Mental Health Disorders Among Urban Adolescents In Gujarat: A Cross-Sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69980/ajpr.v28i2.245Keywords:
Adolescents, Conduct problems, Mental health, Peer problems, Screen time, The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)Abstract
Background: Adolescence is a critical developmental stage marked by rapid physical, emotional, and social changes, making individuals susceptible to mental health disorders. Mental health issues can impact academic performance, social relationships, and overall well-being. Despite increasing awareness of adolescent health, mental health remains an underexplored domain in many parts of India, including Gujarat.
Aims & Objective: This study assessed the prevalence of mental health issues among urban adolescents in Gujarat and examined their association with demographic, lifestyle, and behavioural factors.
Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 400 adolescents aged 11–17 years from urban schools in Gujarat. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to assess mental health status. Participants were selected using stratified random sampling from government and private schools. Data were collected on sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors and behavioural factors.
Results: Among the 400 adolescents, 16.0% had abnormal SDQ scores, with emotional symptoms (15.0%), peer problems (12.5%), hyperactivity (12.0%), and conduct problems (8.0%) being most common. Higher abnormal scores were noted in older adolescents (16–17 years), those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and with mothers having only primary education. Excessive screen time, poor sleep, inactivity, lack of hobbies, academic stress, bullying, and substance use were significantly associated, with higher abnormal scores.
Conclusion: This study reveals a significant burden of mental health issues among urban adolescents in Gujarat, influenced by age, socioeconomic status, maternal education, and lifestyle factors. The findings emphasize the need for targeted mental health interventions for high-risk groups.
References
1. Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas KR, Walters EE. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2005;62(6)593–602.
2. World Health Organization. Adolescent mental health [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2nd March 2025]. Available from https//www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health.
3. Malhotra S, Patra BN. Prevalence of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Heal 2014;822.
4. Murthy RS. National mental health survey of India 2015–2016. Indian J Psychiatry 2017;5921–6.
5. Sharma R, Grover V, Chaturvedi S. Risk factors for mental health problems in school-going adolescents in urban India. Indian J Psychol Med 2019;41(3)232–237.
6. Arora SK, Shah D, Chaturvedi S, Gupta P. Defining and measuring vulnerability in young people. Indian J Community Med 2015;40(3)193–7.
7. Devi KA, Singh SK. The hazards of excessive screen time: Impacts on physical health, mental health, and overall well-being. J Educ Heal Promot 2023 Nov 1;12(1)413.
8. Muzammil K, Kishore S, Semwal J. Prevalence of psychosocial problems among adolescents in district Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Indian J Public Heal 2009 Jan 1;53(1)18-21.
9. Nair S, Ganjiwale J, Kharod N, Varma J, Nimbalkar SM. Epidemiological survey of mental health in adolescent school children of Gujarat, India. BMJ Paediatr open 2017 Oct 25;1(1)e000139.
10. Pillai A, Patel V, Cardozo P, Goodman R, Weiss HA, Andrew G. Non-traditional lifestyles and prevalence of mental disorders in adolescents in Goa, India. Br J Psychiatry 2008;192(1)45–51.
11. Bansal V, Goyal S, Srivastava K. Study of prevalence of depression in adolescent students of a public school. Ind Psychiatry J 2009;18(1)43–46.
12. Latif M, Abbas S, Anjum R. Parental Education, Socio-Economic Status, Psychological Well-being, Self-Esteem and Academic Achievement: A Review. J Dev Soc Sci 2022 Sep 30;3(3)437-47.
13. Parida D, Prasad P, Sahu P, Krishna SK, Joshi A, Dabar D, Verma S, Sahu IV P, Joshi A. Prevalence and Correlates of Depression Among School-Going Adolescents in the Urban Schools of Central India: A Cross-Sectional Study. Cureus 2023 Aug 25; 15(8) e44088.
14. Das JK, Salam RA, Arshad A, Finkelstein Y, Bhutta ZA. Interventions for adolescent substance abuse: An overview of systematic reviews. J Adolesc Heal 2016;59(4)S61–S75.
15. Arseneault L, Bowes L, Shakoor S. Bullying victimization in youths and mental health problems: “Much ado about nothing”? Psychol Med 2010;40(5)717–729.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License permitting all use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
