Background: This study was conducted to examine the relationships between distress and eustress levels and lifestyles and self-perception in adolescents presenting to a pediatric emergency department with psychosocial complaints. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a single training and research hospital with 142 adolescents aged 12–17 years who presented to a pediatric emergency department with psychosocial complaints. Data were collected using an introductory information form, the Adolescent Distress–Eustress Scale, the Adolescent Lifestyle Scale, and the Self-Perception Scale for Adolescents. Pearson correlation analyses were performed to examine bivariate relationships among variables. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to identify variables independently associated with lifestyle and self-perception scores after controlling for relevant sociodemographic variables. Variables were entered simultaneously into the regression model. Results: Distress level was significantly negatively correlated with self-perception and lifestyle scores, whereas eustress level was positively correlated with both variables (p < 0.001). In multiple linear regression analyses, eustress, distress, and economic status were significantly and independently associated with self-perception and lifestyle scores. The models explained 45.9% and 44.8% of the variance in self-perception and lifestyle, respectively. Adolescents reporting better sleep patterns, higher academic achievement, greater self-confidence, and perceived social acceptance had higher self-perception and lifestyle scores (p < 0.05). Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of stress perception and socioeconomic factors in understanding psychosocial well-being among adolescents presenting to pediatric emergency departments.
Baykal et al. (Thu,) studied this question.