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Assessment of mental health problems among adolescents in Sri Lanka: Findings from the cross-sectional global school-based health survey

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dc.contributor.author Rasalingam, G.
dc.contributor.author Rajalingam, A.
dc.contributor.author Chandradasa, M.
dc.contributor.author Nath, M.
dc.date.accessioned 2022-11-08T07:07:51Z
dc.date.available 2022-11-08T07:07:51Z
dc.date.issued 2022
dc.identifier.citation Health Science Reports.2022;5(6):e886. en_US
dc.identifier.issn 2398-8835
dc.identifier.uri http://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/25577
dc.description indexed in MEDLINE. en_US
dc.description.abstract Background and aims: Mental health condition among adolescents is a leading cause of health-related disability in Sri Lanka. The study aims to estimate the prevalence and evaluate the associated risk factors in three major mental health domains-loneliness, anxiety and suicidal ideation-among Sri Lankan adolescents. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data of 3262 adolescents from the Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS) conducted by the WHO in 2016. We modeled the binary outcome variables using multivariable logistic regression models with exposures representing demography, food habits, personal hygiene, behavior, substance abuse, parental and social engagement of the respondents. Results: We estimated the prevalence of loneliness, anxiety and suicidal ideation as 30.8% (95% CI: 29.3, 32.5), 20.2% (95% CI: 18.8, 21.6) and 3.7% (95% CI: 3.1, 4.4), respectively, and the overall prevalence as 40.3% (95% CI: 38.6, 42.0). Mental health problems were more prevalent among females than males. Engagement with parents and close friends, adequate nutritional intake and physically active lifestyles reduced the risk of common mental health problems. Exposure variables like food insecurity, truancy, second-hand smoking, physical fight, and being bullied increased adolescents' risk of reported psychological problems. Conclusions: We conclude that the prevalence of mental health problems in the Sri Lankan adolescent population was higher than the global average. Results suggest that future policy decisions to mitigate mental health problems among Sri Lankan adolescents should incorporate an integrated approach involving the individual, family and community to promote positive home and school environments combined with an active and healthy lifestyle. en_US
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher John Wiley and Sons en_US
dc.subject Global School‐based Student Health Survey en_US
dc.subject Anxiety en_US
dc.subject Loneliness en_US
dc.subject Mental health adolescents en_US
dc.title Assessment of mental health problems among adolescents in Sri Lanka: Findings from the cross-sectional global school-based health survey en_US
dc.type Article en_US


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