Mental Health Problems among Urban and Rural School-Going Adolescents in Kurnool District, South India: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: One of the most important stages of human development is adolescence. Adolescents frequently have modest psychological issues, such as friendship or school-related anxiety. These problems are made worse by a lack of knowledge about the signs and symptoms of mental diseases. Some of these issues can be avoided before they develop by encouraging adolescents to have good mental wellness. Objectives: To assess & compare mental health status of adolescents enrolled in schools of Kurnool Medical college rural and urban field practice regions. Methodology: A School-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 416 Adolescents between the ages of 10 to 19 who lived in Kurnool Medical College's urban and rural field practice regions by simple random sampling, using a semi-structured questionnaire covering socio-demographic details, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). IBM SPSS (version 21) was used for data analysis. Results: Majority of adolescents belonged to the 10-15 years age group in both urban (76.92%) & rural regions (79.32%). The prevalence of abnormal mental health issues was determined to be 0.48% in urban regions and 1.44% in rural regions determined by the total difficulties score. In comparison to urban settings, there appeared to be somewhat more mental health problems in rural settings. Conclusion: Overall total difficulties score did not differ significantly between urban and rural adolescents, rural regions had significantly higher scores for emotional, conduct, hyperactivity problems. These results emphasise the necessity of school-centered mental wellness services.