Other Forms of Psychological Distress Experienced by Adolescents in Private
Secondary Schools.
Information was obtained qualitatively from the guidance and counseling teachers who took part
in the semi- structured interviews showed that apart from anxiety, stress and depression, the
adolescents in schools were struggling with other forms of mental health issues which they
reported as follows.
Table 4.4
Other Forms of Psychological Distress for Adolescents in Private Secondary Schools.
Frequency of the counselors
Drug Abuse
7
Suicidal ideations
4
Low self-esteem
2
Mood swings
4
Eating disorder
1
Phobia
1
As indicated in table 4.4, there was notable prevalence of other psychological distress, especially
drug abuse, suicidal ideations and mood swings. All the seven guidance and counseling teachers
reported drug abuse, in particular Counselor 3 stated:
At the moment I have two students that we discovered they are using bhang, one of them
have referred to another professional counselor with the consent of the parents because it
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was an extreme case that I could not handle. The second one am working with him slowly
though he is very resistant, but there is some improvement.
Counselor 6 reported that they had many cases of drug use among the adolescents in the school.
Lot of this information was reported to the teachers by the parents and other students because
most students abused drugs during holidays. The counselor stated that:
We have had a few cases of drug abuse among our students, since our school is very serious
on rules implementations. But parents have reported with concern that their children had
been caught abusing drugs while at home on their holidays. There are also times when
students reported that they had noticed their classmate friends were drinking alcohol
outside school. When I questioned the students concerned they agreed to the same.
Three guidance and counseling teachers reported suicidal ideations and mood swings. Other issues
reported were low self-esteem, eating disorder symptoms and phobia. To be precise counselor 1
said that:
I have noticed some students manifesting eating disorder symptoms, for examples one
students was skipping meals, when it was reported to me and I sat with him to talk, he said he
was not going to pick food because the queue for food was so long.
The findings of this study are in agreement with the report from the WHO (2020) who also ranked
suicide as third cause of death among adolescents in the world. Adolescents in schools also
experience some type of mental health challenges according to a study conducted in Germany by
Schulte (2016). These two studies support the findings of the current study.
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4.4.2 Psychological Distress among Adolescent as Described in Relation to Demographics in
Private Secondary Schools in Nairobi County
Table 4.5 shows the prevalence of psychological distress indicators as a function of the respondents'
demographic characteristics. Stress symptoms (Normal 0-10, Mild 11-18, Moderate 19-26, Severe
27-34, Extremely severe 35-42), Anxiety symptoms (Normal 0-6, Mild 7-9, Moderate 10-14,
Severe15-19, Extremely severe 20-42), Depression symptoms (Normal 0-6, Mild 7-9, Moderate 10-
14, Severe15-19, Extremely severe 20-42), Anxiety symptoms (Normal 0-6, Mild (Normal 0-9,
Mild10-12, Moderate 13-20, Severe 21-27, Extremely severe 28-42). This is based on the DASS 21
scoring (Lovibond, 1995).
Table 4.5
The Mean and Standard Deviation of Demographic Features in Relation Psychological Distress
that Adolescent’s Experience.
Distress Variables Anxiety Stress Depression
Demographic Factors Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
16 24.85 8.413 24.92 10.060 22.615 9.343
Age of
17 20.06 10.210 22.59 9.926 17.134 11.400
Respondents 18 20.54 9.895 21.63 9.614 15.852 9.463
19 16.04 8.977 18.20 9.365 15.061 9.373
20 5.33 4.163 3.33 2.309 2.667 3.055
Gender
Male 17.88 10.053 19.89 9.869 16.708 10.018
Female 21.66 9.741 23.41 9.794 16.812 11.162
Father‟s
Primary 20.08 9.758 21.25 8.586 16.906 9.402
Secondary 18.10 9.846 19.56 9.311 14.805 8.677
Educational
College 20.69 10.654 23.14 10.464 17.032 11.185
Level
University 20.22 9.871 22.18 10.313 17.523 11.492
Primary 17.41 9.933 18.28 8.700 14.873 9.440
Mother‟s
Secondary 19.36 9.299 21.86 9.135 17.191 9.640
Education Level
College 21.11 9.618 24.35 10.365 17.926 11.337
University 20.65 10.846 21.40 10.327 16.530 11.251
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From table 4.5, anxiety symptoms had highest mean (M = 24.85 & SD = 8.413) among the
adolescents aged 16 years. They were followed by ages 17 and 18 with mean (M=20.06, SD=
10.210) and (M=20.24, SD = 9.895) respectively, all of which indicated presence of extremely
severe anxiety symptoms. Those aged 19 reported a mean (M =16.04, SD =8.977) which made
severe anxiety symptoms and age 20 mean of 5.33 and SD of 4.163 (normal anxiety symptoms).
