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DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21088/per.2321.1644.6118.5

Abstract

Introduction: Adolescents are young people between the age group 10- 19 yrs. The term Adolescence is derived from the Latin word, adolescere, meaning “growing into maturity” [1,2]. It is a period where people undergo dramatic changes in physical appearance as well as rapid changes in physiologic, psychological and social functioning[3]. Methods: After obtaining valid consents from authorities and parents of adolescents, interview was done for adolescents based on Teen Screen Questionaire-Mental health (TSQ-M) validated by child development centre, Trivandrum in all Jayadeva Shivarathreeshwara preuniversity colleges of Mysore city between 1/12/2013 to 1/12/2015. The data was entered in Excel format and analyzed using Epi-Info Software. Results: In this cross sectional population based study which included 500 Ist and IInd PUC students, with majority of males (61%) were screened for mental health issues in particular anxiety, depression and suicidal tendency. Our study revealed that 57% of these adolescents had possible anxiety/depression/suicidal tendency or mixture of them (mental health issues). Out of that 32% were depressed, 20% were anxious, 5.2% had suicidal tendency. In further, significant mental health issue was found in adolescents coming from lower socioeconomic status or with single parent. In these adolescents, substance abuse, financial problem and broken homes were the statistically significant risk factors. Discussion: In Comparision to other studies, our study also revealed alarming proportion of adolescents were having bad mental health status. In contrast to other studies academic performance and gender were not contributing much differences in proportion of bad mental health status. Conclusion: Out of 500 adolescents enrolled in our study 57% (285) had mental health issue. Among them adolescents belonging to Lowe socio economic and single parent group had statistically significant mental health issue .Further substance abuse, financial oroblems and broken home were the statistically significant risk factors for mental health problems in them. In view of this study report we encourage futhher big cross sectional study involving all other preuniversity colleges of mysore and other cities to arrive at significant conclusion.

Keywords: Adolescence; Anxiety; Depression; Suicide. 

Corresponding Author : Santhosh Kumar M., Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, JSS Medical College Hospital, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysore, Karnataka 570004, India.