospital

Herat Maternity Hospital, Herat, Afghanistan

Vanya Rangelova, Medical University Plovdiv

Department of Epidemiology and Disaster Medicine, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Habibah Afzali, Afghanistan Center for Epidemiological Studies

Afghanistan Center for Epidemiological Studies, Herat, Afghanistan

Raaz Mohammad Tabib, Afghanistan Center for Epidemiological Studies

Afghanistan Center for Epidemiological Studies, Herat, Afghanistan

Aroop Mohanty, All India Institute of Medical Sciences

Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Gorakhpur, India

References

Utsumi Y. Armed conflict, education access, and community resilience: Evidence from the Afghanistan NRVA Survey 2005 and 2007. International Journal of Educational Development. 2022 Jan 1;88:102512.

Saeedzai SA, Blanchet K, Alwan A, Safi N, Salehi A, Singh NS, Abou Jaoude GJ, Mirzazada S, Majrooh W, Naeem AJ, Skordis-Worral J. Lessons from the development process of the Afghanistan integrated package of essential health services. BMJ Global Health. 2023 Sep 1;8(9):e012508.

Mohammadi AQ, Neyazi A, Rangelova V, Padhi BK, Odey GO, Ogbodum MU, Griffiths MD. Depression and quality of life among Afghan healthcare workers: A cross-sectional survey study. BMC psychology. 2023 Jan 30;11(1):29.

The WHOQOL Group. The World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL): Position Paper from the World Health Organization. Social Science & Medicine. 1995;41(10):1403–9. doi:10.1016/0277-9536(95)00112-k

Viner RM, Allen NB, Patton GC. Puberty, developmental processes, and health interventions. Child and Teenager Health and Development. 2017 Nov 20;8:1841.

Goddings AL, Burnett Heyes S, Bird G, Viner RM, Blakemore SJ (2012) The relationship between puberty and social emotion processing. Dev Sci 15(6):801–811

Adolescent health research priorities: Report of a technical consultation [Internet]. World Health Organization; 2015 [cited 2023 August 26]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-FWC-MCA-15-07

Amone-P’Olak K, Ovuga E, Croudace TJ, Jones PB, Abbott R. The influence of different types of war experiences on depression and anxiety in a Ugandan cohort of war-affected youth: the WAYS study. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology. 2014 Nov;49:1783-92.

Catani C, Schauer E, Neuner F. Beyond individual war trauma: domestic violence against children in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Journal of marital and family therapy. 2008 Apr;34(2):165-76.

Catani C, Schauer E, Elbert T, Missmahl I, Bette JP, Neuner F. War trauma, child labor, and family violence: Life adversities and PTSD in a sample of school children in Kabul. Journal of Traumatic Stress: Official Publication of The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. 2009 Jun;22(3):163-71.

Morris J, Van Ommeren M, Belfer M, Saxena S, Saraceno B. Children and the Sphere standard on mental and social aspects of health. Disasters. 2007 Mar;31(1):71-90.

Trani JF, Biggeri M, Mauro V. The multidimensionality of child poverty: Evidence from Afghanistan. Social indicators research. 2013 Jun;112:391-416.

Dangmann CR, Solberg Ø, STEffENAK AK, Høye S, Andersen PN. Health-related quality of life in young Syrian refugees recently resettled in Norway. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. 2020 Nov;48(7):688-98.

Solberg Ø, Sengoelge M, Johnson-Singh CM, Vaez M, Eriksson AK, Saboonchi F. Health-related quality of life in refugee minors from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan resettled in Sweden: a nation-wide, cross-sectional study. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology. 2021 Mar 22:1-2.

Ravens-Sieberer U, Kaman A, Erhart M, Devine J, Schlack R, Otto C. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on quality of life and mental health in children and adolescents in Germany. European child & adolescent psychiatry. 2022 Jun;31(6):879-89.

Hageman JR, Alcocer Alkureishi L. The effects of armed conflict on children. Pediatric Annals. 2021 Oct 1;50(10):e396-7.

What is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? [Internet]. Psychiatry.org - What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? [cited 2023Mar20]. Available from: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/what-is-ptsd

Corboz J, Hemat O, Siddiq W, Jewkes R. Children's peer violence perpetration and victimization: Prevalence and associated factors among school children in Afghanistan. PloS One. 2018 Feb 13;13(2):e0192768.

Zhou SJ, Zhang LG, Wang LL, Guo ZC, Wang JQ, Chen JC, Liu M, Chen X, Chen JX. Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of psychological health problems in Chinese adolescents during the outbreak of COVID-19. European child & adolescent psychiatry. 2020 Jun;29:749-58.

Xie X, Xue Q, Zhou Y, Zhu K, Liu Q, Zhang J, Song R. Mental health status among children in home confinement during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in Hubei Province, China. JAMA pediatrics. 2020 Sep 1;174(9):898-900.

Patrick SW, Henkhaus LE, Zickafoose JS, Lovell K, Halvorson A, Loch S, Letterie M, Davis MM. Well-being of parents and children during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national survey. Pediatrics. 2020 Oct 1;146(4).

Gassman-Pines A, Ananat EO, Fitz-Henley J. COVID-19 and parent-child psychological well-being. Pediatrics. 2020 Oct 1;146(4).

Published

2023-11-29

How to Cite

Mohammadi, A. Q., Qanawezi, L., Rangelova, V., Afzali, H., Tabib, R. M., & Mohanty, A. (2023). Physical and mental aspects of quality of life among Afghan school-going adolescents. Razi International Medical Journal, 3(2), 79–86. https://doi.org/10.56101/rimj.v3i2.131

Issue

Section

RESEARCH ARTICLE(S)