The highest mean in the category of stress symptoms was recorded by age 16 again, (M = 24.92
& SD = 10.060) indicating moderate stress symptoms, ages 17 and 18 also indicated moderate
stress symptoms with a mean (M = 22.59 & SD = 9.926) and (M = 21.63 & SD = 9.614) in that
order. The respondents aged 19 had a mean of 18.20 and SD of 9.365 which made mild stress
symptoms and age 20 had a mean (M=3.33 & SD = 2.309) which represented normal stress
symptoms. For depression symptoms the highest mean was also reported by respondents aged
16, since they had a mean of 22.615 and SD of 9.343 which made severe depression symptoms.
Ages 17, 18 and 19 had a fairly distributed mean, (M= 17.134 & SD = 11.400) for ages 17, (M
=15.852 & SD = 9.463) for ages 18 and (M = 15.061 & SD = 9.373) for ages 19, all of which
indicated moderate depression symptoms.
Though the prevalence of anxiety, stress and depression symptoms seems to be more pronounce
among the adolescents aged 16, the symptoms are fairly distributed across all ages that are
captured in this study. These findings are in agreement to with the WHO (2020) which reported
that most mental health disorders recorded among the adolescents were among the age group 15-
19 years.
In relation to gender, the female respondents had a higher mean (M = 21.66 & SD = 9.741) for
anxiety symptoms which indicated extremely severe anxiety symptoms, as compared to male
respondents. (M = 17.88 & SD = 10.053) which indicated severe anxiety symptoms. The same
65
thing was reported for Stress symptoms where female respondents had a higher mean (23.41 &
SD 9.794) than male respondents (M =19.89 & SD = 9.869), however both indicated moderate
anxiety symptoms. For depression symptoms the mean was fairly distributed across the gender
with a mean of 16.708 and SD of 10.018 for males and (M = 16.812 & SD = 11.162) for females,
both of which indicated moderate depression symptoms.
The female respondents seems to be reporting slightly higher mean on the prevalence of different
level of psychological distress. A study conducted by Droogenbroeck, Spruyt & Keppens (2018),
reports of a similar findings where girls recorded slightly higher scores on anxiety and
depression symptoms compared to the scores recorded by boys.
An almost similar mean was reported by respondents whose fathers had attained primary (M=
20.08 & SD = 9.758), college (M = 20.69 & SD = 10.654) and university (M = 20.22 & SD =
9.871) for anxiety symptoms which indicated extremely severe anxiety symptom. For those
respondents whose fathers‟ educational level was secondary the mean for anxiety symptom was
18.10 and SD = 9.846 which indicated severe anxiety symptoms. For stress symptoms the
highest mean (M = 23.14 & SD = 10.464) was recorded by respondents whose fathers‟
educational level was college. Those whose fathers had attained university level recorded a mean
of 22.18 and Standard deviation of 10.313, for primary educational level mean (M = 21.25 &
8.586) and secondary (M= 19.56 & SD = 9.311), all of which indicated moderate stress
symptoms. Again, for depression symptoms the mean was fairly distributed indicating moderate
depression symptoms for all educational levels of the male parent. For university educational
level (M = 17.723 & SD = 11.492), college level (M = 17.032 & SD = 11.185), Secondary (M =
14.805 & SD = 8.677) and primary level (M = 16.906 & SD = 9.402).
66
The anxiety symptoms of the respondents represented in relation to mother‟s educational level
reported a mean (M = 20.65 & 10.846) for university level, (M= 21.11 & SD = 9.618) for college
level, both of which meant extremely severe anxiety symptoms. On the other hand secondary
level the mean (M = 19.36 & SD = 9.299) which meant moderate anxiety symptoms. On the
other hand respondents whose mothers had attained primary level reported mean (M = 17.41 &
9.933) which meant mild anxiety symptoms. For stress symptoms the highest mean (M = 24.35
& SD = 10.365) was reported by respondents whose mothers‟ had attained college level. Those
whose female parents had attained secondary and university followed with a mean (M = 21.86 &
SD = 9.135) and (M = 21.40 & SD = 10. 327) respectively. These three means were interpreted
as moderate stress symptoms. For those whose mothers‟ had attained primary level mean was
18.28 which meant mild stress symptoms. In the cases of depression symptoms the mean was
fairly distributed across all respondents in relation to their female parents‟ educational level. For
university level (M=16.530 & 11.251), College level (M= 17.926 & SD = 11.337), Secondary
level (M= 17.191 & SD = 11.337), primary level (M = 14.873& SD = 9.44), all of which meant
moderate depression symptoms.
