Measuring the Quality of Life and Mental Well-being of Adolescents in Urban Resettlements: Implications for Social Work Research
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Abstract
Background: Measuring quality of life (QOL) is a means to achieve the goal of any scholastic or social action.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted, and multistage hybrid sampling was used to recruit 301 participants from the urban resettlements in Chennai, India.
Results: Study findings showed that adolescents’ QOL was very poor in five key indicators, i.e., extreme amount of financial difficulties (86%), not at all feeling safe and secure (63%), not at all liking the lived environment (58%), feeling very unhappy about relationships within family (42%), and always experiencing negative feelings (84%). The self-reported symptoms of mental health problems included insomnia (43%), depression (16%), anxiety (5%), and suicidal ideation (11%). A measurement of mental well-being showed that 93% experienced the worst possible mental well-being and only 7% had the best possible mental well-being.
Conclusion: Against this backdrop, a comprehensive measurement of QOL is needed in social work, assessing both the objective and subjective aspects of living conditions and individuals’ perceptions of their lived realities.