title: The prevalence of chronic health conditions impacting on daily functioning and the association with emotional well-being among a national sample of high school students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to describe the prevalence of self-reported chronic health conditions among high school students in New Zealand, the extent to which the condition impacts on their activities and socialization, and to explore the association between the level of impact of the illness or disability and the emotional well-being of students with chronic health conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A two-stage cluster sample of 9,107 students (Years 9-13) from 96 New Zealand high schools participated in a 2007 health survey using internet tablets. Students were asked about any chronic illness or disabilities lasting more than 6 months, the impact of the illness or disabilities on their daily activities and socialization, and their depressive symptoms (RADS-SF) and emotional well-being (WHO-5).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Almost one in five students (18%) reported a chronic health condition. Among them, 28% reported an impact of their illness or disability on their activities, and 8% reported an impact on their ability to socialize. High levels of depressive symptoms were found among students with chronic health conditions reporting that their illness or disability impacts their activities (18%) or their ability to socialize (40%), and this was significantly higher than among students without chronic health conditions (10%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that there is a large group of adolescents with chronic health conditions for whom their illness or disability has an impact on their daily activities and ability to socialize with their peers. These students are more likely to experience emotional distress and require support and opportunities for healthy youth development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Child and Youth Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. Electronic address: s.denny@auckland.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Denny
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Child and Youth Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Mandy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Silva
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Child and Youth Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Terryann
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Merry
authors.affiliation: Section of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Auckland.
authors.forename: Shanthi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ameratunga
authors.affiliation: Centre for Applied Cross-Cultural Research, School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Taciano
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Milfont
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Child and Youth Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Bridget
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Farrant
authors.affiliation: School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Fortune
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile
keywords: Adolescent emotional health; Chronic illness and disabilities; Depression; Impact of chronic illness