Gender aspects of health-related quality of life of youth in secure residential care in Sweden

This study examined health-related quality of life of youth in secure residential care employing a gender perspective. The KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire was administered to 91 youths (46 boys and 45 girls) aged 13–17, admitted to four secure residential units in southern Sweden, in connection with a medical examination. Results were compared with a national Swedish survey from 2009 of 86,000 youths aged 15–16 years old. In age-adjusted analyses, youth in secure residential care units reported lower levels of wellbeing for all but one KIDSCREEN measure, compared with the national survey, with moderate to large differences in effect size. In the residential care sample, female gender was associated will lower psychological wellbeing, poorer parental relations and less school satisfaction, while male gender was associated with lower self-perception and peer relations.