Presentation Information
[O-13-05]Anxiety and depression among adolescents
*Cecilia Essau1, Suwaibah Zakaria2, Chuong Hock Ting Ting3, Julia Ai Cheng Lee3, Alvin Lai Oon Ng4, Nik Daliana Nik Farid5, Noor Azimah Muhammad6, Suzaily Wahab6, Alejandro de la Torre-Luque7 (1.University of Roehampton(UK), 2.Universiti Malaysia Sabah(Malaysia), 3.Universiti Malaysia Sarawak(Malaysia), 4.Sunway University(Malaysia), 5.Universiti Malaya(Malaysia), 6.Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia(Malaysia), 7.Universidad Complutense de Madrid(Spain))
Keywords:
Anxiety,Depression,Adolescents,Academic stress,School connectedness
Mental health problems such as anxiety and depression account for 13% of the global burden of disease and affect approximately 20% of adolescents worldwide. The onset of anxiety and depression typically occurs before 14 years of age, and these mental health problems are associated with poor school performance, alcohol and drug misuse, and suicidal behaviour. Some of the most commonly reported risk factors for anxiety and depression include genetic predisposition, family history of mental illness, exposure to trauma or chronic stress, peer-related difficulties such as bullying. The link between anxiety/depression with perceived academic stress and school connectedness has rarely been explored.
The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of anxiety and depression, and their potential link with perceived academic stress and school connectedness. Another aim was to examine adolescent’s mental health literacy. A total of 5354 adolescents (boys = 46.8%; girls = 53.2%) living in economically deprived areas in Malaysia, aged 12-14 years (mean age = 13.5 years), participated in this study. They completed a set of questionnaires, including questionnaires to measure anxiety and depressive symptoms, perceived academic stress, school connectedness, and knowledge of mental health problems.
Results showed that 17.5% of the adolescents endorsed moderate to severe levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms as measured using the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21. Significantly more girls than boys endorsed moderate to severe levels of anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression correlated significantly positive with academic stress and significantly negative with school connectedness. Adolescents also showed low level of mental health literacy, which contributed to delayed recognition, underreporting of symptoms, and limited help-seeking behaviour.
To conclude, our study underscores the urgent need for targeted public health strategies and improved mental health literacy to address the growing burden of anxiety and depression among adolescents.
The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of anxiety and depression, and their potential link with perceived academic stress and school connectedness. Another aim was to examine adolescent’s mental health literacy. A total of 5354 adolescents (boys = 46.8%; girls = 53.2%) living in economically deprived areas in Malaysia, aged 12-14 years (mean age = 13.5 years), participated in this study. They completed a set of questionnaires, including questionnaires to measure anxiety and depressive symptoms, perceived academic stress, school connectedness, and knowledge of mental health problems.
Results showed that 17.5% of the adolescents endorsed moderate to severe levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms as measured using the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21. Significantly more girls than boys endorsed moderate to severe levels of anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression correlated significantly positive with academic stress and significantly negative with school connectedness. Adolescents also showed low level of mental health literacy, which contributed to delayed recognition, underreporting of symptoms, and limited help-seeking behaviour.
To conclude, our study underscores the urgent need for targeted public health strategies and improved mental health literacy to address the growing burden of anxiety and depression among adolescents.