Mental Health and Quality of Life in Kenyan Youths: Differential Susceptibility to Family Risk

Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed to address the association between parental and family characterics as risk factors for emotional and behavioral problems (EBP) and quality of life (QoL), and the potential moderation of these associations by adolescents’personal characteristics. A total of 533 households from Central Kenya with adolescents between 12 to 18 years (median age 15 years) and their mothers (or female caregivers) were included in this study. Adolescents and their mothers completed questionnaires on parent and family risk, adolescent EBPs and QoL), and adolescent personal characteristics. Regression analyses was used to test associations between parent/family factors and adolescent EBP and QoL, while conditional process modelling was used to test for moderation effects using Hayes’ PROCESS model. We found that poor maternal mental health and parental control were associated with both EBP and QoL. The adolescent’s level of connectedness at school and home moderated the relationship between poor maternal mental health and adolescent EBP (p = 0.015). Additionally, adolescents who did not participate in meaningful physical activities and whose mothers had high depression levels had the lowest QoL (p = 0.002). Lastly, the associations of parental control with increased EBP ( = 0.06, p = 0.000) and lowered QoL ( = -0.05, p = 0.000), were not moderated by adolescent personal characteristics. Mental health professionals and other stakeholders should focus on interventions that target these malleable factors to ensure good mental health and better QoL for Kenyan adolescents.