Psychische Auffälligkeiten von Jugendlichen mit Adipositas in der stationären Rehabilitation

Abstract

Zusammenfassung. Es wurden die Geschlechts- und Altersunterschiede in den selbst- und fremdbeurteilten psychischen Auffälligkeiten bei N = 142 Jugendlichen mit Adipositas in der stationären Rehabilitation untersucht. Mädchen wiesen im Selbsturteil höhere Ausprägungen in der Ängstlichkeit/Depressivität sowie den emotionalen und Verhaltensproblemen auf. Die Eltern gaben eine höhere Hyperaktivität ihrer Söhne an. Jüngere schätzten ihre Verhaltensprobleme höher ein als Ältere. Zudem wurde die klinische Stichprobe mit geschlechts- und altersgematchten Kontrollen aus der Normierungsstudie des Screenings psychischer Störungen im Jugendalter (SPS-J-II; Hampel & Petermann, 2012a) verglichen ( N = 254). Es ergab sich ein 2.43-fach erhöhtes Risiko für auffällige Werte in der Ängstlichkeit/Depressivität bei den Jugendlichen mit Adipositas und ein signifikanter Mittelwertunterschied. Die Befunde sprechen für eine frühzeitige Diagnostik psychischer Auffälligkeiten und bedarfsgerechte Interventionen, um der Entwicklung komorbider psychischer Auffälligkeiten vorzubeugen.

Psychological Problems Among Adolescents With Obesity in Inpatient Rehabilitation

Abstract. Prior meta-analytic studies have shown that mental health is impaired among children and adolescents with obesity compared with normative data or healthy controls. Especially associations between obesity and internalizing problems have been found, which were smaller in self-reports than proxy reports. Moreover, some evidence has been provided in those studies that the mental problems are linked with adverse compliant behavior, particularly in adolescents with obesity. However, assessment of mental problems among adolescents with obesity in German inpatient rehabilitation has been widely neglected. Furthermore, comparisons of prevalence rates for mental problems with current German normative data are still pending. The present study investigated sex and developmental differences in mental problems among adolescents with obesity (body mass index > 97th percentile). Adolescents ( N = 142) aged from 12 to 17 years in inpatient rehabilitation filled in the subscale emotional distress of the German version of the Reynolds Adolescent Adjustment Screening Inventory (RAASI; Hampel & Petermann, 2012a). Moreover, adolescents and their parents were asked to complete the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Woerner et al., 2002). Female adolescents reported higher levels of emotional distress on the RAASI as well as emotional and behavioral problems on the SDQ. Parents evaluated the hyperactivity of their sons as higher. Younger adolescents aged from 12 to 14 years scored higher on behavioral problems than the older group aged from 15 to 17 years. Furthermore, a clinical sample ( n = 127) aged from 12 to 16 years was compared with sex- and age-matched controls in a normative study with the RAASI. Adolescents with obesity had a 2.43-fold increased risk for clinical scores of emotional distress (95 % confidence interval, 1.31 – 4.5) and scored on average higher on emotional distress than the normative sample. The results supported the early identification of mental problems among adolescents with obesity in inpatient rehabilitation and the application of needs-adjusted interventions to prevent the development or persistence of mental health problems.