Association between comorbid anxiety and depression symptomatology, quality of life, social support and use of mental health services in youth from Bogota, Buenos Aires, and Lima (Priebe, Bird, 2025)
Vilela-Estrada AL; Lazo-Porras M; Bernabe-Ortiz A; Priebe S; Bird VJ; Ariza-Salazar K; Sureshkumar DS; Godoy-Casasbuenas N; Gomez-Restrepo C;
Olivar N; Madero S; Brusco LI; Diez-Canseco F
Journal of Affective Disorders, Volume 393, Part A, 15 January 2026, 120305
PURPOSE: This study aimed to (1) examine the association between comorbid anxiety and depressive symptoms and quality of life (QoL) among adolescents and young adults and assess whether perceived social support modifies this relationship; and (2) explore the association between comorbid symptoms and use of mental health (MH) services, considering QoL as a potential effect modifier.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1816 adolescents and young adults aged 15-24 years from socioeconomically disadvantaged urban areas of Bogota, Buenos Aires, and Lima. The analysis included descriptive statistics, bivariate tests, and multivariable generalised linear models to assess associations with QoL. Poisson regression models were used to examine the association with MH service use. Interaction terms were included to assess potential effect modification by social support and QoL, with all models adjusted for relevant sociodemographic and contextual confounders.