Background

Psychological complaints, such as feeling sad or nervous, are common among adolescents, especially girls. The prevalence also appears to have risen during the last decades in Sweden, in particular among girls. Yet, knowledge about whether there are long-term associations with adverse health outcomes later in life is scarce. The aim of the current study is to assess to what extent psychological complaints in adolescence track into young adulthood, and whether there are gender differences.

Methods

The data used were derived from the Swedish Young-LNU, which is a prospective study based on a nationally representative sample with survey information from adolescents aged 10-18 years in 2000 and from the same individuals at ages 20-28 years in 2010 (n = 792). Information on household characteristics at baseline was provided by parents. Psychological complaints in adolescence were measured by self-reported items on feeling sad and down, tense and nervous, and grouchy and irritated. Psychological complaints in young adulthood were measured by self-reported items on anxiety and depression. The statistical method used was binary logistic regression.

Results

Psychological complaints in adolescence were associated with an excess risk of psychological complaints in young adulthood (OR = 2.08, p = 0.003) also when adjusting for sex, age group, and family structure and household social class at baseline. Gender-separate analyses revealed that the association was statistically significant for females (OR = 2.22, p = 0.007) but not for males (OR = 1.83, p = 0.148).

Conclusions

For females, psychological complaints in adolescence predicted psychological complaints in young adulthood. This underlines the importance that adolescents who suffer from this type of health problems should be identified and provided support, for instance through the school health services.