TY - JOUR
T1 - Predictors of Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Mental Health Symptoms
T2 - A School-Based Study in Southern India
AU - Sekaran, Varalakshmi Chandra
AU - Prabhu, Vidya
AU - Ashok, Lena
AU - D’Souza, Brayal
AU - Shetty, Surekha Devadasa
AU - Nair, Ravichandran
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.
PY - 2024/4
Y1 - 2024/4
N2 - Introduction: Mental illnesses are one of the major contributors to the overall burden of disease among the young. We investigated the predictors of emotional and behavioral problems among in-school adolescents in the Indian context. Methods: Using stratified sampling, 1441 adolescents were recruited to participate in the study in Udupi taluk. The study instruments included a socio-demographic pro forma and the adolescent self-reporting version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to assess the emotional and behavioral problems among them. We explored the predictors of total difficulties, as well as externalizing and internalizing problems and gender differences. SPSS version 25 was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics, a Chi-square test for associations, an independent t-test to explore the gender differences, correlation analysis, and backward stepwise logistic regression for the predictors were used. Results: The mean age of the participants was 15.31 ± 0.76. An almost equal percentage of male (49.6%) and female (50.4%) participants provided data. Abnormal scores were highest under conduct problems (8.5%), and the total difficulties reached 5.1%. The male participants had higher levels of conduct, hyperactivity, peer relationship, and externalizing problems the while the female participants experienced higher levels of emotional and internalizing problems. It was observed that there was a significant positive relationship between age and emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems, and total SDQ score. An older age predicted an abnormal total difficulties score and externalizing and internalizing behaviors, while the type of school predicted the total difficulties and internalizing behaviors. Conclusion: The age of the adolescent, their gender, and the type of school they attended emerged as predictors of the emotional and behavioral problems among them.
AB - Introduction: Mental illnesses are one of the major contributors to the overall burden of disease among the young. We investigated the predictors of emotional and behavioral problems among in-school adolescents in the Indian context. Methods: Using stratified sampling, 1441 adolescents were recruited to participate in the study in Udupi taluk. The study instruments included a socio-demographic pro forma and the adolescent self-reporting version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to assess the emotional and behavioral problems among them. We explored the predictors of total difficulties, as well as externalizing and internalizing problems and gender differences. SPSS version 25 was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics, a Chi-square test for associations, an independent t-test to explore the gender differences, correlation analysis, and backward stepwise logistic regression for the predictors were used. Results: The mean age of the participants was 15.31 ± 0.76. An almost equal percentage of male (49.6%) and female (50.4%) participants provided data. Abnormal scores were highest under conduct problems (8.5%), and the total difficulties reached 5.1%. The male participants had higher levels of conduct, hyperactivity, peer relationship, and externalizing problems the while the female participants experienced higher levels of emotional and internalizing problems. It was observed that there was a significant positive relationship between age and emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems, and total SDQ score. An older age predicted an abnormal total difficulties score and externalizing and internalizing behaviors, while the type of school predicted the total difficulties and internalizing behaviors. Conclusion: The age of the adolescent, their gender, and the type of school they attended emerged as predictors of the emotional and behavioral problems among them.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85191300193&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85191300193&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph21040393
DO - 10.3390/ijerph21040393
M3 - Article
C2 - 38673306
AN - SCOPUS:85191300193
SN - 1661-7827
VL - 21
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
IS - 4
M1 - 393
ER -