Female adolescents and health status perceptions: Clinical relevance to the primary care gynecologist

Study Objective: The purpose was to examine the relationship between the perceptions of health status and related biobehavioral variables of female youth attending an outpatient adolescent gynecology clinic.

Background: Inquiry into a female patient's perception of personal health is important, especially when providing health services because females experience more days of restricted activity than males.

Design: A cross-sectional survey was employed using standardized measures of mental health and health status. The health status measure assesses the perception of the female's physical functioning or functional status, well-being, and general health. Self-report questionnaires were also completed on sexual behaviors and menstrual pain. Data were obtained from 160 females aged 12–21 years with a mean age of 16.8 years.

Results: Multiple regression analyses conducted on each of the three health status indices revealed that the endorsement of many symptoms of depression explained 26% of the variance in perceptions of functional status scores; symptoms of anxiety and depression as well as third party coverage accounted for 47% of the variance in perceptions of well-being scores; and symptoms of depression were responsible for explaining almost 30% of their general health perception.

Conclusions: The strength of the relationship between health status and related biobehavioral variables indicates that primary care OB/GYN would benefit from conducting some type of health status examination. Assessment of mental health status, especially characteristics or symptoms of depression, would inform health care practitioners, as these features may have a negative impact on the patient's health perceptions.