European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Volume 14, Issue 7, 2005, Pages 371-375

Bodily pain and associated mental distress among immigrant adolescents: A population-based cross-sectional study (Article)

Lien L.* , Claussen B. , Hauff E. , Thoresen M. , Bjertness E.
  • a Institute of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo, PO Box 1130, Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway
  • b Institute of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo, PO Box 1130, Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway
  • c Institute of Psychiatry, University of Oslo, Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway
  • d Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Dept. of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo 0318, Norway
  • e Institute of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo, PO Box 1130, Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe differences among immigrant groups in bodily pain, and analyze its association with mental distress. Method: A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out involving tenth grade pupils in Oslo. Of the 7,343 pupils that participated, one-quarter were first- or second-generation immigrants. The Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 was used to measure mental distress. All information on pain and mental distress was self-reported. Results: Girls reported more bodily pain from all types of pain. Headache was the most prevalent pain site across gender and immigrant groups. Strong associations between mental distress and number of pain sites were found for all immigrant groups. Neck and shoulder pain yielded the highest odds ratio (OR) for mental distress among the majority of the immigrant groups. The Sub-Saharan African group had the highest adjusted OR for mental distress [OR=9.8 (1.1-82.7)] when reporting three or more pain sites, and the Indian Subcontinent the lowest [OR=4.0 (1.8-8.8)]. Conclusion: The differences in number and types of pain were small, though significant between the different immigrant groups. Adolescents from Sub-Saharan Africa seem to react with more mental distress to bodily pain than adolescents emigrating from the Indian Subcontinent. © Steinkopff Verlag 2005.

Author Keywords

immigrants Mental distress Bodily pain minorities Adolescence

Index Keywords

immigrant backache human sex difference Self Report Stress, Psychological mental stress pain stomach pain controlled study neck pain checklist ethnology shoulder pain Cross-Sectional Studies mental disease student Humans ethnic difference Adolescent headache male female population research symptom prevalence Article major clinical study Sex Factors medical literature Emigration and Immigration disease association pain assessment health survey
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-27644550657&doi=10.1007%2fs00787-005-0484-5&partnerID=40&md5=a03086f77bbc42aa562e850a326a487c
DOI: 10.1007/s00787-005-0484-5
ISSN: 10188827
Cited by: 18
Original Language: English