title: Selected family characteristics are associated with adolescents' subjective health complaints.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This national study of schoolchildren in Greece investigated the association between adolescents' subjective health complaints (SHC) and a number of family characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaires were completed by a random, school-based sample of children from 12 to 18 years of age, and one of their parents (76.6% mothers), in 2003. Data from 1041 adolescent-parent pairs were analysed. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the associations between the adolescent's SHC and the following characteristics: parent's marital status, parent's physical and mental health status, parent's worries about their child's SHC, the parent-child relationship, family cohesion, family socio-economic status and the adolescent's sex and age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis showed that the adolescents' SHC were independently and significantly correlated with poor parental subjective mental health status, poor quality parent-child relationships and parental worry. There were also associations between levels of SHC and female and older adolescents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Certain family features can be seen as potential contributing factors to SHC in adolescence and should therefore constitute complementary targets for prevention and treatment planning.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Services Research, Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Petanidou
authors.forename: Constantinos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mihas
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dimitrakaki
authors.forename: Gerasimos
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kolaitis
authors.forename: Yannis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tountas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Adolescence; Family; Parents; Psychosomatic health; Subjective health complaints