Table 1 LABS variables used to model risk of psychological distress.
From: A novel, complex systems approach to modelling risk of psychological distress in young adolescents
Construct | Measure | Notes | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
Quality of Life (QOL) | 23-item World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) | Four domains: (i) ‘physical health’, referring to energy and fatigue, pain and discomfort, and sleep and rest; (ii) ‘psychological’, referring to bodily image and appearance, negative feelings, positive feelings, self-esteem and thinking, learning, memory and concentration; (iii) ‘social relationships’, referring to personal relationships and social support; (iv) ‘environment’, referring to financial resources, freedom, physical safety and security, health and social care accessibility and quality, home environment, opportunities for acquiring new information and skills, and physical environment (pollution, noise, traffic, climate)25 | In all domains, higher scores indicate higher quality of life |
Physical Activity | 3 items from Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children: WHO Collaborative Cross-national Study (HBSC) | Higher scores indicate higher levels of physical activity | |
Eating Behaviours | 6 items from Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ); Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children: WHO Collaborative Cross-national Study (HBSC) | Higher scores indicate healthier eating habits | |
Sleep Quality | 18-item Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) | Assesses seven components of sleep quality: subjective sleep quality, sleep duration, sleep latency, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction | A higher total score indicates higher sleep dysfunction, with scores ≤ 5 indicating good sleep patterns and quality |
Metacognition | 30-item Metacognition Questionnaire-Adolescent version (MCQ-A) | Assesses thought processes involved in monitoring one’s thinking, specifically intrusive thinking and worry27 | Higher total scores reflect a stronger presence of beliefs about metacognitive processes |
Psychological Distress | 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) | Widely used screening tool in primary care for symptoms of depression and anxiety over the past 4 weeks28 | Total scores range from 10 – 50 and established cut-offs of the summed scores indicate the likelihood of the participant being psychologically well (scores < 20); or experiencing mental disorder of a ‘mild’ (scores 21 – 24), ‘moderate’ (scores 25–29), or ‘severe’ (scores ≥ 30) level |
Social Connectedness | 15-item Social Connectedness Scale (SCS) | Assesses participants’ ability to feel comfortable, confident, and have a sense of belonging within a larger social context than family or friends | Higher scores indicate that the participant feels more socially connected |
Cyberstrife | Derived from the 35-item Berlin Cyberbullying-Cybervictimization Questionnaire (BCCQ) | A single, dichotomous category ‘Cyberstrife’ was derived from BCCQ data, based on whether participants reported being a cyberbully, cybervictim or both bully and victim | Cyberbully, cybervictim or both; Not cyberbully, cybervictim or both |
Mindfulness | 14-item Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS-A) | Measures awareness of and attention to what is taking place in the present29 | Higher scores indicate higher (healthier) mindfulness traits |
Impulsivity | 8-item Barratt Impulsiveness Scale—Brief (BIS-Brief) | Provides a unidimensional measure of general impulsiveness30 | Higher scores indicate higher (unhealthier) impulsivity |
