INTRODUCTION: Asthma is the most prevalent chronic disease among adolescents, not only affecting their quality of life but also bringing deep concern about their health. Having a chronic disease in this age group, in addition to the limits caused by the disease itself, increases vulnerability to emotional damage including common mental disorders (CMD). OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the association between CMD and quality of life in adolescents with asthma. METHODS: This cross-sectional study investigated 210 asthmatic adolescents from 12 to 21 years old treated in an outpatient adolescent healthcare facility in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Pediatrics Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) were used to assess QoL and common mental disorders (CMD) respectively. Total quality of life and its various dimensions were treated as dichotomous variables. A binomial log-rhythmic model was used to calculate raw and adjusted prevalence ratios. RESULTS: The prevalence of asthmatics with CMD was 32.4% while the prevalence of poor QoL among adolescents with CMD was 36.6%. The final adjusted models showed an association between CMD and poor total quality of life (PR = 1. 84 95% CI 1.19 - 2.86) as well as for areas related to emotions (PR = 1.77 95% CI 1.16 - 2.62) and symptoms (RP = 1.75 95% CI 1.14 - 2.70). For the physical activity domain, the association with CMD was only borderline (RP = 1.43 95% CI 0.97 - 2.72). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that greater attention should be paid to the emotional needs of adolescents with chronic diseases, including more effective actions in the field of mental health in order to improve quality of life and overall treatment of young asthmatic patients.
Quality of life; Asthma; Adolescents; Common mental disorders
