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AIM: To study the behaviour/emotional problems and depression in adolescents with and without physical illnesses; to compare the same psychological parameters in adolescents with different disorders.

METHODS: The sample consisted of 148 adolescents aged 13-16 years with one of the following physical chronic conditions: diabetes (n = 55), asthma (n = 59), or epilepsy (n = 59). Comparative data were obtained from a group of 301 schoolchildren. Test batteries (Child Behaviour Check-List, Youth Self Report, Beck Depression Inventory, socio-economic status questions) were individually completed by adolescents and their mothers.

RESULTS: Overall adolescents with physical illness had more behaviour/emotional problems and were more depressed compared to controls although results varied according to the informants and the disease severity. Two risk groups were revealed: girls with asthma and boys with epilepsy.

CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that mental health in adolescents with chronic physical illnesses is poorer than in controls and their mental health state is very much associated with the disease severity. The findings of the study can help to develop disease targeted and comprehensive interventions in outpatient clinics of Northern Russia in order to reduce behaviour and mood disorders in adolescents with chronic physical illnesses and therefore to smooth the transition through their teenage years.

AIM: To study family functioning of adolescents with chronic physical illnesses and factors related to it. The following research questions were addressed: (i) if families with adolescents with chronic physical illnesses were at increased risk for problematic functioning compared to the healthy control families; (ii) was disease severity associated with family dysfunction; and (iii) did family functioning level differ in three disease groups (diabetes, asthma and epilepsy).

METHODS: Self-report family inventory and socio-economic status questions were individually completed by 148 adolescents with physical illnesses aged 13-16 years and their mothers; medical data were obtained from the files at the outpatient clinics. Comparative data were collected from a group of 301 schoolchildren.

RESULTS: Overall there were no differences found in functioning of families with physically ill adolescents compared to controls. Family functioning was significantly associated with the number of disease-specific (disease severity and duration) and non-disease (socio-economic status and family type) factors.

CONCLUSION: In our study, families with physically ill adolescents showed considerable resilience and tolerance to the changes in habitual functioning of the family unit. While greater disease severity, longer disease duration, as well as single-parent household were the factors that contributed to the family dysfunction.

Objective: This work aims to study self-esteem in adolescents with diabetes, asthma and epilepsy; compare the results with those of the representative sample of healthy adolescents; and evaluate the predictive value of certain demographic, family-related, and disease-related factors on self-esteem.

Methods: A total of 148 chronically ill adolescents and 301 matched healthy counterparts completed the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale and the "I think I am" questionnaire. Adolescents' parents answered socio-economic status questions. Disease severity was evaluated by doctors of the outpatient clinic.

Results: Comparison analysis of the three disease groups revealed highest self-esteem perception in adolescents with diabetes, and lowest in adolescents with epilepsy. Unexpectedly, adolescents with diabetes scored higher than their healthy counterparts. There were no significant differences between the reports of adolescents with asthma and controls. In the epilepsy group, self-esteem was predicted mostly by disease severity and socio-economic status in diabetes and asthma groups, as well as by age and gender.

Conclusion: The maintenance of positive self-esteem in adolescents with diabetes and asthma is a very reassuring finding. The other results of our study provide support for recognizing adolescents with epilepsy as a vulnerable group in the society. A multidisciplinary professional approach targeted on adolescents with epilepsy is needed, with focus on factors connected with maturation and gender issues.

BACKGROUND: Health related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important subjectively evaluated outcome of adolescents physical, mental, and social functioning. It gives us the possibility to assess the disease impact on life of adolescents, and to sort out target groups of adolescents for future psychological interventions. The objective of this cross-sectional survey was to study HRQoL in 173 adolescents with chronic physical illness (CPI - diabetes, asthma, and epilepsy), and to find HRQoL predictors in each disease group.

METHODS: Disease-specific questionnaires were completed by each adolescent recruited from the local outpatient clinic; mothers answered the questions on socioeconomic status (SES); and the patients' clinicians evaluated the severity of the disease.

RESULTS: A high proportion of adolescents in each disease specific sample reported moderate to high levels of HRQoL. Gender was the most prominent predictor of HRQoL in all three studied groups, while disease severity predicted HRQoL in the diabetic group and to some extent in the asthma group.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide evidence that adolescents with diabetes, asthma, and epilepsy in northern Russia maintain relatively moderate to high levels of HRQoL. The domains affecting HRQoL were related to both disease-specific (severity) and non-disease factors (gender and SES). Our study suggests that future psychosocial interventions should focus on aspects of CPI impacting adolescents in gendered ways, furthermore taking into account disease specific factors.