Some indicators of mental health in secondary school students

• Main Author: Tina Pušnik
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Slovenian Psychologists' Association 2002-02-01
• Series: Psihološka Obzorja
• Subjects: adolescents; mental health; psychosomatics; substance abuse; eating disorders; depressiveness
• Online Access: http://psiholoska-obzorja.si/arhiv_clanki/2002_1/pusnik.pdf

The aim of the research was to determine the status of the secondary school students regarding different indicators of mental health. We were interested in the perception of successfulness, stress caused by the school, relationships towards friends and family members, intensive physical response to the stress, depression symptoms, eating disorders symptoms and substance abuse. The participants also estimated feeling of content and meaning in life. The questionnaire was designed especially for this research. 647 grammmar school and economics secondary school students were asked to participate in the study. The results are mostly similar to those of other Slovene surveys. There are major differences in problem areas depending on the sex of participants: girls' results show more physical responses to the stress, fear and the strain of learning, depression symptoms and eating disorders symptoms, while the boys reported more substance abuse, lower grades and less studying. The research shows the frequency of different problems in adolescents and correlations among forms of risk taking behavior. There are high correlations among different sorts of subsubstance abuse. Also depression, physical response to the stress and eating disorders symptoms are connected. The research should lead to various preventive programmes, where the efforts of the schools, health-care system, local community and the state have to be co-ordinated.